05-12-1997 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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» t W* • W I • ^ .Sex shop moratorium passed in Long LakeBy Laura Ehramjtan A moratorium on adult entertainment was unan- M Aimously passed at the Long Lake City Council meeting, March 4. Immediately effective, it is expected to end in 12 months. The Council felt the morato rium was necessary because it allows them time to study and prepare an adult entertainment ordinance. "Adult entertainment" includes adult bookstores, motion picture, adult movie rental, mas sage parlors, saunas, rap parlor groups and escort services. These and other similar groups operating were considered by the Council to be a possible endan- germent to the morab of the com munity by being sites of prostitu tion, illicit sex, and violent crime. For these reasons, they require close inspection, licensing and regulation. City Attorney Chris Dietzen gave a brief overview of the pro posed ordinance and explained that there arc only two ways to regulate this type of business. Dispersal was one. An adult entertainment business could not locate within 1000 feet of a church or school, for example. Concen tration was the second, meaning that the business would be con fined to only specified, zoning areas. Hb final words of caution on regulating adult entertainment businesses were, 'The city cannot prohibit but only limit them." A tentative go-ahead was given to SuperAmerica for their sign variance request. It, as well as McDonalds, will start building this spring. The two businesses may, respectively, be serving up gas and hamburgers by July. Council approved the sign variance with the qualification that different requirements may need to be met once the new sign ordinance is enacted. As Mayor David Sawyer put it, "I think we arc telling SuperAmerica that conditions arc subject to change." Ground-breaking ceremonies for these new Long Lake businesses arc scheduled for some time in April. Council voted to approve the first siibcommillec a'port from the Highway 12 Design Team with some reservations. Coun- cilmcmber Jim Gulbranson was the first, but not the only coun- cilmember to point out that the Long Lake business community and residents of Virginia Avenue were being left out of the initial meetings and plans. Tlic Highway 12 Design Com mittee's stated objective is to, "deal with the information and data coming and going from the agencies, groups, and individuals that is pertinent to the design phase of the road relocation process." The committee is to assemble this information into documents for the City Council to review. And "review" the Council did, adding instructions to include the business owners and Virginia Avenue residents in the current proceedings. The committee is in the process of scheduling meetings for each affected neighborhood and is accepting applications from resi dents wanting to participate on the Highway 12 Design Commit tee. Charitable gambling profits were popular item at this meeting — who wants them, who diK'sn't, and whether they are legitimate. The Orono Hockey Boosters want to end their gambling operations at Billy's Lighthouse, but the Orono Baseball Association would like to take it over. The Tamarack Senior Center, on the other hand, requested $2,200 from charitable gambling proceeds. After some debate on the proper legal use of the 10% of all charitable gambling profits that must be given to the city, the Council decided to take no chances, nor any action on these requests. The Council did resolve to rec ommend that funding for the Tamarack Senior Center be con tinued through the use of Com munity Development Block Grant Funds and invited one of the center's representatives to address the gambling fund issue at the next city council meeting. April 27,1997 was approved as the date for an Arbor Day cele bration at Nelson Likeside Park. This is one of the requirements if Long Lake decides to be part of the 'Tree City USA Program." "We wish all citizens to cele brate Arbor Day," Sawyer said. Park Commission Chair Fiammetta Zahnd reported that getting the city tree inventory done was their immediate prior ity because of potential Highway 12 and road improvement impacts. During a brief discus sion of the boat landing improve- ments needed, Gulbranson asked, "What benefits does the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) give the city for maintain ing the only boat landing on the lake?" City Administrator joe Lynch replied, "Only their sincere appreciation is what wc get." Efforts are being made to seek something slightly more substan tial from the DNR. In response to an invitation to attend a March school board meeting, Councilmember Mike Bash's reaction was, "I think it's really putting the credibility of their planning at risk to give these short notices."The school board requested someone from the Council to attend their March 6 meeting, "to review possible solutions to our district's facility needs." This was, eviden. y, one of a number of invitations received with very little time to spare. In spite of the general irritation. Sawyer said he would attend the school board meeting, which takes place in the middle school cafeteria at 5 p.m., March 6. IP