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sighting city ordinances that limit boat storage and outbuildings on <br />lakeshore property. Residential properties on the lake are completely out <br />of our price range, and as a nonprofit, taking on that kind of debt would be <br />fiscally irresponsible. <br /> <br />Some of our goals for a permanent home include: <br />1) To enhance our community outreach and invite the community into our <br />programming. <br />2) Safe and secure storage of our rowing equipment <br />3) Create a facility that could be used for indoor training. <br />4) Continue to be a valuable resource to the greater Orono & Long Lake <br />Communities <br />5) To continue to build leadership among our youth and adult rowers <br />through involvement with our community. <br /> <br />We took the feedback we received from the Park Commission and City <br />Council on what other elements LLRC could include for the greater <br />community as part of this project. During these public meetings, a number <br />of residents indicated a desire to help LLRC find alternative locations to <br />Summit Park and to work with us to brainstorm other options. Lots of <br />people said, “We don’t like this project but we definitely support Long Lake <br />Rowing,” and “We have thought about rowing with them,” or “We want our <br />kids to row someday.” We were very encouraged by this because it <br />indicated to us that the community is invested in keeping us on Long <br />Lake. This is important to us because some people in this room have <br />made it their mission to vilify and discredit us in the last few months. Our <br />board, our leadership, our rowers, and our families take our role as a <br />community organization very seriously. And at the end of the day, we still <br />were only asking what was possible and we were encouraged by the city to <br />go through the process to find out. We invited members of the community <br />to join us to brainstorm alternatives and encouraged anyone who felt <br />strongly about it to reach out to me personally or through the LLRC <br />website. We were encouraged by multiple promises from residents, like this <br />one: “the community isn’t against the LLRC. I would be happy to support <br />and attend meetings so the community can better understand what the <br />current hardships are for the LLRC to find solutions that are in the <br />communities and the LLRC's interest. I am 100% committing to you that I <br />help you find that solution that meets the LLRCs needs of finding <br />a “permanent” home here in Orono.” Despite all of these promises of <br />engagement, we received no helpful support.