6/1/11 Next Steps:
The Three Rivers Park District Board of Commissioners approved the trail alignment. TRPD will also submit the grant application for federal funding by the deadline, and then we wait to hear if we are approved.
12/22/10 Next Steps:
The proposed route will go before the Nine Mile Creek Watershed District and the Edina Board of Education for further consideration. Should both entities support it and the Three Rivers Park District Board of Commissioners gives it the stamp of approval, the park district will then begin the lengthy process of securing funding. We will keep you posted on our progress.
12/8/10 Edina City Council Decision Meeting:
The Edina City Council approved the creek-based route! Thank you all who attended the meeting last night, and for your support, letters and emails.
11/15/10 Edina City Council Decision Meeting:
Mark your calendar for the most important Nine Mike Creek Trail date. The Edina City Council will take public comment and likely vote on Tuesday December 7, starting at 7:00 PM, Edina City Hall, 4801 W. 50th St. Our good turnout will be critical in assuring the Council that there is broad support for the Trail. Please plan to attend and briefly speak.
11/02/10 Edina City Council Election Results:
Good news, Josh Sprague and Joni Bennett have both won, which will increase our chances of approval for the trail and other good changes for the community.
10/28/10 Edina City Council Candidates:
Here is my personal assessment of Edina City Council candidates:
For the Trail: Josh Sprague appears to be for the trail based on statements on his website, www.votesprague.com.
Neutral: Joni Bennett is neutral, but is well informed and appears to appreciate the viewpoint of all residents including bicyclists, walkers, and outdoor enthusiasts.
10/21/10 Viewing an Example Boardwalk:
If you would like to see an existing boardwalk similar to what will be used for our trail, Three Rivers Park District has a recommended location: Take Hwy 169 north to Hwy 55 West, about 1 mile to South Shore Drive, turn right (north) onto S. Shore Drive, Medicine Lake, MN. Go about one half mile to the RR crossing, park on the side of the road, the trail and boardwalks are alongside the tracks, visible from the road. The larger boardwalk is to the left (west).
10/12/10 Edina Park Board Vote:
Good news, tonight the Edina Park Board voted for the creek-based route! Before the vote, the Park Board listened to a very professional Three Rivers Park District presentation by Kelly Grissman, and an hour of public comment by people on both sides of the issue. All board members voted for the creek-based route except for Todd Fronek who voted against, and Randy Meyer who abstained.
The next key meeting will be the Dec 7 City Council public hearing. It is critical to have a large number of people speak at this meeting. This meeting will likely go very late into the evening. At the end of the public comments, the Council will likely vote.
9/30/10 Joint Work Session:
Here is a summary of the September 29 joint work session between the Three Rivers Park District and Edina City Council. The Three Rivers presentation will be posted online next week, so I will give only summary notes now.
It was interesting to see the results from the public comment period. 97 letters were in favor of the trail (77 were for the creek based option, 19 had no preference, and only one favored the road route). 42 letters opposed. 21 form letters in favor were sent by high school athletes. There was one petition of 20 from the cross country running team, and one petition of 130 by opponents.
The major funding source would be from grants, and fewer grants are available for road based routes (various DNR and Park/trail grants will only fund off road projects). Three Rivers needs to have approval of a route from the City by February so that they will have time to apply for the grant by the June 2010 deadline (for 2015-2016).
A few interesting stats: The road based route will have 30 road crossings as opposed to 10 for the creek based option, so from a safety standpoint the creek wins. The creek based route will impact 243 homes vs. 147 for the road based.
It seemed that the Three Rivers Commissioners were in favor of the creek based option- especially from the safety standpoint. The City Council also seemed favorable in a guarded sense. Some council members voiced concern about the height of the boardwalk and possible noise pollution.
Hello, my name is Andrew Heyer (pronounced, “Higher”) and I am a five year resident of Edina. Why did I set up this website? I love to ride my bike in natural areas. And when my grandkids are old enough, I want to show them the joys of riding parkland trails.
There will be key points in the decision process when you can send an email or attend a meeting to influence decision makers. Several groups have to approve the trail including the Edina City Council and the Three Rivers Park District Commissioners. These decision makers will look for public opinion via email and attendance at meetings to make their decision. We will keep you posted on this tab with the latest news on the dates and next steps.
Until then, we need to continue to build support. Please talk to your trail-friendly friends and neighbors and spread the word about this website. If you are a Facebook user, please join the “Edina Residents Supporting the Nine Mile Creek Regional Trail” Group and Invite your friends.
You can also send an email of support to decision makers at any point. See the Write Letters tab for example letters and email addresses.
If you wish to learn more, see the Resources and Information tab. We wish to remain fact based at all times.
The decision makers need to know there is huge support for this trail. Let’s have fun convincing them.
Thank you!
Andrew Heyer for Edina Trails