Title
RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING A MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT WITH THE STATE OF MINNESOTA, DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES RELATED TO ASSESSMENT AND DESIGN OF A FLOW RESTRICTIVE CULVERT AND FLOOD STORAGE AT HARTLEY DAM.
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CITY PROPOSAL:
WHEREAS, on July 21, 2014, the city council approved Resolution 14-0390R, approving a Hartley Park Master Plan, which recommended that the city commission a feasibility study to assess options for reconfiguring the relationships between Hartley Pond, Hartley dam, and Tischer Creek to better advance the public's interests in ecosystem integrity and outdoor recreation;
WHEREAS, on March 23, 2020, the city council approved Resolution 20-0274R, approving the Management Plan for the Hartley Natural Area which recommended that the city commission a study of potential changes to the same pond, dam, and creek in Hartley Park;
WHEREAS, on October 10, 2022, the city council approved Resolution 22-0828R, approving the Essential Spaces: Duluth Parks, Recreation, Open Space & Trails Plan which recommended that the city commission a study to retain, remove, or modify the pond in Hartley Park to best balance recreation, aesthetics, history and ecology;
WHEREAS, in 2023 and 2024, the Minnesota department of Natural Resources ("DNR"), in cooperation with the city, undertook the recommended study with independent engineer support and extensive community input;
WHEREAS, in July of 2024, the DNR issued a final report recommending that the city address the interrelated issues at the pond, dam, and creek by installing a flow restrictive culvert in the dam;
WHEREAS, on October 15 of 2024, the city council approved Resolution 24-0760R, supporting the continued assessment and complete design of a proposed flow restrictive culvert at the Hartley Dam;
WHEREAS, in 2025, the DNR received a Great Lake Restoration Initiative Grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency to fund the proposed design;
WHEREAS, the DNR has agreed to manage the grant an...
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