Title
Supporting the development of the proposed Wakan Tipi Center in the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary, and determination that a portion of the conservation easement held by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in the Nature Sanctuary property is required for construction of the Center in furtherance of Parks and Recreation programming.
Body
WHEREAS, on November 22, 2002 the City of Saint Paul ("City") purchased 27 acres of vacant former railroad property, located southeast of downtown Saint Paul near the intersection of Fourth Street East and Commercial Street, for the purpose of creating a unique urban recreational experience known as the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary ("Nature Sanctuary"); and
WHEREAS, concurrent with the City's purchase of the Nature Sanctuary property, the State of Minnesota, through the Metro Greenways Program managed by the Department of Natural Resources ("DNR"), purchased a 17-acre conservation easement within the Nature Sanctuary in furtherance of its goal to protect and manage greenway corridors and natural areas in the seven-county metropolitan area; and
WHEREAS, the City and the DNR entered into the conservation easement on November 22, 2002, and recorded on November 27, 2002 as Document Number 3558591 in the Ramsey County Recorder's Office, and recorded on January 3, 2003 as Document Number 1723715 in the Ramsey County Registrar of Titles Office; and
WHEREAS, over the next two years the City improved the Nature Sanctuary property by remediating contaminated soils, developing ponds and streams, and constructing trails throughout the site, including restoration of the conservation easement area to a more natural state; and in 2004 the Nature Sanctuary was opened to the public; and
WHEREAS, the Lower Phalen Creek Project ("LPCP"), a non-profit corporation whose purpose is to engage people to honor and care for our natural places and the sacred sites and cultural value within them, played a key role in the funding ...
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