By Nancy Huddleston, Editor

If you have been wondering what happened regarding a decision about removing or keeping SS-9, a rare woodland up above Prior Lake High School, make some time on Monday, July 28 to find out.

That’s when the Prior Lake-Savage Area School Board will be meeting to hear a presentation from the city of Savage and discuss the fate of SS-9. The workshop begins at 5 p.m. in the large conference room of the District Services Center, 4540 Tower St., S.E., Prior Lake.

Earlier this year, the School Board voted to authorize the city of Savage and Prior Lake Aggregates Development Inc. to continue discussions to remove the oak forest. The 6-acre area, known as SS-9, was singled out for preservation when development plans for PLHS were approved five years ago because it was identified in a city-wide natural resources inventory as a high-quality Mesic oak forest.

After the School Board made a decision on Feb. 11, the city began soliciting input from the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission and the Economic Development Commission because those members were also involved in the city’s natural resources survey and plans for PLHS. The Park Board voted against removing the trees and the EDC voted for removing them.

But that’s where things stopped.

Although more public meetings were scheduled with the Savage Planning Commission and the matter was expected to be brought to the Savage City Council by May, nothing more has happened.

School Board Vice Chairman Tom Anderson said the reason the SS-9 discussion stopped moving forward was in order for city staff to do more work needed on the options, funds needed to be deposited into an escrow account. The city routinely requires developers to pay fees for city staff time, and in this case, District 719 is the developer.

“Prior Lake Aggregates told us this was as far as they were going to go on a plan,” Anderson said.

The workshop is designed to present the School Board with information and to outline the next steps. If the Board decides to move forward with a request regarding SS-9, the official decision will come at the next regularly-scheduled meeting, which is Monday, Aug. 11.

Savage City Administrator Barry Stock said city staff will be at the July 28 meeting to make an informational presentation, period. “The purpose is to present factual information in the context of the discussion of the possible removal of SS-9,” he said.

As Prior Lake Aggregates has pursued redevelopment options for its gravel pit, which is next door to PLHS, questions have been asked regarding whether the trees should be saved or removed in order to accommodate development and a road between the two sites.

SS-9 contains 1,000 trees and includes a mix of oak, maple, elm and ash trees. In addition to removing the trees, Prior Lake Aggregates would grade away the large drop between its property and the school district’s property. That would allow more ball fields and a road to be built that would provide an alternative route to county roads 27 and 44. What’s more, Prior Lake Aggregates would cover costs for the road and field projects as an in-kind donation.

Putting in a road would eliminate the need to build an estimated 60- to 80-foot-high retaining wall that would face the gravel pit property, which board members saw as a concern for student and public safety. The retaining wall would be needed to build the road around SS-9 and between Prior Lake Aggregates and PLHS.

Kristen Pauly, a civil engineer with Prior Lake Aggregates has said work on the project could start as early as spring, if proper approvals are obtained.

Stock said the city’s presentation will also address the question of oak wilt in SS-9.

Last year, a section of oak wilt was found and District 719 was required to remove it, per city ordinance. This year, two more small oak wilt areas have been found, in the same vicinity as the one found last year. About 10 trees will need to be removed, an expense paid for by the school district because SS-9 is on PLHS property.

The cost of building a road without assistance from Prior Lake Aggregates will also be a part of the presentation, Stock said. He estimates the frontage road will cost $500,000, most of which will be assessed to the school district. As well, the cost of building the athletic fields that Prior Lake Aggregates will build if it puts in the road and levels out the property is another $500,000.

Stock emphasized that the city is not out to initiate a project on private property. “These are two private property owners talking collectively and they need to find a way to proceed,” he said.

If the school district decides to remove SS-9, though, it must get approval by the city because preserving the grove of trees was part of the developer’s agreement for PLHS. As well, a conditional use permit will need to be approved in order to do the grading.

 Nancy Huddleston can be reached at editor@savagepacer.com.  

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