06-08-1998 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING i MINUTES FOR JUNE 8,1998 ( 92) Saga Hill Park Access Information Meeting - continued 2. Use the existing 10' wide alleyway to create a pedestrian access or a one -way in/out access to a parking lot. The only advantage would be the use of an existing right -of- way. A disadvantage is that the access runs through the middle of the Church property and the Valek property and makes both properties less useable. The 10' width limits what could be done within the easement. The estimate for a 10' wide bituminous trail /driveway along this easement is $30,000. 3. Reconfigure the easement on the Church property so that access would be along the east property line instead of through the middle of the Church property. Some advantages are that the Church property would be more useable without an easement running through the middle, and access would be less expensive than using the Garden Lane right -of -way. Disadvantages are the cost of constructing a public roadway and constructing a new parking lot. The cost of the roadway would be approximately $30,000. 4. Expand the existing Church parking lot to accommodate the uses of the park area and • construct a pedestrian trail into the park in a location with the least impact on the Church property. The advantages are that a trail would be constructed rather than a roadway, and a parking lot would not be constructed on park property. The disadvantages are that the Church parking lot is a significant distance from the park, and expanding the Church parking lot would impact the useability of the Church property. Flint asked about another option which would be to acquire the Church property. Jabbour responded that he had asked staff to omit this option until further discussions with the Church take place. Jabbour asked for comments from the neighborhood. Chuck Boehm, 997 Wildhurst Trail, questioned how many people would really use the park since there is already a large area of open space, and why the City wants to spend more money on the park. He felt the area should be left as natural as it is. He also asked how the City would direct people to find the park. Jabbour responded that Orono is served by four school districts. The City has been working on providing amenities for areas served by the Orono school district. The City has the responsibility to provide services to children in the other school districts as well. Two areas currently being considered for parks are in the Saga Hill area and near the Dairy Queen in Navarre. The vision for Saga Hill is that it would be a neighborhood park with some active area. The park is owned by the • City of Orono for use by all residents. 3