01-26-1998 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE REGULAR ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON JANUARY 26, 1998 ( #16 - Ferndale Road North Project - Continued) is King noted the difficulty with working between two cities. She said the residents would like to see trees saved and the character of the area maintained. These were reasons why people moved here initially, and King would like the road to be as close to what currently exists as possible. She asked if the design of Brown Road at 28' has proved suitable with the road and bike path. Gappa reported that the winter trail maintenance is an issue for the 28' width, which is too narrow for bikers and hikers to bike and walk on. Martin Gardiner, a Plymouth resident, said he asked the City of Plymouth about plowing the trail in the winter months. He was told that Plymouth would plow and pay for the expense. Jabbour informed him that the neighbors had indicated at the public hearing that it is dangerous to ride bikes on the road. Jabbour said the original intent of the City was to repave the road, and that is still an option. He referenced the cost differences for the options and pointed out that North Ferndale Road is not a primary road. Stuart Dietz, a Plymouth resident, asked if the Council has seen the citizen survey. Jabbour informed him that they have seen it and discussed it at the public hearing. Jabbour said the Council has no agenda regarding the road and are only reacting to the requests for repairing the road. Kin g asked what the next step would be after the public hearing in Orono, cost • information gathered, Plymouth notified of Orono's intent, and Plymouth's public hearing. Jabbour reviewed the history of the request for road improvement as it has transpired to date. Staff will bring the information to the City of Plymouth. Gappa indicated that the City of Plymouth wants to schedule another informational meeting and invite representatives of all three cities and meet with the Orono Council. Plymouth will then hold a public assessment hearing and a recommendation will be made. Jabbour said the City of Orono needs to make their position known regarding the road improvement. He asked whether the minimum road width for MSA funding eligibility is 26' or 28'. Kellogg said the State guidelines say 28'. He said cost figures could be calculated for a 26' road, but he did not believe the State would agree to that width. Gappa noted the measurements are metric. He noted the language also refers to the recommendation regarding the speed limit, which he thought could possibly allow for a 26' wide road if the speed limit was 30 mph. Goetten said her understanding is that the City of Plymouth usually builds wider roads. Gappa said their standard road is 32'. Gappa felt the Council needs to make a recommendation and forward it to the City of Plymouth. Jabbour suggested reviewing the City's road standards for subdivision development. • 24