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1 I 1 Council Meeting Minutes August 12, 1986 Public Hearing, continued Although it is the perogative of the residents to have a new council, Schmidt feels people believe the ball diamond is a necessary component of this park and the principle use for that ball diamond happens to be adult men's leagues, and the diamond should be developed for maximum and efficient use which includes the vacation of a portion of Third Avenue. Schmidt (noting that he has been on council for almost seven years, has been to a lot of cities, is a representative to the Ramsey County League of Local Government, the Mayor is on the Board of the League of Municipal Cities, and Schmidt meets with representatives of the Ramsey County Board at least three times a month and they are proud of our city and its staff) hoped residents feel the city's officials are responsible and make professional decisions. Benke asked for a sense of direction from council, knowing there is one in favor and one against the street vacation; Williams stated there are a number of different and varied points of view: the Park Board, in its professional opinion, recommends vacation based on a better park and, particularly, a better ball diamond; some residents support construction of a new ball diamond not only for playing purposes; some residents feel traffic cannot move through downtown with the vacation; the traffic counts show a very low volume during the week on Third Avenue (and noted that a traffic count on Sunday would only show that a lot of people go to church); some representatives from the church complain about the vacation of Third Avenue, the size of the ball diamond, and the parking and the parking lot, but they do not complaint about the free playground for the children; and the attorney for the archdiocese had previously clearly stated they absolutely want the street vacated. Williams stated that he was trying to take into account the views of the city, not only the immediate neighborhood. Gunderman stated his original concern was whether we should have a ball diamond in Veterans Park because of the limited space and now agrees on the importance of the ball diamond; his wish would be to not have a ball diamond in a downtown park, which brings a reaction from those using the diamond everyday; also recalls the archdiocese's attorney stating it was in the church's best interest not to have the barricades moved every day for the safety of the children; has watched the Park Board go through the plans on a number of occasions and has the confidence in their judgement; and believes it is in the best interest to provide a ball diamond and vacate the street. Benke stated his intention was to act in favor of the vacation of the street. Page Eight