Camp Swampy Plan
To Hiawatha Golf Course Supporters,
The Park Board is trying to find money to continue with the Hiawatha Golf
Course Master Plan (now called the Park Plan). They want to hire a
consultant firm (Damon Farber) for $934.345. They will vote on this
contract for Damon Farber work on the August 5th agenda (Admin and Finance
Committee). Since they don’t have the money they have now split the
contract into 2 parts: $411,413 to be spent in 2024 and the rest to be
spent in 2025.
They propose to borrow $428,000 of currently allocated Met Council money
for the Luce Line Regional Trail project to cover the expense of the
contract for 2024. They indicate that they expect to get Met Council money
for the Hiawatha Golf Course project near the end of 2024 at which time
they will amend the contract by adding in the rest of the 2025 spending.
At some point the Park Board indicates that they will pay back the money
to the Luce Line project, but no source is identified.
Documents published and then pulled off the Park Board web-site 2 weeks
ago indicated that the Park Board proposes spending $1,742,622.00 in total
for 2024-2025. The money is supposed to come from 3 areas:
$1,460,000.00 – 2025 Regional Park Grant (Metropolitan Council)
$150, 000.00 – Park Board Enterprise Fund
$132,622.00 – City of Minneapolis Cost Share (proposed)
The current Resolution calls for the following expenditures in 2024:
Source of Funding:
$428,000 – 2024 met Council Regional Funds (transfer from Luce Line
Regional Trail project)
$150,000 – 2025 Enterprise Fund (golf revenue?)
$47,339 – City of Minneapolis cost share (pending) [meaning this funding
does not yet exist?]
$625,339 – Total 2024 spending by Source
Uses
$364,074 – Damon Farber contract for 2024 (MPRB portion)
$47,339 – Damon Farber Contract for 2024 (City of Minneapolis portion)
$53,926 – 2024 Project Management, Community Engagement and Miscellaneous
Expenses, Friends Support
$70,000 – Additional Groundwater Monitoring Wells and Study
$90,000 – ALTA/Topographical Survey
$625,339 – Total 2024 spending by Use
The Met Council cannot spend money on golf course projects, so we question
how they can spend this amount of money on the golf course project since
we see no separation of golf and non-golf tasks. The money from the
Enterprise Fund is almost certainly from Park Board golf course revenue.
The City of Minneapolis share says proposed, so it is not yet allocated by
City officials. Also, curiously, there is no money coming from the Park
Board General Fund considering this is also supposed to be a “park”
project.
Here is a list of the tasks to be paid for by this money:
TASK 1 – PROJECT INITIATION
1.1 Kickoff Meeting (2024)
1.2 Project Communication and Management (2024)
1.2 Review and Validate Approved Hiawatha Golf Course Area Park Plan (2024)
1.3 Review and Summarize Prior Engagement Findings/Input (2024)
1.5 Review other Relevant Documents and Plans (2024)
1.6 Park Program + Design Parameters Workshop (2024)
1.7 Park Program + Design Parameters Refinement Meeting (2024)
TASK 2 – INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS
2.1 Basement Elevation Survey (2024)
2.2 Characterize Water Resources (2024)
2.2.1 Collect and Review Prior Data and Analysis (2024)
2.2.2 Evaluate and Establish Baseline Water Management Parameters (2024)
2.3 Parking Study (2024)
2.4 Archaeology Literature Review/Assessment (2024)
2.5 Golf Experience Precedent Analysis (2024)
2.6 Park + Ecology Precedent Analysis (2024)
2.7 Analysis of Historic Context and Designation (2024)
2.8 Assess Existing Park Structures (2024)
TASK 3 – COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
3.1 Strategic Communications and Branding Plan (2024)
3.2 Stakeholder Identification/Community Engagement Plan (2024)
3.3 SHPO/HPC Early Engagement Meetings (2024)
3.4 Focus Group Listening Sessions (2024/2025)
3.4.1 Golfing Community (2024/2025)
3.4.2 Indigenous Community (2024/2025)
3.4.3 Environmental Advocates (2024/2025)
3.4.4 Loppet Foundation/Hiawatha Ski Groups (2024/2025)
3.4.5 Neighborhood Organizations (2024/2025)
3.5 Define Park/Golf Course Experience Alternatives & Stakeholder Values
(2024)
3.7 Public Engagement (virtual + in-person) (2024/2025)
3.8 SHPO/HPC Check-in Meeting (if necessary) (2024/2025)
3.9 Agency/TAC Coordination Meetings (2024/2025)
TASK 4 – CONCEPT ALTERNATIVES
4.1 Design Charrette (2-3 day) (2024)
4.2 Develop Preliminary Design Alternatives (2024/2025)
4.3 Refine Preliminary Design Alternatives (2025)
4.4 Prepare Preliminary Design Cost Estimates (Comparative Cost
Assessment) (2025)
TASK 5 – SCHEMATIC DESIGN
5.1 Schematic Design Kick-Off Meeting (2025)
5.2 Develop Preliminary Schematic Design (2025)
5.3 Finalize Schematic Design Documents (2025)
5.4 Prepare Preliminary Design Cost Estimate (2025)
5.5 SHPO/HPC Submittal (if necessary) (2025)
5.6 Seek MPRB Design Approval (2025)
You will note that a lot of this work is getting a new contractor up to
speed by reviewing past documents, history, etc. Then, a lot more
community engagement, mostly with select groups of people and
organizations.
Please let the Park Board Commissioners know how you feel about spending
more money on this project, especially considering that they don’t have
the money and it is now taxpayer money from City of Minneapolis residents
and the 7-county metro area. Everyone in the 7 county Metro area can now
feel comfortable about weighing in because it is YOUR MONEY that they are
spending!
https://www.minneapolisparks.org/about-us/leadership-and-structure/park-board-commissioners/
Minneapolis City residents should contact their City Council person and
the mayor.
https://sites.google.com/view/tcc4j/contact-city-hall
Seven county metro area residents should also contact their Met Council
representative.
https://metrocouncil.org/About-Us/Who-We-Are/CouncilMembers.aspx
Anyone can also speak during Open Time on Wednesday, August 7th. Or send
in their comments to [email protected].
Make your voice heard!!!
Here are links to the Park Board documents:
Resolution 2024-152 – https://agendasuite.org/iip/mprb/file/getfile/18741
Scope of Work – https://agendasuite.org/iip/mprb/file/getfile/18831
Project Schedule – https://agendasuite.org/iip/mprb/file/getfile/18739
Thanks for your support!
SaveHiawatha18
[email protected]
