PRECM 01-11-1978 - Laserfiche WebLink

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- 10 - - Mr. Mayor, members of the Council, my name is Steve Thompson. I live at 1860 15th Ave. N.W. I'm here not just representing myself, but also the Winwood Terrace Homeota~ners Association of which I am President. I would like to begin by saying that the Park Board should in a number of respects be commended, although I don't like the results that they came up with. They did make an effort to find out what the people wanted. I don't think they take good attention to those surverys, but it should be noted that they did make a tremendous effort to give the general public its say. Even granting the number of things in this proposal that I don't like, I would like to say that there are a number of things that I and the people in mu neighborhood do like. We do like the idea of some picnic area. We do like the idea that the area is to be passive. We do like the fact that some concern has been expressed about controlling extra curricular activities in the park. We do like the idea of cross country ski trails,of hiking trails, of bike trails. Like any other group of neighbors we don't agree about snowmobiles, you can take your pick on that one. But I do wa~.t to make it clear that we aren't saying this is all bad. I think, as I look into the comments from Mr. Anderson, from members of the Park Board, from members of our neighborhood, that to some extent we are talking about degree. We agree that there should be picnic .... (end of tape)....Park Board to the extent that they leave open the option of putting more power boats on a Lake that really, in my personal opinion, has a hard time handling what is there already. We disagree with the idea of camping. I think that part of our problems revolve, as always, around misunderstanding of language. I think it would have been very helpful if the Park Board had, I think it would be helpful if the Council would ask them now, to improve the language. If when they say ball field, they don't mean what everybody else thinks they mean when they say ball field, then find another word. When they say concession stand I've heard people talk about just a couple of vending machines, I've heard people talk about Coney Island. Now, I realize that we are at development stage, but if certain things are going to be ruled out or they're going to try to assuage us by telling us that we don't really have to fear this, then I think that we should state that in the Plan and maybe save both the Park Board, the Staff and members of the Council a lot of unnecessary grief. In conclusion, I would like to reiterate the remarks of the last speaker as to the Regional Park aspects. I think there is a tendency_in all levels of government which have higher levels above them, to grasp out for any kind of funding that they can get for any project that they undertake. That money is not free. If in order to get Metro Council funding we have to do things to that Park that the people of New Brighton don't want done, then that's a very .large price to pay for that money. - App laus e 'I think that seeing where the money is available then what we have to do to get it, we'd be much better advised to determine what the people of New Brighton want to do with that park and then see where we can get the money. And if we have to revise our plans and come up with something that the .people of New Brighton want not something that the Metro Council wahts to impose upon us. App laus e