Happy Mother’s Day!
All along the Luce Line Trail there are patches of blooming Bloodroot. This little white single flower is nested with lobed leaves. The flower only lasts a day or two so if you see these it's a lucky sighting.
An Invitation to our Firefighters and surrounding Communities
Fire Fighters! Are you willing to risk going to a 40-year-old+ model that is proven to be antiquated and unsustainable? (National statistics show Fire Districts are far more cost effective and possibly safer).
Breaking News:You Are Invited!
The City of Long Lake will be holding a 'Follow-Up Forum: Long Lake Fire Service Updates' open house event on Thursday, May 18 to share the latest information regarding ongoing Long Lake Fire Department discussions, and to welcome community input from any residents of our fire service coverage area (Long Lake, Medina, Minnetonka Beach, and Orono).
17 Acre Woods Slated for Bike Race Course
The DNR has met with a bike team to develop trails on the 17 acre parcel on Willow and the Luce Line. If you live on Countryside, Deer Run, White Oak, portions of Fox Street, portions of Willow, Willow Hill Drive, Abingdon Way, or Longview Circle this message is for you.
Stop Orono's Overspending Attend May 22 City Council Meeting
Citizens of Orono - do you want to spend multi millions more on Duplicate Fire Service? Why is Orono talking about borrowing money from other funds for this expenditure? It's because they haven't told us a budget. Why? Because it's going to be expensive by anyone's guess.
How much does fire service in Orono cost?
How much will Spendy Denny going to charge us for Duplicate Fire Service?
Do not be bamboozled by the number of pages, nor the graphs and charts, nor the amount of words in the 83 page Needs Assessment Document for Fire Service.
Do pay close attention to how much money Mayor Walsh is freely spending of your tax dollars. And please do pay close attention to the fact that something doesn’t add up.
Were Orono’s Debt Promises Broken?
The @Vote4DennyWalsh web page Promises:
“We are on track to be debt free in 7 more years”...oh if only that were true. Now our debt won’t be paid off for 25 years with the interest payment of approximately 5 million.
Mayor Walsh, Park Commission spend taxpayer funds to design Pickleball Courts at Bederwood Park
Thousands of Orono Citizen Voices were Silenced April 24, 2023.
This is the moment that #MayorDennisWalsh pushes out consideration of a citywide citizen survey until December 11, 2023. Going along with this vote are Orono Council members #richardcrosbyII and #mattjohnson
A citywide survey would help to quell the unrest in Orono now and it’s exactly what would help a mediator end all the angst. The first step in successful negotiations is to listen to everyone at the table.
Mayor Walsh, are Orono Citizens even at the table?
Thousands of Orono Voices were Silenced 4/24/23.
Thousands of Orono Citizen Voices were Silenced April 24, 2023.
This is the moment that #MayorDennisWalsh pushes out consideration of a citywide citizen survey until December 11, 2023. Going along with this vote are Orono Council members #richardcrosbyII and #mattjohnson
A citywide survey would help to quell the unrest in Orono now and it’s exactly what would help a mediator end all the angst. The first step in successful negotiations is to listen to everyone at the table.
Mayor Walsh, are Orono Citizens even at the table?
Is the City of Orono in Breach of Contract with the City of Long Lake?
Is Orono in Breach of Contract with the City of Long Lake? Read the letter that was just delivered to the City of Orono in last week. In it you will find 4 possible breaches of contract:
1) Hiring away Long Lake's Fire Chief
2) Purchasing the Ladder Truck that Long Lake was considering to purchase
3) Approaching the state Legislature to move the present Fireman’s Relief Association funding from the City of Long Lake to Orono.
4) Refusing to pay future Capital expenditures for the Long Lake Fire Department.
The Story of Funny Money and Two Fire Chiefs
Why are Orono Citizens paying for two Fire Chiefs? Why does Mr. James Van Eyll have a command vehicle and he doesn’t have any fires to go to? Why was that written into his contract with the City of Orono?
Why are we paying over $100k in salary for at least two years and paying for his vehicle when he does not have a department to manage? Our fire service continues to be provided by Long Lake. Orono’s new fire chief just sits at a desk and figures out what a whole new department will need and cost. He does not fight any fires.
You are Invited! Hackberry Park Listening Session April 29 10-11 a.m.
Don't miss the first Hackberry Park Listening Session held Saturday April 29 (tomorrow!) from 10-11 am at Hackberry Park. This is your chance to weigh in on what the Orono Park Commission is proposing for this Park.
Show us the Money Mayor Walsh - Where are the Budgets?
Have you noticed that both the Public Works Building and Fire Department overall budgets are missing?
They haven’t been presented along with short term and long term plans. Is it because they don’t want the citizens to know how costly these items are going to be now and in the future? Who runs multi million dollar projects with “intuition” as Mayor Walsh explained in his last coffee with the Mayor?
Mayor Walsh’s Bluffgate Continues
Now taxpayers are spending our dollars to see if there’s a way to circumvent the current ordinance with code changes. Imagine all those new retaining walls around the lake without oversight - is that what is best for property values and habitats?
Are we done yet? How much is the new Public Works Building going to cost taxpayers?
Are we done yet? What is the total cost of the Taj Mahal Public Works Building?
We were told $13 million for the initial bonding and now we are projected close to $17 or $18 million for the project. Quite the 50% overrun isn’t it?
Orono City Council Member Matt Johnson: needs a variance for his Free right-of-way land
Council member #MattJohnson seems to have no problem apparently trampling the city code, his future neighbors or the free speech of his fellow council members.
After heavy-handily getting Orono to give him public right-of-way for free so he could create two new lakeshore lots, he is now asking for a variance to build on one of them. On April 17th, the Orono Planning Commission agreed to give him his variance against citizen unrest.
It’s Time for Orono to Listen
Let’s ask for a Listening Session For Hackberry Park Development Now
One of the primary reasons that there is so much unrest in Orono at this very moment is because the Park Commission and City Council are not asking the Citizens what they want BEFORE starting Park design and master plans.
Because the Citizens were not a part of the process from the beginning, there have been what appear to be four false starts.
Lack of listening sessions at Summit Beach, Lowry Woods Nature Conservation Area, Bederwood Park and Orono Golf Course lead to citizen unrest about the lack of engagement with the general public.
Orono’s Matt Johnson chides fellow council member
Dear Mr. Council member Matt Johnson;
Please note that openly disparaging fellow city council members appears unbecoming and unprofessional.
Stop the division please, and let’s get back to “indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
#togetherwearebetter #citizensfororono #MattJohnson #cityoforono #orono #oronocitycouncil #citizensfirst
Hackberry Park Slated for Development
Orono’s Hackberry Park is now slated for development without citizen input. Once again, the City of Orono is spending funds to design what they want in their park without asking citizens what they’d like to see. This is the fifth park in two years to have developments implemented without citizen engagement. Add Lowry Woods Nature Conservation Area, Summit Beach, Bederwood Park and the Orono Golf Course to that list.
You are Invited! To the “TajMahal” Ribbon Cutting
Come one, come all to the groundbreaking of possibly the most expensive project in our small town’s history. Why haven’t the updated details been shared with citizens? The mystery may lie in how large the project has become. The latest numbers say over 18 million but one thing is for sure…it’s going to cost taxpayers somewhere around $5 million or more in interest alone.