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MINUTES OF THE <br />ORONO PARK COMMISSION <br />Monday, November 3, 2014 <br />7:00 o'clock p.m. <br />Brenda Johnson noted Seven Nations is listed as a specialized park and is preserved due to the possible <br />burial grounds that might be located there. Johnson stated the park is for passive activities only so as to <br />be respectful of the property's history and the fact of connecting the two entrances with gravel is a <br />disconnect in her view. Johnson stated most of the other parks in the City have one entrance and are used <br />by small groups of people. Johnson expressed concern about going in with gravel all the way through the <br />park and that she would encourage Alex to consider the intentions of the park as he contemplates his <br />project. <br />Johnson stated she likes the sign idea and that going to the Pioneer Museum was a good step. Johnson <br />noted nowadays there are such things as QR signs, which are basically an app that is installed on a smart <br />phone which then takes you to a website. If you link a QR to a website, Johnson stated it would be more <br />educational and that he could supervise other students doing that work rather than doing it himself. <br />Johnson stated her major concern is the gravel. <br />Meyers stated currently it is more of a country lane with grass on it and that people can drive on it. <br />Meyers noted there is some gravel on there to help keep it from getting muddy. <br />Brenda Johnson stated she would not even have the turnaround since it does not seem to fit with the <br />sacred concept of the park. <br />Berg noted this park used to have a sweat lodge at one time <br />Meyers commented there is a lot of history about the park and that the app would be a good way to <br />expand the historical context of the park. <br />Berg noted not everybody that would visit the park has a smart phone <br />Bryce Johnson stated he would recommend that language be included on how the park is sacred and how <br />important it was to the Indians, which would get to the heart of why the park exists. Johnson stated in his <br />view these types of signs should exist at the other parks as well. Johnson stated it is possible the Native <br />American community might be interested in contributing towards the sign as well. <br />Meyers asked if he has spoken to anybody in the Native Indian community. <br />Knueppel indicated he has not, and that his idea was just to place gravel at the entryways and not the <br />whole roundabout. <br />Meyers stated he is not sure why there are two entrances to the park. <br />Gaffron noted there was a barn on the western part and that there were probably two farm entrances <br />historically. <br />Berg asked if several years ago there was a gathering and a ceremony at the park. <br />Gaffron stated there was a tepee and a sweat lodge in the past but that he is not sure how frequently they <br />made use of that or whether they still periodically have ceremonies there. <br />Page 4 of 24 <br />