12-12-2022 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING November 28 2022 6:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 5 of 8 Crosby was sworn back into this office in Orono. Mr. Erickson wants to be clear this does not define him and he did not have any part of this. He played a video on his laptop at the podium. Dave Pearson, 2160 Weber Hills Road, noted he was on the Planning Commission and City Council in Long Lake when they put the fire department together. He stated it was a heck of a fight but he thinks it ended up properly. As a citizen, his concern is that the current City Council is on the road to spend roughly $600,000 on a new fire truck and the hiring of a Fire Chief. The contract with the fire department does not end until 2025 and Mr. Pearson noted they will be spending a lot of money to have their own fire department. Mr. Pearson went to the open house where the Long Lake City Council gave a great presentation regarding the costs and possible solutions to the standoff they have now. Mr. Pearson is here to ask the City Council of Orono to host at least two town halls on the issue of why they need a fire department and what the costs will be to the individual taxpayer. He thinks they owe it to the community to have some say in the project. He stated they have been a community for over 100 years and in Orono going their own direction regarding the fire department, Mr. Pearson worries about the community-aspect with it all being about Orono. He asks the City Council to review the fire district process as it gives Long Lake, Orono, and the surrounding towns a say in the fire department, both administratively and cost-wise. Brian Turbeville, 997 Wildhurst Trail, spoke about the vacation request by Matt Johnson at 1003 Wildhurst Trail. While there was furious opposition from the public at the Planning Commission meeting on November 21, 2022, the system is not set up for questions-and-answers following the public comment. He shared some points presented at the meeting: 1. The Applicant argued that the residents on Wildhurst Trail had previously requested and received vacation on their property and this property had not been asked. Mr. Turbeville said this is a false statement. The vacation has been requested at least two times prior, in 1978 and 2018, and were both denied by the City. 2. The Applicant presented a similar road that ran directly through the house at 997 Wildhurst Trail as a comparable circumstance to vacate the property. Mr. Turbeville stated the roads on the land were vacated on Wildhurst Trail specifically to vacate houses. The Applicant is not requesting development of a house so vacating at this time puts the cart before the horse. 3. The Applicant and committee extensively discussed precedence set with other recently vacated properties. Referencing a letter from the Minnesota DNR dated November 14, 2022, they are opposed as the vacation poses no public benefit or protects present or potential use of the land to access public waterways. Those vacations also did not threaten overdevelopment. This one does and should be reviewed on its own merit. Those properties did not abut to a park and should not be used as precedence in this matter. 4. The Applicant and Planning Commission pointed out that the public currently does not have access to the lake and would have to cross private property to get to the access point. Mr. Turbeville noted an attached survey from 1978 which shows the actual point the channel was dug out to and extends well into the City-owned right-of-way. 5. The Applicant stated for public benefit he was not asking for vacation of the strip of land attached to or running along Wildhurst Trail, and that all other properties up the street had done so and there is no easement there. Mr. Turbeville stated that is misleading; the property was purchased from 999, 997, and 995 Wildhurst Trail to widen and construct Wildhurst Trail. Todd Newcomer, 1070 Old Long Lake Road, would love to see a fire district formed in the area. He has talked to individuals and groups and noted his background is as a firefighter paramedic for just under 30 years, including as a Lieutenant in the fire service and an acting Battalion Chief. He noted it was a combined fire district with 13 cities, 3 counties, covered close to 400 square miles, and it worked very