06-01-2020 Park Commission Packet

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday, March 2nd, 2020 6:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 6 of 20 after dark. The park is known as the “Secret Beach” for a lot of secret reasons for the teenage crowd, and it is not just hammocking. She wanted to bring a different perspective: someone who chose not to buy a house in the neighborhood because of the park. Ms. Mimi Bendickson, 5500 Anderson Estates Road, Independence, said she grew up in the community and used to ride her horse down to swim in Long Lake. She was also part of the rowing club when it started and had two children involved. She said she thought it was neat that everyone could come together to voice their thoughts, their hopes, and their dreams for the amazing resource they have in their backyard. She stated the rowing club is transparent, folks are from the community, and they are focused on benefiting everyone such as 85-year-olds. It is the only club in the western suburbs so it meets the goal of a park reaching out to others. She thinks the City has a perfect partner with the rowing club because she knows the character behind the people. It was not an easy club to get going and they had to meet with two communities to prove themselves, and she feels they have proven themselves over and over again in doing the right thing and listening. She thinks there is an opportunity for people to come together to create something special which encompasses everything and keeps an environmentally sound use of the lake. She said she is a realtor and sensitive to what these proposals mean to everyone. When looking at real estate evaluations, marinas are difficult for people, but values are high for sailing clubs because it is beautiful, there are set hours, there is no partying, so it is a completely different feel. She noted this is a sport that respects the environment and encourages a continued conversation. Chair Roath closed the public hearing at 7:10 p.m. Klaahsen said she thought all the docks would be on the grassy part by the building and asked why there is a need for a dock right by the beach. Mr. Burrell said they can be flexible but thought if they come out of the boathouse and go through where it says “Summit Beach Park” and around to avoid the beach, it might be a place to have the launch dock. Hudson asked Mr. Burrell to comment on plans/lack of plans regarding public access to the amenities that are already available at the beach and if they have any plans for the actual beach itself. Mr. Burrell said to his knowledge they do not. They are encouraging people to use the park for whatever they want to use it for. They will not be using the beach in terms of launching boats/boats coming in. He mentioned some of the junior rowers may want to hang out at the beach after practice or rowing activities. Hudson asked Mr. Burrell to explain why they are no longer working with Birch’s. Mr. Burrell stated Birch’s has been an amazing partner, but in their view the partnership is not long-term nor ideal in terms of wear-and-tear on their equipment, which sits outside in the elements from late April until late October. Despite their best efforts to keep everything safe, people slip every season on the hill. At some point they need to get their equipment inside, and if the building is open all year, it is a big part of getting more people in the community involved in rowing in the off-season and offering community education. The fire station has limited room and limited hours available. They appreciate the access they have, but they can’t have any more than that. Roath indicated he heard two completely opposing thoughts regarding the possibility of coexisting at the park. He has read a lot of comments about privatizing the park and the beach and people not being able to use it versus Mr. Burrell saying it basically is not a big deal, they are only there a little bit of time. He