Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission 1 Coalition Annual Meeting Presentation October 15, 2014 Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission

2 Brief History: Legacy Amendment 2008 voters approved Clean Water, Land & Legacy Amendment, which increased MN sales tax by 3/8 of 1%, with 14% going to parks and trails fund In 2013, the legislatively-mandated Legacy Funding Committee convened and negotiated a 40/40/20 split in the parks and trails fund:  40% MN DNR  40% Metro Regional Parks  20% Greater Minnesota Regional Parks Greater Minnesota is eligible for more than $8 million each year, and $160 million between 2014 and 2033 (assuming same % breakdown) Greater Minnesota Coalition Members played a lead role in this negotiation! Seems like a lot of funding, but its actually limited and will require thoughtful allocation!

Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission 3 Brief History: Legacy Plan As directed by the legislature, MN DNR prepared the Parks and Trails Legacy Plan (2011), which directs the use of Legacy funds Plan states that Greater Minnesota’s regional system “plays a major role in providing park experiences in Minnesota” Plan requires Greater Minnesota to:  Build a high quality system of regional parks and trails  Responsibly distribute Legacy funds using a well- vetted process  Over time, achieve a reasonable degree of funding equity between parks and trails of state and regional significance

Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission 4 Greater MN Regional Parks and Trails Coalition The Coalition was formed in 2010 as an advocacy group for Greater MN in the planning and political arenas The group’s efforts paid off in three important ways:  Created a common voice for Greater Minnesota’s interests  Successfully secured funding from the legislature in 2011 for the 175 Study, which led to creating the Greater Minnesota Commission as the “third leg of the stool” (along with MN DNR and Metro Regional Parks)  Successfully represented Greater Minnesota interests as part of the Legacy Funding Committee Going forward, the Coalition remains a vital advocacy group for Greater Minnesota interests, and it is important that cities and counties continue to robustly support the organization!

Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission 5 Commission was created in 2013 under Minnesota Statutes Chapter Commission’s charge is to “to undertake system planning and provide recommendations to the legislature for grants funded by the parks and trails legacy fund to counties and cities outside of the seven-county metropolitan area for parks and trails of regional or state-wide significance” Commission includes 13 members appointed by the governor, with two from each of six districts and one at- large The six districts represent geographic regions of the state, all of which having unique park and trail needs and opportunities Commission’s strategic plan grew directly from the Coalition's 175 Study and will guide development of the regional system across Greater Minnesota

Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission 6 Work of the Commission To Date Commission was formally appointed in October, 2013, and has since:  Developed a strategic and policy plan  Established boundaries for six planning districts  Established initial tools for implementing the plan Application: Request for Designation as a Regional Park or Trail District Planning Committee Operating Guidelines Application for District Planning Committee Members Application for Project Proposal Evaluation Team GoMN GIS/web-based inventory mapping system

Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission 7 Established 6 District Planning Committees Each of the six DPCs has a minimum of 7 and maximum of 13 members, including the two Commissioners from that district All members are appointed by the Commission through an application process (available on the website: legacy.leg.mn/gmrptc) Key role/responsibilities:  Understanding regional park and trail needs  Making recommendations to the Commission on regional funding priorities  Participating in evaluating the merit of parks and trails for regional designation at the district level

Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission 8 Established Project Proposal Evaluation Team To maintain the credibility of the vetting process, individual park and trail proposals will be evaluated by an evaluation team The team is appointed by the Commission through an application process The team is made up of professionals without any connection to, or a vested interest in, outcomes All proposal evaluations/recommendations made by the team will be forwarded to the Commission and discussed with the District Planning Committees

Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission 9 Established The Project Vetting Process The Commission’s Strategic Plan provides a description of the park and trail classifications and evaluation criteria The application process gives all cities, townships, and counties equal opportunity to submit initiatives for evaluation and ranking Irrespective of the initiator, all requests will be required to follow the same application process and all initiatives will be evaluated using a set process Cities, townships and counties may join together in submitting initiatives for consideration, as is detailed in the application

Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission Action Item: Establish Basic Timeline Goals By the end of CY 2014, the goal is to have the districts well established, along with vetting some initial projects for inclusion in the district and state-wide system plans Within a 3 to 5 year period, the goal is to have the district and statewide system plans nearly complete – although each of these plans will continue to evolve over time By the end of CY 2014, the goal is to select a limited number of high quality projects for the FY 2016 funding. Starting in FY 2016, $8 million/year is anticipated to be available for allocation to Greater Minnesota regional parks and regional trails by the Commission.

Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission 11 Current Estimate FY

Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission 12 Go MN Web Based Geographic Information System

Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission 13 Commission Support of District Planning Commission recognizes developing district and statewide system plans is a significant undertaking Commission will support the effort with a planning coordinator and select consultants as resources allow Commission will strive to educate, coach, and otherwise assist districts in shaping district system plans Goal is to have a smooth planning process with the focus being on achieving great regional park and trail outcomes

Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission 14 Your Reaction and Feedback What kind of support can you imagine being needed?  At the District System Master Plan Level  At the Individual Unit Master Plan Level What are the main barriers to successfully developing a district system plan?

Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission 15 Resources and Contact Information All of the documents, applications, and guidelines referenced in this presentation are available on the Commission’s website – legacy.leg.mn/gmrptc For additional information or general follow up, send an to:

Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission 16 How to Submit a Project Proposal Go to the Commission’s website – legacy.leg.mn/gmrptc – for all referenced documents Become especially familiar with these documents:  Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Strategic Plan – especially sections 3 and 4  District Planning Committee Operating Guidelines Obtain a Request for Designation as a Regional Park or Trail in Greater Minnesota Application  All project proposers must meet all information requirements defined in the application to be considered  All initiatives will be evaluated using a set process; no parks or trails will be “grandfathered in,” even those that may have received past grant dollars through the DNR grant process

Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission 17 Steps in Proposal Evaluation Process The evaluation process entails three steps, which takes an initiative from initial screening through formal listing and ranking (assuming the criteria of each step are adequately met) The next three slides define the intent/purpose of each of these steps!

Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission 18 Step 1 in Proposal Evaluation Process Used to help determine if a given park or trail unit meets the basic requirements for being considered regionally significance Gives proposers an opportunity to determine the viability of an initiative before seeking a more complete (and involved) evaluation and formal ranking Results of the Commission’s evaluation allows proposers to determine if an initiative will likely reach at least a minimal threshold to be considered regional park or trail

Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission 19 Step 2 in Proposal Evaluation Process Used to formally evaluate a given park, trail, or recreational facility that received at least a high or medium ranking under Step 1 Proposers must meet all of the detailed information requirements defined in the application; includes submitting an approved/adopted master plan and a statement as to the initiator’s commitment to fulfill obligations/role as the implementing agency Commission formally includes high ranked initiatives as part of the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails System

Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission 20 Step 3 in Proposal Evaluation Process If a unit is formally included in the regional system plan (step 2), Commission will list highest ranked projects within each district as part of the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Funding Program Proposers of highly ranked park and trail projects are required to work with the Commission to define options on project phasing, cost sharing, etc., as needed