PRSR INFORMATION 06-18-1994 �j t 1'1 4 a9
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MONDAY,MAY 9, 1994 --- `; ':? :. i SAINT PAUL PIONEER PRESS .,rte + "' t "''' °- 'N f'SC -
__. :.:. ..
• ( ottage Grove bond referendum returns
• Proposal would contain for the referendum. zell said. "But we'll put existing space to t
only recreation projects "We have a couple of choices," Frazell better use. It still won't be an ideal situa-
y p said. We could schedule it for the gener- tion.But w.e should be able to live with it
JIM BROEDE STAFF WRITER al election on Nov. 8. But then we'd be for the next 10 years."
competing with an excess-levy referen- City officials also are exploring the
dum in the South Washington County possibility of the local Economic Devel-
;Cottage Grove voters last year reject- School District. The city issue would opment Authority building the fire sta.'
'ed an $8 million bond issue for every- stand alone if we put it to a vote instead tions, after which the city would acquire, 1
'thing from a new city hall to an athletic -at the Sept. 13 primary election. them under a lease-purchase arrange-
fields complex. The aim also is to have the recreation merit.
'"But city officials aren't ready to give improvements stand alone. • "Sometimes we haves to be innovative
-up. Last time, they were linked to other to get things done," Frazell said. -
The Cottage Grove City Council has projects. Those included building a new. It was the Cottage Grove Athletic.As-
-1 come back with a scaled-down proposal, city hall; remodeling the current City sociation that called for the city to get
--• this one for approximately $3 million, to Hall for use entirely by the police depart- = the new athletic fields done. •
pay for recreation projects only. went; construction of three new fire sta- "The association circulated petitions
"The details still have to be worked tions; and expansion of the public works and collected more than 700 signatures
•oat," City Administrator Kevin Frazell garage. of people asking the'city to hold another
Said Friday. "But we'd use the proceeds "We've found other ways to deal with bond issue referendum,just for the recce-
:to pay for development of an 80-acre some of these needs without having to ation projects," Frazell said. "The City
- athletic fields complex, for more trails get voter approval," Frazell said.- • . • Council decided it was worth a try be-
and for neighborhood parks improve- The city will tap into cash reserves for -cause the association's members will be
ments." ' ' $700,000 to pay for sprucing up City Hall. out there vigorously.promoting the is-
:The'council has yet to choose a .date • "There Won't be any expansion," Fra- sue." t_ -.
i_,, - , , ...,.. _ . , ..Lakeville sets - . . ,
- .Two, community parks would`:be ac
• quired for preservation in their natural ;
p arK�system :�..
setting and would feature picnic sites
A 12-acre community park would be
• acquired in the west Lake Marion area' '
voteJune e 28 and a 40-acre community park is slated
V .J jj 28 for the northeast part of Lakeville. To-
- 1 gether, the parks would cost $580,000.
BILL GARDNER STAFF WRITER f new city also proposes to build four'
w 10-acre neighborhood `parks !that ■
Lakeville residents will vote June 28 I would have both hockey and ice-skating
whether
akeville
spend residents million to build 28 rinks, playgrounds, baseball fields and
new athletic complex and four new I basketball courts. Those parks would be
neighborhood parks and make numerous in the west Orchard ndke, Cherry rView,
improvements• to other parks and trail Goodview Estates and Meadow Brook
systems in the city. P neighborhoods.•It
systems be the first parks bond referen- Park enhancements of $30,000 each
p are slated for Meadows and Rolling Oaks
dum in Lakeville since 1986,when voters neighborhood parks, which would get
approved $1.7 million. Lakeville has hockey rinks. Casperson and Antlers
grown. from 19,000 people in 1986 to Park also would get improvements, and
34,000 and is the second-fastest growing Ritter Farm Park would get a $50,000
city in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.- ; shelter along with additional prairie de-
A city task force studying the park velopment and habitat reforestation.
system since January made its recom- Also planned: a major enhancement of
mendations at the last City Council meet- Valley Lake Community Park, 3.5 addi-
ing. tional miles of trails in the city, and
The referendum would add about $24 a improved compliance' with the Ameri-
0
year in property taxes for a $100,000 cans with Disabilities Act. -
home over the 20-year period of the
bonds. • I
Approxiniately 25 percent of the mon- 1
ey, or $876,700, would go for.a new 50 j •
acre youth and athletic complex that
would. feature four softball fields, two
soccer fields and parking for 120 cars.'
The precise location of the complex has`'
not been selected.-
SAINT PAUL PIONEER PRESS
2ND
JUNE 1994 '.' •N
OURS DAY - ``
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SECTION
6 PAGES
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Woodbu to vote on recreation bonds
•• _a 7.8 million would be used •Improvements to 14 of the city's 28 neighbor-
hood parks,including the addition of play equipment,
•: to develop 80-acre complex basketball and tennis courts, picnic shelters and `
year-round recreation activity buildings.
JIM BROEDE STAFF WRITER - a Acquisition of land for designation as permanent
open space.
I t is being promoted opportunity play "We need to play catch-up," said John Dickhudt,
g p as an pp y to p y chairman of the Residents for Recreation Commit-
cattcc�dbury voters will go to the polls Saturday tee. "We are way behind in development of our
from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. to decide the fate of a $7.8 kids and adults We haven't providing a recreation-related
eation related
million recreation bond issue. bond issue referendum-for 22 years, and that's a
The City Council has proposed spending that, plus 'shame." •
• $1.3 million already in city coffers, for The last issue passed in 1972, when Woodbury had
a Development of an 80-acre recreation complex
of•outdoor ball fields, an ice arena, a field house, only 6,500 residents and was more rural than urban
picnic grounds, a bandstand, trails and ponds. • WOODBURY CONTINUED ON 2C I- _
Athletic boosters
lobbied the city for 1
- the referendum.
jdler to the oldest senior citizen.
I People of all ages use the neigh-
WOODBURY borhood parks and the picnic steel-
_ tern.But they'll also be able to use
a track in the field house for jog-
CONTINUED FROM IC ging and walking in the winter."
City officials estimate that the
in character. Now, it is Washing- bond issue will result in tax in-
ton County's•biggest and fastest- creases ranging from $41 on a
growing city, with a population of $75,000 home to $167 on a
27,000. $300,000 home.
"Unfortunately, our recreation I Also, by spreading the debt over i
facilities aren't growing nearly as 20 years the city plans to tap the
fast as the city," Dickhudt said. I future tax base. That means prop-
"We now turn kids away from our erty owners who haven't arrived 1
baseball, football and soccer pro- yet will pay part of the bill. I
grams because there just aren't "This is the cheapest crime pre-
enough fields to go around." vention dollar we can spend,"
Athletic boosters such as Dick- Dickhudt said. "We are ivin our
hudt lobbied the city for the refer-
. i kids more opportunity to stay ac
endum. tive instead of sitting in front of
"We think there's strong support the TV or hanging around the
for this bond issue," Dickhudt said, street corners."
"because there's something in it City officials said they are un-
f or everyone, from the tiniest tod- aware of any organized opposition
to the bond issue. I
II
•
• Eden Prairie grows wild over land deal -:
City votes 2,071 -366 to keep 96 acres au nature)
By Duchesne Paul Drew the city.The City Council will issue Eden Prairie Parks Commissioner 1
Staff Writer $1.95 million in bonds and pay about Bob Lambert spent much of the past '
$20,000 per acre. two years working on the land acqui- 4•• ' 1
Eden Prairie residents voted over- sition project. He was among the
whelmingly Tuesday to leave two The sites are among the few remain- weary yet happy yesterday when the
parcels of land just as nature made ing undeveloped sections of the city. votes were counted. ''
them—undeveloped. The first parcel is 56 acres of native
prairie and oak savannah;the second He said the land, except for periodic , - ; ,
The vote was 2,071 to 366 in favor of is 40 acres of the Big Woods, the prairie burning and a few nature µ
a city plan to buy and preserve 96 native hardwood forest that once I
acres in the southwestern section of covered much of the city. Eden Prairie continued on page 513 3-` 1 s
r 1,
al
Eden Prairie/ Proposed preservation areas
The land will r.ur
Riley Creek remain virally Old Woods site _ _
untouched Riley k R
o Creek . Chanson Prairie :�F�ng
41) °C . Cr Bluff sit @Cfotid -,
Continued from page 1B a _ .,/qj =r':, ,
= r^ o rye•,'.
trails, will remain virtually un- III r•
touched. Picnicking and camping Rd. , '_.
won't be allowed. "We will manage-: - w -� , { ( ' -„:�• ,r
these:properties to preserve the re= _7-- c_0--f,- '�
sources that make them valuable to —'_� �`°r= +• �• �
- l..
us,"he said. � ��—" �t
a
Grass Lake :- ,-
Lambert was disappointed when he Star Tribune Map fir,:
learned that the city would not re- ,
ceive matching funds from the Legis- Carver County. But the city would Betty McMahon; president of Eden.
lative Commission on Minnesota continue to look at ways to buy that Prairie's Land Trust, said her group
Resources if the bonding were op- land,Lambert said. might assist neighboring communi-
proved. ties in preserving some of their Uncle-
.
.
Eden Prairie's land preservation ef- veloped land.
The matching funds would have al- fort dates to the 1960s and is part of -
lowed the city to buy and preserve a nationwide movement to maintain "I think that Eden Prairie could be a
°third parcel of land, a 130-acre site land in its natural condition. model for other communities," she
on the Minnesota River bluffs near
• _•_ ..said.
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