From ashes - literally - park to rise in Oak Park Heights

A city park will emerge from the ashes of a coal waste dump near the St. Croix River in Washington County.

Reclamation of the fly ash landfill at Oak Park Heights, an apparent first-ever community project on such a dump in Minnesota, would mean a windfall for the public on nearly 40 acres of open land.

"It's a great opportunity," said City Administrator Eric Johnson. "It's just a question of how it fits together."

For 38 years, Xcel Energy hauled fly ash -- incinerator residue from coal burned to generate electricity -- from the nearby Allen S. King power plant. Last summer the company closed the landfill, a former sand and gravel pit, and sealed it with a plastic liner and several feet of soil.

Soon, the findings of a citizens task force will guide the development of the now-grassy expanse. A community survey this fall on potential uses showed strong preferences for trails, natural areas with wildflowers and an exercise course. Residents also favored a scenic overlook, a pavilion, an ice rink and a bird sanctuary.

Whatever the eventual use, officials say the land just off Hwy. 36 and Beach Road is safe.

Fly ash contains heavy metals with varying degrees of contaminants such as arsenic, mercury and lead. The site will remain under supervision of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), which will monitor test wells to make sure none of the pollutants escape from their underground envelope.

"Generally I would say this site would probably work better than a standard old landfill," he said. The MPCA will judge whether the buried liner is capable of "bearing the load" of whatever the city wants to build on the land, he said.

Xcel, which owns the land, donated $630,000 to Oak Park Heights to spend on improvements. That money comes in addition to a $20,000 grant the city has received to build a playground.

Margie Schwartzbauer, one of the residents serving on the task force, said she hasn't heard of anybody opposing a park or other amenities. "We've lived with it for so long," she said of the dump. "Thankfully it's never been an issue for us."

Johnson said everyone working on the project knows that a new park would have "severe limitations" against digging foundations and laying water pipes. The city can't do much to change the topography either, which ranges from flatter spaces in some areas to knoll-like features near the center.

The landfill, known as the Moelter site, lies adjacent to Valley View Park, the largest of six neighborhood parks in Oak Park Heights. Linking a new park with Valley View and the smaller Cover Park, also bordering the landfill, would create a significant stretch of green space on the city's east side.

"It would be nice for residents to be able to use that space," she said.

McComber also is convinced that residents shouldn't worry about contamination.

"When you hear how Xcel has encapsulated [the landfill], it takes the fear factor out of it," she said.

Oak Park Heights is negotiating with Xcel for a long-term land lease. The company also will participate in decisions about park uses on the land, said Roger Clarke, Xcel's manager of environmental waste remediation.

"Open space is something that our youth need," he said. "Being responsible by nature also means we're committed to working with our communities. We need to be respectful of that and let them follow that process."