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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-03-11 CorrespondenceUntitled Document Marian Karr From: garryfromiowa@gmail.com Sent: Monday, March 03, 2008 9:33 AM To: Council Subject: Daily Iowan -Bigotry hits students' door ~e ~n Monday, March 3, 2008 ARTICLE EMAILED FROM A FRIEND 2e 1 This is unacceptable behavior in our community and I hope the city advertisement council will commit resources to addressing this with the seriousness it deserves. Garry Klein 628 2nd Ave Iowa City, IA 52245 Bigotry hits students' door - Garry Klein* When UI students Justin Talley and Ryan Thomas saw the door to their East Jefferson Street apartment for the first time on Sunday, they thought someone was playing a sick joke on them. But it became quickly apparent that there was nothing funny about it. Read Full Article * The sender's identity has not been verified. View our Privacy Policy. Copyright 2008 Daily Iowan and College Publisher 3/3/2008 2e 2 Marian Karr From: Morgan Jones [morgan@iowaambassadors.com] Sent: Sunday, March 02, 2008 2:28 PM To: Council Subject: snow removal Attachments: Iowa city complaint on snow.doc This correspondence will become a public record. March 4, 2008 To: Members of the Council of Iowa City, Iowa From: Morgan Jones I am very disturbed about bill I received for snow removal from one of my rental properties. I should have been aware of the rule. I wish I had received a warning so that I could have taken care of the matter. Heretofore, I have never been subjected to this matter. My objection is to the charges for snow removal for about 40 feet of sidewalk. $140.00 cannot be charged for that amount of work. It needs to be addressed as a "fine" -much the same as a speeding ticket. And $50.00 for an administrative charge? This seems to be over-administrating of city matters, much the same as cracks in the sidewalk. Please walk the environs of Chicago, Seattle, Paris, or almost any city to see how these rules fit into the pattern of things. Additionally, the city itself often violates its own rules. Often, one cannot even get out of his driveway because of banks of snowed plowed in by the city. Then, there are the streets that aren't even touched. Perhaps, much of this is related to the extreme weather of this winter. If so, that makes this snow removal charge even more repulsive to me. I have vented. Sincerely, Morgan Jones 401 Linder Rd. NE Iowa City, IA 52240 Oh yes, - "the sender must include THEIR (upper case mine) full name." 3/3/2008 Marian Karr From: Karen Kubby [kubby@pobox.com] Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2008 3:56 PM To: Council Subject: snow removal City Council, No doubt you have heard many comments on snow removal this year. Just wanted to say that the extra mile worked by streets workers this past weekend was excellent. It was a warm day to be out, and tons of ice was removed thanks to the extra hours worked by city crews and investment on the part of the Public Works Department. The crews were gracious, hard working, and conscientious about their work and deserve voluminous kudos. This was not only about convenience for us getting around. It was about flood prevention. My sincerest thanks to you all. Karen Kubby Mark Twain neighborhood --==Privacy Statement===== ATTENTION: This electronic document may contain confidential information and is intended for use by the addressee and/or their intended representatives only. Review by unintended individuals is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please do not read, transmit, copy, disclose, store or utilize this communication in any manner. If you received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately and permanently delete this message from your computer. Thank you. vo-i i-vo 2e 3 Marian Karr From: Shelia Gerstner [srg@communitelligence.com] Sent: Friday, February 29, 2008 10:26 AM To: Council Subject: Outraged by the lack of Assistance I am the Grandmother of Kelicia Green, who attends Grant Wood School on Lakeside Drive in Iowa City. Kelicia's mother recently was employed at a job that requires her to be at work by 2:OOpm. She is a single mom, and she has no support systems in the area since we moved to Arizona last year. She is doing her best provide for herself and her children. My main concern at this time: is the problem surrounding the transportation of Kelicia from school, to her child care provider's home. We have tried to no avail, to have the school district provide transportation for Kelicia; so that she does not have to be pulled out of school 2 hours early. What we have been told repeatedly is: the school district can only provide transportation to and from the child's resident. I know, and Kelicia's mother knows, that it is her place to care for all arrangements surrounding the safety and welfare of her children. Therefore, she has been taking Kelicia out of school by 1:OOpm. This has been occurring for about three weeks now. It is being done this way so that she can get Kelicia to her child care provider, and then get herself to work on time. Kelicia's school has a resource center, which has to this date offered up no help what so ever. I placed several calls trying to find assistance and have come up void. What's worst is there seems to be zero concern about this problem. I find that it appalling that there is absolutely no concern by the school's administrators, or by the district, for weather a child is receiving adequate time in school. This will eventually create problems in how Kelicia will develop her cognitive skills. No one can, neither have they tried to provide any information or leads to any public or private sectors that would provide transportation assistance. I have gotten on the web and have placed several long distance calls to you city trying to find some one to help. I would love to speak with you concerning the policies surrounding this issue. A response will be appreciated. Shelia Shelia Williams-Gerstner Vice President Communitelligence, Inc. www.Communitelligence.com www.WeAreQuadCities.com P.O. Box 17265 Fountain Hills, AZ 85269 480.816.5550 2e 4 Partnering for a better omorrow Downtown Association of Iowa City February 22, 2008 Letter to: City of Iowa City Council Members From: Craig Gustaveson, President, DTA Subject: City Manager Candidate Search On behalf of the Downtown Association I want to applaud your decision to consider more applicants for the city manager position. From the beginning I've appreciated how the search was handled. In particular that you sought input from the Downtown Association, the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce and the general public. I'm sure it wasn't an easy decision but it was courageous one. Thank you. Respectfully, Craig Gustaveson President Downtown Association of Iowa City -~~ ~) .-~ =fir-; oYY ~~~ -~ -- .~- `~~ r-`. -~ ; i ..+~' 325 E. Washington Street • Suite 100 • Iowa Ciry, IA • 52240 • 354-0863 • dtaiowaciry@gmail.com 2e 5 Marian Karr From: Nelson, Tamara L [tamara-nelson@uiowa.edu] Sent: Monday, March 03, 2008 4:51 PM To: Council Dear City Council members, We are residents of Killarney Road in Galway Hills. It has come to our attention that an individual is pursuing the modification of zoning laws on our street to accommodate a day care facility. This is obviously concerning to us and our neighbors because this will significantly affect the quality of life, traffic flow and value of our homes. Please advise us as soon as possible on what steps we may take, legal or otherwise, to oppose the rezoning of the land next to our home from residential to commercial. We anticipate your timely response. Sincerely, Drs Rick and Tamara Nelson 3411 Killarney Road Iowa City #319-331-4787 1 Marian Karr From: Bob Miklo Sent: Monday, March 03, 2008 6:01 PM To: 'Nelson, Tamara L' Cc: Marian Karr Subject: RE: day care center Your area is zoned RS-5, Low Density Single-Family Residential. That zoning district allows a resident to provide childcare in their home for a maximum of 16 children. If the property is not a residence or provides care for more than 16 children it would be considered a Childcare Center. The RS-5 zone allows consideration of Childcare Centers by special exception. Special exemptions must be approved by the Board of Adjustment and must meet specific criteria spelled out in the zoning code. At this date we have not received an application for a special exception for the property on Killarney. If we do we will post a sign on the property and mail a letter to property owners within 300 feet informing them of the application and the date, time and place of the public hearing. If you have other questions please contact me. -----Original Message----- From: Nelson, Tamara L [mailto:tamara-nelson~uiowa.edu] Sent: Monday, March 03, 2008 5:34 PM To: Bob Miklo Subject: RE: day care center Dear Robert, I was informed by the builder of our house Jason Lee that the developer of Galway Hills, Ed Thomas, was in discussion with an individual who wanted to buy the corner lot adjacent to us (which is vacant) and one next to that for a day care facility. My address is 3411 Killarney Rd. Reportedly this individual spoke about receiving an "exception" to the zoning and had made an offer on the lots in question. My understanding of the zoning laws indicate that we should have received a letter about this and the lots have not been purchased yet but it is of obvious concern to me as I didn't even know this was a possibility in the residential development that we live in. Is this something I need to worry about? Can a developer do this? I appreciate your quick response. T. Nelson From: Bob Miklo [mailto:Bob-Miklo@iowa-city.org] Sent: Mon 3/3/2008 5:11 PM To: Nelson, Tamara L Cc: Marian Karr Subject: day care center Your concern about a day care center on your street has been referred to me as my division provides staffing for the Planning and Zoning Commission and Board of Adjustment which oversee zoning. I am not aware of any proposal for a day care in your immediate neighborhood. Can you be more specific about the location of the property that you are concerned about? What is its address or if it is vacant the address of the nearest property. Robert Miklo 1 Senior Planner City of Iowa City 410 E. Washington Street Iowa City, IA 52240 319 356 5240 2e(s) Marian Karr From: John McVey [mcvey41 @hotmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2008 8:57 PM To: Council Subject: traffic lae enforcement My name is John McVey. I live at 1400 5th St., Apt. #2, Coralville, IA 52241. I work in Iowa City. Every day I drive in to work I witness other drivers running red lights, speeding, cutting me off. I've even seen two rear end collisions (two more than I've seen in my life) since I moved to your area. I am not exaggerating. Why are there no patrol cars out there? This is a vey dangerous place to live and drive and I see no sign of police protection or law enforcement. What gives? Seriously, John McVey __ Connect and share in new ways with Windows Live. Get it now! 3/6/2008 Page 1 of 2 ~ ~~.~~ ~~ Marian Karr From: Sam Hargadine Sent: Thursday, March 06, 2008 10:49 AM To: 'mcvey41 @hotmail.com' Cc: "City Council; Dale Helling Subject: RE: traffic lae enforcement Mr. McVey, I was forwarded your comments and concerns to the City Council. There are a multitude of reasons why you don't see many patrol cars driving around while you come in to work. Rush hours in any city put a demand on police because of crashes that occur throughout the city. One crash could tie up several patrol cars due to traffic control in addition to the officer that has to investigate and report the crash. At the same time of morning rush hour, literally hundreds of business are being opened and a significant number trigger false alarms. This ties up at least two cars because while there may be a 99% false alarm rate police officers can never take that for granted. Complacency when responding to an alarm can be deadly for police. Day watch officers routinely go from call to call taking reports. As people wake up they find that their cars were broken in to or something was stolen out of their garage. While a crime may have occurred the previous night or even before then it is frequently reported in the morning hours, sometimes after an insurance claims adjuster told them to report it. When officers are not on a call they are expected to look for self initiated activities. The following breaks down the number of traffic stops and citations issued: #Stops #Citations 2006 12,973 8,198 2007 10,879 6,684 As you can see there are officers out doing traffic enforcement. The demands of being a full service police agency do not allow for much more. I would agree with you that the dynamics of traffic violations, attitudes and traffic courtesy have changed for the worse. This is a societal problem all over and not just in Iowa City. In Chicago it is a common practice to blare on your horn when any motorist or pedestrian does something that irritates you. If there is anything that would trigger a "Road Rage" incident that would be it. I hope that this has answered your concerns and if you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact me. Sincerely, Chief Sam Hargadine Iowa City Police Department 410 E. Washington Iowa City, IA 52240-1826 Office: 319.356.5271 From: John McVey [mailto:mcvey4l@hotmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2008 8:57 PM To: Council Subject: traffic lae enforcement My name is John McVey. I live at 1400 5th St., Apt. #2, Coralville, IA 52241. I work in Iowa City. Every day I 3/6/2008 Page 2 of 2 drive in to work I witness other drivers running red lights, speeding, cutting me off. I've even seen two rear end collisions (two more than I've seen in my life) since I moved to your area. I am not exaggerating. Why are there no patrol cars out there? This is a vey dangerous place to live and drive and I see no sign of police protection or law enforcement. What gives? Seriously, John McVey 3/6/2008 a e (7 ) BEECHER, FIELD, WALKER, MORRIS, HOFFMAN & JOHNSON, P.C. W. LOUIS BEECHER HUGH M. FIELD JOHN R. WALKER, JR. RICHARD R. MORRIS THERESA E. HOFFMAN ERIC W. JOHNSON KEVIN D. AHRENHOLZ* D. RAYMOND WALTON JOHN J. WOOD ADNAN MAHMUTAGIC** KATE B. MITCHELL LAWYERS COURT SQUARE BUILDING -SUITE 300 620 LAFAYETTE STREET P.O. BOX 178 WATERLOO, IOWA 50704 TELEPHONE: (319) 234-1766 FAX: (319) 234-1225 www.beecherlaw.com W.L. BEECHER (1891-1976) JOHN W. RATHERT (Retired) 112 FIRST STREET EAST INDEPENDENCE, IOWA 50644 Telephone: (319) 334-3328 Fax: (319) 334-7258 218 WEST FOURTH STREET VINTON, IOWA 52349 Telephone: (319) 472-2261 *also licensed in WI **also licensed in MN March 6, 2008 Mayor Regenia Bailey 410 E Washington St Iowa City, Iowa, 52240 To Whom It May Concern, My clients Justin Smith, DOB (3/27/1972), Amir Husidic DOB (7/7/1975), Craig Lindsay DOB (07/17/1972) and Nermin Sabanagic, DOB (10/25/1977), equal co-owners of After Hours LLC, are planning to open and operate an after-hours club in downtown Iowa City, exact location still to be determined. They currently operate an after-hours club in downtown Waterloo successfully, under After Hours LLC, with permission of local authorities without any difficulties. Prior to opening the after-hours club in Waterloo we have contacted the Waterloo authorities (as we are doing now in Iowa City) to make sure all involved know our plans up-front with full disclosure. We have contacted the Alcohol Beverages Division in Ankeny, Iowa and were given the following requirements regarding alcohol consumption and applicable regulations: After hours club would not have a license for selling alcohol and therefore no alcohol would be sold to patrons/customers. 2. Patrons/customers would have to bring their own alcohol. 3. No hard liquor would be allowed on premises, only beer, wine, wine coolers etc would be permitted. 4. ABD requires that absolutely no areas be shared between the aftlours ' 'b businesses and any establishments holding a liquor license. The-~~r-heirs club would need to have its own bathrooms, entrances, exits,Yto~lle rein __~~' street, etc. _ - -- -.-~.. ~.~ - ~ r_ ~: e7 _- .~ c_~ cn The owners assure me that all these requirements would be met without exception or deviation. In my review of the Iowa Code and applicable local ordinances and regulations I see no prohibition against such a club. Owners plan to keep it open initially on Saturday and Sunday from 1:OOAM to S:OOAM and targeted patrons/customers would be the Friday and Saturday after hours crowd. Depending on the interest and level of business club may be open on other days with the same hours. The club may also be open for private parties. In such instances patron/customer would rent the entire premises, and would of course bring their own alcoholic beverages (no hard liquor) but owners would retain the control of access to the premises and behavior of patrons on premises. Under no circumstances would any adult type entertainment, activity or sales would occur on premises. My clients intend to open this business on or after April 15, 2008 and are at this time attempting to locate a suitable location and make plans for possible building/site improvement or renovation. This letter is sent to various city officials and ABD in Ankeny to inform the appropriate authorities of my client's intentions. We also request that you contact undersiPned counsel„ as soon as practicable if you believe that any applications or permits need to be obtained from the City County or the State of Iowa prior to opening. Since we will be selling water, juices, coffee, etc we will obtain the health department permit and because there will be remodeling prior to opening on April 15, 2008 we intend to obtain a building permit from the City of Iowa City. We hope to get your responses and approval as soon as practicable so that we may safely invest the time and money towards renovations, building permits, application fees, etc and our opening goal of April 15, 2008. Very truly yours, ~(~.fAUU w~L C Adnan Mahmutagic for BEECHER, FIELD, WALKER MORRIS, HOFFMAN & JOHNSON, P.C. AM/ss Copv to: City Council, City Hall Iowa City Police Chief, City Hall -Sam Hargadine Iowa City, City Clerk, City Hall Iowa City Planning and Zoning, City Hall Health Department Johnson County ABD in Ankeny Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division 1918 SE Hulsizer Road Ankeny, IA 50021 ~.? _} -- ,_: ~:- J'} ,,, ~, _..~- f _._ _.~ _.; _~ .! ca .~~ . _~ +Established in 1918+