09-11-2023 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING August 28, 2023 6:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 6 of 15 thinks the Council needs to have the conversation about how the City is going to deal with people who are improving City land. If there are erosion issues residents should contact the City and say fix your erosion issues, he said. Walsh said he agrees with the idea of marking City property and easements and the City has been working on that, but hasn’t gotten to everything yet. He said he does not have a problem with people mowing those areas but the City can’t permit putting in improvements. Edwards said staff could bring to Council a report on lake access points for pedestrians. He said there are about 55 accesses. At least a third have no recreational value and are only used for utility easements, fire lanes or drainage. Parks has completed a recent project to mark 20 of these points that are used for recreation. In some cases, the property owners are required to maintain rights-of-way. Mowing, planting flowers or planting prairie grasses could be considered part of maintaining. The City has drawn a strict line on structures like retaining walls, dock sections or new buildings. It was suggested by Council members that the different kinds of easements could be marked in different ways. Johnson moved, Crosby seconded, to approve 4075 Highwood Road Encroachment Agreement as shown in Exhibit A. VOTE: Ayes 5, Nays 0. PARKS REPORT 16. APPROVAL OF HACKBERRY PARK MASTER PLAN Park Director Josh Lemons said the title of Hackberry Master Plan has caused some confusion and what is really being proposed at this time is a concept drawing which is liable to change. There are some things the City knows need to happen at this park, he said. In February, 2023, staff presented a recommendation to the Park Commission to begin the masterplan process. The City had been waiting for the home in the middle of the park to be demolished, he said. The Park Commission voted unanimously to make the recommendation to City Council. The Hackberry sub-committee hosted two separate listening sessions for the surrounding neighborhood and also met with some of the sports associations that use the park. That process is ongoing to gather useful information to help direct any future improvements. The sub- committee and staff worked with Bolton & Menk to develop a masterplan concept for the park, he said. The masterplan addresses the major issues that have been known for quite some time. Poor drainage has made the fields unusable during wet years and has also led to turf loss. Parking is another major need for the site, he said, explaining currently cars park straight in off of Willow Drive making it unsafe for vehicles when backing out onto a busy road. The masterplan would create a large parking lot which would provide a much safer experience for users of the park. The trees in the park are also stressed by four wet years followed by four years of drought. Staff is seeking approval of the concept plan in order to pursue additional funding sources for the project, continue community engagement, and to eventually move into a design phase, Lemons said. Walsh explained the City needs to approve a concept in order to pursue grants and design. The actual plan would still have to come before the Park Commission and the City Council. Jim Dillman, 225 Willow Drive, said the neighborhood had kind of panicked thinking the Council was approving a Master Plan tonight when there is another listening meeting set for Wednesday. He said he feels what is needed is to restore and preserve what is there. He gave some history on the park. For nearly 50 years Hackberry has been a park for younger kids, he said. He agreed parking is a problem but it’s not