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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-06-04 CorrespondenceItem Number: 8.a. i CITY OE IOWA CITY www.icgov.org June 4, 2019 ATTACHMENTS: Description Richard Stapleton - Parking on Langenberg [Staff response included] Kellie Fruehling From: Sarah Walz Sent: Thursday, May 23, 2019 3:02 PM To: 'rich.stapleton73@gmail.com' Cc: *City Council Subject: RE: Parking on Langenberg Attachments: Parking Petition.pdf Mr. Stapleton, Your email regarding on -street parking on Langenberg Avenue was forwarded to me. I previously worked with the residents of your street on a traffic calming project that resulted in the installation of speed humps. At the time, we discussed the effect of on -street parking on vehicle speeds. By moving all parking to one side, you risk losing the benefit of on -street parking for slowing speeds. Where parking is allowed on both sides of the street, there will occasionally be situations where one car must wait to allow another car to pass in the opposite direction. This is common to many residential streets in Iowa City and is not, in and of itself, a safety concern. That said, if the parking situation is something residents of your street wish to see changed, we have a process for considering such requests. Our process for petitioning for parking removal is outlined on the attached form, which also includes a form to gather signatures. If the concern over parked cars is localized to the western portion of Langenberg, you might seek signatures from residents west of Armstrong. This would be a request to change parking just on that section of road, near the curve leading to and from Covered Wagon Drive. One of the benefits of the petition process is that it allows neighbors to discuss their concerns before the City becomes involved. Please feel free to give me a call if you have any questions. Sarah Sarah Walz, Assistant Transportation Planner City of Iowa City: Neighborhood and Development Services Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson County 410 East Washington Street, Iowa City, IA 52240 319/356-5239 sarah-walz@iowa-city.org From: Rich <rich.staPleton73@Rmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, May 21, 2019 11:50 AM To: Council <Council@iowa-city.ore> Subject: Parking on Langenberg My wife and I live on Langenberg in the Sandhill area. We are growing more concerned about the parking situation on the street. There are many times when trucks and trailers are parked on the street or cars parked on both sides. When this happens, you can't get to cars side by side to pass each other. It is becoming dangerous, especially with the people who speed through the neighborhood and don't pay attention. It is worse in the winter months when snow isn't plowed all the way to the curb and people don't park far enough over on the side of the road. We would like the city to consider changing the current parking policies to only allow for parking on one side of the road along Langenberg, at least until the new road goes through and traffic calms down in the neighborhood. Sincerely, Richard Stapleton 1153 Langenberg Ave. Iowa City, IA 52240 Sent from Mail for Windows 10 Step 1: PETITION FOR PARKING CHANGES Complete a petition requesting staff to remove or restrict parking along the street. • Only residents along the portion of the street for which park- ing changes are being sought may sign the petition. • To be valid, the petition must include signatures from no less than 50% of the homes or apartments located on property along the affected street (one signature per household will be counted). SEE: Petition form on the back of this sheet. Step 2: REVIEW Once a qualified petition is received, City staff will review the re- quest and, if appropriate, meet with residents of the street to dis- cuss possible alternative parking arrangements, such as staggered parking or prohibitions during certain times. Step 4: NEIGHBORHOOD SURVEY Staff will send a mail -back survey card to each household along the affected street section. A 50% response rate to the mail -back survey is required. The proposal for parking removal must be supported by 60% of households responding to the survey in order to be considered for implementation. Step S: CITY COUNCIL APPROVAL If the mail -back survey indicates approval by 60% of respondents, Staff will place parking change request on a City Council agenda. All written comments received by staff will be forwarded to the City Council for their consideration. For questions or to submit a petition for Parking Changes, contact: Sarah Walz, Assistant Transportation Planner, 319-356-5239 or sarah-walz@iowa-city.org NDS, City Hall, 410 East Washington St., Iowa City, IA 52240 ��® CITY OF IOWA CITY By signing this petition you are indicating your support for the following parking changes on your street: STREET NAME: Indicate the specific intersections (or addresses) between which the parking changes are being requested (e.g. Main St, between 3rd and 7th Avenues). You must have signatures from 50% of households along the affected street section. To sign this petition you must reside along the portion of street for which a parking change is being requested (see above). Renters may sign. One signature per household. Name Street Address Email Address 2 7 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Item Number: 8.b. i CITY OE IOWA CITY www.icgov.org June 4, 2019 ATTACHMENTS: Description Carol deProsse - Question [Staff response included] Kellie Fruehling From: Jody Matherly Sent: Wednesday, May 29, 2019 7:39 AM To: 'Carol deProsse'; Council Subject: RE: Question Carol, Thank you for your inquiry. As the article indicated, the incident was nearly 20 years ago and there is considerable ambiguity about when Giglio applies and differences in how county attorneys/prosecutors apply it. I will give you a call to discuss. Chief Jody Matherly -----Original Message ----- From: Carol deProsse [mailto:lonetreefox@mac.com] Sent: Thursday, May 23, 2019 5:34 PM To: Jody Matherly <Jody-Matherly@iowa-city.org>; Council <Council@iowa-city.org> Subject: Question Jody, An officer lies under oath and then later retracts what he lied about; I am confused how not being credible is somehow different from telling a lie under oath. I look forward to your explanation. Carol i CITY OE IOWA CITY www.icgov.org June 4, 2019 ATTACHMENTS: Description Carol deProsse: Article - For the Bees Item Number: 8.c. Kellie Fruehling From: Carol deProsse <lonetreefox@mac.com> Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2019 10:57 AM To: Council Subject: For the Bees Program to pay Minnesota homeowners to let their lawn go to the bees Greg Stanley, Star Tribune The state of Minnesota will help homeowners turn their lawns into bee -friendly habitat under a spending plan approved by the Legislature and sent this week to Gov. Tim Walz. The state will set aside $900,000 over one year to assist homeowners by covering much of the cost of converting traditional lawns by planting wildflowers, clover and native grasses in an effort to slow the collapse of the state's bee population. The plan was trimmed down from the original House and Senate proposals, which would have provided funding for three years. The plan could help replenish food sources for pollinators of all kinds, but will specifically aim at saving the rusty patched bumblebee, a fat and fuzzy species on the brink of extinction that seems to be making its final stand in the cities of the Upper Midwest. The program would cover up to 75% of the cost of each conversion project, and up to 90% in areas with a "high potential" to support rusty patched bees. Research at the University of Minnesota has shown that bumblebees are particularly important to the region. They land on flowering stems and vibrate at a frequency close to a musical C note, which unlocks pollen other insects can't reach. It's not clear yet exactly how and when residents will be able to apply for the assistance. The state Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) will run the program and decide how grants will be issued. BWSR officials are establishing the criteria and other details, said spokeswoman Mary Juhl. State Rep. Kelly Morrison, DFL-Deephaven, who introduced the bill in the House, said she hopes it will be ready for residents by next spring. "I have gotten a ton of e-mails and so much feedback from people who are interested in this," Morrison said. "People are really thinking about how they can help." The loss of native prairie and other wild habitat across the country has made flowering lawns in suburbs and cities more and more important to pollinators, said James Wolfin, a graduate student at the U who has been researching bee diversity and habitat. His research has focused on "bee lawns," yards that have been seeded with small native flowers such as Dutch white clover, creeping thyme, self heal, ground plum and dandelions to grow up along with grass. The flowers have proved to be an excellent food source for bees while being cheap to plant and maintain, Wolfin said. "A pound of Dutch white clover is about $7 and it grows low enough that people wouldn't even have to change the way they mow their lawn," Wolfin said. Some 55 of the state's roughly 350 species of bees have been spotted eating Dutch white clover alone, he said. "So just by not treating white clover like a weed and letting it grow in a yard provides a really powerful resource for nearly 20% of the bee species in the state," Wolfin said. Traditional turf lawns have essentially become some of the country's largest mono -crops, said Laurie Schneider, executive director of the Pollinator Friendly Alliance. "Diversity is the key," Schneider said. Nongame wildlife Lawmakers also agreed to help bolster the habitat of larger wildlife. Under the spending plan, the state will use tax dollars for the first time to help fund the Department of Natural Resource's (DNR) nongame wildlife program, which had been almost entirely funded through donations since its creation in the 1980s. The number of people who donate to the program, which helped save bald eagles, peregrine falcons and trumpeter swans from the brink of extinction in the state, has been steadily falling each year. Contributors typically check a box on their Minnesota tax returns. The state will give the program $513,000 next year to supplement the $2 million it typically expects from donations and matching grant programs. State Rep. Rick Hansen, DFL -South St. Paul, said lawmakers have been trying to find an additional source of money for the program for several years. It will come from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, which is funded with money generated by the Minnesota Lottery. "We thought it was important to get some dollars for this program," Hansen said. "It's a good use of the trust fund and we feel that the DNR will be able to prioritize its use." Program officials don't have specific plans for the additional money yet, said spokeswoman Lori Naumann. "We've had things on our wish list for years, and we'll go through a process to determine which projects now we can fund," Naumann said. Kellie Fruehling From: Geoff Fruin Sent: Friday, May 31, 2019 9:38 AM Late Handouts Distributed To: Kellie Fruehling Subject: FW: Climate Crisis - 3 - 19 Correspondence. Thanks- (Date) From:Ann Christenson [mailto:annfchris@gmail.com] Sent:Thursday, May 30, 2019 7:19 PM To: Rockne Cole<Rockne-Cole@iowa-city.org>; Susan Mims<Susan-Mims@iowa-city.org>; Pauline Taylor<Pauline- Taylor@iowa-city.org>;Jim Throgmorton <Jim-Throgmorton@iowa-city.org>; Mazahir Salih<Mazahir-Salih@iowa- city.org>;John Thomas<John-Thomas@iowa-city.org>; Bruce Teague<Bruce-Teague@iowa-city.org> Cc: Geoff Fruin <Geoff-Fruin@iowa-city.org>; Ashley Monroe<Ashley-Monroe@iowa-city.org> Subject:Climate Crisis Dear Mayor, Councilors and City Management: Last evening five members of 100Grannies for a Sustainable Future attended the Council's listening post at Lemme School ably hosted by John Thomas and Bruce Teague. They got an earful regarding our earth's climate crisis and the City's policy to address it. We appreciated their patience and willingness to listen. One thing they asked of us was to provide information on what we know that other cities have done. Following are links to such information. You may receive more as time goes on. In some cases you may have to use a search box on a site to find exactly what you are looking for, such as"permeable alleys" on the Dubuque site. We hope you will be bold, resourceful and committed to change. We consider the most important document link is to 'GAME CHANGERS: Bold Actions by Cities to Accelerate Progress Toward Carbon Neutrality,': http://carbonneutralcities.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/CNCA-Game-Changers-Report- 2018.pdf. The link http://theconversation.com/one-way-to-promote-green-infrastructure-in-your-city-78975 talks about natural assets that can provide communities with invaluable ecosystem services that clean our air, filter our water, mitigate natural disasters and improve quality of life. Scroll down to see what Stillwater,MN,has done. Take a look at the benefits of retrofitting commercial buildings: https://www.lime-energy.com/a-solution-to-the-small- commercial-building-energy-retrofit-challenge/ We also feel the City is neglecting the potential of river power: https://www.smart-hydro.de/renewable-energy- systems/hydrokinetic-turbines-river-canal/ A natural air purifier from Denmark to supplement loss of trees: https://greencitysolutions.de/en/ Many if not most of Iowa City's alleys are a mess. See what Dubuque and Cedar Falls are doing with their alleys: https://www.cityofdubuque.org/1818/Green-Alley-Reconstruction https://www.cleanwateriowa.org/success-stories/2017/10/31/city-of-cedar-falls-improving-water-quality-with-permeable- pavement Chicago, San Francisco and other cities are also installing permeable alleys. The alley behind my home received a neighborhood PIN grant last year to be scraped and regraveled. Within a week after that was done(not very well),a rainstorm washed out all the new gravel and left the alley worse than ever. What a waste of labor and materials! And where did all that storm water go?What about all the storms this spring? Lots of storm water. I have a dream that Iowa City will start using permeable paving in alleys,parking lots,new developments,etc. This should have started with the Ped Mall. The City provides funds to homeowners for rain gardens,permeable paved sidewalks and patios because this saves the city money in stormwater treatment. Why doesn't the City use this method itself? There are an infinite number of solutions to implement that would put Iowa City at the forefront of confronting the climate crisis. Let's use them! Ann Christenson for 100Grannies for a Sustainable Future 827 Dearborn St. Iowa City 52240 2 S. Kellie Fruehling Late Handouts Distributed From: Donald Baxter <donald.baxter@gmail.com> Sent: Sunday,June 02, 2019 4:28 PM To: Geoff Fruin (=> — j C( Cc: Council; Think Bicycles Johnson County Subject: Re: Gutter striping on Benton Street (Date) Meanwhile, Mr. Fruin, drivers will think cyclists are supposed to use these as bike lanes--and worse,cyclists will think this as well. What do we do for the time period between now and whenever Benton Street does have bike lanes? How about some signs that say "Bicycles May Take Full Lane?" If we get "Share the Road" signs--that just helps the driver case that there are_already_bike lanes on Benton Street if only the cyclists would just ride in the gutter where we belong. I know that the white stripes are intended to slow traffic on Benton Street... but they still indicate a fairly wide street that drivers are more than comfortable traveling down at speeds of up to 45 mph while they go "agro"on the cyclists who have better sense than to actually try to use the false bike lanes. The last time I complained about this problem was probably around two years ago. Iowa City was also promising bike lanes on Benton Street then. What I've found is that the Iowa DOT can add four lanes to 1-235 in the time it takes Iowa City to get serious about providing even minimum cycling facilities--which is what bike lanes actually are. 1 Kellie Fruehling From: Geoff Fruin Sent Sunday,June 02, 2019 1:06 PM To: Donald Baxter; Council;Think Bicycles Johnson County Subject: RE:Gutter striping on Benton Street Mr. Baxter, The edge striping on Benton is not intended to be a bike lane. It is there as a traffic calming measure to help reduce speeds for the benefit of all roadway users, including pedestrians and bicyclists. I apologize that you have been told something different from our staff in the past. The City has nearly$3 million in our 2021 budget for the rehabilitation of Benton from Mormon Trek to Greenwood. When the street is rehabilitated the striping will change to include full bike lanes. You will see a number of bike lanes added to streets this year including Governor, Dodge, Clinton, Mormon Trek, Foster Road Extension, and the McCollister Extension (completed in 2020). The Highway 1 trail is also being extended from Sunset to Mormon Trek this year. We expect to continue to add bike facilities in the coming years, including on Benton Street, as the City Council has set a goal to reach Gold and then Platinum Bike Friendly status. Thank you for sharing your concerns. Best, Geoff Fruin City Manager From: Donald Baxter<donald.baxter@gmail.com> Sent: Friday, May 31, 2019 8:56 PM To: Council<Council@iowa-city.org>; Geoff Fruin<Geoff-Fruin@iowa-city.org>;Think Bicycles Johnson County <thinkbicycles@gmail.com> Subject:Gutter striping on Benton Street Dear Iowa City Council, Mayor and City Manager of Iowa City, Again, another year of insisting to stripe something that looks like a bike lane on Benton Street. To many cyclists, this looks like an inferior bike lane which we all should know it is not. It is neither signed as a bike lane nor is it painted as one. To drivers on Benton Street,it just looks like a bike lane that many cyclists either will not or cannot use. I've been told my an Iowa City Police Officer at least twice that it IS a bike lane and that I must use it. But this is not a bike lane, and cyclists who think that it is have been condemned to a part of the road that has debris, bad pavement, potholes and is too narrow to pass even minimum muster as a bike lane.The striping job doesn't even reflect a consistent distance from the curb and has always looked like it was painted by a drunken sailor and the same stripe is repainted year after year after year. This is not my first complaint about this practice. 1 What Iowa City does every time they reinforce this false facility is put cyclists in greater danger not just because it isn't a good facility(it's not a bike lane) but drivers also become angry at cyclists for not using it which puts cyclists in ever greater_danger. Iowa City is not taking cyclists who use this street for transportation into account when doing this. Iowa City is telling cyclists, "f-you--we only care about cars and drivers on our arterials and collector streets--we have some nice trails that you can ride for recreation most of which are impractical and out of the way for commuting." When does this stop? Donald Baxter 2