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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, January 28, 2013 7:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 6 of 11 (5. WILLOW DRIVE PRELIMINARY DESIGN UPDATE, Continued) Currently there is access off of Willow Drive into Otten Brothers. As the area continues to develop and traffic increases, the possibility of moving the existing access on Willow Drive to the north to line up with Kelley Parkway have been discussed. As it exists now, there are safety concerns due to traffic conflicts that exist with left turning traffic to Kelley Parkway and left turning traffic to Otten Brothers. Based on preliminary discussions, it appears that the property owner is willing to discuss the possibility of this change but is concerned that it may have a negative impact on the internal circulation of traffic on his property. Since it is anticipated that the safety concerns related to the existing location of the access will only increase as the surrounding area continues to develop, City Staff would like direction form the Council to determine if the proposed access change should be pursued as part of the Willow Drive reconstruction project. Staff would recommend that Option 3 be selected because it allows for the necessary widening of the road with the best balance between wetland and tree impacts. Levang indicated she is in favor of Option 3 and that the road is obviously in poor shape and needs improvements. Levang commented she appreciate the efforts taken by Staff to understand the concerns of the neighbors. Martini stated shifting the centerline to the west will not be very discernible, and then as you get to the north and approach CR6, it will be transitioned back to where the centerline lines up currently. Struve noted some of the options show some impacts to trees located in the right-of-way but that Staff feels Option 3 balances the tree removal a little more. Martini noted the main area impacted with the trees would be the area around the north and south legs of Dickey Lane. Anderson indicated she also is in favor of Option 3 and that she is in agreement the culverts need to be improved. Printup stated Option 3 is fine. Printup asked what the City will be looking at as far as maintenance costs. Struve noted maintenance costs will go up as you add more bituminous since there will need to be periodic seal coating and mill and overlaying. Struve stated in his view those costs will be relatively small but that there will be some additional costs over gravel. Printup commented he is okay with the road remaining gravel because there is a trail located right next to it that pedestrians and bicyclists can use. Bremer noted that bicyclists are supposed to be using the roadway rather than the trail. Gaffron indicated the trail is a pedestrian trail. Martini stated a somewhat wider shoulder could be provided for the bicyclists. Item #03 - CC Agenda - 02/11/2013 Approval of Council Minutes 01/28/2013 [Page 6 of 11]