05-24-2004 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, May 24, 2004 7:00 o'clock p.m. • PUBLIC COMMENTS, Continued Moorse stated that staff was in the process of reviewing an amendment to the 5 acre versus 2 acre zoning requirement, which would be forwarded to the Planning Commission for consideration, and then on to City Council for final approval. While he felt the Ordinance to be useful, Murphy stated that the City Council had discussed this item during its recent work session and recommended that consideration be given to lot size. He pointed out that the Timms were also encouraged to look at alternative accesses and where the truck sits on the property. He asked staff whether the Timms would be forced to do anything until an amendment could be made. Barrett stated that the City Council could impose a moratorium on the statute if they were faced with a decision to enforce the statute. Moorse stated that, if the City receives a complaint, it would follow a formal complaint process, which oftentimes takes a month or more. This should be enough time to allow a review of the Ordinance to occur and resolution to be made. A.J. Chaunard, 1975 Central Avenue, Long Lake, stated that, as an employee of First Student Bus Company, he was concerned by the numbers of people speeding, ignoring the bus arm, and even passing the bus on the shoulder on his route within Orono. He indicated that many of the drivers are concerned about this, and the fact that many of the bus stop signs posted on Orono roadways are not visible to motorists due to overgrowth or fading. He recommended that many of the signs • be replaced, or at minimum trimming to unveil them. On a separate matter, Mr. Chaunard stated that he had placed a 911 call over a month earlier and was told he would be contacted by an Orono police officer. He maintained that he never received the follow -up phone call he was promised and demanded to know where the failure occurred. He was concerned that other emergencies might be overlooked and felt he had done his part making the initial call, but a lack of follow - through might also have serious consequences. • Gappa stated that the overgrowth of foliage is handled on a City by City basis. He added that South Brown Road and County Road 15 are county roads and under their jurisdiction for signage and overgrowth. Chaunard stated that he had already made contact with the Long Lake Council, who had also indicated that he needed to visit the affected cities. He requested that the Orono City staff contact the County on behalf of he and other drivers concerned by these matters. On the other matter, Mayor Peterson stated that she could not answer why Mr. Chaunard did not get a response from his 911 call. She directed staff to get his contact information, investigate the allegations, and report back to Mr. Chaunard, as well as the City Council. Page 3 of 8