07-11-1994 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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/ 'JUL^ 7 1994 July 5, 1994 s I Mayor Ed Callahan and Orono City Council Members City of Orono Post OfTice Box 66 Crystal Bay, MN 55323 Dear Mayor Callahan and Council Members. Congratulations on your cohesive role in representing the citizens of Orono at the Highway 12 Mediation Meeting recently. Together, you clearly articulated mutual concerns and suggested a number of action steps that could lead to a more meaningful outcome. Unfortunately, your ideas to improve the cuneitf process were not acted on during the meeting. Specifically, we support your suggestion to meet with Long Lake officials in a smaller group setting without MNDOT represematives unless specifically requested. The purpose of these meetings would be to augment the more formal mediation meetings. Doing so would allow the two cities to focus on discussing various plans from a conununity perspective, rather than hearing presentations from MNDOT or their consultants. While the latter is valuable, it seems there is a great deal of interest among both councils to talk with each other. The mediation meetings - and the mediator - are not allowing this to occur. We encourage you to worit directly with Long Lake officials apart from the mediated meetings. Clearly, there are shared goals that could foster more consensus between the two cities on th>s important issue. We also hope you will consider meeting without MNDOT representatives and a mediator. Perhaps, through your leadership, the two cities can develop a plan together that presents a cohesive, community-wide response to MNDOT. Without such a plan of our own, we wiU be forced into someone else’s plan that will, undoubtedly, adversely affect both Orono and Long Lake. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help you. Cordially. Ci'- c Ann C(Mgrovc, Gail Bollis, Sandee-Smith