HomeMy WebLinkAbout1977-09-20 CorrespondenceData
Sheet Senior Center
Project Goal: To develop a community center for senior citizens and to coordinate
programs, activities and services to meet their needs in one
convenient, readily accessible location.
Project Description: The City of Iowa City proposes to buy and remodel the vacant
post office located at the corner of Washington and Linn Streets into
a multipurpose senior center and to facilitate the development of an
attached senior citizen housing structure to be constructed on the
site immediately east of the old post office. The proposed housing
will not be developed by the city and will be a high rise structure
containing as many as 100 units.
Area and Persons to be Served: The senior center will be a focal point for activities
of and services for Iowa City senior citizens. The facility and
services will be designed to provide accessibility to physically
handicapped senior citizens. Programs and services will be available
for persons of all income levels and educational and social back-
grounds.
According to a 1974 special census, Iowa City had a population of
47,744, of which 6.3% (or 3,008) were over 60 years of age. A large
percentage of the senior citizens reside in older neighborhoods
near the downtown area. The former post office structure is in an
excellent location, both from the standpoint of direct access for
the mobile elderly population and its proximity to central business
services which abound in the area around the site.
Relationship to Other City Activities: The City of Iowa City currently does not own
or operate a facility solely for use by senior citizens. However,
the Community Recreation Center does plan and supervise recreation
and social activities for this special population group (i.e., a
Golden Age Club, scheduled exercise programs, trips, and other
parties and gatherings -- totaling four or more activities per week)
and the Public Library does provide books, literature, films, and
meeting rooms for all age groups including elderly and in addition
special order large print materials are available and a mail service
has been developed for shut-ins.
The now proposed senior center would provide a wide range of social,
recreational, and educational opportunities to senior citizens.
Currently provided recreation and library services would be coordinated
with other activities in one accessible location.
Environmental Impact: The impact on the surrounding environment has been analyzed,
and no significant negative effects have been noted.
Areas investigated include topography and other natural features,
water run-off., water pollution, air pollution, animal habitat,
vegetation, traffic, energy requirements, relocation, support
services and affect on historical or cultural assets.
There will be some dust and noise during construction and an increase
in parking demand. To minimize adverse impact, steps will be taken
to assure adequate parking for users of the center and inhabitants
of the apartment complex.
Estimated Cost Summary:
Real Property Acquisition $ 250,000
Rehabilitation Costs 1,047,000
Total $1,297,000
Operating Costs $ 110,000 per year
-2 -
Estimated Cost Breakdown:
Rehabilitation Costs
All interior remodeling and redecorating
except elevator installation and heating -
cooling equipment
Elevator
New roof, all new construction such as
ramps, loading docks, exterior surface work,
window repair, etc.
Heating and cooling equipment (venting and
pipes included in remodeling estimate)
Extra cost of commercial kitchen
Total
Square foot cost for 27,800 square feet
$ 780,000
130,000
70,000
52,000
15,000
$1,047,000
$ 37.66
The figure of $780,000 was reached by taking a $600,000 estimate made by a local
contractor which was given in 1975 and increasing it by 30% for inflation which has
occurred since then. A local architectural firm estimated that elevator installation
costs would range from $110,000 to $150,000. City staff arbitrarily chose a figure
of $130,000. City staff also estimated exterior work costs and the figure used for
heating and cooling equipment using standard construction cost publications. The
extra cost for the commercial kitchen was added to assure additional funds for
increased kitchen space.
Operating Expenses
Staff
Materials
Utilities, maintenance and repair
$ 72,000
20,000
18,000
Total $ 110,000
A portion of the operating costs will be offset by rents received from the apartment
complex for use of the senior center facilities. Additional revenues may be received
from rental of office space to various social service agencies.
Other Comments: Although the project has a lot of community support, the City
Council will be assuming the leadership role by acquiring the Post Office for
use as a senior center. In this leadership role, citizens will probably
expect the city to provide both the 1 to 14 million dollar physical structure,
and also the management support necessary to make the center successful. In
acquiring the Post Office structure the Council is establishing a new city
policy in relationship to providing services for senior citizens.
The Council should be advised that current zoning regulations for a CB district
would allow a maximum of 42 units in the adjoining apartment complex. This
density is possible only if one owner holds title to the entire post office lot.
The Iowa City Council
410 E. Washington St.
Iowa City, Iowa
Deax People:
Iov:a City, Iowa
Sept. 12, 1977
So you :.ave oiled our section oz the bruvcl�co
road: If you have never lived in a lust situation you will never know
how;wondeful it is to again hang washed clothes on a line outside and
to be able to open doors and windows to the fresh air.
I and I think everyone within 300 feet of the
t road would join me, in thanking You for this oiling. It is also nice
to know that you are concerned about the problems of us ordinary
citizens.
Very sincerely,
� aL pp
SEP 131977
ABBIE STOLFUb
CITY CLERK
3697
6
OCity of Iowa Cit*
MEMORANDUM
DATE, September 12, 1977
TO: Neal Berlin and City Council
1I``�'-
FROM: Jim Brachtel, Traffic Enginee��-'
REs Parking prohibition on north side of Brookland Park Drive
As directed in Chapter 6.02.01 this memorandum is to advise
you of the following action:
ACTION
On September 26, the Traffic Engineer as authorized under
Chapter 6.16.01 intends to remove from the north side of
Brookland Park Drive the existing no parking B a.m. to
6 p.m. signs and replace them with no parking anytime signs.
COMMENT
This action is being taken to help resolve a long standing
special events night time parking problem which has occurred
in this neighborhood. At the suggestion of one of the residents
of the neighborhood, a postcard survey was conducted and 75% of
the respondents were favorable to the proposed action.
cc: Dick Plastino
IT 0 L E D
U SEP 121977 D
ABBIE STOLFUS
CITY CLERK
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September 23, 1977
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IaAA crtr,IDYM•
MAYOR
MAIN REUHAUSER
COURCILMEMSERS
XHM UALMEH
CAIIOLb FOSSE
LP FOSTER
DAVIDPERRET
EMS
EUEH
ROOERTVEVERA
Mr. Wayne J. Fiala
2324 Deborah Drive, S.W.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404
Dear Mr, Fiala:
At its regular meeting of September 20, 1977, the City LOUuLII I -••-
Clintonplaced on file urletter regarding the use of one of the modular units on
linton Street a
These modules have been in use for a far longer time than anticipated when
they were constructed, and the Council has determined that they will be
removed from Clinton Street as they are vacated. Your business would be
most welcome in Iowa City and I hope that some other arrangement can be made.
If you should have questions concerning this matter, please do not hesitate
to.contact me.
T
Sij�erei'y yours,
Neal G. Berlin
City Manager
cc: City Clerk
3707
Iowa clerks graduate
Thirty-eight Iowa and Minnesota city clerks and fmauce
officers have uaduated from a special naliling plogralil on
municipal government operations co-sponsored by the Iowa
Suite University (ISU) Extension Service and the lowa
t\Iunicipal finance Officers Association.
Participants completed a series of three annual week-long
sessions to eam credit toward a "Certified Municipal Clerk"
designation awarded by the International Institute ol'Munici-
pal Clerks (IIRIC) and to upgrade professional skills.
ISU offers the only Iowa municipal clerks' inslilule
accredited by IIAIC and Iowa is one of only 17 stales with
accredited clerks' training programs. The three-year training
program includes wotkslmps in accounting, administration,
affirmative action, annexation, auditing, budgeting, conlnuuli.
c:nions, co nnumity power and social action, decision -slaking,
government policy, group dynamics, labor negotiation. land
use, management, parliamentary procedure, revenue sharing.
personnel practices, taxes and zoning. League Executive
Director Robert Ilarpsler led Illis year's workshop on general
revenue sharing.
ISU plea to npcal 1hL irainmg courses w mid -luny, 1978.
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Municipal Clarki In911o1a Grnduenng Claa of 1977. (Beginning with the
bock row, lett m right): I,ux-GJew.KmurutHwtUh—t-' Uie:o-A-Bvnniwnll
(Uane1-MNL_Colloon-Biee-IParrYl,—Bet tv-Lao-Work'1 Mnrangol,niehmd
Lake
'I, Not ahownr stave Waller (sponcad.
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Total State Grant
Local Contribution
Federal Grant
Total cost of improvements
$131,000
68,000
99,000
$298,000
1 - Project cost will be shared equally by City and State
2 State will fund the entire project
3 - State will fund one-half of the local share of a federal grant, or 10%
of the total cost.
0
JL77
019E
ABBIE S T OLFUS
CITY CLERK
37//
STATE TRANSIT ASSISTANCE GRANT
A number
of projects have been identified as possible candidates
for funding
under the State Transit Assistance Program. These projects, and
the amounts
for which they might be eligible, are as follows:
1.
Evening Service, 6:30 - 10:00 P.M.
$28,000
1
2.
Additional peak -period service
24,000
1
3.
SEATS Elderly and handicapped transit
28,000
2
4.
SEATS after-hours taxi service
2,000
1
5,
Transit marketing program
10,000
2
6.
Transit garage site feasibility study
25,000
2
7.
Two-way radios
3,000
3
8.
"Kneeling" apparatus
3,000
1
9.
Replacement bus
8,000
3
Total State Grant
Local Contribution
Federal Grant
Total cost of improvements
$131,000
68,000
99,000
$298,000
1 - Project cost will be shared equally by City and State
2 State will fund the entire project
3 - State will fund one-half of the local share of a federal grant, or 10%
of the total cost.
0
JL77
019E
ABBIE S T OLFUS
CITY CLERK
37//
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON A PROPOSAL BY
THE CITY OF IOWA CITY, IOWA TO APPLY FOR
AN IOWA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION OPER-
ATING AND CAPITAL GRANT FOR THE CITY TRANSIT
SYSTEM
A public hearing will be held before the Council of
the City of Iowa City, Iowa, on Tuesday, Sept. 20,
1977, at 7:30 P.M. in the Council Chambers, Civic
Center, 410 E. Washington St., Iowa City, Johnson
Co., Iowa, on the question of whether the City
should apply for an Iowa Dept. of Transp. Operating
and Capital Grant for the City transit system.
Persons wishing to be heard on this question should
,appear at the Council meeting at the time speci-
fied above. A copy of the proposed grant applica-
tion is now on file at the office of the City
Clerk, Civic Center, 410 E. Washington St., Iowa
City, Johnson Co., Iowa.
8/22/77 /s/ ABBIE STOLFUS, CITYCLERK
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3 711-
• •
City of Iowa City
MEMORANDUM
DA11: September 16, 1977
TO: City Manager and City Council
FROM: Hugh Mose, Transit Manager �,j77
RE: Expand Service Possibilities
In its informal session of September 12, the City Council requested further
information on various alternatives for improved transit service. The two
main areas of consideration are evening service and additional rush hour
service.
EVENING SERVICE
Evening service can be provided in an infinite number of variations. For the
purpose of this discussion, the possibilities are limited to the following:
a) all routes, 6:30-12:00, 1 hour headway
b) all routes, 6:30-10:00, !1 hour headway
c) selected routes, 6:30-12:00, 1 hour headway
d) selected routes, 6:30-10:00, h hour headway
e) all routes, 6:30-10:00, 1 hour headway
Alternate A has the advantage of providing service until midnight, about the
time that Cambus and Coralville Transit stop operating. The one-hour headways
limit the attractiveness of this option, although all routes are covered. To
provide this service will require six buses operating 5h hours per evening. At
a cost of $13.00 per bus -hour, the service will cost $429.00 per evening, or
$132,132 per year. Because Cambus already serves the Hawkeye area in the
evening, service on that route will not be provided. The Iowa City Transit
Development Program estimated that evening ridership would average 15% of the
total daytime ridership. Excluding the Hawkeye Route, this means an average
of 550± riders will be carried each evening. Cost per passenger will be 78¢,
compared with 49¢ per passenger in our current daytime service.
Alternate B provides service on all routes (except Hawkeye) from 6:30 p.m. until
10:00 p.m. Headways are h hour except on the Wardway-Goodwill route, which
provides the same level of service as daytime operation. Eleven buses are
required, each operating 3h hours per evening. At a rate of $13.00 per bus -hour,
this service will cost $500.00 per evening, or $154,154 per year. Assuming that
the additional riders attracted by the half-hour headways will offset the late
evening riders not served, the expected ridership increase will be about 15%,
or 550*- passengers per evening. Costs will be in the vicinity of 86¢ per
passenger.
Alternate C, providing service on selected routes at one-hour headways from
6:30 p.m. to 12:00 p.m., has the advantage of minimizing the cost per ride, but
service is not.offered to all areas of the community. The cost of providing
this type of service will depend of course on the number of routes operated.
71
• -2-
Again excluding Hawkeye, the routes that appear to have the most potential are
as follows:
1) Mall
2) Lakeside
3) West Benton
4) Towncrest
5) East College
6) North Dodge
Estimating that service can be provided at $13.00 per bus -hour, the cost of
service on the three route pairs comprising the six most likely routes can be
calculated as follows: 4 buses x S'j hours x $13.00/bus-hour = $286.00 per day.
Operating 308 days a year, the annual cost would be $88,088. Ridership is
somewhat difficult to estimate. Using the 15% increase suggested by the Transit
Development Program, and reviewing the past ridership trends for the various
Iowa City route pairs, a rough estimate of the ridership potential is as follows:
1) Mall = 95 passengers 4) Towncrest = 95 passengers
2) Lakeside = 85 passengers 5) East College = 60 passengers
3) West.Benton = 80 passengers 6) North Dodge = 30 passengers
Total ridership would be in the neighborhood of 445 passengers per evening, for
a cost per passenger of 64¢.
Alternate D, serving selected routes with buses every half-hour from 6:30 p.m. to
10:00 p.m., will also serve to minimize the cost per ride. The distinct disadvantage
of this approach is that part of the community receives a high level of evening
transit service while other areas receive none. Using the six routes identified
in Alternate C, the cost would be $320.00 per day (7 buses x 31 hours x $13.00/bus-
hour). Annual costs would be $98,560. Again, ridership is most difficult to estimate.
If it can be assumed that the riders lost by not running from 10:00 until midnight will
equal the additional riders attracted by half-hour service, then ridership should
approach 15% of the daytime patronage on these routes. As shown above, ridership is
expected to be about 450 passengers per evening, for a cost per rider of 71¢.
Alternate E has the advantage of providing service on all routes during the early
evening hours at the lowest possible cost. Six buses will be required, each
operating 3! hours per evening. At a cost of $13.00 per bus -hour the service
will cost $275.00 per evening, or $84,700 per year. If a ridership increase of
15% can be anticipated for 6:30 p.m. to midnight service, then at least 10% increase
should be warranted for 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. service, This figures to be an
average of 365 riders per evening, resulting in a cost of 75¢ per passenger.
PEAK PERIOD SERVICE
At the present time Iowa City Transit offers extra peak period service on only
one route pair: Hawkeye-North Dubuque. During the winter, we anticipate oper-
ating several other "trippers" to provide additional service along protions of the
Lakeside, West Benton, East College and Towncrest routes. This additional service
will require 15 buses on the street morning and evening; our total fleet numbers
only 17, plus one vintage spare.
The Iowa City Transit Development Program identified 20 -minute peak -hour service
on all routes (15 minutes for Hawkeye) as the transit improvement of highest
priority. However, this recommendation was accompanied by the recommendation that
nine additional buses be purchased. To provide this level of service would require
21 buses to be on the street, meaning a minimum fleet of 24 or 25 buses would be
needed.
• -3-
The 1977 Update to the Transit Development Program scaled down this recommendation
to include 20 -minute headways on four routes only, plus the 15 -minute Hawkeye
service. This service is on the same scale as the winter trippers currently
planned, but the routes are changed somewhat. The nature of the improvement is
that the trippers would run for nine months instead of just during cold weather.
The only way to provide increased peak -hour service on all routes on short notice
is to lease buses. Buses have been leased during the past several winters, but
this cannot be regarded as a workable solution. The buses which have been obtained
from Ottumwa are in very poor repair, and the transit mechanics are forced to
neglect our own buses in order to keep the leased buses running. Furthermore,
with our three new buses, additional vehicles will need to be stored outside or
else in rented quarters. Neither option .is attractive. In addition, the cost of
leasing these buses is very high -- buses of that age and condition could probably
have been purchased for less money than Iowa City paid last year to lease them.
As suggested in the 1977 TDP Update, the one option for improved peak -hour service
that might be instituted with the vehicles we now have would be to extend the
wintertime trippers to run throughout the school year. Extra service is not
really needed during the summer months. The cost of this improvement, figured
at $13.00 per bus hour, would be as follows:
Per day = 2 buses x 6 hours x $13.00/bus-hour = $156
Per year = $156 x 22 days/month x 9 months = $30,880
Ridership would undoubtedly increase, perhaps by several hundred passengers per
day. More importantly, the comfort and convenience provided to the passengers
would improve substantially, and to some small degree traffic and parking problems
downtown would be reduced.
The question of priorities for improved transit service is an interesting subject.
The Transit Advisory Committee of the .1CRPC identified increased rush-hour service
to Ilawkeye as the highest priority improvement, followed by increased peak period
service on four other routes. Evening service was ranked fifth, following improved
elderly and handicapped transportation and transit promotion. Two different surveys
of public opinion have determined that the transit improvement most favored by
respondents is the extension of bus service to the evenings. In an attitudinal
study of area residents conducted by the Institute of Urban and Regional Research,
the highest priority item identified was the extension of service to evenings and
Sundays. The Iowa City People's Cuide and Survey also inquired about bus usage,
and found that 56.9% of the respondents indicated evening service would encourage
their use of the bus. This was the only choice that elicited a positive response
of greater than 40%.
From an operational standpoint, several of the options for improved service are more
attractive than others. Of the various possibilities for evening service, those
which allow buses to return to the transit garage earliest are the most attractive
for cleaning and servicing efficiency. Also, the concept of evening service to only
10:00 p.m. is most suited to driver scheduling, as two full-time shifts would cover
this 16 hour operating day. The option of increased peak period service may cause
difficulties in maintaining and repairing the buses, and being forced to use the old
spare bus on a more or less regular basis will not be attractive to the drivers,
mechanics, or passengers.
It is my recommendation that increased peak -hour service be initiated to the
extent possible with our existing buses at the first of November, and continue
until Spring weather reduces ridership to the point that the service is no
longer warranted or until the close of the school year. It is also my
recommendation that evening service be instituted on n limited basis, with or
without assistance from the State. As an "experimental" project, I would
consider 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. service, at one-hour headways on all routes,
to be the most attractive operationally and financially. I believe the level
of service would be acceptable to the majority of potential riders.
1_ r:j