Planning Committee Meeting – November 7, 2023

See full minutes

A meeting of the Metro Flood Diversion Authority Planning Committee was held on November 7, 2023. The following members were present: Dr. Tim Mahoney, Mayor, City of Fargo; Kevin Campbell, Clay County Commissioner; Shelly Carlson, Mayor, City of Moorhead; Bernie Dardis, Mayor, City of West Fargo and Mary Scherling, Cass County Commissioner.

Member(s) absent: Rodger Olson, Cass County Joint Water Resource District.

1. CALL TO ORDER

Mayor Mahoney called the meeting to order at 1:01 PM. Roll call was taken, and a quorum was present.

2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM OCTOBER 2023

MOTION PASSED

Mayor Carlson moved to approve the minutes from the October 2023 meeting and Mayor Dardis seconded the motion. On a voice vote, the motion carried.

3. APPROVE ORDER OF THE AGENDA

MOTION PASSED

Mr. Campbell moved to approve the order of the agenda as amended to include the Christine levee under other business and Mayor Carlson seconded the motion. On a voice vote, the motion carried.

4. DISPOSAL OF ABANDONED RAIL PROPERTY & CHS ELEVATOR PROPERTY

Mr. Paulsen reported that Mayor Peterson reached out to him and advised that the Horace City Council is no longer interested in the Horace Elevator and surrounding parcels, and have withdrawn from the purchase agreement between the Metro Flood Diversion Authority, Cass County Joint Water Resource District, and the City of Horace.

5. RECREATION TASK FORCE FACILITATOR

Mr. Paulsen asked if a facilitator to assist with the recreation plan discussions would be beneficial. Mayor Carlson commented that retaining a facilitator and asking MetroCOG to split the costs would be beneficial and would help to move things along.

MOTION PASSED

Mayor Carlson moved to go forward with selecting a facilitator and ask MetroCOG if they would be willing to split the costs. Mayor Dardis seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the motion carried.

6. P3 BASELINE RECREATION FEATURES

Mr. Barthel provided an overview of P3 baseline potential recreation features based on the P3 agreement:

1. For any additional recreation features in the SWDCAI, they will need to be in accordance with the P3 Project Agreement.
2. The P3 Project Agreement includes design, construction, financing and 30 years of operations and maintenance so, all the features included in the SWDCAI also include 30 years of maintenance. This is included in the cost that is provided to the Authority by the Developer.
3. The Authority will have to issue an Authority Change Request to incorporate any additional recreation features into the P3 Project Agreement.
4. Confirmation was sought as to whether work that is undertaken alongside the ROW (for nodal facilities) would require assessment of the impact on the functionality of the Comprehensive Project under a Section 408 permit. A response is pending from the USACE.

7. OTHER BUSINESS

Christine Levee

Mr. Paulsen provided an update regarding recent events that have surfaced in the City of Christine. The city has submitted a recommendation for realignment and expansion of the existing levee, which would create flooding issues on the Minnesota side. Mr. Paulsen recommends acquiring flowage easements on the associated farmland and demolish the seven structures that currently exist on the properties.

8. NEXT MEETING

The next meeting will be December 5, 2023.

9. ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at 2:00 PM.