02-24-2003 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, February 24, 2003 • 7:00 o'clock p.m. MAYOR/CITY COUNCIL REPORT, Continued McDermott stated that, since the last strategic plan, new things have continued to pop up over time, making it difficult to prioritize certain elements of the plan by a timeline. It was agreed almost ten years ago to perform the park surveys every ten years, and McDermott pointed out that some of the parks did have revisit dates attached, like Bederwood which was to be redone in 2012, however, now may need to be revisited sooner than anticipated. Murphy asked when this plan was reviewed last. McDermott indicated the plan was due to be reviewed every few years during work sessions. As a relative newcomer, Murphy observed that these were contentious times between the Park Commission and City Council. He believed it to be high time to hold a joint work session, and suggested they happen more often, in an effort to share ideas and eliminate the opinion he had heard that the Park Commission had become its own fiefdom. McDermott reiterated that it is the Council that decides things and gives the Commission direction, the Commission then carries the initiatives forward, like the ice rink, and then is nothing happens. Sansevere expressed his frustration that the Commission continually asks for money. McDermott pointed out that they are the only group that needs money to replace park equipment etc. He maintained that, City Councils of past, had not done their part to improve the parks, therefore, unfortunately, most of the repairs have fallen upon this Council. He reiterated that past repairs and replacements were put off far too long, and that the Commission has been charged with trying to play catch up with things that were not addressed. Sansevere repeated that the Council has no desire to ignore a safety issue, like the treated wood problem, and is willing to take steps to find the money when a dangerous situation exists. Murphy believed the Council and Commission should be provided with a framework to work from at the work session, containing some review of where they've been, what the past strategy has been, the successes /failures, and something to work towards in order to avoid any additional finger pointing. White asked that staff have Moorse create such a document. • While Sansevere wished to make this work session a priority, he would be unable to attend if the meeting were held at the April 7, 2003 Park Commission meeting. PAGE 7 of 11