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MINUTES OF THE <br />ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION <br />Tuesday, February 16, 2021 <br />6:00 o'clock p.m. <br />setback which the Applicant has agreed to resolve. Plans for the deck should be reconfigured prior to <br />City Council review so that it does not encroach into the 75 -foot setback. <br />Ressler asked what the elevation of the proposed deck is. <br />Curtis replied it will come off the main floor of the rambler home; she does not know the actual height but <br />showed a drawing on screen of the home and proposed deck. <br />Ressler thinks it is about 7.5 feet. <br />Edward Caldwell, 746 Tonkawa Road, approached the podium and said he has been an Orono resident for <br />29 years. He said the property was in disrepair when they bought it 29 years ago and they have made vast <br />improvements to the house and the outside grounds. He noted they love living in Orono, and his wife is <br />somewhat incapacitated due to medical reasons. Mr. Caldwell has been a caregiver for his wife for <br />almost 3 years; his oldest daughter Angie came with him tonight and he has four daughters who all went <br />to Orono High School. When the Orono Activity Center went in, his family purchased a brick that was <br />sold to help finance the project which read "The Caldwell Family — Spartans Forever" and it showed <br />Angie '84, Amy '85, Aundie '87, and Anne '92. His oldest daughter Angie was the first member of the <br />girl's golf team in 1984 to be chosen to go to State. <br />Mr. Caldwell's daughter Angie said from her perspective, her parents live on the lake and the family goes <br />there for dinners and the kids come when everybody is in town. The reason they are trying to enlarge the <br />deck a couple of feet is because the Caldwell's have a small table and if everyone is seated around the <br />glass table on the porch, one cannot get through the walkway to get down the stairs. It is such a small <br />little area so they are hoping to add a couple more feet and noted her sister did the plans for it, so it is a <br />more livable deck. Angie noted it is in such disrepair right now that something has to be done as it is not <br />safe and needs to be improved to make it functional for her parents. They love sitting out there and it is a <br />great view. <br />Mr. Caldwell said his second daughter Amy is a Vice President for the Architecture Division of Hy -Vee <br />and did the plans. <br />Gettman asked if right now the deck depth is around 11 feet and the proposed deck is around 13. <br />The Applicant replied yes. <br />Gettman asked if they have looked at potentially moving the deck so the square footage would potentially <br />allow for the table to go to the right. They would then have the ability to not have to navigate around the <br />table to go to the stairs. <br />The Applicant said it is on the right. <br />Gettman noted he was flipping it and clarified to the left. <br />Angie stated the doorway that comes out of the house is on the left and the grill is right in front of it next <br />to the railing. When her father comes out to cook on the grill, he walks right out the door and it is a <br />permanent grill which is hardwired so they could not put the table there. Frankly anywhere they put it <br />along that area, it is still not wide enough to get around it. She said another thing that may need to be <br />Page 2 of 38 <br />