08-19-2008 EDC Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Economic Development Committee August 19, 2008 Page 2 of 4 ----------------------------------------------- in this area may only require a modification- and not a complete re-working of the State's permit to the City to operate the spray irrigation field. However, doing this without a bigger picture plan for the whole spray irrigation parcel would be shortsighted and could end up costing the City more expense. 4). To properly look at allowing development to occur on the present spray irrigation land and thus, to re-locate the spray irrigation facilities or come up with another method of disposing of the City's wastewater will require a Facility Plan. This is the name the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency(MPCA) uses for a study that looks long-term at major modifications to a City's wastewater system. 5). A Facility Plan, depending on the alternatives evaluated and on the MPCA's review time, can be a year-long process. 6). Design, obtaining funding assistance, land acquisition, bidding, and construction can add on another 2 to 5 years. The City should be prepared for a potential large project in the near or distant future. Failure to plan for an expansion could mean that the City could lose a large tenant. 7). Although these above time frames can sometimes be compressed, one cannot wait until we are at 99% capacity(which we are far from, fortunately) or until we need land next month or next year for economic expansion to begin the Facility Plan process. It requires some advance planning. 8). Although the City's wastewater treatment stabilization ponds and spray irrigation field are not yet approaching their capacity(currently at about 55%), the Commission feels it would be in the best interest of the City to complete the Facility Plan now rather than later. 4. Highway 371 Update—Justin Bolz-Andolshek Justin Bolz-Andolshek stated that the extension of the timeframe for completing the Highway 371 project is a detriment to the City of Pequot Lakes. He stated that the timeline has been extended to at least 2018-2019 and that it is a waste of tax dollars to continue the study especially since the EIS has to be re-evaluated every 5 years. He further stated that this issue is no longer about the location of the highway, but about Pequot Lakes being held hostage by MnDOT and basically being in limbo until we know when the project will take place. He suggested that the EDC ask the Council to consider not making a decision until MnDOT has a plan. Discussion was held by the Commission regarding the issue of timing and the effect on the City. Some discussion was also held regarding the alternate route versus the through town route. It was the consensus of the Commission to discuss