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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, October 26, 2009 7:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 5 of 11 (4. DAKOTA RAIL TRAIL PARKING – THREE RIVERS PARK DISTRICT, Continued) station in Mound. Downtown Wayzata is also another location accessed by the trail users and there is limited parking in that area. In addition, St. Bonifacious also experiences a large number of people that access the trail. Three Rivers is interested in looking at something that will accommodate the neighbors and the users, and the task force hopes to bring a recommendation to their board for their consideration. Mayor White commented he was unaware of the offer by Three Rivers to create six parking spaces, but that unfortunately does not appear to be adequate given the heavier then anticipated use of the trail. Carlson stated they did identify a number of locations that were presented to the City of Spring Park, which included property within Spring Park and Orono. That option never proceeded forward due to the change on the Spring Park Council. Three Rivers is willing to share the information with Orono. Mayor White requested that Carlson address the situation in Orono. White recommended that Three Rivers speak with Hennepin County as well as the residents to resolve this issue. Carlson stated Three Rivers will immediately pursue that. Given the unexpected numbers that they are seeing using the trail, they are proposing some additional improvements that are occurring on the trail, including a pedestrian trail across Highway 7, and that through continued conversation with the Three Rivers Board and the communities, he does not feel that the board resolution will be a hindrance to resolving the parking situation. Gaffron illustrated the area of the town homes, the Navarre fire station, the Hennepin County Public Works site, and the city boundaries. One of the areas being discussed in the residential area is an oddity in that the City’s portion of Northern Avenue is located within the 100-foot railroad corridor and that it does not make sense to have parking along that area. The area near the Hennepin County Public Works site may be a possibility but has some topography issues. White noted the area near the fire station has an access to the trail but contains some low topography, which could possibly be improved in some fashion to allow for some parking. Meyer pointed out an area that is pretty level and would provide fairly good access. Murphy asked what philosophy Three Rivers is looking at in terms of proximity to the trail and whether they are interested in parking adjacent to the area or further away. Carlson stated people tend to not like to park a distance away from the park and that they have identified over the years that the closer they can put the parking area near the trail and businesses, the more ideal it is. Some of the locations are more designed for people who are familiar with the area and that they need a combination of larger parking lots complemented with smaller lots. Sarah Wyatt asked what type of support the City has from the commercial area at County Roads 15 and 19 to utilize the parking lot in that area. White noted that is a city-owned lot and at times is nearly full but that he has noticed in the past that people do utilize that lot to park when accessing the trail. Carlson commented that additional signage would be necessary to denote that as an access to the trail. Item #02 - CC Agenda - 11/09/09 Approve Council Minutes 11/26/09 [Page 5 of 11]