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Page 2 Trail Development Policy Review Continued Hardwood Creek Trail Extended After several years of planning and negotia-tions, Washington Coun-ty was able to extend the Hardwood Creek Region-al Trail from the exiting stopping point at 145th Street south to 140th Street. The trail includes the paved portion and a parallel turf trail which accommodates snowmo-bilers and equestrians. The property was aban-doned by the BNSF and purchased by the Wash-ington County Regional Rail Authority. The corridor is preserved for future transit use. The County applied for and received federal funding which necessitated that the trail plans be reviewed by several organizations including the State Historical Preservation Office and Minnesota Department of Transportation. The Hardwood Creek Region-al Trail Master Plan was reviewed by the Commis-sion in April, 2013. As shown in the plan, the extension provides con-nections between Hugo neighborhoods, commer-cial areas, the existing 9.5 mile County trail, and other important regional trails. zone signage along Herit-age Parkway. Program-ming and evaluation will also be apart of the project as per the guide-lines from the County. The City’s geocaching Partner Project through Washington County and the Statewide Health Improvement Program. The grant will be matched by White Bear Lake Area Schools and used to install lit speed program is now in its third year. There were several caches required upgrades and/or replace-ments in 2014 so the popular program could continue. constructed with devel-opment or road pro-jects. There can be unique circumstances that would justify con-struction outside of the normal means. In order to determine which improvement shall take priority for limited funding, crite-ria were established in the Trail Development Policy. It includes providing connections, enhancing safety, giving priority when requested by Hugo residents, economical, and feasible. Trails and sidewalks that are identified using the criteria could be included in the Parks CIP and constructed by the City. The Commission has ongoing discussions about missing trail connections. A Trail policy was discussed and recommended by the Parks Commission before it was approved by the City Council on May 5 . Typically, improvements identi-fied in the Trail and Sidewalk Plan are 2014 Page 3 Parks, Recreation and Open Space Commission and pavilion at Diamond Point Park. Repairs were needed. The spring toys were replaced with spinners at Diamond Point Park and Oneka Lake Park. Engineered wood fiber was added to Frog Hollow, Oak Shore, and Heritage Ponds Parks. The surfacing is designed for aesthetics, child safety, and ADA wheelchair accessibility. It compacts over time and needs to be topped off. The City of Hugo Public Works Department main-tains all of Hugo’s parks, trails, and open spaces. This includes: 384 acres of parkland 10 play structures 22 miles of sidewalks 7 picnic shelters 1 sledding hill 2 outdoor pavilions 3 community rooms 4 ball fields 6 irrigated athletic fields 10+ open spaces 11 miles of trails The Public Works Depart-ment consists of 9 full-time workers and 6 seasonal staff overseen by Public Works Director Scott Anderson. Two of the full-time staff spe-cialize in park maintenance, but all contribute. The sea-sonal staff primarily spend their time maintaining parks. The Public Works building is located at 6900 137th Street adjacent to Hanifl Fields Athletic Park. The Public Works Depart-ment conducted several parks project in 2014 in addi-tion to their regular park maintenance. Vandals started a fire that burned the trash receptacles Public Works Update Soccer nets were replaced at Oneka Lake Park. Lacrosse goals were purchased for Heritage Ponds Park and Val Jean Park. The shelter at Hanifl Fields Athletic Park was paint-ed. The open air pavilion was re-stained. The Commission directed park maintenance staff to upgrade the screening of the portable restrooms in all neighborhood parks. ACTIVE PARKS Active parks have playgrounds, athletic fields and/or other similar facilities and activity areas. Lions Park 5524 Upper 146th Street North Beaver Ponds Park 12710 Fondant Avenue Frog Hollow Park 5945 159th Street North Victor Square Park 14650 Victor Hugo Blvd. Arbre Park 14180 Arbre Lane Oneka Lake Park 15369 Goodview Avenue Heritage Ponds Park 15541 Empress Avenue Val Jean Park 14270 Val Jean Blvd. Diamond Point East 6355 145th Sreet North Oak Shore Park 12790 Exhall Avenue Hanifl Fields Athletic Park 7032 137th Street North PASSIVE PARKS Passive parks are large natural areas or small green spaces without formal activity areas. Clearwater Creek Preserve Park 4826 Fable Hill Circle Rice Lake Park 6900 137th Street North Future Park 14420 Irish Avenue North