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L ,n -4- . S Karen Karkula..and. Betty Jo Points of. Mirror..Lake- Manor spoke in favor of the recommended improvements.: The former-,* who-had previously opposed -any -improvements of the pathway, said this opposition had resulted in ."absolutely nothing .being done by the City down there at all" . "Basically, all the Committee would like to see now is for the area to be left in its natural- state with possibly only an undefined grass path, preservation of, the nesting areas and a small bridge over- the culvert for safety- in walking" . Ms . Points said she speaks. for 148 homeowners at Mirror Lake Manor and- could have had all 14.8 present for the hearing to support the recommendations . However, she agreed the benches might increase the use of .the area by out- siders- but insisted the .path. "must be made accessible for residents to walk .around the. pond and feed the ducks". She also agreed- the chip. pa_th had -been a bad idea. and should be. replaced with grass. Her concern was that the City had permitted the residents adjoining the path to. put .ug. fences which .made thepath inaccessible to other City residents and insisted "all.-taxpayers should -have access to any City facility" . Another Mirror Lake resident and Committee member', Norbert Verduyn, reported benches were the only amenities suggested for the area which the Committee had left in their recommendations and- disputed Mr. Broich' s contention that they would . attract vandalism, saying "it's pretty hard to vandalize concrete benches" . He thought the residents should have more foresight regarding the wildlife "which will disappear if you .don't provide plantings now" . Committee member, John Madden, 35.01 -- 37th Avenue N.E.., saw the benches as an accommmodation for the elderly in the surrounding apartments, nursing home and other residences which will allow them to sit down and enjoy the natural. beauty of the area. He believed, . if people are to walk on this City-awned ,property, a safe bridge .has. to be provided and suggested it be built so as not to accommodate vehicles. He did not see the improvements suggested- as either attracting nor keeping out undesirables. His own experience of living in Minneapolis, where so many trees had to be destroyed, had led him to see the advantages of planting trees and .shrubs. L . P . Ahles, 3727 Foss Road, a resident .of the Caravelle Apartments , said he had--been a homeowner in St. Anthony for over 20 years, only ..recent-ly moving to the apart- ments, and that he and his wife walk in that area three or four times a week. He was in favor of the proposed improvements as well as the preservation of the wildlife. Councilman Letourneau told those present he had not. voted for the improvements two years ago and- is still not - in favor. of some of the recommendations. He saw the. need for. .cleaning up the lake and keeping the area around the lake maintained. . He does not like the woodchips and thought the problem with the culvert could probably be remedied without building a bridge, perhaps, as some of the residents had suggested, with only a few boards.