CC MINUTES 03081988 - Laserfiche WebLink

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1 Mayor Sundland opened the discussion by reporting he and every other 2 Councilmember had, since the hearing, received letters expressing the 3 same type of opposition. He said he perceived it might be more 4 productive to first set the record straight on the City's position 5 before he opened the meeting to expressions of what he expected might 6 be misconceptions of that position. The Mayor stated that: 7 *he was not denying that during the preliminary discussions the 8 Council had related to the school's suggestion that the owner 9 ship of Parkview might be transferred outright to the City that 10 the relocation of the fire station had not been one possibility 11 among several the Council explored for the City's future housing 12 needs; and 13 *the School District has not made a final decision on whether 14 they want to make the transfer at all; 15 *although the City is certainly ready to consider the possibility 16 of such a transfer, there are no plans now to move the Fire 17 Department to Parkview, even if that happens. 18 Fifth Grader Read From a Prepared Text 19 Michelle Helfrey said her parents had built the home she lives in at 20 3645 Roosevelt Street in 1973, three years before she was born. She ;1 said she had attended preschool and dancing classes in Parkview. The 22 fifth grader said she had played basketball in the Parkview gym the 23 last three years when her mother had told her the City and School 24 Board wanted to put fire trucks in the gym, she had become very 25 worried about where she could continue to play the sport she loved 26 because the "big kids use the Wilshire gym now and I know there's no 27 room for us." 28 The young basketball player indicated her whole family, including her 29 grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, all came to cheer her on 30 when she played. She added that her Uncle Johnny "who doesn't even 31 live in St. Anthony" had been helping out her coach, Mr. Kramer, 32 in the absence of her father who had died when she was two. Michelle 33 said St. Anthony would no longer be a "special place" for her if she 34 couldn't play basketball anymore, echoing somewhat the same message 35 her mother, Barbara Helfrey, had attempted to convey in her letter to 36 the editor, which had been published in the Bulletin the previous 37 week. 38 Mayor Sundland thanked Michelle for sharing her concerns, which now 39 had no base in fact since the City would not be moving the fire 40 station to Parkview. He said no doubt the same misconception had 41 existed in the mind of the letter writer, whose letter to him had 42 upset him a great deal because he perceived an inference that "the 43 City was making a lot of effort to increase business in the St. 14 Anthony Shopping Center", which, the Mayor indicated, was somewhat .5 refuted by all the steps the Council had taken over the years to