|
MINUTES OF THE
<br /> ORONO PARK COMMISSION
<br /> Monday,March 2nd,2020
<br /> 6:00 o'clock p.m.
<br /> gave the Summit Beach property to the City.He is convinced Mr. Dayton's vision would be to remain a
<br /> natural and public space as much as possible. He does not believe Mr.Dayton would think a private entity
<br /> building and a dock complex as maintaining natural and public spaces. He read a letter from Ron Bowen,
<br /> founder/owner of Prairie Restorations,Inc.,who is familiar with the area. Mr. Bowen indicated it would
<br /> be inappropriate to turn the public space into use for a rowing facility, since it would serve a small
<br /> number of people and would not meet Mr. Dayton's vision. He asked the Commission to seriously
<br /> consider maintaining the area as intended. He does not view it as a case of"Not in my backyard"but
<br /> views it as a sincere desire to maintain an unfettered public space per Bruce Dayton's vision, generosity,
<br /> and foresight.
<br /> Carter arrived at 6:25 p.m.
<br /> Mr.Neil Weber,2280 Watertown Road, Long Lake, stated he and his wife use the park and future trail at
<br /> least once a day. Referencing a plan of the park,he indicated the drainage area for the new construction
<br /> completed is a Torrens piece of property and there is nothing on the property as far as he is aware.The
<br /> proposed boathouse location is abstract property, although he has not found the abstract. He pointed out
<br /> an area that was dedicated as a permanent easement to the City of Orono by the Daytons and today the
<br /> current owners have the easement on the property.He read a portion of the easement that was filed in
<br /> 1980: "No structure shall be constructed, erected or placed upon,above,beneath the land including,
<br /> without limitations,principal or accessory buildings, fireplaces, etc.No trees or shrubs or other vegetation
<br /> shall be destroyed,cut,or removed from that land."He believes the land where the boathouse is and
<br /> previous resort was donated in 1971 and the easement indicates it was originally registered August 17,
<br /> 1972.If Mr. Dayton put that kind of restriction on a 90-foot strip,he believes there would be restrictions
<br /> on the main part of the park,which requires finding the abstract.
<br /> Mr. Weber said he knows there are public-private partnerships.As a former Three Rivers Park
<br /> Commissioner,they encouraged public-private partnerships,but as far as he knows,they never leased
<br /> land to a private entity. They have leased to entities that provide services to the public; in other words,
<br /> facilities that are open to the public within certain hours.He said if the building is owned privately or by
<br /> the 501(c)(3),they lease the land at whatever rate the City determines and they also pay property taxes.
<br /> He named several sailing clubs in the area that pay taxes,most of which ranges from 2'/2-3''A%. He said a
<br /> lot of entities raise money for a facility and then have difficulty keeping it operating. There is also a
<br /> liability issue the City takes on if they lease land to an entity. When he was on the Board,they went
<br /> through the process of creating Lake Minnetonka Regional Park. Regional parks are unique because 20%
<br /> is the maximum that can be developed.Aside from what Mr.Dayton wanted for this park, another
<br /> problem is the vast majority of the area is not very usable because of the drainage circumstances.This is a
<br /> neighborhood park, and the dominant use would be taken up by this particular use.He understands
<br /> increasing the usage of parks; however, it's not just the increased people, it's how it is used. Given the
<br /> setting it's in,especially with the new improvements, it will increase the use of the park the way it is right
<br /> now.
<br /> Mr.Peter Vladimirov, 3236 Pin Oak Road,Medina, stated his family has been boating for 15 years and
<br /> Long Lake is their favorite lake. They are aware of the algae, swimmers,jet skis,other boaters,and
<br /> recognize almost every boat on the lake in addition to the rowers. He stated the row club has been
<br /> successful with their outreach to members within the community,but not outside the community. He does
<br /> not feel that is a fair outreach for the City's consideration. He realizes the City's position is that their
<br /> responsibility ends at the dock and that everything else is DNR,but the City's decision will impact the
<br /> footprint of the lake.He stated that if a rowboat is in the water with their long oars moving at 20 mph, it
<br /> Page 3 of 20
<br />
|