## City of Blaine ## Natural Resource Conservation ## Board August 18, 2026 | 7:00 PM ## Blaine City Hall ## 10801 Town Square Drive NE ## Blaine, MN 55449 The Natural Resource Conservation Board is an advisory body to the City Council. The Board is charged with recommending acquisition of lands for open space and developing a Natural Resource Plan which includes environmental policy and guidelines for the maintenance and preservation of Blaine’s existing and future opens spaces and trail corridors. One of the Board’s functions is to hold public meetings and make recommendations to the City Council. For each item, the Board will receive reports prepared by City staff, provide the opportunity for public response, conduct Board discussions and make recommendations. The City Council, however, makes all final decisions on these matters. ## AGENDA 1. Call to Order ## 2. Roll Call 3. Approval of Minutes 3.1. 2026-405 Approval of NRCB Meeting Minutes for May 19, 2026 ## Sponsors: Nate Monahan, Recreation Manager ## 4. Open Forum Open Forum is an opportunity for the public to share comments, concerns, or input on other items. While Open Forum is not intended to provide responses or discussion during the meeting, city staff will contact the speaker(s) after the meeting if follow-up is needed. Each speaker is limited to three minutes, with a maximum of 15 minutes set aside for Open Forum. ## 5. New Business 5.1. 2026-398 2050 Comprehensive Plan Introduction ## Sponsors: Elizabeth Showalter, Housing Program Coordinator 5.2. 2026-406 NRCB Updates ## Sponsors: Nate Monahan, Recreation Manager ## 5.3. 2026-432 Open Space NRCB Member Inspections Page 1 of 14 ## Sponsors: Nate Monahan, Recreation Manager 6. Adjournment Page 2 of 14 Page 3 of 14 Page 4 of 14 Page 5 of 14 Page 6 of 14 Page 7 of 14 ## City of Blaine ## Staff Report ## File Number: 2026-398 ## Agenda Date ## Status August 18, 2026 ## In Control ## File Type ## Natural Resources Conservation ## Board ## Presentation ## New Business - Agenda Item # 5.1 ## 2050 Comprehensive Plan Introduction ## Background The City is required under state statute to update its comprehensive plan every 10 years. The 2050 plan must be completed and submitted to the Metropolitan Council by the end of 2028. Staff will provide a brief overview of the plan requirements and process for drafting the plan. The City will be utilizing an advisory group for the Comprehensive Plan which will include representatives from city commissions, members of the public, and city council members. NRCB members will be asked to express interest in the advisory group either at the meeting, or by emailing staff following the meeting. The advisory group will generally meet on the fourthTuesday of the month at 5:30, with a total of eight meetings expected between October 2026 and August 2027. Meetings may occasionally be held on other Tuesdays. ## Recommendation ## Informational ## Attachment List ## None Page 8 of 14 ## City of Blaine ## Staff Report ## File Number: 2026-406 ## Agenda Date ## Status August 18, 2026 ## In Control ## File Type ## Natural Resources Conservation ## Board ## Report ## New Business - Agenda Item # 5.2 ## NRCB Updates ## Background ## Blaine Wetland Sanctuary Site 7 Wetland Bank Monitoring Herbicide treatment is underway at test locations in Site 7. Trial herbicide treatments are being conducted this year in test plot locations to measure and assess success rates to develop a more detailed and confident cost estimate on treatment of large areas of reed canary grass. A site walk-thru with the TEP group and contractor is scheduled for later this month to assess current monitoring efforts in relation to unlocking the bank at the end of this year. ## Grant Funding for Blaine Wetland Sanctuary Staff just heard on Thursday that we are being recommended about $2.1 million of funding from the state lottery proceeds. The state legislature has to approve the funding allocations next session (sometime between January and May) and we are expected to be able to start construction in the fall of 2027. Since the legislature occasionally makes changes, we aren’t planning to make any public announcements until the legislature approves the funding. Once we have that approval in hand, I will connect you with the NRCB & communications team to coordinate public announcements. ## Recommendation ## Informational ## Attachment List ## None Page 9 of 14 ## City of Blaine ## Staff Report ## File Number: 2026-432 ## Agenda Date ## Status August 18, 2026 ## In Control ## File Type ## Natural Resources Conservation ## Board ## Report ## New Business - Agenda Item # 5.3 ## Open Space NRCB Member Inspections ## Background City Staff and Board Members will conduct open space inspections and provide reports at an upcoming NRCB meeting later this fall. Please see attached inspection Report Form. ## Recommendation ## Informational ## Attachment List ## 1. Open Space Overview Map ## 2. 2026 INSPECTION CHECKLIST FOR BLAINE OPEN SPACES Page 10 of 14 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 £ ¤ 10 ?àA@ § ̈¦ ## 35W ?àA@ ## Uninversity Ave ## Sunset Ave ## Lexington Ave ## Central Ave 125th Ave 109th Ave 105th Ave ## Radisson Rd ## Radisson Rd ## R i c e ## C r e e k ## P k w y ¬ « 14 ¬ « 12 ¬ « 52 ¬ « 10 ## CITY OF BLAINE ## OPEN SPACE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pioneer Park, 2491 125th Ave NE (100 acres) ## Legacy Woods Open Space, 3560 131st Ave NE (10.1 acres) ## Sunrise Ponds Open Space, 13000 Jewell Cir NE (11.8 acres) ## Hidden Ponds Park, 11465 Polk St NE (5.3 acres) ## Oak Savannah, 11730 Naples Cir NE (6.7 acres) ## Blaine Wetland Sanctuary, 11980 Lexington Ave NE (521.6 acres) ## Lochness Park, 11121 Lexington Ave NE (89.2 acres) ## Laddie Lake Park, 1051 87th Ave NE (15.1 acres) Kane Meadows South, Southwest of 2946 Rice Creek Pkwy NE (12.5 acres) Kane Meadows North, East of 2946 Rice Creek Pkwy NE (17.6 acres) 0½11½2 ## Miles Disclaimer: This document has been compiled using information gathered from various governmental offices and other sources and is to be used for reference purposes only. Every effort has been made to make sure the completeness and accuracy on this document. The City of Blaine does not represent that the data can be used for exact measurement of distance or direction or precision in the depiction of geographic features. If errors or discrepancies are found, please contact (763) 717-2639. / ## Map Created by: City of Blaine GIS ## Map Date: March, 2020 ## BlaineMN.gov Page 11 of 14 ## INSPECTION CHECKLIST FOR BLAINE OPEN SPACES ## LOCATION: DATE: ## INSPECTOR(S): Instructions: Please complete a thorough evaluation of your assigned open space. Make note of the condition of all amenities from a safety and aesthetic viewpoint. If there is an amenity that is not on this sheet, add it to the section titled “other”. When identifying an issue, please be as detailed as possible about the location and take photos if possible. ## PARKING LOT SATISFACTORY REQUIRES ## ATTENTION ## NOTES Are appropriate signs posted and visible? Are the parking areas free of trip hazards? Is the lighting sufficient? Is it free of debris? Are stalls clearly marked? ## Other ## TRAILS/BOARDWALK SATISFACTORY REQUIRES ## ATTENTION ## NOTES Are the trails free from trip hazards? (eg. No pot holes, cracks, etc) If trails are wood chip, are the wood chips still functioning? Are there any safety hazards? (eg. trees across trail, trees leaning over trail, etc) Are the trails free from debris? (eg. Garbage, dog poop, etc) ## Other Page 12 of 14 ## PICNIC SHELTERS SATISFACTORY REQUIRES ## ATTENTION ## NOTES Is the park shelter free of debris? Are the picnic tables stable & in good shape? (markings, bolts) What is the condition of the roof? What is the condition of the posts/concrete pad? Is there vandalism? ## Other: ## KIOSKS/SIGNS SATISFACTORY REQUIRES ## ATTENTION ## NOTES Are the kiosk/signs in good condition? Is there vandalism? Do the posters need replacing? ## Other: Page 13 of 14 ## OVERALL SITE CONDITION SATISFACTORY REQUIRES ## ATTENTION ## NOTES Are there invasive species? Is the site free of debris? Is there any vandalism? Are there any washouts to water bodies/drainage areas? Is there any encroachment from neighboring properties? Are there opportunities for additional plantings, signage, or amenities? ## Other ## OTHER: ## SATISFACTORY REQUIRES ## ATTENTION ## NOTES ## ADDITIONAL COMMENTS OR CONCERNS: Page 14 of 14