02-23-2004 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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r , MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, February 23, 2004 7:00 o'clock p.m. (PARK COMMISSION COMMENTS — Andrew McDermott, Continued) • While Chair McDermott acknowledged that marking the accesses was a big effort for the Commission which they undertook whole heartedly; he stated that it was not the first directive a Council gave a Commission and did not follow thru with. He asked the Council to continue to provide them with direction, pointing out that the Commission would like to work on a master plan for the Lurton property, investigate matching grants for footpaths, and examine the future of bike trails throughout the community. White suggested the Commission investigate partnerships with other communities to further these initiatives. Given the extensive budget cuts over the past few years, Murphy acknowledged that the support for parks has suffered. He admitted that the Council had probably let the park system suffer more often than it should have. PLANNING COMMISSION COMMENTS — David Rahn Rahn indicated that he was available for questions. LMCD REPORT — Debora Halvorson Halvorson thanked the Council for the appointment to the LMCD, commenting that she hoped to • live up to the standard set by Council member McMillan. Halvorson reported that the Hennepin County Water Patrol will continue to be funded 100% by Hennepin County. She stated that a boat density and user attitudes survey will be performed over the summer of 2004. The results of the study will be used for future planning for the lake. She suggested that the city include an article in an upcoming newsletter encouraging people to participate in the surveys when approached. She noted that boat count comparison studies will take place as well. As some people are not aware of the laws as they pertain to renting residential slips, Halvorson suggested an article be written which reviews the basic LMCD codes regarding the lake. Rahn pointed out that two marinas have closed in recent years only to be replaced by accesses which has only reduced the availability of marina slips. McMillan agreed that the City and its residents should support the lake marinas as they provide much needed services to users. Sansevere indicated that he did not oppose residential leasing of boat slips to boost economics for residents. Gaffron pointed out that, while the LMCD allows two slips per lake lot, one of which can be leased in another name, in Orono, you cannot rent a slip for commercial use. In an effort to be pro neighborhood, Gaffron stated that Orono has not allowed rental slips by City code. Murphy asked what the threshold is, or at what point, are there too many boats on the Lake. 0 PAGE 6 of 14