07-11-2022 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, June 27, 2022 6:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 8 of 11 running away from what is coming at him. Mr. Jabbour would like to talk about the Fire Department issue noting when he was involved with the City one of the most distasteful things was to be accused of being up to no good with Long Lake. He sat next to a former Mayor when the City of Orono tried to stick it to Long Lake and Mr. Jabbour offered to pay all their legal fees. The most important part is their behavior to the sister City of Long Lake and Mr. Jabbour believes they are burning the City down and taking them into the sewage. He does not think this is going to go away. Tim Hultmann, 280 Lakeview Avenue, Long Lake, is a former Mayor, former Planning Commissioner, and former City Councilman. He noted the Mayor was not here to see him a couple weeks ago and the Mayor is probably not a good representative for the City of Orono. Mr. Hultmann cannot say the bad words he would like to say and stated in Long Lake people get to come speak right after the agendas but for as much deflection as possible, Orono put other people up front tonight. He noted the Mayor running out is probably the most cowardly thing he has ever seen from a person representing a City. He feels sorry for Mr. Walsh. Mayor Walsh replied he feels sorry Mr. Hultmann. Mr. Hultmann hopes the people of Orono are smart enough to not re-elect Mr. Walsh. Mayor Walsh asked if anyone else, any other clowns, wished to come forward tonight. Barbara Schmidt, 50 Landmark Drive, will not take any questions or comment due to the pending mayor lawsuit, 27CB217769, in case anyone would like to look it up. Sadly City of Orono employees were sent to Bederwood Park big woods to blow off topsoil and cut down hundreds of seedling trees and native plants on June 23, 2022. When asked to stop they said no. Why? Because the City of Orono is not listening to 95% of the citizens who do not want their parks developed for niche activities. Instead the City installing an unsafe public mountain bike course that one of the Orono Westonka team coaches said would be up to the parents to monitor in a June 7, 2021 Park Commission work session. Ms. Schmidt read a statement from the Director of the University of Minnesota Center for Forest Ecology, Lee Frelich, who is the foremost expert on big woods and has documented that Bederwood is big woods: “Regarding your question about blowing leaves and cutting native plants: both are damaging by exposing the soil to erosion over a longer part of the growing season. The leaf litter would normally take until July to be eaten by earthworms so if they are removed earlier it would lengthen the time during which the soil is exposed. The plants will have a major setback from being cut, exhausting their energy supply, and the root system to grow foliage which is harder to do after the canopy is leafed out and there is little light available. If they are cut repeatedly they could die further exposing the soil both due to lack of above ground leaves, intercepting rainfall, and reducing the speed with which it hits the soil, and of course the lack of roots holding soil in place. There are other issues reducing native plant cover such as disrupting the plant pollinator network and reducing habitat quality for nesting birds and other wildlife species.” Jay Nygard, 1386 Rest Point Road, approached the podium and stood without speaking. Kendall Nygard, 1386 Rest Point Road and 5658 Judith Road Bokeelia, FL, stated her husband is a veteran and she thanked Councilmember Printup because he has recognized veterans. She noted Mr. Nygard gave his life, potentially, to be able to stand up here and be in silent protest to Mr. Weasel Walsh who everybody thinks is a weasel. She noted he calls the residents clowns for being up here. She asked who is the clown? She sees item 10 coming up here and she better get a hell of a lot more than three