Project Bigfoot Land Proposal /Land is CONTAMINATED/Expired AUAR/NDA

The way that you as Rosemount City officials have handled this process shows a dereliction in your duty to protect and represent the citizens of Rosemount.

First of all, you signed a non-disclosure with the buyer, which essentially shut the public - that elected you - out of the conversation. When residents would ask the Mayor questions, we couldn’t get in depth answers because he would tell us: “I can’t say more because we are under a non-disclosure agreement.” He also told members of the public numerous times that Project Bigfoot could not be discussed because “we have no proposal before us.”

Yet, City Administrator Logan Martin told me that “City staff have been working with the project team for quite some time.” So which is it? Were you not aware of the project, or were you actively working on the project, yet purposefully evading public inquiry?

Clearly A LOT of development has gone on behind the scenes. You have all but crossed your “T’s” and dotted your “i’s” before the public was even made aware of what was happening and given the opportunity to provide input:

The people who elected you –
the people who pay taxes to fund your salaries –
the people whose homes and lives and health will be impacted by these projects don’t know the issues, don’t know the details, don’t have the answers, don’t have a SAY!!
This is WRONG!

A project of such serious scope and impact should truly be brought before the people as a referendum vote.

Secondly, there is picture proof of asbestos on the 280 acres being considered. When brought to the Mayor’s attention, and two of the Planning Commissioners’ attention, they were completely unaware of this. How can this be? It is extremely concerning that there was asbestos present on the land, and active measures being taken to remove it without the City’s knowledge or involvement. Shouldn’t the City Inspector have been involved?

This also casts doubt on how the city is handing all of the “red” and “yellow” areas marked for remediation on the UMore park map. How can the public or the buyer, for that matter, have any confidence that the city is properly handling these concerns?

Additionally, citizens have become aware of a 2012 report that lists excessive residential land-use levels of arsenic, lead, mercury, PCB’s and other toxins at 71 sites of concern within UMore Park. https://patch.com/minnesota/applevalley-rosemount/umore-park-contamination-want-paradise-put-up-a-parking-lot

Since this report in 2012, has any action been taken to remedy these toxic substances from the land? Has an updated investigation been performed on the sites flagged within the 280 acres to see if the problematic substances still remain?

For the safety and wellbeing of the residents, the City, and even the potential buyer, a full investigation of all of these sites from the 2012 report, plus the red and yellow sites already flagged by the city, should be done. A written report should be provided to the public and evaluated by the City prior to any further approvals are made or any further action on the land is taken.

Finally, from last week’s meeting with the Planning Commission, it is clear that the City Staff, including the city manager, city attorney, and the planning department had foreknowledge that the AUAR was expired – YET you were planning to move forward with single largest project in this city’s history on something that was not code compliant!

You would have approved it AS IS, unless Commissioner Whitman had not brought this glaring issue into the light and forced you to address it. Thank you Commissioner Whitman!

Overall, the way the City has handled these concerns is an example of NONFEASANCE, which is failure to do what ought to be done.

The way you handled this proposal demonstrates that you have failed the people who you are supposed to represent.

Listen to the People! Delay the process. Call for a Referendum Vote.

This should be the People’s Choice!

Patch Article of UMore Contamination
https://patch.com/minnesota/applevalley-rosemount/umore-park-contamination-want-paradise-put-up-a-parking-lot

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!
Please email your concerns to your State Senator, your State Representative and to Representative Rick Hansen, as he is in charge of environmental issues for the entire state. rep.rick.hansen@house.mn.gov . We need to share our concerns with people of higher authority.

Please contact and file a complaint.

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

520 Lafayette Road North

St. Paul, MN 55155

(651)296-6300

www.pca.state.mn.us

info.pca@state.mn.us