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Gty of <br />......:. <br />ERiver <br />REQUEST FOR ACTION <br />TO ITEM NUMBER <br />Parks and Recreation Commission $• I <br />AGENDA SECTION MEETING DATE PREPARED BY <br />Action Item May 9, 2012 Michael Hecker, Parks and Recreation <br /> Director <br />ITEM DESCRIPTION REVIEWED BY <br />Monetary donation of $8,350 from GRE fox equipment and Cal Pormex, Ci Administrator <br />improvements to Hillside Paxk. REVIEWED BY <br />ACTION REQUESTED <br />Staff recommends the Parks and Recreation Commission support the monetary donations from GRE to <br />purchase equipment fox the DirtWirx crew volunteers to make improvements at Hillside Park. <br />BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION <br />Last fall, GRE had to remove trees along the transmission line right-of--way. When the project was <br />completed the volunteers at Hillside were concerned with the amount of trees that were removed. <br />Volunteers were surprised by the visible changes and clearing of the landscape under the transmission <br />lines. It was a quick change to the woodsy environment surrounding the mountain bike trails. <br />Staff started working with the volunteers and GRE in October once the tree clearing project was <br />completed. The core volunteer group, called the DirtWirx crew under the leadership of the park steward <br />Rich Omdahl, was requested by staff to come up with various plans to repair and improve the trails near <br />the transmission lines. Some of the ideas included re-forestation plans and prairie grasses. These plans <br />were in the range of $8,000 to $20,000. The main problem with the plans was their sustainability. <br />GRE offered to make a donation of $8,350 to the City of Elk River for the DixtWixx crew to make <br />improvements to Hillside Park. This amount is basically the equivalent cost of a plan to install prairie <br />grasses to the transmission line easement. After meeting with the volunteers during the last six months to <br />come up with a viable plan, it was decided by the DixtWixx crew that equipment would be the best cost <br />effective method fox park improvements. <br />Parks Supervisor Rodney Schxeifels has been working with Rich Omdahl the past few weeks on a <br />comprehensive list of equipment that the City will purchase with the donation. Some of the items include <br />Sno-Scouts fox winter grooming, chainsaws, generators, and small tools. Staff is recommending the <br />Commission support the monetary donation. This will then need to be approved by City Council. <br />Action Motion by Second by Pote <br />Follow Up <br />P R ~ E R E R R i <br />Q\Documenty and Settings\sbenoit\Local Setting.;\Tempotary Internet Files'\ContencOudook\lY'71HP0_A\C3RE ~~~~~~ <br />donations RFA.docx <br />