01-13-2020 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, December 9, 2019 6:30 o'clock p.m. Mr. Mcmillan said he would like to keep it simple and see the public access on City land go straight off of Smith and not into the Luce Line. Speaking for himself and maybe a few neighbors, they would be happy to show up on a Saturday with some chain saws and shovels. Printup noted the application is about a vacation, it's not about trails or cul-de-sacs. He wondered if the City would be okay with vacating the finger on the left of the map and moving the cul-de-sac to the end but leaving the finger on the right which then becomes the trail. Walsh asked Printup to repeat his suggestion. Printup stated the cul-de-sac would move to the end, a vacation of Almo but keeping the City land to the right because that becomes the trail access. Whether it becomes a 20 -foot thing or whatever the standard is, it doesn't matter, because it's the City's land. He said when the City is invited in areas, the government is probably going to screw it up and it's going to become really big and it could be paved and there's all kinds of lights and sirens on it saying, "Hey, everybody, come to this City land" because it's public property. But when it's a neighborhood thing, it's kind of a neighborhood jewel. Crosby asked if Printup was saying there would still be a cul-de-sac at the end. Printup said he could go either way on the cul-de-sac. The application is about vacation. The cul-de-sac is a secondary issue. When the opportunity is provided, the City will be doing the road there anyway. There are a lot of tiny streets in Orono, a hammerhead is fine or not, and he is okay with paving it and leaving it as -is. He gets the idea of cleaning it up, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Crosby asked if there is a hammerhead in it or a cul-de-sac. Printup said right now the City should say no because it is not solving a problem. It's saying, "Let's bring it up to standard," which would be nice. Crosby indicated Printup's vacation perspective made sense to him. Seals stated she wrote down, "What problem are we solving? Is it something we're creating right now as we're talking?" She is not hearing from the neighborhood, which is the majority, that it is a true problem. The true problem is the City has not maintained the true location of a trail. Whether it's complicated or not, the City is going to have to spend money. Johnson and Walsh noted that it is not a City -designated trail. Seals clarified that she meant the other spot, where it should be. Walsh stated the City does not have a trail. A neighbor just happened to make a trail. Seals said that's where the City should put one. Walsh added if the possibility was to be able to put a trail there. Seals agreed with his statement. Page 17 of 34