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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1986-03-25 Bd Comm minutesMINUTES RESOURCES CONSERVATION COMMISSION FEBRUARY 3, 1986 - 1:30 PM SENIOR CENTER CLASSROOM MEMBERS PRESENT: Vogel; Goodwin, Duffy, Moreland STAFF PRESENT: Schoenfelder, Helling CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order by Vogel, acting chair. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The minutes of the November 18, 1985 meeting were approved as corrected. PUBLIC AND MEMBER DISCUSSION: No general public in attendance. GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES: Commission members conducted a general discussion with staff concerning the future direction of the RCC. Members felt that the RCC should be both proactive and reac- tive in that as proactive they would wish to research various funding opportunities for energy conservation demonstration projects, write and submit proposals to the appropriate agencies, and oversee these projects if funded. To do this would re- quire Council support in the form of a moderate budget for a one quarter time Com- mission staff person. In addition the Commission felt it should sponsor public speakers on energy conservation and again receive Council support in the form of a speakers budget (expense, honorarium). As reactive the Commission would review and comment on City energy related programs conducted or proposed by the Council and/or staff. In view of this general direction the Commission members felt the current wording of the Commissions 'GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES' was adequate. In keeping with the general discussion it was proposed that the Commission prepare a formal program statement outlining the specific direction to be taken by the Commis- sion and related Council support required to achieve Commission goals. To accom- plish this; specific programs will be proposed. Vogel will investigate a weatherization program and potential funding through the Iowa Energy Policy Council. Goodwin will research other agency funding potential and other innovative energy projects possible in the area. Duffy will research current data available concern- ing weatherization programs. A motion was introduced by Moreland to: Invite W.D. Birdsall, from the Osage Municipal Utility, to speak at a public forum in Iowa City regarding 'The Osage Conservation Program" and that Vogel write a letter to the Council requesting funds to cover Birdsall's expenses. The motion was seconded by Goodwin and passed unanimously. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 9:15 PM. ,549-s MINUTES SENIOR CENTER COMISSION FEBRUARY 12, 1986 SENIOR CENTER CONFERENCE ROOM MEMBERS PRESENT: Sandra Boutelle, Bill Coen, Don Crum, Henry Fox, Geri Hall, Bob Jackson, Ruth Wagner MEMBERS ABSENT: Mike Kattchee, Dorothy Whipple STAFF PRESENT: Bette Meisel, Donita Devance GUESTS PRESENT: Linda Rohret, Practicum student, Aging Studies Department, University of Iowa; Sherry Lois, Graduate Student, Public Affairs Department, University of Iowa; Martha Eimen, Edith Boldt, Council of Elders; Mike Lawson, MECCA; Agnes Kuhn CALL TO ORDER/MINUTES/PUBLIC DISCUSSION: Commissioners assembled with the Council of Elders in the Senior Center lobby at 3:00 p.m. to receive the new flag donated to the Center by VFW Post 12581. The meeting was called to order by the Chair at 3;10 p.m. Hall called atten- tion to the minutes of January 15, 1986. Coen moved that the minutes be approved as read. Fox seconded. Motion carried, unanimous voice vote. Hall introduced guests Linda Rohret, a practicum student in the Aging Studies program. Under the direction of Geri Hall, she is studying normal Seniors and Alzheimers patients at the University Hospital; Sherry Lois, a graduate student in the Masters of Public Affairs program, visiting the Commission to fulfill a class requirement; Council of Elders members Edith Boldt and Martha Eimen; Mike Lawson, MECCA and Agnes Kuhn. There was no public discussion. COUNCIL OF ELDERS REPORT: Older Americans' Day will be observed at the Senior Center on Tuesday, May 20. The theme is "The Oldest Show on Earth." The planning committee is working on door prizes. Senior Center instructors will demonstrate crafts and activities that go on in the Senior Center. There will be another free Senior Citizens' Breakfast at the Sycamore Mall on February 14. Eldercraft Shop volunteers have been organized to sell shop wares in the mall lobby. The Council of Elders Volunteer Committee will be on hand to give out information about the Senior Center and to take names for the Post Mailing list. The public hearing regarding the fiscal 1987 budget will be held before the City Council on Tuesday, February 25. Council of Elders members were encour- aged to attend and support the additional staff position in the Senior Center budget. Program Specialist Lori Benz reported that since January 1 she has had twelve inquiries regarding volunteer positions. She had interviewed eight of these people and six accepted roles in volunteer positions. 1196 Senior Center Commission February 12, 1986 Page 2 There was a discussion of a problem that originated in the November Commis- sion meeting. The volunteer scrolls need to be framed so that they can be preserved. Woodshop volunteers had been asked to frame the scrolls but hadn't gotten around to it yet. Meisel will again ask them to frame the scrolls. It was suggested that a Commissioner also encourage them to com- plete this job. COORDINATOR'S REPORT: In conjunction with the Older Americans' celebration in May, a special insert listing area businesses that offer a Senior Citizen discount or special service to seniors is being prepared for the May issue of the Senior Center Post. An intern public relations student, Carol Ardaugh, is assisting with =e Posters will be distributed to all participating businesses. The University of Iowa Panhellenic Council will assist in the distribution of the posters. A Social Worker, Lan-Joun Liou, has volunteered to serve at the Center. She will spend a month collecting data from an updated version of the Senior Center survey that was done three years ago. She will also take on the responsibility of distributing for free bus passes for low-income seniors when all the rules and regulations have been set. Meisel commented that staff felt fortunate to have a Social Worker in the position. Meisel commended the Council of Elders for opting to highlight the people and the activities here in the building rather than going outside of the building to recruit people for craft demonstrations on Older Americans' Day at the Center. Meisel reminded Commissioners that two major projects would take place at the Center in the month of February. The Medicare Law: Your Hospital Stay and Health Care, another program in the continuing Be Advised: Legal Issues and the Elderly series scheduled for February 19, would examine the impact of the changes in the Medicare law and how these changes would affect individuals. Taking Control, a life enhancement series scheduled to begin on Friday, February 14, would deal with such topics as "Love: the Lifelong Challenge," "What's Your Image" and "Everyday Manners." "Dancers to Go," a University of Iowa dance company, presented four pieces and a discussion of their work at the Senior Center on February 12. The program was well attended. Meisel commented on how unpredictable Senior Center program attendance was. Some dance programs in the past were not so well attended. Meisel distributed copies of the open meeting resolution. All meetings of City Boards and Commissions must comply with the mandatory public announce- ment of the meetings. This does not apply to subcommittee meetings when less than half of the members are involved. 1196 wo.a<...<....e.,,..,........,:. Senior Center Commission February 12, 1986 Page 3 Meisel called attention to the quarterly report and monthly statistics. Coen asked about the high number (108) of information and referral calls to the Secretary in the month of December. Devance explained that the building was closed on December 2. Senior Center staff fielded 56 calls for agencies not open that day. There are practicum students available to video tape meetings of the Senior Center Commission for broadcast on Channel 26. If there is a meeting Comnis- sioners feel would be good for public broadcast, Meisel'should be informed in advance. Meisel explained that there had been some problems with Commissioners and the public giving assignments to Jeff and Donita. She explained that tasks are assigned by supervisory staff (Bette or Lori). If Commissioners had duties that were appropriate for the janitor or secretary to handle, it was impor- tant to route the request through Lori or Bette first. Meisel asked that Commissioners not put support staff in the position of having to say no. Crum suggested that a line diagram outlining who reports to whom be distrib- uted to all agencies and Commission members. Meisel reminded Commissioners that the line drawing in the Operations Handbook clearly delineated staff responsibilities; all agencies have a copy of the handbook. Hall read a memo from the Committee for the Community Development Plan. Council of Elders. Suggestions will ning until February 24. VOLUNTEER COOROINATOR'S REPORT: on Community Needs regarding suggestions Copies of the letter will be sent to the be accepted at the Department of Plan - Hall reported that she had spoken to with the University Hospitals' Volunteer Coordinator, Sue Dallam. Dallam pointed out that Senior Center volunteers are somewhat unique because many of them are frail and volunteering at the Center is their only real opportunity to socialize. Hall suggested that this would be a good point to make in the budget discussions. Commissioners reported on phone conversations and visits with City Council members. It was clear from the conversations that Commissioners needed to be more visible. It was suggested that Commissioners attend Council and Super- visors meeting at other than budget times. Wagner moved that a regular schedule be set with Commissioners to attend meetings of the funding bodies. Fox seconded. Motion carried, unanimous voice vote. It was agreed that it was necessary to demonstrate the positive influences that the Center has on its volunteers and public. At present, the Council is hearing only the complaints of a few people. Comissioners could balance that by commenting on the positives during the open discussion sections of the Council agenda at the first part of the meeting. It was recommended by Councilman Larry Baker that Commissioners write a letter expressing their concern that the advice of the Commission was being ignored by the Council and requesting specific answers as to why the Council failed to recognize the need for the volunteer specialist. Hall read a draft X96 Senior Center Commission February 12, 1986 Page 4 of the letter to be signed by the six City appointees. She asked the opin- ions of City appointees Jackson, Hall, Crum, Boutelle and Coen. With minor changes in the language, the document was accepted by City appointees. It was agreed that a copy of the letter be sent to the Board of Supervisors. Wagner suggested that names of County appointees be added to the document to demonstrate support of the full Commission. It was agreed that this was preferable. Hall volunteered to contact absent County representatives Kattchee and Whipple concerning their reaction to the document. The names of anyone not willing to sign would be removed from the document. Wagner suggested that a subcommittee be set up to explore public complaints. The committee would be in place to find out what problems have occurred, hear staff feelings, separate personal and program complaints and determine solu- tions. Meisel explained that measures to hear and solve complaints, i.e. a sugges- tion box and town meetings, had been made by staff. Staff has considered asking a PR expert from the Institute of Public Affairs for help in handling PR problems. Crum suggested that job descriptions be brought up for redefinition. Coen suggested a "meet the staff person" section in the Post. Boutelle suggested that a subcommittee would be able to address legitimate problems and would help to curtail an undercurrent of unrest from people without a real com- plaint. I It was agreed that the proposal would need more thought and a decision should be made at a later time. The meeting adjourned at 5:20 p.m. Prepared by: Donita Devance, Senior Center Secretary Submitted by: Ruth Wagner, Secretary, Senior Center Commission 1// 96 .............. <a...............rrra..............--lc-............. .w.................r....... «..-.....• SUBJECT TO BTC APPROVAL MINUTES BROADBAND TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION FEBRUARY 18, 1986 - 8:00 A.H. CIVIC CENTER COUNCIL CHAMBERS MEMBERS PRESENT: McGuire, Johnson, Twaler, Terry MEMBERS ABSENT: Ehninger MEMBERS EXCUSED: Ehninger T STAFF PRESENT: Shaffer, Helling, Hess OTHERS PRESENT: Blough, LeValley of Heritage; Williamson, Tiffany, Beeson RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL: The BTC recommended that an amendment be made to the cable ordinance and for BTC bylaws as necessary, enabling one Commissioner to serve a joint appoint- ment on the BTC and county cable commission (JCBTC). MATTERS PENDING COUNCIL -COMMISSION DISPOSITION: The City/Heritage 5% franchise fee/NPO issue. SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION AND FORMAL ACTION TAKEN: Discussion of the NPO led to a resolution by Johnson stating that it be desirable to begin preliminary work toward a non-profit corporate shell so that if and/or when the City is ready to initiate the NPO, the legal work will have been done. Heritage feels that it is undesirable to wire the city block 81 from a legal standpoint. Blough distributed materials stating Heritage's case to the BTC. An option that still remains is that Heritage could install a satellite dish and distribute signal to subscribers on the block. Bravo is on schedule to premiere the last week of March on channel 18. A four-day preview is scheduled for mid-March. Heritage will sell and authorize satellite decoders at the rate of $11.95 per month. Black Entertainment Television is proposed for part-time day service. Figures reported by LeValley indicated community programming production is up by 96% over December programming. Heritage now faces a problem of not being able to meet•conmunity producers' needs. One possible solution is to have another organization like Access Iowa City facilitate the coordination of trained community producers and those in Iowa City wanting something taped but unable or unwilling to do it themselves. 40 •�Mx.::a......t.... �................... Broadband Telecommunications Commission February 18, 1986 Page 2 Heritage's proposal to rearrange the Community Programming Center's (CPC) hours to 2:00 p.m. -10:00 P.M. Monday through Thursday and 10:00 a.m.-6:00 P.m. Saturday was accepted by the BTC. This will allow for more consistent hours and more evening hours, both of which are in the best interests of community producers. Shaffer attended a meeting called the Cable Data Link Forum. This meeting brought together representatives of the County, City and University. Johnson moved, Twaler seconded, that the OTC act as a sponsor of regular meetings of r- this kind of forum. Unanimously approved. Discussion of a liaison member between county and city cable commissions led to a recommendation to Council to amend the bylaws and/or ordinance to estab- lish a joint appointment of a Commissioner. MEETING CALLED TO ORDER: Terry called the meeting to order at 8:06 a.m. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Next meeting will be the election of officers. Evening session will take place March 17, 7-9 p.m. Regular meeting March 18 at 8:00 a.m. MINUTES: Motion to accept the minutes of January 21, 1986.. Passed unanimously. PUBLIC DISCUSSION: Access Iowa City (AIC) expressed great concern about the status of the non- profit organization (NPO) to operate and manage Public Access Channel 26. Terry suggested AIC submit a monthly report to the BTC. NPO UPDATE: Terry and Shaffer approached the City Attorney to get feedback about continu- ing to talk to the cable company about- the NPO/5% matter. Feedback was negative. Terry suggested a letter be sent to Council to stress the urgency to reach a resolution with Heritage on the 5% franchise fee and NPO matter. Slough is willing to discuss this matter with a subcommittee of Terry and Shaffer on this matter. Johnson suggested going ahead and doing the paperwork to create a corporate shell in the event the NPO process is initiated. McGuire is interested in pursuing all of the options. Slough stated that the cable company has pledged to operate the Community Programming Center (CPC) and would like to continue doing so. Blough is interested in working with Shaffer and the commission to search out a resolu- tion. Blough said he can speak for the cable company on these matters. X97 Broadband Telecommunications Commission February 18, 1986 Page 3 Resolution made by Johnson: Following discussion, the Commission felt it desirable for citizens of Iowa City to do preliminary work toward the crea- tion of a non-profit corporate shell to be used in the future, in the event it is a desirable alternative. CITY BLOCK 81: Blough submitted a report to Terry including awaited utility response and other information concerning wiring alternatives and the history of attempts by Heritage to wire city Block 81. Heritage feels that the risk of wiring this area would be negative from a legal standpoint. It is still possible to provide service to this area with a satellite dish. It was decided to table this discussion until March so the BTC and the City's Legal staff has a chance to review this material. BTS REPORT: Shaffer attended a meeting called Cable Data Link Forum. Several representa- tives from the University, county and city were present. The purpose was to discuss options, alternatives and benefits of wiring all three entities and buildings. Johnson County had the largest representation. Much interest was expressed. Shaffer will submit a written report of this meeting to the BTC. The BTC expressed a great deal of interest in seeing meetings of this kind continue. Johnson moved the Commission act as a sponsor of regular forum meetings of this kind. Seconded by Terry. Passed unanimously. Shaffer sent billing space information to Heritage for April which included information about the May NFLCP conference and a library message. HERITAGE REPORT: BRAVO, a cultural arts and foreign film evening service, is an schedule to be premiered the last week in March on channel 18. This service will sell for $4.95 per month. A four-day preview will take place in mid-March. There is a possibility of an additional financial service from Data Broad- casting Inc. This is a joint venture between Merrill Lynch and Financial News Network to provide programming on the vertical blanking interval on the subject of personal finances. The programming could be downloaded to sub- scribers' IBM PCs. Heritage will beselling and authorizing satellite decoders at the rate of $11.95 per month. This includes $7.95 for basic service and $4.00 mainte- nance fee. This basic package includes 10-12 channels. Black Entertainment Television is being proposed by Heritage as a part-time day service. yl9 % Gt Broadband Telecommunications Commission February 18, 1986 Page 4 COMMUNITY PROGRAMMING: January report indicates a 96% increase in community access programming hours over December. Presently there are 86 hours of programming on channel 26 per month. Workshop participation has also increased. The CPC has reached a saturation point and is having trouble scheduling all interested conmunity producers. Shaffer and LeValley have discussed one possibility to alleviate this problem. There are more trained and capable community producers in Iowa City who would be willing to assist organizations and institutions tape events for a nominal fee. What is needed is an entity that could facilitate, administer and coordinate this project. Some funds generated could be returned to the CPC and the administering body. It was suggested that Access Iowa City may be a good possible administering agency. .Johnson endorses this idea noting that it will allow expansion of service and programming to the broader Iowa City community while multiplying benefits. McGuire suggested that LeValley bring this issue to the Access Iowa City meeting. LeValley is interested in archiving community programming tapes. In the interest of time, this issue was tabled until the March meeting. Proposal to expand current programming hours to 2:00 p.m. -10:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Saturday. Motion to approve by Terry. Seconded by Johnson. Passed unanimously. To be effective May 1, 1986. NEW BUSINESS: Terry addressed a Council resolution which states that no Commissioner shall be appointed to a county and a city commission in the same term. Under this resolution, McGuire is currently in violation. Terry wishes to recommend that the Council approve amending the cable ordinance or BTC bylaws as neces- sary to enable a joint appointment to the BTC and Johnson County BTC. Johnson motioned to this effect. Terry seconded. Passed unanimously. ADJOURNMENT: Motion to adjourn by Johnson. Seconded by McGuire. Meeting adjourned 10:17 a.m. Respectfully submitted,. " Wm.haffer, BTS 1197 MINUTES IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES SPECIAL MEETING SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 1986 - 10:00 A.M. CONFERENCE ROOM MEMBERS PRESENT: Bovbjerg, Buchanan, Cavitt, Cox, Drum, Grimes, Pegnetter MEMBERS ABSENT: Lyman, Willis STAFF PRESENT: Eggers, Tiffany, Craig, Forsythe President Grimes convened the meeting at 10:05 a.m. Two hours were spent in general discussion of the service overload at the library brought on by five years of monumental increases in use of the library with no increases to permanent staff, and the options the Board must consider in order to relieve this overload. It was informally agreed upon that the Board wishes to continue the li- brary's present level of service and to continue its ability to respond to new formats and information technologies. It was felt a specific long-term plan was needed to do this and that some short-term steps must be taken soon to relieve the current workload at the library. Specifics discussed included: consideration of a referendum for a special levy, methods to educate the public to understand the resources needed if the present level of service is to be continued, and strategies and pians for temporarily reducing service levels until financial support can be increased. The Board decided to resume the discussion on Tuesday, April 8, at 7:00 p.m. The staff was instructed to prepare some options for service level reductions for the Board to consider. Meeting adjourned at 12:05 p.m. L011Y ggers,%, ecar er �19g