04-27-1981 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Page 25 �layor Van Nest & Council liembers - 2 - Stabilizing the enrollment at the present level or at least r�ducing the rate of decline would be of imm�nse help to us. Without this relief , the quality of the educational program will be adversely affected due to lack of funds and sufficierit numbers of students will not be available to offer a broad curriculum. It i5 our belief that land use p1AIlS developed and Adopted by the City of Orono will , in large part , determine the destit�y of the school district and it is for this reason that we feel compelled ta convey our concerns to you. W'e are not seeking to involve ourselves in the details of city planning. However, our concern for the impact. of your plan on the educational progi•am necessitates our careful revie�v of areas suitablc for future development within the near future. Your Plan states that , while you serve four school districts , Grono School District No. 278 inc2udes more of Orono' s land area than a11 other districts combined and �urther states that most of this district is �vithin Orono' s Rural Service Area where total planned deusity is relatively Io�v. �9e note , however , that the b'letropolitan Urban Service Area (�iUS�) , as prepared by the bietropolit�.n Council , includes a large �art of Orono and contains considerable land suitable for urban development . �ur contacts with both the I�ietropolitan Council and the �Yaste Control Com:mission reveal that there are no aPparent limita�ions to considerably more gro�jrth thaii your plans call for . The `,Setropol itan Council indicates that , for Orono, it is largely a matter of local option . Il Orono wants more growth and actively works toward this objective , there is no reasar. that it cannot take place. The Waste Control Cornr.iission considers Orono "fringe suburban" and feels that plans should be developed which recognize this fact . Specifi�a115�, they have told us that there is ample sewer capacity and no proble� in serving any reasonable urbanization of this area. S�nce most o� Oro_�o lies within the ML�SA bouneiaries, such growth n�ould r.�t constitute "3eap- frog" developMent . S1�e have always viewed the northern part of Orono as the sinale large lar.� area within the district ' s boundaries in which si��ificant growth t��uld occur. The other five cities �vithin the school district ha-Je either reached most of their gro�.vth potential or are outsile the ',1USt'� line. Therefore , ��e must look to Orono to a large extent for the growt� we need. We strongly feel the Orono City Council sho�ald give consilerati�n to the following specific recommenc3ations: 1) Development (urbanization) oP ths liigh�vay �12 corridor adjacent to existin� development in Long Lake and Orono. 2) Increasing the size of the sewer pipe bein�; installed this� summer to allow future industrial and multi-housin� devel.�P- ment in the areas cast of the school .