Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 10/10/2001

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John Enstrom, 8702 - 171~' Avenue NW, R. amsey, stated that recently the Council had some discussions regarding the keeping of livestock animals and he had an idea he wanted to present. He stated that the City has an ordinance on keeping dogs, limiting the amount of dogs a homeowner can have without a conditional use permit so he felt that if a property owner has a certain number of horses, they should be required to apply for a conditional use permit as well. Any horse owner should have to pay an annual fee to the City just like a dog owner has to pay to license their dog. The fee should be used to help make sure the proper maintenance is taking place for homes. City officials should also do an annual check of the property to verify how many horses are being kept on the property, see what facilities are available, make sure ardmal waste is maintained properly, making sure hay storage is done inside, and verifying that all animals have their proper vaccinations. Mayor Gamec requested that staff refer the issue to the Horse Care Board Alena Hunter, 14628 HeliUm Street NW, Ramsey, thanked City staff and the Council for being visionaries and providing a iarge goup of people to tour some of the mixed use sites in Chicago. She expressed that the trip was a wonderful experience to see what can be done to bring services and tax base into the City of Ramsey, David Elvig, 17201 Tungsten Street N-W, Ramsey, also thanked City staff and the Council for the opportunity to visit Chicago. He felt the trip was a gear' benefit to see how other cities are developing similar sites. He stated that they received a lot of information that can assist the City in the process. He understands that there are several hurdles to overcome before they can move tbrward. For four years, through hundreds of hours of deliberation, the Council has failed to come up with a common goal and because of that, he proposed that the issue of the town center be removed from the Comprehensive Plan and let it move forward on its own merits. M.r. Elvig also suggested letting the voters vote on the Comprehensive Plan during the special election since the Council cannot make a decision. Julie Horn, 6031 - 145'h Lane NW, Ramsey, stated that she was surprised to read the article in the Anoka Union regarding the Chicago trip including the cost of $8,500. She stated that there have been many people who have applied to be involved with the City, and expressed concern that there was no option for people to ask to be included in the trip or ~ve input about the trip. She stated that she would like to see a "wrap up" of the trip. Ms. I-torn stated that the City needs to communicate better with residents rather than simply saying 40 people could go on the trip. She inquired as to whom chose the 40 people. Mark Barrett, 5221 - 155'h Lane NW, Ramsey, stated that he wanted to make some comment regarding Case #2. Mayor Gamec replied that the Council would take comments from citizens during the discussion of the case. Ci~ Council/August 2:8, 2001 Page 4 of 36