POTENTIAL SNAG

The frustrations of Owatonna citizens over a proposal to build a police station at West Hills campus continue to boil, and now they’re fighting back and demanding an environmental assessment of the proposed site.

Over the weekend, Carl Wieman, whose property backs up to the West Hills campus on Glendale Street, successfully obtained 140 signatures within 48 hours to file a petition with the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board (EQB) seeking an Environmental Assessment Worksheet be completed for the project. At least 100 signatures were needed for the petition to be filed.

“Forty-eight hours shows how the Owatonna public is against these new buildings as proposed,” Wieman said. “We had only two people hesitant to sign the petition and they ended up signing it in the end anyway.”

He has teamed up with Melissa Zimmerman, who has been instrumental in challenging both the city and county with the East Side Corridor over the past three years. They filed a 209-page petition outlining their concerns with the state on Sunday.

Wieman has become a lightning rod of citizens’ discontent with the project over the past few months after the city finally came public with its intentions that had been in the works for at least six years. He makes it clear that he is not opposed to a new police station, but the desired location and scope of the project, which includes a price tag up to $65 million, have left him beyond frustrated.

“The council did all of this behind closed doors,” Wieman said. And, he added, “the city has not done its homework on this project.”

The EQB has five days to review the petition for completeness and assign a Responsible Government Unit, which will be the City of Owatonna, according to Zimmerman. The city then has 15 days and potentially up to 30 days to decide whether to accept or deny the petition. If it’s accepted, an environmental assessment would be completed and likely take up to seven months, which in effect would prevent construction from taking place this year as the city has indicated it wants to do.

“We’re hopeful they’ll move forward with the studies, although we suspect they may deny the petition,” said Zimmerman, noting denial is a part of the law her group is hoping to change someday at the state level so more of the decision-making power rests with residents.

She explained there is an important historical angle to consider with this project. The West Hills campus was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010, which means the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office and State Archaeology Office need to be involved in any project that changes the buildings or grounds, she said.

“When we were verifying the petition process, we were directed to those offices—only to learn they hadn’t been contacted yet,” Zimmerman said.

An environmental review, she said, would allow public input, protect environmental and historical resources and give residents legal rights following decision. “Right now, we don’t have those protections.”

In the petition, the citizens point out how construction of a large institutional facility may alter the historic landscape and setting, remove or impact historic trees and plantings, change circulation patterns and visual character, affect the integrity of the historic campus and require removal, relocation or visual disruption of public art and memorial features.

In addition to the historic impacts, the project could also cause the loss of recreational green space and wildlife impacts, stormwater and surface water impacts and residential noise and light, among other things.

“There is credible evidence that the project may have the potential for significant environmental effects,” the petition claims.

Zimmerman said the petition filed this week is different than another movement going on in the community possibly seeking a reverse referendum. Once the city council approves the project, which is expected after a public hearing on March 3, a petition seeking a reverse referendum can be done within 30 days. Such an action would force a public vote on a decision that has already been made by the city council.

For Wieman, who has lived in Owatonna since 1986, the hope is that the city will adhere to what people are requesting with the environmental study petition.

But, like Zimmerman, he is not overly confident that will happen because of all the secrecy that has been going on behind closed doors for years without input from residents.

Because of the holiday, the Times was unable to reach city officials for comment prior to print deadline.