Item 6B. Regional Trail Winter Maintenance Proposed Updates
Superintendent's Recommendation:
NO ACTION REQUIRED; THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.
Prepared By: Danny McCullough, Regional Trail System Manager and Kelly Grissman, Director of Planning
Background:
For the last seven years, the Park District has provided reimbursements ($500/mile per season) to cities for providing regional trail winter maintenance. Approximately 95 miles are maintained under this program by local municipalities for an annual cost of roughly $50,000. Additionally, in three communities (Plymouth, Golden Valley, and Edina) Three Rivers adopted an alternative maintenance approach utilizing contracted maintenance services by Tree Trust and costing an average of $40,000/year for about 20 miles.
The contracted snow removal being done by Tree Trust was not ideal. It is still staff's belief that the cities are the best solution for winter maintenance at this time. Staff has reached out to Plymouth, Edina, and Golden Valley to discuss transitioning maintenance responsibility to them from Tree Trust.
In recognition of rising staffing, equipment and fuel costs, more and more communities have inquired about increasing the reimbursement rate to better align with actual costs as the original reimbursement rate did not fully cover winter maintenance costs for some cities and the rate has not been adjusted since its inception seven years ago (2019).
Additionally, it is important to recognize that some regional trail segments are more challenging to provide winter maintenance and may require specialized equipment (i.e. clearing bridges over major highways and boardwalks). Examples of more intensive winter maintenance work include the boardwalks and trail bridge over Highway 100 along the Nine Mile Creek Regional Trail in Edina and boardwalks on the south side of Medicine Lake along the Luce Line Regional Trail in Plymouth.
In an effort to bring consistency across how regional trails are maintained in the winter, increase reimbursement payments to cities, and provide the most cost efficient and effective service, staff recommend the following changes:
- Increase the reimbursement rate to $700/mile for standard trail conditions
- Adjust the reimbursement rate for bridges, boardwalks, and underpasses in certain locations
- Eliminate the Tree Trust service contract
Staff anticipate these changes would be a budget-neutral solution while providing a bigger benefit and incentive to those cities participating in the reimbursement program.
Relationship to the System Plan:
The Request for Action supports the following goal(s) of the System Plan:
Goal 2: Parks Matter
Goal 3: Lead by Example
