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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, February 22, 2010 7:00 o’clock p.m. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Page 17 of 19 (4. #10-3442 THE EMILY PROGRAM, 2180 NORTH SHORE DRIVE, Continued) Franchot indicated he is in agreement with the comments of Council Member Bremer. Franchot asked whether the applicant is in agreement with the 13 draft conditions contained in Staff‟s report. Dr. Miller stated he did read one version of the conditions but does not have the final version in front of him. Dr. Miller indicated he did sit in on the discussions with Staff regarding the conditions. Franchot stated if The Emily Program changes dramatically or leaves, the City may have a situation on their hands that they did not expect, which has happened on other sites in the City. Franchot noted he does like the IUP concept but that he is not sure how that would affect this application. Franchot stated in his view the concerns of the neighborhood can be addressed in a fair way and that it would be good to have the mayor here as part of the discussion. McMillan thanked the audience members for attending tonight‟s meeting and doing as much research as they have done. McMillan stated in her view residential treatment programs need to work in a community and they need to be properly situated in a community so the community will embrace it and not feel it is an imposition on them. McMillan indicated she does have concerns that a large number of the residents feel this would be an imposition and that she is very, very cognizant of the residential neighborhood character that the residents would like to preserve. McMillan commented that residential programs can be a win/win situation when they are appropriately located and that she does have some real concerns about the location. McMillan stated in her opinion the Emily Program is a wonderful program. Acting Mayor Murphy shared his experiences with a treatment program 32 years ago and how fortunate he felt that there were people willing to help others overcome their problems. Murphy stated when this process started two weeks ago, he hoped at that time that the residents would become educated on this program and be able to sort out fact from fiction. Murphy stated in his opinion the residents of Orono are attempting to do that but that he does not know whether anybody can answer some of the hypothetical questions that have been raised as part of this process. Murphy noted he did speak with the fire chief in Orono three times regarding this application and that following those conversations he firmly believes this structure will comply with every fire code in the state of Minnesota or it will not be allowed. The fire chief indicated the response time to this location would be less than three minutes, which is one of the better response times in Hennepin County. Murphy stated in his view there are answers for many of the issues raised. Murphy stated in his view the City of Orono does not have much choice but to table this application for the reasons previously mentioned and concurred that it is important to have the mayor in attendance. Murphy indicated the City of Orono does need additional time to sit down with the applicant and work through many of these issues and attempt to finalize the list of 13 conditions. Murphy stated it would not be fair to the applicant to deny the application tonight without further discussion and that he would like to sit down as a group and try to arrive at some good conclusion. Murphy stated he personally feels The Emily Program at this location would be a wonderful addition to the community and that he does not believe the fears expressed by the neighbors will materialize. Item #02 - CC Agenda - 03/08/2010 Approval of Council Minutes 02/22/2010 [Page 17 of 19]