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MINUTES OF THE <br /> ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING <br /> Monday,April 27,2009 <br /> 7:00 o'clock p.m. <br /> (12. DISCUSSIONREGARDING BIG ISLAND REGULATIONS, Continued) <br /> tonight's discussion, it appears the main issues relate to the larger groups visiting the island off of <br /> the Minnehaha and not having bathroom facilities. <br /> McMillan noted there are safety lanes for the boats now. <br /> Jabbour commented he had thought it would be a good idea to have a person on share to help <br /> guide the people over the island and to make sure that they make it back to the boat on time. <br /> They also discussed the option of leaving a smaller boat out there to transport anyone who might <br /> miss the Minnehaha. Jabbour indicated another issue is the safety of the people visiting the island <br /> and that in the event of a starm, people will need to be transported back. Jabbour noted one <br /> person did die in the harbor during a storm. Another option for limiting the number of people <br /> visiting the island would be to have the Minnehaha limit the number of tickets it sells. <br /> Franchot indicated he does not agree with all of the concerns raised by Jabbour but that he does <br /> understand the concerns relating to safety of the larger groups visiting the island. <br /> Jabbour stated his concerns relate to his past experiences. <br /> Franchot asked what Jabbour would recommend the Council consider for the island. <br /> Jabbour stated Big Island is an inhabited oasis and that unfortunately people visiting the island <br /> could become obtrusive. Jabbour stated in his view all cruise boats shouid be allowed to visit the <br /> island if they are acting as a ferry but not all large groups should be allowed on the island for an <br /> extended period of time if they are on a recreational outing as part of a company event. Jabbour <br /> stated he would like to see shorter visits to the island. <br /> Murphy stated he sent a long memorandum to the committee after they met outlining the issues <br /> and his concerns and that the City needs to determine what its long term vision is for Big Island. <br /> Murphy stated he is not sure of a way to shorten the time period that a group would be on the <br /> island. Murphy stated unfortunately the committee is forced to speculate what could possibly <br /> happen and that they may not know how things will go until they start having people on the <br /> island. <br /> McMillan stated there needs to be contingency plans for the people on the island. <br /> Murphy stated they have instituted a safety plan in the event someone goes overboard, if the boat <br /> stops in the middle of the lake and other possible emergencies, but that there is always the <br /> possibility something unexpected will happen. <br /> Police Chief Farniok pointed out the groups that would visit Big Island via the Minnehaha are <br /> probably not going to be teenagers and that in his opinion, based on the lenb h of ti�r�e they would <br /> be on the island,there should be some bathroom facilities available, benches to sit on, and a <br /> contingency plan to get people off the island in the event of an emergency. <br /> Jabbour noted the cruise boats are profit driven and that�hey charge a certain amount per hour. <br /> The cruise boats are not interested in parking at the island for a number of hours. <br /> PAGE 14 <br />