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Regular City Council Meeting Monday,August 08, 2011 Page 11 Ms. LaPalm noted that she lived on County Road C-2, that it was her yard; and with their active family she asked that the City's Parks and Recreation Depart- ment consider, if any state aid funds went toward County Road C-2, consider turning the vacated right-of-way on County Road C-2 into a dog park or a new play area for families in the immediate area. Ms. LaPalm respectfully asked that the focus not only be on the motorized traffic portion of the report that may over- shadow the safety issue. Mr. Chris LaPalm, 2891 Merrill Street Mr. LaPalm opined that County Road C-2 between Merrill and Griggs was "not ready for prime time" and noted his delivery by e-mail to the City Council of a video showing the actual and realistic dangers at the intersection of Merrill and County Road C-2 with a blind approach from both the east and west; and visibili- ty of oncoming traffic unavailable unless you were at the top of the hill. Mr. La- Palm opined that this created a huge safety issue, especially at their driveway due to the grade of the hill. Mr. LaPalm asked that the City Council take that into consideration when making their decision. Morgan Kempton, 2891 Merrill Street(13 year old daughter—8th grader) Ms. Kempton, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. LaPalm, expressed her personal concern regarding potentially opening County Road C-2, particularly her concern for the safety of her brother and sisters and others in the neighborhood. Ms. Kempton commented on her personal review of the traffic study and potential traffic around her home if County Road C-2 were opened; preventing her brother and sisters from playing outside safely; as well as concerns for those walking or walking their dogs in the area. With school starting soon, Ms. Kempton noted that there would be more walkers and more school buses; and if County Road C-2 were opened, she questioned how traffic changes would impact County Road C-2 and how long the construction period would be that would also impact motorized traf- fic. Ms. Kempton advised that she didn't want to walk around a lot of construc- tion work for a long time. Ms. Kempton advised that she and her family really appreciated their peaceful neighborhood and had many friends in the neighbor- hood that were like their extended family. Ms. Kempton asked that the City Council consider the viewpoints of someone her age, wanting to make a differ- ence in her community, and believing that County Road C-2 should remain closed. Dennis Dietzel,2954 Hamline Avenue As an avid biker and pedestrian along both County Road C-2 and Josephine Road, opined that, in all fairness, the perception that this was a broader community issue didn't necessarily ring true. While appreciating both routes for walking, and the amenity of County Road C-2's quiet access into the neighborhood around Griggs and Merrill, Mr. Dietzel opined that the neighborhood would be significantly changed if County Road C-2 was opened, and that it would impact the neighbor- hood negatively. Mr. Dietzel further opined that he didn't feel limited in his op-