Residents press Woodbury leaders to pause plan to convert Wedgwood Park into stormwater basin; city says project required for water treatment pipeline

Craig Bauman, a resident of Williamsburg Court, told the Woodbury City Council at its April 2 meeting that he learned only recently about plans to convert Wedgwood Park into an infiltration-style stormwater basin and asked the city to pause the work until neighbors could be involved. “I am here to express my concerns about the lack of communication and the community involvement for the project that will impact our neighborhood,” Bauman said.

Brad Johnson, who lives adjacent to the park and said he moved there 32 years ago, told the council the open space is actively used for family recreation and winter skiing and said he did not receive mailed notice of the project. Emer Scheibner, another nearby resident, said many neighbors reported they “never got one” of the mail notices the city said it sent.

Chris Hartzell, Woodbury’s engineering director, told the council the need for the basin stems from the large water treatment plant and distribution pipeline project that will add or disturb impervious surface in many places. Hartzell said staff and consultants examined 36 potential sites across the city and selected seven sites that together can meet the watershed and state requirements. He said the chosen facility type for the Wedgwood Park location would be an infiltration basin that must draw down in roughly 48 to 72 hours and would be restored with native vegetation after construction.

Hartzell described the selection process as driven by technical constraints: soil types, groundwater elevations, hydrologic drainage areas, locations of existing storm sewers and available space. He said four of the rejected sites were on private property and one lacked sufficient drainage volume, leaving limited feasible options.

Mayor W. Burt and other council members told residents the pipeline and water-treatment work is a high priority tied to providing safe drinking water across the city. “We cannot delay this project,” the mayor said, explaining the city must comply with watershed and state rules connected to the distribution work. Council members and staff urged affected residents that staff would continue to work with them on plantings and final site details and that a detailed 78‑page technical report had been prepared and is available at City Hall; staff offered to print copies for neighbors.

Residents pressed the council on communications and alternatives. Bauman and Johnson asked why nearby stormwater basins (including one near the ballfields) could not be used instead; Hartzell said hydrologic and jurisdictional requirements meant the treated volume had to be addressed within the appropriate tributary area and that space was limited. Several residents asked whether the garden/nature planting plan would lead to invasive weeds; city staff said native plantings typically come with a five‑year maintenance period paid for by the contractor and that the city conducts spot‑spraying and invasive control after establishment.

Council members said the city had followed its community engagement steps — an open house was held Feb. 21 and 58 mailers were sent for the Wedgwood Park open‑house outreach — but acknowledged that some neighbors reported they had not received notice. Staff noted the broader pipeline project spans roughly 17 miles of pipe and lies across two watershed districts, and that the water‑quality treatment obligation is calculated as a set volume (South Washington Watershed District requires roughly 1 inch of runoff over disturbed impervious area) that needs to be treated in the affected tributary area.

What happened next: the council did not direct a formal halt to the Wedgwood Park work during the meeting. Staff reiterated that the Wedgwood Park basin is one of seven selected sites needed to complete requirements tied to the water treatment/distribution project and said it would provide printed copies of the technical report at City Hall and follow up with neighborhood meetings for planting and site design details.

Why it matters: the project is part of Woodbury’s program to move raw well water to a central treatment plant that removes PFAS; the pipeline work triggers local watershed rules requiring additional stormwater treatment. The conversion will change how the park is used and how neighbors access green space; residents asked the council to pause work until they could review alternatives and collaborate on site design.

What’s next: staff offered to supply three printed copies of the technical report at City Hall, continue one‑on‑one contacts with residents, and provide more frequent updates as construction plans are finalized. Residents were directed to the city’s water‑treatment project email and phone line for additional questions.