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January 11, 2021 City of Arden Hills Mayor and Councilmembers 1245 West Highway 96 Arden Hills, MN 55112 RE: Unsafe Access Concerns at Tony Schmidt Regional Park Dear Arden Hills city leaders, Thank you very much for your December 11, 2020 letter calling attention to the concerns around safety along Lake Johanna Boulevard. I have heard from many city residents with concerns about the safety along this corridor and been in touch with public works multiple times throughout th e last year on this topic. I asked our public works director, Ted Schoenecker to provide an overview of what measures have been attempted to mitigate these concerns and to identify potential future efforts that can further address these issues. His summary letter is included in this response. As for your suggestion to visit the park myself, I can assure you that Lake Johanna Park and nearby Perry Park are two of my family’s favorite places to visit in our community. We have visited Perry Park several times over the summer, walked the trails through Tony Schmidt, and enjoyed a COVID-safe family gathering at the beach to celebrate family birthdays in August. This area is a treasure and improving pedestrian facilities is firmly grounded in our county goals of strengthening individual, family, and community health, safety, and well-being. I appreciate your call for fair and equitable treatment of this corridor. I agree and hope this means that you are willing to partner together to invest in improvements in accordance with the county’s Cost Participation Policy. I am heartened to hear that public works is moving forward with the corridor study on Lake Johanna Blvd this year. With the commitment of Arden Hills leadership, I will be able to vigorously advocate to prioritize the resulting recommended improvements for inclusion in our 2021-2025 Transportation Improvement Plan. Thank you, Commissioner Nicole Frethem Ramsey County Commissioner, District 1