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The saga continues for the municipal campus project in Mendota Heights as the city has received a resident petition to require an environmental review. Based on project size, the review is not mandatory, but City Council may request a review. They’ll consider it at the September 1 meeting.
Context: Mendota Heights is considering a potential $33 million municipal campus project to replace the current city hall and police station. The price tag would require a property tax increase and has seen significant resident pushback.
Environmental Review
Local resident Cathleen Helmstetter organized a petition to require an environmental assessment worksheet (EAW).
- Signatures: The petition includes 190 signatures, surpassing the 100 required.
- Purpose: An EAW determines if a project will have significant environmental effects and therefore need an environmental impact statement (EIS), which is a further round of environmental review that still doesn’t approve or deny a project but gives more context and data.
- Why: Potential impacts on the adjacent wetlands and conversion of the existing baseball field. The petition doesn’t propose stopping the project entirely, but seeks to evaluate alternate designs that could have a smaller environmental impact.
- Current review: Since the project is receiving state money, it must follow state environmental guidelines that require mitigating impacts across a number of areas including soil, water, vegetation, and habitat. An engineering firm also reviewed the project and concluded it won’t have significant environmental impacts as they are limited in scope, temporary, and can be effectively mitigated.
- Next steps: Based on the project and city size, an EAW is not mandatory, but the City Council could choose to pursue an EAW voluntarily.
- Cost: There would be additional cost for the city to conduct the environmental review. The project engineer could potentially do the work at a lower cost, or the city could hire an outside firm for an estimated $23,000-$40,000.
- Timeline: City Council will consider the petition at their September 1 meeting.
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One Response
My name is Bernard Friel. My wife and I have resided in Mendota Heights for 70 years. Our children all attended public schools in Mendota Heights. I served on the school board of ISD 197. on the Mendota Heights Planning Commission for twelve years and as the city’s representative on the Metropolitan Airports Sound Abatement Council for five years. The city council has never before proposed a bond issue of this magnitude, with such a significant real estate tax burden for its residents without permitting them an opportunity to vote on the bond issue, and in this case for an unwise and unnecessary$33,000,000 Municipal Campus Project. This council under the leadership of Mayor Levine has done so knowing that its residents will force it to hold a referendum if it proceeds. The resident opposition hold the view based on engineering data in the hands of the city that the existing city hall can be repaired, renovated, maintained and improved or added to to provide all the city, with its population at near maximum (Met Council Est.) will need for many more decades. It is recognized the renovations must add space and facilities for our Police department. It is estimated that proceeding with renovations will reduce the cost by approximately $15,000,000, and preserve Mertensotto Field a ball field dedicated by a former city council.