04-10-2023 City Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING April 10,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. all together, and then certainly facilitate the Parks Commission, as they do any further outreach they would like to do. Seals said if we delayed this by a month or two,it doesn't really change much. What does it hurt?That was kind of what the Parks Commission asked me to bring up is that they're already starting to do it. Benson asked if the motion could be amended to allow for engagement or a public listening session prior to approval. Johnson said the Council was just being asked to approve funding for the Master Plan and not really direct the timeline. I don't think we need to get too deep into telling them(the Park Commission)what to do,how to do it. I think from our standpoint,we're just approving the expenditure. Walsh said it would be good guidance,just not as a part of the motion.It's probably better to have more information earlier rather than later. Just to Matt's point,the minute we start doing a motion to say,you have to do this, and it's a particular timeframe and it changes,you've got to come all the way back to Council to change that. Edwards said going forward with the Master Plan would not preclude any of that. If this does keep progressing,and you do want to go into some kind of design activity in 2024, we need to be done with this part sometime in 2023,so we can inform those budgetary decisions and be going out for grants and things like that. Benson asked about next steps and the Parks Commission subcommittees. Edwards said the City would let Bolton and Menk know that we now have an agreement with them and have them work with the Parks Commission subcommittee, a standing subcommittee that's been working for about three years. Issues are discussed at the subcommittee level and at Parks work sessions and meetings. Benson said it sounds like there's been a lot of engagement and it's been piecemeal, so there needs to be a time for people to come and gather and really give feedback in one place.But that piece should be coming on the front end. I would question why this landed here if Parks wanted to engage first. Lemons said he and the Parks chair have had many conversations about timing for when the City can have that meeting with the surrounding neighborhood and that is on their agenda.We're not moving into a design phase without having talked to that neighborhood first. Seals said the Commission should get something scheduled and possibly also take advantage of a planned Fire Department pancake breakfast as a place where people would be gathered near Hackberry Park.As long as we take that feedback into the plans,I'm good with it. Edwards said he wanted to clarify that Bolton and Menk would not be coming up with the plan.The City uses their landscape architect team to take the ideas that the Parks Commission and the staff are providing Page 3 of 8