Discussion:
The city obtained the original site of Lions Park from the State of Minnesota from the Department of Corrections. The park was developed over fifty years and has included Sand Venture, tennis courts, paths, playgrounds, skating rinks, lodge etc. Over these many years, the city has been a recipient of funding from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and some of those funds were also through the DNR from the National Park Service.
Through the years, the city sold off part of the park for a small subdivision, put a road through it (Vierling Drive), built a fire station within the park, and put the upper valley drainage way through the site.
While prior councils at the time may have had good reasons for all of these actions, they violated covenants and restrictions on the land and funding that had been received from the DNR and the National Park Service. There are processes to do all of these things but none were followed at the time. The fire station site was administratively carved out of the park by a former administrator and never went through a formal process. All of these actions left a portion of Lions Park adjacent to HyVee, and part of the park cut off by the fire station site.
The DNR recently audited all of park funding and land dispositions and found that the city was not in compliance and had to immediately correct any deficiencies. Staff has worked with DNR staff on solutions to ensure that the city will continue to receive state funding and also not to have to repay past funding. Staff has prepared a new plat that has isolated the fire station on a stand alone small lot, will open its parking lot to allow for trailhead parking, incorporated the drainage way back into the park as part of the Vierling Greenway Trail, and is working on other improvements.
As part of the Lions Park mitigation, the city is required to replace property that is being used for non-park purposes with new park land. The city acquired the former Sweeney Marina property last year and the DNR has agreed that the fourteen acres can be used as replacement park land.
Since the proper federal reviews were not completed at the time of the many incursions into Lions Park, staff has completed a preliminary Environmental Impact Statement for the changes that have already occurred. The state and federal agencies are asking that the new site have a complete review so that there are no new adverse impact to resources with the city's replacement property.
Confluence will work with the 106 Group, headquartered in St. Paul, which is a highly regarded, award-winning firm that for 25 years has documented archaeological and historic building resources. 106 Group will document the former Sweeney Marina for archaeological and historic resources and will also complete a National Register Nomination for the Schroeder House and outbuildings. This will also make the project eligible for other state grants for future development.
Miller Dunwiddie, a Minneapolis based architecture firm with a specialization in preservation and adaptive reuse, will evaluate the Schroeder House and outbuildings for condition and reuse. They have done a number of award-winning projects including the Howe Community School, recognized by the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission. They have also completed a number of park and historic visitor center projects.
Confluence will then complete a visioning study along with a preliminary cost estimate for the development of all of the parts of the former Sweeney property.
The costs for the project will be split roughly 53% to Lions Park and 47% to the former Sweeney property.
Staff is also working to get a review appraisal by a state approved appraiser of the completed appraisal from the original acquisition of the Sweeney property. Staff is also working to get an appraisal of the newly created fire station parcel, the Vierling Road right-of-way and the remnant parcel along HyVee that is now being used for drainage.