HACKBERRY PARK
Wow. How misleading is the last blast from the City of Orono regarding Hackberry Park? It’s poor communication at best. It’s deceptive by omission at worst. https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1067761538837135&set=a.213007057645925
Watch the entire meeting here: https://oronomn.new.swagit.com/videos/351672
For reference here is a list of the Statistical Truth:
1) The Hackberry Survey was unscientific and created by Orono City Staff.
2) The Hackberry Survey was implemented online which doesn’t reach all Citizens.
3) The Hackberry Survey was announced and closed in only 14 days online.
4) The Hackberry Survey had a very poor response rate. Only 51 Orono respondents which is less than 1% of all Citizens in Orono.
5) City staff presented a confusing data dump that had their own misleading analysis and biased themes.
6) The survey findings were presented to an empty city hall chamber on National Night Out ensuring lack of Citizen participation.
Then a social media post covering the survey results appeared with apparent over communication and embellishment as to the findings.
More Wasted Time. More Wasted Money. More Cart Before the Horse. More Lack of Process. More Distrust.
It appears that the City of Orono is in a big push to submit the THIRD grant application for a plan the Citizens and the Park Commission are not fully endorsing. Sound familiar?
Please email your City Council member today to ask for a scientific city wide survey before any more public land is developed. This is in our Comprehensive Plan as something we’ve all agreed to #CitizensVoices #Orono
Please write to your Orono City Council member:
btunheim@oronomn.gov
abenson@oronomn.gov
spersian@oronomn.gov
jricks@oronomn.gov
jschwingler@oronomn.gov
Friends of Orono
Orono drops the ball again; releases Hackberry Park plans without clear notification
A few weeks ago, Orono released the Hackberry Park plans without telling anyone. No email notification was sent out to Citizens, and no news notification was made on the City website’s front page. No social media notification was posted either. With less than a week until the Open House, how are Citizens supposed to have a fair chance to weigh in?
Then, after checking each of the three plans they appear to be overbuilt by Park standards. (https://www.oronomn.gov/706/Hackberry-Park-Project)
According to the National Park and Recreation Association, and Little League Guidelines, the rule of thumb is 1.75 - 2 acres per T-ball field. With shared infrastructure, the park should be 3.5 - 4 acres to hold just two T-ball fields. Hackberry is 3.58 acres which is barely enough for two T-ball fields and spectators, much less a playground, a basketball court, a bathroom and 35 parking spaces and along with other proposed sports fields.
Specifically: Plan A has a softball field positioned to hit balls into the storm water pond and a very busy road - Willow Drive. The additional softball field was already rejected because there are over 20 in Orono already and the community apparently doesn’t use what it already has so no need for a new one. We’ve also heard that Orono does not need other non-regulation soccer and flag football fields during previous Orono meetings. With the Orono School campus about a mile away, aren’t all these sports fields already in existence and ready for use?
Plan B has two T-Ball fields hitting onto the center field which is kitty cornered in the park? How confusing and unsafe is that? Who wants to play on a crooked field going uphill? Who wants to hit balls right at the playground? That seems unsafe and according to the National Park and Recreation Association this plan has too many amenities for 3.58 acres.
Plan C which was already rejected by the Citizens of Orono has a softball field hitting balls into the storm water pond and onto Willow Drive. This was deemed unsafe already, and it’s still unsafe. Also, nearly everyone that attended the listening sessions rejected the parking lot in the middle of the park due to traffic and aesthetics.
Take another look at the posted Orono list of what the Citizens wanted; the number one request for two T-ball fields is missing. (https://www.oronomn.gov/706/Hackberry-Park-Project)
How can that be? In all three listening sessions the number one request was to leave the two T-ball fields where they are. If you’d like to hear the actual conversations, please use these links:
4/29/2023 #1 Hackberry Listening Session
5/9/2023 #2 Hackberry Listening Session
8/30/2023 #3 Hackberry Listening Session
Why is Orono ignoring what the Hackberry neighborhood and the Baseball Association requested - two T-ball fields and for them to stay where they are? Why is Orono designing plans behind the scenes without a certified Park Planner and without the Citizens input first? Isn’t this a waste of taxpayer dollars? Why is Orono posting important information that affects taxpayer’s home values without clear notification?
Write to your city council member today and make sure to copy City Administrator Adam Edwards so that your comments go on the public record.
btunheim@oronomn.gov
abenson@oronomn.gov
spersian@oronomn.gov
jricks@oronomn.gov
jschwingler@oronomn.gov
aedwards@oronomn.gov
@friendsoforono
Orono Citizen Design (worked in a local Public Works Department for over a decade) plans out what is more acceptable to residents. This plan includes two of the only three T-ball fields in Orono. It would have been great if the Orono Park Commission had reached out to the Baseball Association before spending $9.3k on a plan that doesn’t even feature what the Association and the Residents want. Also requested repeatedly - Green Parking and a Volleyball Sand Court.
Note that the #CityofOrono, the #ParkCommission and #Bolton&Menk all call this a Masterplan and a Concept Plan in writing on the document. Which is it? A Masterplan or a Concept Plan? The difference will mean what grant funds will build which features. Once the grant funding comes through, there cannot be any changes to the main features. See Orono City Council meeting video here: https://oronomn.granicus.com/player/clip/1060?view_id=1&meta_id=53010&redirect=true&h=4e0cfcfcaf129eaea7063abd00004530
Hackberry Park is located in along Willow Road in a neighborhood near Long Lake. There are several features to this 3.58 acre parcel including baseball/softball fields, a basketball court, benches, bike rack, chemical toilets, open space, picnic tables and playground equipment. This is a busy park during the warmer seasons with full parking along Willow Road during ball games.
The City of Orono will be burning and demolishing the one home built in the center of the park in the spring of 2023. Several drainage issues have come up in conversations so there may be earthworks necessary to resolve potential flooding.
A resolution developed by the Orono Parks Commission and City Staff Park Superintendent Josh Lemons is featured below. This resolution is going to be voted on during the April 10 City Council meeting for funding. There has been no community outreach about this park to date so this plan will be developed without citizen input.
Link to the resolution on the City of Orono website: https://oronomn.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=1&event_id=813&meta_id=50467