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City Council Minutes <br />April 18, 2016 <br />Page 11 <br />partnership. She stated they've had discussions with the coach and he felt it was a <br />great idea to keep the trail and use it for meets. She stated they offered to help <br />maintain the park. <br />Matt Andrews, Minnesota Off -Road Cyclists (MORC) representative — Stated <br />MORC is a non-profit group and one of the first chapters of a larger association, <br />whose focus is sustainable trail design. He stated their organization does well with <br />partnering with land managers and assisting with volunteer coordination. <br />Jay Thompson, MORC representative — Stated Hillside is one of the oldest trails <br />that was most likely designed before sustainable trails were developed. <br />There was discussion on the best way to develop sustainable trails utilizing <br />volunteers and contractors and how best to phase the project. <br />Councilmember Westgaard again questioned why there was an option on the table to <br />consider removing Hillside from park status. <br />Mr. Portner stated all options needed to be considered in order to determine what <br />was best for the city and the park. He stated the park would have needed a lot of <br />manpower to maintain it at its current level and new relationships would need to be <br />established. He stated they didn't know about sustainable trail design. <br />Councilmember Westgaard stated he likes the connection with MORC and they have <br />the knowledge and great ideas. He suggested the Parks and Recreation Commission <br />put together the following: <br />• Vision <br />• Long-term plan <br />• Budget to implement and maintain sustainable trails <br />• How volunteer hours will work <br />■ What does it mean to manage the forest <br />Mayor Dietz stated he'd like to see a formal agreement with MORC. <br />Councilmember Westgaard concurred. <br />Mayor Dietz questioned the current status of the park. <br />Mr. Hecker stated it will remain open with the current volunteer assistance. <br />Tim Sevick stated current volunteers have been very proactive and have the <br />experience to maintain the trails. He stated it can be maintained safely for now. <br />Councilmember Westgaard suggested staff reach out to the Elk River groups who <br />said they were willing to help. <br />F01EIEI BY <br />NATURE <br />