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Memo - Minnehaha Creek Watershed District Visioning Plan ~. Public WOIksDej:mment Memorandum To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council CC: Rick Getschow, City Manager From: John R. Bradford, Assistant City Engineer J1tb Date: 9/9/2005 Re: Minnehaha Creek Watershed District Visioning Plan This work session item is in regards the recent visioning process undertaken by the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD). This process involved citizens, elected officials and technical persons to plan the future direction of the District. Mike Wyatt from MCWD will present the results of the visioning process and the attached joint resolutions to create a partnership to preserve and protect Minnehaha Creek and adopt the vision presented. At this point, the District is only seeking to inform and collect input from the Council so that it may appear as a consent agenda item at a regular Council meeting in the future. 1 .- RESOLUTION ADOPTING MINNEHAHA CREEK VISION Whereas, the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District [MCWD] [City of ---.--J previously adopted a resolution to create the Minnehaha Creek Visioning Partnership to provide guidance and recommendations on policy development, technical issues, and public involvement to create a common vision and implementation plan for the Minnehaha Creek Corridor; Whereas, the Partnership's Citizens Advisory Committee (CAe), comprised of23 representatives from the cities of Minneapolis, Edina, St. Louis Park, Hopkins and Minnetonka, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, Hennepin County, and the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, held twelve workshop meetings to develop a recommeded creek vision; Whereas, the Partnership's Technical Advisory Committee also met to review the technical feasibility ofthe vision recommendations developed by the CAC, and has concluded that these recommendations are technically feasible; Whereas, the CAC also convened a public Open House to gather further public input and review of the proposed creek vision and the CAC's recommendations; Whereas, the CAC has now produced a detailed report that sets forth a creek vision as follows: The Vision for Minnehaha Creek includes both an existing and desired sense of place. With respect to the existing sense of place, the creek: . Is a corridor with various reaches and destinations, . Serves as a gathering place for people, . Provides recreational opportunities, . Is a contemporary cultural resource, yet it also reflects our history, and . Provides natural and aesthetic experiences unique to its setting. Within the creek corridor it is also desired to: . Provide balanced opportunities to experience the creek, . Improve the natural environment, . Improve water quality, . Have variation and physical differences, and . Be reflective of our history and a priority for our future. Whereas, the CAC's creek vision recommendations also include management priorities, streambank erosion improvements, aquatic habitat management, riparian vegetation management, woody debris management, study of weir and dam removal, stream flow management, water quality management, and decision making criteria; and ..~ .' Whereas, the CAC's creek vision recommendations will be considered by both the MCWD and the USACE as they move forward with plans and designs, and it is also intended as guidance for other organizations, such as cities and the Minneapolis Park Board, which share creek corridor management responsibilities, with the hope is that all organizations can work together toward a common vision for the creek; NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the MCWD [City of ~ hereby adopts the general creek vision recommendations presented by the CAC as the general conceptual framework to guide creek corridor management, and thanks the 23 citizen members of the CAC for their hard work, thorough study, and carefully-considered recommendations; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the [City of ~ supports the inclusion of these recommendations in the Water Resources Management Plan being developed by the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District;sm BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the MCWD [City of ~ agrees to continue to work with the other members of the Minnehaha Creek Visioning Partnership, through its policy board, technical advisory committee, and citizens advisory committee, to coordinate the implementation of these recommendations; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the MCWD [City of ~ hereby expresses its support for the United States Army Corps of Engineers Feasibility Study within the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District to pursue the investigation ofthe potential Federal interest in assisting with the implementation of Minnehaha Creek Visioning Partnership recommendations in the Minnehaha Creek corridor. ... RESOLUTION TO CREATE A MINNEHAHA CREEK VISIONING PARTNERSHIP WHEREAS, Minnehaha Creek is a highly valued stream flowing from Lake Minnetonka to the Mississippi River; and WHEREAS, the preservation and enhancement ofthe Minnehaha Creek Corridor is a high- priority expressed in the comprehensive plans for each of the cities along the Creek, and the Water Resources Management Plan of the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District; and WHEREAS, urbanization in the Minnehaha Creek Watershed has led to the degradation of the stream's flow regime, habitat and water quality, but the Creek has high potential for restoration; and WHEREAS, the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District completed in 2003 a detailed Hydrologic/Hydraulic and Pollutant Loading Study, and a Minnehaha Creek Stream Assessment; and WHEREAS the MCWD will undertake revisions to its Watershed Management Plan in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Feasibility Study to explore the potential federal interest for Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration and Flood Damage Reduction in the Minnehaha Creek Corridor; WHEREAS, the [MCWD] [City of 1 desires to partner with the other communities along the Creek to seek protection and improvement of the Minnehaha Creek Corridor; NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the [MCWD] [City of 1 supports the formation of a partnership to provide guidance and recommendations on policy development, technical issues, and public involvement to create a common vision and coordinated recommendation for the Minnehaha Creek Corridor, to be organized as follows: 1. Partnership Composition The partnership will comprise the following partners: . City of Minnetonka; . City of Hopkins; . City of St. Louis Park; . City of Edina; . City of Minneapolis; . Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board; . Hennepin County; and . Minnehaha Creek Watershed District 01" 2. Policv Board a. The partnership Policy Board will comprise a member of the governing body of each of the partner organizations. b. The Policy Board will generally meet quarterly as needed and pursuant to an established project schedule and work plan. 3. Technical Advisorv Committee a. The Technical Advisory Committee will provide technical review and recommendations to the partnership and will comprise a staff representative from each of the partner organizations, and a representative from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota Department of Health and such other governmental agencies having a technical interest and expertise to offer for the benefit of the Minnehaha Creek Corridor. b. The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District technical representative will serve as the Chair of the Technical Advisory Committee. c. The Technical Advisory Committee will generally meet monthly as needed pursuant to the established project work schedule and work plan. 4. Public Advisorv Committee a. The Public Advisory Committee will comprise two citizen representatives designated by each partner organization, and up to seven other representatives of stakeholder organizations named by the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District to represent conservation, property owner, development, and recreational interests in the Minnehaha Creek Watershed appointed by the Minnehaha Creek Watershed through an open application process. b. The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District will designate one of its Board Members to serve as Chair to the Public Advisory Committee. c. The Public Advisory Committee will generally meet monthly as needed pursuant to the established project schedule and work plan. 5. Legal Authoritv It is understood that the decisions and activities of the partnership are advisory only, and will not have any binding legal authority on any of the partnership's members. The parties to the partnership expect that recommendations developed and approved by the partnership will be duly considered and acted upon by the governing body of the respective the partnership members. 6. Term The partnership will meet and work for an initial period of three (3) years, concluding on or before March 1,2007, subject to a determination to renew the work of the partnership by each of its partner organizations.