06-25-07 Minutes for Approval - Laserfiche WebLink

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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—MAY 29, 2007 2 Jennie Michels, 3436 Siems Court, indicated she was speaking on behalf of the Lake Johanna • Improvement Society. She stated on March 15 she had written a letter to the City asking for City funds to help with the Goose Removal Program and had received a response from the City that wild animal control was the residents' responsibility, unless the wild animal posed a public safety threat. She noted she had started this program in 1996 due to health concerns. She stated since the program's inception they have successfully removed 612 geese from the area and the water quality and surrounding areas have dramatically improved. She stated the City of Arden Hills had generously supported the program every year since 1996 and they were asking the City to reconsider their position. Duane Sheaser, 1926 Todd Drive, stated he was concerned about the impact the Highway 10/96 roads improvement would have on their park. Chris Lustig, 1901 Todd Drive, stated she also had the same concerns as the previous speaker. She asked why the decision was made that the road needed to go west of Highway 10 instead of it going east of Highway 10 where there was no development. She asked Council to consider the park residents concerns. She noted most of the people in the park could not afford other housing. She indicated letting Scherer Bros. stay while destroying their homes and The Big 10 was not an acceptable solution. Cheryl Fish, 2059 Todd Drive, asked if it would be more equitable to move Scherer Bros. rather than impact their homes. • Daniel Wilson, 1878 Todd Drive, asked if the road would go through the park. Mayor Harpstead replied it would go along the eastern edge of the park, but would not go through the park. Gerald Haack, 2047 Todd Drive, stated Arden Manor did not just consist of young couples raising families, but also retirees. She stated there was not a lot of affordable housing for retirees and this was affordable housing. She asked the City to take this into consideration before they tossed the residents aside. She noted there was plenty of land on the east side of Highway 10 that could be used for this project. Pat Haik, Briarknoll Circle, stated he disagreed this was an "improvement". He agreed with the previous speakers and he failed to see why this was an improvement when it inconvenienced the current residents of Arden Hills and he believed it should be the Council's priority to deal fairly with the current residents and not the future residents. He asked why the City was so adamant about pursing this change. He did not see the need for this upheaval. He noted the intersection was perfectly functional and it provided a break in the traffic. He stated the City needed to stand up for their current residents and not remove the light. He noted it would also limit the resident's access to the system. He indicated with this proposal there would be a minimum of three to four stoplights, and he did not see this being an improvement. •