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STAFF REPORT <br />DATE:10/7/2025 <br />REGULAR <br />TO: CITY COUNCIL <br />AGENDA ITEM: Sunfish Lake Letter of Support - MN/3M PFAS Settlement Priority 2 <br />FROM: Assistant Public Works Director – Adam Swanepoel <br />REVIEWED BY: Public Works Director - Marty Powers <br />CORE STRATEGIES: <br />☒ Vibrant, inclusive, connected community ☐ Efficient, reliable, innovative services <br />☒ Responsive, transparent, adaptive governance ☐ Balanced Finances now and future <br />☐ Managed Growth ☐ Resilient Infrastructure <br />BACKGROUND: <br />As part of the 3M settlement, $20 million in grant money was set aside to compensate for losses to <br />recreational and ecological resources resulting from PFAS released by 3M. The DNR and MPCA have <br />collected project proposals directly from the organizations and communities via a public RFP process. <br />The Friends of Sunfish Lake Park submitted three separate proposals for funds from this Priority 2 <br />allotment. All three were selected to move onto the application process. The three proposals include: <br />Forest and Trail Restoration in Sunfish Lake Park $1.8 Million <br />Sunfish Lake Boardwalk $500,000 <br />Sunfish Lake Fish Advisory $100,000 <br />ISSUE BEFORE CITY COUNCIL <br />Does City Council support the projects proposed by the Friends of Sunfish Lake Park? <br />PROPOSAL DETAILS/ANALYSIS: <br />The first proposal focused on restoring Sunfish Lake Park by eliminating buckthorn and replanting native <br />species in the area. These funds would be used to fund three more years of buckthorn removal and <br />manage the re-establishment of buckthorn in the 180 acres of Sunfish Lake Park for an additional two <br />years. <br />The second project is the construction of a Boardwalk across the West side of Sunfish Lake. installation <br />will greatly improve access to Sunfish Lake for Park users as an amenity on each side of the lake. A 300- <br />foot boardwalk would be constructed on city property and would allow for a full loop of the trail system. <br />The boardwalk would add the opportunity for catch-and-release fishing, birdwatching, dip-netting <br />activities, and observing the water lilies.