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MINUTES OF THE <br />ORONO PARK COMMISSION MEETING <br />Monday, January 7, 2018 <br />6:30 o’clock p.m. <br />_____________________________________________________________________________________ <br /> <br />Page 5 of 9 <br /> <br />Roath stated it perhaps should be community events and outreach. <br /> <br />Berg stated that is one possibility. <br /> <br />Ruegemer noted the Park Commission discussed a couple of years ago the North Arm trail going from <br />County Road 51 to the Lakeview Legacy Park. A study was done and a plan was developed but then it <br />got put on the back burner due to other things going on. Ruegemer stated when the residents lost <br />Lakeview, they lost a huge recreational space in that part of the City. The City received approximately <br />$250,000 in park fees and that it would make sense to make that park more accessible. Currently it is <br />only accessible to the nearby residents but the road is too busy to walk on. The proposed trail was rock <br />and gravel trail and would only be for walking and not biking. Ruegemer stated she would like to make <br />that more of a priority. <br /> <br />Carter stated it might have been one of the top priorities in the Comprehensive Plan. <br /> <br />Edwards stated the Comprehensive Plan lists it as priority number five. <br /> <br />Carter stated one of the duties of the trails committee should be to review that list and make sure the list is <br />in the right order as it relates to priorities. <br /> <br />Johnson stated originally when that trail was brought up, it was perceived to be a safety issue. To a lot of <br />the people who would like to visit that park, the park has been an attractive nuisance since they are <br />walking on a road that is not meant to be walked on. Johnson stated in his view it would be good to have <br />some sort of survey done of the people in the area and that there is a historic and a safety basis for the <br />trail. The other issue would be to make sure that the people who would be affected by the trail could be <br />brought into the discussion. <br /> <br />Carter stated in his view it could be part of the trails subcommittee. <br /> <br />Roath asked what is happening currently with Big Island. <br /> <br />Carter stated there is a Big Island Committee and that their biggest activity right now is to create <br />interpretive panels for the visitor center. The committee identified eight panels detailing the history of <br />Big Island, such as the history of the Native Americans on the Island, the park, the glacial impacts, and <br />the game farm. Carter indicated he is meeting Friday with representatives with the Minnehaha Creek <br />Watershed District on how to create a floral and fauna panel and that he is hoping by spring the inside of <br />the building will be painted and the interpretive panels will be installed. Carter commented he hopes <br />there will be some additional improvements, such as a bathroom. <br /> <br />Roath noted there is a separate committee for that and asked whether there needs to be a separate <br />committee for that under the Park Commission. <br /> <br />Carter stated the Big Island Committee falls under a different organization and that he could be the Park <br />Commission liaison to that committee and that they do not need to have a separate subcommittee. <br /> <br />Berg asked whether the 501(3)(c) has been set up yet. <br /> <br />Mayor Walsh indicated it has been done.