Local match for federal and county grants for land acquisition, trail design, trail and trailhead construction of 6.9 mile segment of the Dakota Rail Regional Trail
Up to $205,000 to match $1,729,000 of a Federal Transportation Enhancement grant, Transportation Enhancement ARRA funds and Carver County Regional Rail Authority funds for land acquisition, trail design, trail and trailhead construction of 6.9 mile segment of the Dakota Rail Regional Trail. Any remaining funds used to partially finance the match to a $1 million Federal Transportation Enhancement grant to design and construct a trail in Lake Minnewashta Regional Park and a trail underpass of Trunk Highway 41 that links to a City of Chanhassen trail.
Dakota Rail Regional Trail/Carver
Sec. 3. METROPOLITAN COUNCIL$12,641,000$15,140,000
(a) $12,641,000 the first year and $15,140,000 the second year are from the parks and trails fund to be distributed as required under new Minnesota Statutes, section 85.535, subdivision 3, except that of this amount, $40,000 the first year is for a grant to Hennepin County to plant trees along the Victory Memorial Parkway.
(b) The Metropolitan Council shall submit a report on the expenditure and use of money appropriated under this section to the legislature as provided in Minnesota Statutes, section 3.195, by March 1 of each year. The report must detail the outcomes in terms of additional use of parks and trails resources, user satisfaction surveys, and other appropriate outcomes.
(c) Grant agreements entered into by the Metropolitan Council and recipients of money appropriated under this section shall ensure that the funds are used to supplement and not substitute for traditional sources of funding.
(d) The implementing agencies receiving appropriations under this section shall give consideration to contracting with the Minnesota Conservation Corps for contract restoration, maintenance, and other activities.
Growth in regional park and regional trail visits over time. The 2014 annual report will compare 2010 park and trail visits (pre-construction) to 2012 park and trail visits (post construction) to measure effectiveness of grant for these projects.
Project is complete with 6.9 miles of trail constructed and the grant is closed-out. The trail visits from preconstruction (2010) to post (2011) increased by 99,400 visits, with 99,200 visits in 2012. The two project outcomes included 6.9 miles of Dakota Rail regional trail phase 1 constructed, and remaining funds used for approximately one mile of trail at Lake Minnewashta Regional Park.