A plan to repave the parking lot at the Ag Center on Highway 169 turned into a sometimes heated debate at the Blue Earth City Council meeting last Monday night.

The question was not whether to do the paving project or not, but rather whether some aesthetic and water drainage projects should be included.

The plan presented to the council had been proposed by the city’s Economic Development Authority, which owns the Ag Center.

Included in the plan are eight ‘bioswale’ islands that will have two trees per island, shrubs and grasses. Three of them will be depressed areas which will help with rain water runoff quality.

City councilman Glenn Gaylord protested the need for the islands for a variety of reasons, including the cost.

City administrator Tim Ibisch said a majority of the cost of the islands will come from a grant from the Faribault County Soil and Water Conservation District, which has their offices at the Ag Center.

“We have pledged that no public tax dollars will be used to operate the Ag Center,” Ibisch said. “Our expenses there are covered by the rents of the tenants or by EDA funds.”

The cost of the parking lot project is estimated to be $284,000. But, Ibisch says, that includes some areas of the lot not owned by the EDA which will be paid for by the businesses that are served.

And, with the $60,000 grant from the SWCD, the EDA’s actual cost will be right around $200,000.

With the Ag Center generating about $60,000 in profits each year, it will only take a few years to pay off that amount, Ibisch said.

Gaylord said he thought the islands would cause problems with paving, snow removal and would attract mosquitos.

“I think there are some major issues with this (adding the islands) and they are not necessary,” Gaylord said.

The other councilmen disagreed.

Councilman Dan Brod said he felt the ‘green spaces’ were great, and also felt the tenants at the Ag Center would appreciate having an attractive entrance area and not just “a sea of pavement.”

City engineer Wes Brown added that paving around the islands was not going to be an issue.

He also responded to Gaylord’s issue with a loss of parking spaces due to the islands.

“We will actually end up with 164 parking stalls with this plan, which is more than what we have now,” Brown said. “The way the lot is laid out now is not very functional and we will have a much better layout. It will also include some spaces for handicap parking near the building.”

At the EDA meeting held on Thursday, April 14, members had voted to approve the plan and learned the target date for the work was in August.

It will be done in two phases, with each phase taking about a week, Brown had told the EDA.

Part of the work will include removing material from a large low spot in the middle of the parking lot and filling it back in.

This area, located towards the north end, is where some of the bioswales, or islands, will be located. Two of the islands will be located further to the south side of the parking lot.