02-14-2022 City Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday,February 14,2022 6:00 o'clock p.m. committee,specific actions that would be in the best interest of Orono citizens are as follows: citizens should be allowed to sit in and listen to the proceedings,the date of the meetings be properly noticed so citizens can attend, and minutes and attendance of the meetings be taken so it can be recorded for the citizens.Ms.Winston noted they have outlined the requests in a signed letter and ask for an official response before any meetings are held.Again,due to the large public interest in this tabled application, they would like the City to handle this in a very transparent and professional manner. She passed the letter to City Staff for the record. Barbara Schmidt,50 Landmark Drive shared to the citizens of Orono:after researching passive versus active parks,she found that passive parks(those with natural resources including trees,water,and open green spaces)add real value to residential properties.Dozens of studies show that anywhere from single- digit to double-digit increases in actual property values happen near passive parks. Generally the more trees in a park,the more value is added to the residential property. That means hundreds,and perhaps thousands of Orono residents have increased property value because of the passive parks in their neighborhood.This is according to the National Park and Recreation Association,the University of Washington,and the University of Wisconsin,among others.Ms. Schmidt added what takes away real property value is noise,traffic,and loss of privacy.This means the park plans the City of Orono is proposing are going to reduce property values in neighborhoods.Whether one lives right next to a park or within a mile radius,traffic,noise,and lack of privacy will most likely affect the property value. Why would the Orono City Council be willing to financially hurt their tax base?This question has bothered Ms. Schmidt and she stated it should bother others,too.Apparently taking public land and giving it to private interest has more to do with the City Council's gain,not the residents. Something else caught Ms. Schmidt's attention,Councilmember Victoria Seals called Orono residents entitled and then corrected herself to say"lucky"instead. If residents are entitled,Ms. Seals,then why do they need more niche activities in their highly-valued passive parks?Rowing and mountain biking are two of the least-diverse or accessible to the average citizen.According to current demographics and approximate team membership,less than half of 1%of Orono residents row and less than half of 1%of Orono residents team mountain bike. So why is the City of Orono taking away their collective property values by millions of dollars for the benefit of just a few individuals,some of whom are not even Orono residents?The numbers just don't add up. She is asking the City of Orono and the Park Commission to stop developing the natural parks and devaluing their properties. For more information,Ms. Schmidt shared the website https://www.standupforpropertyrightsbigwoodswetlands.org. Elizabeth Weir, 765 Bridgewater Drive,noted her concern with Summit Beach Park is the will with which it was donated to the City and to the people of Orono. She read a letter from Louis B. Oberhauser, Mr.Dayton's attorney.Ms. Weir read the final paragraph of the letter: the City of Orono accepted the deed to this property as park property per the recommendations of the Park Commission.Mr. Dayton's desire and purpose of this contribution was to keep this property from being developed with structures that would destroy its natural beauty and have it used in the future as an open space beach for his neighbors. Ms. Weir stated they know in hearing from the family that Mr.Dayton's will was to keep this natural and undeveloped. She is not clear of the status from the LLRC but noted it seems to be tabled and has not gone away. Ms.Weir stated what is legal is one thing(she believes the deeds have no restrictions on them)and what is proper and moral is another thing. She asks the LLRC and the City Council to take that into consideration going forward. Page 3 of 6