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MINUTES OF THE <br />ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING <br />Monday, January 11, 2021 <br />6:00 o’clock p.m. <br />_____________________________________________________________________________________ <br /> <br />Page 8 of 11 <br /> <br />Seals wondered that, also, if there are really problems or not. <br />Johnson thinks in a dozen they have done, there was one that needed some correction. <br />Olson said ironically, he was told it was the very first one. <br />Walsh noted there will always be hiccups or glitches that they must solve and at least they are relatively <br />easy to solve and getting through the process helped them figure things out. He said as they were speaking <br />of restaurants being open, he went to Redstone which is near his office in Maple Grove and the waitress <br />said he was the first person to sit at the bar and order in three months and noted it was nice to see someone <br />eating at the bar. Walsh reported it was great to eat somewhere other than his desk. <br />CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT <br />15. UPDATE ON PURCHASE OF PROPERTY ON OLD CRYSTAL BAY ROAD <br />Walsh noted the City owns it and he wants to talk about the second phase. He wants to get organized with <br />Edwards to get whatever they need to get done and get the bids to bring sewer and water out there. He said <br />at that point they would have marketable land no matter what happens; when they approve the bids the next <br />step will be to get some architectural services to design a general building framework to find out where <br />they stand. Obviously Public Works needs to do something and that is either now or when this Council is <br />gone but something needs to be done either way. <br />Printup asked if there is any action they need to take. <br />Walsh said no, this is just telling them to get whatever they need drawn up so they can go get the bids. <br />Olson does not know if they caught it in the memo, but Barnhart has contacted the Met Council and Orono <br />will need to do a Comprehensive Plan amendment because that parcel is not within the Metropolitan Urban <br />Services Area (MUSA). <br />Johnson stated they will need to rezone that. <br />Olson said they may need to rezone it and Barnhart was going to check, as it appears that there may be an <br />exception for public buildings under current zoning. <br />Walsh said they could change it to “institutional,” noting they added that in the last Comprehensive Plan. <br />Olson noted that would also make sense if they put sewer and water out there and have a marketable lot no <br />matter what. Then the zoning would fit for that. <br />16. AUTHORIZATION TO ACCEPT DONATION OF DENNIS WALSH AND RICHARD F. <br />CROSBY II <br />Walsh clarified this was in lieu of the City forgiving former City Administrator Dustin Rief of his $3,500 <br />in moving expenses. Walsh and Crosby decided they would like to pitch in for that as they thought it was <br />the right thing to do for Rief’s years of service in Orono; especially knowing that Rief had family issues <br />come up and he must uproot his family and move back to Nebraska. <br />Walsh moved, Crosby seconded, to accept the donation of Dennis Walsh and Richard F. Crosby II <br />in lieu of Dustin Rief’s reimbursement of moving expenses to the City. VOTE: Ayes 5, Nays 0.