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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-07-16 Correspondence Marian Karr From: bev platz [bevplatz@mindspring.com] Sent: Tuesday, July 09, 2002 6:27 PM To: council@iowa-city.org I live on Oakes Drive. I am relatively new to the area, two years now. I am looking forward to the completion of the sewer and road project(s) affecting us in this area. I have three questions, if someone representing this area could take the question, or if anyone of Iowa City's council would like to comment on it I would be very much appreciative. The first question is why is not there a sidewalk on Dubuque Rd leading from a well used Bus Stop? Number 2 is why when Dubuque Rd is torn up and needs repair, is it not resurfaced with concrete, instead of chip -N- seal?. The third question is why is not there a side walk being put in on the portion of Dubuque Rd that is being resurfaced? These are important questions for me! I am sure there is a logical explanation to this. I am just searching for the answers. I enjoy Iowa City so much and believe all of your hard work on the Council is so much appreciated. Thank you for your time and effort on this matter and all the other matters presented to you daily. Bev Soukup-Platz ..... Original Message .... From: Rick Fosse Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2002 2:51 PM To: 'bevplatz@mindspdng,com' Cc: Lisa Mollenhauer Subject: Questions about North Dubuque Road Bev: A copy of your e-mail was forwarded to me for a response. I will try to address your three questions in the order you presented them. 1. A sidewalk was considered for the portion of Dubuque Road between Oakes Drive and Dodge Street in the mid 1980s when the road was reconstructed. At that time the property owners asked the City Council to not include the sidewalk in the project. As I recall, their request was primarily based on the cost of the assessment and the impact construction would have on existing trees. The City Council accommodated their request. 2. As you noted, the paving in the area of the new water main is being replaced with the same chip seal surface that existed before the project. This is an economical surface for Iow volume roads such as this and costs only about $7 per foot to construct. By contrast, upgrading to a concrete street with curbs, gutters and sidewalks would cost between $400 and $500 per foot. 3. There is no sidewalk being constructed as a part of this project for a variety of reasons. The primary one is because the road is remaining a rural section; that is it will continue to have ditches rather than curbs and gutters. This does not leave a suitable area to construct the sidewalk. Please feel free to call or e-mail me if you have additional questions. Thanks, Rick Fosse City Engineer 356-5143 Marian Karr From: Dod RIBEIRO DE OLIVEIRA [luamaluca@msn.com] Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2002 1:03 PM To: Renata Oliveira; Dad & Eli Barnes; Debra Mondschein; Charles Kerly; City Council; Cynthia Kelly; Daniel Vaena; EJizabeth Schmidt; Moacyr Oliveira; Jordan Mondschein; Julie and Mark Howley; Karen Charney; Keellia Thurber; Luciana Ol[veira; Marina Oliveira; Marcus McCowan; Mom & Roi; Dick& Eleni Peppas; Mychael Barnes; Nick M Myrman; Nanci Kelly; Robyn Franz; Anthony & Dora Barnes; Stephanie & Socrates Papadopoulos; Warren Rizzo; Terrie & Jorge; Paul Lovick Subject: Points to ponder on the Human Condition Well, I, for one, have forwarded my share of questionables. And so, to counterbalance: D You may not agree with ANY of this You may agree with ALL of it You may relate to just some of it, but at least it's Something to Think About (anonymous) in light of the many sketches and jokes we send along to one another for a laugh, this is a littJe different: This joke today is not intended to be a joke, it's not intended to be funny, it's intended to get you thinking. Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and ~lane Clayson asked her "How could God let something like this happen?" (regarding the attacks on Sept. 11). Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said "! believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get: out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, [ believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?" in light of recent events; terrorists attack, school shootings, etc... [ think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she did n't want prayer in our schools. We said OK. Then someone said we'd better not read holy books in school ... the Torah/Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, honor your parents and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK. Then someone said teachers and principals must not discipline our children when they misbehave. The school administrators said no faculty member may touch a student when they misbehave because they don't want any bad publicity, and they surely don't want to be sued (there's a big difference between disciplining and touching, beating~smackin~, humiliating, etc.). And we said OK. Then someone said, let's let our daughters have abortions on demand, without even having to tell their parents. And we said OK. Then someone said let's print magazines with lewd or just plain graphic photographs of nude women and call it wholesome, down-to-earth appreciation for the beauty of the female body. And we said OK. And then someone else took that appreciation a step further and published pictures of nude children and then further again by making them available on the !nternet. And we said OK, they're entitled to free speech. Then the entertainment industry said, let's make TV shows and movies that promote profanity, violence, and illicit sex. Let's record music that encourages/promotes/glorifie s rape, drug abuse, murder, suicide, and plainly evil, destructive themes And we said it's just entertainment, it has no adverse effect, nobody takes it seriously anyway, so go right ahead. Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves. Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. 7/10/02 Page 2 of 2 I think it has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW." Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we may believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Torah, the Bible and the Kor an all say. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the The Divine, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and sometimes obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace. Are you laughing? Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it. Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what a "Higher Power," ".la," Yahweh," "Allah" or "God" thinks of u s. Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it... no one will know you did 7/10/02 Marian Karr From: Lisa Mollenhauer Sent: Wednesday, July 03, 2002 3:14 PM To: 'marl & brian roseman/butler' Cc: *City Council Subject: RE: Ped Mall Fountain Ms. Roseman: This note is in response to your email to the City Council regarding the fountain and Friday Night Concert Series. The Downtown Association organizes and is responsible for the Friday Night Concert and has made the request that the fountain be turned off during concerts. It is my understanding there were several complaints of water being sprayed on those who come to enjoy the music as well concerns of the sound generated from the fountain itself. Musicians~also complained of the distraction. The fountain is available during the day and most evenings (with the exception of events where organizers have requested it be turned off). I would suggest you contact the Downtown Association at 354-0863 to voice your concern. A copy of your email will be distributed to all seven Council Members on their next printed Formal Agenda Consent Calendar. All correspondence addressed to Council becomes a permanent public record. If you wish to communicate with Council Members immediately, please click here for additional contact options http://www, icgov.org/citycou ncil. htm Thank you for your correspondence. Lisa Lisa Mollenhauer Administrative Assistant to the City Manager (319) 356-5010 ..... Original Message ..... From: marl & brian roseman/butler [mailto:mari_brian@hotmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, July 02, 2002 9:00 PM To: council@iowa-city.org Subject: Ped Mall Fountain Dear Council Members, I am writing to voice my concern regarding the ped mall fountain. Ayear ago, after a twenty year absence, I moved back to Iowa City with my young family. We enjoy the people and the services the city has to offer. In particular, the Friday night concert series has been a highlight for us. Last Friday night, June 28, my bathing suit clad kids and I were dismayed to learn that the fountain would not be operating--apparently due to a complaint regarding the volume of noise the fountain makes and the risk of water spraying on the sound board. The soundboard was more than a sufficient distance to make the water a Iow risk (and they could move farther away still) and the music volume can be raised if the fountain is actually interfering with the sound. With the absence of the downtown play structure, the fountain becomes an even more important focal point for children at the FAMILY music series. On behalf of my family and the many families with children who count on ! using the fountain as part of their family entertainment, I strongly encourage you to keep the fountain on during the Friday night concert series. Regards, Mari Roseman 1614 Momingside Dr. Iowa City, IA 52245 mari_brian@hotmail.com Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com Marian Karr From: Tim Kelly [timmydragon@hotmail. com] Sent: Wednesday, July 03, 2002 4:31 PM To: cou ncil~iowa-city.org Subject: Minor League Baseball in Iowa City My name is Tim Kelly and I am a 1992 graduate of the University of Iowa and was born and raised in Sioux City. I have worked in sports since graduating college and have learned a graat deal about creating a successful sports franchise, having been involved with four start-up organizations to this point. I would love to be involved in starting up a minor league baseball team in the Iowa City-Coralville area. I envision a very successful situation similar to the set-up in Lincoln, NE in which the University and the baseball team share a baseball facility. To further research the team or league in which they would play, the team name is the Lincoln Saltd'ogs and they play in the Northern League. A start-up team would take someone who would be interested in ownership or financing, if you know of anyone. If there is interest in working with someone from outside of the area, that could possibly be arranged. I think this would be a big hit in the area, and would love to help facilitate with making it happen. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this further, please feel free to e-mail me at tkel!y@nba,com, or you can call me at 828-782-1006. I look forward to your responses. Sincerely, Tim Kelly 7/3/02 Marian Karr From: Caroline Dieterle [caroline-dieter[e@uiowa.edu] Sent: Friday, July 05, 2002 4:46 PM To: council@iowa-city.org Subject: Suggested Resolution re-sending after failure to go thru To the City Council: I think that Iowa City should pass a resolution modeled on the ones adopted by the cities listed below. - Caroline Dieterle Walnut St., I.C. The city of Northampton (Mass.) officially asks, from now on, that ' federal and state law enforcement report to the local Human Rights Commission all local investigations undertaken under aegis of the [USA Patriot] Act and Orders; and that the community's congressional representatives actively monitor the implementation of the Act and Orders, and work to repeal those sections found unconstitutional.'" Similar resolutions have been passed in Cambridge, Amherst and Leverett Massachusetts, Ann Arbor Michigan, Denver Colorado, and Berkeley California. Other cities are also preparing resolutions. The Sons and Daughters of Liberty 'All of Us Are in Danger', by Nat Hentoff, Village Voice, Friday, June 21, 2002. "...on February 4 of this year, some 300 citizens of Northampton, Massachusetts, held a town meeting to organize ways to--as they put it--protect the residents of the town from the Bush- Ashcroft USA Patriot Act. On that night, the Northampton Bill of Rights Defense Committee began ... Similar committees are organizing around the country. Speakers at that town meeting were defying John Ashcrofi, who threatened dissenters in his ' testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee last year. He denounced those ' who scare peace- loving people with phantoms of lost liberty .... Your tactics only aid terrorists, for they erode our national unity and diminish our resolve. They give ammunition to America's enemies.' But speakers at the meeting emphasized that the USA Patriot Act and the the succession of unilateral Ashcroft-Bush orders that followed apply not only to noncitizens but also to Americans in that very hall. William Newman, director of the ACLU of Western Massachusetts, pointed out that law enforcement agencies are now permitted ' the same access to your Internet use and to your e- mail use that they had to your telephone records' --and may overstep their authority. ' The history of the FBI,' Newman warned, ' is that they will do exactly that.' 7/5/02 Page 2 of 2 Also speaking was University of Massachusetts professor Bill Strickland, whom I first met when he directed the Northern Student Movement during the civil rights campaigns of the 1950s and 1960s. Said Strickland, "The elements of the Patriot Act place all of us in danger." One result of that meeting was a petition, signed by over 1000 Northamptonites, urging the town goverurnent to approve a 'resolution to defend the Bill of Rights.' Thanks to a persistent organizing drive, that resolution passed the Northampton city council by a unanimous vote on May 2. It targets not only the USA Patriot Act but also all subsequent actions by Ashcroft and others that' threaten key rights guaranteed to U.S. citizens and noncitizens by the Bill of Rights and the Massachusetts Constitution.' Among those key rights: ' freedom of speech, assembly, and privacy; the right to counsel and due process in judicial proceedings; and protection from unreasonable searches and seizures.' The city of Northampton officially asks, from now on, that' federal and state law enforcement report to the local Human Rights Commission all local investigations undertaken under aegis of the [USA Patriot] Act and Orders; and that the community's congressional representatives actively monitor the implementation of the Act and Orders, and work to repeal those sections found unconstitutional.'" Similar resolutions have been passed in Cambridge, Amherst and Leverett Massachusetts, Ann Arbor Michigan, Denver Colorado, and Berkeley California. Other cities are also preparing resolutions. To find out about these campaigns around the country, and about a range of organizing tools, you can visit the Northampton Bill of Rights Defense Committee's Web site, and its links: <http://www.gj f. org/NBORDC>http://www.gj f. or~g/NBORDC 7/5/02 Marian Karr From: Caroline Dieterte [caroline-dieterle@uiowa.edu] Sent: Friday, July 05, 2002 4:48 PM To: council@iowa-city.org Subject: Re-sending - second item To the Council - This post (below) is also worth contemplating when considering my suggestion for a resolution in view of the USA Patriot act. - Caroline Dieterle Walnut Street ............... Text of forwarded message ............... Daily Bulletin A TERRORIST MANIFESTO? by Ed Quillen, Colorado As Americans prepare to celebrate a rare Thursday holiday, high-ranking officials in the Bush administration announced their discovery ora major new terrorism threat. "This rates at least a bright orange, and it could turn red in an instant," according to George Hanover, an/~ official in the Propaganda Ministry of the Third Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security,' Hanover explained that the alert was based on the FBI's discovery ora document that had been circulating on the Internet, and perhaps in other places. "The document is quite specific," he said, "and it could be construed to call for violent action on this continent, and it might also involve suicide bombers backed by a well-f'manced organization with international connections." Pressed for details, Hanover said that the originators of the document had "pledged their lives," which indicated a self-destructive willingness to die for their cause, as well as "their fortunes," which FBI analysts interpret as "signifying that they are people of some means, or else they would be talking about something other than their fortunes." Hanover said he would not reveal other specific wording fxom the document, at the request of Vice President Dick Cheney. Cheney's request, which was also passed on to press associations and the broadcast and cable news channels, came about because he feared that terrorists might use some of the precise phrases in the document as "triggers to activate some of their sleeper cells." However, the Attorney General's Office of Counter-Terrorism Investigation did release some details when Attorney General John Ashcrofic held a news conference yesterday. Displaying portions of the document on a screen, Ashcroft pointed out that "in this place, where a good American would say "endowed by God,' the author or authors of this terrorist manifesto says "endowed by their Creator.' And toward the end, they say they have a "Reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence,' rather than following the official American motto of "In God We trust.'" Ashcroft said that his experts had parsed and analyzed the document, and felt confident that they could identify some of its authors and supporters. For instance, he said, "we know that some of them have grown hemp - that's just a code word for marijuana, and it is currently used only by the advocates of legalization who would doom future generations of American children - which means that these criminals are very likely using illegal drag money to f'mance thek terrorism campaign." Another drag connection, Ashcroft said, lay in an unusual phrase in the document: "the pursuit of happiness." Some names associated with the document, the attorney general said, were suspected of involvement in smuggling, as well as of participation in an attack by terrorists in disguise on a ship in Boston harbor which resulted in the destruction of much of its cargo. "The similarities with the U.S.S. Cole a~ank are too significant to ignore," Ashcroft said, "and we all know what other terrible things started beneath the lax security system operated by the Port Authority of Boston." The attorney general said there were other Boston connections. "l don't want to give out this party's name, because we could be closing in on hin~," he said, "but he is an attorney fi.om the Boston area who has defended unpopular clients before, and his name is associated with the document. "In fact," Ashcroft continued, "he may have assisted in writing it, and with our new Patriot Act Domestic Communications Surveillance System, we have found several other messages which he eithenl sent to his fellow conspirators or attempted to present to the general public. In one, he wrote that "the govennnent of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion,' and in another, he wrote that "this would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it.'" While most media representatives were content to take notes or prepare their hair for their soon-to-come standup shots outside the Justice Department offices, one unkempt print reporter asked the attorney general if the terrorist suspect was John Adams, second president of the United States, and whether the terrorist manifesto was the Declaration of Independence, issued on July 4, 1776. Ashcroft said he could not dignify such an impudent question with an answer, and ordered secur~yS~, ~ personnel to remove the troublemaker to a special counter-terrorism prison where he would be held incommunicado before appearing at a closed military tribunal. The attorney general closed by reminding patriotic Americans that, to stand up against the security threats posed by terrorists, they should go shopping on July 4, rather than attend any public celebrations. MAP posted-by: Beth Pubdate: Tue, 02 Jul 2002 Source: Denver Post (CO) Webpage: www.denverpost.c_om/Storias_~0~ 11413,36%257E 150%257E707248%257E,00.html Copyright: 2002 The Denver Post Corp Contact: letters _~,,denverpost.com Website: http://www.denverpost.com_/ Details: httv:_//www,rn_apinc.or~g/media/122 Author: Ed Quillen 9634243= .ALT-- JOHNSON COLINT¥ HISTORICAl SOCIETY Marian Karr From: John I'iwewll @yahoo.corn] Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2002 10:58 AM To: cou ncil@iowa-city.org Subject: Taxi license Dear Mayor Lehman I am a driver for Airport Express (Limousines by OCFS), North Liberty. Since we shuttle people from both Iowa City and Cedar Rapids to the Eastern Iowa Airport, we must have a taxi license in both cities. I renewed my Iowa City license today. I had to present a B.C.I. investigation report, $13.00, a Certified Driving Record, $5.50, and pay $7.50 for the Iowa City license. That license is good for only one year. Shuttle drivers don't make much money. This $26 expense is costly. It would be very helpful if the license was good for two years! I would encourage your support for making this change. F.Y.I. Cedar Rapids does issue two (2) year license. Sincerely Yours, John Evans City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: June 26, 2002 To: City Clerk From: Beth Pfohl, Traffic Engineering Planner ~/~ Re: Item for July 16, 2002 City Counci~ meeting: Installation of a YIELD sign at the intersection of B'jaysville Lane and North Dubuque Street frontage road As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, 3B of the City Code, this is to advise the City Council of the following action. Action: Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A(5), a YIELD sign will be installed on the newly constructed westbound approach of B'jaysville Lane at the intersection of B'jaysville Lane and North Dubuque Street frontage road. Comment: This action is being taken to alleviate motorist confusion concerning the right-of-way at this intersection due to the irregular street geometry and limited sight distance for motorists on B'jaysville Lane. The sign is being placed on the westbound approach of B'jaysville Lane to enforce the normal right-of-way rule. The installation is based on a traffic study that shows the warrants for a YIELD sign installation are met. t ~,~c, ogtp/mem/bp-itemcom m7-16-02.doc Presentation to City Council, Tuesday, July 16, 7 PM, during public comment period: I am speaking for the Public Power Initiative for Iowa City. As you know, we are a coalition of local residents who for the last year have been studying and researching the topic of municipal ownership of electric utilities. We have brought in speakers for public presentations who are knowledgeable on this subject: Jay Logel, Executive Director of Museatine Water and Power; Merlin Hove, Manager, Ames Municipal Utilities; and Bob Haug, Executive Director of the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities. We have studied the favorable and stable rates and city income realized by 137 other Iowa cities currently operating their own electric utilities. As a result we have been encouraging the Iowa City City Council for many months now: 1. Not to renew the now-expired contract agreement with the present electricity supplier to Iowa City, Mid American Electric. The rate fi'eeze agreement between them and the Iowa Utilities Board is due to expire in December 2005, and we did not believe it made sense to bind ourselves to a contract in view of that fact. 2. To become informed about the possible benefits to the utility consumers in Iowa City as well as to the City's tax base which may come with municipal ownership 3. To undertake a feasibility study which would document for us whether this would be a beneficial project for the City to undertake. Our PPI coalition, now with over 500 supporters, wishes to thank the Council for directing the staffto pursue the idea of developing a joint Request for Proposal for such a feasibility study. We are pleased that Bob Haug of the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities has been able to coordinate the efforts of at least eleven interested Iowa cities (including Iowa City) to see how they can work together in the most economical way to get the facts they all will need to make an informed decision. We commend you for sending five relevant City staff members to their upcoming August meeting. PPI supporters will be continuing to observe with interest the progress of this effort. As the process moves along, we continue to be ava'flable and offer our services in any way that you would find helpful.