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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-07-15 Correspondence~~.r®d1 ~~,~~ CITY OF IOWA CITY 3e~ MEMORANDUM o Date: July 2, 2008 ~n ~` -a ~ ~ ~ ~'~ i ~-- To: City Council _ \ ~C rte-- ~° ~ From: r1 Darian Nagle-Lamm; Traffic Engineering Planner, JCCOG m © ~ „~ ~ ~ 7e Re: Game Day On-Street Parking ~' ~ On Ma rch 4th, the City Council approved the removal of on-street parking on University of Iowa home football game days to ensure adequate emergency vehicle access on the fol lowing streets . Wylde Green Road (west side) between Benton Street to Ashley Drive • Talwrn Court (outer curve, east side) • Weeber Street (west side) between Benton Street to Edingale Drive Following several requests from residents, the households with property abutting these roads were surveyed during May to determine if there is enough support for the permanent removal of parking on one side of each road. Kineton Green, a short street connecting Wylde Green Road to Sunset Street, was added to this survey at the request of Kineton Green residents. The table below summarizes the results of the surveys: Removal of On-Street Parkin Surve Results: Location Res onse Rate Surve Results Wylde Green Road 43 of 57 (75%) 29 (67%) in favor (west side -between Benton Street & Ashle Drive Talwrn Court 17 of 24 (71%) 10 (59%) in favor (east side -outer curve) 3 of 4 (75%) 2 (67%) in favor Kineton Green (south side -between Sunset Street and W Ide Green Road) Weeber Street 31 of 42 (74%) 8 (26%) in favor west side -between Benton Street & Edin ale Drive) Survey results indicate that a majority of households abutting Wylde Green Road, Talwrn Court, and Kineton Green favor the permanent elimination of parking on one side of the road, while households on Weeber Street do not wish to eliminate parking on a permanent basis. We have prepared Council actions for your consideration to post NO PARKING ANYTIME signs on the west side of Wylde Green Road, the east side (outer curve) of Talwrn Court, and the south side of Kineton Green, based on these survey results. The NO PARKING designation on the west side of Weeber Street will only be in effect during University home football games. cc: Matt Johnson jccogtp/memos/dng-gamedaypkg.doc r ~.!~,®~,~ C[TY OF IOWA CITY ,~'"~ ~'~ RA~c~uM ~E~C~ Date: June 25, 2008 To: City Clerk From: Darian Nagle-Gamm, JCCOG Traffic Engineering Planner Re: Item for July 15th, 2008 City Council meeting; Installation of NO PARKING ANYTIME signs on the west side of Wylde Green Road from between Benton Street and Ashley Street. As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 3B of the City Code, this is to advise the City Council of the following action. Action: Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A (10); Place NO PARKING ANYTIME signs on the west side of Wylde Green Road from between Benton Street and Ashley Street. Comment: This action is being taken to prohibit parking on the west side of Wylde Green Road, a 25 foot wide street, between Benton Street and Ashley Street. A parking survey administered to the households abutting Wylde Green Road showed 67% of affected residents who responded (29 out of 43 total respondents) were in favor of the stated action. jccogtp/mem/wyldeg reen-actcomm6-25. doc c~J O l7 "`` ~ -- C7 ~ O~ ~~ ~ ~ O~ r ~Y'_,--,®,~~ CITY OF IOWA CITY 3e2 ~ENICJ Date: June 25, 2008 To: City Clerk From: Darian Nagle-Gamm, JCCOG Traffic Engineering Planner Re: Item for July 15th, 2008 City Council meeting; Installation of NO PARKING ANYTIME signs on the east side (outer curve) of Talwrn Court. As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 36 of the City Code, this is to advise the City Council of the following action. Action: Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A (10); Place NO PARKING ANYTIME signs on the east side (outer curve) of Talwrn Court. Comment: This action is being taken to prohibit parking on the east side (outer curve) of Talwrn Court, a 25 foot wide street. A parking survey was administered to the households abutting Talwrn Court showed 59% of affected residents (17 out of 24 total respondents) were in favor of the stated action. jccogtp/mem/ta Iwryn-actcom m6-25. doc r~ ~~ C.,., ~ _~ '"'~ ~ ; ~ r ': f" ~ ~ _ O '~ ~ ~~ b ~ o. Darian Nagle-Gamm From: Darian Nagle-Gamm Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2008 10:56 AM To: 'Bryce V. Plapp' Cc: Andy Rocca; John Yapp Subject: RE: Talwrn Ct. Hello Bryce, Apologies for the delay in getting back to you! As you can imagine, with the flooding, we're all playing a bit of catch up here. The east side (outer curve) of Talwrn Ct. was selected for the parking removal survey because the west side (inner curve) has approximately 26 more feet of on-street parking availability, even with the 10 ft 'no parking' areas around fire hydrants taken into consideration. This is because the east side of the road has 14 driveways and the west side only has 8. In addition, drivers tend to 'hug' the outer curve on curvilinear streets such as Talwrn Court. Removing parking on the outside helps to minimize potential conflicts between parked cars and vehicles in motion. Hope this helps provide some understanding as to the side selected for the survey. I will ensure that a copy of your email is forwarded to the City Council on your behalf. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions! Than s , O ~~ Darian Nagle-Gamm ~ "- ~ ~' ~~ ~.. " Traffic Engineering Planner -; ~ ~ Johnson County Council of Governments ~°< ~ 410 E Washington St ~ ~~ ~O Iowa City, IA 52240 - rfi7 (319) 356-5254 o~ -----Original Message----- ~ ~ ~ From: Bryce V. Plapp [mailto:bv-plapp@uiowa.edu] Sent: Saturday, June 28, 2008 9:17 PM To: Darian Nagle-Gamm Cc: Andy Rocca Subject: Talwrn Ct. Dear Darian, Thank you for your letter informing us of the outcome of the straw vote about a permanent ban parking on Talwrn Ct. I can understand the desire to ban parking on one side of the street (although I don't think it is necessary yet), but I question again which side should be affected. As I have written before, the three fire hydrants on Talwrn Ct/ Wylde Green (two on the corners, one in the middle of the court) are all on the inside curve ("West"). If parking is banned on the outside curve ("East"), there should be a ban near the fire hydrants as well, which would mean less available space for on-street parking. If parking is banned on the West, inside curve, there would be more parking and less interference with the fire hydrants. I am concerned that the "split" vote of 10 to 7 in favor of a permanent ban may not have considered the issue of which side of the street had the fire hydrants. Please bring my concerns to the City Council on my behalf, as I will be unable to attend the meeting on July 15. And please respond to my e-mail, as I have had no responses to my earlier e-mail. Sincerely yours, Bryce Plapp 1 902 Talwrn Ct. Bryce V. Plapp, Dept. of Biochemistry, The University of Iowa 4-712 Bowen Science Building, Iowa City IA 52242-1109 TEL 319-335-7909, FAX 319-335-9570, bv-plapp@uiowa.edu http://www.biochem.uiowa.edu O c~ ~ ~.~ .~. ~ --~ {~ ~ r- ~ O'v ~ T. ~- D N Page 1 of 1 Darian Nagle-Gamm From: Matt Wetzel [mwetzel@idtdna.com] Sent: Wednesday, July 09, 2008 12:37 PM To: Darian Nagle-Gamm Subject: Version 2 of letter ,one sentence added at end, Please use this version Attachments: Talwrn Court'No Parking' Side of Street Change.doc Matthew Wetzel 915 Talwrn Court Iowa City, IA 52246 July 9, 2008 Darian Nagle-Gamm, John Yapp, Mayor, City Council, On July 15th the city council will be asked to designate the east side of Talwrn Court as `No Parking Any Time', a change from the current status. The idea of limiting parking to one side of Talwrn court was supported by 59% of the 17 households that responded. I was out of town and returned after the end date of the survey. 1 agree with some neighbors that suggest that in the winter this will be very helpful for our streets snow removal and after my initial response of "that would change things, I don't want that", I support the change of parking status. My concern, as a homeowner who drives this street every day, is that an unintended hazard is being created. Because of the unique topology of the street (going up a steep hill and around a corner), and the new information of my experience as a daily driver of the street, some of the standard traffic engineering assumptions may want to be reconsidered before a council approval on this. I have not been part of the study and understand that staff professional Darian Nagle-Grimm is now working on it (she is a new staff person since the study), and most likely John Yapp knows every detail that was considered. I just need to write this letter today as the packet is going out to the council (or such). I have left a voice message for John Yapp and have spoken to Ms. Nagle-Gamm about my concerns. The Hazard: The only hazards related to parking I recall, were having to due with snow removal interference and lack of `line of s~ht to oncoming traffic'. Talwrn Court is a Horseshoe shaped street which starts and ends from two locations off Wylde Green. So describing the flow with terms of East, West, North, and South is cumbersome. Let me try by saying; when I'm traveling up the hill, with the inside of the curve (the Parking side) on my right and I get near the top, I rely on looking across the grass easement area and sidewalk area to see if traffic (Bicycle or car/truck) is approaching. From experience I know that when cars/trucks are parked on that side of the curve, I must keep driving forward into the path of the oncoming vehicle before I can see far enough down the hill and around the corner to adjust for two vehicles to pass each other on this street with a parked car adjacent. With ice or snow on the hill it is more difficult to adjust to the situation, (and in winter sometimes we might drive uphill with a little more accelerator to make sure we get up the hill... you know). Coming from the opposite direction a similar hazard exists, seeing the on coming traffic around the bend with 'parking' on the inside of the bend is not possible. So that is the unforeseen hazard, and I ask that the city not move forward as planned, but ask that the process to change the side of street that the `No Parking' signs will be posted on, take place. Note: I believe the inside of the horseshoe has 26 feet more curb or 1 truck/car parking space, with parallel parking. Sincerely, Matthew Wetzel _ ~ ~a 915 Talwrn Court ~' ~ .7 Y ~,.~ `-- .r~,. f""S -. ; 0 ~ ((^^'~., ~l SJ ' ~ r Matthew Wetzel O Vice Pesident -Facilities ~ Integrated DNA Technologies D _ N .c 7/9/2008 r ~~~_,_.®~~ CITY OF 1C7WA CITY -- RA~ D ~ y, ~E~C~ Date: June 25, 2008 To: City Clerk From: Darian Nagle-Gamm, JCCOG Traffic Engineering Planner Re: Item for July 15, 2008 City Council meeting; Installation of NO PARKING ANYTIME signs on the south side of Kineton Green from Sunset Street to Wylde Green Road. As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 3B of the City Code, this is to advise the City Council of the following action. Action: Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A (10); Place NO PARKING ANYTIME signs on the south side of Kineton Green from Sunset Street to Wylde Green Road. Comment: This action is being taken to prohibit parking on the south side of the Kineton Green, a 25 foot wide street. A parking survey, administered to the households with property abutting Kineton Green, showed 67% of the affected residents (2 out of 3 respondents) were in favor of the stated action. jccogtp/mem/kinetong reen-actcomm6-25. doc O ^~'. ~ ~ ~ Cr Pte-" ~~ ' -I C} :Cr O~ _ ~ ~~ D w o• Page 1 of 1 Darian Nagle-Gamm From: Pinz4@aol.com Sent: Wednesday, July 09, 2008 12:35 PM To: Darian Nagle-Gamm Subject: From Phyllis Pinzon as per conversation today TO: Iowa City City Council FROM: Phyllis Pinzon RE: NO PARKING ANYTIME signs on south side of Kineton Green DATE: July 9, 2008 I have resided at 1038 Sunset St. since July 30, 1992. My house faces Kineton Green although my address is Sunset St. I am concerned with the plan to have parking ONLY on my side of the street, the north side, with the placing of NO PARKING signs on the south side. Parking has been approved only on one side of Wylde Green which means parking from residents on that street and their guests will overflow onto Kineton Green. There are homes in our neighborhood that have big parties and I am constantly picking up beer cans and other trash from my yard after these parties. I do not think it is fair for that to happen even more frequently with the parking limited only to my side of the street if this proposal goes through. I would like the Council to consider the possibility of having alternate side parking like is done in Goosetown which will prevent street storage of cars when classes are not in session, the parties are over or families on Wylde Green who have too many cars to put on their side of the street to store them in front of my house. Get the scoop on last night's hottest shows and the live music scene in your area -Check ou _TourTracker_._.c_o__m! _ O ~ a ~ ~ °~ r- -< r ~o ~ O~ ~ ~ ~': -- D N 7/9/2008 3e 4 ~~ m e m o Date: June 30, 2008 r To: City Council From: Kent Ralston, Assistant Transportation Planner ~- Re: Oakcrest Street Parking Survey At your May 13, 2008 Special Formal City Council meeting you directed staff to move forward with an on-street parking survey in the 1200 and 1300 blocks of Oakcrest Street. This survey is in response to a neighborhood petition requesting the removal of existing NO PARKING 10AM - 4PM signs on the south side of Oakcrest Street between Sunset Street and George Street. The survey administered shows that 74% of affected residents who responded were in favor of the stated action (all 23 survey cards were returned). On-street parking is currently prohibited on the north side, and not permitted from 10AM - 4PM on the south side of this segment of Oakcrest Street. When there is not a safety issue, staff typically leaves on-street parking decisions to the residents of local streets. Following is a history of on-street parking in this area: December 2003, a survey to remove on-street parking from the south side of Oakcrest Street between Sunset Street and George Street was conducted at the request of the neighborhood in form of a petition. Parking was removed from the south side of said portion of street Mon-Fri 8-5. • February 2004, a survey to re-establish parking on the south side of Oakcrest Street between Sunset Street and George Street was conducted at the request of the neighborhood in form of a petition. The survey did not show a clear neighborhood consensus to re-establish parking and the request was denied. A letter sent to residents explained that the City Council did not intend to revisit the matter for at least one year. April 2005, the neighborhood again petitioned to re-establish parking on the south side of Oakcrest Street between Sunset Street and George Street. The City Council directed staff to not conduct a survey and requested that the neighborhood present a solution to the City Council for consideration. As a result, the prohibition of parking Mon-Fri 8-5 was changed to Mon-Fri 10-4 at the request of the neighborhood. May 2005, the neighborhood again petitioned to re-establish parking on the south side of Oakcrest Street between Sunset Street and George Street. At that time, Jeff Davidson explained to Robert Jett that for the matter to be reconsidered a member of the City Council would need to raise the issue and see if there were three other votes in favor of reconsideration. Oakcrest Street is presently used as part of the Oakcrest Street bus route. The Transit Division would prefer parking be permitted on the north side Oakcrest Street if there is a change in the on-street parking designation as this would benefit the eastbound bus using Oakcrest Street. Your vote on the attached Council Action will indicate how you would like staff to proceed. Staff will be available at the July 15, 2008 City Council meeting if there are questions. cc: Michael Lombardo John Yapp Chris O'Brien Barb Morck jccogtp/mem/kr-oa kcrestupdate. doc r ~~~®~~ CITY 4F [dWA CITY .~ FEMORA Date: June 30, 2008 To: City Clerk From: Kent Ralston, JCCOG Acting Traffic Engineering Planner ~- Re: Item for July 15, 2008 City Council meeting; removal of existing NO PARKING 10AM - 4PM MONDAY-FRIDAY signs on the south side of Oakcrest Street between Sunset Street and George Street (1200 &1300 Blocks) As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 36 of the City Code, this is to advise the City Council of the following action. Action: Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A (10); remove existing NO PARKING 10AM - 4PM MONDAY - FRIDAY signs on the south side of Oakcrest Street between Sunset Street and George Street. Comment: This action is being taken at the request of Oakcrest Street residents in the form of a petition to remove existing NO PARKING 10AM - 4PM MONDAY-FRIDAY signs on the south side of Oakcrest Street between Sunset Street and George Street. A parking survey administered in the neighborhood shows 74% of affected residents who responded (23 total respondents) were in favor of the stated action. jccogtp/mem/a ctcom m-oakcrest6-30. doc _ O ;v ~' ~'" -{ L.._ Cam- ~1 '"+ ~ f ~' j ~ ~ r ~°~ O~ _ ~ ~~ b D tv ~~.! 6/16/2008 Dear Iowa City Parking kent-ralston(a~,iowa-city.org 319 356 5000 I would like to take this time to explain my position on a parking matter that exists in an area of Iowa City in which I own a home and my daughter resides in. The location at 1301 Oakcrest is an area where there has been a fluctuating parking restriction over the last 3-5 years as I understand it. Originally, it was open parking on one side of the street and then it became limited, as I remember, from Sam-6pm. Later, that was changed to loam-4pm, which seemed somewhat more reasonable. Now I am told that one of the other residents on that street has submitted a new polling of the people living on that street with over 70% desiring a return to open parking without restriction at least on one side of the street. They are awaiting the councils decision I am told. This whole process seems somewhat of a significant waste of time and thrives on petty jealousies of various people or parties wanting to exercise their right to effect change for whatever reason. Personally, I am in favor of leaving it an open parking situation because of a situation that happened during the flooding this past week but I will explain that in ending this letter. I know that the council has far more important things on it's plate at this time than revisiting a parking issue and to that I would like to make a proposal. The first, is the council may find it advantageous to only allow changes in its decisions on these neighborhood issues only after a period of 2-4 years, or with certain defined exceptions or situations that the council or parking would define. Over time, people would either get used to the change or learn to work within the rules and be prepared for their next window of opportunity to effect change. Additionally, the parking authorities and/or council would have somewhat of a reprieve from the nuisance of neighborhood or party disagreements. I have felt that it may be more plausible to extend to the people living on that street( primary tenant} or the primary owners, a set of street parking stickers that would be color coded/numbered or whatever to allow those cars to be parked in the street if need be. Even though street parking has always been deemed a right of a property tax payer it would seem to be even more likely the case if the property was located in your given street block or adjacent to the place you reside. It would be the parking authorities or councils prerogative to decide if each primary property owner or primary tenant got however many stickers which could then be shared or moved from one vehicle to another as the situation requires. The City could generate initial fees for the stickers and possibly find it easier to ticket offenders who do not comply. Certainly, it would limit the total number of cars allowed on that specific street block and the unnecessary movement of cars if they were to have an approved sticker that could easily be put on or in the car if it was a friend or family member visiting. Minimizing the movement of cars with a moveable sticker could reduce possible street hazards of shuffling cars around when traffic is problematic. I would imagine there are other dwelling areas within the city that may be designated as transient parking blocks that could generate some level of income while improving safety at the same time. People need some flexibility options in parking on their home street or block without being stifled by laws that may waste or create unnecessary hassles in parking. Maybe there is some way to directly link these busy areas and these proposed parking stickers so that some of the money goes to offset mass transit costs. Finally, if this all seems to complex, at this time, then reopening the street to parking would be the only appropriate option left simply because of inconvenience and hassle as it currently stands. As I mentioned before I had an incident during the flooding that I found to be irritating and laughable at the same time. I had stopped at the house on Oakcrest between Sunset and George streets. I was there with another daughter to pick my other daughters infant child. Because of the seepage of water into the garage at that location-due to drainage issues and high water problems the garage was trying to be dried out. That put all the cars on the driveway and with other friends visiting I had no place to park except the street. Since I was picking up a portable crib and other baby necessities I was not about to park a block or two away in that circumstance. Somehow, during that time of 20- 30 minutes of visiting and trying to be a reasonable father and grandparent, I got ticketed by an Iowa City officer that had driven over in an emergency management vehicle from some other area of flooding in Iowa City. When I told her the circumstances in the front of the home she explained that someone had complained about the car in the short time I was there. In explaining my circumstances with the baby and the attempts in drying out the garage she stated that she had to leave street flooding issues to come over and give me the ticket and that I would have to go downtown and appeal the ticket. That was last thing I needed to do when the city and state were having street closings but I was angry enough to do that and still take the time to send you this letter because it was only option available to me. So I did go to the City office and wrote out an appeal. It seems ironic that the police would have the time to drive over and give me a ticket when they are dealing with the serious emergency management of flooding. It also feels like I have had a right of parking taken away from me by a vigilante neighborhood or bus service who wants to claim the street as their own. Even though I knew that no parking was allowed at that time, I certainly feel I had no recourse in that instance but to park on the street. It is frustrating to think how much time has been wasted in trying to deal with something that should not have happened in the first place. If anyone has a right to be heard it is those that either live or own property in that neighborhood. As such, I understand that the petition has been filed and I know the majority are for removal of parking restrictions albeit a few neighbors and maybe the bus service folks. Certainly there are other examples where the bus service must contend with street parking. If the city can think of a better way not to waste time for all parties concerned in this somewhat irritating issue and still make money, then I am all for it. If the city chooses not to brainstorm on how to make this less of a nuisance issue at this time I would ask that they remove the limited parking until they are able to come up with a better long term proposal than allowing the neighborhood to become more polarized simply because one group of neighbors or service is more active than another. Please take my thoughts on how I see this situation as an opportunity to improve whatever is presently the case. I realize that there is always another consideration to be heard but certainly this is not the only neighborhood with issues and I would like to think there is a better way that will help all involved and certainly be more efficient and responsible in the process. I thank you for your time and hope Iowa City continues to be the great treasure it has always been. I apologize for the unfortunate timing of this letter with all that the city must face in it's current state of affairs. Your attempts to find the better solution as Iowa City moves forward serves us all well. Thank You Kevin Stingley Jenna Stingley r -- !,~~~ p ~,~ CITY O F IOWA CITY 3e 5 ~~ ~ ~ '~~w~~~ RA ~ D t~ ~ Ni EEO Date: July 8, 2008 To: City Clerk W From: Darian Nagle-Gamm, JCCOG Traffic Engineering Planner Re: Item for July 15th City Council meeting; Installation of on-street metered parking spaces and establishment of parking meter terms on the 300 block of College Street As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 36 of the City Code, this is to advise the City Council of the following action. Action: Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A (17), 2 new parking meters, C303E & C305E, will be installed on the 300 block of College Street. These meters will each have a 2-hour term at the rate of $0.75 per hour. Comment: This action is being taken as two new diagonal parking spaces have been created on the south side of the 300 block of College Street as a result of the streetscape project. cc: Mark Rummel Chris O'Brien Mgr/agditems/dng-collegest pkgmtrs.doc 0 ..a n o_. n ~ ! ~ ~ rte' ~ T --- D N w r -- ~~~~= p~~ CITY OF tOWR C[TY 3ie6 ~_.:.® ~w'~~ ~ O RA ~ D ~ ~E Date: July 2, 2008 To: City Clerk From: Darian Nagle-Gamm, JCCOG Traffic Engineering Planner Re: Item for July 15th City Council meeting; Installation of (3) STOP signs; (1) on the northwest corner of Middlebury Road and Westbury Drive intersection, (1) on the southeast corner of Middlebury Road and Westbury Drive intersection, and (1) on the northwest corner of the Middlebury Road and Eastbury Drive intersection. As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 3B of the City Code, this is to advise the City Council of the following action: Action: Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A(5); Install (3) STOP signs, (1) on the northwest corner of Middlebury Road and Westbury Drive, (1) on the southeast corner of Middlebury Road and Westbury Drive, and (1) on the northwest corner of Middlebury Road and Eastbury Drive. Comment: This action is being taken to clarify that traffic on Westbury Drive and Eastbury Drive must stop before entering the intersection with Middlebury Road. jccogtp/mem/actcomm-m iddlebury.doc _ O rv ~ .~ C.. t"om"' C3 ..r ~ --i C~ -C t"- `~ (~ ~ ~ ~ .. D N W r ^•!-~„®~~ CITY U F IOWA CITY 3e 7 ~' ~~ ~V 1 1~/i RAND U ~E ~ Date: July 9, 2008 To: City Clerk (~Y From: Darian Nagle-Gamm, JCCOG Traffic Engineering Planner ~I Re: Item for July 15th City Council meeting; Removal of three on-street metered parking spaces and establishment of PARKING OFFICE CUSTOMERS ONLY 20 MINUTE LIMIT 7 AM - 6 PM MON -SAT signs on the 300 block of Iowa Avenue. As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 3B of the City Code, this is to advise the City Council of the following action. Action: Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A (17 & 10), remove the following on-street parking meters located in the 300 block of Iowa Avenue: 1307E, 1305E & 1303E and post PARKING OFFICE CUSTOMERS ONLY 20 MINUTE TIME LIMIT 7 AM - 6 PM MON -SAT signs in their place. Comment: This action is being taken to designate three on-street parking spaces in front of the Parking Division's Iowa Avenue office for short-term customer use. This is part of the effort to facilitate customer use of the Parking office for regular business. cc: Mark Rummel Chris O'Brien Mgr/agditems/dng-iowaave pkgmtrs.doc -.~ 3 Q u~ ~~ ~ .~ G I'"' ~,~„ ~ -~ ~ -~ ~ ~ m -~ ~ ~ o~ x A w 3e 8 Marian Karr From: Dianne Jones [diarogjon@gmail.comJ Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2008 10:56 AM To: Council Subject: Super Wal-Mart Support Hi, I'm e-mailing my support for the proposed Super Wal-Mart in Iowa City. Please do not hamper their super sizing their current store. I was very disappointed when their last attempt to build a super center in Iowa City failed because you seemed to have caved due to pressure from the misguided activist, Gary Sanders and company. Please don't bow to the pressure from his group this time. I have passionately wished for a super center for years. It would be so convenient for me and others to do my shopping in one location after working all day and trying to get home to make supper. I think super centers are going back to an idea that worked great in the past before merchants began to specialize. Super centers are analogous to past general stores that sold a little of everything so that shoppers wouldn't have to run all over town to cherry pick their needed items. Additionally, I think some people think too small and are afraid of free trade and competition. I think in the end, it's better for everyone. If certain people don't like the new super center, they always have the option of not shopping there. This is a country based upon democracy Please do not penalize the people do want the Wal-Mart Super Center. Thank you. 6/19/2008 Marian Karr From: Dianne Jones [diarogjon@yahoo.com] Sent: Saturday, June 28, 2008 10:01 AM Ta; Council Subject: Wal-Mart Super Center Support I read in the Press-Citizen that at the last City Council meeting, you put a hold on the new Wal-Mart Super Center proposal because aesticaly it is too pedestrian. I say, cut the elitist CRAP--to put it nicely! I'm sure most Iowa City residents and surrounding areas would love to have a Wal-Mart Super Center--regardless of whether it holds up to a pompous fews' view of what is or is not aesthetically appealing. I whole-heartedly agree with every word in Bob Elliot's opinion piece in the Press-Citizen on June 27, 2008, "Is Wal- Mart too Pedistrian?" Stop the personal acrimonious grandstanding concerning Wal-Mart and put a stamp of approval on Wal-Mart's proposed new store. Like Bob said in his opinion piece, we will vote with our feet. If we don't like the looks of Wal-Mart, we will exhibit our democratic right and choose not to shop at the super center-but give us that chance! By Bob Elliott Iowa City Press-Citizen, June 27, 2008 Pedestrian" is a key word for the most recent action our Planning and Zoning Commission didn't take. Is Wal-Mart too pedestrian? aAt a recent meeting, the commission decided again to defer taking action on a request by Wal-Mart to build a supercenter in south Iowa City. Commission members were concerned the proposed project wasn't sufficiently pedestrian-friendly, while its appearance was too pedestrian. Several commission members criticized the lack of aesthetic appeal ("Wal-Mart tabled again," June 20). Chairwoman Ann Freerks complained, "It seems like you didn't look at the code when you planned this. ... We're not even close to meeting the minimum on these things." The proposed building's appearance apparently is too pedestrian. The same article reported that Commission Secretary Wally Plahutnik said the huge retailer's plans don't meet the need to be "pedestrian-friendly." So playing with semantics, the commission claims the proposal is both too pedestrian and not pedestrian enough. Pedestrian-friendly I can buy. But saying it's not pretty enough because it looks too much like a big-box store? It is a freakin' big-box store?! Not Carnegie Hall. Not the Louvre. It's a place where a whole lot of people would go to buy things they might otherwise not be able to afford. I may be wrong, but I believe people who shop at so-called big-box stores aren't nearly as concerned about what the store looks like as they are about the quality and price of what's being sold inside. For instance, want a burger? How about McDonald's? Are their buildings designed to be a thing of beauty? No. But for millions of people a McDonald's is easy to find when they're hungry. But in Iowa City we seem to need a supercenter to look like something it isn't. We must be better and more sophisticated than those other places. Is it any wonder we're still trying to dig our way out of an anti-business rap? Is it any wonder the rest of the state often views us as over-educated snobs? I notice our downtown farmers market remains a continuing huge success without being required to have a facade meeting aesthetic requirements. We don't want long-standing businesses selling things out of the back of their cars, or stores with clapboard walls. But as long as buildings meet safety requirements, quality construction and environmental standards, and are well-maintained, that should do it. Let customers vote with their feet. If they find a store's appearance offensive, they won't shop there, and the store will go away. In recent years, we've been plagued by people who want the city to tell us what our homes and commercial buildings should look like. They say our house and those of our neighbors are ugly because our garage is visible from the street and we don't have a big front porch. They believe signs used by businesses in other cities and towns have to be evaluated carefully to assure meeting our lofty standards of good taste. I'm tired of Iowa City activists feeling smug because we're over-regulated and we don't 1 have such pedestrian things as the Riverside Casino and Coral Ridge Mall. I'm tired of zoning regulations and interpretations that make us look like an elitist community. These folks may be good people trying to do the right things, but I think they've lost touch with regular people and they're going to extremes with concerns about their favorite word: aesthetics. I like the architectural rule of thumb: Form follows function. Bob Elliott is a former Press-Citizen sportswriter, a 30-year employee of ACT and a former Iowa City councilor. 2 Page 1 of 1 07-15-Ot3 3e 9 Marian Karr From: Brian Loring [brian-loring@ncjc.org] Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2008 3:38 PM To: Council Cc: Kristopher Ackerson Subject: FW: BIC's Position on Burlington Street Dear Iowa City Council Members, Below is a copy of an email I sent to 1000G planner Kris Ackerson this past week expressing BIC's support for shared lane marking on Burlington Street and other bicycle collectors streets around Iowa City. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Brian Loring From: Brian Loring [mailto:brian-loring@ncjc.org] Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2008 3:36 PM To: 'Kristopher Ackerson' Cc:'Larae Rudin';'Dan Berkowitz' Subject: BIC's Position on Burlington Street Kris, The BIC board met this past Tuesday evening, and during that meeting there was spirited discussion of the Burlington Street project. Not surprisingly, several of the BIC board members had done their homework on this project. After reviewing options for a BIC position on the matter, the board reached consensus that we support the use of shared lane markings (sharrows). In fact, the board would like to see Johnson County municipalities make greater use of sharrows on natural collector streets for cyclist. We plan to continue to talk with our 300 members about on-street accommodations for cyclist. But you can be assured that sharrows are supported by BIC leadership and will likely be featured in any recommendations we make as an organizations. Thanks in advance for your consideration. Brian Loring BIC Education and Safety Director 6/25/2008 STATE 3e 10 HISTORICAL SOCITE~TYof ~~VVA ~- A Division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs ~ ~ ~• " g~ :sue' _ry ~= .~ F"1 "°• tJ ~..~ t: ; ± I June 16, 2008 O ~ a~ ~; .. The Honorable Regenia Bailey S' C'~ Mayor 410 E Washington Street Iowa City, IA 52240-1826 RE: Wetherby, Isaac A., House, 611 North Governor, Iowa City, Johnson County Dear Mayor Bailey: We are pleased to inform you that the above named property will be considered by the State National Register Nominations Review Committee for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places on August 22, 2008, Lawrence Community Center, 600 E. Main, Anamosa, Iowa. The National Register is the Federal Government's official list of historic properties worthy of preservation. Listing in the National Register provides recognition and assists in preserving our Nation's heritage. Listing of the property provides recognition of the community's historic importance and assures protective review of Federal projects that might adversely affect the character of the historic property. Listing in the National Register does not mean that limitations will be placed on the properties by the Federal government. Public visitation rights are not required of owners. The Federal government will not attach restrictive covenants to the properties or seek to acquire them. Listing in the National Register results in: Consideration in the planning for Federal, federally licensed, and federally assisted projects. Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 requires Federal agencies allow the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation an opportunity to comment on projects affecting historic properties listed in the National Register. For further information please refer to 36 CFR 800. Eligibility for Federal tax provisions. If a property is listed in the National Register, certain Federal tax provisions may apply. The Tax Reform Act of 1986 revises the historic preservation tax incentives authorized by Congress in the Tax Reform Act of 1976, the Revenue Act of 1978, the Tax Treatment Extension Act of 1980, the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981, and Tax Reform Act of 1984, and as of January 1, 1987, provides fora 20 percent investment tax credit with a full adjustment to basis for rehabilitating historic commercial, industrial, and rental residential buildings. The former 15 percent and 20 percent investment Tax Credits (ITCs for rehabilitation of older commercial buildings are combined into a single 10 percent ITC for commercial or industrial buildings built before 1936. The Tax Treatment Extension Act of 1980 provides Federal tax deductions for charitable contributions for conservation purposes of partial interests in historically important land areas or structures. Whether these provisions are advantageous to a property owner is dependent upon the particular circumstances of the property and the owner. Because tax aspects outlined above are complex, individuals should consult legal counsel or the appropriate local Internal Revenue Service office for assistance in determining the tax consequences of the above provisions. For further information please refer to 36 CFR 67 and Treasury Regulation Sections 1.48-12 (ITCs) and 1.170A-14 (charitable contributions). Consideration of historic values in the decision to issue a surface coal mining permit where coal is located, in accord with the Surface Mining and Control Act of 1977. For further information please refer to 30 CFR 700 et seq. Qualification for Federal and State grants for historic preservation when funds are available. Eligibility for State Tax Credits for rehabilitation. We are not accepting applications for the State Historic Preservation Tax Incentive Proeram at this time. Properties listed on the National Register, eligible for listing on the 600 EAST LOCUST STREET, DES MOINES, IA 50319-0290 P: (515) 281-51 I I June 16, 2008 Page 2 National Register or Barns constructed before 1937 are eligible to apply fora 25 percent state tax credit for rehabilitation. The cost of a 24-month qualified rehabilitation project would exceed either $25,000 or 25 percent of the fair market value for a residential property or barn less the land before rehabilitation. For commercial properties, the rehabilitation project would exceed 50 percent of the assessed value of the property less the land before rehabilitation -whichever is less. The State Historic Preservation office must approve the rehabilitation work before an amount of tax credits will be reserved for your project. There are limited credits available each year, so let us know if you want the application information. Owners of private properties nominated to the National Register of Historic Places have an opportunity to concur in or object to listing in accord with the National Historic Preservation Act and 36 CFR 60. Any owner or partial owner of private property who chooses to object to listing is required to submit to the State Historic Preservation Officer a notarized statement certifying that the party is the sole or partial owner of the private property and objects to the listing. Each owner or partial owner of private property has one vote regardless of what part of the property that party owns. If a majority of private property owners object, a property will not be listed; however, the State Historic Preservation Officer shall submit the nomination to the Keeper of the National Register for a determination of the eligibility of the property for listing in the National Register. If the property is then determined eligible for listing, although not formally listed, Federal agencies will be required to allow the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation an opportunity to comment before the agency may fund, license, or assist a project which will affect the property. If you choose to object to the listing of your property, the notarized objection must be submitted to the State Historical Society of Iowa, 600 E. Locust, Des Moines, IA 50313 not more than 75 days from the date of this notice. If you have already submitted a notarized owner objection you need not submit another one as we have your previous submittal in the file. If you wish to comment on the nomination of the property to the National Register, please send your comments to the State Historical Society of Iowa before the State Nomination Review Committee meets. Information on the National Register is available on our website at www.iowahistory.org or you may enjoy visiting the National Register website at www.cr.nps.gov/nr. You are invited to attend the State Nomination Review Committee meeting at which the nomination will be considered. Please feel free to contact Beth Foster Hill by e-mail at beth.foster@iowa.gov or by telephone at 515-281-4137 to receive an agenda, should you have any questions about the National Register of Historic Places, Tax Incentives or about this nomination in particular. Sincerely, =~ ~ -~ for Barbara Mitchell Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer e~a p `~ ~ ~ ~~ ;' ; _.~ t~ ~~. _../ ~ . ~~ o ~ ~~ «, .. v ~, Page 1 of 1 3e 11 Marian Karr From: James Cochran (jcochra@kirkwood.edu] Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2008 5:04 PM To: Council Cc: Ken Lefler Subject: Smoking in the ped. mall Attachmen ts: City1.JPG; city2.JPG It is a shame that the council is not planning to move toward a complete no smoking ban in the Pedestrian Mall. The Iowa City council is missing an opportunity to be progressive in promoting a healthier environment for all of us. Even if you aren't correcting the problem, smokers will have to walk further to "light up", and at least they are getting some exercise which will possible help them in their future fight against lung cancer. It is idiotic to even think that it won't curtail smoking a little bit. Are college students or others going to walking 2 or more blocks in subzero or 100 degree weather to have a smoke? Please rethink your decision and be leaders in creating a better city. Also as stated before I hope you will consider doing some thing about the open alley running through the 'pedestrian mall" near the Tobacco Bowl. I understand the need for service vehicles and an emergency vehicle entrance, but I do not see the need for any other traffic. Use your creative leadership to brainstorm some ideas for limiting the use of this alley. There aren't even any warnings for pedestrians or traffic calming devices to deal with this extremely dangerous area of the ped. Mall. (see attached photos) Have a great day! Jim Cochran Asst. Professor Developmental Mathematics/ Developmental Mathematics Coordinator Kirkwood Coxmnunity College 181.6 Lower Muscatine Road Iowa City, IA 52240-3102 Notice: `T'his e-mail (including attachments] is covered by the F..lectronic Commm~ications Privacy A.et, 18 U.S.C. 2~ 10-2521, is confidential and may be legally privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any retention, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. Please reply ro the sender that you have received the message in error, then delete it. Thank you. 6/24/2008 3:. ~ ~' s.. a .. ,4 ~~~,~. ~~ `:. ~ ~y~~~=a K ~ i~ y~ to ~~ R ~ ~. ~~ ~~` ;.;: Page 1 of 2 3e 12 Marian Karr From: WalkerCL04@aol.com Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 2008 1:08 PM To: Council; Michael Lombardo; Eleanor M. Dilkes Cc: WalkerCL04@aol.com Subject: Suggestion and appeal regarding Oakland Cemetery grave/niche purchases To all of the City Council and to the City Manager and City Attorney: I would like you to consider an idea that could help add a little dignity and allow advance planning for very low income senior citizens who for various reasons have ended up having very low income and without the means to pay upfront the full purchase cost a grave site or niche at Oakland Cemetery as the policy requires at this time. Burial and final arrangement costs do enter the minds of lower income people too and it can be a very depressing worry the older one gets knowing that they may fall into the status of being at public mercy for their death cost coverage. Allowing a payment plan at Oakland might be helpful to both the Johnson County pauper burial costs and to the low income people who might want to pay at least a short term payment plan for a grave site or niche at the Oakland Cemetery. Such a payment plan could be identified only for people over 65 years old and if need be could be restricted to the seniors with proven low income. The plan could require an entry down payment just to show serious intention and good faith in the plan to acquire the site or niche. Its entirely possible that few would low income seniors would choose the payment plan at Oakland but it would be generous of the city to allow it for those who would like to plan ahead to pay their final costs as best that they can at this point in their lives. In this age of wonderful computer technology, I would think that a change like this would not be very hard to arrange. It would take compassionate sensitivity on the part of the City Council to the fact that we do have low income elders in our area who may have had some very hard traveling during their life and may have had many years of low income employment without benefits of insurance policies and ability to save ahead for such overwhelming costs related to death. I would appreciate a reply in writing to my idea. For convenience, I have added the link to the Oakland Cemetery rules and have also copied the part about current payment requirement. From the document added below this section: Purchase of Lots Persons desiring to purchase a lot or niche in Oakland Cemetery are referred to the cemetery staff. Following the selection of a lot or niche, the prospective purchaser will be given slot/niche order, which is to be taken to the Finance Department in the Civic Center along with full payment. The transaction will be receipted and a deed will be prepared by the City Clerk and mailed to the purchaser. 7/2/2008 Page 2 of 2 Cemetery deeds will be placed only in the name(s) of a living person(s), except in the case of a single space purchased by the estate of the deceased when there are no living relatives. At the time of need, the cemetery must be fully paid prior to the opening of the grave or niche. Click here: http://www_icgo_v.org/site/CMSv2/File/parksAndRe_creation/cemeteryregulations.pd_ Sincerely, Charlotte L. Walker Low income Senior Citizen 320 S. Dubuque Street, # 211 Iowa City, IA 52240 319 354-2123 Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for fuel-efficient used cars. 7/2/2008 OAKLAND CEMETERY REGULATIONS Purchase of Lots Persons desiring to purchase a lot or niche in Oakland Cemetery are referred to the cemetery staff. Following the selection of a lot or niche, the prospective purchaser will be given a lot/niche order, which is to be taken to the Finance Department in the Civic Center along with full payment. The transaction will be receipted and a deed will be prepared by the City Clerk and mailed to the purchaser. Cemetery deeds will be placed only in the name(s) of a living person(s), except in the case of a single space purchased by the estate of the deceased when there are no living relatives. At the time of need, the cemetery must be fully paid prior to the opening of the grave or niche. Ownership Rights The term "lot owner" or "ownership" shall be defined as the right to use a lot or niche, or part of a lot, as purchased from the City for burial purposes only, and under the existing and subsequent rules and regulations as prescribed by the City for such use. Lots or fractional lots, for which the City has issued lot deeds, will not thereafter be divided except by consent of the City. All lots and niches are exempt from taxation and cannot be seized for debt (except those owed to the Cemetery) nor can they be mortgaged. The City shall have the right to assume, at all times, that the lodniche owner acquired the lot/niche for the interment of herself/himself and family members. Unless otherwise directed in writing and filed with the City Clerk by the owner, devisees, or heirs, the City will permit the interment of family members at the request of any interested person upon the proof of eligibility for burial as follows: a. The surviving spouse of the lot/niche owner shall have the first right to interment or to direct the right of interment. b. When there is no surviving spouse, the devisees or heirs of the owner may, by agreement in writing, determine who among them shall have the right of interment or direction of interment, which agreement shall be notarized and filed with the City Clerk. In the event the owner, devisees, or heirs shall not have arranged for future interment, then the devisees or heirs as the case may be, of such owner, shall have the right to interment in order of their need. The City Clerk shall notify the Cemetery personnel of any changes in deed recording. All burial rights in Cemetery lots/niches purchased from the City occupy the same position as real estate at the death of the owner. Only persons whose names appear on the Cemetery records of the City will be recognized as owners or part owners of lots/niches. In the case of the will, a certified copy of the will shall be delivered to the City Clerk before the City will recognize the change in ownership. If the deceased lot/niche owner left no will, satisfactory proof of descent shall be presented. The title of a Cemetery lot/niche invests the owner the right to use such lot(s) for burial purposes only, for themselves, their heirs, or any such person(s) as they may choose to admit, provided such admission is free of charge and without compensation and in accordance with the Cemetery Rules and Regulations. Lot/niche owners may not resell or transfer their lots/niches or parts of lots to anyone whomsoever. Transfer may be made only to the owner's spouse or children by the surrender of the original deed and issuance of a new deed by the City to the new owners of lots/niches or parts of lots so transferred. Lot/niche owners desiring to dispose of lots/niche(s) or parts of lots, may upon surrender of the original deeds, sell the lots/niche(s) or part of lots, back to the City for a price not to exceed the original purchase price of the lot/niche. Niches cannot be repurchased if any engraving has been done. Certain older lots, no longer usable due to their small size, would have no resale value and are best left open. Said lots could be used, with the permission of the owners or heirs thereof, to further the Cemetery beautification plan. Interment The funeral director, or person(s) making arrangements, for the interment shall, as soon as there is knowledge of a pending service, notify the Cemetery staff. Said notification, including all information pertaining to the gravesite and additional information as required, shall be provided by the funeral director or person(s) assuming responsibility for the service. Based on the information given to them, Cemetery staff will locate the exact site and determine the earliest possible time a service can be held. When definite information for locating the gravesite is not available, the Cemetery staff will exercise its best judgment in making the location. The Cemetery assumes no responsibility for any error in such a location. If a burial permit is required by the Code of Iowa, Chapter 144.32, no burial will be allowed until a burial permit is provided to the Cemetery staff. A charge for opening and closing the grave or niche, as well as the sodding or seeding of the grave, will be made at a current rate set by the City. The payment of said charge becomes the responsibility of the individual(s) in charge of interment. The account becomes due upon receipt of a statement issued by the City of Iowa City. Individuals, who make the arrangements, if not a funeral director, must make payment prior to the grave or niche opening. Graves shall be dug by Cemetery staff and shall conform to all applicable state laws. Only Cemetery staff shall open niches. A member of the Cemetery staff shall be present at every interment or service. The interment of bodies of persons who have died of a contagious disease shall be in strict accordance with the rules of the State Board of Health. If a permanent type of outer container is not used for the interment, a special charge will be levied to cover the extra maintenance required. Said special charge is listed in the Schedule of Rates and Charges. In areas of Oakland Cemetery established prior to January 1, 2000, the minimum container used for the interment of an adult body shall be an enclosed container with a bottom strong enough to support the weight of the body when lifting at each end. Adult-sized interments made in areas established after January 1, 2000 require apermanent-type container of concrete or other approved material. 2 The interment of more than one body in a single casket will not be allowed except in the case of a parent and infant or two children interred at the same time. The limitation of numbers of cremated remains allowed in one full body grave space purchased prior to July 1, 1991 is regulated only by space. Full body adult graves purchased after June 30, 1991 are limited to a maximum of four cremated remains each and only if planned in advance. In all cases, multiple interments and/or cremated remains, marker regulations must be observed. Interments requiring special consideration(s) of utilizing equipment not normally available to the Cemetery staff could be provided upon request. Adequate time must be allowed for preparation. Fees and charges must reflect the cost of the extra equipment, time and materials. Such practices must be arranged by advance notification. In addition to interment of cremated remains on family lots, there are two areas available for the interment of single cremated remains and a columbarium for the interment of single cremated remains. Locations and size restrictions can be obtained from Cemetery staff. Exceptions to allowing one cremated remains to a single space or niche will be made only in case of a parent and infant or two children interred at the same time. Only one urn may be placed in a niche. Cremated remains must be interred or inurned 'and may not be distributed into the atmosphere. Single burial spaces for infants/babies are available in two areas - Babyland with 2' x 4' spaces and Innocence with 2.5' x 4.5' spaces. No interments of a body other than that of a human being will be permitted. Should weather become a factor, or when several burials occur in a one (1) or two (2) day period, the Cemetery staff shall schedule interments, working in close cooperation with the funeral directors. To avoid conflict, it will be necessary to honor service communications from the funeral directors according to the time received. Whenever possible, interments will be scheduled to enter Oakland Cemetery no later than 3:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Interments that require work being done other than during regular work hours Monday through Friday will be charged extra at the current overtime rate for actual time spent. Interment normally will not be scheduled on Sunday or an official City holiday. Removal Removals of bodies from graves in Oakland Cemetery will be done only by the City, in accordance with the requirements or the statutes of the State and the rules of the State Board of Health. Charges made by the City for removal will be made in accordance with the difficulty of the work and are payable in advance. The minimum charge will be equal to twice the current charge for opening a grave of similar size. Lot owners or their heirs desiring graves opened shall secure the necessary disinterment permit from the State and deliver it to the Cemetery staff. Public Lots Grandview Addition, Lots 60 through 70 and Lots 77 through 78 and Valleyview Lots 53 through 78 and Lots 131 through 156 have now been designated as a burial ground for those 3 persons for whom no other place is provided. The graves will normally be dug in sequence and in an orderly fashion except in the case of a requested reservation of a space for a spouse or sibling(s). The requested reservation shall be made in writing and must be renewed annually. If the person being interred in the reserved space doesn't meet welfare requirements, the space must be purchased at the current rate and the full interment charge must be paid. The Cemetery staff shall record all interments. The west one-fourth (W 1/4) of block thirteen (13) of Oakland Cemetery and any additional space that may be required shall be designated as burial ground for any soldier who died in the service of his/her country and the same is hereby dedicated to all members of the Armed Forces. If no funds are available for the interment of the deceased either from the estate of the deceased or from other private sources, the City of Iowa City will bill the funeral director or person(s) making arrangements for payment of services rendered by Oakland Cemetery. Said billing shall ask that the City of Iowa City be paid for its service to the fullest amount or by not less than 33 1/3% of all available funds. All available funds are the total funds available from Federal agencies, State agencies, County agencies and other private sources. Stone and Monument Work Monument dealers and the purchasers are encouraged to contact the Cemetery office prior to ordering a monument to check on monument restrictions. The City of Iowa City does not engage in stone or monument installation or repair; however, all stone and monument work within Oakland Cemetery shall be subject to the following regulations and requirements: All monuments must either be flush with the ground or be at least four inches (4") in height. The base for all-flush monuments or upright markers must correspond as closely as possible to the contour of the existing soil surface. No monument may be installed in such a fashion that it extends beyond the boundaries of the designated lot or grave, or that will interfere with future grave openings or the movement of the Cemetery maintenance equipment. Monuments and/or foundations may not be wider than 65% of the width of the space or spaces and may not be more than 24" from the front to back. Monuments may not be larger than the base. By request, exceptions may be made on larger lots in areas of the Cemetery that were established prior to 1974 or in areas of the 2001 expansion that will not interfere with the opening of graves or the movement of equipment. Polished bases or monuments polished to the ground are not recommended, and the City of Iowa City or its employees assume no liability for the actual damages in the performance of normal maintenance operations. The setting of monuments and the transportation of all tools, materials, etc., within the Cemetery grounds shall be subject to the supervision and control of the Cemetery management. No unnecessary damage to the existing turf will be allowed, and all debris is to be removed from the Cemetery except soil. Excess soil must either be removed from the Cemetery or may be placed in the Cemetery stockpile. It may not be used to fill in low areas or distributed on adjacent lots. 4 Heavy trucking will not be permitted within the Cemetery when, in the opinion of the Cemetery management, such work might cause damage to the grounds or driveways. Once begun, all monument and stone work is to be completed and any accumulated debris is to be removed from the site within aseven-day period. All work must be done during regular Cemetery hours of operation, Monday through Friday, unless by special permission from the Cemetery management. The local climate is such that marble is not recommended as a suitable material for monument use. Granite is a much more durable stone. Bronze is an acceptable material. Cemetery management prior to installation must approve other material. Only those lot pins set by the City of Iowa City are allowed in areas where lots/spaces are pinned individually. Stone work or monuments of any sort, once established in Oakland Cemetery, may not be removed except by permission of the Cemetery management. Details concerning monument restrictions for specific areas of Oakland Cemetery are found in Individual Lot Restrictions. Vaults and Mausoleums Vaults or mausoleums are not permitted on lots less than 400 square feet and the portion of the lot occupied by the building shall not exceed 25%. In no case will permission be given to set the building nearer to the lot line than five (5) feet. Where the vault or mausoleum exceeds five (5) feet in height, the setback shall be five (5) feet plus one (1) foot for each additional foot or fraction thereof. All applications for permits to erect such structures shall be made in writing to the Cemetery management. Complete plans and specifications of the proposed construction, including details of materials, workmanship, method of construction, etc., shall accompany such an application, and the approval of the City of Iowa City shall be obtained before any construction work is begun. The City of Iowa City reserves the right to prohibit the erection or any structure that is not considered to be safe, suitable, desirable or appropriate. Before any vault or mausoleum may be erected, the lot owner shall pay the City an amount of not less than ten percent (10%) of the cost of the structure. Check is to be made payable to the City of Iowa City and submitted to the Finance Department, and will be used by the City for the future care and maintenance of the structure and grounds. Vaults and mausoleums may be placed only on such lots considered to be appropriate for said purpose by the Cemetery management. Maintenance Practices Oakland Cemetery, a non-perpetual care cemetery, assumes all responsibility for the maintenance of all lots that have been sold or will be sold. All monies previously collected for perpetual care will be held in a separate trust and interest therefrom will be used to maintain graves deeded under perpetual care. Landscaping and maintenance of the Cemetery, including all lots therein, shall be under the direction of the Cemetery staff. Permission for all permanent plantings must be acquired from the Cemetery staff. Permanent plantings that are planted without permission may be removed without notice. Generally, it will not be possible to locate evergreen or shrub plantings directly on the gravesite. In most cases, a nearby location will be designated as part of a group planting to enhance the entire area. Existing individual lot plantings may be trimmed or removed by the Cemetery staff when they have become unsightly or unmanageable. Individual plantings so removed may be replanted as a part of a group planting. No hedges, fences, or enclosures of any kind will be permitted on or around lots. Any objects that are obstructing the general maintenance of the Cemetery shall be removed without notice. Existing enclosures will be removed when they have deteriorated to an unattractive or unsafe condition. Live flowers in plastic or paper mache' containers are most welcome and may be used at all times. Annuals or perennials planted on the graves must be limited to a small area directly next to the monument and must be mulched and tended by the planter. Plantings must be kept weed and grass free, and those that are not tended and become unsightly shall be removed without notice by Cemetery staff. Plantings must be on the respective lot and not extend more then 12" from the monument. The Cemetery staff assumes no responsibility for the preservation, maintenance, or protection of any type of grave decoration. Plants that must be removed for grave opening will be set to the side and are the planter's responsibility to replant. Placement of funeral or special anniversary flowers will be allowed for a period of approximately five days; after this period, they will be removed. Notification of placement of special flowers will be given to the Cemetery Superintendent. Artificial wreaths, artificial flowers, and holiday decorations may be used any time between November 15 and March 1 and for a period of four (4) days before and five (5) days after Memorial Day. After that period, if not claimed, they will be removed from the site. The Cemetery staff assumes no responsibility for lost or stolen articles. The use of flags and emblems may be used for a period of four (4) days before and five (5) days following Memorial Day, but they will be removed and stored, without responsibility for preservation, if still in place on the sixth day following Memorial Day. All wooden boxes, glass jars and bottles, toys, cans, wired flowers, and other objects that might create a mowing hazard will not be permitted during the mowing season except as designated and, when used, will be removed and disposed of by the Cemetery staff without notice. Shepherd's crooks are permitted, but when used they must be placed directly next to the side of the monument with the crook over the monument. All paintings or decorations placed on the crook must comply with all Cemetery decoration rules. Exceptions may be made in Babyland and Innocence sections if approved by the Cemetery management. The City of Iowa City reserves the right for its staff and other persons to enter upon or cross over any lot in the Cemetery when deemed necessary to the performance of normal Cemetery operation. The City of Iowa City reserves the right to move monuments for the purpose of machine digging graves. The City of Iowa City assumes the responsibility for resetting the monument in a timely manner. 6 The City of Iowa City or its employees assume no responsibility for actual damages or mental anguish in the performance of its normal operation, or loss by vandalism or other acts beyond its reasonable control. The lot owner should feel free to consult with the Cemetery staff regarding any item or clarification of the rules and regulations at any time. Rules for Visitors Visiting hours for the Cemetery are from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Visitors are requested to use designated walks and drives and not to trespass unnecessarily on Cemetery lots, pick any flowers, damage any shrub, tree or plant, or mar or deface any monument, stone or structure in the Cemetery. The use of materials such as are necessary to produce the art form known as rubbings or tracings are prohibited on any monument, stone or statuary within the boundary of Oakland Cemetery. Controlled use permits are required for all special projects or groups entering the Cemetery for purposes other than attending funeral services or a grave visitation. Special use permits are available at the Cemetery office or on the City of Iowa City web page at www.icgov.org. Arrangements must be made well in advance of need. Filming or videotaping of funeral proceedings is not allowed without permission from the immediate family. Brown Street is designated as the entrance and exit for vehicles in Oakland Cemetery. Vehicles traveling within the Cemetery shall observe the hours of visitation as previously stated and shall proceed at a rate not to exceed ten (10) miles per hour. Drivers should be aware at all times of the City's right to alter, change or close alleyways, roadways, and other physical properties of the Cemetery. Firearms will be allowed inside the Cemetery only for use at military funerals. Special permission must be obtained in advance from the Cemetery Superintendent. It is unlawful to bring, cause, or permit a dog or any animal to enter the Cemetery except seeing eye dogs, unless confined inside a vehicle. Individual Lot Restrictions Graceland, lots 1-281, Grandview, Prospect Hill, Fernland, Fairview and all numbered block sections, except for lots numbered above 92 in block 9 and 108 in block 29, are designated as having unrestricted monument privileges that permit the installation of both family monuments and individual grave monuments where the lot area is of sufficient size. The monument must be placed on solid ground and shall not interfere with future grave openings or the movement of Cemetery maintenance equipment. On Graceland Drive, the monument must be on the west for lots 1-110 and lots 160-208. The monument must be on the east for lots 111-159. Additional monuments, if used, must be flush with the contour of the existing ground. Glenview, Cedarview, Sunny Slope, and lots numbered above 92 in block 9 and 108 in block 29 have flush monuments. Only one monument per grave or a double monument, as for husband and wife, for two adjoining graves is permitted. 7 Innocence (an infant/baby area) monuments are restricted to 65% of the width of the space, or 19.5 inches, and may not be more than 9 inches from front to back. The monument must be placed at the west end of the lot. Babyland monuments are restricted to 65% of the width of the space, or 15.6 inches, and may not be more than 9 inches from front to back. The monument must be placed at the west end of the lot. The monument must be on the west end of all lots in Rose Hill, Oak Green, and Graceland lots 282-331. Foot stones, if used, must be flush with the contour of the existing soil. Foot stones may be placed at any time on lots that are 12 feet long, but may be placed after burial only on lots that are 10 feet long. Oak Ridge, lots 1-94 and 285-380: monuments must be flush with the contour of the ground and must be placed at the north end of the lot. Lots 95-188 and 381-439: monuments must be placed at the north end of the lot. Lots 189-284: monuments must be placed at the south end of the lot. Sunrise: Lots 1-39, 105-126, 160-172 and 192-198: monuments must be flush with the contour of the ground and must be placed at the north end of the lot. Lots 40-78, 127-144, 173-182, and 199-204: monuments must be placed at the south end of the lot. Lots 79-104, 145-159 and 183- 191: monuments must be placed at the north end of the lot. In Deerview: all monuments must be flush with the contour of the ground and must be placed at the west end of the lot. Forest Lawn: lots 1-26, 70-80, 129-137, and 162-174: monuments must be flush with the contour of the ground and must be placed at the north end of the lot. Lots 90-108: monuments must be flush with the ground and must be placed at the south end of the lot. Lots 53-69, 109-118, and 138-146: monuments must be placed at the north end of the lot. Lots 27-52, 81-90, 119-128 and 147-161: monuments must be placed at the south end of the lot. In Oakview: monuments must be flush with the contour of the ground and must be placed at the north end of the lot. Valleyview: lots 27-78, 131-156, 209-236, 284-302, 341-359 and 398-416: monuments must be flush with the contour of the ground and must be at the west end of the lot. Lots 1-62, 105-130, 183-208, 303-321, 360-378 and 417-435: monuments must be placed at the west end of the lot. Lots 79-104, 157-182, 237-283, 322-340 and 379-397: monuments must be placed at the east end of the lot. Hickoryview: lots 44-85, 166-203, 275-305, 347-356, 380-397, 416-440, 490-514, 569-598, 654-677, 722-740 and 774-788: monuments must be flush with the contour of the ground and must be placed at the west end of the lot. Lots 1-43, 127-165, 241-274, 327-347, 398-415, 441- 464, 515-540, 599-628, 678-699, 741-757 and 789-803: monuments must be placed at the west end of the lot. Lots 86-126, 204-240, 306-326, 357-362, 365-379, 456-489, 541-568, 629-653, 700-721 and 758-773: monuments must be placed at the east end of the lot. Lots 363 and 364: monuments must be flush with the contour of the ground and must be placed at the east end of the lot. 8 Forestview Columbarium: the City reserves the right to approve the design and lettering of any niche face or bud vase. The face of a niche is 12" by 12". All engraving, inscription, lettering, symbols, insignias, etc. are to be cut into the polished face. No coloring or highlighting is allowed. The lettering for the name and dates shall be #9 Condensed Roman. Additional sayings must be #20 Vermarco. Attachments are limited to one small bud vase for cut flowers in the mowing season and artificial when allowed (see maintenance section of rules). No temporary attachments such as tape, wire, string or stickers are allowed. All bud vases shall be of the same style, size and color. Bud vases must be mounted on the right side of the niche and the decorations may not encroach on adjoining niches. Fees and Payments The payment of fees and charges is due when billed by the City. Fees, rates and charges shall be specified herein or as established by the City Council. 9 ~3~ (iz) Chapter Johnson County Iowa Chapter 1816 July 09, 2048 City Council of Iowa City; The local chapter of AARP fords Charlotte Walker's proposal to be thoughtful, carefully considered, well presented, and of considerable value. We endorse her proposal and encourage council members to effect a policy change that will allow low income seniors to pursue this portion of end of life plans with dignity and responsibility. ~~L~~~~~ Richard Tibbetts AARP Johnson County Chair _ O ~ ~' --~ ~ C1 ~ .~ ~~ ~ _~ ~ ~ T. N D N V HARP chapters are affiliated with, but separately incorporated from HARP. Pa e 1 of 2 3e 13 Marian Karr From: Misha Goodman Sent: Thursday, July 03, 2008 3:08 PM To: Lisa Drahozal Pooley; patricia.farrant@act.org; Council Cc: b4oai8@earthlink.net; jane.mccune@blankandmccune.com; pjk2050@aol.com Subject: RE: Animal sheltering issues Thanks folks. This is getting a bit frustrating and worrisome considering we have no time left to find a place. Misha From: Lisa Drahozal Pooley [mailto:Idraz00@hotmail.com] Sent: Thursday, July 03, 2008 3:04 PM To: patricia.farrant@act.org; Council Cc: b4oai8@earthlink.net; jane.mccune@blankandmccune.com; pjk2050@aol.com; Misha Goodman Subject: RE: Animal sheltering issues and THANK YOU Pat! I haven't had a minute to breathe today at work so thanks for doing all this. From: Idraz00@hotmail.com To: patricia.farrant@act.org; council@iowacity.org CC: b4oai8@earthlink.net; jane.mccune@blankandmccune.com; pjk2050@aol.com; misha-goodman@iowa- city.org Subject: RE: Animal sheltering issues Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2008 20:02:35 +0000 Sounds great! > Subject: Animal sheltering issues > To: council@iowacity.org > CC: b4oai8@earthlink.net; jane.mccune@blankandmccune.com; Idraz00@hotmail.com; pjk2050@aol.com; Misha-Goodman@iowa-city.org > From: patricia.farrant@act.org > Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2008 13:33:03 -0500 > Dear Council members: > As Chair of the Iowa City Animal Care Task Force (and as a long-term > member/officer of the Johnson County Humane Society), I am urging Council > to seriously consider the need to begin planning for the construction of a > new, larger animal shelter facility. > Clearly, the current shelter has served us well over the years. We've seen 7/3/2008 Page 2 of 2 > first-hand how the staff-and legions of volunteers-have made creative > efforts to use every inch of space as they provide top-notch care for our > animals in need. But the service demands have expanded well beyond the > capacity of the current facility to meet them effectively. > We've just witnessed the inevitable results of having our shelter located > in a flood zone. Planning for a new one should include identification of > possible sites that are safe as well as accessible. It should also take > into account that, in circumstances like the recent flooding, citizens > look to the shelter to provide emergency and disaster assistance plus > ongoing housing and care for large numbers ofanimals-services the shelter > cannot readily offer if facilities are located in a flood zone. > Task Force members are committed to providing whatever assistance we can to > support the planning for and construction of a new animal care facility > appropriate to meet the needs of the animals and the expectations of our > community. > Pat Farrant > Chair, Animal Care Task Force Watch "Cause Effect," a show about real people making a real difference. Learn more.. Enter the Zune-A-Day Giveaway for your chance to win -day after day after day Enter Now! 7/3/2008 Page 1 of 5 0~-15-08 3e 14 Marian Karr From: TIMTAFCO@aol.com Sent: Saturday, July 05, 2008 1:57 PM To: Council Subject: Re: Restoring 726 Iowa Avenue to Previous Duplex Classification July 5, 2008 Attachments: Pp1 ifasg.jpg; Pp1 ifbsw.jpg This correspondence will become a public record. IOWA CITY COUNCIL..THIS IS A MESS, AND I NEED YOUR HELP TO RESOLVE THE SITUATION. THANK YOU, TIM TAFFE 726 IOWA AVENUE Re• Restoring 726 Iowa Avenue to Previous Duplex Classification July 5.2008 Dear Councilman Wright: I sincerely appreciate the time which you spent with me this morning discussing my very serious problems with The City of Iowa City and its taxation authority. Bluntly put, if the taxes are not lowered to the normal $3000 level, I will default on the taxes, and my property will be put on the auction block. Ridiculous since I have put all of my life savings into purchasing and repairing 726 Iowa Avenue...lt is now arguably, the nicest property on Iowa Avenue. As you saw, I am on crutches, am scheduled for major surgery on July 28, and unfortunately at this point in my life I am essentially unemployed, I just turned 63, actually live month to month on government EFT Food Stamps, and my monthly social security check for $498. I purchased this property so I would have a place to live my retirement years, and so the two unit income would pay the mortgage, insurance, yes the property taxes„and give me some income. Due to the taxes, 726 is the ultimate Money Pit. And I cannot even sell the property, since any astute buyer would notice the totally upside down tax fees, not at all justified even with current rents. In summary, I have a total of three units, total of three people, total of two automobiles, and two garage spaces. I am one of the occupants, and nominally..the owner. The other two tenants are single women. In brevity, when I purchased my present property through Kevin Hannick of Lepic Kroeger Real Estate, almost two years ago to the day, I had no idea of the Iowa City residential tax structure, and simply thought that my annual property tax would be something in the $3000 range, as it was when I lived at 1711 Morningside. It is not. It is approximately $11,000, payable in two mammoth $5500 chunks. By no stretch of the imagination is this fair, equitable or just. Neighbors with many more tenants than I have are paying $3000 annually. I have visited and corresponded with Jann Ream of the city housing authority. She has always been polite and articulate, however, I am no closer to getting my property reclassified to its former Duplex Classification, rather than the current Triplex Classification. And I do feel that many of her requests are totally unreasonable..things like planting more trees, when I presently have more trees than any other property on Iowa Avenue...or me having to submit mechanical drawings of the property, when indeed there have been no changes in the past three ownerships. If I was a seasoned property development guy, I might have investigated all of this, but there was no reason to 7/7/2008 Page 2 of 5 do so. The plot was simple. There were three units, I would fix the place up, live in one unit, and rent out the other two. The two (currently at $800 and $1000) would cover the UICCU mortgage of $1250, essentially pay the taxes, insurances, utilities..and of course, we all knew, hum, that the property values would continue to increase. Optimism. TIM is in the middle of opTlMism. Oh, in days gone by, there was one main house unit and one maid's unit. Through the years the main unit was divided into two units. Our intention is to give the appearance of it being one unit again, and renting out rooms in the upper section . So we really are going back to a previous classification. We are not doing something new, we are doing something old. We are not making situations larger, we are making situations smaller..as they were years ago. Jann Ream says all of this is ok..but there are a million hoops. Well, my basic personal finances have tanked. I am in physical pain and scheduled to get my third hip replacement, (same hip, third try) in a few weeks, and greenbacks are scarce, read very. So the plan has been to follow up on what Kevin Hanick had told me would be a simple plan of having the property reclassified from the $11,000 Triplex breed to a $3000 Duplex variety...) imagined this was a simple evaluation, a small fee, etc. By the way I think Kevin Hannick was being truthful with me and simply had no idea of the current level of hoopsmanship. In my conversations with Iowa City's Jann Ream it seems to be the most complex maneuver, including that I must install French Doors, deactivate permanent cooking devices from the garret unit, possibly produce more parking places, when two garage spots seems sufficient for two autos, and plant additional trees..which seems absurd since I have the highest tree density of any house on Iowa Avenue...oh, and a variety of electrical and other code issues, which she cannot comment on, but suggests that I investigate. I could see these concerns if I was making it bigger, but I am making it smaller. FYl..there are a total of three occupants. Two single women and myself. Here are the most recent communications between Ms Ream and myself, heavy on apologetics, light on results. I am at my end..please can you help resolve this? If the Iowa City Council cannot bring this to a simple resolution, you will be seeing my home for Auction for Non Payment of Property Taxes, very soon. Tim Taffe 726 Iowa Avenue Iowa City Tim - I am sorry for the delay in getting back to you but, as you can imagine, we have been extremely busy here the last few weeks. I cannot address your questions concerning the taxing structure. I believe that is a state mandated structure that cities are obligated to follow. The City Assessor could better answer that question -their number is 356-6066. Our time right now is very busy with flood related inspections. Normally, we could do the type of inspection you requested but unfortunately, not this week. I hope you understand. When is your surgery? We can try to meet you at your property before then. Again, we cannot predict every code situation that you may run into in an old structure. I know it concerns you that something major may turn up that you did not plan for but we simply do not have the ability to see through walls. I think however we can come very close. You do not have to hire an architect but we do need floor plans showing the configuration of the two proposed units. This is something you can do yourself while you are waiting for our availability. They need to be accurate, showing actual dimensions of rooms, window and door locations etc. Please draw them on graph paper to scale. Send me an email the first week of July to remind me of your request and hopefully, we can get something set up for that week. Again, please have your proposed floor plans available for the inspection. Thanks Jann 7/7/2008 Page 3 of 5 From: TIMTAFCO@aol.com [mailto:TIMTAFCO@aol.com] Sent: Sunday, June 22, 2008 10:14 PM To: Jann Ream Subject: ASSESSMENT CHANGE FROM TRIPLEX TO DUPLEX, 726 IOWA ASSESSMENT CHANGE FROM TRIPLEX TO DUPLEX, 726 IOWA Dear Jann: I apologies for my delays in response to your last letter. This is not indicative of my loss of interest but rather some serious personal physical illness problems. I have read your letter at least ten times, and am sufficiently confused by some of the things which you request me to do. Remember, the reason that I need the property reassessed from Triplex to Duplex is totally financial. I simply cannot pay $10,000 a year in taxes, when I should be paying more like $3000. I had to borrow to pay my last taxes, and I cannot do that again. The Triplex tax is killing me. I do not have the money, and this is creating a real hardship on me. Especially now that I require major surgeries and am without income. The purpose of buying income property was for income, as it is, the property taxes far outstrip any potential income. Something is clearly wrong with this situation, and I am in absolutely no position to hire an architect to produce specification drawings of each unit...Nothing has changed on this property since I bought it. Except to make it prettier and nicer. What I am really concerned with as that while you give your information in a really helpful and informative manner, you state several times that there may be more codes and procedures with which you are not familiar. That would seem to leave the possibility of more expenses which frankly, I have no money to deal with, either now, or down the road. Certainly there must be a simple manner of a city official to actually tour the property with me and tell me the absolute simplest way to reduce my taxes by downgrading to Duplex. I am totally unqualified to do this by 7/7/2008 Page 4 of 5 myself, and I have no way to anticipate possible city considerations. If we are unable to do this, I will simply have to leave the property, since it is totally cost prohibitive the way the Triplex is taxed at a totally unfair, inequitable and unjust manner. Fundamentally, I do not understand why increasing from two units to three units, does not simply raise the tax by one third, and not triple the tax? This makes no common sense. Could you please share with me the codes which define this taxing procedure? There are some items in your letter that are difficult for me to comprehend..for example, I have no idea what "a one hour separation " is between the units? The building was built in the 1800's and is real brick, lath and plaster. I have installed twice the required number of fire extinguishers and twice the required amount of smoke detectors. Also in terms of trees, I have six mature trees on the property and have planted additional trees in the rear of the property. My property has more trees on it than any other property on the street. My house is also the best looking and the best maintained property on Iowa Avenue. And yes, the garage has two spaces. And the entire house has only two automobile vehicles, and two bicycles. Can we arrange to have a qualified individual physically visit with me and assist me to meet the minimum requirements as expeditiously as possible? There must be a simple way to resolve this. I will be hospitalized in July-August, it would be great to have the reclassification commence without any delays. Thank you. Tim Taffe 726 Iowa Avenue Iowa City, Iowa. Jann.. 7/7/2008 Page 5 of 5 Thank you for your reply. My surgery is the end of July, I am on crutches, this is why I have moved downstairs. Are there not drawings on file from when this house had a major renovation like two or three owners ago? The only real change would be the French Door. No one would accept my own drawings. I failed eight grade mechanical drawing, and that was forty years ago. Plus, on my crutches, I am hardly in any shape to be taking measurements and using a drafting board. This whole thing is a nightmare, and frankly this procedure is making me sad that I ever bought the house. This is where we are. If the city is not able to help me to get this building status reclassified and the taxes brought back to what is equitable and just, I will simply not be able to pay the taxes, my house will be sold for back taxes and you will see me in Shelter House. This is not a pretty picture, I am in physical and financial pain and I need help. Every day generates more taxes that I cannot pay. I really need help. Tim Taffe Property Photos Attached. Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for fuel-efficient used cars.. 7/7/2008 ~ = w~ -~ k ~„ .n t, ~._ e .'~'~+ ~.,, ~ . p ~, -:~ ~ ;, e.; z ~'y ~^ ~ ~ • 's ,. . _ °~ ~ 3$'r ~_,~~ "~ ms .~ r: .. ~ ~ _ - ., - - r ~ ~ , s .7 _v, s ~ .m.. .` 9 s L ~~ ~ I~C-. ~ ~rf: P ~~ ~~ ` ~ ~ 11 ~ ~ ~~ ~~ ~Y ~"r ~~ ~F i" r .~ e ~ . ~ °~ ~ Y _ 1+ ,rY 'Y ~T .u 4 ~, r 'ii , `~i~ ~.. ~ ~ ~ ~:~ ,,~ ~~ ~ r ~ s SI _~.~ ~'~f ,off "~p} ~. _ ~ 5 3 i T .. - -- - -~ ~ - ' ~-e~ __ F .i M _- M ~ ~4A ~ ~ ,~~~ _ '~ t'. _a Y .~~ f ~~ _ y ~ ~ '~F4 ~ ;~ ~ f dJf 4.a ~ y ~ _ ~".. .. ~ .. ~ ~ r 'd t ~ ~ r a ~~' a .• _s ~~~.'~ _ ~~„~ r ~~ s ~ +~ `- s~"~_ s Page 1 of 1 3e 15 Marian Karr From: Rhatigan, Chris [crhatigan@iowacity.gannett.com] Sent: Monday, July 07, 2008 10:47 AM To: Council Subject: New city government reporter Dear City Council members, As many of you likely know, our city government reporter, Kate Fiegen, recently left the newspaper for another job. I am the new city government reporter, moving over from the health and business beat. look forward to meeting you all at the upcoming council meeting. Please feel free to contact me anytime if you want to get something in the paper or just to talk about what's going on here in Iowa City. Additionally, I would like to be put on any pertinent mailing lists. Thank you, Chris Rhatigan Iowa City Press-Citizen Health/Business Reporter o: (319) 339-7360 ext. 646 c: (203) 246-7758 7/7/2008 Page 1 of I 3e 16 Marian Karr From: Dunshee, Jacob W Jacob-dunshee@uiowa.edu] Sent: Wednesday, July 09, 2008 11:41 AM To: Council Subject: Greenwood Railroad Crossing Trains operated on the railway that crosses Greenwood Drive between Benton and Melrose Court routinely stop, blocking all traffic, for longer than ten minutes and in violation of Iowa Code § 327G.32. Not only is this illegal, but it poses a dangerous risk to students walking to and from class, many of whom choose to climb over the stopped train instead of being late. Regardless of the appropriateness of their actions, there will always be students who take this risk due to the importance of being at their graduate or professional courses. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that there is no other timely route around the stopped trains. There are no practical or legal reasons for allowing the interests of the railway corporation to justify the demonstrated safety risks and general inconvenience to the public. This is a fairly common occurrence and I'm sure complaints have been raised before, but I would appreciate it if the council would look in to taking steps to fix this problem. Thanks, Jake Dunshee 7/9/2008 -~ , ~~~~ ~~~3 JUi. 1 i AM -i~ Q6 Clef C~.~~1; tObr~s~ C!l-`f, IOWq State of Iowa Eighty-second General Assembly STATEHOUSE Des Moines, Iowa 50319 July 11, 2008 Iowa City City Clerk For distribution to City officials Dear Iowa City Mayor and City Council Members: I want you to be aware of two expanded or new grant opportunities that might fit your city's needs. During the last session of the Legislature, I supported a successful effort to continue Iowa's popular Community Attraction and Tourism (CAT) grant program for another three years at $12 million a year. The CAT program assists communities in developing multiple purpose attraction and tourism facilities. In addition to that expansion, we created a new program to help efforts to stimulate local economic development by enhancing recreational opportunities and community attractions along lakes, rivers, and river corridors in cities across the state. I think Iowa City could benefit from this initiative. The River Enhancement Community Attraction and Tourism (BEGAT) program will help cities develop river walks, trails, and white-water courses along waterways across the state, with $12 million dedicated to the program in the first year and $10 million annually for the following four years. In July, rules for the new program will be published. A public hearing will be held in August. I encourage Iowa City to review the proposed rules and make comments. The Iowa Department of Economic hopes to accept applications starting September 19cn If you need more information or would like to apply for CAT or RECAT grants please visit htt~://www.visioniowa.org/. Sincerely, State Senator Joe Bolkcom Joe@joebolkcom.org The Senate Page 1 of 4 ~ ~.(~ ~ ~: ,r Marian Karr From: Ivan Hall, family [ivan@halljrfamily.com] Sent: Tuesday, July 15, 2008 10:27 AM To: Michael Lombardo; Regenia Bailey; Eleanor M. Dilkes; Marian Karr; rsullivan@co.johnson.ia.us; tneuzil@co.johnson.ia.us; Imeyers@co.johnson.ia.us; sstutsma@co.johnson.ia.us; pharney@co.johnson.ia.us; Council Subject: Idyllwild Condos Recommendations and Questions for the record: Iowa City; Iowa City Council, Johnson County Supervisors Importance: High Attachments: Idyllwild 2008 Flood #3.pdf; Idyllwild 2008 Flood.pdf; P6260101.pdf; P7060113.pdf From Ivan N Hall Jr dad of Ivan N Hall III Idyllwild Homeowner Important considerations for Idyllwild Condo Buyout Decision: The council and County Supervisors hopefully will take the time to both understand and take the action to take responsibility to evaluate (getting state and federal help) the total impacts to the Cedar Rapids, Coralville and Iowa City River Corridor of all the changes to the whole river since the flood of 1993 as it effects Idyllwild impacting in a negative way: (1) the risk for continued flooding is extremely likely for Idyllwild which will be further affected causing even greater risk when new protections are added up and down the river (i.e. University of Iowa, Iowa City Businesses); and (2) have put the entire Idyllwild Community in the 100 year flood by default. Not to present the Idyllwild Condos as a "top priority for residential buyout" will continue to put Idyllwild at extremely risk for flooding given all the information available from the past, today and future predictions with corrected flood models, keeps the Idyllwild Condos as a high risk 100 year flood plain community that will only become higher risk when priorities such and Iowa City itself and the University of Iowa take priority for flood protection. The history lesson is simple; the decisions and documentation in Iowa City Council meetings and in Engineering Records, in newspapers and in pictures, and all the changes to the river that have adversely effected the Idyllwild Condos that have contributed to Idyllwild's flooding in 2008 clearly make the ~ilsi2oos Page 2 of 4 original approval decision for the Idyllwild development appear to be less than thought through. I Below are just few of the open hard questions that need to be answered and concerned to make a informed decision about Idyllwild risk of flooding and consideration for Buyout Priority. What was the elevation of the Iowa River at certain points along the river in 1993 compared to 2008? Unconfirmed reports that the Dairy Queen on Riverside Drive had 6' of water in 1993 and 8' of water this year. What are the official numbers? The water level at Idyllwild in 1993 was well below the level of the buildings, yet this year many residents had upward of 4' of water in their homes. Again what are the official numbers? Projections had the water level north of the Park Road bridge rising another 6-7' before the levee at Columbus Junction gave out. How could we expect any less next time? What has been done to the "water way" (Iowa River) and to the "flood plain" surrounding it since 1993? What is the effect of each and every modification up and down the river form the Idyllwild Condos that has been made to land that is in the Iowa River flood plain from the Coralville Reservoir to the Mississippi River? Every modification to land surrounding the river will have an effect on what happens in the event of a flood. Everything from bringing in fill and elevating apiece of land to building levees will have an impact on what happens when it floods. This doesn't even begin to account for the effect of the cofferdam that was constructed by the University of Iowa. All of these projects have had the approval of a governmental body. The state of Iowa and the Corps of Engineers must have been involved in the process or were they bypassed? One of the criteria for consideration for a FEMA buyout is the potential for flooding in the future. It seems logical that the people of Columbus Junction will demand that the levees in their community be rebuilt...probablybfgger and stronger. Other communities affected may choose to do the same. I would also assume that the state of Iowa will not sit idly by and do nothing to 7/15/2008 Page 3 of 4 protect the twenty buildings on the University of Iowa campus. The U of Iowa has suffered hundreds of millions of dollars in damage, even with 40 million dollars in flood insurance. When the state of Iowa chooses to build levees or make other modifications to the flood plain to protect its huge investment in property on the Iowa campus, what effect will those changes have on the Idyllwild neighborhood in the event of another flood? If you redirect the river water, where does it go? Should that happen, does the water at Idyllwild reach the projected 38' mark, or worse yet, does it go even higher. And at what cost??? We were fortunate that there was no loss of life in our community as a result of this calamity. We know that there were significant miscalculations made during this event. We are fortunate that we had the time to get the people out...this time. There is a massive amount of water behind the Coralville Dam. What happens next time? How much has the reservoir silted in after two flooding events in fifteen years? How much rain would it take next time with the reduced capacity of the reservoir? At what point does the city of Iowa City determine that it is better to flood Dubuque Street and inconvenience a few to protect the many, rather than risking another calamity of this magnitude? At what point do we demand that the Corps of Engineers manages the Coralville Reservoir as a flood control device rather than a recreation facility? Why was there so much more water at Idyllwild (compared to 1993) than at so many other places along the river? And what are you going to do to protect the lives and property of the citizens of our neighborhoods? Respectively Ivan N Hall Jr dad of Ivan N Hall III Idyllwild Homeowner P.S. 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"~ `£ , nK ~ 1 ':~,~~ t ip~Ct~~~l4~~~~~'~ l~~i, I~ II P I '~ I~ F1 I~~ ,p , j~ ~; f d 1, ~ ~ ,~~ 1 r ;'1 ~ '°, ~ ~ ~ t ~ ~ ~~ ~~ 4 . ~~~ {. ~~ '~' ~ . ~~~ ~t r ~ ~~~y ~ a ~ `~~. r .~~ ~ ~ ` r ~~ ~ I ~~~~~ ~~ ~ ~~`.~ ~ ~ _f a ~ :~• +1~ ~ ~ , '\ ~~ , ,,, ,.~ a =~~ p July 15, 2008; 4:52 PM Re: "Amber" Christoffer Christoffer, Sherry; 1550 S. Gilbert St No. 2; Iowa City, IA 52240; 319-358-2560 (primary) Amber Christoffer, a 6 years FS Golden canine, presented to the Bright Eyes and Bushy Tails Veterinary Hospital on Tuesday, .July 15, 2008 at 3:36 PM for sores on her left face, right rear leg, and left flank. She is also itchy (pruritic). These sores appeared after Amber and Ms. Christoffer moved back to their home that was recently affected by flood waters. Impression smears of these lesions were consistent with a bacterial infection. Due to the nature of the sores and the history of them appearing after moving in, these could be consistent with moving into a contaminated area. It is advised that Ms. Christoffer and Amber, who is a service dog for Ms. Christoffer, move out of the affected area to see if these signs cease after being out of the affected area. Yours truly, /~~ z ' ~~~ /~ LeAnn Anderson, DVM Bright Eyes & Bushy Tails 3030 Northgate Dr Iowa City, IA 52245 319-351-4256 319-341--8445 (fax) , ~ ~ :- ~ , ,:, ..~ : ~ ...