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MINUTES OF THE <br /> ORONO PARK COMMISSION <br /> Monday, March 4,2019 <br /> 6:30 o'clock p.m. <br /> Edwards indicated he is currently working with Hennepin County and Three Rivers, who has this as a <br /> potential add to their capital improvement plan for 2020. This grant follows a similar timeline as the <br /> grant for Big Island and is due by March 29. The grant recipients will be announced in July. <br /> Construction is not anticipated on the trails this summer since a number of other items will need to be <br /> completed first. The section of East Long Lake Road south of the park is one of the City's proposed road <br /> projects for this summer, and if that is completed, a small portion of the trail will be completed at that <br /> time. <br /> Edwards reported he sat down with the Long Lake Rowing Club last week and they have expressed an <br /> interest in a partnership with the City to provide access to the lake from Summit Beach. Staff will be <br /> attempting to set up a subcommittee meeting with them sometime in March. The Long Lake Rowing <br /> Club's ultimate goal might be to put a boathouse on Summit Beach. <br /> Ruegemer noted the City previously said no to the boathouse request. Ruegemer asked why they need to <br /> leave Birches. <br /> Edwards indicated it is primarily due to the steep terrain at Birches. The rowing club is also growing in <br /> size and another limiting factor is the space available to them. <br /> Mayor Walsh stated they are 8-person boats, which cost $60,000 apiece, and the steep terrain makes it <br /> unsafe. The club has also increased in size and so they require more space. The rowing club approached <br /> the City with the proposal and that this is a good time to talk about it since changes are being planned for <br /> Long Lake Road. <br /> Edwards stated he is not sure why the City previously did not approve the boathouse request for Summit. <br /> Berg noted they will be completing a grant application next year for Summit Beach. <br /> Edwards stated there are some playground grants that the City can pursue for Summit Beach, such as the <br /> Hennepin County Youth Sports Grant, if the City partners with the Long Lake Rowing Club. A Hennepin <br /> County environmental type grant may also be available to provide some money for the shoreline <br /> restoration. <br /> 7. TREE INVENTORY GRANT UPDATE <br /> Edwards noted the arborists at Hennepin County reached out to the City and asked whether they would be <br /> interested in applying for this grant. The grant is for inventorying the urban canopy and would be a <br /> matching grant. Staff time can be used towards that match. <br /> Edwards indicated he went ahead and applied for the grant. The City received a $5,000 grant to inventory <br /> trees on city-owned property. One of the conditions of the grant is to solicit quotes from certified <br /> arborists, which he hopes to do in March and then perform the inventory in April or May. <br /> Because the state has various tree diseases or pests that are damaging some of the trees, the inventory <br /> detailing the types and number of trees in the area would enable the City to hopefully mitigate the damage <br /> and possibly plan for replacing some of the more vulnerable trees. <br /> Page 4 of 8 <br />