[mou] Important Pilot Knob Developments

[Bruce M. White]

Your help is needed again on Pilot Knob, especially if you are a 
resident of Mendota Heights.

Tomorrow night, Tuesday, October 18, sometime after 7:30 PM, the Mendota
Heights City Council will hold a hearing about a proposal for the City
of Mendota Heights to acquire 8.5 acres of land north of Acacia
Cemetery, facing the Mendota Bridge. This land is part of the scenic and
historic Pilot Knob site. Three years ago this land was part of a
proposal for the construction of a high-density housing project.

Over the past year Dakota County, State of Minnesota grant sources, the
Trust for Public Land, and the Pilot Knob Preservation Association have
assembled funding to buy this piece of land and preserve it as public
open space. The Trust for Public Land has a signed agreement with the
landowners that provides for purchase by the end of 2005.  All that
remains is for Mendota Heights to allocate the final portion of the
funding package. The final decision on the acquisition of this land will
take place at the Council's November 1 meeting.

This is a unique opportunity to save and restore an important historic, 
cultural, and natural site. It is important for the Mendota Heights City 
Council to hear especially from city residents who are in favor of 
preserving this land as public space. You can make your wishes known by 
attending the council's meeting tomorrow night. The council will start 
its meeting at 7:30 PM. After the council deals with some other issues, 
the Pilot Knob hearing will start. This will give people an opportunity 
to speak briefly about their support for preserving Pilot Knob.

Even if you cannot be there tomorrow night and even if you are not a 
resident of Mendota Heights, you can still make your opinions known 
before the November 1 meeting by sending an email to Mendota Heights 
City Administrator Jim Danielson at
JimD@Mendota-Heights.com

Or send a letter or fax to the City of Mendota
Heights, 1101 Victoria Curve, Mendota Heights, MN 55118, (phone)
651-452-1850 or (fax) 651-452-8940 Attn: City Administrator.

Thank you for your past and future support.

Bruce White
Pilot Knob Preservation Association
P.O. Box 50823
Mendota, MN 55150-0823
651-310-0601

PS: In case you haven't seen it, the St. Paul Pioneer Press had an
article discussing the latest developments on Pilot Knob on Friday,
October 14. You can see the article at:
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/local/12897624.htm