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Call this meeting to order. The Natural Resource Conservation Board is an advisory board to the city council.

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A board is charged with recommending acquisition of lands for open space and developing a natural resource plan,

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which includes environmental policy and guidelines for the maintenance and preservation of blends existing in future open spaces and trail corridors.

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One of the board's functions is the whole public meetings and make recommendations to the city council.

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For each item, the board will receive reports prepared by city staff provide the opportunity for public response,

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conduct board discussions, and make recommendations.

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The city council, however, makes all final decisions on these matters.

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roll call meet board member Jeanette here or member Panning here board member McKinley

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board member Thrushon here board member Philippe chair Raffordy here next we

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have approval of the minutes from last February 21st.

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I move we approve the minutes

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All right, we have a motion in a second. All those in favor. All right, minutes are approved, approval of the agenda for tonight.

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Sure, everybody, I have a few things I'd like to add to the agenda this evening.

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One, at the last meeting, Board Member Jeanette brought up a grant opportunity for additional staff,

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and she's going to send information to Nate, just wondering the process how that went,

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because it's kind of a tight timeline.

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Second, I understand we have a new board member, Ken Anderson.

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That will be joining us next month.

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next month. Yeah, just one. Just one. And then four possible adjunct members. And so I'd

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like to discuss the onboarding process for new members. And anybody that's interested in the

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community, new city council representatives just so they understand what the function of the board

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and some of the priorities put together around the board, and lastly to talk about, well, not

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lastly, but the accounting for the 3.5 million bond referendum, and I realized that would be

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probably at a later meeting, but that would probably be a good time to do that on the next.

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And then I found friends of the open space on the city website, and it's so it's still there,

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still buried in there, and I would love to promote that again. So those are way more information

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than you need it just to add to the agenda. That's very good. All right, we can do that.

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Proveal the agenda as amended motion. I'll second that. All right. All those in favor?

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All right.

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Next we have open form for citizen input. Since we don't have anybody here,

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move on to 6.1.

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Alright I'll turn it over to Megan here. Thank you. We'll start with

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these items and then I know that Nate does have some information about these added

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items as a while that we can incorporate into our update later on. I think Nate said

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we had the screens working today so hopefully you guys can see. I got the bugs. My visual

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today I heard we had some pickups. My first is a brief update on our wetlands sanctuary trail contract that we're trying to get secured.

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We've got a couple different proposals from three different consulting companies and one of the main things I want feedback on tonight is regarding the

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possibility of some alternative materials and looking into that as part of the feasibility in site 7 for boardwalk.

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We've pretty stuck there. We're kind of committed to that same material that we've used previously because that's what's been approved in our bank application.

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But as we enter the Southern portion, which is where majority of the trails under these contracts will be constructed.

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I'm just curious to get some of your feedback in your initial gut reaction on getting information

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about alternative boardwalk materials in the site 7.

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We've gone with the timber frame, that more classic boardwalk material, but if we could see

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some cost savings with something else, I just, I wasn't around for the conversations during

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the original trail project, so I don't know if it's something we looked into then.

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I haven't had the time to do the research into that process, but figured I'd get some feedback

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from you all tonight. If you don't mind.

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How did we arrive on our choice? Is it recorded anywhere

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for the site 7 or what that we have? It was a million dollars vote. And would that

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wouldn't we because that was cheaper or would that not be enough of any other choices at the time?

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I believe from what I've read and it's been a while since I've dug through that original

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contract.

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It's something it was impacted by the Army Corps and the watershed as part of the banking

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process that we needed to go with that boardwalk trail with a timber material.

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So as part of permitting through the southern portion we don't have that bank establishment.

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So you know very much might be that the watershed still requires a timber trail.

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It's something we certainly look into through the permitting process.

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But we have a look into that yet if the watershed would have a preference.

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No, not at this time. We're hearing from our consultants, I think there might be some cost savings.

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If we do have the opportunity to move away from timber.

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But if that's something to that we've already decided to use some sort of composite material or some kind of precast material.

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There's a couple different proprietary products.

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Um, if we were to move forward with anything, we would bring that for further view what those

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products were.

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Um, but if our gut reaction during the original trails, we wanted timber, you know, that's

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something I kind of wanted to know now.

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So I don't remember exactly.

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I would have to dig back to, um, the minutes and this was in 2014, it's been a while.

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Oh, then it's, then it's prior to when I was on the board.

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Yeah.

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So that's, yeah, okay, I don't remember, I don't remember, I don't remember water shed involvement and that probably wasn't brought to us.

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But I know the construction, like the the the footings and the pedestals were meant to be low impact to the, yeah.

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So, and I didn't know if the weight of the boards or, you know, I'm sure that has something to do with it, and would was much cheaper in 2014 than it is in 2023.

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Because the cost difference between composite and wood now is much less than it was eight years ago or whatever.

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It is heavier than timbers, so I don't know if that impacts it, but you're right, if we don't have the requirements from, we do need to make sure that we're very clear on what the regulatory requirements are and what our obligations are that we have to uphold and that we abide by those.

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There were any negative impacts of the material that it wouldn't be worth the money saving

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to me.

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I would rather do it right for the natural loose source unless it was just so expensive.

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And then the other side of it is the composite would be more durable.

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You know, in terms of like the longevity of it and the weathering, the composite would be more durable.

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And if it's a composite material that's made from recycled materials, then that's, you know, that's a consideration.

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If it's, you know, using sustainable materials, that's a consideration as well.

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to have a great, the boardwalks would be crossing a wet land, so I'm assuming that we really

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have to find out from the watershed,

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what their requirements might be now. We are going

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to have an inspection by the Army Corps this summer, so if we're not in a terrible hurry,

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It would be kind of good to know what Army Corps thinks now rather than hit or hit the right, and so yeah, and then the watershed too, and this is all within the Rice Creek Watershed district, so when we have a

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We have a blame

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Councilperson

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Who's on the board on board?

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Yep, so we have a good contact

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To keep in touch

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And Patrick Hughes will be here for our April meeting

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So perhaps this is something we can talk about with Patrick Hughes and also with Bouser,

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with Ben Meier.

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Oh, I'm sorry.

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And the other thing would be, no, no, I'll lose my train that thought totally.

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The other thing would be, just to be sure, we're putting in trails where we need them

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not everywhere. Are we changing the configuration of the trails we had already been shown?

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Not significantly. It will depend on our ultimate wetland delineation because we will be

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looking for our kind of path of least impact to wetlands going in the upland whenever we can

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because less impact to our wetlands and it is also significantly cheaper to put an asphalt trail

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and then build the boardwalk.

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So the layout we have here is based on some ground true things,

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some preliminary delimination in the field,

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but nothing formally has been delineated.

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So it will depend on the results of that delineation,

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which is something our consultant will perform this spring.

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Also where we can, I don't want any more S-felt fault

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than we have to have.

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And so I would like to see before we go ahead,

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If you show our committee, like, where the asphalt is going to be, where the wood chips or whatever is going to be gravel, gravel, whatever, whatever it is, you know, and wherever the boardwalks have to be so this image is a little hard to tell because it's a very large picture.

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But in general, any of the areas that are in green are going to be that boardwalk material.

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So at least phase one that we're looking at constructing in 2023 is a significant amount of boardwalk material versus

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traveler asphalt whenever that alternative is.

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But it also shows boardwalk going across all of the islands too.

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Does that necessarily have to be boardwalk?

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No, and that's a little challenging to see with the color scheme on the map.

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There are small sections of non-bored walk on any upland.

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So essentially anywhere we're constructing an upland, we're looking at having either asphalt or gravel, or just what's happening in color.

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Yeah, it does.

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So that tan is the upland areas, so that will be, again,

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investigated further by the consultant, and probably the only spot there is an opportunity for an asphalt

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trail would be in North Oak's West Park. The rest of it, it will be gravel on any of those

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uplanders, just like we happened in the larger island to in the north. So that would be great.

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Yep, but then that's what all that the consultant to look at all that stuff and I actually went to

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our state conference last fall and talked to a few major manufacturers that actually did do composite

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And I know what is allowed, but again, we'll have to verify that and I know our consultant

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could look at that.

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But again, it is like, board member Jeanette said it's very, it's a lot more durable.

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And then it's just going to last longer for us.

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But again, we'll, we can investigate some of that, but I think it is like, we talked about

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with now that the, the wood prices are a little bit more comparable, is it cost effective

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for us to look at that.

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So.

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Yep, and really I wanted kind of a gut reaction, like tell me if I'm going the wrong way with that.

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So we cut it off now in our consultants know we want timber, don't waste your time.

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But if they're able to find us a sustainable material that they'd like us to take a look at,

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I can let them know that it's something we'd entertain.

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I would be in support of a sustainable, durable material that would also provide minimal impact to the wetlands.

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light enough, you know, whatever the requirement is.

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Yeah, talking to some of the manufacturers, it seems the difference between now and our first

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kind of go around is the piling technology that they set the platforms on has improved a lot.

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But getting that new helical piling improved in the wetland is something we need to run through the

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watershed because that would be kind of a different construction technique than we did before,

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so we would need to make sure that's just as low impact.

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I hope thank you for bringing this up.

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I remember Nate bringing those options and I love them.

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This predates me, whether the original discussion or whether it's wood or not.

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So, I'm all for it. Thank you.

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Well, I'm sure it was just Cosphohibited.

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In 2014, even 100%. Yeah. And we were looking to reduce cost in any avenue. If it was a very small

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upcharge to get a more durable material at something, I think we would entertain, but it will

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all depend on how that budget comes back. I mean, I look at the decking material. I have

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my home versus what I have at the cabin for the dock. I mean, I have often said, why can't we just

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have docked because it's so light, I can move sections of that, but, you know, you

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don't want to just blow it away either, stop.

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In the Cummings flood.

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I'm kidding.

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And board member Panning, actually, to your point there, one of the manufacturers that I met

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with at our, at our, at our trade show that comes to the, to the conference, they have

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decking, it's like 15 foot sections and it goes out.

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And again, it was so much cheaper.

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I was blown away, so to Megan's point,

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that's why we kind of want to look at that.

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It makes sense.

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And if it's lighter, and if you do need to replace the section,

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it's easier to do, so we'll definitely look at that.

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And then to your point, too, about cost-effective,

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it's, we're going to try to put things in the uplands

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as much as possible.

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And the island and the northern part of the Blaine

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and sanctuary is such a cool spot for people to walk and it's just, it's awesome. So I mean, if we

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can mimic that to the south, I mean, I don't know why we wouldn't. It's really the nature

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center that we lack. I mean, right. That the growing green hearts, I'd use it for belly,

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belly, and for frog studies, and for whatever she does out there, we had that discussion when

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When we first met her, and we were decrying that we didn't have a building, and we all sort of got

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the idea at the same time. But the boardwalk is such a great place to teach. It's not good for everything.

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You know, it can't restore your stuff on it, but it was a gave us great opportunity to teach there. So

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maybe that same thing will be happening down in the other. Are we going to have any

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look out stations or overlooks or anything at all or be planning.

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So the proposal at this point that we're working with our consultant on is mostly geared

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specifically towards trail development. I don't see why we couldn't have some alternatives

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once we see how that budget starts coming back and how that wetland delineation looks.

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If we've got available budget for look-out stations, would be on the Upland part, not.

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Yeah, and I know there are some Sandhill crane-nesting areas.

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And because I've had camera trips out there, and I have lots of pictures of baby cranes.

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So if there was an opportunity, yeah, they're adorable.

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So if there was an opportunity to put a viewing platform, kind of like we have between the island

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and East Lake Park.

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I have some suggestions where that might go. Very good. You used get to be there

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and see it. I've spent a lot of time in that southern part of what's been putting out cameras

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and pulling cameras and there's cool stuff in there. Yeah, if you want to share a map of

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different locations, you think would be a good location for cab viewing platform, let me know.

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Unfortunately, a lot of that stuff would be in the wetland area, so that's unfortunate, but

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either where that little island near North Oak's West Park, the first island at crosses,

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of course that's very close to the park, so maybe that's too close.

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The wetland or the upland area that's not on the trail would be a fantastic place to put it.

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So I don't know if moving that dotted yellow line so that it intersects that island, rather than go straight to the corner of that new development, and then comes down, then that would be one of those two islands down there would be a fantastic place.

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Or just a little jog.

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Yeah, so that's I guess that was my suggestion was instead of instead of that yellow line going straight diagonal from that first island closest to North Oak's West Park to that corner, did you see where I'm talking about?

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I wish I had control of the mouse right now.

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It's then angle it a little bit more.

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Are we going south or north island?

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Go to the island that's further east.

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This large one?

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Nope.

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Nope.

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That one.

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Yep. So just angle it that way so that it goes on that little upland area and that other

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little upland area directly south of it and then it can hook up with where it already is.

212
00:20:12,710 --> 00:20:19,270
Yep. And that's where we stage our planting right now. So can confirm. That's very that's high.

213
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That's the dryest spot once you get out there. You have to stretch through a lot of wet to get all the way out.

214
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You do. It's finally dry and we stage our plants here when we've been doing restoration with

215
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regrining kind of north of that island. I wouldn't know that I wouldn't know that part of it

216
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either is it better ecologically to stay away from that area with the trail or or not. I

217
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know they've spent a lot of time picking out the trail route. Yeah, but that's a great idea to

218
00:20:48,130 --> 00:20:55,410
yeah. I mean as long as it's an observation you know platform and I don't know you know

219
00:20:56,720 --> 00:21:03,180
I'm sure there's so much tall grass and wetlands in there and I know there's a ton of

220
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cranes in there.

221
00:21:05,140 --> 00:21:10,800
Or members if I could do so this map that you're looking at, we actually just put this

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together on at a staff of our GIS director, we actually just, so these are very, we're basically

223
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just connecting uplands and then just connecting points.

224
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So these are, so this isn't from the consultant, this is just how can we connect points

225
00:21:26,600 --> 00:21:33,860
to minimize cost and you know that's what we're in and maximize the upland use within the site.

226
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So some of these uplands that you're seeing on the map may not be high enough to even put

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gravel on. So that's again when you when we get to the consultant when they go out there on the ground

228
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and look at that stuff this will get change not I don't I don't want to say significantly but again

229
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We're going to minimize, you know, how much we're in there, but we are going to, there, there will be probably some change just based on what ecological looks like out there, so.

230
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And our timeline right now for that is that either you're in Bay, but probably June meeting, we would have that delineation and some of that preliminary alignment that we can take a look at.

231
00:22:14,440 --> 00:22:20,560
Did we have a consultant suggestion for where the drill should go before?

232
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This data problem and narrowly came from site visits with critical connections and then just with a handheld GPS.

233
00:22:29,280 --> 00:22:35,340
So there wasn't a lot of physical delineation or actual survey that went into it.

234
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It's kind of a best guess that we know this route is kind of dry.

235
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So we'll be refining that further with actual measurements and some surveying and some delineations just to make sure there's not a better route out there.

236
00:22:49,580 --> 00:22:58,360
Because if we're looking at some of these uplands, you know, we might have a better path of least resistance available to us based on what we learned.

237
00:22:59,100 --> 00:23:02,560
I love the fact that it's one trail through.

238
00:23:03,160 --> 00:23:10,420
Because there are some old maps around that have been haunted us.

239
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They were drafts, they were concept plan, concept plans, and in no way I don't think our

240
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community would support like trails all over the place, not good for the resource and at all,

241
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and not in probably very much more expensive to put trails everywhere.

242
00:23:33,040 --> 00:23:43,100
And I just think that really, you know, that really looks like a good concept of the use of the space we have.

243
00:23:43,820 --> 00:23:58,780
We don't know much about, we don't know much about the very, that southern part of our strange shape piece of our open space.

244
00:23:58,780 --> 00:24:05,300
We don't have much information about that. No, I know 119th. She's pointing to.

245
00:24:05,840 --> 00:24:11,100
Yeah. Correct. We do have a grant going right now with the company called Great River

246
00:24:11,100 --> 00:24:16,640
Greening that does restoration work in the southern portion of Blaine Whitland sanctuary, but they

247
00:24:16,640 --> 00:24:22,400
focus more on plant restoration. You know, we haven't done any. We haven't needed to spend

248
00:24:22,400 --> 00:24:28,640
the time or any of that grant money to do any formal investigation or delineation. We focus more

249
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on trying to manage the canary readgrass and then doing restoration work kind of behind that.

250
00:24:35,440 --> 00:24:39,440
And then there was some tree removal involved with that grant as well, so we're managing

251
00:24:39,440 --> 00:24:43,560
some willow and then a lot of books on throughout that area.

252
00:24:44,300 --> 00:24:46,840
We had some interesting birds down there.

253
00:24:47,720 --> 00:24:53,720
Beautiful hawk when we visited one of the walks we took through.

254
00:24:54,100 --> 00:24:58,120
So there's some good habitat there used to be nesting bubble links.

255
00:24:58,120 --> 00:24:59,940
I want down there, a bubble links.

256
00:25:00,780 --> 00:25:05,160
They're a migratory species that is relatively uncommon.

257
00:25:05,280 --> 00:25:09,080
They're not threatened, but they used to be down there,

258
00:25:09,160 --> 00:25:11,620
but they've lost so much habitat when that area was cleared

259
00:25:11,620 --> 00:25:13,560
for sanctuary preserve.

260
00:25:14,180 --> 00:25:19,260
We were the, it was another bird on the corner of Lexington

261
00:25:19,260 --> 00:25:26,540
in the 19th, it was the westernmost sighting of this bird.

262
00:25:26,540 --> 00:25:29,300
I actually lived there all the time.

263
00:25:29,360 --> 00:25:30,900
I wonder, do you remember what I knew of it?

264
00:25:30,900 --> 00:25:32,260
I have to remember what the name was,

265
00:25:33,180 --> 00:25:35,300
but it's gone.

266
00:25:35,960 --> 00:25:42,260
Yeah, so we were out there to see it once with DNR.

267
00:25:43,660 --> 00:25:47,640
So, to Raffady, just so I get straight on what we're doing.

268
00:25:48,120 --> 00:25:51,320
So you have three vendors selected for the RFP

269
00:25:51,320 --> 00:25:54,460
that you'd like to invite to quote, bit on this.

270
00:25:54,460 --> 00:25:57,440
And then you said that you'd have something for the main meeting.

271
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What would that be?

272
00:25:58,720 --> 00:26:01,340
Would that be an actual who you've selected?

273
00:26:02,260 --> 00:26:03,580
Or once you like.

274
00:26:03,960 --> 00:26:06,480
How long when you call off for the RFP?

275
00:26:06,580 --> 00:26:08,240
How long do they have to respond back?

276
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Maybe that's yep.

277
00:26:09,700 --> 00:26:13,100
So we've got some preliminary responses that we're reviewing right now.

278
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So it's a complicated project.

279
00:26:15,700 --> 00:26:17,220
So it's taking longer than we expected.

280
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It had to review that because we're looking at more than just the number that they're giving us.

281
00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:26,180
for what they're going to do. We're looking at all those services that come with and what they're missing.

282
00:26:26,500 --> 00:26:31,800
What we would need to hire on top of that contract and the pros and cons of all of that.

283
00:26:31,880 --> 00:26:36,920
So my current plan is I'm thinking it's going to time out between this meeting and your April meeting.

284
00:26:37,120 --> 00:26:42,260
I'm probably going to need to email out that information to you so that you have a chance to provide

285
00:26:42,260 --> 00:26:47,480
comments prior to bringing it to council. If it times out, we will bring that to your April meeting

286
00:26:47,480 --> 00:26:52,720
After those speakers and have a discussion and dialogue about it, we'll just have to see how

287
00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:57,180
what their council schedules and our delineation timelines, how that phases out.

288
00:26:57,220 --> 00:27:00,820
I don't want to promise that I can bring it to April if we need to get it on an earlier

289
00:27:00,820 --> 00:27:01,300
council.

290
00:27:02,080 --> 00:27:04,640
Can you let us know who those three vendors are?

291
00:27:04,840 --> 00:27:05,380
Yes, yep.

292
00:27:05,420 --> 00:27:07,180
So right now we're working with Stantec.

293
00:27:07,720 --> 00:27:10,660
I've got a quote from WSB and we have a quote from SEH.

294
00:27:10,720 --> 00:27:12,840
So we're looking through engineering firms.

295
00:27:13,880 --> 00:27:19,580
Two of those firms have environmental services in-house, and the third is contracting out

296
00:27:19,580 --> 00:27:21,180
to an independent environmental consultant.

297
00:27:21,620 --> 00:27:24,580
So that's part of the organization.

298
00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:25,680
Yep.

299
00:27:26,420 --> 00:27:26,600
Yep.

300
00:27:27,280 --> 00:27:33,020
As reviewing those, they submit their whole portfolio of their project team, so we're reviewing

301
00:27:33,020 --> 00:27:35,900
qualifications over just a budgetary number.

302
00:27:39,560 --> 00:27:41,580
Okay, I think we're in support of that, so.

303
00:27:42,840 --> 00:27:43,260
Yeah.

304
00:27:43,260 --> 00:27:47,420
So the original question, the profit, that's on the screen, I think.

305
00:27:47,820 --> 00:27:48,620
Yeah, I think we are.

306
00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:50,560
They have perfect, which is very helpful.

307
00:27:50,680 --> 00:27:53,080
And I will look into that original contract as well,

308
00:27:53,240 --> 00:27:55,660
to see the determination to why we

309
00:27:55,660 --> 00:27:58,180
to go with that timber, and if it's still relevant,

310
00:27:58,420 --> 00:28:01,040
or if we have some options with the watershed.

311
00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:04,080
That'll definitely be part of our review process.

312
00:28:05,020 --> 00:28:05,200
All right.

313
00:28:06,120 --> 00:28:09,500
I go and move on to the six point two of them,

314
00:28:10,020 --> 00:28:11,480
which is a similar conversation.

315
00:28:11,480 --> 00:28:18,940
And we are looking for our new consulting services contract to get a contract for a consultant

316
00:28:18,940 --> 00:28:21,660
on board sometime in April to start monitoring work.

317
00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:27,120
We are still in the development stage, I'm expecting I will get an RFP and your guys' hands

318
00:28:27,120 --> 00:28:29,460
for review early next week.

319
00:28:30,660 --> 00:28:35,000
But before I send out that draft free review, I kind of just wanted to get some preliminary

320
00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:35,620
comments.

321
00:28:36,280 --> 00:28:41,140
So I can make sure we're not only incorporating staff's priorities, but trying to incorporate

322
00:28:41,140 --> 00:28:45,240
your priorities into that request for proposals as well.

323
00:28:46,480 --> 00:28:48,760
So, our previous contract did expire in 2022.

324
00:28:49,880 --> 00:28:53,310
I've talked to a couple different cities that do similar contracts.

325
00:28:54,220 --> 00:28:56,680
Our wetland bank is unique, as you guys know.

326
00:28:57,560 --> 00:28:59,320
So, while nothing's been super comparable,

327
00:29:00,180 --> 00:29:03,740
cities of Bloomington and Woodbury do have environmental services contracts.

328
00:29:04,380 --> 00:29:08,320
So, kind of borrowing a little from stuff that they've sent out recently,

329
00:29:08,320 --> 00:29:15,800
contractors that they work with. We've got a preliminary list right now of I think six different

330
00:29:15,800 --> 00:29:22,100
contractors consultants that we plan to send this RFP2, which includes critical connections

331
00:29:22,100 --> 00:29:26,800
so we've worked with in the past. I've kind of been in contact with a couple other companies

332
00:29:26,800 --> 00:29:31,940
engaging interest. Minnesota native landscapes currently does work for the city of

333
00:29:31,940 --> 00:29:34,300
in that Southern Blaine Wetlands sanctuary.

334
00:29:35,240 --> 00:29:37,120
They're employed by Great River Greening,

335
00:29:37,220 --> 00:29:39,100
who we have quite a large grant

336
00:29:39,100 --> 00:29:40,920
with to do restoration services.

337
00:29:41,680 --> 00:29:43,520
A lot of what we do there is done by volunteers,

338
00:29:43,840 --> 00:29:46,880
but some work in any herbicide treatment

339
00:29:46,880 --> 00:29:50,600
or any large-scale trees is done by a licensed contractor,

340
00:29:50,820 --> 00:29:52,540
which is Minnesota Native Landscapes.

341
00:29:53,260 --> 00:29:54,860
So I've been in contact with them.

342
00:29:55,220 --> 00:29:57,740
Prairie Restoration's Natural Resource Services

343
00:29:57,740 --> 00:29:59,960
have done work in town for very-

344
00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:08,960
There is haways or different city projects, and then static NWSB have internal staff as well. So that's our shortlist at this time.

345
00:30:09,660 --> 00:30:21,160
If any of you have any experience with any other consultants or contractors that you think would be appropriate to send the request for proposal to, just let me know. And we can add that to that list.

346
00:30:21,840 --> 00:30:27,800
We normally use a pool for these kind of services, but we don't have an environmental services pool.

347
00:30:27,940 --> 00:30:33,600
We have a stormwater pool, which is where I've pulled Stanteck and WSB from, and then we have civil engineering pools,

348
00:30:33,720 --> 00:30:41,120
which is a whole different ballgame, so trying to just get the RFP into the hands of as many people to take a look at it, give us their feedback.

349
00:30:42,120 --> 00:30:47,060
So if you guys do, no, or think of any other consultants to send that to, let me know.

350
00:30:48,300 --> 00:30:52,040
kind of our high level components of the RFK to get into tonight.

351
00:30:53,760 --> 00:30:57,920
First and foremost, we're looking at long-term monitoring of our site seven-wet land bank.

352
00:30:58,100 --> 00:31:03,340
We're also looking to loop in the long-term monitoring and maintenance of our EDA bank as well.

353
00:31:03,880 --> 00:31:14,140
We've received all of our credits for that EDA bank, but what is EDA's development authority of the city of Blaine has their own wet land bank.

354
00:31:14,140 --> 00:31:17,400
those credits are not available for sale publicly.

355
00:31:18,080 --> 00:31:20,580
The city of blame retains them for either city of blame projects,

356
00:31:21,380 --> 00:31:24,700
but almost all of them have gone towards development in blame.

357
00:31:25,360 --> 00:31:29,200
Either sold at a premium for the development authority to make money,

358
00:31:29,660 --> 00:31:34,040
or for priority sites, so that it just count to help motivate development.

359
00:31:35,360 --> 00:31:40,840
They manage that. I administer it, so I do paperwork, so I'm not super familiar,

360
00:31:40,840 --> 00:31:43,880
But they have received all their credits,

361
00:31:44,040 --> 00:31:46,660
but we still plan to maintain and monitor that bank

362
00:31:46,660 --> 00:31:49,500
in perpetuity, like we have discussed four sites seven.

363
00:31:50,000 --> 00:31:52,120
So while our obligation to do so is running out,

364
00:31:52,140 --> 00:31:54,660
we still have a plan to continue the high level

365
00:31:54,660 --> 00:31:55,920
of monitoring and maintenance.

366
00:31:56,580 --> 00:31:57,560
So that would be looped in.

367
00:31:57,680 --> 00:31:58,800
So we would have to have one contract

368
00:31:58,800 --> 00:31:59,960
with the two different portions.

369
00:32:00,280 --> 00:32:01,200
I had a question, mate.

370
00:32:01,480 --> 00:32:05,180
Is that EDA bank, south of our land bank?

371
00:32:05,280 --> 00:32:06,400
Yes, that's understanding.

372
00:32:06,500 --> 00:32:09,780
A site seven has our main portion of trail that runs from east

373
00:32:09,780 --> 00:32:13,140
to west and then through the EDA bank,

374
00:32:13,360 --> 00:32:17,440
we will cut that trail south of the site seven.

375
00:32:19,200 --> 00:32:22,500
So we've got site seven, EDA and then that southern portion

376
00:32:22,500 --> 00:32:24,860
that we have a grant covering the restoration floor.

377
00:32:25,480 --> 00:32:27,720
So in whole, once we send out the Snor of P,

378
00:32:27,780 --> 00:32:32,020
we'll have at least two of those portions managed by one,

379
00:32:32,020 --> 00:32:35,340
consultant, and we'll have our third grant on the south side.

380
00:32:35,960 --> 00:32:38,140
So it reduces how many cooks are in the kitchen?

381
00:32:38,140 --> 00:32:41,380
who manages the ADA, what land bank.

382
00:32:42,040 --> 00:32:44,920
Critical connections had a contract with that as well.

383
00:32:45,620 --> 00:32:47,360
That expired quite a bit ago,

384
00:32:47,600 --> 00:32:50,480
and they've been doing the work just on a year-to-year basis,

385
00:32:51,100 --> 00:32:51,180
since.

386
00:32:52,020 --> 00:32:55,240
So, and again, they'll be invited to respond to the RFP

387
00:32:55,240 --> 00:32:56,180
and send in every proposal,

388
00:32:56,240 --> 00:32:57,760
as well if they want to keep doing that work.

389
00:32:57,780 --> 00:32:59,140
Go back to the previous slide, please.

390
00:33:00,180 --> 00:33:02,000
So, the bullet point in there that says

391
00:33:02,000 --> 00:33:04,660
Critical Connections is indicated that if preparing a response

392
00:33:05,320 --> 00:33:07,580
to an RFP is required for consideration,

393
00:33:07,580 --> 00:33:12,280
they will not be applying, is that a requirement for consideration?

394
00:33:13,640 --> 00:33:17,460
Yes, so we'll send out a request for proposals, and then we need to receive a proposal.

395
00:33:18,500 --> 00:33:22,140
So, last we discussed with critical connections.

396
00:33:22,880 --> 00:33:28,000
They indicated, you know, they'd be happy to do the work, but if they need to respond to a request for proposal,

397
00:33:28,300 --> 00:33:32,380
that's not something that they got at the time they would have the capacity to do.

398
00:33:32,380 --> 00:33:36,920
that was less summer, so I don't know, we haven't started the conversation, I have

399
00:33:36,920 --> 00:33:39,700
that sense in RFP out to see if that's changed.

400
00:33:39,700 --> 00:33:44,220
If the workload has changed, if their availability has changed, but we'll be sending that

401
00:33:44,220 --> 00:33:48,160
out with the invitation to certainly send that proposal in.

402
00:33:48,360 --> 00:33:53,560
Because I know they have a very long history working in this very complicated site, also

403
00:33:54,440 --> 00:34:00,940
as professionals in the Wetland Bank, site 7 is an ENRV in exceptional natural resource

404
00:34:00,940 --> 00:34:08,760
value bank and the board of water and soil resources will only accept monitoring and reports

405
00:34:08,760 --> 00:34:15,840
based around these performance standards from a limited number of consultants and I know

406
00:34:15,840 --> 00:34:23,660
critical connections is one of those consultants and I know they've invested a lot of time

407
00:34:23,660 --> 00:34:28,080
and energy and professionalism and expertise into the site.

408
00:34:28,720 --> 00:34:34,920
It is my opinion that if they're willing to continue the work,

409
00:34:35,760 --> 00:34:41,760
that is who I would support because that history in that site is exceedingly important.

410
00:34:43,380 --> 00:34:49,960
Were we able to track down the monitoring reports from the 2022 growing season?

411
00:34:50,040 --> 00:34:52,340
We're working on finalizing that with the core right now.

412
00:34:52,340 --> 00:34:53,300
Who did that work?

413
00:34:53,640 --> 00:34:55,880
So Jason conducted a majority of the work

414
00:34:55,880 --> 00:34:58,160
throughout the 2022 growing season.

415
00:34:58,760 --> 00:35:03,180
And that's what our invoice is for the $45,000.

416
00:35:03,180 --> 00:35:04,080
Dollars had gone towards.

417
00:35:04,340 --> 00:35:06,880
And then moving forward, as I mentioned,

418
00:35:07,040 --> 00:35:09,500
there'll certainly be a historical knowledge

419
00:35:09,500 --> 00:35:10,360
is invaluable.

420
00:35:10,980 --> 00:35:14,240
It's similar to that trail RFP where when we review these,

421
00:35:14,540 --> 00:35:15,980
we look at more than just the number

422
00:35:15,980 --> 00:35:19,500
that's being provided to us, because the number

423
00:35:19,500 --> 00:35:27,460
the cost of somebody less experienced is how much more is that going to cost? It's more than just

424
00:35:27,460 --> 00:35:32,700
the bottom line for a project like this 100%. And that'd be something we'll weigh in for you guys

425
00:35:32,700 --> 00:35:38,680
to comment on just if you're out the process. What term of a contract would you be awarding with your

426
00:35:39,300 --> 00:35:44,540
RFP? Again, if we're going to be on boarding a different vendor, there's going to be a learning curve

427
00:35:46,620 --> 00:35:51,580
What are you suggesting three years, five years, 10 years, when you say long-term monitoring?

428
00:35:52,100 --> 00:35:56,280
We'd recommend probably at a minimum three years, it's what we've discussed about in-house.

429
00:35:56,940 --> 00:35:59,760
And if you guys have feedback, it's been how many years?

430
00:35:59,760 --> 00:36:00,020
Three.

431
00:36:01,140 --> 00:36:05,220
And if you have feedback on if you want that, if you think it's more appropriate for that to be less or more,

432
00:36:05,280 --> 00:36:08,020
I'm happy to take that and incorporate that in how we move forward.

433
00:36:08,040 --> 00:36:13,020
That is a very short timeline when monitoring is highly weather-dependent.

434
00:36:13,020 --> 00:36:20,400
And sometimes we fall behind whether has definitely been a factor in the last few years.

435
00:36:21,180 --> 00:36:28,880
And we are behind on our monitoring schedule and not currently in not, we haven't met

436
00:36:28,880 --> 00:36:35,920
the performance standards and we haven't seen the report from the 2022 growing season.

437
00:36:37,920 --> 00:36:42,320
A short timeline like that doesn't allow for any wiggle room.

438
00:36:42,320 --> 00:36:48,620
So it would be my recommendation to mine too to expand that and it wouldn't be unheard of no

439
00:36:48,620 --> 00:36:51,920
No, no, I think five would be a minimum and ten would be better

440
00:36:51,920 --> 00:36:59,720
Our original contract was four professional services for seven years and I believe that number stem from our original

441
00:36:59,720 --> 00:37:03,040
Perspectives report that said you know best case scenario everything goes right

442
00:37:03,040 --> 00:37:07,000
It's going to take us seven years to get these credits and that's why we framed it that way

443
00:37:07,000 --> 00:37:11,940
So I don't know that seven is the correct number. It just is what we have to definitely better than three

444
00:37:11,940 --> 00:37:15,140
Okay, yes, that leads three in my opinion.

445
00:37:15,680 --> 00:37:22,720
Yes, and I too would like to add on to Kristen's comments

446
00:37:22,720 --> 00:37:31,600
about the restore we had and what's really amazing about our restoration

447
00:37:31,600 --> 00:37:36,460
and the long-term restore, or we have had ever since

448
00:37:36,460 --> 00:37:40,580
restoration started, I know he's worked with other contractors

449
00:37:40,580 --> 00:37:46,780
were along with his work, but he ended the method of restoration in our

450
00:37:46,780 --> 00:37:56,500
fan. So that's, and I talked with the Army Corps and the BWSR and the

451
00:37:58,480 --> 00:38:05,020
DNR and asking about our restores work, about critical connections, and they said,

452
00:38:05,020 --> 00:38:07,160
You do know that's the best.

453
00:38:07,820 --> 00:38:11,740
They each said that of the three agencies I spoke to.

454
00:38:12,240 --> 00:38:14,620
So that holds a lot of weight with me,

455
00:38:15,680 --> 00:38:22,240
and I would go pretty far to make sure that they got a chance

456
00:38:22,240 --> 00:38:31,080
to continue because I have a lot of faith in what they've done for us

457
00:38:31,080 --> 00:38:42,260
in the past. And their integrity, the DNR uses Jason Hussfeth around the state to find rare

458
00:38:42,260 --> 00:38:52,900
plant sites and other jobs that you run into. He ran the native plant society in Minnesota

459
00:38:52,900 --> 00:39:00,180
for quite a few years. Especially, mainly it was in the metro, but we remember for a long time

460
00:39:00,180 --> 00:39:01,680
and went to all the events.

461
00:39:02,520 --> 00:39:06,920
So I just have a long, had admired the work

462
00:39:07,640 --> 00:39:10,600
that critical connections has done.

463
00:39:10,880 --> 00:39:14,760
So not to say that these are not other good people.

464
00:39:15,200 --> 00:39:16,600
And maybe some of them have already worked

465
00:39:16,600 --> 00:39:18,340
on some work here in blame.

466
00:39:19,380 --> 00:39:24,340
So yeah, I just hope we take those things

467
00:39:24,340 --> 00:39:25,220
into consideration.

468
00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:28,920
Critical connections is recognized as being

469
00:39:28,920 --> 00:39:34,780
the leading expert in the field, and we have a very long history with them, and there would be no learning curve.

470
00:39:36,000 --> 00:39:44,480
They're very invested in this site. So, yeah. So, no, thank you for all your feedback. It's good to

471
00:39:44,480 --> 00:39:51,040
hear and take notes and incorporate what we can to move forward in the process. Part of this will include

472
00:39:51,040 --> 00:39:57,400
we're writing into our what our contracts are. Our RFP will look like eventually as annually throughout

473
00:39:57,400 --> 00:40:01,320
that monitoring period, whether it's seven years,

474
00:40:01,560 --> 00:40:04,520
I've brought 10 years written down as what I'm going to shoot for,

475
00:40:05,740 --> 00:40:08,820
is to have two annual updates from that consultant

476
00:40:08,820 --> 00:40:10,220
to the NRCB.

477
00:40:10,440 --> 00:40:11,640
So we'll kind of have that built in

478
00:40:11,640 --> 00:40:13,200
so that they're giving you an update

479
00:40:13,200 --> 00:40:14,660
on how their spring monitoring goes

480
00:40:14,660 --> 00:40:18,400
and an update in the fall on how that growing season has gone.

481
00:40:18,660 --> 00:40:20,060
So we're building that in to make sure

482
00:40:20,060 --> 00:40:21,200
that they're here in this room

483
00:40:21,200 --> 00:40:23,760
and staying in contact with you with their efforts.

484
00:40:23,760 --> 00:40:27,240
What do you look at when you are considering

485
00:40:28,040 --> 00:40:30,660
their X, which is how do you judge that?

486
00:40:31,180 --> 00:40:35,760
We require a system portfolio of their staff and their experience

487
00:40:35,760 --> 00:40:38,380
as one of the biggest things that we weigh into.

488
00:40:38,780 --> 00:40:41,200
If you're looking at a very standard civil engineering project,

489
00:40:41,700 --> 00:40:43,740
you can go by the numbers a lot more

490
00:40:43,740 --> 00:40:46,840
because we know historically there are four different

491
00:40:46,840 --> 00:40:49,540
six different companies that are going to do the job just fine.

492
00:40:49,880 --> 00:40:52,720
When you look at something like this and are more complicated projects,

493
00:40:52,720 --> 00:40:56,000
when it comes to buildings like the ban show that we're looking at or when it comes to

494
00:40:56,000 --> 00:41:02,380
you an environmental services like this, you look a little bit more at that staff and that knowledge

495
00:41:02,380 --> 00:41:07,240
and their ability to perform a job to hire standard. And especially hearing the feedback from you

496
00:41:07,240 --> 00:41:11,220
as well, that's something that will highlight in that review and involve you in as well.

497
00:41:11,800 --> 00:41:20,120
I took a look at Jason House, but that's a report from 2014.

498
00:41:20,120 --> 00:41:34,420
14, and it was amazing, it was amazing detail, and total knowledge of what plants and

499
00:41:34,420 --> 00:41:42,220
plant communities and what the change had been, you know, from the, so comparing, not only

500
00:41:42,220 --> 00:41:47,580
not only inventory, but comparing from the condition, the previous condition.

501
00:41:47,580 --> 00:42:07,220
So I was I was very impressed. So I hope that we are going to see reports like that from other from the other consultants we we look at to see what their work product look like when they report the progress of the restoration definitely.

502
00:42:07,940 --> 00:42:16,120
And I will bring up two, here's our approved 20-23 budget, and when we look at this contract,

503
00:42:16,520 --> 00:42:20,640
we have $75,000 a year for the next five years budgeted.

504
00:42:21,000 --> 00:42:25,000
If we're still facing the difficulties two years from now that we're facing now, getting some of this

505
00:42:25,000 --> 00:42:27,620
fend to respond, I just wanted on your radar.

506
00:42:28,160 --> 00:42:32,040
That is something we might need to bump up this line item when we come to our budget review.

507
00:42:32,840 --> 00:42:35,220
You know, in the past we haven't exceeded that 75,000.

508
00:42:35,940 --> 00:42:45,460
This year going back and forth with consultants, we'll see where we land and then just something to be on your radar that that line item in the future

509
00:42:46,300 --> 00:42:54,620
We might need to take a deeper look at and see if that's getting us where we want to go or if we need to be investing a little more heavily to see their response that we need to see.

510
00:42:59,590 --> 00:42:59,890
Thank you.

511
00:43:03,540 --> 00:43:05,360
Any other discussion or no?

512
00:43:06,730 --> 00:43:14,290
And if anything comes to you in the middle night just email me and let me know because I will incorporate any feedback from you guys into that draft for you.

513
00:43:14,290 --> 00:43:14,750
review.

514
00:43:23,870 --> 00:43:24,710
We'll be seeing that.

515
00:43:27,500 --> 00:43:29,760
All right, it's next we have updates.

516
00:43:30,760 --> 00:43:37,040
Chair, Raffordee, members of the board. First on our updates list on your gender. Here's

517
00:43:37,040 --> 00:43:42,380
the update from the City Council merger discussion on March 6th. They really didn't get to

518
00:43:42,380 --> 00:43:51,700
talk about it barely at all. Like, very, very, about nothing. So at this point, we are going

519
00:43:51,700 --> 00:44:01,240
continue forward. They actually appointed last night to the NRCB board for the next year.

520
00:44:01,700 --> 00:44:09,980
Doddy McKinley, Kristen Jeanette, Sarah Philippe, Mary Jo Trushon, and a new board member Ken Anderson,

521
00:44:10,080 --> 00:44:16,740
who will be joining us next month. And the mayor also appointed Gene Rafferty as the chair.

522
00:44:19,820 --> 00:44:28,340
And we also have three other members that will be invited to be adjunct members at this point.

523
00:44:29,520 --> 00:44:31,320
So those letters should be going out.

524
00:44:31,720 --> 00:44:35,860
So the folks that I just mentioned, you will be receiving a letter from our clerk's office.

525
00:44:36,120 --> 00:44:39,360
Here are the next few days, or by I'm guessing Monday at the latest.

526
00:44:40,120 --> 00:44:42,840
And then those adjunct members will also receive a letter.

527
00:44:42,840 --> 00:44:48,980
If they would so choose to be those adjunct members for this year, and then can will

528
00:44:49,960 --> 00:44:58,620
Come on next month and be sworn in along with the other members that I mentioned so that actually just happened last night. So I wanted to make that

529
00:44:58,620 --> 00:44:59,960
No one in there

530
00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:06,760
And yeah, so at this point, we will continue to operate separately. There may be a joint meeting down the line.

531
00:45:08,140 --> 00:45:12,820
But those members have been basically at large members.

532
00:45:13,280 --> 00:45:20,780
McKinley, Jeanette and Philippe and Mary Jo, you are a ward of three and Ken Anderson is ward two.

533
00:45:20,940 --> 00:45:29,340
So that was a point of last night. So yep. So we'll see where goals there will be a future discussion from the council is what we've been told.

534
00:45:30,780 --> 00:45:37,560
continue discussion on a potential merger or not, so that will be because we know that really

535
00:45:37,560 --> 00:45:42,540
wasn't talked about it at all. They just didn't have time at the workshop. So, questions

536
00:45:42,540 --> 00:45:42,880
on it.

537
00:45:43,020 --> 00:45:52,060
Yeah, I want to ask about the adjunct members. So, why are they adjunct members, why three,

538
00:45:52,520 --> 00:45:58,400
what's the, what's the, we just, we haven't had any adjunct members. So, I don't know, this,

539
00:45:58,400 --> 00:46:03,020
is a new structure. To me, the only adjuncts we've had have been our youth members that we've had

540
00:46:03,020 --> 00:46:07,840
in the past. So are these youth members like we've had in the past? Are they residents?

541
00:46:08,560 --> 00:46:09,700
Or why are they adjunct?

542
00:46:10,880 --> 00:46:16,140
Board member, Jeanette, they basically, the mayor wants to make sure that they are included.

543
00:46:16,460 --> 00:46:21,840
And if they want to be a part of the board, this is a good time for them to learn and get to know

544
00:46:21,840 --> 00:46:28,960
board as an adjunct member because there's seven positions that were appointed for this.

545
00:46:28,960 --> 00:46:30,200
Did they apply?

546
00:46:30,680 --> 00:46:31,180
They did.

547
00:46:31,720 --> 00:46:31,820
Yes.

548
00:46:32,060 --> 00:46:39,060
So they applied just like can Anderson and the three others applied, they selected Ken Anderson

549
00:46:39,060 --> 00:46:44,800
as the new member and then are still going to offer the other three folks adjunct members.

550
00:46:45,400 --> 00:46:47,480
I have three down here.

551
00:46:50,300 --> 00:46:51,820
That's four.

552
00:46:51,820 --> 00:46:53,620
is what I have on my list.

553
00:46:53,720 --> 00:47:00,740
I'll share names because I wrote him down from the council meeting.

554
00:47:01,960 --> 00:47:04,080
I just have three on the council minutes.

555
00:47:04,680 --> 00:47:08,360
Yeah, but no, that's maybe somebody bowed out.

556
00:47:08,740 --> 00:47:10,820
Or they might have been appointed somewhere else.

557
00:47:11,100 --> 00:47:12,100
That could be too so.

558
00:47:12,500 --> 00:47:13,900
But yeah, let's we'll chat about it.

559
00:47:13,900 --> 00:47:15,540
I'm excited to have them.

560
00:47:15,940 --> 00:47:16,600
Bring them on.

561
00:47:16,780 --> 00:47:19,560
Let's let's get the party started here.

562
00:47:19,560 --> 00:47:27,120
Yeah, I get fresh energy and I guess I just so like the board was at 10 when I started and I

563
00:47:27,120 --> 00:47:32,380
I don't understand, you know, I don't remember that ever being a discussion to reduce it.

564
00:47:32,580 --> 00:47:37,120
So it seems like we have empty space and lots of lots of room at the table.

565
00:47:37,140 --> 00:47:41,880
So I just didn't understand why we were having edge-unk members instead of full members.

566
00:47:41,900 --> 00:47:46,740
If we have community members who are interested in being in taking an active role, I would

567
00:47:46,740 --> 00:47:48,400
sure like to welcome them with open arms.

568
00:47:48,400 --> 00:47:50,280
And maybe we should ask the mayor that.

569
00:47:50,460 --> 00:47:52,360
I mean, that'd be something to talk to your,

570
00:47:52,440 --> 00:47:54,400
you'll soon have a new city council wrap.

571
00:47:54,980 --> 00:47:56,360
Yes, to talk to.

572
00:47:56,620 --> 00:47:59,160
You know, and let's, let's ask.

573
00:47:59,300 --> 00:48:02,000
I think it was my understanding that we reduced a number

574
00:48:02,000 --> 00:48:05,420
because we didn't have applicants to fill those positions.

575
00:48:05,640 --> 00:48:08,320
But if we do have a big tent.

576
00:48:08,440 --> 00:48:09,320
Bring it on in.

577
00:48:09,500 --> 00:48:11,840
We had 10 when I started and it was,

578
00:48:12,000 --> 00:48:13,260
we had some great conversations

579
00:48:13,260 --> 00:48:14,880
and I accomplished some great things.

580
00:48:14,880 --> 00:48:25,040
The mayor, the few years ago, just added some people on their original structure, the original structure was seven people.

581
00:48:25,040 --> 00:48:33,220
The original structure, for me, while they changed it in 2005, so seven people, and that's the way it was, but he just added some on.

582
00:48:33,360 --> 00:48:37,820
Okay, because in the description that we talked about last month, it's in the minutes.

583
00:48:38,000 --> 00:48:42,520
That was the original structure from 2005 on was seven people.

584
00:48:42,520 --> 00:48:52,320
No, there's no, from 2000 it was there were more people but then he reduced it to in 2005 match the other board.

585
00:48:52,660 --> 00:48:58,540
Yeah, so it really would be up to the mayor in the city council to decide how many

586
00:48:58,540 --> 00:49:03,560
four members there should be in the value like we're just saying but each district each

587
00:49:04,640 --> 00:49:07,960
Council district has two and then a chair.

588
00:49:08,560 --> 00:49:10,100
That was for every board.

589
00:49:17,720 --> 00:49:18,040
All right.

590
00:49:19,080 --> 00:49:27,540
And to piggyback off of that, with board member panning's addition to onboarding.

591
00:49:27,640 --> 00:49:28,740
Yes, we did.

592
00:49:30,120 --> 00:49:30,960
We do have the binder.

593
00:49:31,840 --> 00:49:35,540
And if somebody actually, we have the binder folder,

594
00:49:35,540 --> 00:49:38,600
But we have the table of content.

595
00:49:38,840 --> 00:49:40,680
So if anybody has their binder.

596
00:49:40,820 --> 00:49:41,640
Oh, I have mine.

597
00:49:41,680 --> 00:49:43,640
I just want to double check.

598
00:49:44,800 --> 00:49:45,880
I just don't know.

599
00:49:46,580 --> 00:49:49,700
So basically we have a folder that it says bored, you know,

600
00:49:49,860 --> 00:49:50,820
the bored binder.

601
00:49:51,700 --> 00:49:54,020
And there's all there is is the table of contents

602
00:49:54,020 --> 00:49:56,160
and the seating chart.

603
00:49:56,480 --> 00:49:57,540
But I don't see any.

604
00:49:58,220 --> 00:50:00,180
Oh, there's all kinds of information.

605
00:50:00,180 --> 00:50:01,440
I see the table of contents.

606
00:50:01,440 --> 00:50:02,680
What they are.

607
00:50:03,240 --> 00:50:08,160
So, and it may need all of them may need updated.

608
00:50:08,340 --> 00:50:10,700
Yes, and well, yeah, I would see the budget, yeah.

609
00:50:10,960 --> 00:50:13,360
And I think that I see what they are and some will be the same.

610
00:50:13,500 --> 00:50:17,560
But yes, there's definitely some that are going to need updating for sure.

611
00:50:18,140 --> 00:50:21,460
So, I will probably follow up with you board members and that to get that.

612
00:50:21,620 --> 00:50:24,640
And then I just want to see because they might just be named something different,

613
00:50:24,800 --> 00:50:26,260
but they're just not in that folder that I'm seeing.

614
00:50:26,260 --> 00:50:28,100
No, I have to be able to bring that in.

615
00:50:28,100 --> 00:50:32,280
So, I'll probably follow up with you and grab that at some point.

616
00:50:32,280 --> 00:50:39,280
Just because, yeah, because we do have a new member starting and then I can update all those and Sarah

617
00:50:39,280 --> 00:50:47,580
I don't believe ever got one when she started. No, no, she did not. I think you just feel less a member of the board if you don't have

618
00:50:48,680 --> 00:50:49,720
So much

619
00:50:50,120 --> 00:50:53,360
There is and then there's our management plan

620
00:50:53,360 --> 00:50:59,240
Which was that's part of it. That was part of it. That was part of it. That was one of the

621
00:50:59,240 --> 00:51:16,480
Great river greening at a cost of $13,000, which was the most fantastic price when that went out to bid and they did a wonderful excellent job, but then they used so much volunteer

622
00:51:16,480 --> 00:51:20,760
to your input on their projects and such expert people

623
00:51:20,760 --> 00:51:22,520
who are willing to donate.

624
00:51:23,380 --> 00:51:28,300
So that was, I remember the cost, and $13,000,

625
00:51:28,680 --> 00:51:32,940
and then what they gave us was a fantastic management plan.

626
00:51:33,460 --> 00:51:36,600
And we haven't looked at it ourselves for a while.

627
00:51:37,040 --> 00:51:42,000
Data used to religiously keep us looking at the management plan.

628
00:51:42,760 --> 00:51:43,700
So there you go, Jean.

629
00:51:43,920 --> 00:51:45,500
I haven't looked at mine for a while.

630
00:51:45,500 --> 00:51:47,180
I know where it is.

631
00:51:47,200 --> 00:51:48,280
So I think it's important.

632
00:51:49,100 --> 00:51:50,960
There are other things that have been added since

633
00:51:51,240 --> 00:51:54,620
and other ideas like the way we should be managing

634
00:51:54,620 --> 00:51:59,180
like this when Jason found those endangered species.

635
00:51:59,180 --> 00:52:01,700
In the hundreds of species and told us

636
00:52:01,700 --> 00:52:03,600
that it's merely a matter of mowing.

637
00:52:04,840 --> 00:52:07,500
So that should definitely be added to her.

638
00:52:07,560 --> 00:52:10,720
And then the opportunity, there were three wet land pieces

639
00:52:10,720 --> 00:52:12,900
that were left over from development

640
00:52:12,900 --> 00:52:22,040
up in the Northeast, Lexington, Cove, yes. And those pieces can also just be managed by

641
00:52:22,860 --> 00:52:29,240
mowing and properly. And so that I think it would be very worthwhile for us to add that to

642
00:52:29,240 --> 00:52:34,340
our management plan. So yes, we should have a little appendix to our Bible.

643
00:52:36,380 --> 00:52:37,760
So add some new books

644
00:52:37,760 --> 00:52:45,460
to the Bible, would it be, what if we got together to do that, like a small workshop,

645
00:52:45,580 --> 00:52:50,220
a little workshop, you know, to make sure all the history is there, I just think of

646
00:52:50,220 --> 00:52:55,780
the 10 parcels that are listed, there's a story behind each one. And sometimes it's because

647
00:52:55,780 --> 00:53:01,000
a developer wanted to unload it because he couldn't build anything on it. And we're like,

648
00:53:01,240 --> 00:53:06,460
wow, this is, and it has these great plants on it and it's doing great things for our water.

649
00:53:06,460 --> 00:53:13,720
I mean, I think that's valuable history too, especially as we look forward to new parcels that may be coming

650
00:53:13,720 --> 00:53:23,000
available to us. I think that a lot of that preservation of open spaces just as much of a hot button topic as ever before.

651
00:53:24,420 --> 00:53:31,120
So yeah, what would you think of that? Should we throw out some possible dates?

652
00:53:36,270 --> 00:53:38,490
How do we do that, Gene? What do you think?

653
00:53:38,490 --> 00:53:45,110
I mean there's open meeting laws so that's why I'm like looking at you all because you know come on over to my house

654
00:53:45,110 --> 00:53:48,130
But we have to get the material together first

655
00:53:48,130 --> 00:53:52,070
I mean we all grab our binders. I can look through mine of what I would

656
00:53:52,590 --> 00:54:00,310
And I can select the send you the the management plan. I mean it's I have that in the files

657
00:54:00,310 --> 00:54:01,710
It's just a PDF

658
00:54:01,710 --> 00:54:07,830
hopefully it's not too big, just send us an email, but regardless when I update those

659
00:54:07,830 --> 00:54:12,370
binders, I think that's a good time where we can even sit down even if it's after

660
00:54:12,370 --> 00:54:18,570
a meeting to discuss it and just see if there's things that should be added, like that

661
00:54:18,570 --> 00:54:23,690
lockness piece and Megan actually has an update on that coming up here too.

662
00:54:24,630 --> 00:54:24,650
So.

663
00:54:24,650 --> 00:54:30,610
You know, I'd love to see added to that a list of some of the endangered plants that I've

664
00:54:30,610 --> 00:54:35,210
discovered, within blame, some of these rare bird sightings.

665
00:54:35,610 --> 00:54:39,970
I mean, there are things that are, I'm not a birder, but I know people who are, who get

666
00:54:40,930 --> 00:54:42,670
really jazzed hearing these things.

667
00:54:43,050 --> 00:54:48,110
And how cool is it that we have it here in blame that somebody had the foresight to set

668
00:54:48,110 --> 00:54:51,830
that aside, so we don't have it all asphalt some day, right?

669
00:54:54,360 --> 00:54:54,880
Good idea.

670
00:54:55,420 --> 00:54:57,140
I'll get off myself, box down.

671
00:54:58,560 --> 00:55:00,300
No, all great ideas, like, for sure.

672
00:55:00,300 --> 00:55:02,120
testify. Okay.

673
00:55:04,400 --> 00:55:08,580
All right. The next one is the summer program. So I have this bigger.

674
00:55:10,200 --> 00:55:14,400
I usually, you know, I can't figure it

675
00:55:22,920 --> 00:55:26,660
out. Yeah, usually I was able to just click double click on it and it popped up.

676
00:55:27,220 --> 00:55:37,140
But we are partnering again with Wargo Nature Center to do some a couple bird hikes in May and then also growing green hearts.

677
00:55:37,140 --> 00:55:42,220
She's changed it to growing green yoga because she wanted to add the yoga component to it

678
00:55:42,220 --> 00:55:45,520
Just to hopefully spur on more folks to come out

679
00:55:45,520 --> 00:55:52,140
So those those classes are all listed and registration began March 6th for all those classes

680
00:55:52,140 --> 00:55:56,420
So people can register right now. Oh, there we go and I came up a little bigger

681
00:55:56,420 --> 00:55:58,060
So maybe this will show

682
00:55:58,680 --> 00:56:00,660
Little bigger for me

683
00:56:06,770 --> 00:56:15,710
Okay, so that's the top one is the bird hike that we do with the Wargo Nature Center staff, the natural's there.

684
00:56:16,190 --> 00:56:20,310
And then the other classes are with growing green hearts.

685
00:56:22,700 --> 00:56:25,660
So those are all listed. So very reasonably priced.

686
00:56:26,040 --> 00:56:31,760
And that's on purpose. We want to get as many people out there as we can to experience the plain wet land sanctuary.

687
00:56:31,760 --> 00:56:39,400
so exciting and again hopefully we'll just continue and Heidi is just keeps trying to be as creative

688
00:56:39,400 --> 00:56:45,700
as possible to get awesome classes out there so we're excited always partner with her and the

689
00:56:45,700 --> 00:56:51,080
word on a teacher center. She does. She's fantastic. I want to compliment you on the

690
00:56:51,080 --> 00:56:58,020
wreck connect. I grabbed the wrong one but I love this publication and I love that we're going to be

691
00:56:58,020 --> 00:57:05,220
it more, I hope, and the only thing that I hope I see next year is this beautiful job

692
00:57:05,220 --> 00:57:13,040
of birthday, but then I'd love it if you could, like, divide the cover to this back cover

693
00:57:13,040 --> 00:57:20,340
at half and say, May is what land mom, and I'm not asking, I think Sarah was terrified that

694
00:57:20,340 --> 00:57:26,780
I was going to have some kind of a big singing dancing celebration, but that isn't what

695
00:57:26,780 --> 00:57:39,000
had in mind. It was more get out there events that we could involve people with. So that was

696
00:57:39,000 --> 00:57:45,900
fine hope that maybe next year we can, because it's the same thing. Invest in your neighborhood

697
00:57:45,900 --> 00:57:50,920
go back to the earth, make a difference. That was for Liz big for earth month and May is what

698
00:57:50,920 --> 00:57:55,920
And there can be lectures between overlapped.

699
00:57:56,660 --> 00:58:02,500
But I think that went lens to such a great job of lending many things.

700
00:58:02,940 --> 00:58:07,120
And that's a very unique resource and valuable resource that we have here in

701
00:58:07,120 --> 00:58:10,420
Blaine that I think not enough people know enough about.

702
00:58:11,420 --> 00:58:16,060
And I'm a great supporter of Earth Day, not trying to co-opt anything.

703
00:58:16,060 --> 00:58:25,060
I just think that we really have these and yes, we have these resources of blame and it would be and this publication is gorgeous

704
00:58:25,060 --> 00:58:35,480
It's it's beautiful. So I just want to see more of our our stuff as we go along and maybe we're not suggesting enough things

705
00:58:35,900 --> 00:58:41,400
You know, it's a great addition and it marries those two marriage each other very well

706
00:58:41,400 --> 00:58:44,020
and can be added to the page very easily.

707
00:58:44,400 --> 00:58:47,920
So that's just a spacing that are awesome communications team

708
00:58:47,920 --> 00:58:51,760
puts together this awesome Reconnect for us,

709
00:58:51,820 --> 00:58:53,500
and they are great with just,

710
00:58:53,500 --> 00:58:55,940
that's their expertise in their wheelhouse,

711
00:58:56,020 --> 00:59:00,420
so they are very good with adding things on there.

712
00:59:00,420 --> 00:59:02,640
So that's an easy thing to add for sure.

713
00:59:02,980 --> 00:59:05,460
And it's a great idea for sure.

714
00:59:06,440 --> 00:59:07,420
Well, thank you.

715
00:59:08,320 --> 00:59:16,500
And on the Earth they subject real quick we do have Earth they so basically our residents can come on and

716
00:59:16,500 --> 00:59:19,520
basically select the

717
00:59:19,520 --> 00:59:23,060
Park that they want so they just come on to the website it's just

718
00:59:23,060 --> 00:59:29,200
Blaine mn.gov forward slash earth day and we had last year

719
00:59:29,200 --> 00:59:34,420
I think we had 23 different cleanups people signing up for them and they can pick a park pond

720
00:59:35,740 --> 00:59:47,680
So it was, it was, I think that was our highest you've had so far. So people are really, and Walters actually donated $500. So Kudos to them for Earth Day this year, which is awesome.

721
00:59:48,280 --> 00:59:59,980
So then you just come on and you can register your clean up and we provide gloves, bags, a lot of just the essentials to get your clean up going and then.

722
01:00:00,000 --> 01:00:10,100
Our public works staff will come around if there's more than a normal amount of garbage they'll come up and pick it up that following Monday and they would just ask that they type the bag.

723
01:00:10,700 --> 01:00:23,200
So it's been a great program. People are very invested in their parks that they live by and it's really neat to see and we love doing this event every year and it's fantastic.

724
01:00:23,880 --> 01:00:28,240
So, when you click on the link, does it show which parks have been selected?

725
01:00:28,900 --> 01:00:34,780
Like, there's a, in my name hood, London Park, is somebody out there, you know?

726
01:00:35,040 --> 01:00:37,660
Yes, and I got to find how we get to that.

727
01:00:37,880 --> 01:00:43,100
Yes, because our GIS actually added this, or maybe that's, it could be a adoptive park.

728
01:00:43,520 --> 01:00:45,880
I think it's a adoptive park, I think they do.

729
01:00:46,020 --> 01:00:52,280
So, Earth Day, I don't think there's a map, but a adoptive park, there's, it shows a map of which parks have already been adopted.

730
01:00:53,340 --> 01:01:05,360
And then, yes, so that is, but in Earth Earth Day, because it's just a year to year, because we just don't know who's going to, you know, decide to do an events there, you know, it's there's different neighbors that do it.

731
01:01:05,680 --> 01:01:17,580
But a doctor park, our JAS department did put that map together and it's cool so you can click right on there, you can see it's it's color to different color if there's someone that's already adopted it and managing taking care of it for us.

732
01:01:17,580 --> 01:01:21,380
And then is there a way to get in touch with that person, say if I, again,

733
01:01:21,700 --> 01:01:27,240
London Park in my neighborhood, if I were to get it on the site, let me try to find it.

734
01:01:27,240 --> 01:01:31,800
You know, I'll send something out. I will dig around down that I know that it's there. I'll look.

735
01:01:32,260 --> 01:01:38,240
But I'm thinking if there's an orphan park, maybe we can, you know, I'm thinking about what I can do.

736
01:01:38,460 --> 01:01:43,920
I'm not putting something yet another thing on staff, but, you know, through Facebook or whatever.

737
01:01:45,160 --> 01:01:48,940
I'll send something out to the board because it, yeah, it's actually a lot of people.

738
01:01:49,540 --> 01:01:52,000
But what the GS department did with the map.

739
01:01:52,080 --> 01:01:53,900
I mean, it is really neat.

740
01:01:53,980 --> 01:01:56,780
Yeah, you can click and you see the person's name.

741
01:01:57,120 --> 01:02:00,040
Yeah, it's really all, I'll send that out to the board.

742
01:02:00,380 --> 01:02:03,680
In May, we're launching a similar adopt upon program,

743
01:02:03,900 --> 01:02:07,240
which will have a similar map where you can adopt storm water puns,

744
01:02:07,360 --> 01:02:09,000
either in the parks or in your neighborhood.

745
01:02:09,000 --> 01:02:15,800
And yet another opportunity to marry Earth Month and Wetland, it will be a perfect opportunity

746
01:02:15,800 --> 01:02:17,300
to loop in Wetland month.

747
01:02:17,380 --> 01:02:21,820
I have a couple other volunteer events that are going to occur in May that I think we can

748
01:02:21,820 --> 01:02:23,820
kind of circle an narrative on as well.

749
01:02:23,940 --> 01:02:25,920
I'll get into a little bit.

750
01:02:27,860 --> 01:02:28,900
Spring is almost here.

751
01:02:29,000 --> 01:02:30,380
We've got a lot going on.

752
01:02:30,620 --> 01:02:31,880
Okay, get rid of that snow.

753
01:02:33,120 --> 01:02:33,360
Yes.

754
01:02:33,540 --> 01:02:35,120
We hope it goes down into the ground.

755
01:02:35,840 --> 01:02:45,320
All right, sure after your next item on our updates is the bad houses with Eagle Scout

756
01:02:45,320 --> 01:02:49,020
to E.J. Jeanette, and I just basically,

757
01:02:51,040 --> 01:02:53,000
board member Jeanette and I've been discussing

758
01:02:53,000 --> 01:02:56,080
where a good spot would be.

759
01:02:56,500 --> 01:03:02,740
We've kind of, I think, settled on somewhere within the island of the Blaine Wetland Sanctuary,

760
01:03:02,740 --> 01:03:07,240
so I just kind of pulled up this map and the aerial of that.

761
01:03:08,260 --> 01:03:13,160
And if you have specific recommendations, we are open to them.

762
01:03:13,500 --> 01:03:21,360
Our main concern is that they're placed so that they are far enough from trees so they're not shaded

763
01:03:21,360 --> 01:03:29,600
because they do need to be in direct sunlight so they heat up and that they are not in the way of the trail.

764
01:03:29,600 --> 01:03:36,380
that will connect from the southern part on the island there also I think it's

765
01:03:36,380 --> 01:03:42,140
important they talked about having two two houses on a pole yes be careful not

766
01:03:42,140 --> 01:03:47,580
to put one house right above another because they go back to back that's better

767
01:03:47,580 --> 01:03:51,200
so they're directly back to back at the top of the pole you know what they do

768
01:03:51,200 --> 01:03:56,280
before they enter their house right no no they're they're the same level back to

769
01:03:56,280 --> 01:04:10,660
We don't want that impacting the house underneath, they're very clean, they don't want their house to be soiled, so they take care of that as they're entering soil.

770
01:04:13,160 --> 01:04:25,700
Yeah, so board member Jeanette, AJ and I will be working on that here very soon as soon as we are able, but I know I believe AJ is working on basically just constructing them.

771
01:04:25,700 --> 01:04:35,760
He is cutting plywood as we say and then the city will provide signs that we will actually be putting on the post

772
01:04:38,180 --> 01:04:41,540
Once the once they're up and completed as an education piece

773
01:04:42,080 --> 01:04:45,220
So people know what they are because not everybody does so

774
01:04:45,800 --> 01:04:50,120
Yep, he is hosting in a couple of work days with his scout troop the first one is on Sunday

775
01:04:51,480 --> 01:04:58,940
So yeah, anything that could make the snow melt faster and the brown saw, we are all in favor of that.

776
01:04:59,160 --> 01:05:01,660
We're all waving the white flag. We're done with winter.

777
01:05:05,290 --> 01:05:08,890
All right, at this point, I'm going to turn it back over to Megan for the April speaker.

778
01:05:08,910 --> 01:05:11,550
We kind of touched on a little bit and then she's got another one.

779
01:05:12,770 --> 01:05:16,410
Yeah, and yeah, we touched on this, oops, I restarted.

780
01:05:16,650 --> 01:05:21,950
We touched on this a little bit earlier, but as of last month, Patrick and Ben had both confirmed,

781
01:05:21,950 --> 01:05:25,850
where available, and it sounds like as a board, we still want to move forward with that, which is

782
01:05:25,850 --> 01:05:30,490
what I wanted to hear today. So Nate and I will follow up with them this week and get that fully

783
01:05:30,490 --> 01:05:36,770
scheduled and confirmed for our April meeting. And like I said, otherwise for April,

784
01:05:37,770 --> 01:05:43,230
we'll be giving another update on those RFPs and receive comments if we're at a point to do so.

785
01:05:44,090 --> 01:05:47,850
Like I said, we're still working on the timing and that might have to occur over email just to keep

786
01:05:47,850 --> 01:05:51,870
process moving, but you guys will be kept in the loop on that.

787
01:05:52,430 --> 01:05:58,010
Okay, this is a public meeting, so we hope the public would know about it and come if

788
01:05:58,010 --> 01:05:59,830
they want to know something about wetlands.

789
01:06:00,450 --> 01:06:02,270
I don't know how to make that happen myself,

790
01:06:04,530 --> 01:06:09,290
but if anybody's watching here tonight, then

791
01:06:09,290 --> 01:06:12,950
to let them know if they want to come to our April meeting, there will be two good speakers

792
01:06:12,950 --> 01:06:17,570
on wetlands, but maybe there would be a way that that's something that could be shared

793
01:06:17,570 --> 01:06:18,690
on social media?

794
01:06:18,870 --> 01:06:21,210
Yep, I would expect we could work with our communications team

795
01:06:21,210 --> 01:06:24,370
to get something shared on social media, saying,

796
01:06:24,370 --> 01:06:27,050
you know, at our regular NRCB meeting,

797
01:06:27,210 --> 01:06:28,930
there'd be a great opportunity to come and get educated

798
01:06:28,930 --> 01:06:30,550
or come and learn something new.

799
01:06:31,470 --> 01:06:33,450
You've seen the reconnect and what they're capable of doing,

800
01:06:34,010 --> 01:06:35,310
and they're wonderful at it.

801
01:06:35,490 --> 01:06:37,670
So I think that's something we can probably work with that

802
01:06:37,670 --> 01:06:40,190
about you, making notes.

803
01:06:43,030 --> 01:06:45,090
Our next item is an update.

804
01:06:46,430 --> 01:06:54,610
last night at Council Workshop, our community standards department brought forward a normal

805
01:06:54,610 --> 01:07:00,050
May discussion to kind of feel at the council. I know that this board had recommended

806
01:07:00,050 --> 01:07:05,530
last year and expressed some interest in having some kind of program and we heard quite

807
01:07:05,530 --> 01:07:11,210
a bit of feedback from residents as well saying, hey, is going to do a normal May. And it kind

808
01:07:11,210 --> 01:07:14,610
of came to the council to late last year to do anything so we're getting ahead of it this year.

809
01:07:15,090 --> 01:07:24,810
And like I said, it came from community standards, I've been involved a little bit just in kind of how other cities are doing it and how it might work best here.

810
01:07:25,430 --> 01:07:37,950
The council did recommend that we move forward with adopting a normal May resolution at our next council meeting, which would allow for residents of plain to participate in normal May.

811
01:07:37,950 --> 01:07:43,990
Typically, once our weed regulation is typically once grass or we'd reach a certain height,

812
01:07:44,410 --> 01:07:48,230
you can't get tagged by our weed inspectors and you have X amount of days to mole.

813
01:07:48,890 --> 01:07:53,970
So if you sign up for no mole, may kind of the intent is that during the month of May,

814
01:07:54,490 --> 01:07:58,030
if we did receive a complaint, we aren't going to follow through with that citation

815
01:07:58,030 --> 01:08:05,190
until later on in June to kind of allow for those spring kind of flowers and that understory to

816
01:08:05,190 --> 01:08:11,190
up and provide a little bit more pollinators for the B population here. So on the slide, I just

817
01:08:11,190 --> 01:08:16,890
have some of the information direct from that council meeting. I was not in attendance last night,

818
01:08:17,410 --> 01:08:22,290
but you know, we chat with our staff today and it seems like we're moving forward. Anyone who does

819
01:08:22,290 --> 01:08:27,790
want to participate will need to register. We're working on what that looks like. And then if you

820
01:08:27,790 --> 01:08:32,430
want to print out your own sign, you can do that. This year we didn't budget any money for the city to buy

821
01:08:33,050 --> 01:08:36,330
So it's something that Council will discuss during our budgeting process.

822
01:08:36,470 --> 01:08:38,710
After we see the interest, we got this here.

823
01:08:39,050 --> 01:08:42,670
If that's something they want to incorporate into a budget next year to grow that program.

824
01:08:43,510 --> 01:08:48,850
So this kind of be our low cost trial run to allow it and see how many people want to participate.

825
01:08:49,670 --> 01:08:52,650
And what that budget would look like to expand the program next year.

826
01:08:53,790 --> 01:09:01,050
So it all kind of moved pretty fast because we need to get that resolution done in April to allow it to be published by May.

827
01:09:01,050 --> 01:09:07,150
So I wanted to at least bring it to you now and let you know that we are moving forward with something there.

828
01:09:07,490 --> 01:09:08,870
And then the city as well.

829
01:09:09,430 --> 01:09:11,730
We've got a couple of our open spaces highlighted.

830
01:09:12,370 --> 01:09:13,850
Lockness is one of them.

831
01:09:14,150 --> 01:09:17,770
Laddy Lake and Hidden Ponds are three that we will not be mowing.

832
01:09:18,350 --> 01:09:19,490
During May.

833
01:09:20,090 --> 01:09:25,070
Though all three of those spaces we know we have some really good variety of plant communities.

834
01:09:25,230 --> 01:09:27,730
So they'd be our best sites to kind of let go.

835
01:09:27,730 --> 01:09:29,990
because that's a trial you're for us too.

836
01:09:30,210 --> 01:09:31,550
I'm on how that's going to look.

837
01:09:32,350 --> 01:09:34,930
And then we do have the site just outside of City Hall,

838
01:09:35,310 --> 01:09:38,030
kind of where people park when we have our events

839
01:09:38,030 --> 01:09:41,090
that site between City Hall and those condos

840
01:09:41,090 --> 01:09:43,350
just do the south or east.

841
01:09:43,490 --> 01:09:46,330
We'll be letting that remain long throughout May.

842
01:09:46,570 --> 01:09:48,170
That one we normally leave a little longer

843
01:09:48,170 --> 01:09:50,830
as well just because of the nature of the site.

844
01:09:51,070 --> 01:09:52,770
We're not programming that as parkland.

845
01:09:53,310 --> 01:09:55,950
And that has a really, if you've driven by in the spring before we have to

846
01:09:55,950 --> 01:10:01,090
what for parking. It's got a pretty nice kind of wild flower native bed through there that we'd like to let

847
01:10:01,090 --> 01:10:06,770
goal as long as we can. And it has the side benefit. We don't our public works doesn't get a lot of their

848
01:10:06,770 --> 01:10:12,510
seasonal staff until June. So they're all for it. Yeah, there's a lot of good reasons. Yeah, they'd

849
01:10:12,510 --> 01:10:16,630
like to leave more spaces. This is our compromise on our trial year. And then hopefully we can kind of

850
01:10:16,630 --> 01:10:24,070
grow the program over the next year. I'm sure you'll give us a report. I'm excited to see our numbers.

851
01:10:24,070 --> 01:10:28,530
Yeah, so we'll be sharing the word communications just on out today or moving forward.

852
01:10:28,650 --> 01:10:32,370
So they're starting to draft plain specific messaging for us to start,

853
01:10:32,630 --> 01:10:35,550
start getting out there and sharing on social media and that different events.

854
01:10:37,610 --> 01:10:40,070
So that was exciting to see some support for that.

855
01:10:42,570 --> 01:10:45,930
Our next one is also me for some more volunteer opportunities.

856
01:10:46,370 --> 01:10:47,610
Nate had some good classes earlier.

857
01:10:48,730 --> 01:10:52,250
One of the things I just got emails today on is more town library.

858
01:10:52,250 --> 01:10:58,650
does some education outreach for wetland month in the month of May, they're one of their librarians

859
01:10:58,650 --> 01:11:04,770
and their staff there, reserves all the display cases throughout the library for different wetland

860
01:11:04,770 --> 01:11:09,910
focus, education materials and kind of marketing. So I'm working with them to get some information

861
01:11:09,910 --> 01:11:15,470
about the bling wetlands sanctuary into one of those display cases at North Town. So we've got some

862
01:11:15,470 --> 01:11:20,010
old information and I've got a jacket down and see if it's still relevant if it needs updates. So you

863
01:11:20,010 --> 01:11:26,510
get an email for me just to review some information before we make a public in those display cases.

864
01:11:27,650 --> 01:11:32,370
So as far as I know those goes live right first May, but I'll let you know when I have confirmation.

865
01:11:34,170 --> 01:11:38,730
Thank you for doing that. Yeah, yeah, to get opportunity. We've partnered with them in the past.

866
01:11:39,090 --> 01:11:43,650
They've done with the watershed at kind of a significant restoration project around the pond.

867
01:11:43,970 --> 01:11:47,010
They're kind of on the east or north side of the parking lot.

868
01:11:47,010 --> 01:11:50,410
and they've been doing buffer restoration and some native planting work.

869
01:11:50,730 --> 01:11:52,850
It's kind of how we got in contact with them.

870
01:11:53,610 --> 01:11:54,650
So hopefully that'll look nice.

871
01:11:54,770 --> 01:11:56,310
We've got some cool wet land coars.

872
01:11:56,510 --> 01:12:00,510
The watershed has that are pretty popular to put on display too.

873
01:12:01,310 --> 01:12:04,610
Well, there's stuff from the interpretive signs too.

874
01:12:04,710 --> 01:12:08,810
So even just displays that would be nice printouts

875
01:12:08,810 --> 01:12:13,470
or displayed with information from the interpretive signs.

876
01:12:14,570 --> 01:12:20,670
board member Jeanette, Rebecca and I have brought print

877
01:12:20,670 --> 01:12:24,490
else to in the past over to the library that they have displayed.

878
01:12:25,030 --> 01:12:28,270
So great idea. Yes, we have done that and remember we used our

879
01:12:28,270 --> 01:12:32,010
plotter and yeah, brought them over there and yeah, they show very well.

880
01:12:32,710 --> 01:12:35,070
And that's a no cost thing to develop but just cost

881
01:12:35,070 --> 01:12:38,650
of printing it, which we can do in-house. What's a great idea?

882
01:12:43,580 --> 01:12:47,140
A few other updates, great river greening. We've

883
01:12:47,140 --> 01:12:51,620
them a bunch of times tonight, but they are managing the grant for us in the Southern Blaine

884
01:12:51,620 --> 01:12:56,480
Wetlands Sanctuary. We have a couple private events that they've been scheduling in there,

885
01:12:56,500 --> 01:13:01,300
and we're working on getting a public event scheduled. Either late May or early June is kind

886
01:13:01,300 --> 01:13:07,400
of a good time frame to do a plant of some milkweed, and then some of our private events are more

887
01:13:07,980 --> 01:13:13,760
knocking back some willows that we're trying to manage and doing some spring overseeding as well.

888
01:13:13,760 --> 01:13:15,300
So I'm just an update there.

889
01:13:15,360 --> 01:13:16,920
Once we do schedule a public event,

890
01:13:17,100 --> 01:13:18,840
that's something I'll share with you guys.

891
01:13:19,400 --> 01:13:21,260
Normally they're on Saturdays.

892
01:13:21,580 --> 01:13:24,320
We're trying to do a B count last fall

893
01:13:24,320 --> 01:13:27,040
and into this spring too, but with the drought,

894
01:13:27,460 --> 01:13:30,760
we aren't seeing flowers in the Southern portion.

895
01:13:30,980 --> 01:13:33,400
We've so much reconnected grass, but it's really competitive.

896
01:13:34,320 --> 01:13:36,920
So we've had to pull out on a couple different B

897
01:13:36,920 --> 01:13:38,200
oriented events there.

898
01:13:38,220 --> 01:13:41,200
So we're kind of reorienting how we're going to program

899
01:13:41,200 --> 01:13:44,160
and want different events, and I feel more successful this year there.

900
01:13:44,560 --> 01:13:57,200
It would be fun to run, run, if anybody wanted to set it up, I'm afraid I don't have time to set it up myself, but I don't find out if there are any rusty patch.

901
01:13:58,300 --> 01:14:08,680
because they should be in blame, and our ACD has conducted a, might be finished with the round of grants we had,

902
01:14:09,280 --> 01:14:17,180
for putting in pollinator gardens on the route of where the rusty patch has been identified.

903
01:14:19,440 --> 01:14:26,480
So, you know, about there could be interested in that, if it would be fun to do it.

904
01:14:26,480 --> 01:14:31,920
It was definitely our goal, it was to try and key in some of the work they were doing with

905
01:14:31,920 --> 01:14:37,280
some of, there's a lot of available grant funds out there for Rusty Patch, just with the

906
01:14:37,280 --> 01:14:41,980
drought that we have had, we don't have the habitat where our grant covers to do the

907
01:14:41,980 --> 01:14:44,460
B population tracking that we were kind of hoping to do.

908
01:14:45,080 --> 01:14:49,160
So we're continuing on restoration, so hopefully in the next year to we see that and we're

909
01:14:49,160 --> 01:14:53,760
able to program something like that, is it's a perfect spot to get some research done.

910
01:14:54,020 --> 01:14:54,500
Cool.

911
01:14:54,500 --> 01:14:57,340
That's very cool.

912
01:14:58,160 --> 01:14:59,960
I know, sort of real...

913
01:15:00,000 --> 01:15:07,260
Related, yet unrelated note. We still have the opportunity to seek sponsorship for our interpretive

914
01:15:07,260 --> 01:15:14,780
science. I believe we have, is it one or is it two that, oh, there's three now. I feel like

915
01:15:14,780 --> 01:15:23,700
it is an opportunity for the new Rusty Bumblebee to sponsor a sign that has information about

916
01:15:23,700 --> 01:15:29,000
pollinators. All that would be great. I mean, I don't know where they're at as a brand new business

917
01:15:29,000 --> 01:15:34,540
and blame, but if that's, I feel like that's an ask that is just waiting to happen.

918
01:15:36,160 --> 01:15:38,740
Do they have a, do they have a, do they have a mascot?

919
01:15:39,140 --> 01:15:39,760
Yeah, they do.

920
01:15:39,880 --> 01:15:41,800
They've got a logo that's, yeah, that's true.

921
01:15:42,080 --> 01:15:42,880
How about beats?

922
01:15:43,500 --> 01:15:44,280
Yeah, really.

923
01:15:44,900 --> 01:15:50,000
Do you have a tip chart just set out for tips that are patrots, patrots that contribute towards

924
01:15:50,000 --> 01:15:51,160
an interpretive sign?

925
01:15:51,360 --> 01:15:51,760
Yes.

926
01:15:52,540 --> 01:15:56,840
So, you have the, you know, what would go on this line for the rest of the people will be

927
01:15:56,840 --> 01:16:00,660
could close to it in their business while they raise money for it?

928
01:16:00,960 --> 01:16:06,180
Well, I was thinking we have the signs that we have existing signs that don't have sponsors yet.

929
01:16:07,420 --> 01:16:12,880
So, and we do talk about pollinators on those existing signs.

930
01:16:14,200 --> 01:16:17,900
Our economic development specialists should have a contact for them.

931
01:16:17,900 --> 01:16:20,440
I know she was working with them throughout their opening process.

932
01:16:21,460 --> 01:16:25,460
So I can talk to her tomorrow and see if she's able to provide me someone to get into contact

933
01:16:25,460 --> 01:16:27,640
and see if that's something they'd be interested in discussing.

934
01:16:29,960 --> 01:16:30,800
How do you feel?

935
01:16:31,580 --> 01:16:34,280
Yeah, if I need to go over there and

936
01:16:34,280 --> 01:16:37,060
that might be more effective than me sending an email to you.

937
01:16:38,280 --> 01:16:39,840
I actually haven't been there yet.

938
01:16:43,250 --> 01:16:45,030
All right, and then my last volunteer update

939
01:16:45,030 --> 01:16:48,570
is I'm working with ACDI just at Carri Taylor the other day

940
01:16:49,130 --> 01:16:51,730
about getting some garlic mustard poles on our calendar.

941
01:16:52,050 --> 01:16:55,110
We had some good luck last year with a couple different volunteer groups,

942
01:16:55,250 --> 01:16:55,850
scouting groups.

943
01:16:56,470 --> 01:17:02,410
And I know ACD has indicated they've lately had a lot of really good turnout for garlic

944
01:17:02,410 --> 01:17:03,090
mustard poles.

945
01:17:03,690 --> 01:17:08,430
It's family-friendly, it's not challenging to tell what garlic mustard is and we have

946
01:17:08,430 --> 01:17:10,470
a lot of it in our open spaces.

947
01:17:11,850 --> 01:17:16,990
So we're working on getting a couple of vents and like the second, third weekend in May on

948
01:17:16,990 --> 01:17:21,710
our calendar and getting kind of some advertising out for that kind of on top of Earth Day

949
01:17:21,710 --> 01:17:29,130
some specific polls there because it's a problem and many of our open spaces,

950
01:17:29,510 --> 01:17:32,750
pioneer park is a pretty hard, at the moment, is when we're looking at

951
01:17:32,750 --> 01:17:40,470
highlighting. It's in the web and thanks for joining me. I missed the volunteer

952
01:17:40,470 --> 01:17:46,150
supervisor training for great river greening again this year and but they said if

953
01:17:46,150 --> 01:17:50,510
we had eight people they would do a training in-blane and they could do it

954
01:17:50,510 --> 01:17:56,030
Zoom or they could do it here, but I just feel like there's enough people who would like

955
01:17:56,030 --> 01:18:00,110
to get involved, and sometimes that's hard. They don't have enough of the volunteer

956
01:18:00,110 --> 01:18:09,190
supervisors that have been trained to go out and monitor a garlic mustard poll. I don't

957
01:18:09,190 --> 01:18:14,110
know, it's something, if we had a friends of playing open space, that could be something

958
01:18:14,110 --> 01:18:19,220
and we'd sponsor to contact that on time.

959
01:18:19,540 --> 01:18:22,540
We ourselves cannot run the road.

960
01:18:24,600 --> 01:18:29,140
That's a nonprofit organization that we have to be separate from our board.

961
01:18:30,700 --> 01:18:30,780
Yeah.

962
01:18:30,780 --> 01:18:32,140
I don't know about that.

963
01:18:32,260 --> 01:18:34,360
Does nobody think she'll be right there?

964
01:18:35,060 --> 01:18:36,940
We'll talk after that.

965
01:18:37,020 --> 01:18:38,660
It isn't written anywhere.

966
01:18:41,440 --> 01:18:42,000
Maybe not.

967
01:18:44,340 --> 01:18:52,120
My next update is just quick regarding Pioneer Park, because in February the board did recommend that

968
01:18:52,120 --> 01:18:58,100
Councilor Yves at the item, so I just, Nate and I wanted to let you know that Jerome, to bring that to the March 6 workshop.

969
01:18:59,060 --> 01:19:07,460
So, if any member of Councilor Quest to be placed at our future workshop, we will let you guys know when that is and what we're preparing for that.

970
01:19:07,460 --> 01:19:15,880
But that's our update right now, and we made, I believe, has an update on some a true removal project that is currently going on in Pioneer Park.

971
01:19:15,920 --> 01:19:17,680
I just started this week.

972
01:19:19,040 --> 01:19:28,400
Yes, so last week, we sent out that letter that was attached in your second to your agenda.

973
01:19:28,860 --> 01:19:31,020
I'll just pull it up here.

974
01:19:32,040 --> 01:19:38,860
So, this was sent to all the residents surrounding the park, about the tree management that

975
01:19:38,860 --> 01:19:39,660
that's being done.

976
01:19:39,760 --> 01:19:46,300
So, basically 30 feet on each side of the trail of any dead fall disease trees, they're

977
01:19:46,300 --> 01:19:48,780
basically, our public work staff is going in there.

978
01:19:49,040 --> 01:19:54,540
They started last Thursday and then got pulled off because of snow and also on Friday.

979
01:19:55,180 --> 01:19:57,460
And I know they're back at it this week.

980
01:19:57,460 --> 01:20:04,220
We haven't received any phone calls or anything from residents that receive the letters,

981
01:20:04,320 --> 01:20:08,980
so I think to understand it's kind of, we're managing the park and, you know, keeping up on it

982
01:20:08,980 --> 01:20:10,000
or trying to keep up on it.

983
01:20:10,240 --> 01:20:16,700
So obviously, our largest park, so yeah, so that's just, the public work staff puts up signs

984
01:20:16,700 --> 01:20:22,820
and stuff, but it's just during their work hours of 70m to 3pm, but just want to let the

985
01:20:22,820 --> 01:20:26,200
board know on that, but that should definitely help that out.

986
01:20:26,200 --> 01:20:30,100
And then they're also going to be adding wood chips to all the wood chip trails in there, too,

987
01:20:30,120 --> 01:20:34,120
because I know they were starting to, I know the last time we were out there when we went

988
01:20:34,120 --> 01:20:39,700
and visited, it was in need of some sprucing up or adding some wood chips.

989
01:20:39,800 --> 01:20:46,940
So those will be added if not, probably not, as they take down some of the dead trees,

990
01:20:47,460 --> 01:20:51,840
but they're going to pile up a pile of wood chips and then spread it once.

991
01:20:51,840 --> 01:20:53,600
the snow leaves.

992
01:20:54,720 --> 01:20:55,240
So.

993
01:20:55,240 --> 01:20:55,400
No.

994
01:20:56,340 --> 01:20:56,860
Yes.

995
01:20:58,180 --> 01:20:58,460
When.

996
01:21:00,220 --> 01:21:00,360
Yep.

997
01:21:00,360 --> 01:21:02,600
So just want to bring that to the board's attention.

998
01:21:02,760 --> 01:21:05,800
That just kind of came up very recently, too.

999
01:21:06,580 --> 01:21:08,540
Basically, in between, since our last meeting.

1000
01:21:11,040 --> 01:21:15,920
And then some of the additional items that were that was brought up by board

1001
01:21:15,920 --> 01:21:16,600
member panning.

1002
01:21:16,720 --> 01:21:17,860
I did add those on there.

1003
01:21:18,020 --> 01:21:19,660
And I do have.

1004
01:21:19,660 --> 01:21:27,080
Um, I do have the spreadsheet that, uh, what we spent, um, the actual last expending,

1005
01:21:27,380 --> 01:21:29,220
and if I can make this better,

1006
01:21:31,680 --> 01:21:33,840
it's not show up like this before.

1007
01:21:48,260 --> 01:21:49,560
I'm just not shown.

1008
01:21:50,580 --> 01:21:54,650
Why is that, uh, what happened to the interest?

1009
01:21:55,390 --> 01:21:57,050
Hang on, I get it.

1010
01:22:02,300 --> 01:22:02,680
Okay.

1011
01:22:03,160 --> 01:22:06,840
So this document, I'm just gonna have to start like this, we're gonna have to go down on

1012
01:22:06,840 --> 01:22:08,240
the lights that doing have.

1013
01:22:08,680 --> 01:22:10,120
Um, so the original bond.

1014
01:22:10,120 --> 01:22:12,100
This was signed up.

1015
01:22:12,300 --> 01:22:13,660
There we go.

1016
01:22:15,540 --> 01:22:19,340
So the original bond referendum was $3.5 million.

1017
01:22:20,960 --> 01:22:23,760
So basically, these are all the different parcels that were purchased.

1018
01:22:24,320 --> 01:22:27,040
And the last one was purchased back in 2009.

1019
01:22:27,820 --> 01:22:30,860
So I'd probably just not even been here a year.

1020
01:22:32,060 --> 01:22:33,340
But yeah, so these are the difference.

1021
01:22:33,480 --> 01:22:35,360
And I can send this out to the board.

1022
01:22:35,820 --> 01:22:39,840
If you guys want this, I can send this out along with that adoptive park information.

1023
01:22:39,840 --> 01:22:44,540
all send the C. guys have a copy, but this is basically the different parcels that were purchased

1024
01:22:45,580 --> 01:22:53,480
and let me go down a little bit. It actually exceeds the 3.5. It actually was almost closer to

1025
01:22:53,480 --> 01:22:58,120
3.8 and that's I know there was some interest in there, but that's where they had just what.

1026
01:22:58,540 --> 01:23:02,260
Yes. So I'll send this out just so you guys have it for your records as well.

1027
01:23:02,420 --> 01:23:08,300
What was the lakes? Did you have the information on the first purchase, the lakes development?

1028
01:23:08,300 --> 01:23:15,220
That was the Oaks of Anna and then I think just east of it was say seven yep, so that

1029
01:23:15,920 --> 01:23:19,140
but the Oaks of Anna was part of

1030
01:23:19,660 --> 01:23:21,480
the site seven

1031
01:23:23,260 --> 01:23:26,220
200 acres or so

1032
01:23:26,220 --> 01:23:33,640
What's now are fed and bank but that purchase was connected to the Oaks

1033
01:23:37,580 --> 01:23:44,140
to the one you're calling leaks development. Those two purchases were together.

1034
01:23:45,040 --> 01:23:48,020
Yeah, and that looks like it was like 70 acres.

1035
01:23:48,700 --> 01:23:52,860
And when you're saying connected, do you mean they were just bought at the same time because

1036
01:23:52,860 --> 01:24:03,620
the size and deal. Okay, but because the spaces are not connected, but it was, it

1037
01:24:03,620 --> 01:24:33,120
It was one of the developers of the lakes approached us to sell us the wetland piece, but then Jim Peterson being the Sharpie that he was told us to ask him for the eight acres of oak forest at the same time, and that would be about what he should have offered us for the, you know, that should have, that gave us more value, which he felt we needed.

1038
01:24:33,120 --> 01:24:40,800
So yes, and it was so nice to hear this gentleman say, I wanted to save that for my best houses

1039
01:24:40,800 --> 01:24:52,720
But maybe everybody should have it. So it was amazing was you know, it was an amazing moment for our committee, and that was our first purchase. So

1040
01:24:52,720 --> 01:24:59,600
So site 7 was our first purchase, sir, and we didn't know what we had until Jason came along and told us it was

1041
01:25:00,880 --> 01:25:07,840
What the potential was? Yes, what it was. We knew we had open space. That's, that's as bright as we were.

1042
01:25:09,420 --> 01:25:17,360
So this was a bond reformer referendum many years ago, 2000, 2000, it's a 23 years ago.

1043
01:25:18,280 --> 01:25:25,640
Do you think we should talk to Council about a new bond referendum for identifying other spaces?

1044
01:25:26,660 --> 01:25:41,980
It seems as though that there is still concern that pockets of open space be preserved or are we really ready to say that's it with 10 open space properties.

1045
01:25:42,840 --> 01:25:43,740
Maybe we are.

1046
01:25:43,760 --> 01:25:46,740
It would be a good question to bring before the council.

1047
01:25:49,680 --> 01:25:55,020
I'm sorry I was way too self involved with small children to even remember how it happens.

1048
01:25:55,020 --> 01:25:58,620
What, how did you get this initial referendum going?

1049
01:25:58,760 --> 01:26:02,960
I know this is, you had the support of City Council in the mayor and the City Manager.

1050
01:26:03,900 --> 01:26:12,440
It took, I took a lot of effort in order to get the political to get this moving, but are we ready to say?

1051
01:26:13,200 --> 01:26:19,380
It started with quite a public interest in an open space plan.

1052
01:26:19,380 --> 01:26:30,080
Yeah, I mean, I've been here for Gold Golly, you know, 34 years, so just hopefully,

1053
01:26:30,980 --> 01:26:39,380
how blame has changed is astounding. And I think I've just had lunch this past week,

1054
01:26:39,380 --> 01:26:44,740
the last week with a coworker who's only lived in, blamed for five years. And she's like,

1055
01:26:44,740 --> 01:26:49,460
I can't believe how fast it's changing and it's like, you mean nothing.

1056
01:26:50,700 --> 01:26:54,860
Where your house sits used to be open land at one time.

1057
01:26:55,380 --> 01:26:58,720
I wish we had more money too.

1058
01:26:59,580 --> 01:27:05,080
It took some real foresight back in 2000 to say, let's invest in this.

1059
01:27:05,100 --> 01:27:08,840
Or this would all be drained and paved.

1060
01:27:08,840 --> 01:27:15,660
And so it was a really, it came from the 2020 planning committee.

1061
01:27:16,360 --> 01:27:21,400
This was our recommendation to the city council was to establish an open space.

1062
01:27:21,560 --> 01:27:29,460
Along with all the other work we had, you know, the big folder of work, our main recommendation

1063
01:27:29,460 --> 01:27:35,220
to the city council was that we believe we should have an open space plan for the city

1064
01:27:35,220 --> 01:27:43,060
trails. And we were told we were really shot down. We told that they wanted 70,000 people

1065
01:27:43,060 --> 01:27:47,520
in Blaine and it would be no room for open space at that point.

1066
01:27:47,740 --> 01:27:53,620
Well look what we've had. So yeah, so the committee kept on knowing we just called ourselves

1067
01:27:53,620 --> 01:28:01,140
open space 2000 and we marched in the parade with a handmade sign and there was just so much

1068
01:28:01,140 --> 01:28:05,880
support along the way yeah we need this we need this and it was really the

1069
01:28:05,880 --> 01:28:11,940
people of blame who convinced the council that we needed one needed open

1070
01:28:11,940 --> 01:28:16,540
space. Well there's now there's 70,000 people and you gotta believe that there's

1071
01:28:16,540 --> 01:28:23,340
a lot of those 70,000 people that still enjoy and care about open space and

1072
01:28:23,340 --> 01:28:32,300
And there is the 2040 comp plan, which has some action items and goals for natural resource

1073
01:28:32,300 --> 01:28:40,000
management and sustainability, which we need to make some progress on because we're not right now

1074
01:28:40,380 --> 01:28:48,120
here. So perhaps there is an opportunity. I mean, if I'm hoping council and mayor are hearing

1075
01:28:48,120 --> 01:28:55,720
from more people than just us, that sustainability and open space matters in our community.

1076
01:28:58,560 --> 01:29:03,740
Because that's, and maybe when the, I don't know when the, you know, I don't know how accountable

1077
01:29:03,740 --> 01:29:10,940
we are to the 2040 count plan. But when that's reviewed, I've reviewed it and there's,

1078
01:29:10,940 --> 01:29:16,780
I mean, there's things that I think we as a board could be working on and providing recommendations,

1079
01:29:16,780 --> 01:29:29,200
But there are things that are outside of our purview, but would be within the purview of a sustainability board or commission, which is one of the reasons I recommended that when we started talking about the merger.

1080
01:29:30,060 --> 01:29:33,220
We've got bigger issues than just open space.

1081
01:29:33,760 --> 01:29:39,220
If when we think about long-term planning, because if we want to keep this community great, we're going to need to.

1082
01:29:39,220 --> 01:29:44,760
It's even more important now than it was 20 years ago that we protect and preserve.

1083
01:29:44,760 --> 01:29:47,740
I would love for a free support 23 years in the future

1084
01:29:47,740 --> 01:29:49,620
to look back and say, well,

1085
01:29:49,740 --> 01:29:52,240
wow, they were on the ball, you know.

1086
01:29:53,520 --> 01:29:57,320
Wait, wait, you know, back in 2000 and in 2024,

1087
01:29:58,280 --> 01:29:59,960
because by the time we get any action going.

1088
01:30:00,480 --> 01:30:15,980
You know, again, every 25 years, there should be a renewal. You take a look at what you have and take assessment of where we've been and where we need to be. And what do we need to act on now? I'm fired up.

1089
01:30:16,020 --> 01:30:19,520
I think we should do. I'd bring it back to our next meeting. We'll see what we can start.

1090
01:30:19,760 --> 01:30:23,320
And I think we should talk to our council reps. We should talk to our neighbors.

1091
01:30:25,440 --> 01:30:30,820
Well, in order for the city to bond money like that, it has to be put to a vote of the people.

1092
01:30:31,520 --> 01:30:35,540
So they'd have to approve it and they'd have to go to a vote.

1093
01:30:36,260 --> 01:30:38,000
You do need the support of the council.

1094
01:30:38,280 --> 01:30:38,620
Yeah.

1095
01:30:40,640 --> 01:30:47,880
If I may, the board can always make a recommendation that staff bring the topic and let council

1096
01:30:47,880 --> 01:30:50,920
know that the board would like the council to discuss this.

1097
01:30:50,920 --> 01:30:58,760
So the work can always make a recommendation that the council should discuss the idea of having some sort of bonding platform for acquisition of more open space.

1098
01:30:59,340 --> 01:31:03,640
And we can bring the idea to the next workshop and get feedback or an initial response.

1099
01:31:04,100 --> 01:31:04,460
Great idea.

1100
01:31:05,560 --> 01:31:09,000
I mean, I'm looking at this list of properties that were purchased.

1101
01:31:09,100 --> 01:31:13,380
And I think it's some of these if I remember going back to the history.

1102
01:31:14,080 --> 01:31:16,900
Some of that helped the developers of that area.

1103
01:31:16,900 --> 01:31:20,780
because they wanted to develop a portion of it,

1104
01:31:21,340 --> 01:31:24,000
but then they had this small plant,

1105
01:31:24,820 --> 01:31:27,040
which as if you just want to sell houses

1106
01:31:27,040 --> 01:31:28,940
or sell a business park,

1107
01:31:29,360 --> 01:31:33,280
or you don't see the value in it,

1108
01:31:33,540 --> 01:31:36,520
but it is so very valuable for our groundwater

1109
01:31:36,520 --> 01:31:41,360
and species, bird animal, plant species.

1110
01:31:42,600 --> 01:31:49,660
maybe just changing also the way we look at management of large spaces. They don't have to be

1111
01:31:50,240 --> 01:31:56,080
manicured. Maybe that's part of what the new vision might be. Because I think it needs

1112
01:31:56,080 --> 01:32:03,180
to be more than just open space acquisition. It's a bigger issue than that. So do we want to

1113
01:32:03,180 --> 01:32:05,700
So it has an item for our next meeting.

1114
01:32:06,000 --> 01:32:07,060
Maybe for our workshop.

1115
01:32:07,600 --> 01:32:08,320
Or a workshop.

1116
01:32:10,760 --> 01:32:11,180
I don't know.

1117
01:32:11,460 --> 01:32:12,600
Gene, you're a leader.

1118
01:32:12,860 --> 01:32:14,400
We need a workshop for eight.

1119
01:32:15,460 --> 01:32:17,500
I'll have to figure out why we're going to do this.

1120
01:32:18,360 --> 01:32:25,920
We've had the enlist our staff people to help us have an hour before meeting.

1121
01:32:26,560 --> 01:32:27,700
I could do that, sure.

1122
01:32:28,600 --> 01:32:29,260
I would that go.

1123
01:32:29,360 --> 01:32:30,960
How would we do something like that?

1124
01:32:30,960 --> 01:32:38,120
We would just pulse up the meeting starts at 6.30 and set it seven. Yeah, I can do that. That's

1125
01:32:41,660 --> 01:32:45,990
And the first one that have to be reminded is me to get here 6.30

1126
01:32:49,480 --> 01:32:55,700
Each do some I need to do some homework. I need to read the 2040 plan because it's on the website. It's on the website

1127
01:32:58,350 --> 01:32:58,770
right

1128
01:32:59,950 --> 01:33:01,990
Is there any more trouble we could make here?

1129
01:33:04,330 --> 01:33:12,190
board chair raffer to members of the board. Yes, because we still have the friends of the open space, which

1130
01:33:12,190 --> 01:33:20,530
thanks for bringing that to my attention board member panning, because we don't know actually how it even got put up there, because the information soul

1131
01:33:21,090 --> 01:33:27,450
outdated and wrong. Not wrong, it's been completed or, you know, you had two and a half years

1132
01:33:27,450 --> 01:33:32,570
team in there, and Daddy is the chair. So if there's something you guys want to put in there

1133
01:33:32,570 --> 01:33:40,110
instead, please provide content. I'd be, we'd be happy to put different content in it. That's

1134
01:33:40,110 --> 01:33:47,490
that's still relevant if it's, because basically it's said in there, they were in the process of

1135
01:33:47,490 --> 01:33:54,250
preparing or preparing and trying to make an open stream management plan so if there's

1136
01:33:54,250 --> 01:34:02,350
no that wasn't it we were trying to make a nonprofit support group okay so if there's

1137
01:34:02,350 --> 01:34:08,390
something different we want to put on that page I know board member panning put that out to the

1138
01:34:08,390 --> 01:34:15,830
board so you guys can look at that and if there is and we can exchange emails that's fine

1139
01:34:15,830 --> 01:34:17,370
I mean, it doesn't need to be a sit down,

1140
01:34:17,390 --> 01:34:20,410
but if there's certain things people want on that page

1141
01:34:20,410 --> 01:34:22,350
instead, that's, you know, accurate.

1142
01:34:23,810 --> 01:34:26,010
Because the meeting time was 730.

1143
01:34:26,130 --> 01:34:27,210
I mean, we don't mean it's 730.

1144
01:34:27,250 --> 01:34:29,530
So I mean, I don't know how old that was.

1145
01:34:29,650 --> 01:34:31,470
I was kind of shocked.

1146
01:34:31,630 --> 01:34:33,770
But yes, we were trying to start a foundation.

1147
01:34:34,510 --> 01:34:35,890
We ourselves were not allowed to.

1148
01:34:36,010 --> 01:34:37,930
We were discussing how we would do it.

1149
01:34:37,950 --> 01:34:40,870
And we had some interested people, most of whom died.

1150
01:34:40,870 --> 01:34:52,650
So it really went away, the concept is great, Springbrook has fantastic foundation, the Nature

1151
01:34:52,650 --> 01:34:58,850
Center, and they are great funderators, they're great volunteers, and that's what we're

1152
01:34:58,850 --> 01:35:06,190
a place like our open spaces can really use the volunteer support and money raising.

1153
01:35:06,190 --> 01:35:15,370
And when I first started on the sport that we were talking about friends of open spaces and that's

1154
01:35:15,370 --> 01:35:19,050
and you folks told me, well we can't really run it here as long as we're on the board.

1155
01:35:19,910 --> 01:35:23,390
But if we graduate from the board, that would be.

1156
01:35:23,470 --> 01:35:27,150
Where does that, I cannot find anything that says the foundation.

1157
01:35:27,450 --> 01:35:28,130
It's a nonprofit.

1158
01:35:29,950 --> 01:35:34,410
Why does the state of Minnesota, you'd have to set it up?

1159
01:35:34,410 --> 01:35:35,770
Find anything on it.

1160
01:35:36,030 --> 01:35:39,830
Malcolm, Malcolm, what's his name?

1161
01:35:39,890 --> 01:35:41,270
So this would be a legal opinion.

1162
01:35:41,610 --> 01:35:44,070
So if I ask for like our environmental framework

1163
01:35:44,070 --> 01:35:46,810
from a legal thing, I had a bunch of papers,

1164
01:35:47,250 --> 01:35:51,470
which if I could follow up on that, I'll see if I can find them.

1165
01:35:51,690 --> 01:35:56,270
But yes, it's a legal foundation, non-profit type of thing,

1166
01:35:56,270 --> 01:36:02,330
And Springbrook has one, Melcom, talk to me later.

1167
01:36:03,670 --> 01:36:06,450
Yeah, I'll cool you in on what it was.

1168
01:36:08,050 --> 01:36:08,110
OK.

1169
01:36:08,490 --> 01:36:10,550
Yes, so if you guys want to add anything to it,

1170
01:36:10,570 --> 01:36:12,230
we actually turned it off at this point

1171
01:36:12,230 --> 01:36:13,690
because the information is so wrong.

1172
01:36:14,210 --> 01:36:14,610
So you'll see.

1173
01:36:14,610 --> 01:36:15,450
I can't find it.

1174
01:36:15,450 --> 01:36:15,710
Right.

1175
01:36:16,570 --> 01:36:17,590
So that's on purpose.

1176
01:36:18,090 --> 01:36:21,270
But again, it's in that email that Carolyn sent out.

1177
01:36:21,270 --> 01:36:22,530
So please take a look at that.

1178
01:36:23,970 --> 01:36:26,430
There's some different information we want to put on there.

1179
01:36:26,430 --> 01:36:30,850
things we want to add to that we can turn it back in. Basically just hit with a

1180
01:36:30,850 --> 01:36:39,050
page, but we can. Yeah, so, but yes, no, I was like, I didn't even know that was

1181
01:36:39,050 --> 01:36:43,030
there. And then when I read it, I'm like, that's not all right. That's wrong. You know,

1182
01:36:43,030 --> 01:36:48,790
it was just I was actually kind of laughing. So that is all we have. And on the

1183
01:36:48,790 --> 01:36:54,110
grant, we did not do anything. We don't have the capacity to do anything with it at

1184
01:36:54,110 --> 01:37:00,170
point we just we do not have the staff time and resources that is a shame that that opportunity

1185
01:37:00,170 --> 01:37:06,110
pass by because I know I had sent it to council and the mayor and the city manager and I

1186
01:37:06,110 --> 01:37:12,150
got replies from anti when I got replies from that was that we're enthusiastic and we'll look into

1187
01:37:12,150 --> 01:37:18,190
this and it's disappointing that that couldn't happen somebody has to do the work because the

1188
01:37:18,190 --> 01:37:24,090
thing is that that was for a position for somebody to do this kind of work so this is a chicken in the

1189
01:37:24,090 --> 01:37:29,630
kind of problem where we need somebody to do the work but we don't have that person but we

1190
01:37:29,630 --> 01:37:34,470
need to apply for a grant to get that person but there's nobody to do the applying. So I don't

1191
01:37:34,470 --> 01:37:41,710
know how to solve that but that is Nick's that is I think a huge gap in our city staff is that

1192
01:37:41,710 --> 01:37:51,830
we need more good people and we need people that are knowledgeable and experienced and passionate

1193
01:37:51,830 --> 01:38:01,730
about these issues for long-term sustainability and just a couple who are doing lots of other things.

1194
01:38:02,250 --> 01:38:04,450
There's only so much anyone person can do.

1195
01:38:05,950 --> 01:38:07,090
So I'm disappointed.

1196
01:38:10,000 --> 01:38:12,840
We know that you guys are stretched off often.

1197
01:38:13,980 --> 01:38:17,780
Every time you do reports on how many things are going on in the city,

1198
01:38:18,640 --> 01:38:22,620
I just, I don't know how few of you there are doing all this.

1199
01:38:22,620 --> 01:38:23,700
Oh, my work.

1200
01:38:24,160 --> 01:38:26,760
And you have great enthusiasm and help for us.

1201
01:38:28,800 --> 01:38:31,500
We want there to be more for you, so that that's right.

1202
01:38:32,040 --> 01:38:33,380
We just need to clone you.

1203
01:38:34,300 --> 01:38:36,500
That is all the trouble we have at this time.

1204
01:38:37,920 --> 01:38:42,180
That is all we have on the agenda, unless the board has anything else.

1205
01:38:42,340 --> 01:38:44,660
Is there anything else?

1206
01:38:44,920 --> 01:38:45,940
Motion to adjourn.

1207
01:38:46,980 --> 01:38:47,300
OK.

1208
01:38:47,340 --> 01:38:47,780
I move.

1209
01:38:48,320 --> 01:38:48,640
I'll second.

1210
01:38:49,520 --> 01:38:50,400
All those things.

1211
01:38:50,880 --> 01:38:51,260
Hi.

1212
01:38:51,500 --> 01:38:51,540
Hi.

1213
01:38:51,540 --> 01:38:51,740
All right.