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MINUTES OF THE <br /> ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING <br /> Monday,April 21,2014 <br /> 6:30 o'clock p.m. <br /> Curtis stated she will look into it further to see if there are any aerial photographs available,but that the <br /> City is not aware of when it was constructed and that it would be difficult to require its removal without <br /> first establishing that. <br /> Landgraver commented it would be helpful to know when it was constructed and whether it is legally <br /> nonconforming. <br /> Curtis stated if someone had called the City two years ago and wanted to put up a Rainbow play structure <br /> and asked whether a permit was required, Staff would have told them no but that they should keep it out <br /> of the setback. <br /> Landgraver stated from his perspective, if there is anything that Staff can do to investigate it further,he <br /> would encourage that. <br /> Leskinen stated it appears to be a very well-thought out plan and that it is correcting a problem with the <br /> silting. Leskinen stated in her view it is a reasonable request since the existing stairway is deteriorating. <br /> Lemke asked if the geo grid requires any approval. <br /> Curtis stated technically it is the subject of the conditional use permit. <br /> Thiesse asked if there is a way to stabilize the slope without the wall. <br /> Sedgwick stated the embankment has a fair amount of invasive buckthorn,which will be removed, and <br /> that the subgrade root structure is holding the soil as best it can. Sedgwick indicated it is a losing battle <br /> due to the hydraulic balance of the upper slope and that it will continue to silt down to the 100-year <br /> floodplain even with the root structure that exists. Sedgwick stated they did look at the option of no <br /> retaining wall. <br /> Lemke asked if a smaller retaining wall could be constructed to reduce the visual impact. <br /> Sedgwick stated when you look at the height and percentage of the slope,the wall needs to be at the 3.5 <br /> foot mark to hold the grade without erosion problems. <br /> Thiesse asked if they will be re-grading back up to the fence or the trees to reduce the slope slightly. <br /> Sedgwick stated the re-grading will start at about the midway section. <br /> Thiesse stated in his view they are not really repairing anything if they do not correct the upper slope as <br /> well. Thiesse stated they will need to plant something else there to help retain the slope if the buckthorn <br /> is removed. Thiesse stated part of the problem is that only half of the slope is being addressed and that <br /> the upper slope will remain. <br /> Sedgwick stated quite often on a slope like this they will regenerate some new vegetation by using a non- <br /> photodegradable mesh that would be attached to the soil to allow for new vegetation. <br /> Thiesse asked why that would not also work on the bottom portion of the slope. Thiesse stated they are <br /> proposing a wall for the bottom half and something else on the top half,which raises a number of <br /> Page 10 of 19 <br />