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City of Mounds View Staff Report Highway 10 Pedestrian Bridge January 27, 1997 Page 3 • These funds were to be used as follows: Match Funds for Grant $120,000 Engineering Design and Inspection Costs $ 65,000 Contingency $ 5.000 $190,000 Tasks in Progress Acquisition of Easements:Easements have been obtained from Wildwood Manor and from Ramsey County to allow construction of the bridge abutments on the south side of lEghway 10. These easements were obtained at no cost. In September, 1996, it was unclear whether the owners of the Mounds View Square Shopping Center would be willing to grant an easement for the bridge abutments on the north side of the highway. The City and the property owner were in the middle of considering a variance request which would allow Mounds View Square to exceed the usual sign code requirements to compensate for the visual obstruction created by the bridge. The property owner did not feel they could grant the easement until they knew the outcome of the variance request. BRW advised us that we needed to get the easements before the end of 1996. Because of this deadline, the City Council passed Resolution No. 5009 initiating eminent domain proceedings to obtain the easement, as insurance to make sure the City could demonstrate • to MnDOT we had the easements needed to build the bridge. Since then, the property owner has gotten approval for the variance request and has been cooperative in proposing an agreement which is expected to shorten the eminent domain proceedings and save the City costs. Obtaining the easements is being handled by the "quick take" procedure under Minnesota State Law. The next step is a hearing before the court on January 29. If the judge signs orders approving the taking of the easement, he or she will refer the matter to a panel of three commissioners to determine the value of the easement and how the property owner is to be compensated. Our attorney expects the commissioners to selected by the second week in February. A hearing will be held two weeks later after the property has been viewed by the commissioners, approximately at the end of February. It is possible that the commissioners would make an award at the viewing, but if not, an award could be made at the hearing if there is agreement on the determination of value. Meanwhile, our attorney is working on stipulations which would award the easement for$10.00 by agreement with the property owner. To date, the legal costs to deal with the easement on Mounds View Square property have been approximately $2,850. 2. Preparation and Approval of Bridge Design: The preliminary design for the bridge has been submitted to MnDOT and comments have been provided to BRW. They expect to submit the formal design by January 31. To date, the design costs incurred by BRW have • been approximately $31,750.