03-23-2010 Council Work Session Minutes

Home Browse Search

Orono City Council Committee of the Whole March 23, 2010, 6:30 p.m. Orono City Council Chambers Present: Mayor Jim White, Council Members Cynthia Bremer, Doug Franchot, Lili McMillan and Jim Murphy; Assistant City Administrator for Long-Term Strategy Mike Gaffron, Finance Director Ron Olson, Public Works Supervisor Scott Oberaigner, City Engineer Tom Kellogg and City Clerk Lin Vee 1. Long Lake Fire Department Update • James Van Ey�l, Long Lake Fire Chief, introduced Dave Nalls, Station Captain at Station 1. • Van Eyll reviewed the 2009 annual Long Lake Fire Department report that was distributed to Council. • It was noted that a very small portion of Orono is served with fire hydrants, with only 1200 water customers throughout Orono. • The ATV is used for grass fires, on the trail systems, and to help someone who might be difficult to reach. • The Hoovercraft has been sold. • Mutual aid calls are up considerably—some due to training and equipment in the department. • Response times have gone down—average is under 6 minutes. Officer is on duty which helps reduce response time and coordinate with police response. • Goals for 2010 include: o Update Standard Operating Procedures(SOP) o Recruit o Start a preplan program and submit to dispatch o Create Special Events position within department 0 100 year celebration committee o Equipment and Officer training o Training with Mutual Aid partners • Long Lake Fire Department received recognition and plaque for their involvement in Tour de Tonka bike race. Major complaint is that bikers don't follow traffic rules. Volunteers are not responsible for stopping traffic,just directing riders. • Van Eyll commented on the relief pension plan, working relationships with the Orono Police Department and morale in the Fire Department. • Van Eyll stated a survey crew is working on the back lot and asked about status of the proposed project by the fire station. The Fire Department has some concerns about limiting use of the back parking lot as the Fire Department uses it for training and parking for the pancake breakfast. Access and signage will also need to be addressed. The Fire Department is anticipating that the proposed housing would provide a few additional firefighters. 2. Comp Plan Discussion • Gaffron distributed a draft press release and notice to be sent to property owners. • Gaffron reviewed a summary of the proposed changes in the Comp Plan. • The intent of"mixed use" is to be able to designate some commercial properties that could also become residential, but residential properties are not intended to become commercial. • Met Council was pleased with the proposed changes. Most changes reflect back to reguiding and creating additional categories of land use that allow for areas of higher density calculations. • White requested that Long Lake zoning be added to Orono's map for comparison after the plan is approved. Gaffron indicated the addition could be done relatively easily. • Housing plan section was updated to match what has been discussed. • Transportation section includes revised tables. Traffic volume projections for County Road 15 are going down from 3 or 4 years ago based on Hennepin County data. Downtown Long Lake traffic count is projected at 16,000 which has decreased from previous projections because of the Highway 12 bypass. Page 1 of 2