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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-03-05 Correspondence MELLOW CliO Of IOWII CITM ~ L1sill.J PO Box 428, Iowa City, IA 52244 338-9777 February 12, 2007 t'~ e..) 0 t:::' ~ ...::,-. 0 -n ..J> in --n -... L"'Cl ,-, -- w. ..-- -Tl :q ,.----' ',_J ~" -' )C~ .- r Council Members 410 E. Washington St. Iowa City, IA 52240 RE: COMPLAINTS AGAINST YELLOW CAB BY BACULlS' MOBILE HOME PARK Dear Council Members: I am writing this letter in regards to an incident that occurred at Baculis' Mobile Home Park (2130 S. Riverside Dr.) on Friday, February 2, 2007. That afternoon, I received a telephone call from a lieutenant in the Iowa City Police Department regarding a complaint Mr. Baculis lodged with ICPD and the City Council. His complaint is that a Yellow Cab was "once ag"in" seen to be "speeding excessively" through the park while additionally "squealing tires" and "driving recklessly." After explaining our side of the story to the lieutenant, I was assured our information would be shared with Captain Widmer and the City Council. Over the ten years I have been associated with Yellow Cab of Iowa City-first as a driver and currently as General Manager-the company has received a number of complaints from Mr. Baculis, either by telephone or through certified mail, regarding the speed and manner of cabs driven in the trailer court, and I include the latest example for your reference. While we respect Mr. Baculis' complaints, and his nature and right to do so, I can assure the City Council and the police department that if a driver has been directed to enter the trailer court, he or she will operate in observance of the 8M PH speed limit as posted throughout. Moreover, we do our best to avoid the situation entirely: Standard operating procedure for handling calls to/from Baculis' Mobile Home Park is to meet/drop customers either at the front gate on south Riverside Drive or behind the court along Commercial Drive. Pertaining to the day in question, however, we picked up a woman and her infant inside the trailer court. Given the sub-zero temperatures of the day, our dispatcher sent the taxi to the trailer directly. I stand by that decision and will stand by such responsible decisions in the future. I, for one, do not believe Mr. Baculis' excitable sense of security is paramount to the health of an infant (cont. ) exposed to dangerous weather conditions. And given that any of our drivers will have had operated in observance of the trailer court's speed limit, I would further say Mr. Baculis' complaint in this matter is frustratingly unfounded. My hope with this letter has been to inform the police department and the City Council that Yellow Cab is aware of the caveats peculiar to.Baculis' Mobile Home Park, and to assure community leaders that we continue to take every caution to not further disturb the situation. If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me at 338-9432. Thank you for your time. Sean Genell, eneral Manager Yellow Cab of Iowa City cc: Captain Widmer, Iowa City Police Owners, Yellow Cab of Iowa City enc. :spg 9 ~o /"'-.! , r~~ (;...;::1 = ~ .." rc OJ -n r:: "-\:~; - , .~ , ~~ )> U1 --0 , , " . ~ \'-"..1 J:'" BACULIS 2128 IOWA MOBILE HOMES INC. S. RIVERSIDE DR. CITY, IA.. 52246 To the Yellow Cab Com. December 28, 2006 Your drivers won't drive the sp~ed reckless. We have warned you many They drive too fast and STAY OFF OUR PROPERTY!!! ,. / i (1 "7 1. ,-, . )--.. L....- . (---:.-. ~0vl/ (I --' . Baculis SR. -7 . . /. V( " / .~ '-"""1.1 1 ~L~':.C No-,c' ?OS7E-b Lev'-" 7 I:> f'W1~ ..-j,' j . I - .:.. v L,,?~ David A. "'" 0 ~ = $n -' "Tl ....,..~'~ rrl -;""_..1 -' t:O " .--', , I ',0 ::::::i Ul , :-<. II ,..,...., :r2 , ~'-1 a -"<. \_.J :? /~ j;: - -""" Marian Karr [:[] From: Sent: To: Cc: Subject: Dale Helling Wednesday, February 21,200711:17 AM 'kdas@diversityfocus.org' council@iowa-city.org. RE: All-Mayor Ross Wilburn Dear Mr. Das, I am responding on behalf of Mayor Wilburn regarding your request that the City include on its website a link to the Diversity Focus website. Yours is an excellent suggestion and we have added links to Diversity Focus from the Calendar, Business, and Human Rights pages of the City website. Thank you for your efforts in promoting the climate for diversity here and throughout the state. Sincerely, Dale Helling, Assistant City Manager -----Original Message----- From: Krishna Das [mailto:kdas@diversityfocus.org] Sent: Thursday, February 15, 2007 3:00 PM To: council@iowa-city.org. Subject: Att-Mayor Ross Wilburn Mr. Ross Wilburn Mayor, Iowa City Dear Mr. Mayor, I hope you are well. I am the Program Manager with Diversity Focus which is a new initiative that began in 2005 to promote the climate for diversity in the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids corridor. The hope is'that we could expand this initiative slowly but surely throughout the state of Iowa. I believe for that to happen partnerships and collaborations are a necessity. I understand that your office has been pivotal in working in the areas related to community building and human capital development including those pertaining to diversity and the arts. I would appreciate you adding us as a link on your city web site. It will be a wonderful source of information for a number of constituents not just in the corridor but across the state. We were recently added on Cedar Rapids official page. Our website: You will be able to look at the sponsors and partners of this great new initiative. http://diversityfocus.org/ Thank you so much. Krishna Das Diversity Focus 205 2nd Ave. SE Cedar Rapids, IA 52401 319 363-3707 work 319 363-4095 fax kdas@diversityfocus.org www.diversityfocus.org 1 ~ ~ Marian Karr From: Ross Wilburn Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 11 :43 AM To: jnieland@cityofmarion.org Cc: 'City Council; Marian Karr Subject: Task Force Dear Mayor Nieland, Thank you for updating us on the City of Marion's plans regarding your I.C.E. Task force to address undocumented or falsely documented immigrants. At this time, the City of Iowa City will not be assigning an officer to join your task force. Should we receive any complaints about businesses hiring anyone with that status, we will make referals to the Federal Immigration and Naturalization Service for them to conduct an investigation. Ross Wilburn Mayor, City of Iowa City Mayor, City of Marion [mailto:jnieland@cityofmarion.org] Sent: Wednesday, February 07, 2007 10:20 AM To: john.crews@cLcedar-falls.ia.us; jfausett@cLcoralville.ia.us; mayor@hiawatha-iowa.com; *City Council; david. franker@northliberty.org; mayor@waterloo-ia.org Subject: Task Force Gentlemen: I am writing you to ask that you consider joining the City of Marion in a Task Force. This Federal Task Force gives local communities the opportunity to take action against businesses that employ undocumented or falsely documented immigrants. Before you make a decision, I ask you to please contact your local union representatives to determine the extent of the problem in your city. I was unaware that a problem existed until I was approached by a drywall contractor from Iowa City. He indicated that he was constantly being under bid by what he thought was a sub-contractor using illegal workers. At first I just assumed he was not competitive in his bids. However, I followed up with the construction unions in Cedar Rapids. They confirmed that indeed there is a problem and ask if there was any way I could assist them to combat the use of illegal workers in the "trades" construction field 2/27/2007 Page 2 of2 I then contacted the U.S Attorney's office and had a meeting with Charles Larson, Sr. the U.S. Attorney for our District (now retired). He suggested that a federal task force be formed. It would operate under a program called I.C.E. The City of Marion has been providing an officer to the Federal Drug Task Force and we believe that it has provided great dividends. We will be providing an officer for the I.C.E. task force. I have received a great deal of support from across the U.S. and from local union members as well as local sub- contractors. You can receive detail information about the I.C.E. program by contacting Resident Agent Mike Vail at 319-364- 3280. The contractor that first spoke to me has since had to close shop and layoff what workers he had. Please inform me of you decision. Mayor John Nieland 319-743-6303 1225 6th Avenue Marion, IA 52302 2/27/2007 Marian Karr From: Sent: To: Cc: Subject: Dale Helling Monday, February 26, 2007 1: 17 PM 'rwil burn@jccrisiscenter.org' Marian Karr FW: Marion Mayor John Nieland's Task Force FYI - my response to his further inquiry. --Dale -----Original Message----- From: Dale Helling Sent: Monday, February 26, 2007 1:15 PM To: 'andrew-bassman@uiowa.edu' Subject: RE: Marion Mayor John Nieland's Task Force That's correct. Iowa City will not be participating in the task force. The original communication from Mayor Nieland was directed to Mayor Wilburn and he will respond. As I previously indicated, there has been no discussion of this request by the City Council and typically there would not be unless initiated by three or more Council members. I hope this answers your question. --Dale -----Original Message----- From: andrew-bassman@uiowa.edu [mailto:andrew-bassman@uiowa.edu] Sent: Monday, February 26, 2007 12:22 PM To: Dale Helling Subject: RE: Marion Mayor John Nieland's Task Force Hello again, and thank you for the response. I do need some clarification: Iowa City will not particiapte in the task force? If not, is there any specific reason agreed upon by the council? Thank you again for your time and help. Quoting Dale Helling <Dale-Helling@iowa-city.org>: > Dear Andrew, > > Thank you for you email to the City Council. Council members do not > receive their email messages directly. You communication will be > forwarded to Council and formally accepted as a part of an upcoming > regular meeting consent agenda. > > Perhaps I can help answer your inquiry. Mayor Nieland's communication > has not been raised for discussion by any Council member nor was the > level of police staffing discussed in the context of that communication > during Council's budget discussions. There has been no indication that > any Council member intends to propose further discussion of the matter. > Mayor Wilburn will be responding to Mayor Nieland indicating that Iowa > City will not be proceeding as the letter suggests, but rather that that > we will refer issues regarding enforcement of national immigration laws > and related concerns to the INS or other appropriate federal agency. > Thus, I do not anticipate a City Council discussion of this matter. > > Sincerely, > Dale Helling, Assistant City Manager > > 1 > > -----Original Message----- > From: andrew-bassman@uiowa.edu [mailto:andrew-bassman@uiowa.edu] > Sent: Wednesday, February 21, 2007 1:09 PM > To: *City Council > Subject: Marion Mayor John Nieland's Task Force > > Hello-- > I am a journalism student at the University of Iowa. Did Marion Mayor > John Nieland's task force on illegal immigration come up in the city > council budget session? The task force proposes adding another > officer to the police force. Did that corne up in the budget? Is the > task force to be debated in the council? I e-mailed and called Mayor > Wilburn to ask for his take on the situation. I got responses from > Cedar Rapids Mayor Halloran and Hiawatha Mayor Patterson. This is for > a story that propbb1y will not be published, possibly the Daily Iowa, > but doubtful. It is just for a class. Thank you in advance for your > time and hopeful assistance. If answering these questions is easier > by phone, what is the best time to call and whom? If I receive no > response to the e-mail, expect random calls until I get an answer. > Thanks. > > 2 I ~~(~) I Marian Karr From: Schomers, Roxanne [roxanne-schomers@uiowa.edu] Sent: Tuesday, February 20,200712:19 PM To: council@iowa-city.org. Subject: Can you help? As I continue to offer help and support to the Animals at the shelter, I came up with an idea. What can we do so that there would be a permanent display board located in city public areas that could be used to feature animals at the center. I think we really need to find ways to market the animals and get them into the public view. Misha has wonderful flyers on her web site. They give general information about the animals and sport a great picture. These are easily printed and could be hung up so folks can see and read about the animals. My first thought was the public library. Lots of families and folks use the library. Maybe the recreation center also. Coralville could also help feature these four legged friends. Flyers could be changed once a month easily. The boards could also be an area to post events at the Center. Such as the adoption event, spay and neuter day, garage sale etc. It is a benefit to the community to keep these little guys in the public eye and out of the shelter. Saves animals, and tax payer money. I have become one of the board members for FACF. I attend the Task Force meetings as a citizen and let me tell you, they are doing a great job! Misha has a great sense about her and keeps things on task and in control. I have so much respect for her and the group. The work they are doing is going to make a positive impact on the city. I have no drought about this Thanks for any feed back or thoughts you might have! Roxanne Schomers Friend of the Animals 2/20/2007 Marian Karr [;D From: Sent: To: Subject: lee m orsino [Ieeorsino@yahoo.com] Wednesday, February 21,20073:17 PM 'City Council poultry, chickens To: Iowa City - City Council I'm not sure who to address this to, so forgive me if you're the wrong person(s). Under Iowa City's current law, residents aren't allowed to have backyard chickens because chickens are classified as livestock and not pets. Yet, other towns and cities in Iowa (and other states) allow them. What would have to happen for this law to be changed to allow people to have 2 or 3 chickens in order to have fresh eggs and the other benefits that come with a. few chickens? How are the zoning laws changed? Would this have to be decided by the voters in an election? Where does one start? Regards, Lee Orsino 1123 Fairchild St Iowa City, IA 52245 354-1143 Want to start your own business? Learn how on Yahoo! Small Business. http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-index 1 C':j Marian Karr From: Leighton Smith [Ieighton.smith@gmail.coml Sent: Wednesday, February 21, 2007 5:16 PM To: 'City Council Subject: ONE Council Members, Please find below the form letter from the ONE organization. I think that associating our city's name with this organization would encourage local citizens to become more involved in it. I was active in the organization when I lived in Chicago and found it very rewarding. Leighton Smith Hey - I'm not sure if I told you this before, but I am a member of ONE, the campaign to make poverty history. We're working on a project right now where cities across the nation can declare themselves Cities of ONE. A City of ONE is publicly committed to the end of global poverty. As more cities across the country become cities of ONE, the end of extreme poverty and AIDS will no longer seem a distant goal, but rather a national priority. I'm asking my Mayor to make an official proclamation in support of ONE. You should do the same. Just a handful of signatures in a city can make a proclamation happen. Sign the petition to make your city a City of ONE. Sign a petition asking your Mayor to make an official proclamation in support of the ONE Campaign. http://www.one.org/dialorganizationsONE/one/petition.j sp?petition _KEY = I OO&t=OneColumn.dwt Thanks. 2/21/2007 c:J Marian Karr From: E J THOMAS [erdajo@msn.com] Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2007 10:28 AM To: 'City Council Subject: Johnson County Senior Center Thursday February 22, 2007 TO: Iowa City Council Members FROM: Kay L. Burke 505 Brookland Park Drive Iowa City, IA 52246 RE: Johnson County Senior Center Through the support of the city, tireless effort by the center staff, and the contributions of time and money by many others, the Johnson County Senior Center is nationally recognized for its excellence. It is one of the reasons people come here to retire. As the Baby Boomers retire, the expectations for the center's services will only continue to grow. In short, the Senior Center works--extremely well. That is why discussion of a possible merger with the Iowa City Recreation Department concerns me. The two city departments focus on different clientele: the recreation department serves primarily families with children and young adults; the senior center, adults over fifty. Our senior center is a jewel; let's not begin looking for ways to change a place that means so much to so many. 2/22/2007 ----~.~-------~-~----_._._-_.._-_._~-'_._---_._._.._--.------- .._-,----- [;[] Marian Karr From: debra-dorzweiler@juno.com Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2007 8:46 PM To: 'City Council Subject: Lack of sidewalks on Rochester Ave. Dear City Council Members: I am concerned about a lack of sidewalks along Rochester Avenue west of Amhurst Drive. This is a busy road, with increasing traffic going and coming from Herbert Hoover Highway and Scott Boulevard. I do not live in this area, but frequently drive along this road as I work in the West Branch School District. Since there is no sidewalk on either side of the road in this section, I often see school-aged children walking on a dirt path in order to get to school. However, when there is snow or mud, these same children must walk in the road. I have recently spoken about this issue with a member of the Traffic Engineering Department, who told me that normally new sidewalks are only put in when property is developed. Currently there is mostly undeveloped property along this stretch of the road. However over the years we have been asked to repair sidewalk in several different Iowa City neighborhoods that we have lived in. It does not make sense to me that homeowners can be asked to repair sidewalk, but owners of undeveloped property don't have a responsiblity to put in a sidwalk along a busy road. This seems like a civic responsibility to me, in order that we can keep all of our children safe. If it is not possible to ask the landowners to put in sidewalks along Rochester Ave., I believe the city has a responsibility to see that sidewalks are installed in this area. If this needs to come out of our tax dollars, I believe this to be a necessary expense for the city. From the Traffic Engineer I spoke to, I understand there has been a request to provide a $100,000 fund to put in sidewalks each year, with the Rochester Ave. section being among the top priorities. This would be a worthwhile expenditure, since all would benefit. Sincerely, Debra Dorzweiler FREE Reminder Service - NEW from AmericanGreetings.com Click HERE and never forget a Birthday or Anniversary again! 2/23/2007 I ~~(;) J Marian Karr From: Erin Wright [erinelizabethwright@gmail.com] Sent: Monday, February 26, 2007 7:31 AM To: 'City Council Cc: tuttlerd@msn.com Subject: Iowa UNA forum on global climate change Dear City Council Members, My name is Erin Wright and I am a student member of the Iowa UNA. Students at the University of Iowa are currently planning a forum on global climate change and are hoping to narrow down the exploration of this topic to policy. We are hoping to both have community members, students, staff and faculty not only discuss with local, county, and state politicians what they hope to see in future policy decisions; but also have politicans speak about what these concerned citizens can do to see that these policies take effect. Bob Tuttle, (who is carbon copied in this email) and I are working on locating panelists and we are hoping to have either the mayor or a member ofthe city council come discuss policy decisions regarding global climate change on a local level. We hope that at least one member would show interest in coming to speak! We have narrowed the date down to two dates. If you could please let me know who would be interested in attending and then if neither work, both work, or only one works, that would help us in our process of finalizing the date and time. The dates are: Wednesday, April 18th (anytime after 7 p.m.) OR Thursday, April 19th (anytime after 7 p.m.) Please respond to both Bob and I at your earliest convenience. Also, if you have any recommendations for another county/local politician who you believe to be a strong panelist for this forum, we are entirely open to suggestions. Thank you so much for your time. Erin Wright 2/26/2007 Marian Karr r=:J From: Sent: To: Subject: dennis kowalski [mayflyd@yahoo.com] Monday, February 26, 2007 9:32 AM 'City Council T Increase F Council I have just read over the weekend in the Chicago Reader an article about why Mayor Daley will be reelected, but why you shouldn't vote for him. Along with the more outstanding corruption charges made against him is the misuse of TIF. As mentioned earlier in past mails, TIF is intended for blighted areas and not sports stadiums and subsidies to developers to make downtown pretty for affluent residents, tourists and the business community. Making the developers more wealthy, as the article pointed out with tax payers money, including a rise in property taxes. More true of course of Chicago than Ie and certainly on a larger scale. I have participated in a number of meetings with an alderman, a lawyer, a real estate developer and usually a twenty or, thirty something year old, pretty, perky women, function unknown. Cheerleader? There are always positive assurances that these improvements/developments will not effect YOUR taxes. They always do. OK things happen, things change, but lets just cut out the bullshit and the misuse of funds. Everything is probably legal, at least in IC. Ethical and proper is another matter. Welcome to the world of big city corruption, which isn't bad for a dink town. One of the things that has fascinated me about small towns for the most part is how the residents talk about the wonderful qualities of their lives, while at the same time striving for big town characteristics. Roads, highways, parking lots, subdivisions etc. Along with of course more arnmenities for the affluent and more crime for the poor. More crap, more corruption! I guess it's just the viscious circle of unfettered capitalism. As far as I'm concerned, the quality of life in America. Sucks! Even here in the PC bubble we call Iowa City. "Twenty six square miles, surrounded by reality", quoting a former mayor of Madison, about Madison. More true here. Except for mitigating circumstances, I would join myoId friend in Vienna, where one can drink wine from real glasses, anywhere in City Park. None are broken and people bring them back. Perhaps we need to Americanize them. They already have democracy and freedom. I hope at least, you find this amusing. Dennis Kowalski 1932 Hafor Dr Ie IA 52246 Looking for earth-friendly autos? Browse Top Cars by "Green Rating" at Yahoo! Autos' Green Center. http://autos.yahoo.com/green_center/ 1 02/2812007 14:17 3193514433 IA WORKFORCE IC IJi:J Dear Mayor Wiburn and City Council, I would first like to start by saying your position as mayor has inspired me as an African American to pursue goals I would not h3.ve ever attempted to attain. I take pride in you being our mayor. I have Jived in Iowa City for years and I h3.ve seen some positive things happen. There is one area in which I see there needing to be a change and that brings me to the reason for my writing this letter. I am disappointed and frustrated with companies in Iowa City who are not hiring minorities as permanent employees. Our city has many temporary employment agencies contracting minorities out to work for small wages and no health benefits. I am taking a stand that this is a diabol.ical and well-calculated scheme between employment agencies and companies to exploit minorities. There is a strong indication that there may be some subtle racism in that it is not coincidental that the whites are holding the full-time positions and the African Americans and Mexicans work through agencies. I am not aware of the salaries of the whites but I am sure th3.t the minorities are not making even close to what they make. I am aware that companies are in the business of making money and are not really concem with socioeconomic issues but minorities should not be victims of their calculating ways to meet their fmancial goal. I have also noticed as minorities continue to come here for the betterment of their life's, standards are raised for employment. For instance, the typing speed requirement was 20 wpm at a certain company but now it is 30. I watched a lot of minorities get turned away. There are some who have come from Chicago where in the inner city there were no computers in the schools or fancy job training programs. Whilt has happened to us where we are no longer -m:oe willing to give people a chance but we put in place obstacles to keep people out? You see it is not just about having a job but having a job that you can see a future for your children, health Cat1 and retirement. Whilt makes our goals any different? Why are u.>e,. seen as machines to fill in to help others make money while we feel inadequate and hopeless? Sincerely, Carolyn Henderson ''0 ~:::> (~ ~ o .- :~O ->-:::::-: .r---., <: --.-, r'l crJ N en 11 ,.-._.~ .--<- :-- -(J 'il ;; I ----, :~..J 95:~i .'"' )> N Cl'l v::> (lharc h 5 rJ<Atf1d~; ilef 1-q.,I/) <f I - 10 _~= -..A ...r--....... ~~q!='"y. ~'Sr_..., ....~ CITY OF IOWA CITY March 19, 2007 Ms. Carolyn Henderson 509 S. Linn Street Apt.#2 Iowa City, IA. 52240 410 East Washington Street Iowa City. Iowa 52240- J 826 (319) 350.5000 (3191350.5009 FAX www.icgov.org Re: Employment of minorities in Iowa City Dear Ms. Henderson, Thank you for your recent letter to me and to the City Council, and for your kind words regarding my selection as Iowa City's mayor. As you might assume, serving in that office is both challenging and rewarding. This is a great community and I am always appreciative of having the opportunity to serve in this capacity. The City Council adopted a non-discrimination ordinance over forty years ago which prohibits discrimination in employment on numerous bases, including race, color, or national origin among other designated protected classes. Iowa City has a long standing Human Rights Commission, appointed by the City Council, which oversees the enforcement of our local ordinance. We employ a full-time Human Rights Coordinator who, along with two part-time investigators, receives and investigates complaints of unlawful discrimination in Iowa City and attempts to facilitate a resolution. The Commission is empowered to convene a publiC hearing in cases where there is a finding of "probable cause" that unlawful discrimination has occurred and where no other attempt at resolution has succeeded. The Commission has quasi-judicial authority to make a finding and may impose a resolution it considers appropriate. While we hope that all local employers are abiding by our ordinance, we also conduct outreach efforts in the community aimed at ensuring that employers are aware of local, state and federal non-discrimination laws and of potential penalties for violating those laws. We also attempt to assist them in identifying ways in which they can fashion better equal opportunity employment practices in their own organization. The City of Iowa City is an equal opportunity employer and our employment policies and practices conform not only to federal and state laws, but also to our local ordinance which includes protected classes (sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status) typically not protected under federal or state statutes. I feel it is important that the City be a model employer for the community. I think we can agree that there continues to be unlawful discrimination in our society and, unfortunately, we are unlikely to ever eradicate it completely. Nonetheless, I believe Iowa City employers, both public and private, do for the most part attempt to be fair and nondiscriminatory in their employment practices. We will continue to vigorously enforce the local ordinance through the office of our Human Rights Coordinator. We also make referrals to the Iowa Civil Rights Commission where appropriate, such as in cases where we lack jurisdiction or where a potential conflict of interest might exist. March 19.2007 Page 2 I hope this information is helpful. If you are aware of a specific situation(s) where unlawful discrimination is involved, please feel free to contact Stefanie Bowers, the City's Human Rights Coordinator. She can explain how the complaint process works and what is required for the filing of a formal complaint. W~ Ross Mayor cc.~ouncil Stefanie Bowers, Human Rights Coordinator Please Help = Marian Karr From: Gould, Solomon M (UI Health Care) [smgould@healthcare.uiowa.edu] Sent: Wednesday, February 28, 20072:42 PM To: .City Council Subject: Please Help Dear City of Iowa City Council Members- I recently sent this email to the tenants' rights office. I understand you are all very busy with many different issues. However, I am sincerely hoping that this story catches your attention and that one of you or all of you are able to help us with our situation. Please see below for details. Also, please contact me, either via email or via phone, at anytime of the day or night with questions, comments, or concerns. Thank you for your time. Regards, Solomon Gould (641) 891-9679 Hello, My fiancee and I moved into our 1 bedroom apartment on 320 E. Burlington St. (Apartments Near Campus) this past August 1st. The apartment complex had recently been hit by the tornado, but according to the landlords the apartment had been fully cleaned and carpets had been vacuumed. Yet for the first two months, my fiancee and I were forced to clean our "white" walls several times before they became "whiter" and to pick large and small pieces of glass and staples out of the dirt-embedded carpet that we still haven't been able to rid of dirt completely. Our shower door had and still has mold growing allover its bottom and edges. The air in our apartment was very damp and dusty and still is to a degree. This horrific experience started our frustrations with our landlord and the Apartments Near Campus Company in general, but our most recent frustration takes the cake. Just over the month ago, my fiancee and I were watching a movie when, all of the sudden, our walls started vibrating from bass and we began to hear club music below us. The volume was so loud that we couldn't even hear the movie. We checked with our neighbor tenants, but none of them were playing their music. Each of us even thought it was one of the others' music. We walked downstairs and discovered that there was a new Latin dance club and bar being opened. We asked around the different tenants, and NONE of us had been given any advanced warning or notification WHATSOEVER. Another tenant and I immediately notified our landlord and explained our frustrations with their failure to notify any of us tenants Our landlord responded by "contacting" the owners of the bar and beginning a "plan" to insulate the club so that the music wouldn't be so disruptive. I personally also spoke with the owners of the bar the next day and discovered that they were told by our landlord and the owners of ANC that the cement between the club and our living residences was thick enough to prevent the noise from being an issue. When I asked our landlord why we were not given any notification or warning about a club being opened beneath our apartments, she responded by saying that they "only found out about it a couple of months ago." Where in that time frame did she and ANC forget that it is only polite and respectful for them to notify us? It has been a month now, and nothing has been done to prevent the sound from being overbearingly disruptive to a peaceful living environment. My fiancee and I are paying $715 dollars each month to live above a bar that plays loud music until 1 :30 each night. We can't even fall asleep until the music stops, because it is so LOUD. This has affected us both professionally and academically, because we are not able to rest for our jobs or our classes. 2/28/2007 Please Help Page 2 of2 We are breathing potent concentrations of second hand smoke that seeps up into our apartment through cracks in the "cement" and "sturdy fioors." Something must be done! Please help us. We are calling for immediate action on the parts of any persons who can possibly help us and our situation. It is cruel and unlawful for college students like us to be dumped on and abused because we simply don't have the money or other resources to stand up to big companies like ANC who are only out there for their money. Please please please help us in any way that you can. We are willing and prepared to do whatever is necessary to put an end to this mistreatment. With Sincere Regards, Solomon M. Gould (641) 891-9679 2/28/2007 ---~~._-~~~~~---'''--_.~'-'''------'---'-'--~-'---~--'''-.~_..~~.._.__.__._-----_._,~._----_._._-~_._---_.__.__.. Page 1 of 1 ~)/~ Marian Karr From: Norm Gate Sent: Thursday, March 01, 2007 11:18 AM To: 'smgould@healthcare.uiowa.edu' Cc: Doug Boothroy; Matt Johnson; 'City Council Subject: 320 Burlington St. noise Dear Mr.. Gould; My name is Norm Cate and I am the senior housing inspector for the city of Iowa City. Your email to the city council was forwarded to me in hopes that our department may be of some help to you. As I read through your emaii it appears what is of immediate and utmost concern is the loud noises from the newly opened dance club below your apartment. As background information, your 320 Burlington St unit is located in a CB-10 zone, which is one of our commercial zone designations. Dance clubs/bars is a permitted use in that zone on the 1 st floor of structures with residential use above. I understand that just because this is a permitted use, it doesn't alleviate your immediate concerns. Obviously, living above a loud nightclub is not conducive to normal sleeping routines, let alone the need for quiet study time. I'm sure if you knew that a nightclub was below the unit you intended to rent, that would have been a major factor in your decision process. From a housing code standpoint, there are no standards or regulations that address your concerns with the noise from the club. However, as you now know, the police are aware of the situation and can and will issue a disorderly house citation upon founded evidence. Their ability to respond in this manner is good news for you. I advise you to call the police as soon as the noise reaches the level of disturbance to you. Regarding the physical condition of your apartment, I suggest that you document the work you have performed to clean your apartment and attempt to negotiate a reasonable settlement with your landlord. If there are conditions that continue to exist that negatively impact your health, safety or welfare, t refer you to the Iowa Landlord/Tenant law; http://www.legis.state.ia.us/IACODE/2001SUPPLEMENT1562A/. section 562A.21, NON-COMPLIANCE BY THE LANDLORD. If you are not satisfied with your landlord's response, by following the above prescribed procedures, you will have acted accordingly and will stand on solid legal ground if events were to proceed to court. I hope this information will help your current situation. Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions Good luck. Norm Cate Senior Housing Inspector City of Iowa City 356-5137 3/1/2007