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Hamlet representatives press for planning help on 13-acre former dump; committee recommends assessment and open-house outreach
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Summary
Hamlet board members described a 13-acre parcel under easement with environmental constraints (a former city dump) and recommended low-impact uses like a dog park or tiny forest. The committee urged a targeted environmental assessment, grant applications and public engagement at the open house.
Representatives from the Hamlet told the Midway Open Space Committee that a 13-acre parcel (described repeatedly as the former city dump) is owned by the Hamlet and currently subject to a city easement. They urged the committee to help identify feasible, low-cost uses that would avoid major disturbance of contaminated areas.
"We couldn't build anything on it... so we came up with an alternative, which was to give the city an easement," the Hamlet representative (speaker S5) said, describing owner concerns and the decision to give the city an easement while the Hamlet retains title. Bernadette Nelson, who introduced herself as a Hamlet board member, summarized the long history of the property and said owners sought city stewardship to avoid responsibility for squatters, fire pits and dumping.
Committee members asked about basic utilities and environmental constraints. "There's not water physically at the property," a Hamlet representative said; they reported culinary water and power are available nearby but were not included in the easement. Committee members recommended an environmental assessment and suggested modest initial investments — soft trails, a dog park, or a tiny forest — that would limit soil disturbance.
Members also proposed seeking an assistant planning grant to fund a concept study: "All it does is I write it up and they approve it, and then we hire a consultant," one speaker said, estimating a concept-phase study might cost about $125,000. Participants recommended coordinating with county resource and wildlife specialists to inventory invasives and habitat value and to identify remediation steps that would be grant-eligible.
The committee asked the Hamlet representatives to staff a booth at the city open house to gather broader public input and to compile the property’s background information for a city-council presentation. No formal action was taken; the committee framed next steps as staff follow-ups for a scoped environmental assessment and a plan for community outreach.