8. Pam Smith Email 9_3_14 Workshop with Friends of Log House LandingFrom: Pam Smith
To: r.simonson(a)ci.scandia.mn.us; c.ness(alci.scandia.mn.us; s.swanson(cDci.scandia.mn.us;
j.schneiderCalci.scandia.mn.us; d.lee(d)ci.scandia.mn.us
Cc: k.handt(a)ci.scandia.mn.us
Subject: 9/3/14 Workshop with Friends of Log House Landing
Date: Tuesday, August 05, 2014 9:26:29 PM
Hello Mayor Simonson and Council Members,
In anticipation of our upcoming 9/3/14 workshop session, I thought I should share some of
our group's thoughts and expectations for that meeting. We are very much looking
forward to entering into a positive and productive dialogue with the City to explore
alternatives and community concerns about the Log House Landing project. We are in the
process of collecting as much information as we can, and as you know there are a complex
set of problems and concerns to consider. We still await the Watershed's water quality
results and the City's impact analysis, both of which will be key to our discussions.
We would like to formally request a copy of the impact study as soon as it is available.
When I spoke to Ryan Goodman several weeks ago, he indicated that the impact
assessment was a priority and that they were working to get it completed as quickly as
possible. I believe he thought possibly mid -August, but I could be mistaken. Obviously, the
more time we all have to review and consider options based on actual data, the better.
Kristina told me last Friday that she would check in and give me a progress report.
Kristina also mentioned on Friday that she was expecting a formal alternative proposal from
our group at the 9/3 workshop session. As I stated at the 7/15 Council Meeting, we plan
to share information, review available data, and work with the City to help design the best
possible alternatives for the Log House Landing. We will not have any formal alternative
plan to present. It would be premature and unproductive to have finalized any kind of plan
before we have data and have entered into collaborative discussions. Our approach will be
to begin the process of partnership with the city, with the ultimate goal over the next
several months to identify, prioritize and address the concerns of all those gathered.
With that in mind, I am hoping that we can request an informal workshop style
arrangement in the meeting room on 9/3 - one that encourages discussion and teamwork.
Is it possible to select a room that allows us to all sit around a large table? We expect to
have about 4-5 from our group, a few from the Watershed, and a few from the St. Croix
River Association. As we get closer to September, we will confirm numbers with Kristina.
We do not intend to overwhelm the workshop with a big turn -out of supporters. There are
other more effective ways to show the support we have in the community. At this
preliminary stage, a real collaborative conversation is what we are hoping for at this
meeting.
Thank you again for your willingness to keep an open mind on these issues and to work
with the citizens of Scandia. As we have said before, it is our sincere hope that this project
will be a model of how city, government and community can work together to find
cooperative solutions to complex problems and concerns. We look forward to the 9/3
workshop with enthusiasm.
Respectfully,
Pamela Plowman Smith
On behalf of the Friends of Log House Landing