The Park and Recreation Board passed a resolution on Wednesday to fund soil work at the Soo Line Community Garden.

The board approved the reallocation of $275,000 from unused Mall Park funds, originally allocated in 2015, to the Soo Line Community Garden to address soil contamination.

The garden has been closed for two growing seasons after soil contamination was found on the site during a soil test. Hennepin County had proposed an ADA path through the Soo Line Community Garden that the Park & Recreation Board ultimately voted down after robust community discussion.

A new long-term plan for the garden area, including accessible paths to the Midtown Greenway, is being partially funded by park dedication fees, but those fees can only be used to build new features. Soil remediation is exempt from that funding, hence the need for additional funding.

Before tapping the unused capital improvement funds, the administration applied for but did not receive a Hennepin County Environmental Respond Fund grant for “cleanup of contaminated sites where cost is a barrier.”

The plan to fully re-do the Soo Line Community Garden will cost $750,000 and is not fully funded or approved by the Park & Recreation Board at this time.

The full presentation on the Soo Line Community Garden funding at Wednesday’s Park & Recreation Board meeting is available on YouTube.