08-13-2020 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, July 27, 2020 6:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 12 of 21 rowers can't stay and fill up the park and take over the park. They will be tripping over people and people will be in the way of the boats when they are carrying them to and from the building. Mr. Darrell Tamosuinas, 1525 Long Lake Boulevard, said he knows this is very preliminary. He thinks some of the confusion is that there's been a lot of discussion already at the Park Board and other things and many citizens just learned about this. People then feel like they're playing catch-up, and he thinks that is probably what is raising an awful lot of ire or angst. He said it is good that the City Council is getting this input and it sounds like it's a very formal process. He thinks everyone is experiencing and continues to experience change. One of the nice things about Orono is you can still get a feel for the country, you can still get a feel for the nature in this community, and there are a lot of places people can experience that. Sometimes you don't have the opportunity, but in this case, we have the opportunity where we don't need to experience change. Somebody donated the property because they liked the way it was and they wanted to see that in perpetuity. He stated that this proposed project has a much bigger impact. This is being called a public-private partnership, but the LLRC will be using not just the park with whatever disruption that is. He has lived in Orono since 1991 and has used the park considerably over the years with his daughters. It's not something that has to be done because there's been an excessive amount of erosion or whatever. Also, somebody prior to us said, “You don't have to change because I'm going to donate this and this is how you can use it and I'd like to see this go on for lifetimes.” He said he went to Birch's to look at the property and there's some property where the smaller boats are held where some sheds could be put. Although he does not know who owns the land, there could be some alternatives in that area. He said the LLRC would not just be using the park, they would be impacting the entire lake. Resident of 985 Old Long Lake Road, said he is in a big family. He has two brothers who are nine and eight; he has two sisters that are 21 and also eight. He shared some memories that Summit Beach has for him. He had a party there for his 13th birthday with all sorts of activities like football, volleyball, and swimming. It was a super fun time and it felt like they got to do so much in that little bit of time. Secondly, it would be like private rowing. They have met a lot of new people there because of the usage and accessibility, one being his mother's best friend. They met because their father was from Minnesota and the mother was from Spain, and they came back from a vacation and it was so much fun. His two brothers made good friends. Thirdly, the park is a nice place to kick back and relax and enjoy nature. People can pull up a hammock and read a book and relax. Ms. Stachia Fey, 1570 Long Lake Boulevard, said she wrote a letter and received an email from the City. She thinks there's a misconception that everyone got a letter from Julie, whoever she is, because she did not, nor does she think everyone on her street did. She has been a resident for 18 years and is a paddleboarder and carries her paddleboard from across the street all the way down a huge hill to get it down to the lake every time she wants to use it. She feels like taking away that beach is going to take away a part of the soul of Orono. It's part of where her son grew up. There are so many memories she has at the beach. She does not see how a building can go up if the land was donated to the City from the Daytons to use for natural resources. She asked how a building could be built on that land. She found out about the proposed project the night before at 10:00 and did not sleep the whole night because she was so worried. The letter the City received from her was written at 3:00, 4:00, 5:00 in the morning because she did not know about this situation. She said Fithouse has great rowing machines. People can utilize the current community fitness centers the residents already have. The beach is a gem, there is nothing around like it, and she does not think it is fair to residents like her to take it away for 90 people. Resident of 985 Old Long Lake Road, stated that since she came to live in beautiful Orono in 1999, she fell in love with the access to the lake and beach and is blessed to rent a house four houses away from