At the December 14, 2020, Houston City Council meeting, the focus was on the proposed OHV (off highway vehicle) trail planned for the area near South Park. Karla Bloem, executive director of the Owl Center, had sent an email to the council about the noise such a trail might create; she and other concerned citizens attended the meeting to ask further questions.
The DNR had recently had a public comment period regarding the trail. Bloem commented, but had to request access to comments to see the response of the DNR, which had been completed internally. Bloem’s concern regarding the trail was that it was to be on the hillside south of town. Since Bloem researches owl vocalization, she saw a problem with the location of the trail on the hillside above the town. Houston, being in a bowl-shaped area, is perfect for amplifying the sound of trail users. Any usual noise abatement techniques are unlikely to be successful since they include building berms to contain sound — since the trail would be on the hillside, it would be difficult to build a noise-deadening berm.
The DNR had completed an environmental assessment in 2013 in South Park which showed no issues; Bloem pointed out there were no trails for motorized vehicles there at that time, however. She was told by the DNR they had no complaints from other cities with OHV trails. Bloem reported she had contacted a man living near such a trail in Gilbert, Minn. According to him, after noise monitoring, a berm had been built. A subsequent noise test had passed, but had been completed with the vehicles merely idling. He also said the economic benefit of the trail had not materialized in their city. Users camped, bringing in their own supplies, rather than visiting restaurants, stores, and motels.
Bloem asked the council to investigate the environmental impact further, emphasizing that the methodology of the study would be crucial. She also informed the council that noise from the trail would likely diminish the experience of Owl Center visitors (12,000 per year). Maps provided by the DNR did not show current homes, but, when the provided map was overlaid with a map showing the homes, it was easy to see that the trail will come as close as 475 to 500 feet from homes. Her question: will homeowners want that?
Closing by opining that the process has not been open and available to the public, Bloem asked if Planning Board agendas were public; Michelle Quinn responded the meetings were public and agendas were available by request.
Councilman Tony Schultz responded this has been in the works for 10 years. “If anyone says this is secretive, they are choosing to be uninformed,” Schultz declared. He added, “I have no problem doing a study on it.”
There have been no meetings on the subject for a couple years because they were waiting for action by the DNR.
Landowner Larry Connery asked if an economic impact study had been done on it yet. His concern was that the trail would decrease nearby property values.
Arlin Peterson also concerned about land values, asked the council what they wanted for the town. In his opinion, the trail won’t make more people want to move to Houston and would definitely curtail building.
Councilman Cody Matthews noted the land has already been purchased for the trail. If the results of a study led to the decision to not create the trail, the property would need to be sold back.
Schultz replied, “We need something to kick start (people to come into town and spend their money). Balance is important.”
Bloem reminded the council the trails will affect non-users and are something you can’t undo. The entrance road to the trail has a requirement to be wide enough for two trucks to meet.
When asked by Bloem if they were intending to have a meeting soon, Mayor David Olson responded they had not yet received the DNR conclusions. The consensus of the council was to wait until the first of the year and then check into it further.
Action items
Action items by the council included:
•Holding a mandatory Truth-In-Taxation hearing and adopting the final budget ($706,339) and levy (total levy, $537,600, a 5% increase over the 2020);
•Approving the appointments of Carter Chiglo and Mitch Seekamp to the fire department;
•Accepting the audit terms for the upcoming city audit;
•Accepting the $720 quote for gutter repairs on the current community center;
•Approving a letter of no objection for the proposed snowmobile club project;
•Setting a bid date of 10 a.m. February 2, 2021, for the waste treatment plant project;
•Adopting a resolution certifying delinquent city bills;
•Setting the designated polling place and the council meeting schedule.
The next city council meeting will be January 11, 2021, at 6 p.m. The public is welcome to attend.
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