05-11-1998 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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COO'^ MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL AND PARK COM^M^I4I4 ^996 JOINT WORK SESSION HELD MAY 4,1998 CfTV OF Onc.\u ROLL I. Members present: Mayor Gabriel Jabbour and Councilmembers J. Diann Goetten, Dick Flint, Charles Kelley and Barbara Peterson; Park Commission Chair Andrew McDermott and Park Commission Members Irene Silber, Peter Welles, Jim White and Sherokee Use; City Administrator Ron Moorse and Public Services Director Greg Gappa Members absent: Park Commission Members Susan Wilson and Van Erickson Mayor Jabbour opened the meeting by indicating that everyone is here because they all care for Orono. He indicated it is important that everyone work as a team. The members of the Park Commission need to work together as a team, and the Park Commission and City Council need to work together as a team. Three of the Councilmembers have served on the Park Commission, including Councilmember Flint who served as Chair. Mayor Jabbour indicated Councilmember Flint has shared with him that he never realized the full implications of the decisions made at the Park Commission level until he became a member of the City Council. Mayor Jabbour indicated the Council very much appreciates the dedicated efforts of the Park Commission, but would like the Park Commission to make a 10 degree mid-course correction to be more in sync with the priorities and direction of the Council. The Park Commission should regularly review with the Council plans and proposals related to trails and other park issues. One area in which it is important the Council and Park Commission are moving in the same direction is the area of trails in relation to the Highway 12 corridor. The Council does not want the issue of trails to drive the Highway 12 corridor design process. Mayor Jabbour indicated the Council has changed its philosophy regarding parks and park planning to give higher priority to parkland acquisition. This should also be the top priority of the Park Commission. Mayor Jabbour indicated it is O.K. to have disagreements bet\veen the Park Commission and the City Council, especially if the Park Commission has been working on an issue for a long time and has developed a greater level of expertise than the Council. However, the disagreements need to be addressed in a straightforward manner so that the Council can be educated about an issue by the Park Commission, and so that the Council can explain to the Park Commission its reasoning behind its position. Mayor Jabbour indicated the way the trail issue related to the Anderson (Carpenter property) subdivision was handled was distasteful to him. Although the Council's decision regarding a trail on the Carpenter property did not determine the location of the trail to the north on Old Cry'stal Bay Road, one family was convinced that if the Council did not designate a trail on the Carpenter property, the trail would go through their home. This caused the trail issue to overshadow all other issues during discussion of the subdivision at two different Council meetings.