02-24-2014 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, February 24, 2014 7:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 10 of 14 (MAYOR/COUNCIL REPORT, Continued) Loftus indicated her understanding is that there are no state restrictions on development besides the erection of new billboards along the designated route. Loftus stated the group also tried to address what would happen if one of the 14 cities was not supportive of the byway. Loftus indicated her understanding is that the project would not go forward if all 14 cities do not support it. One of the options that could be considered if all of the cities are not supportive of the byway is that those cities could take a more passive approach in attracting visitors. McMillan asked if there was any concern expressed regarding the number of signs that may need to be erected. Levang indicated there was not outside of the billboards. Levang stated the billboards can only be located in commercial areas. Levang stated there are a number of scenic byways located in Minnesota and they all vary. Levang stated in her view one of the biggest issues was the rationale for why a byway should be created. The proposed byway was presented as a collective effort that would unify the lake experience and that each area could be showcased at a different time of the year, which would help draw visitors to the general area. McMillan commented when she thinks of a scenic bypass, she envisions a quiet, rural road where you can pull over and view the area. McMillan noted County Road 15 would not offer that type of setting given the amount of traffic. Printup asked if there is a beginning and end point to the project or whether a definitive route was even discussed. Levang stated the group did not get into that much detail at this point. The proposal has made its way to the Minnesota Scenic Byways Committee at this point and is currently sitting there. Levang noted what was discussed is not the final plan but merely an idea at this point. The representatives at the meeting were not formally asked to state how each city feels about the proposal and the intent of the meeting was to simply encourage the representatives to go back to their respective cities to talk about it. Levang indicated she will provide the City Council with a packet of information to review and that eventually each city, along with Hennepin County, will be asked whether they want to formally participate in the project. Levang commented she would be interested in hearing what costs would be associated with the project. Gaffron noted there are a number of county and some city roads designated as scenic parkways in the City’s Comprehensive Plan. McMillan reported last Thursday the West Metro Drug Task Force held their recap meeting outlining their successes over the past year. The Drug Task involves police departments from West Hennepin, Medina, and Orono. McMillan stated Orono’s Police Chief will be presenting that information to the Council in the near future.