01-02-2001 - Laserfiche WebLink

.~ .~ ..-. Commission Minutes--January 2,2001 2231 the 1997 flood to establish greenways adjacent to the rivers. A county committee consisting of the Tax Assessor, County Auditor, one or two commissioners and Mr. Berndt himself has been discussing possible property acquisitions. Mr. Berndt provided a copy of a letter from the State Emergency Management Director, Douglas Friez, regarding the federal funding guidelines for the purchase of easements under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program in Cass County. Mr. Berndt said there are other worthwhile benefits to establishing greenways, and funding is not the only hurdle to overcome but certainly is a major consideration. He asked for continued support from the County Commission in pursuing an additional $1.5 million for acquisition of undeveloped river property adjacent to the Red and Wild Rice Rivers. Mr. Meyer commented on the restriction that any land purchased must be land that is platted with infrastructure in place. Mr. Berndt is working with the State Emergency Management Office to request that FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) reconsider some of the funding constraints. MOTION, passed Mrs. Schneider moved and Mr. Wieland seconded to endorse the continued pursuit of federal funds to acquire river greenway properties and authorize the County Auditor, County Director of Equalization, County Engineer and one Commissioner to develop and submit a plan to the State Division of Emergency Management. Discussion: Warren Solberg, who owns property along the Wild Rice River, addressed the Board and asked about the scope of the study. He questioned if landowners would be asked to voluntarily offer property for the greenway, and Mr. Berndtsaid it is his understanding that offers to buy property would be based on an appraisal of the land and that it would be voluntary on the part of the property owners whether they wish to sell the land. Mr. Solberg expressed concern about the southside dike project, which has been discussed since the 1997 flood, and he wants to be kept informed of the discussions and any motions by the County Commission on this topic. Mr. Wieland suggested expanding the proposed greenway committee to include a landowner along the river, and he welcomed Mr. Solberg to the committee. Mr. Solberg, however, was concerned about his own time constraints and was not willing to make the commitment at this time. Mrs. Schneider said she is willing to include in the above motion that a citizen, to be named later and who owns land along the river, be appointed to the study committee. Jeannette Stanton, Fargo, said the people in the audience do not know what a greenway involves and with two new commissioners on the board, she suggested getting further information and voting on this at another meeting. Mr. Wieland said the purpose of the committee is to gather additional information. The county is not making any commitment at this time, however, if a plan is formulated by the proposed committee, the full Commission would need to consider it and vote on a plan at that time. Mrs. Stanton said more people are needed on the committee and suggested three citizens who own land along the river. Mr. Wieland said he would not oppose that number. Mrs. Schneider said if any other government entities should be involved in this process, the committee chair could make that determination. The Chairman