02-27-2012 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, February 27, 2012 7:00 o'clock p.m. PLANNING DEPARTMENT REPORT 5. NAVARRE COMMUNITY INITIATIVE UPDATE Mike Gaffron stated a core group of Navarre residents and business owners have formed a committee to explore and provide input to the City Council regarding potential improvements to the Navarre area. The group of volunteers has chosen to name themselves the Navarre Community Initiative Coordinating Committee, and has provided Staff with a draft mission and goals statement. Staff has met with members of the committee to discuss initial steps and establish procedures for coordination of efforts. Gaffron indicated he will be acting as the City's liaison to the committee and that Staff would recommend the name of the group be called the Navarre Community Initiative. The intent of the Initiative is to enhance Navarre's quality of life with special emphasis on public safety, beautification and preservation. The immediate goal is to begin defining short-term and long -term projects and enlisting the support of a variety of community partners to assist in their implementation, potentially including residents, businesses, government at multiple levels, non - profits, and other organizations. In order for the City- Committee partnership to be effective and efficient, a few basic procedural guidelines should be adopted. The Mayor has suggested that all Committee- Council contacts come through the staff liaison. It would be preferable that committee communication at council meetings be via a listed agenda item with informational materials distributed in the Friday packet rather than brought forth through the public comments section of the agenda. Gaffron noted the City has no intent to define how • the committee operates, who its members are, how often it meets, etc., but would offer to have the staff liaison attend meetings as requested by the committee, and Staff will provide assistance in any way possible. The committee members have begun brainstorming on what specific projects might be pursued, and it is the City Council's goal to identify and implement at least one project toward improvements of Navarre during 2012. In Staff's early discussions with the committee, it became clear that an important first step in this process is to gain a better understanding of the Navarre business community's vision for the future. Jeanne Englund initiated a communication effort in November which gleaned a few ideas. In order to obtain a more comprehensive response, Staff and the committee are proposing to send as letter and questionnaire to the Navarre businesses soliciting their thoughts and ideas, as well as their level of interest in helping make change happen. It is Staff's intent to send out the letters the week of February 27th. Gaffron noted the Council has received a variety of communications from Committee Member Ralph Kempf regarding initiatives he has been pursuing perhaps somewhat independently of the Committee. For efficiency and the ability to more effectively channel City resources, it may be appropriate to encourage that these pursuits become part of the Committee's activity. As it relates to the proposal for plantings along the water plant fence to screen the building from public view and enhance the appearance of the fence, the Public Works Department and Police staff has expressed a concern regarding security and the need for visibility of the water plant from the street. The American Water Works Association has provided Guidelines for the Physical Security of Water Utilities which specifically indicates that clear zones should be maintained along the building and along fence lines. Staff is not supportive of planting vegetation that would eliminate these clear zones. • Page 5 of 17