HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-03-07 late handout� r
,Nz City Council Supplemental Meeting Packet
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CITY OF IOWA CITY March 7, 2023
Information submitted between distribution of the supplemental packet on Monday and 3:00pm
on Tuesday.
Late Handout(s):
Item 9.b Rohret South Trunk Sanitary Sewer - See correspondence from Kyle Vogel }
March 7, 2023 City of Iowa City
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Kellie Fruehling
From: Kyle S.C. Vogel <kscvogel@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 7, 2023 10:04 AM
To: *City Council; Kellie Fruehling; Geoff Fruin
Cc: Bruce Teague; Pauline Taylor
Subject: RE: Rohret South Trunk Sanitary Sewer
Late Handouts Distributed
(Date)
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RI K
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attachments. **
Dear Mayor, Council, and City Manager:
I am writing as a homeowner and resident in District A, at 2115 Abbey Lane. My plan was to be at the Council meeting
this evening to speak during the public comments section, however, my son has his first track meet of the year at the
UNI Dome this afternoon, so I am not sure if I will be able to make it back in time to give my comments in person.
As you are aware from other correspondence provided to Council last month by our neighbor Kevin Watkins, many of us
who live along Abbey Lane east of Mormon Trek (at least 20 of the 28 homes affected), are extremely unhappy about
the recent changes in November/December made to the Rohret South Trunk Sanitary Sewer plan to include narrowing
the width of our street from its current width of 36 feet down to 28 feet.
This narrowing seems to be a cost saving measure included to save up to possibly $100,000, which is less than 4% of the
total estimated project cost. However, what hasn't seemed to have been discussed, is that all these potential cost
savings will result in true and actual increased costs to each homeowner along the road. The expansion of 4 feet of right
away, including additional driveway extensions, new crosswalks added at street corners, and additional lawn, means
that all future costs of upkeep for these right of way extensions fall on the homeowner. Concrete repairs, lawn mowing,
trimming, pest control (moles especially), leaf cleanup, weed control, fertilizer, snow shoveling, and ice melt applications
are all costs being pushed directly to the homeowners both immediately upon completion of narrowing the street and
into the future under the current Right of Way maintenance ordinances requiring adjoining homeowners to cover this
maintenance.
Additionally, as previously mentioned, those of us closest to Kiwanis Park at the end of our street, are extremely
concerned about how this will affect the parking along our road. During Spring, Summer, and early Fall, we see
anywhere from half a dozen to 2 dozen cars that park along Abbey Lane at any given time. This is similar to how Teg
Drive is used on the other side of Kiwanis and Teg (which is another street that is 36 feet wide). Although we appreciate
the recent additional change to the plan to not narrow the street from Burry Drive to the end of the street, that only
allows for less than 6 cars (including residents) to park there in that small existing width part of the street.
In the end, we (myself and my neighbors who signed the letter presented to Council last month) are asking City Council
to move forward with the necessary Sewer upgrades, as originally presented to our neighborhood last July, without any
changes to the existing street width or layout. This was the plan we all got behind in the beginning, meeting with City
and Vendor staff on site at our homes; agreeing to tree work; agreeing to the addition of new sidewalk and crosswalk
areas ... but, it is not the plan that is in front of Council tonight.
Thank you for your time and for all you do for our City.
Sincerely,
Kyle S.C. Vogel
2115 Abbey Lane, Iowa City, IA 52246