07-27-2020 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday,July 27,2020 6:00 o'clock p.m. mind, making sure it doesn't invade the beach, and that there's improvements and that everyone can use it. The conversation was started but there are no details yet because nothing has been decided. Even with the details,that's when the decision comes. She feels like that is where the community alignment comes in and there's discussion. Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't, but there has to be a discussion. Johnson said the City Council always needs to consider some public-private partnerships that are going to enhance some of the resources that are there. What the Council heard is the residents did not feel like they were being informed of what was going on,there's probably some fear that this is going to get railroaded through and people that are affected the most weren't in the know. He stated he is relatively new to government; and the truth is, if there were good communications processes in place, especially those nearby residents,this would not occur without them knowing. There is going to be a lot more time for residents to be publicly involved and steering the future. He said there is no reason in his mind to say the City Council should stop it right now. People should bring up ideas. It doesn't mean they make it all the way through,but the City is open to ideas about how to better utilize it, and the City does not want to take away the privilege that somebody already has. There has to be a way to balance the two. He asked if there was some sort of condition in which the City accepted the property as a donation that included a provision that stated that there can be no development. Seals said that would come up if it went to the Planning Commission because it came up with Big Island. Johnson stated some people were making a reference to it so it helps to understand everything. He said the proposed project has his support to find something that is workable for the City as a whole and for their organization. Seals indicated that if there is an easement like Big Island has, it tells the City exactly what they can and cannot do. It would not be a bad idea to figure that out earlier than later. Walsh said the City spent a lot of brain power over the years on the East Long Lake Road project. It is not falling on deaf ears to make sure the City does well thought-out projects. He knows there are a lot of people that didn't want that project,they loved that cut-through,but the road was falling to the lake and environmentally it wasn't really a good idea. After a lot of input,the Council said it was the best thing for Orono, and it was a great project. He stated at a Park Commission meeting they discussed all the additional improvements at Summit Beach like playgrounds, benches, etc. Things are not happening in a vacuum and they are not happening in a one-week time. It's a constant process and evolving over a period of time. It is good to hear everybody's thoughts and processes,but he thinks public-private partnerships have pretty much made all of their parks champion; and if common ground can be found for everybody, there should be some dialogue continuing forward. If there is an easement that says it can't be done,that ends the conversation right there. Crosby said he agreed with the previous City Council Members that there should be a conversation moving forward,get public input, but do things in a respectful manner. Rief stated he will look at some sort of framework to value the park as it is today and what the new vision for the park could be and its value then.He said Staff could help establish that. Walsh said it would be more information and he hoped there could be more dialogue in the future. He thanked everyone for coming. Page 15 of 21