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MINUTES OF THE <br /> ORONO PARK COMMISSION MEETING <br /> Monday,January 5,2015 <br /> 7:00 o'clock p.m. <br /> Meyers stated he personally owns two dogs and that when he is on the trail with his dogs,the bicyclists <br /> tend to not like dogs since they have a general perception that their owners do not pick up after them. <br /> Meyers noted some of the dog parks have bags available. Meyers stated that concept could also be <br /> implemented on the trails but that another issue is that there are not enough garbage cans available. <br /> Meyers stated he is aware that some people will leave the plastic bags on the trail. <br /> McCullough stated there are some bag stations available on the Dakota Trail and that Three Rivers' <br /> officers do enforce their dog ordinances. <br /> Meyers asked if there is a law that says a person has to have a bag with them to pick up their litter. <br /> McCullough stated the trail is technically a park and that Three Rivers' ordinances would apply. <br /> McCullough stated they are required to have their dog on a leash and to pick up their waste. <br /> Meyers stated in his opinion the officers could ask people with dogs if they have a plastic bag. <br /> McCullough stated the people with dogs are required to have a cleanup device and that the officers do <br /> enforce that. McCullough stated if Three Rivers receives complaints about a specific area,the officers do <br /> saturate that area and enforce the different ordinances. McCullough stated if Orono receives a number of <br /> those types of complaints,they should call him. <br /> Meyers noted the City does not plow the trails in the winter and in the summer Three Rivers does all the <br /> maintenance. Meyers asked why Three Rivers allows the cities to do the maintenance during the winter <br /> rather than doing it themselves. <br /> McCullough stated traditionally Three Rivers has not maintained the trail system in the wintertime but <br /> that it is a topic of discussion on a regular basis. McCullough stated with the end of snowmobiles on the <br /> trails,there became a lot less people on the trails,but now with the popularity of winter sports,the trails <br /> are becoming more heavily used. <br /> McCullough stated maintaining trails in the winter is very expensive and a huge labor commitment. <br /> Traditionally Three Rivers has not maintained the trails in the winter due to staffing but that Three Rivers <br /> does have some cross-country trails and downhill ski operations that have to be maintained,which keeps <br /> Three Rivers staff busy during the winter. Communities have the option of maintaining the trails in the <br /> winter,which has been the case for the past 20 to 30 years. McCullough noted Three Rivers is currently <br /> in the process of looking at that and compiling costs related to that work,which is an unknown at this <br /> point. McCullough noted there is presently over 170 miles of trails throughout Hennepin County from <br /> Maple Plain to Richfield. <br /> Meyers stated he is not sure whether every trail has to be plowed and that the paved trails are probably <br /> easier to plow. Meyers stated perhaps Three Rivers could designate some trails that could be plowed. <br /> McCullough stated paved trails are easier to plow and that the only reason it is not being done currently <br /> by Three Rivers is the cost. McCullough stated Three Rivers is looking at all options, including a tiered <br /> system and paved versus unpaved. McCullough stated he is not sure Three Rivers wants to plow every <br /> trail in the system since some people like to snowshoe or cross-country ski on the trails. McCullough <br /> stated Three Rivers is looking at a number of parameters associated with that. <br /> Page 2 of 11 <br />