Skyway News: Delasalle Island Field Wins First Round
By Scott Russell
» DeLaSalle's proposed Nicollet Island athletic field expansion got its first Park Board blessing when a Board committee approved a shared use agreement for a new facility that would span school and park land.
The 70-year deal passed the Park Board's Planning Committee 3-2 Aug. 3. Commissioners Bob Fine, Walt Dziedzic and Marie Hauser voted yes; John Erwin and Annie Young voted no.
The shared use agreement outlines the deal's terms. It leaves design and location for future discussion.
The measure goes to the full Board Aug. 17, after a public hearing that day. A Park Board legal opinion says the deal needs a six-vote supermajority of the nine-member board to proceed, because it involves a long-term parkland commitment.
A group opposed to the plan, Friends of the Riverfront, filed letters with the Park Board and the city Aug. 3 saying the law requires an Environmental Assessment Worksheet on the field, before the Park Board approves any agreements.
It requested a Park Board delay the vote. It asked for a response by Aug. 10, a week ahead of the scheduled vote, so it could protect its legal rights.
After the committee vote, Brother Michael Collins, DeLaSalle's president, reiterated his belief that the Park Board has a legal obligation to cooperate on the field project under the terms of a 1983 agreement.
At the urging of Erwin, Collins and the school supported efforts to start a Citizens Advisory Committee to discuss the project as early as Sept. 1. Collins said it represents the school's willingness "to participate in a free and open process."
The Friends group disputes the Park Board's legal obligation to cooperate with the field. Its letter to the Park Board said the Board is violating its own process by not creating the Citizens Advisory Committee first - before it votes on approving the shared-use field agreement.
Barry Clegg, an island resident and a Friends member, said the 3-2 vote was expected. Opponents' main battle will be getting four "no" votes on the full board. Vivian Mason voiced her opposition to the plan, making at least three no votes Aug. 17. The swing vote appears to be Rochelle Berry Graves. She would prefer to have DeLaSalle play its home games at Parade Stadium, she said. She has raised concerns about parking and emergency vehicle access to the island during games.
Under the proposed deal, DeLaSalle would bear the costs of building and maintaining the facility, and have to clear various regulatory hurdles. Some had complained that the shared use agreement failed to guarantee Park Board use.
At Hauser's suggestion, the Park Board tacked on an amendment that said the Board would get a minimum of 150 hours of gym time and 350 hours of field time per year. «
Link to original article in the Skyway News. Reprinted with permission.