HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997-038
RESOLUTION NO. 97-38
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THE CITY OF STILLWATER, MINNESOTA
WHEREAS, the State of Minnesota, the State of wisconsin, and
the Stillwater community have been studying and planning for a new
interstate river crossing over the St. Croix River for more than
30 years; and
WHEREAS, all the requirements set forth by the Federal
Highway Works Administration have been met by the States of
Minnesota and Wisconsin, including the Section 4 (f) requirements
of the Federal Highway Safety Act and the regulations promulgated
by that Agency;
WHEREAS, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT)
began work in 1990 on the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) as
required for projects under the National Environmental Policy Act;
and
WHEREAS, local task forces were appointed, spending thousands
of staff and volunteer hours meeting with environmentalists,
engineers, safety officials and other specialists and government
officials, approved the final EIS document; and
WHEREAS, the EIS was approved by all participating Federal,
~ State, and local agencies; and
WHEREAS, the Final Environmental Impact Statement and Section
4 (f) Evaluations were approved by the U.S. Government on April 5,
1995: and
WHEREAS, the final EIS document was filed with all
participating State and Federal agencies, and widely distributed
in all the communities in the St. Croix Valley which involved in
the study, and would be affected by the decision; and
WHEREAS, the final EIS was published in the Federal Register
on April 14, 1995; and
WHEREAS, the thirty-day comment period on the Final EIS ended
on May 15, 1995, and all requirements were met; and
WHEREAS, the RECORD OF DECISION to approve the St. Croix
River crossing at the north alignment of the south corridor was
published in the Federal Register by the U.S. Department of
Transportation, Federal Highway Administration; and
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WHEREAS, six other options for bridge locations, two tunnel
crossings, and several "No Build" options were carefully studied
and passed over because they did not meet the stringent
environmental or safety requirements set forth by the Federal
government, and the States of Minnesota and Wisconsin, nor were
they economically feasible; and
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WHEREAS, the National Park Service, nor any other Federal or
state agencies exercised their opportunity to object to any part
of the project through the procedures set forth for this purpose;
and
WHEREAS, the States of Minnesota and Wisconsin moved forward
in good faith in obtaining property rights and pre-construction
work expending more than $14 million; and
WHEREAS, the Sierra Club North Star Chapter and the Voyageurs
Region National Park filed a suit in U.S. District Court against
the u.S. Departments of Interior and Transportation to prevent the
construction of the St. Croix River crossing at Stillwater; and
WHEREAS, the National Park Service blocked the granting of
required project permits by the u.S. Coast Guard and u.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, one week before construction bids were to be
advertised in November, 1996; and
WHEREAS, in December, 1996, the National Park Service ruled
that the project was a "water resources" project under the Wild
and Scenic River Act of 1968, as amended in 1972, and that such
construction would have an "adverse affect" on view of the river;
and
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WHEREAS, this decision is being contested in the u.S.
District Court by the State of Minnesota, and the City of
Stillwater; and
WHEREAS, a new river crossing is critical for the safety the
of 15,000 motorists who cross the old lift bridge each day, and
that such daily crossings are expected to exceed 42,000 in fifteen
years; and
WHEREAS, wisconsin Highways 64 and 35 which approach the
bridge have ten times the number of accidents, injuries, and
fatalities as similar highways elsewhere in the State; and
WHEREAS, Minnesota Highway 36 has been the site of numerous
accidents, and a number of fatalities as the traffic situation has
intensified over the past ten years; and
WHEREAS, the only remaining remedy to this controversy
between the Federal agencies, and the local and State governments
is through legal and legislative action; and
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WHEREAS, such legislative action in the U.S. Congress must be
initiated and supported by the four Senators of Minnesota and
Wisconsin, and by the two Representatives of the Minnesota and
Wisconsin that represent the citizens of the Minnesota Sixth
District and the Wisconsin Third District on the West and East
side of the St. Croix River.
.
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE rT RESOLVED:
That the City of Stillwater again records their support for
the construction of the bridge crossing of the St. Croix River at
the location identified as the preferred site; and
FURTHER, urgently requests that the Congressmen representing
the States of Minnesota and Wisconsin initiate and support
legislation in the United States Congress to authorize the
construction of the Interstate Bridge at the location approved in
the Environmental Impact Statement and in the Record of Decision
by the Government of the United States of America; and
FURTHER, that the Senators and Representatives of the States
of Minnesota and Wisconsin take such other action as necessary
that would encourage the National Park Service of the Department
of Interior to reconsider their decision, and allow the granting
of the required permits for the construction of the Interstate
bridge at the preferred location of the St. Croix River.
THEREFORE, the clerk of the City of Stillwater shall be, and
is hereby directed, to transmit a copy of this resolution to the
Chairman and Ranking Members of the appropriate committees and
subcommittees in the U.S. House and Senate; the Senators and
Representatives of the States of Minnesota and Wisconsin; the
President of the United States; the Director of the National Park
Service and the Secretary of Interior; the Director of the
National Highway Administration and the Secretary of
Transportation; the Departments of Transportation for the States
of Minnesota and Wisconsin; and such other Federal and State
agencies and officials that may be concerned about the safety of
citizens in the St. Croix Valley of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Adopted by the City Council for the City of Stillwater this
Fourth day February, 1997.
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. Kimb e, Mayor
ATI'EST:
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ile Kriesel, Acting City Clerk