Sponsor: Parks & Recreation
Title
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Temporary Construction Easement Agreement and Permanent Easement Agreement for Vadnais-Snail Lakes Regional Park Paved Trail on Private Property
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Recommendation
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1. Approve a temporary construction easement agreement and permanent public trail right-of-way easement agreement with private residents Wesley and Tara Crouch at 312 Floral Drive, Shoreview, MN adjacent to Vadnais-Snail Lakes Regional Park in the amount of $37,000.
2. Approve a temporary construction easement agreement and permanent public trail right-of-way easement agreement with private residents Lawrence & Tammy Swope at 314 Floral Drive, Shoreview, MN adjacent to Vadnais-Snail Lakes Regional Park in the amount of $4,800.
3. Approve a temporary construction easement agreement and permanent public trail right-of-way easement agreement with private residents Cynthia Segura and David Hodgson at 306 Floral Drive, Shoreview, MN adjacent to Vadnais-Snail Lakes Regional Park in the amount of $1,800.
4. Authorize the Chair and Chief Clerk to execute the easement agreements.
5. Authorize the County Manager to enter into agreements and amendments in accordance with the county's procurement policies and procedures, provided the amounts are within the limits of available funding.
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Background and Rationale
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Ramsey County is the fee owner of the Vadnais-Snail Lakes Regional Park property in the City of Shoreview. The Snail Lake section of Vadnais-Snail Lake Regional Park has an existing paved, multi-use public trail that has been periodically flooding from high water since late 2015. During high water periods, the public created an informal natural surface trail on private property to get around the flooded paved public trail. The informal natural surface trail is located on the west side of Floral Drive and runs across three private properties (312 Floral Drive owned by Wesley and Tara Crouch, 314 Floral Drive owned by Lawrence & Tammy Swope, and 306 Floral Drive owned by Cynthia Segura and David Hodgson). The residents previously granted the county a temporary easement for a woodchipped natural surface trail for use by the public. The informal trail had been wood chipped by the county to prevent erosion of the soil and maintained for the duration of the temporary easement until the county trail improvement project could begin. The temporary easement allowed public access and short-term maintenance until permanent easements are established.
Over the past year, county staff worked with the residents to complete a design for the paved trail improvements to determine the final boundaries (i.e. extents) of the permanent easements. The residents have now agreed to grant the county the temporary easements needed to construct the paved trail improvements and the permanent easements allowing the public use of the trail.
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County Goals (Check those advanced by Action)
☒ Well-being ☐ Prosperity ☒ Opportunity ☒ Accountability
Racial Equity Impact
This is a regional park that attracts visitors from around the region, including the surrounding city of Shoreview, which consists of 17.5% people of color (African American, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Hispanic). By obtaining permanent easements, the county will be able to provide trail users with an alternate route (temporary) during high water periods. In addition, the county will be able to proceed with design and development for a more permanent and resilient trail solution for access through the regional park during times of periodic flooding.
Community Participation Level and Impact
These properties were previously identified for potential trail corridor easement as a solution to trail flooding part of a 2020 Metropolitan Council process for regional park and trail system additions. The development of the 2020 Vadnais Snail Lakes Regional Park Long Range Plan Update included a robust community engagement process to reach as wide of an audience as possible, while also focusing on an equitable approach through a selection of engagement sessions to reach as diverse audience as possible. The county has planned improvements for the trail system to address past flooding issues in park scheduled for 2025. These improvements are based on the 2020 Long Range Plan Update and 2022 Trail Feasibility Study community feedback. These private properties and informal woodchip trail were part of that community discussion. The level of impact to the community is great based on the comments received about trail’s importance to the community.
☒ Inform ☒ Consult ☐ Involve ☐ Collaborate ☐ Empower
Fiscal Impact
The permanent easement compensation will be funded through the Parks and Trails Legacy Funds made available through the Metropolitan Council and allocated to the Vadnais-Snail Lakes Wetland A Trail Improvement Project.
Compensation was determined through property appraisals performed in 2025 by Valbridge Property Advisors and is based on square footage of the proposed permeant easements. Compensation for each private resident is as follows:
306 Floral Drive 270sf = $1,800
312 Floral Drive 6,079sf = $37,500
314 Floral Drive 610sf = $4,800
There are no other fiscal impacts to the Parks and Recreation department operating budget.
Last Previous Action
On December 12, 2023, the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners approved three temporary easements on these three properties for the installation of a wood chip trail to restore public access (Resolution B2023-235).
On April 4, 2021, the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners approved the Vadnais-Snail Lakes Regional Park Long Range Plan Amendment which addressed infrastructure that has been adversely effected by fluctuating water levels make the trails unusable (Resolution B2021-083).
Attachments
1. Easement Agreements, Exhibits and Offer Letters