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City Council Regular Meeting Minutes January 6, 2004 Page 14 1 department locations that are not somewhat adjacent to residential neighbors, if not in the 2 neighborhood. Councilmember Horst stated this was City property,not a taking of property or 3 dropping this in the middle of a residential area. He noted that it was also stated the location was 4 taken off the tax rolls,but that was addressed by Mr. Archambault. He explained that the City 5 will gain a tremendous amount of property tax relief by redeveloping the property on the south 6 end of town. 7 8 Councilmember Horst noted that people are also saying this is the"eleventh hour" and there is 9 an opportunity to change what has already been done. He stated it is not the"eleventh hour,"but 10 "1:30" and well past the decision point. He noted the City has already spent money, gone 11 through the'process, and done all that's possible to make the best decision with public input. 12 Now,because a small group of people decides to rally neighbor and pit neighbors against 13 neighbor, the petition is presented. 14 15 Councilmember Horst stated he has heard comments that this is a danger to the park, and might 16 harm children. He suggested that it is far more likely, due to the proximity of the fire 17 department, to help a child with an injury or heat exhaustion than a fire fighter not watching 18 where they are going. He stated this type of speculation is paranoia. 19 20 Councilmember Horst stated he supports the process that was followed and all the public input 21 offered which had more input than any decision ever made. He recommended the City should 22 stay the course. 23 24 Councilmember Thuesen stated he has a feeling that it is better late than never for residents to 25 express their feelings but it is disappointing that it is at this late hour. He stated that he hopes 26 more neighbors will be involved in future issues. Councilmember Thuesen stated he will not 27 rehash the items one by one or the process but wants to mention that they were brought a petition 28 of 1,100 people but there are approximately 8,200 people in St. Anthony and he believes about 29 4,000 adults are out there who did not sign the petition, which is more of a mandate to stay put. 30 31 Councilmember Thuesen stated it is not uncommon to locate a fire station in an R-1 zone and 32 mentioned several areas where that is the case. He stated that Councilmember Horst touched on 33 that issue and has experience on the Planning Commission. He stated from personal experience, 34 he lived across from the old fire station for eight years and knew what he was buying in that 35 location. Councilmember Thuesen commented that it was an "eyesore"but not a hardship to his 36 family. He stated that he spent a lot of time outside and saw the eyesore but found that there was 37 peace of mind to have it so close, far from a hardship. He commented that sometimes it is easy 38 to claim that a project will lower property values but he is not an appraiser so he can't say. 39 However, he lived closer to the fire station and did not have any negative impact when they 40 decided to move due to family needs. 41 42 Councilmember Thuesen noted that the issue of children safety was raised but he looks at it 43 differently and finds that view to be an over reaction. He stated he looks at.it as a positive with a 44 park nearby that will be heavily used. He commented that when emergency people come, those 45 who.have had the need have a different point of view about response time. He reviewed the 46 number of children that use the City Hall building facility to attend programs and advised that