06/20/2000 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Council Minutes of 6/20/2000 • George Shumay, 5820 Barton Road, has lived at the corner of Barton and Bradley for a long time--since the soccer field was a corn field. The soccer field is in his back yard, and it may have been good for the city but it hasn't been good for the neighbors because of traffic and parking problems. The Fourth of July tournament is especially difficult for the residents. He doesn't know what is going to be done with the field and why the city needs it. President Saringer said there were no immediate plans to put something on the property--that would be done in the future. Mr. Shumay said the residents have lived with the problems in this area, especially the traffic, and he doesn't know if houses instead of the soccer field would have been better for him. Mayor Musial said one of the prime thrusts in this area is to preserve green space for our children and grandchildren in the future. Once that property is gone, if the city does not pick it up and it goes into a Limited Industry use, it's gone. We are Looking ahead 20-25 years, when we may be without any green space in the city. The Mayor said he could not address whether or not houses instead of the present soccer field would have been better for the neighbors. Mr. Shumay said he should think about what would be best for the people. • Dewey Limpert, 4321 Dover Center Road, said he could sympathize with what Mr. Shumay said. He too has lived here all his life, and things have changed. He didn't want a school drive beside his property, but he accepted it because of the city's growth. The same thing is true with this property. If we don't get the property now, it's eventually going to be used for something. We are not going to get away without traffic. Traffic is something that we have to put up with in North Olmsted. You can't please everybody--sometimes you have to stick to your guns and do what is right. Years ago, the city had a chance to get the golf course for about two hundred thousand dollars. We ended up paying a lot more money years later. Council caught "hell" for the Recreation Center, but they stuck to their guns. Try to get rid of it now, and you won't be able to do it. This property is going to go one way or the other. He doesn't know what will go in there, but something will. Council has to make up their minds if they want green space or recreation areas. • Joe Bouman, 23950 Lessner Road, spoke in opposition to the purchase of the Bradley Road property for a number of reasons. If green space is wanted, why did the Mayor at a meeting last night show a map that laid this property out as a parking lot? The Mayor was pushed by NOSO to say what he was going to do with it, and there it was, a parking lot. If it's going to be a parking lot, he feels Streets & Drainage ought to be looking at it before a decision is made. The Mayor said the question was raised: what could you do with that property? The part which is south of the ravine, that passes through roughly 60% of the area, could be a soccer field and a small parking lot to take care of the cars for that soccer area. All he saw last night was a parking lot. The second point is that at yesterday's meeting plats were on display. Today he and the Safety Director examined the plats at length and were able to lay out a map. (Held up map for all to see.) The point is that we would not have to squeeze things in to other green spaces that dot our city. Two years ago this issue came up and Mr. McKay voted against it because he wanted to see people explore the Rec Center 9 i