PRECA 06-02-1982 - Laserfiche WebLink

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-6- or other wildlife considerations, All park developments, without exception, are planned for areas now in a disturbed condition. Some are excavated and abandoned borrow pits from which sand and gravel was removed and no rehabilitation applied. The remainder is former agricultural land, in large part rhubarb plantings from an earlier farmer. These fields are almost wholly covered with the rhubarb plants and an invasion of brome grass, neither of which hold wildlife habitat value of consequence as nesting or as food species. NEW BRIGHTON PAYMENT In its request for repayment, New Brighton has detailed its cost in four areas, summed up as: Initial Purchase Costs $651,541 Interest Costs & Date 394,672 Future Interest Costs 146,849 Stewardship Costs 46,560 $1,237,622 Staff can recommend the first and fourti~ line items of the summary for re- imbursement to New Brighton, They represent comparable payments of those made to Eden Prairie in the Anderson Lakes transfer and are documented costs to the city. Staff can as readily recommend a ag inst the third line item, "Future Interest • Costs." Given that the City will receive its money as usable cash, it could .choose to negate the costs in several ways, including investment at presently much higher interest levels than 1967 and 1.969 bonds bear. The remaining item, interest costs to date, are clearly expenses to~the city in the acouistion of parkland. The rationale which determined the share of-the funds which this parcel carries is probably correct. However, Council Policy (PP/DG for ROS) states as allowable reimbursements: "In certain situations, it may be mutually desirable to transfer the ownership of regional recreation open space from one implementing agency to 'another. In these cases, the agency that initially acquired the land should be reimbursed fom its actual local-fund capital investment. This should be acomplished through an acquisition grant from the Metropolitan Council. °'U se of Council grant funds is limited to the costs of acquisition and development of regional recreation open space. Grants for acquisition pay for the cost of real estate, relocation assistance, utility assessments, land stewardship, and legal fees and appraisals done by other than e implementing agency staff. Once land is acquired but prior to park development, the land may be used to "caretake°' the investment in buildings or for agricultural use. In other cases, efforts to clean up and restore the natural landscape begin. This includes fencing and removing buildings, foundations, old roads, etc. These initial land stewardship costs are eligible for Council .acquisition grants. Revenue raised by the implementing agencies from interim uses is also used for. these grant- ~> eligible stewardship costs.