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MINUTES OF THE . <br /> ORONO CITY COUNCII.MEETING " <br /> Monday,Apri18,2013 <br /> 7:00 o'clock p.m. <br /> (S. LAKE MINNETONKA ASSOCIATION(LMA) FUNDING REQUEST, Continued) <br /> McMillan noted they do the areas that are matted. <br /> Lowe stated the LMCD's program for harvesting is for navigation and not for recreation. The LMCD is <br /> not going to harvest in the center of the bay where people boat or canoe. The LMCD harvests along the <br /> shoreline. Lowe commented the amount of harvesting done on Carman Bay would be less than a quarter <br /> of the bay. <br /> Osgood stated the LMCD harvesting program harvests,plus or minus,250 to 300 acres per year in the <br /> whole lake, so it is unlikely they would dedicate a third of that to one bay. As it was pointed out,the <br /> objective of the harvesting program is to facilitate navigation to the open water of the lake or bay. <br /> Lowe noted the LMCD's charter says nothing about harvesting for the recreational use of the bay and is <br /> simply for navigation. As far as public financing the DNR is using public financing for all of their grants <br /> that are going out throughout the state. They have determined that treating milfoil is a public resource. <br /> McMillan noted the DNR also provides for the harvesting. <br /> Lowe noted he does not use Baker Park but that he pays for it. A lake is a public resource. Herbicide <br /> treatment is highly regulated since it is considered public property. <br /> Mary Tucker noted Big Island is difficult to get to due to the milfoil. <br /> McMillan noted Big Island is a permanent resource. <br /> Lowe indicated it is not accessible by anything but boat. Lowe asked what the difference is. <br /> McMillan indicated it is an island park. <br /> Lowe stated their bay is accessible by boat just as Big Island. <br /> McMillan stated buying that piece of land is a permanent resource and has always been in the City's <br /> comprehensive plan to be a park if and when the veterans decided that they no longer wanted to maintain <br /> it. The purchase of the park was not a spontaneous decision by the Council to go in that direction. Big <br /> Island is also a resource for the whole lake community as well. <br /> McMillan indicated she does not want to pit this particular maintenance situation to something as <br /> permanent as Big Island Park and that she does not want to spend time discussing that tonight. The whole <br /> decision to purchase the land was to create a park, but it also allowed the veterans to sell their property <br /> and have access to it. In addition to creating a 57-acre park,the veterans have public access to it and the <br /> funds were placed into trust from which they gain income. Orono's citizens have been very,very <br /> generous to the lake community and also to the veterans by providing an income stream for future <br /> projects in the state. McMillan stated Big Island is a separate item. <br /> Lowe stated Orono is in the minority when they call a lake a private resource and that Carman Bay is a <br /> public resource. <br /> Page 6 of 21 <br />