City Park Board discusses modified “Connections” plan

There’s a comparably effective but substantially less costly plan on the table for treating storm water runoff at the Grand Marais Recreation Park.

The park board Tuesday received an update for their “Community Connections” park entry plan. The storm water treatment portion of the design as well as other revisions could lower their cost by half. Park Manager Dave Tersteeg:

“It’s an on-going project we’re developing a trail on the east side of the park next to the folk school, and we’re into that revision stage of the game with the concept plans. When we looked at the last concept, it was quite spendy. It was in the half million dollar neighborhood, so we went back to the consultants, SEH, and we asked them to put together a base plan…just a trail and a site stabilization plan.

“So, the Park Board was presented that; sort of a plan that pared back on the storm water, no bells and whistles if you will, and that can in at about half as much in the $250,000 range, so to that you can add on storm water treatment.”

The consultants brought the board several pages of detailed analysis on options for dealing with storm water treatment. In the end, the board will likely consider one of two options.

“The underground grit chamber is like a large concrete septic tank in the ground and it settles out the solids, slows down the storm water and it is designed to remove sediment from the flow of the water and then you go into that and you vacuum it out. It’s an expensive piece of management just like your septic system is. So, that was deemed a little too costly in the initial plan, so anow it’s being presented as an a la carte feature…as a $300,000 option.

“Another option would be a $30,000 pond, a bio-retention pond, which is something a lot more cost effective when we look at its sediment removal potential, it’s still there, still going to slow down the water and settle out. This is sort of the tradition way of treating storm water on the surface. But it’s a lot more cost effective.”

The reason that storm water runoff treatment is important is that rainwater and snow melt all runs downhill.

“This is a real last stretch of the storm water train when it comes to Lake Superior and the watershed above it. It’s the neighborhoods of town, it’s Highway 61, it’s the site itself. Of course it’s a rocky ditch right now that needs to be stabilized. Then if we want to slow down and trap some of that upstream sediment, we would look for a pond or an underground structure.”

The board has time to consider refinements to the “Community Connections” plan, because there is no immediate deadline.

“It’s an evolving project, it’s a build-out of the master plan and it’s the kind of project work that takes time.”

Once a plan is finalized the park will seek funding from several potential sources including the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and IRRRB.

The entire interview with Tersteeg on other park board actions is also included here.