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on hand at the September 1 rally was Melissa Wenzel, a fouryear St. Paul resident of four years who said she had been following the goings on at Pigseye Lake, a controversial project up the river.

“I’m science and data driven,” Wenzel said, meaning that she could look at and appreciate things like what the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was trying to do upriver at Pigseye, while also having her own opinion on the matter. Wenzel was there to help out and support the residents of Grey Cloud Trail in their qeust to influence the council on Mississippi Dunes.

Several questions related to claims at the rally and controversial riverfront development were posed via email on Friday morning and then again Monday just after noon to landowner David Gustafson, with no answers being received prior to press time. With many more stories to potentially share on this matter, before long it was on and into meeting time.

“All right, we’re going to go in,” Indirrieden said as Council meeting time approached at 7 p.m. A member of the Cottage Grove Police came by, instructing protesters that while they were “certainly welcome” to display their signs in the hallway outside, signs should be left out of from the chamber, so as to not become “a distraction.”

With the exception of one sign that was briefly moved into the chamber by Indirrieden prior to meeting start and then removed forthwith upon the request of Mayor Bailey, protesters complied with general city expectations of them. Following the call to order and pledge along with roll call, it was into open forum, proceeded with a statement by the Mayor meant to correct ‘misinformation’ that had spread, he said.

“The landowner has legal rights, to develop the land in line with our zoning code,” Mayor Bailey stated during open meeting session September 1. “The landowner is not obligated nor required to gift the land to the city,” he went on. “The land has value, and the developer has demonstrated the ability to subdivide the property for development. The approximate value of the land is $50,000 per acre,” Bailey said during open session in meeting footage posted to the city website. There was more though, according to the Mayor.

“The problem with saying ‘let it go natural’ is that it amounts to millions and millions of dollars,” to maintain the property, Mayor Bailey said of Mississippi Dunes based on a Friends project up by Elk River, then going into further detail on the $50,000 when asked by email for the apparent discrepancy between an inflation-adjusted appraisal value based on 2019 data ($14,073.69 per acre) and the stated price in open session of $50,000 per acre.

“That’s how much the developer is paying the owner for the property,” Bailey said of the 144.98 acres now pending development as such, which if calculated at $50,000 per acre allow the landowner to gift a “generous” 40-acre park site (Gustafson’s term from a prior email) while still making around $.4.53 million more than the otherwise inflation-adjusted land value for the site, or $7.249 million for the developed non-park acreage of 144.98 as opposed to just $2.719 million on the entire property 184.98 acre property. Mayor Bailey gave a run down of developments at the Dunes, including the following:

• City clarity with developers on the Council’s desire to preserve the shoreline

• City partnership with the DNR to ensure the “highest resource” areas are preserved from development, the DNR working to ensure this “in partnership with us,” Bailey said.

• A city council tour of an Elk River project run by Friends of the Mississippi River

• City engagement with the South Washington Watershed District

• City requirement of the landowner to do an EAW, or Environmental Assessment Worksheet with 60, 90, to 100 days of timing, then shared with residents.

This last point for an EAW was commented on by Indirrieden prior to Council comment September 1.

“They say there’s going to be an environmental review, but who’s going to do that, the developer?” Indirrieden asked somewhat skeptically from the rally. In short, the potential for a conflict of interest was great, in such a case.

Fast forwarding back to meeting time on September 1 then, Mayor Bailey gave a short rundown of dates going forward for Cottage Grove citizens can mark their calendars with regarding the ongoing Mississippi Dunes controversy: “In May of this year the Parks Commission reviewed the Master Plan Concept for the property and obviously at that time provided I believe no recommendation to the Council,” Bailey said.

This could depend on the definition of “recommendation,” or else just be a simple misstep. But online documents potentially contest this: Posted down at the city’s website at https://docs.cottagegrovemn.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=754283& dbid=0& repo=CottageGrove is a document in which the Parks and Recreation Commission recommends that the Council table the Master Plan, but later on under “Staff Recommendation” asks for Council direction on the matter. Mayor Bailey explained when asked via email.

“The Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resource Commission tabled it as they wanted more guidance from the City Council on the size of the park and the amenities,” he said “I don’t recall any discussion around medium and high-density development on the site. In a previous workshop with the City Council, we said no to high density on the site below the railroad tracks. We also stated we were more in favor of single family below the railroad tracks. This is the most recent design our consultant has provided to us. (Not the developer),” the Mayor shared From there it was into the meeting’s open forum, but for that installment, readers can tune in next week. Until then, save the following date and information for future reference: What: Parks and Recreation Commission meeting When: 6:55 p.m.

Where: Generally at City Hall, although last month was out at the Mississippi Dunes property. Residents can contact Parks and Recreation Director Zac Dokter at [email protected] gov for email, while readers without computer or internet access can also dial Dokter’s work listed phone number from the city website at 651-458-2808, if in need of more information.

Why: (fill in blank with personal reason) As of Tuesday September 7 at 8:42 a.m., meanwhile, a change.org petition regarding the developing subject matter was set at 1,853 signatures, and growing. That petition is titled simply, “Protect the Mississippi River. Save the Mississippi Dunes.”

In short, stay tuned.

Dick Poulta of Grey Cloud Township speaks, asking the Cottage Grove Council to look into securing outside funding to purchase the Mississippi Dunes sitePhoto by Joseph Back.

Mayor Myron Bailey speaks September 1 at the City Hall council meeting.Photo by Joseph Back.