Public Review Period Coming Soon for UMore Park Development

The city, working with Empire Township and the University of Minnesota, is evaluating ecological resources, potential infrastructure needs and possible pollutants at the 5,000-acre property.

For 10 months, the city, Empire Township and the University of Minnesota have evaluated development-related issues at the 5,000-acre UMore Park property in Rosemount And this summer, Rosemount residents will likely get their first crack at the city's findings as part of an extensive public review period. The study, called an Alternative Urban Areawide Review, looked at ecological resources, potential infrastructure needs and possible pollutants—among other issues—at UMore Park, which is owned by the University of Minnesota. University officials are interested in developing UMore Park for residential, commercial and industrial use in a phased, decades-long plan. Property concepts developed by the University project that as many as 25,000 to…

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Master Gardener Plant Sale Slated for May 11 in Rosemount

Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer questions and provide garden advice.

Editor's Note: The following is a news release from the Dakota County Master Gardener program. Don’t miss the Master Gardener of Dakota County plant sale on Saturday, May 11, 2013 from 9 a.m. until noon at the University of Minnesota Outreach, Research and Education Park (UMore), 1605 West 160th Street, in Rosemount. This year’s sale will feature peonies from the Master Gardener Educational, Research and Display Gardens. As always, there will be time-tested sun and shade perennials, fruits, vegetables, herbs, shrubs and trees grown primarily in the gardens of our Master Gardeners. This year’s sale will again include heirloom tomatoes and certified organic compost. These popular items sold out quickly last year. Browse hundreds of plants …

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Rosemount Council Approves UMore Mining Operation

After numerous public meetings, Rosemount City Council approves mining permit on 5-0 vote.

  Like us on Facebook | Get our newsletter | Follow us on Twitter | Start a blog After almost one and a half hours of discussion, and more than two years of planning and public input, the Rosemount City Council on Tuesday approved the development of a large-scale mining operation within the city’s boundaries. It wasn’t an easy decision for the city, with staff and council members sifting through hundreds of pages of documents and reports as the council analyzed the benefits of allowing Dakota Aggregates, a partnership of Cemstone Products Company and Ames Construction, to develop a mining operation at the University of Minnesota-owned UMore Park site. “This is something that is going to make an impact 30 years, 40 years down the road,” …

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Vote Expected This Week on UMore Mining Request

Dakota Aggregates wants to mine 200 million tons of gravel and sand from the area.

  The Rosemount City Council is expected to vote this week on a request from Dakota Aggregates to mine nearly 200 million tons of gravel and sand from the western edge of UMore Park. According to a story in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the company is seeking a permit to mine nearly 900 acres of UMore Park land in the city during the next 40 years. A vote, the newspaper reports, would be a culmination of a four-year process that has included neighborhood meetings, environmental studies, impact studies, public hearings and negotiations involving the city, Dakota Aggregates and the University of Minnesota, which owns the land. Agreements on dust, noise and other nuisances that would come from mining were hammered out between city officials and…

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South Metro Roundup: Corporation Stands Against Marriage Amendment, Domestic Terrorist Pleads Guilty

In other news from around the south metro, an Eagan day care operator is charged with manslaughter for the death of a child on her watch.

Though you might live or work in Apple Valley or Rosemount, chances are you're intimately curious about what's happening in your neighboring communities. Here are some of the stories posted on our neighboring Patch sites (and a few from our own) last week that could impact, help or be of interest to you. Read each story by clicking on the headline link. Obermueller Raises More Than $250,000 in Race Against Kline The DFL House candidate said the level of support reflects a “deep frustration with the way Washington does business.” Rebranding Burnsville: Council Considers New City Logo The City of Burnsville could get a new visual calling card. Do the Mayor and City Council Deserve a Raise, or a Pay Cut? It's budget time at Burnsville City …

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UMore Park Property Site Still Contains Hazardous PCBs, Lead

Cleanup was deemed complete in 1994 and the site was delisted from the National Priorities List in 2001, but a pending 2012 EPA review apparently will require further remediation on the land by the University of Minnesota.

During a June 28 public meeting to discuss pollution issues at the University of Minnesota’s UMore Park in Rosemount, many area residents were extremely vocal about what they said has been a lack of transparency about contaminants on the part of the university. After a formal presentation, residents quickly began vocalizing allegations that officials had lied about contaminants and conditions on the expansive property, located mostly within the City of Rosemount. But many still didn’t feel that the questions they raised were answered. “There’s not full disclosure and I have a problem with that,” said resident Don Sinnwell after that meeting. “It needs to be cleaned up, and it needs to be done properly. And that’s all we’re looking for. I …

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Graduation Party Melee, Storm Damage, UMore Controversy: Biggest Stories of June

See which posts had readers in Apple Valley and Rosemount clicking in June.

Follow us on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Get our newsletter | Blog for us Here's a recap of the posts that generated the most interest on Apple Valley-Rosemount Patch in June. Did you catch all of them? Click the links to get back to the original posts.

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Rosemount Residents Revolt at UMore Park Meeting

A planned open house-format presentation on UMore Park contamination quickly turned into an open forum as Rosemount residents insisted on open dialogue with the University of Minnesota and other presenters.

Dozens of Rosemount residents gathered Thursday night for a public meeting regarding the results of a recent Remedial Investigation (RI) on contamination issues at the University of Minnesota’s UMore Park property in Rosemount. The university has big development plans for the site that include a future eco-friendly, sustainable community of 25,000-30,000 within the City of Rosemount. The meeting was supposed to be an informal open-house format where residents could view a series of poster boards, then hear a formal presentation on the RI results from representatives of the university, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and Barr Engineering, the company that was hired by the university to conduct the analytical testing of groundwater and …

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Anonamous

2:44 pm on Friday, June 29, 2012

So sorry to hear about all the cancer from your old neighbors. Where is the neighborhood in relation to UMore Park? I'm the type of person who doesn't believe in coincidences & this is certainly very troubling to our family. We are calling to get a home water filtration system today & special shower heads. Will let you know once we receive the hair testings back. It checks for arsenic, lead, …   more ›

MPCA Hosting Public Meeting on UMore Park in Rosemount

The event will discuss the results from a recent Remedial Investigation conducted by the University of Minnesota on the former Gopher Ordnance Works property in Rosemount.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency will host a public information meeting on Thursday, June 28 in Rosemount to discuss the University of Minnesota's UMore Park property. The University recently conlcuded a Remedial Investigation on a large portion of the property to assess possible contamination issues from chemicals and other hazardous substances related to historical use of the land. The land was used to by the U.S. Government during WWII to produce smokeless gunpowder at the former Gopher Ordnance Works. The University of Minnesota acquired the property in 1947 and 1948 for research use in a variety of areas including agriculture, aeronautical engineering and medical projects. The University has also leased out portions of the land …

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Airplane Group Displaced at UMore Park Gets $142,000

Group to receive $142,000 for relocation after their lease was terminated, a state appeals court ruled.