04-25-2016 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, April 25, 2016 7:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 16 of 22 15. BIRCHES MN SPRING RIDE EVENT – HENNEPIN COUNTY WATER PATROL (continued) Pann stated he would also ask that the Water Patrol be on site in case there are any issues. Pann indicated he totally agrees with having some medical personnel there. Pann requested the Orono City Council vote against this request. Marty Schneider stated he serves on the Long Lake City Council and was one of the Council Members who did vote against this. Schneider stated his concern was more logistical and that the revised proposed was not offered as an alternative to the Long Lake City Council. Schneider stated he is passionate about serving his local community and that one of the observations he made at the time is that it is local in that it is being hosted by Birches. The business that is sponsoring it is Marine Max out of Rogers and the charity is out of Rochester. Schneider stated when he looks at this type of event, he looks at the local presence. Schneider stated when they talk about the environment, Long Lake welcomes any type of boating activity that is legal, but that he does not think the community has to go that extra step to host or promote events. One of the things that comes up on the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District Task Force time and time again is best practices. Best practices is not just about eliminating something or banning something but it is ensuring that best practices are followed. Schneider stated by having an event like this, from an environmental standpoint, it does not add up to best practices. Long Lake is a small, distressed lake, and anything people can do, even in a small way, to eliminate that pressure is important for Long Lake and the community. Walsh stated he resides on Lake Minnetonka on West Arm, which is only a mile across and a relatively quiet bay, and the waves pound on the shore. Walsh stated in looking at the pictures of the riprap, it appears to be pretty minor and the waves will erode that away. Walsh stated he is concerned just in general about the erosion and the waves. Walsh stated his other concern relates to not having some type of police force out there to monitor the event. Walsh stated this will have a party atmosphere and there needs to be some type of patrol out there. Walsh stated he is not sure how to alleviate the wave part given how small Long Lake is. Cornick stated his only concern is the safety and that he would throw his support towards this event because he does not want to undermine what the City of Long Lake has done to approve it. Levang stated it is a difficult decision because the Long Lake City Council has approved it, but that she does have several hesitancies. Levang noted Mr. Pann talked about a clean boat and making sure that all the boats are clean, which is also a concern. Another concern is emergency personnel. Levang stated it is very fortunate that they have not had any difficulties in the past but that it just takes one to have a catastrophic event happen. Levang stated in her view moving to the center of the lake would be important as well and that they should stay as far away from the shoreline as possible to protect the neighbors. Levang noted she does not live on the lake and does not know what it would be like to be worried about her shoreline eroding, but that what happens over these two days is some pretty intensive use.