09-14-2020 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION Monday, August 17, 2020 6:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 4 of 7 the project. He stated any time power lines can be buried it eliminates power outages and he thinks anybody in Orono would also appreciate that. Ms. Burwell said she was having a conversation with the City Engineer after the horrible fire on Lake Minnetonka on the Davis property. She said she’s lived there for over thirty years and she wondered where her fire hydrant is, noting that the closest water station is the Minnetonka Beach Water Tower, and she asked if there were considerations in any of the new developments or houses within Orono for fire protection. She noted she’s okay with the lake in the summer but it’s not very good in the wintertime. Barnhart answered that they are not proposing to put new City water through this subdivision, all of the lots would be served by wells, so there is not a proposal for fire hydrants at this time. Ms. Burwell stated she’s asking the question not just on the Jacobs property, but also on her property in Green Trees and how Orono as a City services the problems of fire, noting the Fire Department was having problems getting the fire out on Lake Minnetonka. She noted it is a different question than what they’re talking about regarding the proposal but she’s adding the fire question regarding her own property, the Jacobs, Green Trees and surrounding areas. Ressler noted Barnhart could probably answer more to that as he’s more knowledgeable of that fire in Wayzata that was a big mess and a big disaster and it would be good to have fire hydrants whenever you can. However, he thinks those are usually tapped in when there is City water. To answer Ms. Burwell’s question on how it relates to her, if she were going to do a subdivision of her property -- Ms. Burwell said she’s not asking from a subdivision standpoint, she’s just asking as a homeowner, noting she was unaware until recently that when Southways was taken down, there was a cauldron of water for fire protection, and she doesn’t have that. She stated it’s an entirely different subject but she’s bringing it up as the City is building new homes. Ressler said just like City sewer and City hook-ups, all those things have costs, and he would assume that the homeowners can elect to tap into City water and pay to have a fire hydrant installed and asked Barnhart if that is correct. Barnhart answered yes, he thinks Ms. Burrell’s question is a larger one in terms of what service the City provides, noting there are pages of information on the decisions that have been made over time. He said it’s probably best for him to defer that to the City Engineer and the City Council, because it is a policy question for the Council and the City Engineer will say you can do whatever you want as long as you’re willing to pay for it. At this stage, Barnhart’s understanding is the City has provided water to certain areas of the community, not the entire community. Ms. Burwell again said she says it as a citizen and there is certainly a need and as a homeowner, especially if you’re building from the ground up, to be brought aware of what the City will do for fire. Up until now she hasn’t given it a single thought because they have a great Fire Department and said she has met with the Fire Department. Ressler noted it was a good question and the Commission sometimes talks about how the fire trucks turn around in cul-de-sacs, but sometimes it gets lost just relying on code about how to get the water to the fire trucks.