04-13-2020 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, April 13, 2020 6:03 o'clock p.m. recommending Action B. In that respect, the toilet is the most important and practical to have at Big Island because in the past, when toilets were destroyed and vandalized, people stopped going there. If there is not a toilet there, you are not encouraging the function of the park. On top of the hill there is an open-air shelter with picnic tables surrounding it and some that are within. There is also a shelter on the island in the form of the Service Center as you enter the island by the boat docks. What they are trying to do as an organization is put a toilet facility out there. Their recommendation is to put the toilet on top of the hill, not behind the Service Center, because then it is closer to the beach area. There are a lot of boaters that use the beach area, and there are no facilities for them. Johnson thanked the Big Island Legacy for their efforts in raising money and asked whether the City should hold off on making a decision and give Big Island Legacy more time to fundraise or whether there is a critical need to make a decision at this time. Walsh stated the $200,000 grant has a 2-year time limit which comes up in March or April 2021, which limits it to this construction season. Mr. Lanpher indicated the City giving some form of approval at tonight's meeting would be helpful, regardless of the direction. There is a huge cost in just the trail components, and a lot of sand and gravel companies in the Twin Cities area have donated to various causes. If they know what is going on with the contract and who the contractor is, they could reach out to contractors and may get donations. Walsh said that if the City picks the bathroom versus the shelter, there are options to put those things together through the 501(c)(3) as well. Johnson asked if Big Island Legacy has to raise twice as much after the City accepts the grant Walsh indicated Johnson was correct. Johnson stated it made sense to give Big Island Legacy as much time as possible to raise every dollar possible because for every dollar raised, the City gets $2 contributed. Walsh said the City information does not get submitted to the DNR until later in the year or April 2021, and the City may be able to come up with that money or maybe even more. They are trying to move forward with what is on the table right now, knowing that construction season is only so long. Edward stated the grant is not limited to what the City awards with the contract. If additional funds become available later on in the summer for the overall project, those could be applied against the grant As an example, they are considering applying up to $40,000 of the Bolton & Menk bill to the grant and Putting $4,000 of in -kind purchases of things that are separate from the contract that still can be applied against the grant, just as long as it is something that the grant envisioned or was part of the package. Crosby asked if the City could go with Action B now and save the picnic tables and shelter for the following year. Walsh said the City could do that any time, even if the City collected the money this year. It gives the 501(c)(3) more options for raising money. If it can be done before next April, the City can get the matching value of whatever is left on the grant that hasn't been able to be matched yet. Page 9 of 25