PRECM 08-01-1979 - Laserfiche WebLink

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The Council does not directly acquire property for regional parks. Rather, it grants funds to the counties and some municipalities, the "implementing agencies," to take title and develop the facilities. The Council's decisions on parks and open space are based on its Recreation Open Space Policy Plan and on how proposals for parks mesh with other regional system plans (transportation, airports, sewers, ete.). The Parks and Open Space Commission, established by the 1974 legislature, advises and assists the Council in developing long-range plans for parks and. open space facilities in the Metropolitan Area. The Commission also advises the Council on grant requests from county and municipal governments for federal and state funds for park acquisition and development. MAJOR ISSUES The revised policy plan should clarify the interrelationships of the various units and levels of government that are actors in the regional park system. The staff has identified nine issues that should be addressed. Basically, all nine raise questions about who is, and who should be responsible for doing what, and when, in the regional park system. The nine issues are listed and discussed below. 1. SCOPE OF THE POLICY PLAN To wl-~at extent should the policy plan. address local recreation facilities? The Metropolitan Parks Act specifically directs the preparation of "a long- range system policy .plan for regional recreation open space." Regional, as defined in the policy plan and in administration of the grants program, means regional parks, regional park reserves, regional trail corridors, regional special recreation use facilities, and historic parks designated by the Council as part of the regional system. The policy plan also addresses local recreational facilities briefly. Since 1974, when the policy plan was adopted, the Council has acquired more responsibility in the area of local recreation facilities, primarily through grant reviews and local comprehensive plan reviews. The State Planning Agency and the Council have agreed on a process for reviewing and ranking grant applications from municipalities for Land And Water Conservation Fund (LAWCON) and Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCMR) grants. Under the Metropolitan Land Planning Act of 1976, the Council must review local compre- hensive plans., which inc]ude a park and recreation plan element. Good local recreation systems are important, TtLe impact of poor 1 cal facilities on the regional park system would be substantial. If municipalities ai ed to prove e a equate p aygrounds and playfields, the regional park system would be pressured to provide such facilities. ~. 2