#13 - 3M PFAS Settlement Priority

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STAFF REPORT DATE: February 4, 2025 REGULAR AGENDA AGENDA ITEM: Submitting a Letter of Intent for Ballfield Pinwheel SUBMITTED BY: Ashley Monterusso, City Planner & Jason Stopa, Community Development Director REVIEWED BY: Sophia Jensen, Senior City Planner PRESENTED BY: Jason Stopa, Community Development Director OBJECTIVE: To determine if the City Council would like to move forward with applying for a letter of intent (LOI) as a preliminary step in applying for 3M Priority 2 grant funds for facilities and improvements at the newly planned city park at Stillwater Blvd and just south of Sunfish Park (PID: 1502921420004 and 1502921410001) BACKGROUND: Priority 2 of the 3M Settlement provides $20 million in grant funds to compensate for losses to recreational and ecological resources resulting from PFAS released by 3M. Grant funds will be used to fund projects designed to enhance aquatic resources, wildlife habitat, and outdoor recreational opportunities. The DNR and MPCA have elected to solicit project proposals directly from the organizations and communities via a public RFP process. Before applying for the grant, the applicant must submit a Letter of intent (LOI), this is a brief project description to determine whether a project qualifies for Priority 2 funding. The decision to submit the Letter of Intent does not commit the city to proceed. If the LOI is accepted, the applicant will be invited to submit a more formal RFP for the given project. In 2024, the City Council approved the submission of two separate Letters of Intent separate projects for Priority 2 funding. PROPOSAL DETAILS/ANALYSIS: City staff would write a Letter of Intent to explore this project further. The letter of intent would be reviewed by the DNR and MPCA. The application for the submittal of the Letter of Intent is expected to open in February and will be open for all applicants for 30 days. The goals for the 3M settlement funds are as follows: • Goal 1 – Restore, protect and enhance aquatic and terrestrial resources, wildlife and habitats. • Goal 2 – Increase understanding of fish tissue contamination, improve communication about PFAS- based fish consumption advisories, and identify and enhance alternative, noncontaminated fishing areas. • Goal 3 – Improve and enhance outdoor recreational opportunities. The city recently signed a purchase agreement for the aforementioned parcels PIDs: 1502921420004 and 150292141000. Developing a new athletic park to support baseball and softball (competitive and town ball for ages 9+) and ensuring community parks have seating options, picnic tables, bike racks, shade (trees or structure), trash and recycling receptacles, entry signage, informational kiosk, a drinking fountain, and