2014-12-02_PR Comm Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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DRAFT Regular City Council Meeting Monday, November 17, 2014 Page 4 1 Mayor Roe noted, from his discussions and outreach with neighboring mayors, 2 the need for joint efforts to address this regional problem, and apologized for not 3 following up on the issue. Mayor Roe suggested that the Commission and/or staff 4 look at the issue further, and suggested some of the partnering should involve 5 Ramsey County as well. 6 7 Community Center 8 Chair Holt asked for City Council direction on whether or not to pursue this issue 9 in 2014/2015, as the Commission had kept it on the back burner for a long time, 10 even though it was part of discussions and the whole process during the Park Re- 11 newal Program and bonding consideration. Chair Holt advised that limited in- 12 formation was available, but sought direction from the City Council on whether 13 they wanted more information or updates on the existing information, or no action 14 at all by the Commission. 15 16 Councilmember McGehee stated that personally, she would say no, because the 17 opportunity was missed when the bonding and community survey went through; 18 with the result of six gathering spots or buildings, only supported by 6% of the 19 residents surveyed, with a considerable amount of public money already spent, 20 and the decision already made on how it would be spent. Councilmember 21 McGehee stated that she favored a community center first, but the choice was not 22 made that way. 23 24 Chair Holt clarified that the Commission did not consider the gathering places to 25 serve the same purpose as a community center, with the public’s vision consisting 26 of a much larger structure to serve multiple functions. 27 28 Councilmember McGehee opined that the public had supported upgraded build- 29 ings to replace warming house, not six buildings supported by 6% of the popu- 30 lace; and until she observed how the Parks Renewal Program buildings were used 31 and funded for maintenance, she was not interested in pursuing other buildings. 32 33 Councilmember Laliberte opined that it was always good to collected updated in- 34 formation to assist in ongoing decision making over the short- and long-term, and 35 supported a limited amount of Commission time to be spent on the issue. Coun- 36 cilmember Laliberte spoke in support of updated information on the Shoreview 37 Community Center and recent improvements they undertook and their justifica- 38 tion of those improvements and associated costs; improvements on the New 39 Brighton Community Center, if any; and any recent information available from 40 the City of Maplewood’s facility. Councilmember Laliberte expressed her inter- 41 est in observing how the new Park Renewal Program buildings would be utilized 42 over the next year, and therefore, thought the earliest need for updated infor- 43 mation by the City Council would be in 2016. 44