The Private Property Rights Protection Act of 2012
The link below is to House Resolution 1433, or the Private Property Rights Protection Act of 2012: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h112-1433. This bill has passed the House and we need to make sure that we call our senators about it. This bill would yank Federal funding for any project by a state, county, or city that uses eminent domain for economic development.
In other words, if they confiscate your home, or your neighbors’, to build medical centers, high-density housing above shops, etc, etc (i.e.- see the Crystal redevelopment plan, or any other City for that matter) they lose all Federal funding for that project for at least two years. In fact, you can’t build for economic development for seven years if you acquire that property by eminent domain, or you lose funding. It’s a redevelopment killer.
It also outlaws the Federal Government from doing the same. It goes on to protect agricultural land as well:
SEC. 8. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING RURAL AMERICA.
(a) Findings- The Congress finds the following:
(1) The founders realized the fundamental importance of property rights when they codified the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution, which requires that private property shall not be taken ‘for public use, without just compensation’.
(2) Rural lands are unique in that they are not traditionally considered high tax revenue-generating properties for State and local governments. In addition, farmland and forest land owners need to have long-term certainty regarding their property rights in order to make the investment decisions to commit land to these uses.
(3) Ownership rights in rural land are fundamental building blocks for our Nation’s agriculture industry, which continues to be one of the most important economic sectors of our economy.
(4) In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Kelo v. City of New London, abuse of eminent domain is a threat to the property rights of all private property owners, including rural land owners.
In short, this is an amazing bill that puts power back in our hands when it comes to protecting our property from eminent domain. This may not be a knife to the heart of Agenda 21, but it’s at least a punch in the eye!
Senator Klobuchar: 202-224-3244
Senator Franken: 202-224-5641
Crystal Buys Cavanagh School
Well the city of Crystal must not be broke. According to the Sun Post they just bought Cavanagh School;
The Robbinsdale District 281 School Board on Feb. 21 approved a purchase agreement relating to the sale of the Cavanagh School property to Crystal’s Economic Development Authority. The total purchase price for the property at 5400 Corvallis Ave. N., is $956,000. Closing is expected to take place by Feb. 13, 2013.
Where does Crystal come up with $956,000 from? All they do is claim their broke!
Crystal City Manager Anne Norris said last week that the City Council would like to see senior housing on the west side of the site and maintain the east side as open space, as it is now. Some of the land at the Cavanagh site already has been taken for road construction on Highway 81. The streets are being reconstructed, Highway 81 is being redeveloped, and rapid transit is coming to the highway.
Yes and this is the transit oriented development we’ve been talking about. Force mass transit on us and then cram as many people as you can along the transit line so you can control them.
“We are working with a potential developer, but there is no development agreement yet,” Norris said, adding that demolition could occur late in 2012 or early in 2013.
Nice to know we spent nearly $1 million with no plan! How long will we sit on this??
The school opened in 1958 and closed in 1977 due to declining enrollment. It was named for the late Bill Cavanagh of Robbinsdale, a 35-year member of the Robbinsdale School Board who served from 1927 to 1962. Cavanagh, who had been a contractor and builder in Robbinsdale, died in 1978 at the age of 84.
The building has housed a variety of programs since the elementary school closed 35 years ago. Its currently is home to the Highview Alternative Program, as well as an Early Childhood Center that includes Early Childhood Special Education and Creative Play.
District 281 will continue to use the building for the remainder of this school year. Then Highview is expected to move to the Sandburg Learning Center in Golden Valley. The early childhood programs will be housed at New Hope Learning Center. The sale of Cavanagh follows recommendations in 2011 from the district’s divesture committee, which said the building should be put on the market.
Also in line with the divestiture committee’s recommendation, District 281 last year sold the former Hosterman School, 5530 Zealand Ave. N., New Hope, to Intermediate District 287. A new facility currently is under construction on the site that will serve special needs students from the northwest suburbs, similar to District 287′s facility in Richfield. District 281 officials also are negotiating with the city of New Hope for the sale of the Winnetka Learning Center, 7940 55th Ave. N., New Hope.
The school district’s committee last year recommended that the site, including the soccer field west of Winnetka Learning Center, be put on the market. As with Cavanagh, the site is being used while Sandburg Middle School in Golden Valley is leased to District 287. Programs at the Winnetka site are scheduled to move to Sandburg once the new District 287 school is completed on the Hosterman property.
The school district recently demolished the former Highview School building at 4701 Zealand Ave. N., New Hope, in line with the committee’s recommendation, since it was determined that the building had little value.
Here’s a question; why can’t District 281 simply sell the land to a developer? Why does the city need to be involved?
Your Money At Work in Brooklyn Park
From the Twilight Zone known as Brooklyn Park via the Sun Post;
Someday there will be a fire truck putting out a fire in a home in a tiny country in Africa that says, “Donated by the City of Brooklyn Park, MN, USA.”
Oh wow! Doesn’t that sound nice!!!
Brooklyn Park City Council members approved a resolution to authorize money from a city donations fund to help pay for a trip to Liberia that three city staff members and several members of the Fire Department will take to Liberia later this year, but it was not a unanimous decision. The matter was up for vote at the Jan. 30 City Council meeting.
In November, Fire Chief Ken Prillaman described a mission to Liberia he’d like to take with a team of fire and emergency medical professionals. The country has almost no infrastructure for fighting fires and is in dire need of equipment, training and supplies. In the last two decades, Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center have become home to the largest population of Liberians living outside that country. Many have strong ties to their homeland. Brooklyn Park has hosted delegations of high-level government officials in recent years.
Chief Prillaman has set up a nonprofit organization to assist other countries with firefighting efforts and has raised money for the upcoming trip, planned for March 2012. The request of the council was to help pay the cost for the city employees, including Mayor Jeffrey Lunde, city manager Jamie Verbrugge, and police community liaison, Robin Martinson. The amount requested to was $3,300 total for the three city members of the delegation. They are also paying part of the cost themselves.
Councilmember Dean Heng said he had received a lot of calls from citizens about this trip and asked where the money would come from. City finance director Corey Kampf said the money would come from a donations fund that has been around for a while.
That raised another question about what happens to money that individuals donate to the city – where does it go? Kampf explained that when an individual or group donates or bequeaths money to the city, it goes to a specially designated location, and the city allocates it to the specific department budget for which the donor intended. In the case of this fund the city had on hand, the donations were not targeted for a specific purpose.
I wonder how many people who donated money thought it would be sent to Liberia! And now taxpayers are paying for part of a trip for the mayor and two government bureaucrats to go there??
Other council members said they also had some trepidation about using city funds for such a trip, but after listening to Prillaman’s and Verbrugge’s description of the benefits this kind of cross-cultural, face-to-face interaction could bring to both the country of Liberia and the city, they felt they could support the resolution. Heng cast the only dissenting vote.
Ahhh….isn’t that nice! We now have cross-cultural fire extinguishing!
And, of course, they have to upgrade city hall!
City Hall upgrades
Council members approved a staff request for a 2012 remodel of the front reception customer service and licensing-assessing area in City Hall. Presented by Jon Thiel, director of operations and maintenance, the plan includes addressing the front desk reception area for deficiencies in space relating to technology, ergonomics, security and accessibility. It also includes updating the council chambers with the latest in audio-visual technology and expanding the Heritage Conference Room. Other areas might be expanded and moved.
Projected costs for the current remodel are approximately $580,000, with $300,000 going for the City Hall construction and $280,000 for council chambers audio-visual replacement. The money will come from the 2012-2016 capital improvement plan and municipal buildings and additions budget and the information technology budget, respectively.
The city is looking at a much larger renovation of City Hall in 2017 when the building turns 25 years old.
$280,000 for an audio-visual replacement?? Nice job by the sun post of scrutinizing that! And will they demand a new building in 2017? It’s funny houses stand for 100 years but government buildings always need to be replaced every 25 years or so!
West Metro Fire Laugh In Continues…..
The incoherent nonsense from Crystal and New Hope just never ceases to amaze us! From the Sun Post;
The Crystal and New Hope City Councils had their third joint working session on Feb. 2 in hopes of ironing out differences within the jointly operated West Metro-Fire Rescue District. The meetings came after a proposed disillusion of the joint powers agreement from Crystal Mayor ReNae Bowman, which she later took off the table. Chad Weinstein, president of Ethical Leaders in Action, was brought in to act as a facilitator between the two cities to see if the issues could be resolved.
“I think we’ll have at least two more of these meetings,” Weinstein said. “We just aren’t there yet.” Weinstein started the Feb. 2 meeting asking the two councils if anything had been brought up between meetings. “There were questions raised about whether we should continue,” Weinstein said. “I was advised that we are to proceed.”
Yes and since you are paid $200 an hour Mr. Weinstein, I’m sure you want these meetings to continue.
Bowman said her concern about the proceedings is the breakdown of trust within the community. Karsten Nelson of Crystal, captain of Fire Station 2 in Crystal, has filed a formal request for all emails Bowman authored or responded to between June 1, 2010 and Dec. 31, 2011, which pertain to the West Metro Fire-Rescue District. “Any sort of request for emails, part of me says, ‘is this strategy,’” Bowman said. “I take it seriously. I want to know what people are having trouble with. The trust issues we can fix by talking about it.”
A strategy? Let’s see Mayor Bowman; you go out and rip the city of New Hope, rip the fire department, and rip their leaders, and now you complain about a breakdown of trust in the community?
Members of the New Hope City Council seemed to be just as surprised at the filing, and Councilmember John Elder said he isn’t sure where the request came from. “If we said we would like to see this, I could see where trust would be a real serious issue,” he said. “If it was made by an outside participant, I don’t think it would show lack of trust between these two councils. I would like to see these meetings continue.”
The New Hope City Council struggled to accept the allegations that have come forward, said Councilmember Eric Lammle. “It’s not about what happened to lead up to it,” he said. “We need to focus more on how to move forward, and how we move forward together.”
Bowman said that she has heard unflattering comments in the community and the statements have come off as unhealthy and unfair. “I’ve heard things like, ‘the mayor better be careful that her house doesn’t start on fire,’” Bowman said. “I understand, but I’ve heard way too much out there.”
So in other words if you disagree with Mayor Bowman or her condescending conduct, then just shut up!
In hopes to repair the verbal damages expressed by the community and fire department, Crystal Councilmember Julie Deshler suggested that it might be a good idea to hear from the firefighters. “One way to heal this might be to allow firefighters to have input group meetings,” she said. “Not a free for all, but a chance to step up to the plate.”
Crystal Councilmember Joe Selton said a public meeting may be a step in the right direction, but with a fear of retaliation, they would be able to calm some of the issues. “With a public forum, we could get some issues out there right now,” he said. “If the board does their job as far as figuring out issues with the fire department and the relationship we have, that forum would be important to do, but some people may not say a word.”
Yeah, we wouldn’t want you to be bothered by a public forum, and whatever happens we can always count on Joe Selton to do what he always does; vote with the majority!
The city councils were both in agreement that negative public outcry will not help the situation. It might do just the opposite.
Huh? What does that mean? Negative public outcry will not help? Maybe the public is trying to send you a message! Heaven forbid you actually listen once in a while.
“We should strive to do right; we may not all agree, but we are all acting in good faith,” New Hope Councilmember Dan Stauner said. “Everyone up here is acting on good faith in what we see is the best interest of the community.” “It needs to stop,” added Bowman. “The success or failure will be based on these proceedings, not back -alley bent-nosed behavior. I thank you, Dan. That’s what I wanted to hear.”
Back-alley bent-nosed behavior?? Who’s guilty of that?
The councils will meet for another joint session Feb. 23.
“It’s certainly a step in the right direction and will help mitigate to know that none of us support that type of behavior,” Bowman said. If the two cities cannot come to a consensus on finance and operation issues by Aug. 1, the fire district will begin a dissolution process.
What type of behavior Mayor Bowman? Disagreeing with you?? Give us a break! Perhaps in the future let’s force the two city councils to pay Chad Weinstein the $200 an hour out of their own pockets!
Why Caucus?
The below video explains why it is important that you get involved in the political process at this most basic of levels. This is where you begin to make a tangible difference.
Who Are These Groups Part 4; The North Metro Mayors Association
Continuing in our series of looking at tax-funded their party groups, here is some info on the North Metro Mayors Association.
Here is the mission statement of this group;
The Association is recognized as the voice for issues impacting the North Metro area at the federal, state, and regional levels of government. Over the years the focus of the Association has grown from transportation and economic development issues, to include housing and various other legislative initiatives (i.e., local governmental aids, fiscal disparities, pollution abatement, tax reform, etc.). And much more work has yet to be done.
Here is their wonderful purpose;
NMMA is a policy driven organization providing research and advocacy services on a broad range of issues that affect its members, its Community Partners and the broader North Metro area.
Wow isn’t that wonderful! So who is a member of this group? Here are their members;
Andover
Anoka
Blaine
Brooklyn Center
Brooklyn Park
Champlin
Circle Pines
Coon Rapids
Dayton
Lexington
New Hope
Minneapolis
Maple Grove
Mounds View
Osseo
Ramsey
Spring Lake Park
Is your city on the list?
So what does it cost to be a part of this group? Well, as usual, there is no financial information, budget, or any record of what “dues” member city are to pay.
And, of course, they are big on the transportation just like every other tax-funded third-party groups. Here are some topics from their list of “accomplishments.”
- Developed the most comprehensive Transportation Funding Principles document ever presented by a municipal organization; many of the principles were used by Transportation Committee Chairs to develop Transportation Funding Law passed in 2008
- Passed Transportation/Transit Funding legislation in 2008 Session, culmination of four year effort; only municipal organization engaged in this effort over the four year period to interact with leadership and key legislators to ultimately pass this legislation
- Secured funding for reconstruction of Highway 100
- Secured funding for Champlin-Anoka Bridge reconstruction
- Secured funding for I-694 3rd lane from Brooklyn Park to New Brighton
- Secured funding for I-694 3rd lane from Brooklyn Park west through Maple Grove.
- Secured funding for construction of 610 Bridge
- Secured funding for construction of various phases of T.H. 610
- Set up 610 Crossing Coalition as joint powers organization
- Set up Highway 100 Coalition as joint powers organization
- Set up I-35W Corridor Coalition as joint powers organization and 501 (c) non-profit
- Set up Highway10 Coalition as joint powers organization
- Negotiated final design elements of T.H. 100 thru Brooklyn Center and Robbinsdale with Mn/DOT
- Helped secured funding for construction of Devil’s Triangle interchange
- Passed supporting Resolution and helped secure funding for Hiawatha Light Rail
- Passed supporting Resolution and helped secure funding for North Star Commuter Rail
- Became an active member in Minnesota Transportation Alliance
That’s just on transportation! A full list can be found here;
NMMA Accomplishments
You think this is bad? Check out some things on their annual work plan;
*Work with Hennepin County as it pursues funding and implementation of its Bottineau Boulevard Project (Highway 81).
*Assist the T.H. 610 Coalition to secure the necessary funds to complete T.H. 610.
*Work with Mn/DOT, legislative leadership and transportation committees, Administration, MET Council and key Congress members and staff to secure transportation funding to complete highest priority transportation and transit projects in NMMA member communities.
*Work with the Cities of Dayton, Maple Grove, surrounding communities, Hennepin County and MnDOT to secure funding for the reconstruction of the Brockton/I-94 Interchange.
Don’t we already have the League of Minnesota Cities, The Bottineau Boulevard Partnership, and The Association of Metropolitan Municipalities working on this stuff? And notice how all of these groups magically have the same views!!
For a full list of their “work plan” click here;
In fact, they even have coalitions within the NMMA! they have an 35W coalition and a 610 coalition. Information on that can be found here;
West Metro Fire Saga Goes On…….
From the January 25 edition of the Sun Post;
Joint meetings between the Crystal and New Hope city councils concerning the future of the jointly operated West Metro Fire-Rescue District could be suspended, if Crystal Mayor ReNae Bowman has anything to say about it. The cities have met in two joint, facilitated meetings since November, when Crystal announced its intent to withdraw from the joint fire service operation.
On Jan. 16, Bowman sent an email to members of both city councils saying that due to a recent request from a current firefighter for information, the upcoming meeting Feb. 2 and beyond should be suspended “until such time as the scope and purpose of the request for information can be determined.”
“I’m requesting this action to protect the city of Crystal, the Crystal City Council and myself,” Bowman said. She added that she believes “the integrity and intent of our current discussions” need to be preserved. “Therefore, whatever perceived violation is being pursued, we need to solve before we can move on,” Bowman’s email said.
However, Crystal City Manager Anne Norris said Jan. 18 she is recommending that the two councils continue to plan on the previously scheduled Feb. 2 meeting. “It’s important to keep meeting,” she said. Norris said the first item of business that night will be for both councils to consider the impact of the recent request for information and decide what effect it will have on the joint councils’ work.
Karsten Nelson of Crystal, captain of Fire Station 2 in Crystal, said he made the request for information “as an “independent citizen and a taxpayer in Crystal.” Nelson’s wife, Joanne, is a district chief at West Metro. Nelson said he took action after Bowman commented at a council meeting that her votes concerning West Metro are based on research.
“She said she was known for doing research,” Nelson said. “So I asked for a copy of her research because I wanted to become educated.” When Nelson originally requested the information, Crystal city officials told him no paper work was available, that Bowman never submitted any research for public record.
So Bowman did research, but submitted no research, and city officials can’t find any paperwork. Why are we not surprised?
“But I had heard about inappropriate emails, and I wanted to see them,” Nelson said. “The mayor seems to think she single-handedly runs Crystal. Why are we blindly flying along? There seems to be an ongoing public display of mistrust in the senior leadership of the fire department.”
Single-handedly runs Crystal? Blindly flying along?
Continuing to believe that Bowman needed to produce her research, Nelson now has filed a formal request under the Minnesota Data Practices Act for all emails Bowman authored or responded to between June 1, 2010, and Dec. 31, 2011, which pertain to the West Metro Fire-Rescue District. “All I want are some answers,” Nelson said. “These vagaries aren’t going to fly.”
Well then Mayor Bowman better start hitting that erase button.
In a telephone interview Jan. 16, Bowman said, “I take this request very, very seriously. There are some trust issues somewhere. I have no problem with complying. It’s a big issue.” It is important to answer the questions, she said. “This is a little glitch in the road,” Bowman said. “I want to get to the bottom of the lack of trust. I am confident it will be straightened out.”
New Hope City Manager Kirk McDonald said Bowman’s emailed request to suspend the meetings caught him by surprise. “I thought the meetings were going fine,” McDonald said. “At least the two cities are talking.” Norris said such requests for release of information are “fairly routine.”
“We get information disclosure requests every year, and we deal with them as they come up,” Norris said. Before the joint Crystal-New Hope meetings are suspended, Norris said, the councils of both cities would have to approve Bowman’s request. “I think we need to keep moving forward,” Norris said.
Following Crystal’s announcement last fall that it intended to withdraw from the two-city fire department, the cities contracted with Chad Weinstein, president of Ethical Leaders in Action, to facilitate some joint work sessions to see if the issues could be resolved. Weinstein conducted sessions on Nov. 30, 2011, and Jan. 12, and had been scheduled to meet with the joint group on Feb. 2, Feb 23 and March 22.
On Nov. 30, 2011, the councils agreed to pass identical resolutions reaffirming that the joint powers agreement would be maintained, subject to joint meetings to be held prior to June 1, 2012, to address the issues. If the issues are not resolved to the satisfaction of both councils by June 1, they agreed to begin dissolution of the fire district by Aug. 1, 2012.
Weinstein is paid at the rate of $200 per hour, not to exceed $1,200 per meeting. That fee includes a pre-meeting agenda, facilitation of the session, a meeting with leaders following the session, plus emails and phone calls pertaining to the session.
Oh my God, $200 an hour!!! $1200 a meeting!! Who is paying this bill?? Let’s hope it’s short meeting!
Prior to conducting the joint work sessions, Weinstein met with a variety of stakeholders, including West Metro Fire board members, city council members, firefighters and fire district leadership.
Well it looks like the meeting on February 2 is going forward. Here is the agenda packet;
See you there!
See More Community Solutions on TV!
The Community Solutions Group and the Andrew Richter Show are teaming up for a series of new shows about local government. See Andrew Richter and Jason Bradley speak about the origins of Community Solutions and the issues that they have faced and continue to face going forward. They will air on Comcast channel 19 on the following dates and times;
Thursday, January 26 at 6pm
Friday, January 27 at 2am and 10am
Thursday, February 2 at 6pm
Friday, February 3 at 2am and 10am
That’s six chances to watch!
Also Dennis Holman guest hosts as Jason Bradley and Andrew Richter join him in a roundtable discussion about the League of Minnesota Cities, the Association of Metropolitan Municipalities, and the Bottineau Boulevard Partnership. The show also marks the start of Andrew’s fourth year on the air. They will also air on Comcast channel 19 at;
Thursday, February 9 at 6pm
Friday, February 10 at 2am and 10am
Check them out!
Mold found at Pilgrim Lane Elementary!!!!!!
Per RAS Discover – January 18, 2012:
Mold was recently discovered on several surfaces inside the unoccupied Pilgrim Lane building during a routine visit by district employees. Indoor air quality experts from Air Tamarack, Inc. were contracted by the district to assess the conditions and provide recommendations for appropriate clean-up procedures. Pilgrim Lane has been used as storage space for selected district items since it was closed as an elementary building in 2009.
The district is in the process of generating schedules for short term clean-up of stored items that may be sought for use, and for long term building wide clean-up tasks using the guidelines presented by Air Tamarack, Inc. District employees will be able to enter Pilgrim Lane safely for essential tasks after receiving training and personal protective equipment. Routine entry to Pilgrim Lane is not recommended until clean-up can be completed.
For questions, contact Brian Koch 763-504-8139.
This appears to be another GOOD REASON TO DISPOSE of this building as the Divestiture Committee said should be done, if Pilgrim Lane Elementary School was not need while remodeling at Northport or Lakeview.
GET RID OF THIS PROBLEM SITE NOW BEFORE IT COSTS EVEN MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please contact RAS Board members and Administration with your questions and concerns.
Get to one of These Meetings!!!!
From the Sun Post;
A light rail or bus rapid transit line could link the northwest suburbs to the rest of the Twin Cities’ transit system by the end of 2018. The Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority – which consists of the same members as the Hennepin County Board – and its partners will soon begin an in-depth study of several possible alignments for the Bottineau Transitway, and they are seeking public input.
The Bottineau Transitway is a proposed project that would begin in downtown Minneapolis and extend approximately 13 miles northwest through the suburbs of Golden Valley, Robbinsdale, Crystal, Brooklyn Park and Maple Grove. The county says the transit line is needed to connect the northwest suburbs to the rest of the metro, as well as to keep up with regional population increases and encourage economic growth.
“I think it’s important because I think transit is poor in the northern suburbs,” said Hennepin County Commissioner Mike Opat, a strong proponent of the project. Opat represents all or part of Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Crystal, Minneapolis, New Hope, Osseo and Robbinsdale. “The northern suburbs just need to be connected,” he said. A map of transit routes in the Twin Cities shows several planned or existing light rail or bus rapid transit options for travelers in the south metro, but only the Northstar commuter train serves the north metro, and it’s on the other side of the Mississippi.
And the Northstar Line has been a huge failure! It is 22% under the projected ridership!
County Commissioner Mark Stenglein – who represents all or part of Crystal, Golden Valley, Medicine Lake, Minneapolis, New Hope, Plymouth and St. Anthony – agrees that connecting the northwest suburbs to the rest of the area is vital. “It’s an incredible economic boost.” Stenglein said. He said that it will not only help bring people into Minneapolis but will also provide a frequent, time-efficient means for people to access jobs and points of interest in the suburbs.
In addition to connecting the northwest suburbs, the county hopes the Bottineau Transitway project will help ease increasing traffic congestion. “Our transportation system is on the edge of maximum capacity,” said Hennepin County engineering and transit planning manager Joseph Gladke. He said it doesn’t take much to overload the system and cause congestion.
The communities along the Bottineau Transitway are expected to grow by about 140,000 people by 2030, representing almost 60 percent of the projected population growth in Hennepin County. State- and regional-level studies have concluded that roadway expansion will not be able to keep pace with future growth of travel demand in the Twin Cities. The county says that makes it important to create more transit options.
The county is studying four possible routes for either light rail or bus rapid transit. Bus rapid transit would include a “dedicated guideway,” meaning it would have its own roadway to ensure efficient operation. The middle section of the project would run through the existing BNSF railroad corridor that runs west of Bottineau Boulevard (County Road 81). According to Gladke, the county considered alternatives along West Broadway Avenue, but using the railroad corridor will reduce the number of street crossings and increase the speed of the line so it can provide better service.
At the north and south ends of the corridor, the railroad authority is considering two options each. One northern option would end in Maple Grove at Hemlock Lane and Arbor Lakes Parkway, near the Shoppes at Arbor Lakes. This alignment would follow the future Arbor Lakes Parkway and Elm Creek Boulevard until it reached the BNSF corridor near 73rd Avenue and Bottineau Boulevard.
The other northern option would end at Target’s north campus, just north of Highway 610 in Brooklyn Park. It would follow West Broadway Avenue, running down the middle of the road south of 93rd Avenue and crossing Bottineau Boulevard at 73rd Avenue to connect with the BNSF corridor. Opat and Stenglein prefer this option. On the south, the project will end downtown Minneapolis, where it will connect with the Hiawatha line, but there are two ways it could get there.
One proposed southern route would keep the line in the BNSF railroad corridor through Golden Valley to Olson Memorial Highway (Highway 55) and then follow the highway into downtown. The other possible route would bypass Golden Valley, exiting the rail corridor near 34th Avenue and running down the middle of West Broadway Avenue past North Memorial Hospital. This route would then travel down Penn Avenue to Olson Memorial Highway.
According to Brent Rusco, the Bottineau Transitway project manager, the goal of each alignment is to take advantage of existing right of ways in order to minimize impacts on private property. But in some cases, such as with the Penn Avenue option, the plan could require the acquisition of some property.
Yes of course, what is government if they aren’t buying property and forcing business out of business and people out of their homes.
The Bottineau Transitway project has roots going back to 1988, when Hennepin County began conducting transportation and land use studies in conjunction with the Hennepin County Comprehensive Light Rail Transit System Plan. Now the project is going through an extensive analysis and planning process required by the Federal Transit Administration in order for the project to compete with other proposals nationwide for federal funding.
The federal government could fund up to 50 percent of the cost for constructing the line according to Gladke. Of the remaining 50 percent, Gladke said 30 percent would likely come from the Counties Transit Improvement Board, 10 percent from the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority and 10 percent from the state. For light rail the total project cost is expected to be in the neighborhood of a billion dollars.
It doesn’t matter who pays for it! It is ALL OUR money!!!!
In March 2008 Hennepin County began the Alternatives Analysis phase of the project, which focuses on identifying feasible modes and alignments for further study. During the Alternatives Analysis phase, the county and its partners looked at a broad range of possibilities and narrowed them down. Commuter rail was eliminated from consideration early, because it works best over longer distances with stations farther apart.
According to Rusco, the analysis evaluated 21 alternatives using 31 criteria to narrow the options for more in-depth study. Throughout the process, work was reviewed by three committees that include policymakers, business stakeholders, technical experts and members of the public. Those committees will continue to be involved in the evaluation process.
In December the project entered the Scoping phase. “This is a key piece of the whole process,” Rusco said. “It will define what will go into detailed study in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement.” The Scoping process seeks public input in order to determine what to study further and to identify a “locally preferred alternative” route. Identifying this alternative is a required step in competing for federal funding. Based on information collected during the Scoping period, the railroad authority and participating cities will recommend a locally preferred alternative to the Metropolitan Council. The Scoping period ends Tuesday Feb. 17.
After identification of a locally preferred alternative, the county will begin creating the Environmental Impact Statement. The statement will provide in-depth analysis of the several alternatives – including the locally preferred alternative – and their anticipated impacts. The statement will study not only impacts on nature, but also on the surrounding community. It will also address concerns raised by the public during the Scoping phase.
“It is a rigorous, required process based on federal policy,” Rusco said. “It’s very comprehensive.” A draft Environmental Impact Statement is expected by the end of 2012. Then there will be a chance for public comment before the final statement. After that, Gladke said it will take a few years to complete the pre-engineering and final design before construction could begin. Of course, all this depends on whether the project gets the nod from the Federal Transit Authority at several steps along the way.
Gladke said an optimistic target for project completion is the end of 2018. The first step to getting involved is learning more about the proposed project. A good place to start is the Scoping Booklet, a 14-page document that gives an overview of the project and the process it must go through. It’s is available online at bottineautransitway.org, along with much more detailed information. The website includes an option to sign up for project updates.
This month there will also be four open houses where the public can learn more about the project and ask questions. The county is seeking the public’s comments on the purpose and need for the project, the alternatives proposed for study and project impacts or benefits that should be evaluated.
Rusco said the county wants to know, “Did we get it right?” Comments can be submitted in writing by mail, e-mail or fax and must be received Tuesday, Feb. 17. Submit comments to Brent Rusco, Bottineau Transitway Project Manager, Hennepin County, 701 Fourth Ave. S., Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55415. E-mail comments to brent.rusco@co.hennepin.mn.us or fax them to 612-348-9710.
Info: bottineautransitway.org
Scoping Open House 1
4:30-6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 23
Theodore Wirth Chalet, 1301 Theodore Wirth Parkway, Minneapolis
Scoping Open House 2
6-8p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 24
Brooklyn Park City Hall, 5200 85th Ave. N., Brooklyn Park.
Scoping Open House 3
5:30-7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 25
Urban Research and Outreach/Engagement Center, 2001 Plymouth Ave. N., Minneapolis
Scoping Open House 4
6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31
Robbinsdale City Hall, 4100 Lakeview Ave. N., Robbinsdale
We need to get to these meetings and give our planners an earful, even though we know their minds are already made up.
