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Wayne LeBlanc Centerville Park and Recreation Committee Member Trails Advocate 1677 Peltier Lake Drive Centerville, MN 55038 wayneleblanc@comcast.net 651-426-0168 February 25,2004 Trail Recreation Section Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Trails and Waterways Division 550 Lafayette Road St. Paul, Minnesota 55155 Dear Grant Reviewers, Please consider and weigh the tremendous benefit offered by the proposed Clearwater Trail and its connection to existing important trails in the northeast metro area. The connection of people to wonderful resources of the Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Park Preserve with its beautiful wooded trails, its swimming beach and Wargo Nature Center, for example, adds not only to Ule quality oflife, but offers a healthy avenue for exercise at the same time. In 1998, The Minnesota Design Team chose the City ofCenterville to do its work. I hosted a Design . Team engineer at my house and participated in the city event. This team did a terrificjob polling; people in the community, assessing the potential, and then outlining a cours~ of action t5Tmproveth~__n- community. Over and over, the people said they wanted trails and I formed a Parks, Lakes, and Trails subcommittee to follow-up. The plan that evolved encompassed more than Centerville. It spread to include Hugo, Lino Lakes, and Anoka County Parks. The progress on completing this plap. over the past 6 years has been excellent and pieces are falling nicely into place as land is developed and roads rebuilt. Now is the time to make a connection that will make a big difference. The Clearwater Trail connection will be akin to turning on the lights as the 35E freeway impediment is bridged. People will see and be able to use wonderful resources in the community that have been untapped. Many people have helped along the way. The Centerville Park and Recreation committee formed subcommittees to investigate grants and trails. I want to thank Suzanne Seeley and Julie Lindsay for their work with the grant application. I want to thank Centerville staff, in particular, cityadniinistrator Kim Moore-Sykes for her help with the grant application. I want to thank the CenterviIle Park and Recreation Conuillttee, the Centerville Council, City staff, Public Works, Anoka Parks, Lino Lakes, Hugo, and many others for their support of the Clearwater Trail connection project. This project has seen support from virtually everyone. Please help make this trail connection possible by approving a grant for the Clearwater Trail and its connection with resources that potentially encompass the state. Sincerely, ~~ Wayne LeBlanc 4-1