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Regular City Council Meeting Monday, June 13, 2016 Page 9 dents knowing the details of a potential parlc. Summarizing, Mr. Groff noted resi- dent concern was related to the community engagement process and the park's potential location. Joyce Teilen, 2210 Midland Grove Road, #302 Ms. Teilen spoke in support of the 135 signatures on the petition and living at � Midland_Groye, and_pot_ential develop_m__ent_of the proposed__p_arcel_as a_p_ark._ Ms. -- _ _ -- —_ _ _ - _ _ _ Teilen expressed concern about a park in-area in her neighborhood, and her per- sonal concerns with drugs, and asked if a park was developed, whether the city would consider a safety feature by closing the parlc at dark, noting other small parlcs to limit use of the park by those in the immediate neighborhood. Ms: Teilen noted that the preferred parcel for a park at 2025 County Road B was covered by 100-year old trees, and since the gentleman owning it had come before the city twice seeking to build a large condominium development, she had publicly spo- ken in opposition to those developments. In this instance, Ms. Teilen opined that the owner could sell the property to the city for a good price, and have the proper- ty serve as a memorial to his grandmother, the original owner of the property. Ms. Teilen asked the city to consider this option before malcing any other deci- sions, ancl to have that discussion publicly and through open dialogi.ie to hear eve- ryone's opinion. Jacl�ie Eastman 2250 Midland Grove Road, #107 With the knowledge that the current owner of the 2025 property wants to sell the property adjacent to their condominium complex, and isn't interested in living in the neighborhood, Ms. Eastman asked if the city had ever put a proposal in front of the owner that he would consider in an affinnative manner. Ms. Eastman asked that the City Council made such a proposal to this property owner as well. Councilmember Willmus noted it was important to recognize that these particular parcels are actively on the market for sale, and therefore the city has an opportuni- ty to acquire and take position of them, setting into place the planning for their fii- ture use. Councilmember Willinus opined that the Parks & Recreation Depart- ment has a history of doing an excellent job for community outreach and in= volvement, particularly in the Parks Master Planning process and neighborhood engagement to determine each neighborhood park's amenities. While the city could engage in that public planning over a number of inonths at this time, Coun- cilmember Willmus noted that during that time, the parcel could be purchased by a private party for another use. Councilmember Willmus opined that that it was particularly advantageous for the city to take control of these parcels now; and even if the community later says they aren't interested in a park on those parcels, the property could be resold by the city, with no damage in their having talcen control at this time. While there is also a lot of speculation at this time regarding the 2025 parcel, Councilmember Willmus noted the owner had been working with developers to maximize the return on his investment; and therefore, questioned if the city was in a position to acquire the parcel for a comparable price that the