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Executive Director for the Friends of the Parks and Trails of St. Paul and Ramsey Co.
1100 hours/ year, experience interacting with local government, advance the goals of the organization.
Apply today!
Executive Director Job Description (PDF)
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Funding benefits to parks from the MN Legacy Amendment.
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Mississippi River: Great River Passage Master Plan issues.
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Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant history and park land.
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Parks and trails development in Ramsey County.
Mississippi River Corridor Plan
AKA "The Great River Passage Master Plan" is up for public comment.
The plan links, topics and public comment period dates are at
GreatRiverPassage.org. The plan has good things and bad in our view, please check out our comments (PDF). The plan will affect the Mississippi River front, bluff and flood plain developments for decades.
St. Paul Park Land Dedication Ordinance
In 2007, the City of St. Paul passed an ordinance requiring that new
development in the city contribute either cash or land for the park system.
This requirement helps provide for the increased need for recreation
opportunities, parks, and open spaces that accompany new development. The 2007
ordinance based its requirements on the number of new parking spaces that are
provided by the new development. The ordinance is now being amended and that
requirement for new parking will be changed. Most of the municipalities in
Minnesota have parkland dedication ordinances.
There was a public hearing before the Planning Commission on February 10
regarding the amendments to the parkland dedication
ordinance. The Friends made the following recommendations: Currently in the
ordinance there is a discount of 2/3 for cash instead of land. We are
recommending that there should be no discount.
We also recommend that a 10 percent donation of land (or cash) be made at the
time of platting of the land. Currently, the ordinance requires a 2 percent
donation at the time of platting and 7 percent at the time of building permits.
We believe that a 10 percent donation when the land is platted would be
especially helpful on large parcels of lands such as the Ford property. This
change would improve the current practice where the city gets little bits of
property when the land is platted and then later when building permits are
issued.
Here is the proposed amended ordinance with the Friends recommendations in
red, and justification of our recommendations in blue.
Park Land Dedication Changes
Local Nature Center Programs and Events
Maplewood Nature Center Programs and Events
Tamarak Nature Center Programs and Events
Current Issues Followed
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Ford Plant Development: will it have parks?
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Designated park land zoning in St. Paul: Park land should be zoned as park land instead of other uses.
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Dickerson Park: Will it get funding through the Central Corridor transit funds?
The last large open property in Arden Hills now
is being surplused by the Federal General Services Administration (GSA)...
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November 2011: Negotiations for Ramsey County to buy 400+ acres of the surplused property for $28.5 million.
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March-November 2010: Negotiations for a North-South trail right of way between
AHATS and the surplused property underway.
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November 2009: Parks and trails for AHATS? also check Arden Hills City calendar for the latest developments. (Look for TCAAP and GSA meetings.)
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May 2009: Ryan Companies US, Inc., the developer chosen by the
City of Arden Hills for 585 acres of the surplused federal land has decided
to not pursue development because of the current economic conditions.
However, the property is still up for bid for development or park reserve.
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A 49 acre wildlife corridor is still slated to be
transferred to Ramsey County for park reserve.
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2008: 113 acres of property along Rice Creek was transferred to
Ramsey County and is open as a park with a canoe route!
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