10-14-1996 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE REGULAR ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON OCTOBER 14, 1996 (Corridor Selection for Hwy 12 Upgrade - Continued) 0 Jabbour said relocation will be a task to work through once the go ahead has been given for the project. He sees less impact but noted it was the job and obligation of the Council to see that solutions are found. Bordson asked, assuming the plan was voted in and assuming Long Lake voted against the proposal, whether Orono's vote would weaken Long Lake's position. Callahan responded that if Long Lake should vote no regarding Alternative 6, Mn/DOT would adopt some attitude but Orono would try to keep the corridor as close to the current corridor as possible. He noted the circumstances may be different if the vote is different. Callahan commented that it has taken years to make the decision and years for the project to go forward. Mn/DOT's intention at this time is to go ahead with Alternative 6. Chris O'Connor, 2525 Woodhaven Drive, Long Lake, urged the Council to vote no. He would like to keep the highway where it is now located, which he feels has the least impact on the most people. If the highway is lowered to where the railroad bed is located, O'Connor asked if the current highway could be lowered at Willow Drive and Old Crystal Bay Road. Callahan said he felt that could be done and could also be a workable solution. O'Connor asked the Council to work with the current corridor and make improvements there. Paul Roligate of Long Lake, an engineer, commented on a remark made earlier regarding • the feasibility of projects noting everything is not feasible. He encouraged the Councils and State Representative to ask the citizens what they want and to let the citizens know what can be done. He asked that the issue be placed on the election ballot. He asked for less governmental authority and more citizen input. He also asked that information be sent via mailings noting the issue affects the lives of people. Mr. Jenney informed the Council that he is a representative of the current corridor coalition and is directly impacted by the proposal. He is concerned that the Council is not listening to the people. He noted 34 homes were impacted and others within 400' of the corridor. He asked to meet individually with Council members to discuss the issues. Jenney asked for dialogue in order to explain their position. He asked that the Council delay their vote for now but to make it soon. Jenney said he met with Goetten and Jabbour. Although it was a good meeting, no conclusions were made. Jenney said both sides learned during the meeting with some adversarial points. He said he did not receive a return call from Callahan. Jenney said he did not feel he was fully heard. He reported that he felt his meeting with Kelley was ineffective and was informed by Kelley that he had enough information. Jenney said the number of homes affected according to Kelley was off 300 %. • 14