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Elizabeth Coburn <br />1674 Bollum Lane <br />Long Lake, MN 55356 <br /> <br />July 26, 2020 <br /> <br />Orono City Council <br />2780 Kelley Pkwy <br />Long Lake, MN 55356 <br /> <br />Dear Council Members: <br /> <br />My name is Elizabeth Coburn and I live at 1674 Bollum Lane in Long Lake with my husband, <br />Arthur Jacobson. We write to you today to express our concerns about the Long Lake Rowing <br />Club¶s (LLRC) proposal for Summit Beach Park. We only became aware of this proposal <br />through a neighborhood social media site (Nextdoor) in the past month, and since then have <br />reviewed the various proposals and meeting minutes as well as watched the two park board <br />meetings where the proposals were discussed. <br /> <br />I grew up in Wayzata, and used Summit Beach Park frequently with my family and friends. Two <br />and a half years ago my husband and I moved back to Minnesota with the intention of starting <br />and raising a family. We immediately zeroed in on the Long Lake/Orono area as where we <br />wanted to live. Unlike Wayzata, and to my pleasant surprise, Long Lake/Orono had remained <br />much as I remembered it from growing up - this includes the Summit Beach Park. We¶re avid <br />hikers and cyclists and we have two dogs. It was important to us to live in a place with easy <br />access to open green space, nature and trails. We did purchase a house in Long Lake and <br />since then we¶ve made frequent use of the Luce Line, the Long Lake city trails, Wood Rill and <br />Summit Beach Park. Some of these parks and trails we use on a daily basis all year round. We <br />cherish and deeply appreciate the access to nature that we have here, and we take care of <br />these resources as if they were our own property by cleaning up after ourselves, and others. <br /> <br />We¶ve also considered joining the Long Lake Rowing Club - my husband used to row and I¶ve <br />always wanted to. The LLRC is an asset to the community, and we¶re happy it¶s here. This <br />seems to be the way most people feel. However, we are strongly opposed to their proposal for a <br />facility at Summit Beach Park. It¶s a natural park in a quiet residential area and it shouldn¶t be <br />developed - least of all by a private organization for private use. The LLRC, in their proposals, <br />refer to various elements of their plan as ³improvements´, or the plan as a whole as being an <br />improvement, but we fail to see how placing a 6,000-9,000 square foot building smack dab in <br />the middle of a park - taking down old-growth trees in the process - would be an improvement. It <br />feels like it would have the opposite effect entirely. <br /> <br />Some of those opposed to the plan have referred to Summit Beach as a ³hidden gem´, and we¶d <br />agree with this characterization. We also think it¶s a positive characterization. However, some of <br />1