Hamlet easement: residents press Midway committee to fund a planning study for 13-acre former dump
Loading...
Summary
Hamlet representatives told the Midway Open Space Committee that a 13‑acre parcel held under an easement contains legacy dump material and needs an environmental assessment before any public-use work; the committee agreed to collect public input at an open house and pursue small planning grants and professional review.
Bernadette Nelson, speaking for the Hamlet, described the history of a 13-acre parcel designated as open space at the Hamlet’s development: the Hamlet still owns the land but gave the city an easement so the city could manage problems such as illegal camping and fire pits. Nelson said the Hamlet could not legally deliver water or electric service under the original easement terms and that removing a financing lien or resolving legal constraints had been a barrier for some projects.
Committee members and attendees discussed low-impact options—dog park, a small osprey-nesting structure, a tiny-forest demonstration, and soft-surface trails—with repeated cautions that the site needs an environmental review because it had been used as the old city dump. One committee member suggested short environmental assessments ($8,000–$10,000) and filling thin areas with clean fill and a clay cap where required; another estimated a larger consultant-led concept and outreach program at about $125,000.
The committee concluded that the open-space committee should help collect community input at the Midway open house, then prepare a focused scope and budget for a professional assessment to bring before city council. Members recommended coordinating with state wildlife and resource professionals and seeking environmental or stewardship grants to offset remediation and design costs.
Next steps assigned: Hamlet representatives will provide materials to staff for distribution; staff to convene resource experts for a ‘skull session’ review of invasives, soils and remediation options; the open house will be used to gather public preference data to inform a planning grant application.