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City Council Minutes Page 4 <br />October 3, 2022 <br />• Is intended to be dry most other times. <br />■ Would catch sediment before getting to the park. <br />■ Would be maintained twice a year. <br />■ Should be dredged in 10 to 30 years over dependent on runoff. <br />Council consensus is to pursue Option #2. <br />Mr. Wisner stated he would like to tie this project into the 2023 street improvement <br />project to help streamline costs. He noted there may be a Main Street closure <br />needed. <br />10.2 Lake Orono Aquatic Plant Control <br />Chair Patrick Plant, Orono Lake Improvement District (OLID), discussed the desire <br />for staff time and funding regarding aquatic vegetation control in the lake, among <br />other items, as noted in the 2021-25 Lake Orono Management Plan Budget. He <br />would like to collaborate with staff to explore funding opportunities. He stated they <br />are short funds of approximately $7,000 to $12,000 for treatment <br />Mayor Dietz questioned if OLID is asking for $40,000 over the next 5 years for <br />vegetation control. <br />Mr. Plant estimated the cost at about $40,000-$65,000 but noted it is difficult to <br />predict exact numbers due to the unknown of future growing seasons. <br />Council discussed: <br />• A hesitancy to use city funds or raising property taxes after spending money <br />for the Active Elk River dredging project. <br />■ If there are programs and funding available by the state because the <br />vegetation is state regulated and owned. <br />■ If a tax is collected, can more be assessed to the lake owners. <br />• It may be tough to control aquatic plants, like trying to eradicate buckthorn. <br />Mr. Plant indicated the state does not offer funding for control of native plants, but <br />OLID will spend time looking into options. He stated they are reviewing increasing <br />lakeshore owners' treatment in front of their shorelines and that a lot of community <br />members besides lake owners actively use the lake. <br />Mr. Beck stated a tax would have to be applied uniformly or an assessment would be <br />required. <br />Mr. Plant stated lake owners are paying $35-$40,000 for annually private weed <br />control along their shorelines. <br />Councilmember Christianson (an Orono Lake property owner) stated star grass is <br />native but difficult to manage and it's a tricky situation because the lake is not <br />designated a park. He noted the amount of money spent on dredging and expressed <br />/O11AEI I <br />NATURE <br />