Laserfiche WebLink
MINUTES OF THE <br />ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING <br />Monday, April 27, 2009 <br />7:00 o’clock p.m. <br />______________________________________________________________________________ <br /> <br />PAGE 14 <br />(12. DISCUSSION REGARDING BIG ISLAND REGULATIONS, Continued) <br /> <br />tonight’s discussion, it appears the main issues relate to the larger groups visiting the island off of <br />the Minnehaha and not having bathroom facilities. <br /> <br />McMillan noted there are safety lanes for the boats now. <br /> <br />Jabbour commented he had thought it would be a good idea to have a person on shore to help <br />guide the people over the island and to make sure that they make it back to the boat on time. <br />They also discussed the option of leaving a smaller boat out there to transport anyone who might <br />miss the Minnehaha. Jabbour indicated another issue is the safety of the people visiting the island <br />and that in the event of a storm, people will need to be transported back. Jabbour noted one <br />person did die in the harbor during a storm. Another option for limiting the number of people <br />visiting the island would be to have the Minnehaha limit the number of tickets it sells. <br /> <br />Franchot indicated he does not agree with all of the concerns raised by Jabbour but that he does <br />understand the concerns relating to safety of the larger groups visiting the island. <br /> <br />Jabbour stated his concerns relate to his past experiences. <br /> <br />Franchot asked what Jabbour would recommend the Council consider for the island. <br /> <br />Jabbour stated Big Island is an inhabited oasis and that unfortunately people visiting the island <br />could become obtrusive. Jabbour stated in his view all cruise boats should be allowed to visit the <br />island if they are acting as a ferry but not all large groups should be allowed on the island for an <br />extended period of time if they are on a recreational outing as part of a company event. Jabbour <br />stated he would like to see shorter visits to the island. <br /> <br />Murphy stated he sent a long memorandum to the committee after they met outlining the issues <br />and his concerns and that the City needs to determine what its long term vision is for Big Island. <br />Murphy stated he is not sure of a way to shorten the time period that a group would be on the <br />island. Murphy stated unfortunately the committee is forced to speculate what could possibly <br />happen and that they may not know how things will go until they start having people on the <br />island. <br /> <br />McMillan stated there needs to be contingency plans for the people on the island. <br /> <br />Murphy stated they have instituted a safety plan in the event someone goes overboard, if the boat <br />stops in the middle of the lake and other possible emergencies, but that there is always the <br />possibility something unexpected will happen. <br /> <br />Police Chief Farniok pointed out the groups that would visit Big Island via the Minnehaha are <br />probably not going to be teenagers and that in his opinion, based on the length of time they would <br />be on the island, there should be some bathroom facilities available, benches to sit on, and a <br />contingency plan to get people off the island in the event of an emergency. <br /> <br />Jabbour noted the cruise boats are profit driven and that they charge a certain amount per hour. <br />The cruise boats are not interested in parking at the island for a number of hours. <br /> <br />Item #02 - CC Agenda - 05/11/09 <br />Council Minutes 04/27/09 [Page 14 of 18]