04-20-2015 CCM - Laserfiche WebLink

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City Council Minutes April 20, 2015 Page 9 Police Detective Joe Gacke stated historically 90% of police staff, plus reserve officers, were needed to work the event when it was at Lake Orono, but now only two overtime offices are needed. He stated traffic lights at the current location are very effective at assisting in traffic management. A resident stated they are looking for a commitment from the city to move the event to Lake Orono and then the volunteers would come forward. Mayor Dietz noted the order should be having the volunteers in place first before moving the event. He stated he didn't think cities typically host and pay for Independence Day celebrations in other communities. He stated most people don't want to work on Independence Day because they want to be with their families. Mr. Benoit referred to a survey completed by staff last year which showed a majority of Independence Day events are operated by civic volunteer groups. Councilmember Burandt questioned what it would cost to have the fireworks at Lake Orono without any additional activities added. Dan Kreuser, 18593 Simonet Drive, discussed past history of the fireworks and referred to childhood memories of young kids enjoying fireworks by the lake and felt the city shouldn't worry about tax dollars in order to create these same memories for today's kids. He suggested bringing the event back in small form and it will draw volunteers. Chris Bickman, 18560 Simonet Drive, stated fireworks should be on the lake. Detective Gacke stated people will come to the park all day if the fireworks are moved which will require public safety services and the department would have to staff for timely service. He stated there is a lot of traffic that parks on Highway 10, which creates a safety hazard and requires officers to be stationed at key positions to get pedestrians across the highway. Councilmember Olsen stated he would love to see them back at Lake Orono but questions staffing at both locations. He also stated concerns regarding the impact to the YMCA. Councilmember Burandt asked if cost comparisons could be done for both locations. Councilmember Wagner stated there is always a solution to the various issues for this location, but at what price. She stated she would like local organizations to take over the event. She stated she would need more information regarding parking and hours of the YMCA. She noted the Lake Orono residents would have the benefit of watching the fireworks from their backyards and questioned if there was a volunteer p 0 V I a E I 11 NATURE