07-22-24-R - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

At the July 8, 2024 Work Session Council gave direction to move forward with the two proposed projects which consists of Hazelnut Park Understory Restoration and Chatham Park Natural Resource Management Brief Project and Floral Park Woodland and Prairie Habitat Restoration Project. The project Cooperative Agreements with GRG are as Attachments A & B. Budget Impact Project Hazelnut Park & Chatham NRMB Floral Park NRMB Chatham Park Totals: Grant amount City funds $ 54,700 $ 12,000 $ 215,100 $ 26,125 N/A N/A Tntal C'ntt 66,700 (Over 3 years) 241,225 (Over 5 years) N/A 269,800 $ 38,125 $ 307,925 Minimum City cash match: Hazelnut Park & Chatham NRMB = $9,000 Floral Park = $20,000 Total minimum cash match = $29,000 GRG notes that volunteer labor cannot be counted towards in -kind City match, in previous discussions it was believed that it could be. Examples of in -kind City labor or contracted services are, but are not limited to, staff time or Arden Hills contracted activities that accomplish a management task within the acres of the project that is required for the completion of the project which otherwise would have been paid for by the grant, such as prairie mowing or woody material removal or disposal. Council should keep in mind when this project was first introduced, it was under the assumption that Public Works would be involved very minimally or not at all during the actual remediation process but would need to plan for the long-term maintenance. If it is Council direction to utilize Public Works as in -kind labor match during remediation, staff will need to schedule this work within the annual Public Works Maintenance Plan and will likely cause more items to be backlogged for repair or maintenance. Long-term maintenance of the 26.03 acres will increase the annual maintenance and operations budget. GRG has provided an estimate for each project site over a span of the first 5 years, the actual amount is not known at this time. If all project sites are approved and completed, the estimated maintenance costs would be $12,830 per year on average or $64,150 total over 5 years. The required activities for long-term maintenance are beyond the Public Works Department's current standard procedures. Public Works staff also believes that in order to adequately manage this program, it should be by a person specialized in natural resources. Arden Hills does not currently have a position specifically for natural resources. Attachments Attachment A: Cooperative Agreement for Chatham Open Space and Hazelnut Park Attachment B: Cooperative Agreement for Floral Park Page 2 of 2