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ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — JULY 8, 2024 3 Councilmember Holden requested further comment on how "maintenance" was defined. Mr. Rexine stated "maintenance" was defined as a good faith effort to maintain the buckthorn removal that had been completed going forward for 10 years. Councilmember Rousseau explained she was interested in this for Chatham Park. She understood Councilmember Monson and herself were interested in a park master plan. It was her hope this plan could address both park amenities and natural resources within the City's parks. She believed the pricing for the park cleanup was reasonable. She indicated her only concern was if staff could support the required maintenance efforts. Councilmember Holden stated the only thing the Council has agreed to was the buckthorn removal. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen reported some ground work and species identification would also be required. Councilmember Holden indicated there could be a hundred different invasive species within the park that the City would have to then maintain. Mr. Rexine reported the main focus for the grant funding would be buckthorn, but information on the other threats would be provided to the Council. Councilmember Holden asked if the cost for the seed was included in the grant. Mr. Rexine stated this was included. Councilmember Holden clarified the grant would cover buckthorn removal at Hazelnut and Floral Park as well as the cost for putting seed down. She questioned what happened with in kind work. Mr. Rexine explained City's cannot be held accountable for what volunteers put into a site. Mayor Grant indicated he was concerned about the project management for this work over the next 10 years. Councilmember Fabel inquired if the City can use volunteers during the 10 year maintenance period. Mr. Rexine stated this would not be a problem. Councilmember Fabel asked how the proposed long-term maintenance was beyond current City procedures. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen explained the state the parks were in at this time met current park standards. He reported the City has done buckthorn removal in the past five years. However, remediating and maintaining 26 acres of land would be going above and beyond what staff was doing today.