05-24-2021 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, May 10, 2021 6:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 13 of 34 14. LA21-000017 – JOSEPH & SARA THULL, 480 BIG ISLAND, PERMIT FOR DOCK ON CITY RIGHT-OF-WAY (BAY PLACE) – UPDATE – Continued a taxi, or asking for a ride. Many people on the island spend time walking in the park district picking up toilet paper, condoms, and broken bottles. She thinks putting an unmanned dock in Party Bay where there is not a cabin - as there is for the Deggendorfs - invites people to come there unless the City puts a beautiful paved path to the new facilities being built there. Right now people do not even need a dock, they just go to shore and do their business and she does not think that is a great idea. Ms. Backes advocates for the one-to-one and spreading it out. She also focuses on the environmental impacts to the wetlands of increased traffic. If someone needs to get from one end of the island to the other, they will not walk but use motorized vehicles. That area between Jud’s and Farnes’ property is a low spot which gets full of water, mud, and there is not a way to commute when that happens; people then go through the other neighbors’ property. Ms. Backes thinks putting the docks closest to where the property is so there is less traffic and disturbing of nature. Big Island is quiet and peaceful and she hopes this gets resolved and there is not conflict and a battle. Judson Champlin said there is no requirement that people get a dock, they just need reasonable access, so he does not know that the Council has to worry about getting all 17 interior lots a dock. Many of the proposals are a zero-sum situation where someone is losing and someone is winning. It is usually being taken from the exterior owners and being given to the interior owners. He is a free-market guy when he can be and loved the solution of an easement being granted and he guarantees there are easements available, it is just that the price is too high right now. That should not be a reason for the City to come in and give people docks. One suggestion was to allow renting of the dock, and the Council did make one exception for the easement and he would encourage doing something similar solely for people to access their interior lot property. That way it is a win-win. Another solution would be some type of long-term lease on a patch of property that someone could put a dock on. Ted Hanna, 490 Big Island, owns the property right next to the Thull’s. He does not think himself, Joe, or Sara wants to ruin anybody’s life. He has lived next to areas that are public property and in the long-run it does not really hurt so much. Proximity to the property would be good if they will be asked to remove the docks; this is part of the reason why they poo-pooed Cruiser’s Cove. Mr. Hanna thinks there will be relatively low usage as most of his usage has been in the winter cross-country skiing. If he ever had a dock he is not sure how many times he would go out there but it would be super fun to have it, a safe place to put the boat rather than pulling it up on shore. He appreciates the Council’s effort in trying to work things out here and noted the property owners are not trying to get something for nothing here, they are just trying to get to the land short of buying an amphibious car. He does not want to take anything away from the existing home owners but is curious about the future. He and the Thull’s would be good stewards of things if they were given the chance out on the island. Mr. Thull shared that proximity to their lot would be more advantageous than so many feet away in Cruiser’s Cove. He asked the Council to consider that if they are required to remove the dock which will be a bit of a challenge. He appreciates the residents being open-minded in this process, as well. Walsh closed the conversation to bring things to the Council for discussion.