10 PRSR 04-12-2023 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Great Northern Trail Partners MOU Sherburne and Mille Lacs Counties, Cities of Elk River, Zimmerman and Princeton (collectively known as "Parties") hereby enter into this Memorandum of Understanding: The Parties agree to work together on the development and management of the Great Northern Trail (GNT), consistent with the Great Northern Trail Master Plan in order to enhance recreational opportunities for residents of the eastern Sherburne County and Mille Lacs County region. The Parties will continue the GNT Committee previously established and consisting of staff representatives from each of the Parties. Through the Committee and the implementation of the MOU; the Parties will seek to define the roles and responsibilities of each governing entity to include to include grant solicitation, refining trail corridor to improve local connections, defining allowable trail uses and managing operations and maintenance. The Parties understand that any decision-making lies with each respective Board or Council (collectively referred to as "Boards") of the respective parties that have ownership of the trail corridor. The Committee will: 1. Include key staff from the Parties to provide recommendations to be considered by their respective Boards; 2. Include townships and cities that are bisected by the trail corridor in discussions and seek feedback on decisions impacting their respective jurisdictions; 3. Schedule meetings as needed with regular communication through emails; 4. Work together to maximize grant opportunities for construction and maintenance of the trail segments and trail heads as prioritized in the master plan; 5. Pursue grant funding according to the prioritization strategy set forth in the master plan, with Sherburne County applying for funding to complete the south half of corridor first; 6. Allow for individual Parties to assume leadership on grant solicitations that apply to only their respective segments of trail; 7. Allow for individual Parties to administer construction projects for their respective segment(s) of trail independent of the other Parties; 8. Recommend to the Parties' respective boards a cost sharing model per project or a cost allocation of professional services that benefit the entire trail; 9. Develop a GNT specific special event permitting process that is consistent along the entire regional corridor; 10. Recommend to each Party, based on Party -specific circumstances, guidelines for Trail Closure(s) (such as hunting season, etc.);