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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1969-10-09 Resident Letter, Land UseJoseph E. Senn 20 Orono Orchards Road South Wayzata, Minnesota 55391 October S, 1969 Vi 1lage Counci 1 Vi 1 lage of Orono P. 0. Box 66 Crystal Bay, Minnesota To Members of the Council VIIlage of Orono: I am writing this letter on behalf of my mother, Laura Gnitka and my husband, Joseph E. Senn. We are contemplating buying the Peter Krump property located on County Road No. 146 just south of Fox Road. It would be our intention to use the basement for a mother-in-law type apartment and we understand that the Village of Orono prohibits such an arrangement. We are, therefore, requesting that the Council consider granting special sbluii allowing us to create separate living quarters. The house, standing on approximately 11 acres, now contains in its walkout basement, a livingroom with fireplace, bedroom, and bath with a shower. It would be necessary to build a kitchen so the living quarters can be com­ pletely separated from our quarters upstairs By way of background, I offer the following information. Joe and I have been married for nearly 12 1/2 years and have no children. Since July, 1959. we have been buying and living in a home located at 20 Orono Orchards Road South. We are both employed in the Home Office of The Prudential Insur­ ance Company of America and have been for 15 plus years for me and slightly less than 15 years for Joe. •• Vi 1lage Counci I - 2 -October 9i 1969 k In 1959 Joe fell victim to Multiple Sclerosis and until January, 1969, worked on a full-time basis with periodic treatments necessitating hospitalization. From January to April his condition was such that he was able to work only short hours and used a wheelchair because walking was too difficult. Since the end of March he has completely lost the use of his lower extremities and is confined to either a wheelchair or the bed and no longer works. We have managed to keep up the appearance of our property, including a lot of slightly less than one acre, with help from friends and have hired help to assist with the lawn work. Our present home is quite small, though comfortable, until the wheelchair days began. It is becoming increasingly difficult for Joe to navigate in this small home and when winter arrives it will be nearly impos­ sible to get him and the wheelchair to the driveway without extensive work on our property. This is assuming, of course, we will have the typical snowy winter. The Krump property surrounding the house is such that only a small ramp need be built to get in and out of the house. Joe should be able to travel this ramp without assistance, which is necessary in our present home. The house Is roomy inside and will require only minor changes to accommodate a wheelchair-bound person. Our present home cannot be changed to make life easier for us. It had always been our intention to buy property with acreage some­ day and our present needs have brought the someday up to the present time — the Krump property offers what we need. My mother has been a widow since 1956 and has been a resident on Northern Avenue in Navarre since 19^5. She is 53 years old (don't quote me in public) and has been employed at the Navarre Hardware for over 9 years. Vi 1lage Councii - 3 “October 9» 1969 While she Is an independent woman, living alone is not the best situation for her and the thought of living in an apartment, in close proximity to neighbors and with no lawn to look at, has no appeal to her. It is apparent to us all (Mm an only child) that I am in increasing need of help to care for Joe. Mother is an extremely capable person willing to fill this need. A dual purpose would be served with all of us under one roof since we would also be able to combine our efforts to maintain the house and property. It is imperative that completely separate living quarters be in existence under one roof since we share the opinion that it is impossible for two women to work in the same kitchen and maintain peace in the family. There are other aspects to consider before we can purchase the property; however. It appears that first consideration must be given to this Village restriction. would appreciate your placing this request on your Council agenda as soon as possible. Please call or write to notify us the date and time this will be discussed. Also, let us know if it would be possible to get the wheel­ chair into the meeting room. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with Council action and wasn't too certain how much information was needed in this letter. I assumed the members would review this before the meeting and trust this rather wordy letter will help to save valuable meeting time. I'm enclosing, for your convenience, several copies of this letter. Sincerely, Phone Numbers: Joe Senn ^73-6966 Carol Senn 37^“123l+, Extension 515 Laura Gnitka (home) li7l“9271 (work) 1»71"9100 Mrs. Carol L. Senn 1 J