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