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PARKS, TRAILS AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES November 25, 2008 Page 3 of 5 Mr. Winter reviewed the preliminary estimate costs for the bridge and the trail. He indicated that both sides of the road were similar in cost but with different types of.impacts. Council Liaison Holmes stated she thought the east side of the corridor would be more difficult due to the fact it ran closer to the lake. Mr. Winter stated he did walk the entire corridor and stated there was enough right-of-way, measurements were taken and that the trail could ft. Council Liaison Holmes questioned if the retaining wall would create an obstructed view of the lake. Mr. Winter stated the retaining wall would be below eye level as the trail would be level with the roadway. Further discussion ensued regarding potential trail connections along this corridor. Ms. Giga stated the City could partner with Roseville and New Brighton on a larger scale to create master regional trail connections. She indicated grant opportunities would need to come up before this could be funded. Councilmember Holden asked if the trail could be priced out two ways to provide a trail along Bethel Drive to County Road E on the east side and on the west side to allow the students a walkway. Nancy O'Malley questioned if Bethel would partner with the City to complete this trail for their students. Ms. Olson indicated Bethel has been contacted about trail completion in the past and that they are a bit concerned about opening up trails to the general public for security reasons. She stated Bethel could be contacted once a more developed plan was completed to see if they were interested in contributing to this trail as the safety for the students who use this trail would be increased. Council Liaison Holmes reported that the Council was very interested in alleviating the bottleneck near the CP Rail Bridge and that there were tentative funds set aside for this trail. She explained that additional information may need to be gathered about the costs and engineering. She stated once this information was gathered the Council could budget and implement the actual plan. Discussion ensued regarding the placement of the trail, laying out the benefits of having the trail along the east side or the west side. The Committee requested that the number of homeowners affected by the trail be included within the final feasibility report as this would be a factor for consideration. Councilmember Holden stated she could see the trail being built in segments due to the vast expense. Acting Chair Peck agreed but stated this would be an exciting addition to the City and that the railroad bridge would be a great step forward. Council Liaison Holmes stated the Council would want a recommendation from this Committee as to what side the trail should be completed after their analysis.