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Regular City Council Meeting <br /> Monday,November 17, 2014 <br /> Page 4 <br /> Mayor Roe noted, from his discussions and outreach from neighboring mayors, <br /> the need for joint efforts to address this regional problem, and apologized to those <br /> mayors for not following up on the issue. Mayor Roe suggested that the Commis- <br /> sion and/or staff look at the issue further, and suggested some of the partnering <br /> should involve Ramsey County as well. <br /> Community Center <br /> Chair Holt asked for City Council direction on whether or not to pursue this issue <br /> in 2014/2015, as the Commission had kept it on the back burner for a long time, <br /> even though it was part of discussions and the whole process during the Park Re- <br /> newal Program and bonding consideration. Chair Holt advised that limited in- <br /> formation was available, but sought direction from the City Council on whether <br /> they wanted more information or updates on the existing information, or no action <br /> at all by the Commission. <br /> Councilmember McGehee stated that personally, she would say no, because the <br /> opportunity was missed when the bonding and community survey went through; <br /> with the result of six gathering spots or buildings, only supported by 6% of the <br /> residents surveyed, with a considerable amount of public money already spent, <br /> and the decision already made on how it would be spent. Councilmember McGe- <br /> hee stated that she favored a community center first, but the choice was not made <br /> that way. <br /> Chair Holt clarified that the Commission did not consider the gathering places to <br /> serve the same purpose as a community center, with the public's vision consisting <br /> of a much larger structure to serve multiple functions. <br /> Councilmember McGehee opined that the public had not supported upgraded <br /> buildings to replace warming houses, and not six buildings supported by only 6% <br /> of the populace. Until she observed how the Parks Renewal Program buildings <br /> were used and funded for maintenance, she was not interested in pursuing other <br /> buildings. <br /> Councilmember Laliberte opined that it was always good to collect updated in- <br /> formation to assist in ongoing decision making over the short- and long-term, and <br /> supported a limited amount of Commission time to be spent on the issue. Coun- <br /> cilmember Laliberte spoke in support of updated information on the Shoreview <br /> Community Center and recent improvements they undertook and their justifica- <br /> tion of those improvements and associated costs; improvements on the New <br /> Brighton Community Center, if any; and any recent information available from <br /> the City of Maplewood's facility. Councilmember Laliberte expressed her inter- <br /> est in observing how the new Park Renewal Program buildings would be utilized <br /> over the next year, and therefore, thought the earliest need for updated infor- <br /> mation by the City Council would be in 2016. <br />