June 6, 2006 CCP - Laserfiche WebLink

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EXCERPT DRAFT City of Lake Elmo PARKS COMMISSION MEETING Minutes of May 15, 2006 Chairman Schumacher called to order the meeting of the Lake Elmo Parks Commission at 7:02 p.m. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Larson, Steele, Blackford, Watters, and Heroff (7:08 p.m.). STAFF PRESENT: Administrator Rafferty, Planner Dillerud, Maintenance Worker Gustafson, and Recording Secretary Anez. ALSO PRESENT: Councilmember Smith, Former Councilmember Susan Dunn, and Carriage Station Resident Jennifer McCormick. 6. Parks Survey Completion Commissioner Larson reported that surveys have been completed on all 17 parks. He said they followed the questionnaire. He presented the results of the parks walk- throughs, along with updated web descriptions of parks. He said the maps still need to be updated. 7. Land Trust: Sunfish Lake Park Commissioner Blackford distributed a handout she said reiterated what we learned in a talk given by Ann Thies of the Minnesota Land Trust last year. She recommended placing Sunfish Lake Park into a conservation easement with the land trust. She said she was concerned because minutes drafted by the Administrator at a Council Committee Meeting where concerns about Sunfish Lake Park were made by residents are inaccurate and because she is concerned about the county's keen interest in Sunfish. Administrator Rafferty said the county cannot take Sunfish Lake Park from us and suggested waiting for the Park Plan Update. Chairman Schumacher suggested moving forward to protect Sunfish now. M/S/P, Blackford/Steele to recommend placing Sunfish Lake Park into the Minnesota Land Trust at this time because the City Council gave the Parks Commission the directive to look at the land trust as a protective tool at their April 12, 2005 Council Committee Meeting, and in light of development plans within the Lake Elmo Park Reserve Master Plan, because of discussions and concepts of a tunnel underpass going through from Lake Elmo Park Reserve toward Sunfish Lake Park, and Jim Luger's comment on May 9, 2006 that the county wants Sunfish Lake Park. Vote: 5:1, Nay: Watters-Conflicted because this action looks very reactionary. We have time to go through the process we are paying consultants $25,000 to perform. Commissioner Blackford then distributed a letter dated May 15, 2006, regarding protection of Sunfish Lake Park for submission to the City Council, and asked the Parks Commission to endorse all or part of that letter. M/S/P, Blackford/Steele to endorse submission of Commissioner Blackford's letter to the City Council but amending it to include only paragraphs one, two, and four - eliminating the third paragraph. The letter now reads as follows: