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Home My WebLink About2009-03-12 Info Packet~ i ~III~ •~°°~~~ -r..aa._ CITY OF IOWA CITY www.icgov.org CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION PACKET March 12, 2009 MISCELLANEOUS IP1 Council Meetings and Work Session Agenda IP2 Memorandum from the City Manager: Citizen's Guide to the Iowa City Sales Tax Referendum -Special Election May 5, 2009 IP3 Memorandum from the Management Assistant/Finance: FY2009 Budget Amendment - Cycle 2 IP4 Memorandum from the City Attorney: Absence IP5 Letter from Dave Loebsack to the City Manager: Congratulations on the Commitment Award from the Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging Award Program IP6 P.A.U.L.A. Report -February 2009 [submitted by the Police Department] IP7 Memorandum from the Director of Public Works: Update: Flood-related activities IP8 Letter from Lee Grassley from Mediacom to the City Clerk: TV Guide Channel Dropped DRAFT MINUTES IP9 Housing and Community Development Commission: February 17, 2009 IP10 Housing and Community Development Commission: February 19, 2009 IP11 Historic Preservation Commission: February 13, 2009 ~ = j 03-12-09 ~; = ~~~'~~ IP1 ~'""'®'~~ City Council Meeting Schedule and CITY OF IOWA CITY Work Session Agendas March 12, zoos www.icgov.org TENTATIVE MEETING SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE • MONDAY, MARCH 23 Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:30p Special Council Work Session Executive Session • TUESDAY, MARCH 24 Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:OOP Special Formal Council Meeting Executive Session • TUESDAY, MARCH 31 Emma J. Harvat Hall 5:30p Special Council Work Session- Priority-setting • MONDAY, APRIL 6 Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:30p Council Work Session • TUESDAY, APRIL 7 Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:OOp Regular Formal Council Meeting • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8 IC School District 4:OOp ICCSD Board of Directors -Joint Meeting Central Office • MONDAY, APRIL 13 Emma J. Harvat Hall 5:30p Special Council Work Session- Priority-setting • MONDAY, APRIL 20 Emma J. Harvat Hall 5:30p Special Council Work Session 7:OOp Special Formal Council Meeting Continue Special Work Session if necessary • MONDAY, MAY 4 Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:30p Council Work Session • TUESDAY, MAY 5 Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:OOp Regular Formal Council Meeting • MONDAY, MAY 18 Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:30p Council Work Session • TUESDAY, MAY 19 Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:OOp Regular Formal Council Meeting • TUESDAY, MAY 26 Emma J. Harvat Hall 5:30p Special Council Work Session- Priority-setting ~ - i - ~~ ~~ ~ """'®'~~ City Council Meeting Schedule and -~...a~ CITY OF IOWA CITY Work Session Agendas March 12, zoos www.icgov.org • THURSDAY, MAY 28 Emma J. Harvat Hall 5:30p Special Council Work Session- Priority-setting • MONDAY, JUNE 1 Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:30p Council Work Session • TUESDAY, JUNE 2 Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:OOp Regular Formal Council Meeting • MONDAY, JUNE 15 Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:30p Council Work Session • TUESDAY, JUNE 16 Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:OOp Regular Formal Council Meeting • MONDAY, JUNE 29 Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:30p Special Council Work Session • TUESDAY, JUNE 30 Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:OOp Special Formal Council Meeting r ~11~=p~,~ CITY OF IOV~lA CITY ~P2 ~..:.® '~ r~'~ Date: March 11, 2009 To: City Council From: Michael Lombardo, City Manager Re: Sales Tax Referendum Attached you will find informational material being provided as part of our awareness campaign about the one cent local option sales tax referendum scheduled for a vote on May 5, 2009. This information will be included in the utility bills beginning March 18, 2009. - r j Citizen's Guide to the Iowa City ,,,:, ~.t ~ .~.lll,~~~ Sales Tax Referendum "„~"~ ~ -~-+~-- Special Election CITY of IowA C17Y May 5, 2009 The voters of Iowa City and throughout Johnson County will vote May 5 on a one cent local option sales tax. This tax would be collected for four years, beginning July 1, 2009. This brochure will provide information on the election process and what projects will be funded if the sales tax is approved in Iowa City. How will the election work? Each community in Johnson County will vote separately on whether the sales tax will be collected in their community. The tax is passed by a simple majority (over 50%) of the voters. The ballot language for each community states how its share of the sales tax proceeds will be used. Only communities that pass the tax will share in the proceeds. Who will pay the tax? Anyone who shops in a community that approves the sales tax will contribute. Over 21 cents of every dollar of sales tax collected will be paid by non-residents and visitors. What goods are not taxable? Sales taxes are not collected on groceries, prescription drugs, gasoline and vehicle purchases. How will the sales tax revenue be distributed? The sales tax revenues from all communities that vote "yes" are pooled, and that amount is shared only by those communities that vote "yes". By state law the funds are distributed according to a formula that is based on population (75%) and property tax dollars levied (25%). The funds are not distributed according to where they are taken in, but on the basis of this state formula. Those communities that reject the sales tax are not only rejecting potential revenue collected from their own community but also a share of revenue collected from other Johnson County communities that vote "yes". Example: !f Coralville voters approve the tax and Iowa City voters reject it, Iowa City will not share in any of sales tax collected in Coralville. How much revenue will be collected? It is estimated that if all jurisdictions in the county pass the tax, approximately $17 million in sales tax will be collected in the county each year. Iowa City's share will be approximately $9 million per year or $3C million over four years. What other major cities in Iowa do not have a local option sales tax? Currently Iowa City and Des Moines do not collect a local sales tax. Davenport, Sioux City, Waterloo, Council Bluffs, Dubuque and Ames all collect sales tax revenue. The voters of Cedar Rapids recently approved a sales tax for their flood recovery. How will the tax revenue be spent? The flood of 2008 revealed major vulnerabilities in some of the city's vital public roads, bridges and other public facilities. Sales tax proceeds will be used for improvements that will help the city maintain vital transportation, emergency, and public health services in both routine and emergency situations. The ballot language for Iowa City states: 0% of the revenues generated by this tax will be used for property tax relief and the remaining for the following specific purposes: 100% for remediation, repair and protection of flood impacted public infrastructure and local matching funds for dollars received from any federal or state programs to assist with flood remediation, repair and protection of flood impacted public infrastructure. See reverse side for information on the projects proposed for funding. How the tax would be used: Based on current funding projections, the City Council has indicated that the following two projects will be priorities for use of the sales tax. These are very costly projects. Sales tax revenue alone will not pay for these projects and they are not eligible for the current federal "stimulus" funding. Sales tax proceeds will be used to provide local match for available state and federal funding and t:o reduce our reliance on property tax and increased user fees otherwise needed to fund such projects. ~# - _ ~ __ ,~~ "~ -~: ~a- r~ °'~. r ~ -'~ _~ ~ ~f~'~• . ~ t ` ~ ~ ~ ~. ~ ~~. .yam` `r; "? Elevation of Dubuque Street 8~ Reconstruction of the Park Road Bridge Inundated North Wastewater Treatment Plant -June 2008 Relocation of the North Wastewater Treatment Plant Estimated cost: $63 million Estimated cost: $32 million Background: Dubuque Street serves as our primary link to I-80 and access to major employment centers including the UI campus, hospitals, and downtown. It is also our lowest arterial street. During the 2008 flood Dubuque Street was submerged for an entire month; ire 1993 it was submerged for nearly two months and it floods several times each year from locally heavy rains. The Park Road Bridge was constructed in the early 1960's and is in need of structural repairs and traffic capacity improvements. During the 2008 flood the bridge was observed to produce increased water levels upstream by as much as 14 inches. The proposed project will elevate Dubuque Street from Foster Road to just south of Park Road. It will also replace the Park Road Bridge with a structure that is higher and longer so that it will remain open and reduce the level of upstream flooding. Benefits of project: • Keeps major entrance/exit to the city open during future flood events, maintaining access to employment centers, health and emergency services, and residential areas. • The improved hydraulics of the new bridge will reduce flood levels in neighborhoods upstream from Park Road. • The' project will replace a bridge that is in need of costly structural repairs. • The new bridge will reduce the likelihood of the city being split by the closure of all bridges during future floods. If the 2008 flood had reached 4 inches higher, all river bridges would have been closed. Background: The North Wastewater Plant is located directly adjacent to the Iowa River and was inundated during the 2008 flood. Operations during the flood were severely limited and required significant emergency . operations. This project will move all wastewater treatment operations to the South Plant site which is outside of the Iowa River floodplain. A sewer already connects the two sites that will allow flow to be routed to the new location. Benefits of project: • Improved public safety and environmental stewardship will be achieved through better and more reliable wastewater treatment. • The new facilities will make Iowa City better equipped to comply with future wastewater regulations. • In addition to improved flood protection, the new facilities will help contain future sewer rate increases by replacing 1930's era facilities that are in need of major repair and are ill-suited to comply with future wastewater regulations. This brochure has been prepared by the City of Iowa City to provide information about the 1 cent local options sales tax referendum scheduled for a vote on May 5, 2009. If you have additional questions, contact the City Manager's office at 319-356-5010 or go to wwwicgov.org/salestax. 3/09 Flooded Dubuque Street -June 2008 IP3 DATE: March 11, 2009 TO: Michael Lombardo, City Manager City Council FROM: Leigh Lewis, Managament Assistant /Finance RE: FY2009 Budget Amendment -Cycle 2 A public hearing will be held March 24, 2009, in consideration of the attached amendment to the FY2009 budget. The budget must be amended and formally submitted to the State's Department of Management when expenditures are anticipated to exceed budgeted appropriations at the state program level or function. Following is a summary of the more significant amendments summarized on the attached form`. Revenue amendments: ^ Sale of property on East Harrison and South Capitol Streets ^ Receipt of developer fees ^ Declining interest income Expenditure amendments: ^ Elimination of operating costs associated with Fire Station #4 ^ Reduction in temporary labor costs for Recreation due to revised estimate The following items impact both revenue and expenditures: ^ General obligation and revenue bond refundings ^ Flood relief grant monies received and distributed ^ 420th Street Industrial Park land acquisition and infrastructure development ^ Land acquisition for the Southside Multi-Use Parking Facility ^ Revised estimate on the Eastside Recycling Center ^ Establishment of a fire-safety loan program If you have any questions regarding this information, .please contact Finance Director Kevin O'Malley at 356-5052 or me at 356-5053. 52-483 CITY BUDGET AMENDMENT AND CERTIFICATION RESOLUTION To the Auditor of JOHNSON County, Iowa: The City Council of Iowa City in said County/Counties met on 03/24/09 ,at the place and hour set in the notice, a copy of which accompanies this certificate and is certified as to publication. Upon taking up the proposed amendment, it was considered and taxpayers were heard for and against the amendment. The Council, after hearing all taxpayers wishiny to be heard and considering the statements made by them, gave final consideration to the proposed amendment(s) to the budget and modifications proposed at the hearing, if any. thereupon, the following resolution was introduced. RESOLUTION No. A RESOLUTION AMENDING THE CURRENT BUDGET FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE : 2009 (AS AMENDED LAST ON 09/23/08 .) Be it Resolved by the Council of the City of Iowa City Section 1. Following notice published 03/13/09 and the public hearing held, 03/24/09 the current budget (as previously amended) is amended as set out herein and in the detail by fund type and activity that supports this resolution which was considered at that hearing: Total Budget as certified or last amended Current Amendment Total Budget after Current Amendment Revenues 8 Other Financing Sources Taxes Levied on Property 1 43;167,738 0 43,167,738 Less: Uncollectted Property Taxes-Levy Year 2 0 0 0 Net Current Property Taxes 3 43,167,738 0 43,167;73$ Delinquent Properly Taxes 4 0 0 0 TIF Revenues 5 2,477,860 0 2,477;860 Other City Taxes 6 1,586,422 0 1,586,422 Licenses & Permits 7 1,308,040 0 1,308,040 Use of Money and Property 8 5,503,674 -366,521 5,137.153 Intergovernmental 9 33,923.116 2,394,189 36,317;305 Charges for Services 10 40,342,171 -965.000 39,377,171 Special Assessments 11 0 0 0 Miscellaneous 12 5;538,114 -366,221 5,171,893 Other Financing Sources 13 65,482,062 151,101,619 216,583.681 Total Revenues and Other Sources 14 199,329,197 151,798,066 351,127.263 Expenditures 8~ Other Financing Uses Public Safety 15 25,593,257 493,504 26,086.761 Public works 16 12,676.019 0 12,676,019 Health and Social Services 17 0 0 0 Culture and Recreation 18 11,522,070 -70,500 11,451,570 Community and Economic Development 19 7;273,661 4,580,000 11,853,661 General Government 20 8,259,653 0 8,259,653 Debt Service 21 12,661,945 23,998.630 36,660;575 Capital Projects 22 23.902,738 -1,103,500 22,799,238 Total Government Activities Expenditures 23 101,889,343 27,898.134 129,787,477 Business Type/Enterprises 24 64.348,649 76,988,516 141,337,165 Total Gov Activities & Business Expenditures 25 166,237,992 104.886,650 271,124,642 Transfers Out 26 55.862,254 43.916.103 99,778,357 Total Expenditures/Transfers Out 27 222,100,246 148,802,753 370,902,999 Excess Revenues & OtherSources Over (Under) Expenditures/Transfers Out Fiscal Year 28 -22.771,049 2,995,313 -19,775,736 Continuing Appropriation 29 0 NIA 0 Beginning Fund Balance July 1 30 125,459,536 0 125,459,536 Ending Fund Balance June s0 31 102,688,487 2,995,313 105,683,800 Passed this day of (Day) (MonfNYear) Signature City Clerk/Finance Ofricer Signature Mayor r ~~,~,~~,~ CITY OF IOWA CITY IP4 RA~D~~ ~ E~~ Date: March 11, 2009 To: City Council From: Eleanor M. Dilkes, City Attorney Re: Absence I will be out of the office the week of March 16 - 20 and back in the office on Monday, March 23. My staff will know how to reach me. cc: Michael Lombardo Dale Helling Marian Karr e leanor/mem/absence. doc DAVID LOEBSACK 2ND DISTRICT, IOWA COMMITTEES: ARMED SERVICES SUBCOMMITTEES: STRATEGIC FORCES READINESS EDUCATION AND LABOR SUBCOMMITTEES: HEALTH, EMPLOYMENT, LABOR, AND PENSIONS EARLY CHILDHOOD, ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION Michael Lombardo City of Iowa City 410 E. Washington St. Iowa City, IA 52240 Dear Mr. Lombardo, P 5 WASHINGTON OFFICE: GWORTH ROUSE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON, DC 20515 (2021225-6576 ~1~ Df t~P ~I~t~E~ ~i~LP~ (~DIi~~E' DISTRICT OFFICES: , 125 SOUTH DUBUQUE STREET ~DIiBE Of ~QE~JxE~EIl#~#iUES IOi3is s,l-AOies4o 7~1(1T y~tGl G_~~A~ {~**y~y} ']p11 15DlSTAVENUENE ~~~ ~~ ~alq~Ip1 aa~~`i~{~i TL7~j. G.i~J 1 J i~ SUITE 375 CEDAR RAPIDS, IA 52401 (3191364-2288 1 (8661914-IOWA February 24, 2009 I am pleased to congratulate Iowa City on being one of four communities nationwide to receive the Commitment Award from the Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging Award Program. Since 2007, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Aging Initiative has been granting the Commitment Award to communities that effectively combine strategies for smart urban growth and quality active-aging. The EPA recognized four organizations in Iowa City and Johnson County for their contributions to improving the opportunities for active aging in Iowa City. The Johnson County Livable Community for Successful Aging Policy Board and Iowa City's Urban Planning Division were credited for identifying and addressing the needs of Iowa City's aging population by implementing policies to improve the city's walking environment and making walking a more viable choice for seniors. The Iowa City/Johnson County Senior Center and the Johnson County Council of Governments were commended for their work to provide fitness opportunities for senior citizens and promote a variety of outdoor exercise by expanding the local trail system. The dedication shown by these organizations and Iowa City, as a whole, to improve the lives of senior citizens through thoughtful urban growth is truly remarkable. Once again, congratulations on receiving this prestigious award and thank you for all you have done to enhance the quality of life in the 2"d District of Iowa. Sincerely, Dave Loebsack Member of Congress PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER Iowa City Police Department P.A.U.L.A. Report - February 2009 (Possession of Alcohol Under Legal Age) Business Name (occupancy] ', Monthly Totals Year-to-Date Totals PAULA Visit (occupancy loads updated Oct ~os) visits arrests visits arrests ear-to-date 808 Restaurant & Nightclub [176] 4 i 7 9 12 1.333 Airliner [223] 3 5 10 10 1.000 American Legion [140] --- _ _ - _ 2 0 0.000 Aoeshe Restaurant [156] Atlas World Grill [165] 1 0 0.000 Blackstone (297] _ _ - -_ Bluebird Diner [82] Bob's Your Uncle [260*] Bo-James 200] -- ___ -- 5 Bread Garden Market & Bakery [?] ' [It's] Brothers Bar & Grill [556] 11 - [The] Brown Bottle [289] ~_ - - - --- Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar [189] Cafe Z [56] Carl & Ernie's Pub & Grill [92] 1 - - _ _ t_ Carlos O'Kelly's [299] Chipotle Mexican Grill [119] [The] Club Car [56] _ __ _ _ 1 _ Club Furia [280] 2 Colonial Lanes [502] Dave's Foxhead Tavern [87] 1 David's Place (aka Dawit's) [73] DC's [120] 4 [The] Deadwood [218] 1 Devotay [45] Donnelly's Pub [49] ' 1 [The] Dublin Underground [57] [Fraternal Order of] Eagle's [315] EI Dorado Mexican Restaurant [104] [BPO] Elks #590 [205] ~_ _ EI Ranchero Mexican Restaurant [161] Englert Theatre [838] Etc (178] _9 Fiesta Mexico (aka Farras) [200] [The] Field House (aka Third Base) [420] 7 Firewater [114] - - - -- - -- _~ Formosa Asian Cuisine [149] George's Buffet [75] ~~ 1 Givanni's [158]_ _- -- -- -- Godfather's Pizza (170] Graze [49] 1 Grizzly's South. Side Pub [265] ~ 2 Guido's Deli [20] Hawkeye Hideaway [94] 03-12-09 IP6 0 9 0 0.000 7 20 7 0.350 1 0 0.000 0 -- _ __ 1 0 0.000 0 2 0 0.000 0 8 0 0.000 0 1 0 0.000 ~ I 1 0 0.000 0 9 3 0.333 0 4 0 0.000 ', 0 3 0 0.000 1 0 0.000 ~ 11 17 33 1.941 7 17 22 1.294 0 1 0 0.000 0 1 0 0.000 0 2 0 0.000 0 2 0 0.000 [The] Hilltop Lounge [90] 3 _ _~ _ _ IC Ugly's [72] _ _ _ __ ~ 2 0 India Cafe [100] [The] Industry [436] ___-- ~ 2 _ - - _ 0 ___ Jimmy Jack's Rib Shack [71] I Joe's Place [281] i 2 I 0 Joseph's. Steak House [226] -- - __ Kamodo Klub ~ 2 0 Kandy Land [120] 2 0 Karaoke La Reyna [78] 4 0 0.000 3 0 0.000 2 0 3 0 0.000 2 0 0.000 2 0 0.000 3 0 0.000 /: /~ ~~. MA:~ ~ (~ ~nnq La Casa [300] ~i La Reyna [49] 1 0 Linn Street Cafe 80] ~ __ [ ---_ -_ __- - Los Cocos [99] i 14 0 Los Portales [161] I Martini's [200_] 2 0 Masala [46] Mekong Restaurant (89] Micky's [98] 1 ~ 0 [The] Mill Restaurant [325] [Loyal Order of] Moose (476] Monica's Italian Bistro & Pizzeria [160] _-_ - - - ~ _ - [Sheraton] Morgan's [231] 1 ~, 0 Motley Cow Cafe [82] Okoboji Grill [222] Old Capitol Brew Works [294] ~ 1 0 One-Eyed Jake's [299] ~ 3 5 One-Twenty-Six [105] Oyama Sushi Japanese Restaurant [87] Pagliai's Pizza [113] ', Panchero's (Clinton St) [62] Panchero's Grill (Riverside Dr) [95] Piano Lounge [65] 2 0 [The] Picador [261 ] _ _ Pints [180] 6 0 Pit Smokehouse [40] Pizza Hut [116]_ Pizza Ranch [226] Quality Inn/Highlander [971] i, Quinton's Bar & Deli [149] - _ --_ [The] Red Avocado [47] ~ Rick's Grille & Spirits [120] I Riverside Theatre [118]- __- ___ -_ Saloon [120] 1 1 Sam's Pizza [174] [The] Sanctuary_ Restaurant [132] _ ___ -- ' _ -- - Shakespeare's [90] 1 0 Short's Burger & Shine [56] 2 0 Sports Column [400] 7 18 Studio 13 [206] ~ (The] Summit [736j 12 23 Sushi Popo [84] - _ _ _ -- --- - - - _ Takanami Restaurant [148] ~ TCB [250] 2 li 0 Thai Flavors [60] Thai Spice [91] T. Spoons [102] j Union Bar [854] - - - 7 - _ 13 _ - VFW Post #3949 [197J [The] Vine Tavern [170] 1 0 Vito's [320] __ - I ~_ 2 -{ '~ _ 0 - [ J Wi & Pen Pizza Pub 154 g ~ 1 ~ 0 [Iowa City] Yacht Club [206] 2 ' 0 Zio Johno's Spaghetti House [94] _ Z'Mariks Noodle House [47] Totals: 137 ', 97 Other PAULA at non-business l ocations: 16 PAULA Totals: 113 `includes outdoor seating area current month 1 0 0.000 27 0 0.000 5 0 0.000 3 0 0.000 1 0 0.000 1 0 0.000 10 12 1.200 4 0 0.000 6 0 0.000 1 0 0.000 2 1 0.500 1 0 0.000 4 0 0.000 16 33 2.063 2 0 0.000 22 37 1.682 7 0 0.000 14 17 1.214 1 0 0.000 5 0 0.000 _ _ - 1 - _ - 0 0.000 3 0 0.000 278 187 0.673 21 208 year-fo-date ~t7 ~~ MAR 10 ~nnq ~~ r 1 ~~.®~~ ~nlli. . ,~®,,~~ CITY OF IOWA CITY ~P~ MEMORANDUM Date: March 12, 2009 To: City Council From: Rick Fosse, Director of Public Works Re: Update: Flood-related activities Engineering and Public Works Administration • Preparing application to the EDA for funding for the Dubuque Street /Park Road and Wastewater projects. • Met with United Way regarding community wide volunteer coordination and management for future events. • Met with FEMA regarding the restoration of the Animal Shelter • Received authorization from the Corps for construction of the Iowa Avenue Sewer Crossing replacement. • Project planning for demolition of the homes acquired with the HMGP buyout funds. Wastewater Division Plant Maintenance Crew work: • Sludge Pump Building basement, florescent lights and enclosures replacement -complete • Sludge Pump Building basement, all 5 electric valve actuators are installed and operational - complete • Influent Pump Bar Screen gate actuator -Electric gate actuator will not be replaced. Operate gate with existing portable gate operator- complete • Troubleshoot and repair Recirculation Station VFD - trips out, further evaluation determined this VFD is operating properly -complete • North Plant influent pumps, replaced E-stop switches on each pump (6) in basement - complete Additional items to complete: • Sludge Transfer Pump #1 -sent out for bearing replacement • Complete repairs of Humus Pump Station • Complete duct and heat exchanger clean up • Remove old Admin Bldg. boiler • Relocate River Street Starm water Station controls -higher elevation • Convert West Park Lift station to submersible pump system • Replace Iowa Ave. Siphan system Water Division • Continued replacing meters in flooded areas (Idyllwild & Parkview Terrace) as residents move in. • Working with Engineering for design and schedule on the 12" river crossing repairs (Old Plant and Hwy 6) • Plan on shutting down 12" river crossing at the Old Plant to preclude damage from U. of I. project of placing rip rap on piers of Hancher and IMU foot bridges • Updated FEMA with the status of CW 3 & CW 4 VFD's and JW 2 soft start • Conferred with HRG after 2/24/09 to review Hazard Mitigation project. • Awaiting plans and specifications for CW 3 & CW 4 VFD's and JW 2 soft start. • Plan on attending a portion of U. of I. 'Living with Floods: From Science to Policy" on 3/11 /12/13/09 Mediacom March 5, 2009 Ms. Marian Karr City of Iowa City 410 E. Washington St. Iowa City, Iowa 52240-1826 Subject: TV Guide Channel Drop Dear Ms. Karr: IP8 Due to advances in technology and changes in consumer viewing habits, Mediacom will no longer carry the TV Guide Network on Channe175 effective on or about April 7th, 2009. TV Guide listings will continue to be available using Mediacom's digital interactive guide and online at mediacomtoday.com/ty. Television listings are also available from a variety of other sources including local newspapers, magazines, online and using the built in guide on many newer televisions. Mediacom understands that this may be an inconvenience for some customers this change is necessary to help hold the line on customer costs during these challenging economic times. On or about April 15, 2009, Music Choice will replace several channels in order to reflect changes in music trends. The Music Choice lineup will be updated to reflect the changes indicated. Customers can view the new lineup at mediacomcable.com. A copy, which outlines the specific changes, is attached for your convenience If there are any questions please call me at 319-395-9699 ext 323. Sincerely, ~~d Lee Grassley Senior Manager, Government Relations ~L , ~~~ Mediacom Communications Corporation 6300 Council St. NE • Cedar Rapids, IA 52402 319-395-7801 • Fax 319-393-7017 /a2, ire r~!,nR - 9 ~n~9 A ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ a ~ ~ ~ ~~ N N N N N N ~-' ~' ~ ~-` ~-` ~ ~-' ~ ~-' ~-' 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 V~ A W N .-~ O ~ Oo ~] O~ V~ ? W N .-~ O ~O Oo J O~ CA ~ W N '-' .,~ f9 r ~"d C/1 ~1 00 ~p 'C V] ~ n ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ `~ H x ~ d '~, .~7"r r~i z o~ 0 0 0 ,uo ~ ~ ~' i '» °`Dr*, ~' armo ° R° f~ ~ ~' ~ ~ n '~?' " m Q y ~ ~ A A: ~ A N O~ ~ y "C t~ k '~ r. 7y ~. O R. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ cOi ~ ~ f7 ~ ,~ ~ ~ ~ m ~ ~ w ~ o ~ °' ~ G ~ ~ ~ O ~ ~ CD < `" w ~ c~ Z z Z Z Z ~~ Z co co cu co co ~ Z~ Z Z Z ''~ z Z c~ co ° o ° cu cu Z Z Z Z co co ~ ~ Z ~~ Z z n ~ ° ° ~ co co ~ ~ rrrr r ' r rrro rr rr ro rr~a ~ 0 0 0 0 A A A A 0 ( ~ A ~' (~ "~5' o 0 0 0 0 0 A A A A `< A A 0 0 (~ C~ A A ~' ~ . o o e, o A A A S G , 0 0 0 II -- --II O A~ O O O O O O ~ ~ p ~ O UQ ~ cu dQ ° 0 0 O 0 0 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ OQ OQ ~ ~ N N ~ ~ ~ ~ n' `,~' p' '~ n ~ ~ ~ o ~ ~ _ tri ~ t'! CD ~ \ C7 7y ~ ~ ~ A ~ + ~ x ~ ! /~ ~~o ~~ x ' C 3 ~ O R~° ~ ~ ~, ~~'J ~ ~ ~ n ccu H V~ t~ ~ O (~ J J J E N O ] ~ J ? J J J J J J J ~] A~~ •A W W W W ~ ~O 00 v O~ J J J J W W W W vi A W N J J J J J J .T W W N N N N rms. ~' O~ Oo J a\ Q~ Iv O In W w W ? w N -- O . .A"' ~ l 1 ~v~td ~ y ~d~r~trfv~to~ ~~~C) C~HHH~C~z o 1SJ ~ ~ ~ ° ~~ w ~ ' r: o a a r o o ~ ~ O x t17 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ (~~ ~ O O' y s, ~ ~ ~ 'O"'i O R° ~ ~ O C ~ A b ~ . r~ . .i ~ ~ ~ . y ~ N N ~ •~• C ~ ~ ~ ~" z N N N N N N N Z N N z ~ N ~ N ~ N n A n ( 4 ~', C ~! O C C G ~ C r~ ~ C C ~D! C ~! ( D G G C `' ~' " ~! ~" ~ C ~~ p ~ 0 0 0 ~ ~ u ~ rrrro r ~ ~ o r r rr o~ o 0 r r rCDO~o 0 o b f~ • ~• C~' ~' A : C~ ~' ' . o 0 0 0 o A A A A A~ A A °: ?: ~ ~': ~' ~ A A A A ?: ?: ?' ee A A A ?: Q: ?: coo coo coo , ~ ~ . td . ~. ' ' ' ' 0' o' o' o' , ~ o' o' o a a a a J ao ~ o ~• 0 0 o o o o ~ ~ .n p ~ ~ ~ p p p ~ ac ~ ~ ~ co o ~ o ~ a ~ ~ w ~ ~ m ~ ~ ~ ac ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~, a m ., a / off, rta~J MAR - 9 2009 IP9 MINUTES PRELIMINARY HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2009 -11:00 AM PLANNING DEPARTMENT CONFERENCE ROOM, CITY HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Steve Crane, Andy Douglas, Charles Drum, Mike McKay, Brian Richman, Michael Shaw MEMBERS ABSENT: Marcy DeFrance, Holly Hart, Rebecca McMurray STAFF PRESENT: Tracy Hightshoe, Steve Long RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL (become effective only after separate Council action): None Call to order: Brian Richman called the meeting to order at 11:00 a.m. Site Visits to FY10 CDBG/HOME Proposed Project Sites • Arc of Southeast Iowa (2620 Muscatine Ave.). Bill Reagan provided a tour of the facility and highlighted the project sites. • MECCA (430 & 436/8 Southgate Ave.). Ron Berg and Heidi Cuda provided a tour of the the project sites. • United Action for Youth (422 Iowa Ave.). Jim Swain provided a tour of the project site. Adjournment: MOTION: Drum moved to adjourn the meeting. Douglas seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 6-0. The meeting was adjourned at United Action for Youth at 1:10 p.m. c O .y N .~ O U c d~ L _~ d 0 ~ = N ~_' ~ C = 7 ~ ~a O V c .y O 2 N X ~ X X ~ X ~ X X ~ rn rn ~ o o .- ~ c~ rn a~ ~ x W 0 rn 0 rn 0 rn 0 rn 0 rn 0 rn 0 rn 0 rn 0 rn 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 U U (0 C N ~ ~ C - N ~ C •~ ~ L ~ '~ f~V ~ ~ Q ~- L U _ CO ~ V ~ c vS U - o ~ ~ o ~ N ~ _~ ~ 2 _ Y O 3 E Z ~ U ~ ~ ~ ~ C 2 ~ ~ ~ CC c o ~ a a~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ X ~ _ W +' ~ C ~~" N~ C ~ N ~ ~ N d Q s Z ~ Q Z 11 ~~ II ~~ II ~ W ~ ; Y X O O Z IP10 MINUTES PRELIMINARY HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION FEBRUARY 19, 2009 - 6:00 PM MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY Members Present: Stephen Crane, Marcy DeFrance, Charlie Drum, Holly Jane Hart, Michael McKay, Rebecca McMurray, Brian Richman, Michael Shaw Members Absent: Andy Douglas Staff Present: Tracy Hightshoe, Steve Long Others Present: Sandy Pickup (Free Medical Clinic); Brianne Wojtak, Ashlee Swinton (Successful hiving); Laura Dowd (Local Foods Connection), Crissy Canganelli (Shelter House), Maryann Dennis, Charlie Eastham (The Housing Fellowship), Arvind Thakore (Dolphin International), Steven Rackis (Iowa City Housing Authority), Andy Johnson (Housing Trust Fund), Josh Weber, Heather Weber (Builders of Hope), Yolanda Spears (Isis); Bill Wittig (Bill Wittig); Brian Loring (Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County); Sherri Zastrow (Community Mental Health); Diane Funk, Jan Koch (First Mennonite Church/Home Ties); Ron Berg (MECCA); Kristie Doser (Domestic Violence Intervention Project); Jim Swaim (United Action for Youth); Bill Reagan (ARC of Southeast Iowa); Megan Lisman, Ashley Keating, Megan Dial, Kelly O'Neil, Rachel Mardoian, Katie Harrington, Bret Peterson, (University of Iowa School of Journalism) RECOMMENDATIONS TO COiJNCIL (become effective only after separate Council action): None. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. APPROVAL OF THE NOVEMBER 20, 2008 MINUTES: McKay noted that he was present at the December 18, 2008 meeting, and the minutes indicated that he was not. Crane motioned to approve the minutes with a correction noting McKay was present. Hart seconded. The motion carried 8-0 (Douglas absent). PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEN[S NOT ON THE AGENDA: None. HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION FEBRUARY 19, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 2 of 25 DISCUSSION REGARDING APPLICATIONS FOR FY10 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT (CDBG~ AND HOME INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM ~HOME1 FUNDING -QUESTION/ANSWER SESSION: Richman explained that the meeting was a question and answer session for applicants to the HOME and CDBG funding programs for 2010. He explained that there would be three meetings over the next two months, the first of which was being held currently. He said that this was an opportunity for Commissioners to ask applicants any questions they had about their applications, their projects, or their responses to what was written up in the staff report. Richman encouraged everyone on the Commission to ask questions. Richrnan encouraged applicants to follow the tight time schedule that had been set up and to provide focused and succinct answers. He said there had been five minutes allotted to each of the public service and public facilities projects, and ten minutes allotted to each of the housing projects. He apologized in advance in case he had to cut anyone off to keep the meeting moving. Hightshoe reminded Commissioners and applicants that applicants are not to provide written materials in response to the staff comments found in the staff report. If a Commissioner specifically requests a written response in this question and answer session, then the applicant may provide one to staff to distribute to all Commissioners. The application materials should speak for themselves, and no supporting documentation will be; accepted unless requested by the Commission. Hightshoe explained that ranking sheets for the projects would be mailed by e-mail (or paper copy if requested) to Commissioners on February 20cn Richman reiterated that this meeting was intended to give the Commissioners an opportunity to ask questions of the applicant. The next meeting, on March 12, 2009, will be a meeting in which Commissioners discuss their rankings for various projects. March 26, 2009, is the meeting in which Commissioners will have to ultimately determine how to allocate the very limited funding amongst the very deserving projects. Hightshoe noted that the City has not yet heard from Congress about their final allocation. She said the original numbers are the numbers which the Commission will be working from. Hightshoe and Long said that there had been additional funding written into the stimulus package, but that they did not know what the terms or amounts would be for Iowa City. Hightshoe noted that applicants are welcome to talk about their applications to fill the full five minutes if the questions do not take the entire allotment. Free Medical Clinic -Operations: Sandy Pickup: Pickup said that Staff had done a good job with the analysis and summary of the Free Medical Clinic's application. She noted that Staff had asked how the clinic intended to locate funds to operate in the future. Pickup responded that the clinic had been receiving some state funds to provide a more medical/home model. She said that some of those funds are being used now to provide pharmacy services. That funding is somewhat up in the air at this point, however, Pickup said. HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPN[ENT COMMISSION FEBRUARY 19, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 3 of 25 Crane asked how the Free Medical Clinic's building project was coming along. Pickup said that the project had stalled for awhile. She said that an inspection and appraisal had been done and that the results of those findings had been presented to the property owner. Crane asked if the appraisal was close to the purchase price. Pickup said that it was not close at all, and that this was one of the major reasons the negotiations have returned to the "talking phase." Richman asked if Pickup had seen arr increase in people using their services over the last six to twelve months. Pickup said that due to the setup of the operation and the reliance on volunteers, it was not really possible to see more people than they had already been seeing. However, she did note that the statistics they keep on the rate of patients who are unemployed show an increase in the number of patients seeking services who are jobless. She added that the need for services is definitely not decreasing. Shaw asked if the application would be funding ahalf--time pharmacy technician. Pickup said that it would not cover all of the cost, but that funding would go toward that purpose. Shaw noted that the clinic already has a pharmacy technician. Pickup said this was correct, and that CDBG funds have been used for the last two or three years to fund that position. McKay asked if there was any reason to believe that the donations of prescription medications that the clinic receives would be reduced in the coming year. Pickup said that she believed legislation was being passed in Congress to eliminate pharmaceutical samples and other gifting items given out by pharmaceutical companies, but that she did not think such legislation would greatly affect their clinic as it did not actually use many samples. Pickup said that the free medications the clinic receives are stock bottles from the pharmaceutical companies and are not samples. Pickup said that she appreciated the opportunity to come before the Commission each year, and that she appreciated the Commission's work on behalf of the clinic and the community. Richman said that if applicants wished to take a few minutes at the beginning of their time to address any concerns in the staff report they could do so, and then questions could follow. Compeer Program -Operations: Karen Fox: Fox said the Compeer Program is ari important program that helps to improve the lives of people living with mental illness by pairing them with volunteer friends from the community who provide stability and socialization in their lives. Fox noted that Staff had expressed concern over the turnover rate of directors for the program and how that was affecting the program. Fox said that the major result of the turnover had been to hamper the growth and development of the program, as well as the program's ability to be advocates for the mentally ill in the community. Fox said the Board made a concerted effort with its last hire (her) to find someone who was really connected to the community. Fox said she has lived in the community for thirty years and has been a volunteer for many different organizations, and is very committed to the program. She said she is now working to reach out to mental health professionals in the community to educate them about the program, and working hard to recruit program volunteers. Fox ;said that since she joined the agency in August, the program has already made four new volunteer/client matches, and received nine new client referrals. She said there are currently a total of 22 matches, and 15 people on the waiting list. Fox said she believed that this program could support well over 100 clients in this community. She noted that one in every five people suffers from mental illness at some point in their adult lives. HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION FEBRUARY 19, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 4 of 25 Shaw asked if the disruptions in leadership had caused disruptions in the program's ability to provide services or sustain itself. Fox said that it had. Fox said that it takes at least three months to get to the point where you know the program well enough to actually make referrals. Fox acknowledged that the ability to create matches was hampered by the turnover in management, but that the program has a very strong Board of Directors who has worked hard at sustaining the program. Fox said she is confident that the program will now thrive. Shaw asked if Fox had been involved with Compeer prior to taking over its leadership. Fox said that she knew of the program but had not. volunteered in it. Shaw noted Fox's long history with the community and her commitment to the program, and asked if she had acquired any sense of what the turnover was related to. Fox said that the position is a half-time one, and so many people take those positions while finishing school or waiting for afull-time position to come along. Fox said the turnover was not anything the board could have controlled and was based on the individual life circumstances of the previous directors. Drum noted that the staff report indicates there had been some difficulty in getting income verifications for the program. Fox said that this problem had been resolved and that all of the necessary information was now right on the application form. She added that it was not easy to track this population as many chronically mental ill clients do not answer the phone and do not have e- mail. Shaw said that she does have permission to speak with their therapists so this is often the route she has to take. McMurray asked how Compeer found its volunteers. Fox said they were found through outreach, word-of-mouth, churches, service clubs and through the 1000 Hours program at the University of Iowa. Fox closed by saying that it has been shown nationally through research that programs like Compeer do a great deal of good for people, helping to keep mentally ill clients stable, on their therapy and medication schedules, and preventing hospitalizations. Successful Living -Operations: Ashlee Swinton, Brianne Woitak Swinton introduced herself as a counselor at Successful Living, and Wojtak identified herself as the director of RecNet, a program which partners volunteers from the University of Iowa with agencies in the community. Swinton stated that Successful Living is anon-profit organization that assists individuals with mental illness in maintaining independent living skills. Swinton cited basic life skills such as helping clients with grocery shopping and helping to maintain medication compliance as things Successful Living assists clients with. Swinton said that their application was submitted in hopes of partnering Successful Living with RecNet and Play It Again Sports. Swinton said that they hope to be able to provide afull-time staff member to oversee this partnership with the help of CDBG funding. Swinton said that it is their hope that afull-time staff member will be able to use the first funded year as time to both work with resources in the community as well as time to initiate an annual fundraiser. Swinton said that summer would be the best time to have this fundraiser as it tends to be a very good time of year for HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPI\QENT COMMISSION FEBRUARY 19, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC !LIBRARY Page 5 of 25 people with mental illness, and this would help to get most of the clients involved. Swinton offered suggestions of a softball tournament, chili cook-off, or a run as possible fundraising ideas. This fundraiser would be intended to help support the full-time position in the future, as well as fund arts and craft supplies and prizes for different game nights. Wojtak added that they had started a pilot program at Successful Living the previous week, hosting a game night for clients. She said that seven residents participated in the inaugural event, and that nine participated in the next one. Wojtak said she believes there is a great deal of interest in this and other activities, such as classes on cooking and nutrition. Wojtak said ghat the partnership with Play It Again Sports would allow the program to introduce exercise equipment to the residents and allow the program to expand to outdoor activities as the weather warms. Richman asked Swinton and Wojtak to pause for questions from the Commission. Hart asked what the affect on the program would be if funding was for ahalf--time position, or if only partial funding was granted. Swinton replied that she believed it would hinder the program's ability to build successful relationships. Swinton said that her experience in working with mental illness has shown that it takes a lot to build trust with these clients. Apart-time position would take twice as long to gain trust. Swinton said the overall goal was to get clients to trust the peers in their household in order to offer them outreach and community support. Swinton gave the example of evening programs offered by Lifeskills. She said that without the support of staff or volunteers from RecNet, it would be difficult to get clients to go out into the community, expand their social network and build a better quality of life. A full-tame position would also offer flexibility for planning, allowing RecNet to come in twice a day rather than once a day. Wojtak noted that the program would also offer leisure education. Wojtak said that RecNet has a leisure resource binder that would be very helpful in identifying individual interests and allowing the staff member to build relationships with clients based on those interests and activities. Shaw asked if RecNet, Successful Laving and Play It Again Sports have a formal agreement, or if the relationship is more informal. Shaw wondered if there were contracts in place. Wojtak said that there is a partnership in place. Wojtak said that the volunteers are rotating in and out at this time, but that a paid staff position would allow for better coordination and tracking of volunteer hours. There were no further questions for the applicants. Local Foods Connection -Operations: Laura Dowd Dowd addressed staff concerns as to how Local Foods Connection was planning for long-term stability. Dowd said that in the manual "Iowa Best Principles and Practices for a Charitable Non- Profit" put out by the University of Iowa's Non-Profit Resource Center, a strategic plan that includes a specific financial plan is recommended. Local Foods Connection currently has an informal financial strategic plan, and intends to have a written financial plan as well as an internal control manual for their finances by December 2009. Dowd said that a second point laid out in the manual encourages diversity in funding sources to increase organizational financial stability. Dowd said that Local Foods does have a diversity of funding sources. She said that the program is part of the New Pioneer Co-Op's "Dividend Check Donation Program," resulting in donations from 1,300 different people in 2008. Grants to Local Foods are received each year from The Iowa Foundation for Education, Environment and the Arts. Local Foods receives donations from businesses and individuals located in cities served by Local Foods: Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty, Des Moines, Fairfield and Cedar Rapids. Local Foods receives donations via the Internet through their HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION FEBRUARY 19, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC :LIBRARY Page 6 of 25 own and other non-profit websites. The Haunted Bookshop has held a permanent benefit sale for Local Foods for the past two years, and plans on continuing to do so. Local Foods sells T-shirts, note-cards, and cookbooks as other means of fundraising. Referring back to the best practices manual, Dowd noted that it encourages prudence on the part of non-profits, requiring them to generate income beyond daily operational needs in order to build a cash reserve. Richman asked Dowd to pause in her presentation to allow for Commission questions. Crane asked if the partnership Local Foods has with the Co-op will be continuing into this year, and if the same income was expected. Dowd said the partnership was continuing and that every year the income has increased. Dowd said that the second year saw a dramatic increase from the first, going from approximately $4,500 to over $10,000, and then increased again to $16,000 in 2008. Drum noted that food banks nationally had seen a decline in donations. He asked Dowd if she had experienced this. Dowd said that Local Foods had raised their highest amount of money ever, $34,000; prior to that the highest had been $26,000. Shaw asked specifically how the program intended to support the full-time director position. Dowd said that all of the interest earned from their endowment fund will go toward the director position; a grant will be applied for from CFSC, a group dedicated to building strong, sustainable, accessible local food programs; funding is also being sought from the Leopold Center at Iowa State University. Hightshoe asked if any of the donations currently being received would go toward supporting a director's salary. Dowd replied that funds are often donated to the group for certain reasons which become earmarked or designated funds. A percentage of undesignated funds will be considered by the board as a source of funding for the director's position. Extend the Dream Foundation -Operations: No one was present to represent this organization so the Commission moved on to the next applicant. Shelter House -Operations (STAR ProQram): Crissy Canganelli Canganelli explained that this application was requesting support from CDBG for a cash match for the STAR program. Canganelli explained that the program was acounty-wide case management program for homeless adults who have a vocational goal or objective. The program provides a maximum of two years of supportive services for individuals and their dependents. Canganelli said that over 25% of program participants are or have been residents of DVIP (The Domestic Violence Intervention Program). Another 10:~o are HACAP (Hawkeye Area Community Action Program) participants, and a number of clients are referred to the program through the corrections department. Canganelli noted that the scope of program participants reaches far beyond the residents of Shelter House. Canganelli said that it has always been a challenge for the STAR program to raise the required cash match of $106,750 to receive the $448,000 HUD award. Canganelli said that each year she has forced the organization to meet the cash match obligation on a monthly basis so that they never get behind. During times of cash flow problems, Canganelli said, debt has sometimes been incurred to do this; however, at the end of each fiscal year the debt has been paid off. The support through CBDG and Shelter House fundraisers allows the program to continue and meet the cash match HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPA~ENT COMMISSION FEBRUARY 19, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC (LIBRARY Page 7 of 25 obligation. Canganelli said that it is very important to recognize that the funding through CDBG does help the program to leverage $448,000 in federal funds coming into the community for homeless services. Canganelli said that hundreds of hours in volunteer support and fundraising hours must also be taken into account when considering the financial viability of the program. She said that many volunteers throughout the community help organize and implement fundraisers throughout the year, putting forth incredible effort, time and expense on behalf of the cause. Canganelli said this is an important contribution not reflected in the grant documentation as it is not considered an applicable cost. Richman asked Canganelli to pause for Commission questions. Shaw asked Canganelli when Shelter House would be moving to its new facility. Canganelli said that Shelter House is working on that. Canganelli said that an increase in operational costs is not really relative to the STAR Program as the program has been able to exceed the required number of clients served -serving more than double the number contracted by HUD-and still remain within the confines of the original grant agreement and budget. Canganelli said that this was a pretty extraordinary accomplishment. Shaw asked if the program received an amount from HUD based on each client served, or received a set amount with which to serve all clients. Canganelli said STAR received a set amount of money with which to serve a minimum number of clients. There were no further questions about the STAR program. Richman moved the proceedings to the Housing section of the agenda. Hightshoe stated that the time limit for each applicant seeking Housing funding would be 10 minutes. She reminded applicants that written materials could not be submitted to the Commission at this point unless specifically requested by Staff or a Commissioner. The applicant could then submit documents to Staff, who would distribute the document to Commissioners. Richman invited applicants to take a few minutes at the outset to discuss their applications prior to Commission questions. Shelter House -Rental Housing: Chrissy Canganelli Canganelli said that the project before the Commission was an exciting one and is truly innovative. Canganelli said that Shelter House has been working with NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill) for some time and has recently begun working with the Department of Veterans' Affairs to examine funding sources available through their agency. VA money could ultimately change the scope of the project, aiming it toward permanent supportive housing for homeless veterans. Canganelli said that the project is innovative because there are no similar projects in the state of Iowa. Canganelli said Shelter Housf; has been meeting with and consulting a project in Minneapolis that has been implementing a similar project for a number of years; both projects are modeled somewhat on the Fairweather Project, which began on the west coast. The lodge model is intended to provide independent living opportunities for individuals who have serious mental illness, chronic ment<~1 illness, or brain disorder. Canganelli said that their project would be tailored to the chronically homeless population. Individuals would have a diagnosed HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPA9ENT COMMISSION FEBRUARY 19, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC :LIBRARY Page 8 of 25 chronic mental illness or disability, but would also have been chronically homeless. The project would look like asingle-family home but would provide housing for six unrelated individuals. The premise behind the project is that living in single room occupancy units is often too isolating for individuals who are chronically homeless and/or mentally ill and not necessarily the model that will garner the most success. For some, having a more communal living situation may work better. Canganelli noted that this project is not intended for everyone, but is intended to provide more diversity in the continuum of services and helping options provided by Shelter House. Canganelli noted that there is no permanent supportive housing for the homeless in this community, and this would be a first step toward that. Canganelli noted that the proposed project would be intended for single men only. Richman asked what Canganelli believed would be the greatest impediment to the success of this project, or the one thing she worries about for this project. Canganelli said that for this particular project the greatest impediment is that as it is currently proposed it is very expensive. Canganelli said that it is difficult to make the argument that for six unrelated individuals a budget of over $500,000 is reasonable. This figure is the budget that has come out of the working group for this project, and Canganelli said that she believes it is reasonable to expect that that budget will be worked on to identify what is and is not realistic about it. Canganelli said that the commitment is to the model and the delivery of services under that model, not to the budget or the type of housing proposed in it. Canganelli said that iif it is necessary to reduce costs and re-envision what that housing will look like, then they wil l do that, rather than in any way compromise the opportunity to provide housing under the proposed model. Canganelli addressed staff concerns as to whether Shelter House has the ability to simultaneously manage and implement two projects like this -the building of a rental project and the building of a new shelter facility -Canganelli said that in all seriousness she does not know that the projects will be simultaneous. She said that money still needs to be raised for both projects. There is a significant amount of fundraising that needs to be done for the lodge model, as well as a number of grants that need to be applied for. Canganelli said that there is also a significant amount of money still to be raised for the new facility as its construction has been pushed back repeatedly by ongoing legal issues. Canganelli said that while sl'ie does not know if the projects will be simultaneous, she does know that Shelter House has access to a wealth of professional volunteers who will work hard to make both projects work. Canganelli said that additional staff has been hired to help with the capital campaign and program development:. Canganelli acknowledged that Shelter House does not have experience with rental housing. Drum asked if it was not the case that Shelter House had been working very closely with an agency that did have rental experience. Canganelli said that the project in Minneapolis has been very helpful and very generous with their time, assisting from a number of angles. Drum noted that the budget for construction was currently set at $500,000, and wondered what the continuing and operating costs of the project would be once it was constructed. Canganelli said that the staffing. for the project was intended to be minimalistic, with no more than 10 hours per week of direct staff oversight of clients and household. The idea is that the individuals in the program would become engaged in ongoing supportive services through county case management and vocational rehabilitation supports. Drum asked if the residency was intended to be permanent housing. Canganelli responded that the intention is for the housing to be permanent for the residents, with no HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPI\4ENT COMMISSION FEBRUARY 19, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC 1L[BRARY Page 9 of 25 cap or time limit; however, it is not home ownership. Canganelli said this is one reason the housing style is not for everyone. McMurray asked that if it was correct that once residents moved in they could stay there indefinitely and Canganelli said that this was correct. McKay asked if there was a reason that it was proposed to have the building LEED certified. Canganelli said that this was the suggestion of the working group after the commitment to new construction over rehabilitated housing was made. The architect, John Shaw, who has donated a tremendous amount of time to the project suggested LEED certification. McKay clarified that it was then a choice not a mandate, and Canganelli acknowledged that it was. McKay pointed out that 35% was added to the costs of construction in making the project LEED certified. Canganelli said that she had no problem taking the Commission's concerns back to the working group and informing them that there may be things in the budget that need to be looked at. McKay clarified that he was very much in favor of LEED as rule, but that it is very expensive. Shaw asked what the name of the agency in Minneapolis was that had been assisting the Shelter House. Canganelli replied that the director's name is John Trepp, but that the corporation's name escaped her mind at that moment. She offered to provide the information to the Commission later. Crane asked if the project would still be viable with only partial funding. Canganelli said that it would. Richman asked if it made sense for Canganelli to take the budget back to the working group, look for opportunities to reduce costs, and then get back to the Commission in a reasonable timeframe. Canganelli said she would be happy to do so. Canganelli said she would submit a revised proforma and budget to staff'. Drum asked again about the operations budget beyond the costs of staff. Canganelli said that other than maintenance, utilities, and insurance that were included in the application documents, the staffing is the primary expense. McKay asked if the facility was designed with any kind of a security system. Canganelli said that it was not a requirement and she did not think it was necessary. She explained that it is not used in the other lodge model facilities that she is familiar with, and that all residents have 24-hour access to a staff person. Canganelli said that the model is intended to replicate a single family residence as much as possible. Hightshoe noted ghat residents' personal spaces such as bedrooms would be lockable. McKay said that he was thinking more about undesirable guests rather than residents. Canganelli said that part of the training that residents will go through in order to enter the program will cover those issues. Canganelli said that not everyone will be appropriate for this housing; there is an application and training process. She said that the house will set rules which the individuals living in the house will have to follow, and that there is a whole governance system that will be established. There were no further questions for Canganelli and Richman invited the next applicant to speak. The Housing Fellowship - CHDO Operating Expenses: MaryAnn Dennis, Charlie Eastham Maryann Dennis, Executive Director of The Housing Fellowship, and Charlie Eastham, President of the Board of Trustees, represented The Housing Fellowship in their application for funds. HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION FEBRUARY 19, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 10 of 25 Dennis said that the application before the Commission is for operating expenses for The Housing Fellowship's Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO). Dennis said that their request was for $50,000, but that they full understand that they are eligible only for 5% of the HOME allocation that comes in for the community. At the time of the application, Dennis said, they were not aware of how much that figure would be, so they requested their full need. Dennis said that staff is absolutely correct in saying that as a CHDO their rental units have HOME funds invested in them, and as a result rents are strictly controlled. Unlike private landlords, costs cannot be passed onto tenants when there are cost overruns. Dennis said that this year utility allowances have increased and the City of Iowa City recently passed a 19'~Z % increase in rental inspection fees, neither of which can be passed on to residents of their rental units. Dennis said these changes are projected to reduce The Housing Fellowship's rent revenues by around $32,000 in 2009. Dennis said the federal government sets the HOME rents and the utility allowances, and is somewhat slow in catching up with market forces. Dennis said she is aware that the Commission is concerned with how The Housing Fellowship plans to increase its financial stability. Dennis said that this is something that she has been working on for the entire 16 years she has been with The Housing Fellowship, and is something that their Board has been working on the entire time as well. Dennis said that the market analysis is correct and that like many non-profits, The Housing Fellowship works on a shoestring budget. She said that they would appreciate the Commission's support as a CHDO that was specifically incorporated to provide affordable housing in Johnson County. Although The Housing Fellowship has a very active finance committee that monitors budgeted expenses and revenues, The Housing; Fellowship is working diligently at restructuring all of their private debt, and hopes to get a lower interest rate. The Housing Fellowship is looking at tax-exempt bond financing which would significantly reduce the interest rate on all of their private debt, which is currently about $1.9 million; Dennis said this would help their financial picture a lot. The biggest way that The Housing Fellowship can produce operational income is to produce housing and to get developer's fees for tax-credit projects, Dennis said. Richman asked how the losses of units in Coralville affected The Housing Fellowship's financial picture. Dennis said that in frankness the losses had improved the financial picture. Richman asked how this was so. Dennis said that the units in Coralville were an endeavor The Housing Fellowship had entered into about five years ago, and was the only multi-family apartment building owned by the group. Dennis said that the 16three-bedroom units were housed in three multi-level buildings. The Housing Fellowship found that these were not units their families wished to live in despite the affordable rents. Dennis said it was almost as if the first thing the families did upon signing the lease was try to find another place to live. The vacancy rate was high, the loan was big, and all utilities were paid by The Housing Fellowship as well as snow removal, lawn care and trash removal (unlike in their other single family units). Eastham said that since the property was purchased five years ago the income never exceeded the expenses on the units. After the flood, of course, there was no revenue and the expenses continued. Ultimately, the City of Coralville purchased the property and The Housing Fellowship was able to retire their debt on it. Eastham noted that the sale price to the City of Coralville did not increase their overall revenues, but was a wash. HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION FEBRUARY 19, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 11 of 25 Dennis said that the work that The Housing Fellowship does really requires a pretty knowledgeable staff that deserves to be compensated. Richman said this sort of led to his next question. He asked if Dennis or Eastham could address what had happened with their staffing and administration budget over the last couple of years. Dennis said that it had grown. She noted that The Housing Fellowship had recently closed out a project and received a developer fee for that. This allowed them to add afull-time staff person who is a compliance specialist for all of their rental homes. Dennis said that The Housing Fellowship would like to add ahalf--time hourly staff person to answer phones and file so that the office manager can do other things. Eastham said that there is a great deal of compliance work associated with tax- credit projects, which require more staff time than other rental housing. Richman asked what The Housing Fellowship's plan was going forward for funding the new full- time compliance specialist. Dennis said they plan on doing more tax-credit projects to bring in more developer fees. Dennis said they have purchased software, a server, a maintenance vehicle (reducing costs due to mileage reimbursements), all of which can be utilized for the next tax-credit project. Dennis said that while they run on a shoestring, they must have a certain amount of staff. Dennis said that the $30,000 The Housing Fellowship had received in 2008 had very much helped the agency. Crane asked if that funding was for apart-time bookkeeper. Dennis said it had helped support the salary of a full-time finance manager. There were no further questions on this application. The Housing Fellowship -Rental: Maryann Dennis, Charlie Eastham Dennis said this application was being made in the amount of $400,000 for site acquisition to be used as part of an affordable rental tax-credit project which The Housing Fellowship plans to submit to the Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) in October. The plan is to acquire townhome and duplex lots and to build 20 rental units of two and thref; bedrooms. Dennis said that The Housing Fellowship's preference is, as always, for scattered site housing. Dennis said there is an unprecedented opportunity in Iowa for low-income housing tax-credits. Due to recent natural disasters, the state is receiving an additional $33 million above its usual $6-7 million allocation for tax credits. Dennis said that $3.3 million of those dollars must be set aside fora non- profit tax credit. The market analysis is very clear that there is an overwhelming need for such projects in this area, Dennis said. T11e Housing Fellowship thinks that because of its experience and its local nature it can do the best job possible ofestablishing aloes-income tax-credit in the city, but what it needs is land. Dennis said that a recent opportunity for a prime piece of property was lost because the financing was not in place. Eastham said that location was attractive because it was on the west side of town. Dennis said that The Housing Fellowship has the capacity to handle another low-income housing tax credit. Dennis said that the strategic planning done by the Board of Trustees in 2008 established its number one goal as The Housing Fellowship bringing an additional 100 affordable rental homes to Johnson County in the next five years. HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION FEBRUARY 19, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 12 of 25 Dennis addressed staff concerns about The Housing Fellowship's concentration of property in Iowa City. Dennis said that The Fellowship is very interested in a parcel in North Liberty, and hopes to acquire it. Richman asked iftax-credits can ever be used for acquisition and rehab as opposed to new construction. Dennis said that it could, and that the Barry Court project was acquisition and rehab. Richman asked if that was more attractive in the current market. Eastham said there are two major pitfalls in trying to use tax-credits for' rehab. The first is a ten-year rule that says a home has to be in service ten years before atax-credit is invested in it. The other pitfall is that in order to secure tax credits you have to put a project together and you have to have site control for that project. Practically speaking, Eastham said, it is very, very difficult to do on property's which are not already owned by The Housing Fellowship. Eastham said changes in the tax credit rules may change to alleviate those problems, however, far now it is very difficult to do in a scattered-site model such as the one used by The Housing Fellowship. Dennis said The Housing Fellowship only owns single family homes, townhomes, duplexes and a few condos. Dennis advised the Commission to keep in mind that supporting The Housing Fellowship's efforts to create affordable rental housing in Iowa City assures local management. Eastham said that staff had questioned whether $30,000 was enough to buy a lot. He said that there have been townhome lots on the market in the last two years for about $25,000 each.. Eastham said that he personally thinks $30,000 for townhome and duplex lots is a reasonable price. Richman said that the terms requested by The Housing Fellowship were fora 20-year non-amortizing balloon payment. Eastham added that it would be a 0% interest loan. Richman asked if there was a capacity in the cash flow to potentially pay some of the loan back along the way. Eastham said there was not that capacity if the rents were to remain low. Eastham said The Housing Fellowship could pay the money back, but if they did so the tenants would pay that in rent. Richman said that the debt ratio was about 1.39, and that the underwriters require a debt ration of between 1.3 and 1.4; as a result it looks like there is about $10,000 above the bottom line each year. Richman asked if it was feasible to use that as debt payment. Eastham replied that there are different interests at play: one interest is to pay back money, another is to keep rents low, and another is the tax credit investors who want to see a project that will be financially viable. Eastham said their tax-credit consultant has advised them to keep a high income to debt ratio and have plenty of money to cover operating expenses. Dennis said that the other thing to keep in mind is that by the time the tax-credit application is submitted to IFA the numbers will more than likely have changed many times. There were no further questions for the applicants. Dolphin International LLC -Homeownership: Arvind Thakore Thakore introduced himself as a consultant for Dolphin International LLC, the property formerly known as Lakeside Manor. Richman said that this project had been allocated $68,000 last year for down payment assistance for prospective buyers. HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION FEBRUARY 19, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC ]LIBRARY Page 13 of 25 Crane asked what the price points were for the one and two bedroom units. Thakore said that a ] - bedroom is $109,000, and a 2-bedroom is $114,000. Crane asked what the success in selling those units has been. Thakore said that they first phase has totally sold out: 32 townhouses and ] 7 condos. Shaw asked how the transitioning of residents from renters to homeowners has been going. Thakore said that it has been going really well. He said that he has been teaching clients about the importance of credit and how it works, and the importance of operating within the banking system. Shaw asked how many units were still available. Thakore said 256 units are occupied and 142 are vacant. As phases progress, the number of units will go down from 401 to 332. Richman said that based on the cost ~ofthe units Thakore will need at least $10,000 in down-payment assistance to get people into them. Richman said that it is pretty clear that HCDC cannot fund even a majority of that need. He asked if Thakore was seeking other sources of funding for his down- payment assistance program. Thakore joked that if he admitted he was looking for money from other sources he did not want the Commission to cut him off. He said there are a lot of individuals in the community with a lot of money that are interested in helping the program. Crane asked if all of last year's funding was used for the down-payment assistance. Thakore said that it had and that there is now a waiting list. Richman noted that the deposit price required for applicants is relatively low compared to the purchase price of the units. He wondered how many of those people would wind up just walking away from their $100 deposit. Thakore said that the low deposit is because the people with whom he is dealing do not have access to large deposits. Thakore said those giving $100 are serious buyers, and will not walk away from the deal. Crane asked when the units are scheduled to close. The units are to be finished by March 25, 2009. Around April 2"d the units will be inspected for their certificates of occupancy. Thakore said that by April l5`" units should start closing. Thakore said that he wanted to share with the Commission that he had collaborated with Grant Wood school on the method for naming streets in the development. The streets will be named for native Iowans, including one named after long-time Grant Wood principal Paul Davis Hart asked if the affordability term would be for five years as last year's was or if it is actually for ten years as one document indicates. Thakore and Hightshoe explained that the terms were actually the same as last year. There were no further questions for 1;he applicant. The Iowa City HousineAuthority - TBRA: Steve Rackis Rackis said that he made a mistake in the application by listing the TBRA ending date as September 2010 rather than 2009. However, Rackis said, he received an e-mail today from Andy Johnson, the ICHA's partner on the state TBRA grant and he has gotten an indication from the state that they would perhaps entertain an extension to 2010. Rackis said that changes the funding request a little bit. If the money was not used to protect the state TBRA people after all, then ICHA would simply use the money as a way to extend into their waiting list and get housing assistance to people more HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION FEBRUARY 19, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 14 of 25 quickly. The current waiting lists for Section 8 and Public Housing are approximately 12-14 months from the date of application. The use of the TBRA funds really allows the ICHA to leverage against their federal allocation for Section 8. Rackis explained that HUD has the Section 8 program in a position where it has one foot in a budget-based system and one foot in a unit-based system. Rackis explained that ICHA has 1,214 vouchers. ICHA cannot utilize more; than 1,214 vouchers; however, HUD wants ICHA to utilize 100% of the allocated vouchers. HL~D gives ICHA a certain amount of funding that does not necessarily correspond with the costs of utilizing 1,214 vouchers. There is a balancing act that ICHA must do. In order to increase their allocation from the federal government, ICHA must spend all of its allocation, but not exceed 1,214 vouchers. Rackis said it is difficult with normal attrition to maintain 100% participation due to the various factors at play: income levels rise and fall, program compliance regulations, people going off program or being terminated from the program. The TBRA dollars have allowed the ICHA to over-lease above their 100% in order to ensure maximum federal dollars. People are transitioned on or off of TBRA as needed, making the program a little more nimble. Every dollar of TBRA helps ICHA to leverage an additional dollar from the federal government. Rackis said that TBRA vouchers are used throughout the county. Rackis said that presently in the Section 8 program, 71 % of the vouchers are used in Iowa City, 17% in Coralville, 6% in North Liberty. Rackis said that when the number of state TBRA vouchers are taken into account -the frail, elderly, disabled, chronically mentally ill-89% of the vouchers are in Iowa City. At a minimum, 65% of all TBRA vouchers will be used in Iowa City; targeting elderly and disabled populations just increases that percentage. Shaw asked for clarification on what: Rackis was trying to correct. Rackis said that in his application he had mistakenly stated that the encl date of the state TBRA grant was September 2010, when in fact it is September 2009, but that the state had subsequently seemed quite confident that an extension to 2010 could be granted. Shaw asked if it was correct that $60,000 from FY09 has not been utilized. Rackis said that was correct. He said that the second half of this application was if that money was not needed to help bridge the state TBRA funds into the regular Section 8 voucher program, then some additional TBRA funds could be coupled with that existing $60,000 and serve more families. Rackis said that $60,000 would serve about 12 families over one year, so if those funds were packaged together with additional funds then a larger pool of families could be served over one or two years. Rackis said that the ICHA's regular allocation fund for Section 8 is about $6 million for about 1,000 families over multiple years. Rackis said that the other two allocations discussed in the staff report have been depleted and only the $60,000 remains. Rackis said that the affordable housing study states that there is a need for affordable rental housing in Iowa City and there are two ways to get there:l) build more affordable units, or 2) provide rental subsidy to make housing affordable. Rackis said ICHA offers the latter opportunity, and a number of other applicants offer the former. HCDC is charged with finding the right combination of both options to best serve the community. Builders of Hope -Rental Housing: Josh Weber Josh Weber introduced himself as the Executive Director of Builders of Hope, and introduced the program designer as Heather. Weber said the program has been in operation for three years, and HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION FEBRUARY 19, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 15 of 25 serves individuals with chronic mental health disorders such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Weber said that they seek to create a program that really empowers the individuals they serve. Weber said they currently own and operate two transitional living facilities in the community one which is for individuals coming out of institutional or hospital settings, and a second that is more independent, with more peer relationships and accountability. Weber said that these individuals are thriving in their new found sense of community, which has been found to be empowering and stabilizing. The application takes the transitional. housing model to the next level and will be for individuals transitioning out of the second housing level. Typically these will be individuals who are on their way to stabilizing in the community and who need less support. This particular project embraces a commercial side. HUD has requested that 51 % of the residents be given the opportunity to apply for jobs in the commercial side of the project. The commercial side will actually have a curriculum component to help further stabilize the client for community living. Richman asked the applicant to pause to allow for Commission questions. McMurray asked if Weber was open to the idea of having more than two units. Weber said that they were and that they had actually changed the scope of the project and brought revised design plans. The program decided to take the project from two units to four units, utilizing the entire basement portion of the project. Hightshoe explained that this was a unique circumstance as the applicant and staff had to clarify several questions with HUD. Hightshoe said that because they are afor-profit entity, they could not apply for public facility money for the commercial portion of the property, nor were they eligible for economic development funds. Hightshoe said that staff asked the applicant to submit their proforma based only on the housing portion ol~the project (HOME requirement). Hart asked what the curriculum for the program is. Weber said that it is still in the design phase, but that the goal is to begin implementing it June ls`. Essentially, the curriculum takes different aspects of an individual's life and focuses on the different areas they need to stabilize, i.e., physical health, mental/emotional state, the purposeful self, etc. Builders of Hope is developing the curriculum, Weber explained. Shaw asked if it vvas based on a model or best practices. Weber said that it is based somewhat on the Fairweather model, which has a 50% success rate for people stabilizing in the community. Shaw asked if it was similar then to the Shelter House project. Weber said it is but that it also takes things one step in a different direction. Richman asked if the same loan terrris were being requested in the revised proforma. Weber said they were. Crane asked how many individuals would be served. Weber said that four individuals would be served. McMurray asked if the housing was permanent or if there would be time limits placed on the residents. Weber said that he was not sure about HUD guidelines were, but that he believed there might be a two year limit. Weber said he thinks that the project: is unique because a curriculum based system has not yet been implemented in the state of Iowa, and because they are afor-profit, Iowa City will receive $22,000 in property taxes from them each year. HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION FEBRUARY 19, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 16 of 25 Drum asked if the curriculum was for people living in the units or for others utilizing their services. Weber said that both would have access to the curriculum. Richman asked if the project funded by HCDC a couple of years ago was fully leased. Weber said that it is and that it has been a great success. He encouraged Commissioners to take a tour or visit the website. Crane asked if the lot had been selected. Weber said that it had, and it is just off Scott Boulevard. There were no further questions for the applicant. Isis Investments LLC -Rental: Yolanda Spears Spears said that she was representing Isis Investment on behalf of Salome Rahiem, and that she was the property manager and case manager for the properties. Richman noted that Isis properties had been funded in the past. Hightshoe said that on the last project funds that had been allocated had been utilized within a month. Spears said Isis also has properties that were not funded through HCDC. Spears said she is currently managing six affordable homes for Isis. Spears said she provided family support for the families, if they need help with agencies or referrals for anything from community services to down payment for utilities. Spears said they speak with residents about what it means to be a homeowner and helping residents understand different terms and agreements. Richman said that Isis was unique in that there is an option for the homeowner to buy the home. Richman asked when the option kicks in and what happens to the affordability factor. Spears says the option is available from the outsest, and that Isis actually does a number of things to engage families in the process of home-owning, such as inviting them to closings. Richman clarified that he was actually asking when the client had the option to buy the home. Spears said that after the first year the client has that option. Spears said that Rahiem is usually the person involved in that process. Hightshoe clarified that with HOME funds only the tenant can buy the unit within its affordability period. The homeowner (previous tenant) must sign a resale agreement and ensure an affordability period of equal length to the original or may enter an agreement with a longer period of affordability. Thus, if 5 years remaining, the resales agreement for the homeowner must require a 5-year period of affordability or greater. McMurray asked if part of the resident's rent is put aside for the possibility that they may wish to purchase the unit. Spears said that question was beyond her field of knowledge. Hightshoe said she did not believe it was set up that way. Spears said that they do let families know of any programs that would be beneficial to them in that respect. Shaw asked if a plan had been developed for establishing reserves for the program. Spears said that this was something she could speak with Rahiem about and report back to the Commission. Richman asked what the history has been of people actually buying the homes they had been renting. Spears said that they had not yet had families in a position to buy their home, but that several were working on getting to that place. Shaw asked if any of the families had signed up for the ICHA's Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program. Spears said that they had riot, but that this was because a number of them were already HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION FEBRUARY 19, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC L IBRARY Page 17 of 25 working toward specific goals. The families they've rented to have been very self-sufficient in their own way, know their way around they area, and are very happy with their housing choices. Hightshoe noted that the intended income (upon application) for participants is under 30% of the median income, so homeownership may be a long way off for some of these families. McMurray asked if all of the homes were in Iowa City. Spears said that one home is in Oxford, and the rest are in Iowa City. There were no further questions from the Commission. Anchor Housing of Saddlebrook -Rental Housing: Dan Tonnesen, Craig Sculley Tonnesen said that he and his partner, Craig Sculley, have their home office in Rockford, Illinois. The project they are proposing is Saddlebrook, and consists of 50 units of primarily single-family dwellings. Tonnesen said that it is correct that they became aware of the timing deadline the night before the due date and that as a result the application was not in a complete format. Tonnesen noted that the project is seeking $250,000, or 2% of their total project. The funds would be leveraging $50 for every $1 funded by HCDC. Tonnesen said the project would be l:ax-credit financed properties with a 20-year period of affordability. He asked the Commission to ask any questions they might have to ensure there was adequate time. Shaw asked if the applicant already had the land. Tonnesen replied that they were close to signing site control. The site is identified and the final terms are being worked out; they anticipate securing site control by the end of next week. Crane asked if it was correct that the proposal was for 50 homes by October 2010. Crane noted that they had done a similar project in Illinois and asked if the timeframe for completion had been similar. Tonnesen said that it had been, and that 12 months is a reasonable timeframe considering that all of the infrastructure must be built. Richman noted that a 20-year affordability period had been proposed, and asked if a longer one would be considered. The applicant said that they probably would not. Shaw noted that the applicant's home office is in Rockford, Illinois, and asked if local contractors are used to do the work or if contractors from outside the area were used. Tonnesen said that they have an affiliated entity with the same principles that is a general contractor. Tonnesen said that local sub- contractors are used to do the work. Similarly, there would be on-site property management. Richman asked the applicant to talk a little bit about the overall budget. Tonnesen said the land costs $200,000, the infrastructure costs $1 million and the total budget is $13 million. Tonnesen said that their net developer fee would be about $1 million. He said that he realized this sounded like a big fee, but that given the guarantees that they were personally signing, it is well within industry standards and all aspects of the underwriting and operating budget are within IFA guidelines. HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION FEBRUARY 19, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY Page l 8 of 25 Richman said that $200,000 for land acquisition makes each lot cost about $4,000 which seems astonishingly low for this community. He asked Tonnesen to explain. Tonnesen said that the per-lot cost was probably closer to $30,000 once infrastructure and profit was added in. Long said that the plat had been approved by the City already and that the property was zoned and ready to go. Tonnesen said that one of the strengths of the proposal that he would like the Commission to consider is that as far as the zoning, site control and funding, the deal is as good as done. He said that he and his partner have done ten tax-credits and have been doing these projects for twenty years. Management is in place, and while they do make mistakes from time to time, they fix their mistakes quickly, which they believe is the true mark of a good landlord. Shaw asked if the streets would be connected to other communities. The applicant responded that the north and east sides of the project would have street connectivity. There were no further questions for the applicant. Bill Wittig -Rental Housing: Bill Wittig Wittig said he was trying to help sixteen residents have a nicer place to live. Wittig said that he has owned the property since 1997 and has systematically worked to rid the property of its bad history with the law and bad tenants. Wittig, said he had employed and fired three different property managers, and four years ago took over direct control of the operation. Wittig said he had been working diligently with STAR and Shelter House over the last four years. Wittig said that this property accepts Section 8 rental vouchers. Wittig said that he has had both successes and failures with this property. Wittig said that one difficulty is in keeping up with the rental permit. He said there are things now on the property that need repair that are beyond the means of the property's cash flow. The debt structure for the property is reasonable for its first mortgage. However, a new roof project severely limited cash flow for an extended period of time in recent years. Wittig said there are exterior repairs that the City would like done, but he is concerned that that would be a band-aid approach. Wittig said he has looked at a more long-range plan of getting new windows and new vinyl siding put on to finish out the exterior. Wittig said that there is a $24,000 electrical code issue included in the application so that asub-panel could be present in each room. Drum asked if the City was satisfied with the safety of the electrical as it :is presently. Wittig said they had not pushed the issue but that he believed inspectors would be more comfortable if it were fixed. Wittig said there are currently no extension cords allowed. Shaw asked if there were 16single-occupancy rooms in the house. Wittig said that was correct, and briefly explained the layout of the house. Wittig said that he had to represent a 15% vacancy rate on the application because that is what his historical data shows; however, if the property is improved, Wittig said, it would be hopeful that the rate would be closer to 5%. Shaw asked who was responsible for the utility costs. Wittig said that he pays them all. McKay asked if the units were rented on a month to month basis. Wittig said that was the case, and that there are no formal leases. McKay asked for clarification on the rent schedule and it's built in late fees/rebates. Wittig said that the; rent is now $375 per month, with a $75 rebate if the rent is paid on the first of the month, a $50 rebate if paid by the Stn of the month, a $25 rebate if paid by the l Otn of the month, and no rebate if paid after that. HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION FEBRUARY 19, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC ;LIBRARY Page 19 of 25 Richman asked if Wittig would consider a longer period of affordability than the 20 years requested in the application. Wittig joked that he had turned 60 this summer so there was no reason not to. He said that the property isnot amoney-maker, and is his way of giving back to the community. Richman said that the Commission would need a conforming proforma. Wittig said he had now turned two different ones in to show the two different vacancy rates. Hightshoe said that the maximum allowable rents and option of fees would have to be looked at and discussed and possibly changed to be in compliance with HQME rules. Wittig said he was really below that figure and that could be worked out. There were no further questions for t:he applicant. A fifteen minute break was taken at this time. Shelter House -New Construction: Crissy Canganelli Canganelli explained that this request was for the new facility for Shelter House. This is a 70 bed facility: 56 beds for short-term emergency use, and 14 beds designated for homeless veterans who could use the facility for up to two years as their beds would be considered transitional beds. The budget for the project was discerned by staff as being somewhat high. However, Canganelli said, the budget was a collaborative effort that was reached through the work of Tom Werderitsch, Dwight Doberstein and Victor Amar~oso. There was a lot of professional input in this budget. Canganelli noted that the budget has increased because the project has gone on for a number of years. There is a cost issue with the Davis-Bacon standards applying to the project, something which is now accounted for in the budget. Canganelli said the project is also trying to account for the ongoing legal and fundraising delays, so allowances have been built into the budget. Canganelli addressed staff's question concerning the increased operational costs that could be associated with increased shelter capacity. Canganelli said that the increase is not of 41 beds, as 14 of the beds are transitional beds for homeless veterans; beds which are eligible for per diem and service funds from the VA. Canganelli said this shows there is new funding available once the shelter becomes operational. Canganelli said Shelter House is in initial discussions with UIHC for beds that would be occupied by patients discharged from the hospital. Shelter House is hoping for increased investment from the United Way, and continues to do fundraising. A $700,000 endowment was established for supportive services (a new funding stream) as well as a $100,000 endowment for operating, which must be significantly increased in a short period of time. Richman noted that this was a fairly large funding request. He asked what Shelter House's options were for filling in holes in the budget if HCDC could not fund the full request. Canganelli said the Capital Campaign Committee is working on raising the funds and are moving forward with additional grant writing. Canganelli said that it would far exceed their dreams to have $300,000 in funds awarded as she knows CDBG has already invested $230,000 in the project. Canganelli said they simply felt it was necessary to come back and request funding because this project has been put off for over four years due to legal obstacles. Canganelli said that Shelter House has persevered and made good faith progress toward moving forward with the support of a tremendous amount of people. Canganelli said one result of the legal battles is that they have been essentially dropped in HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION FEBRUARY 19, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CI"I'Y PUBLIC 1LIBRARY Page 20 of 25 the middle of an entirely different economic environment than was faced four years ago. Canganelli feels that momentum and progress is necessary at this time and that is why Shelter House is coming back before the Commission. Richman asked if there was a minimum amount that makes the project work. Canganelli said the Board is quite conservative fiscally and wants pledges for $3.5 million before breaking ground. A $300,000 commitment from CDBG would put Shelter House at just under $2 million, with approximately $1.5 remaining to fundraise. Drum said that he should probably know, but asked what legal issues had been facing the Shelter House. Canganelli said that the legal issues focused on the use of the land. In 2004, Shelter House was awarded a special exception in order to build a shelter on the land. Interested parties/impacted neighbors appealed to the Board of Adjustment. Canganelli said that what has ensued has been a timeline of over four years of litigation culminating in an Iowa Supreme Court decision in Shelter House's favor. Canganelli said there; are now residual lawsuits, but they do not in and of themselves create an impediment to proceeding with construction. McMurray asked if one of the major construction projects being taken on by Shelter House had priority over the other. Canganelli said that they see the projects as separate and as building off of one another in reinforcing the organization as a whole. Canganelli said that a new facility will not only provide better living quarters but will also help to provide better services and skills training. The other project will allow Shelter House to take their services to the next level. NCJC-Facility Rehabilitation: Brian Loring Loring said that the actual request for funding is for $37,600, not the $26,615 listed in the application. Hightshoe said that she would have to confirm with legal staff if HCDC could consider an amount higher than what was identified on the application. Loring apologized, saying that he had been out of the office for surgery just prior to completing the application and had somehow messed up the numbers for the budget when he submitted the form. Loring said that some of the things on this year's request are the same items that were on last year's request. He said that in terms of priorities they would really like to get to replace the deck at the Broadway Street location. Loring said that there are two classrooms on the main level of the building and off the classrooms is the deck, which when replaced and slightly extended will become very usable space. Loring said that John Rothman Construction provided the estimates for the projects. He said that the agency does have a capital reserve budget. There has been a bit of difficulty this year with childcare reimbursements and the agency is running a bit of a deficit at this time; however there is enough in capital reserves to handle the match. Long said that he would ask the City Attorney's office whether there was any leeway in changing the application amounts, but that they were generally pretty strict with that kind of thing. CMHC -Facility Rehabilitation: Sherri Zastrow Zastrow said the agency is located in four old buildings on the corners of Van Buren and College Streets. The application requests funding to replace the asphalt in the alley between the "club HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION FEBRUARY 19, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC ]LIBRARY Page 21 of 25 house," where folks with chronic mental illness can go for socialization and skill building, and the psychiatry/therapy buildings. Zastrow said the agency sees all ages from children to the elderly and has a lot of traffic in and out. About 2,200 clients are seen each year, which rounds to about 22,000 face to face visits, to give an idea of the amount of foot traffic. Zastrow said that the alley has a lot of trip hazards, especially in the winter as the uneven surface makes plowing difficult. Zastrow said they wish to replace the alleyway and part of the driveway behind 507 E. College Street. Zastrow explained that the alleyways are the responsibility of the property owner even though they are public thoroughfares for anyone to drive on. Zastrow said that the other project is to replace windows in the 125 year old corner building to help with drafts that have resulted from the uneven settling of the building. Shaw asked if the two projects were listed in priority order and Zastrow said that they were. Zastrow said she was very concerned that someone would fall on the uneven alleyway surface. There were no further questions for the applicant. First Mennonite Church -Home Ties Addition: Diane Funk Diane Funk introduced herself as representing First Mennonite Church and introduced the Director of Home Ties daycare as Jan. Funk said that this is an addition to a.dd 1,600 square feet to the church in order to provide a large group room, storage area, kitchen and handicap accessible bathrooms. The addition is necessary because the church has grown dramatically and needs additional space. Funk said that the church houses Home Ties Daycare in its basement free of charge, a donation equivalent to more than $56,000 per year when rent, utilities, building maintenance, janitorial services and paper products are taken into account. The church community has already committed $160,000 to the project, for a building that will be used entirely by the daycare. Richman asked how this addition will affect the organization's budget. Funk said there will be no increased costs to the daycare, only the church. Funk said the church is committed to taking these additional costs on. The Director of Home Ties informed the Commission that Home Ties provides up to three months of free childcare for homeless and low-income families, and is the only center of their kind in the state. She said they provide childcare during the day so that parents can go out and find housing, employment, go to court, school or other appointments. The families receive a boost because their children are being appropriately cared for, have age-appropriate programming, nutritious meals and well-qualified teachers. This is one 'way Home Ties helps families get on their feet and on their way to self-sufficiency. Drum said that he understood there was a security element to the needs in the application. Funk said that the doors are locked and the doorbell has to be rung. This sometimes results in doors being left unlocked by church members using the church because it is an inconvenience to them as they go in HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMEN"t COMMISSION FEBRUARY 19, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 22 of 25 and out of the building. Home Ties collaborates with MECCA and UAY, and receives children from DVIP and Shelter House. Hightshoe noted that Home Ties is actually run by 4 C's (Community Coordinated Child Care, and not by the church (no religious affilia.tion). The Director of Home Ties quickly pointed out that nevertheless Home Ties would not exist without the church's support, which is where the program began in 1995, and has been housed ever since. There were no further questions for the applicant. MECCA -Facility Rehabilitation: Ron Berg Berg said that MECCA is requesting a package of three separate projects: 1) upgrading the keypad system currently in place for the transitional housing units to a card swipe system and a door intercom system, 2) aclosed-circuit TV system to monitor the entrance to the transitional housing units, 3) upgrading the security sensor system on the windows of the residential treatment facility. Berg said that all cost estimates came from Johnson Controls, the current vendor that MECCA uses for security needs. Berg said that MECCA is aware that the federal labor provisions do apply. He said MECCA is constantly scouring for grant opportunities and would be willing to contribute from its general operating funds. McKay asked if it was possible to separate the card swipe system form the video monitoring system. Berg said they are currently separate. Drum asked if other vendors were consulted. Berg said they had not yet as this vendor has been reliable and is typically pretty close t:o the bids of other vendors. Shaw asked if the requests were in priority order, and Berg said they were. McKay said he had intended to ask if the card access and the door intercom could be separated from one another, getting by with just the card swipe system. Berg said that doing so would not achieve the security objective. McMurray asked what the window tampering involved. Berg said currently there is a sensor on the outside of the window that is surface mounted whose function can be interrupted in ingenious ways. This has sometimes led to prohibited items entering the facility. There were no further questions for t:he applicant. DVIP-Facility Rehabilitation: Kristie Doser Doser said that DVIP is in its ]6`h year at its current location and has served over 5,000 women and children. Doser said that DVIP has Hooked to HCDC for various renovations and repairs for the building. Doser said that the 16-year old air conditioners are hitting the end of their lifespan, and will likely fail completely if not replaced sometime in the next two years. Doser said that the air conditioners really struggled last year, and that they expect to have to replace a minimum of two this year. Doser joked that it is unwise to take air conditioning away from people in crisis. Doser said that DVIP will be doing fundraising for this project. She noted that 42% of clients come from Iowa City and 67% of them come from Johnson County. HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPIvIENT COMMISSION FEBRUARY 19, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 23 of 25 Doser said that DVIP allocates a minimum of $20,000 annually for capital reserves. Doser said that they understood that over the last four or five years DVIP has requested smaller items, but that CBDG is one of the few funding sources for this type of funding. DVIP is aware of the Davis-Bacon requirements and it is an important part of how they have done such work in the past. McMurray asked if each unit was about $3,000. Doser explained that unit prices are based on the layout of the building and how the ductwork was set up. Different sized units are required for different parts of the building. Doser said that there are two different bids within the application: one has a longer warranty period and is therefore more expensive. Richman asked how old the current air conditioning units are. Doser said they are original to the building, 16 years. Drum noted that last year's allocation was for a security fence. He said that he noticed that not only is the new fence not up, but the old one is even worse and he wondered why that was not taken care of. Doser said that the building flooded in July, and by the time they returned to the space it was late October. Because of the weather.and the fact that the children would not be using it over the winter, they put it off until spring. Doser said that she appreciated Drum asking that as she would hate for that to have been a concern that had been left unaddressed. There were no further questions for the applicant. Arc of Southeast Iowa -Facility Rehabilitation: Bill Reagan Regan said that the application request is for new floor covering for the upper level of the building. Reagan said that Arc has had experience implementing Davis-Bacon, and would be able to proceed with partial funding. Reagan said that the upper level is divided into an east wing of primarily offices and a west wing of higher client and community traffic. Reagan said that with partial funding Arc would just do the west wing. Drum said it seemed to him that the east carpet was in far worse shape than the west side. Reagan said that was correct, but that because that was where the offices were, they would replace the side that had more programming. There were no further questions for the applicant. United Action for Youth -Facility Rehabilitation: Jim Swaim Jim Swaim introduced himself as the director of UAY. Swaim said all three properties owned by UAY on Iowa Avenue were supported by CBDG funds. Swaim said the application is to fund repairs at 422 Iowa Avenue. A community volunteer group has offered to paint the building if UAY can supply the paint. Estimates for the paint were derived from two paint contractors. McMurray asked if lead would be a concern with the paint conditions. Hightshoe said that is only a concern for residential properties. Swaim said that all lead paint had been removed when the property was acquired. Swaim said that the steps also need to be replaced, and a contractor had given him a verbal estimate for that. Swaim said that when windows at their property on 410 Iowa Avenue were replaced, UAY was required to use windows that fit the State Historic Preservation Office guidelines. At that time, HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION FEBRUARY 19, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 24 of 25 UAY used Adams Architectural Windows out of Eldridge. To derive the current estimate, the same pricing data was used. Swaim said that quite honestly he is embarrassed by that building. He said after the floods of 1993- 1994, UAY was eligible for a group of dislocated workers to do work on the building through a federally funded grant. I-le said the work was never done very well, and he is not exactly proud of its appearance. Swaim said that funds had been set aside for some of this work, but at Thanksgiving they had a catastrophic failure of their furnace and air conditioning units. There were no further questions for the applicant. Hightshoe noted that she would e-mail Commissioners the ranking and allocation forms in excel format on February 20`". They are due by Feb. 27. If a Commissioner prefers a paper copy, they need just let her know. There were no further questions for the applicant. ADJOURNMENT: Shaw motioned to adjourn. Crane seconded. The motion passed 8-0 (Douglas absent). The meeting was adjourned at 9:15 p.m. c O .N W .~ O U c as 'a L d ~~ C ~ 7 ~ ~4 0 U off .y 7 O N °' N x x o x x x x x x j Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z N x o x x o x o x x - o o o o o 0 0 0 0 max w , rn , rn , rn , rn , rn , rn , rn , rn , rn 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 N U - N ~ C •~ ~ ~ ~ L ~ ~ '~ N > ~ ~ Q (0 V m ~ fn ~ vi t U o _ ~ ~ (~ Z ~ U N ~ O 0 ~ ~ (p 2 U ~ U ~ ,U ~ ~ (n ~, ~, X C }, W ~ N ~ ~ C N ~Na~~cv a Q ~ Z Q Z II II II II II a wg ; Yxooz ; U;f-1L-Uy IP11 MINUTES PRELIMINARY HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2009 EMMA J. HARVAT HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Esther Baker, William Downing, Lindsay Bunting Eubanks, Carl Hirschman, Pam Michaud, Jim Ponto, Ginalie Swaim, Alicia Trimble, Frank Wagner MEMBERS ABSENT: Thomas Baldridge STAFF PRESENT: Christina Kuecker, Robert Anderson OTHERS PRESENT: Helen Burford, Tim Toomey CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Bunting Eubanks called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. She welcomed Hirschman as the new Longfellow District representative. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANYTHING NOT ON THE AGENDA: There was none. CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS: 1033 Woodlawn Avenue. Kuecker showed photographs of the house as it is currently and showed what the applicant proposes. She said the applicant proposes to remove the double window and replace it with two taller windows that are more evenly spaced. Kuecker said the applicant also proposes to take the taller window and move it eight inches to the left and eight inches higher to accommodate a kitchen remodeling. She showed windows on the back side where the applicant proposes to remove and replace the windows. Kuecker said she found previous files from an addition on the house that shows that the windows to be replaced were actually replacement windows from the early 1990s. She said this proposal is therefore not altering the historic fabric of the house and is in fact probably bringing it back closer to what it was like before the 1990s alteration. Kuecker said that the guidelines allow for the replacement of deteriorated windows. She stated that the deterioration of these windows is questionable, but since these are replacement windows this is probably a good call. Kuecker said staff recommends approval of this project with the conditions that the windows must be either solid wood or metal-clad, solid wood double hung windows, with either true divided lights or simulated divided lights with muntin k~ars adhered to both sides of the glass but not with snap in muntin bars; if metal-clad wood windows are used, the sash color shall be dark to match the existing windows; and that any siding repair or replacement necessary must match the existing siding in dimension, profile, and material. Toomey said that he represents the homeowner. He said the owner had a question as to whether there could be an alternative option for the windows. Toomey distributed specifications of the alternative window. He said that one is as one would expect, but the other is that the two sashes are different sizes. Toomey said the owner wants to know if that is a possible option, to have that second window as an option. Bunting Eubanks asked which window the owner wants to change. Toomey said it would be all the new windows. Bunting Eubanks asked if it would be the same style but a different size. Toomey responded that it is a different proportion from the bottom sash to the top. He said the owner isn't set one way or the other but wanted to know if that could be a possible option. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes Page 2 Michaud asked how many and if they would be shorter than the proposed windows. Toomey replied that they are not shorter than the proposed windows - it is the proportion between the two sashes that is different. Kuecker said the owner would like to have the option of either having the top sash and bottom sash be the same size or having the top sash be shorter and the bottom sash be taller. She said it would be the same window openings. Downing asked if there is a reason for the wanting the second window. Toomey said he did not know what the reason would be. He said the owner likes them and wanted to know if that could be an option. Downing said the free air opening at its maximum would actually be smaller Bunting Eubanks asked Kuecker for her opinion. Kuecker responded that without knowing exactly what was in the area of the house prior to the previous window replacement it is hard to know for sure, but more common would be the even sized top and bottom sash. She said, however, that this is in the back of the house, and because it is bringing it closer to what it was originally, that it could probably be approved within the guidelines. Swaim said that she would encourage the owner to go with the same sized sashes. Toomey said that he has been encouraging that, but he is representing the owner and is throwing the option out there. Swaim added that in the end the house is going to look better, and no one will have to wonder about why they are different in the future. Ponto asked Toomey if he could salvage the siding and reuse it. Toomey stated that if he breaks it up, he'll salvage it; he said that any new siding would be cedar siding. Wagner said that they should make sure that the exterior trim is as shown in the photos and matches the trim on the rest of the windows. Kuecker said that because metal clad windows are paintable but are rarely painted, it is her opinion that if the windows are replaced with a metal clad that is white, it would look out of place on the house. Toomey said the owner has not picked a manufacturer yet, but if they use metal clad, it would be black, as all the sashes on the house are traditional black. Bunting Eubanks asked for opinions on giving the owner the option of which windows to use. Swaim said that she is only one person but thinks the evenly divided windows would be better into the future. MOTION: Ponto moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the application for 1033 Woodlawn Avenue as presented with the following conditions: the windows must be either solid wood or metal-clad, solid wood double hung windows, with either true divided lights or simulated divided lights with muntin bars adhered to both sides of the glass, but not with snap in muntin bars; if metal-clad, solid wood windows are used, the sash color shall be dark to match the existing windows; any siding repair or replacement necessary must match the existing siding in dimension, profile, and material; and that the owner has the option to use the windows with uneven top and bottom sashes, but with strong encouragement to use the evenly divided windows top and bottom and with the trim around the windows as shown in the illustration, particularly the mullion separation between the two windows. Hirschman seconded the motion. Ponto said that this will look a whole lot better. Toomey said he agreed, especially for the side with the crank out windows and sliders. The motion carried on a vote of 9-0. VIRTUAL FORUM UPDATE: Bunting Eubanks said that the Commission is putting together a forum to be broadcast on television to showcase the guidelines so that homeowners know what is expected of them. Kuecker said that she put this on the agenda to give an update and to suggest an extension of the date for broadcast. Kuecker Historic Preservation Commission Minutes Page 3 suggested changing the date to the :?6th of March. She thought that would still be in time for people planning their summer home projects. Kuecker said that the PowerPoint presentation is 98% complete. She said that invitations and postcards to send to contractors are done. Kuecker said that she has the letter drafted with addresses for those who live in historic districts and was just waiting for the date. Bunting Eubanks said that the room should be reserved as soon as possible if the date is changed. Kuecker said she would make arrangements for that. Bunting Eubanks said that the main purpose of the forum is to answer questions and show the slide presentation, including examples of historic styles in Iowa City and discussing what would require historic review and what does not. Kuecker said the program will be broadcast live on the City's cable channel, will be streamed live on the website, and people will be invited to attend in person. Bunting Eubanks said that the date change sounds reasonable to her. She said she hopes having the information out there will save Kuecker and the Commission a lot of work. Bunting Eubanks asked Commission members to let people know that the new date will be March 26th CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES FOF; JANUARY 8, 2009. MOTION: Swaim moved to approves the minutes of the Commission's January 8, 2009 meeting, as written. Baker seconded the motion. _The motion carried on a vote of 9-0. OTHER Kuecker said she had distributed the a-mail from Burford about Don Poe. She said she also distributed an a-mail from the State Historical Society, which is taking nominations for "Preservation at its Best" awards. Kuecker said that if anyone had or knew of a project that would be worth nominating, they should let her know. Bunting Eubanks asked if the awards had to be for a recent project. Kuecker said that she would find out. She suggested Commission members let her know of projects and she will contact the property owners. Burford, of Friends of Historic Preservation, said she had wondered if there was a way to promote being sustainable community and how historic preservation is a part of that. She said that there was a project in Des Moines that was a sustainable renovation for a historic house. Burford said that the first sustainable energy star house was actually in Iowa City. She said that it is located by Finkbine. Burford said that with more and more focus on energy savings and making buildings sustainable, there are lots of things that Poe's group does. She said that even though they talk about new windows, it is the physics of what happens with induction, drafts, and fixing leaks that pertains to all windows. Burford said these are all things that are applicable to an older home. Burford said that what they actually advocate for is the same thing that one would want people to understand in historic preservation. Burford said this is a way to parlay the historic preservation guidelines to be something that is a benefit and good for the environment and friendly rather than something that is antagonistic. Bunting Eubanks said that she would like to have input on this for the virtual forum, because each slide is about a minute on why this guideline or why that guideline. She said that energy efficiency could be included in the section on windows. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes Page 4 Burford said that Poe is hungry to learn those kinds of things. She said that the Commission would bring a lot of legitimacy to what it would be saying if it was able to sit down and share certain kinds of repairs. Burford said that then when he speaks about it, it helps him to have another way of explaining how there is a way to repair or restore something to be a sustainable building. Swaim said that a recent National Trust issue had a long article about the greening of historic preservation. Bunting Eubanks asked Burford if Friends of Historic Preservation would be sponsoring a forum with Poe as a speaker. Burford replied that Friends wants to do something like that. She said the Commission might want to have input in how it is done and what sort of things to talk about. Burford said that in terms of energy savings, insulation is a huge topic. She said that the repair of windows is another issue. Burford said that there are new products, and there has to be some sort of weighing of whether what is done is worth it. She said that vinyl windows are one example of something that doesn't work. Swaim said she thinks it is great that Friends is planning to do something like this. She stated that this seems to be kind of new ground, and since Poe is not up to speed with what the Commission is thinking, maybe all the Commission can do is make suggestions. Porto said that except for windows, everything else Burford is mentioning isn't really part of what the Commission does. Hirschman said that in general, there are a lot of people who are scared to do those things. He said that getting people comfortable that a historic home doesn't have to be an energy pit is an important thing to encourage. Porto agreed but said that most of the issues relate to the interior of a house. Burford discussed geothermal and said that it is probably the most efficient way to use energy. She said that at some point, historic preservation should also take into consideration saving older structures that are threatened by high heating bills when it is not feasible to insulate them effectively. Swaim said that she agrees with what: Burford has to say but feels that a role the Commission should not play is being part of this presentation. Swaim said the whole area of this is too new and undefined. She said that maybe a round table discussion or forum could be held with Poe, and a couple of contractors could discuss old houses and the obstacles and successes involved with them. Swaim said that if the Commission is involved in something other than encouraging the discussion, she thinks the public could get the message that this is what the Commission is all about, and the Commission hasn't discussed many of these issues yet. Bunting Eubanks said that would be her concern -that he would suggest a specific thing and it would be something that the guidelines disallowed or hasn't been tested. Swaim said that what he is trying to do is give out information, and what the Commission does is to regulate and make decisions. She said that those things are too confusing to try to do at the same presentation. Hirschman suggested that might be how a forum would work, with a group of panelists from the Historic Preservation Commission on an unofficial basis but having background knowledge. He said then that information could be used in the future so that future applicants or people with questions can have more resources and information. Porto said that if Poe has some specific information that is appropriate, he could make a short presentation first, and then it could go into the forum. Michaud said that if he proposed some new material that is not in the guidelines, people will be upset with the Commission's restrictions. She suggested that be covered beforehand. Bunting Eubanks said that anything on the interior would be acceptable. Bunting Eubanks said the Commission appreciates the work that Friends of Historic Preservation does. Burford said, regarding the other a-mail, that there will be space at the library on February 21S' from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to work on research for Manville Heights. She said that everyone is welcome to attend, and the actual City records will be available in the room. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes Page 5 Michaud said that she went to the Johnson County Administration Building, and they had a lot more records on the houses from 1950 forward that filled in a lot of the blanks. She said the documents were accessible, even though they might be past the relevant dates. Kuecker said that a lot of volunteers have not yet turned in their information, so it's hard to tell how much work is left. Kuecker said that reminder a-mails have been sent out, and she has heard from some of the volunteers. Kuecker said that if there are not enough volunteers, then she and Anderson and other people in their office and Svendsen will fill in the blanks where needed. Burford said that there are several activists, from the Longfellow Neighborhood in particular, who have contacted her with concerns that both the Longfellow and Horace Mann Schools are threatened. Burford said that Longfellow is in a historic district and Horace Mann is not, and she wondered if the Commission would want to discuss actions that might be taken. Ponto said that he was at the Horace Mann meeting held by Dr. Lane Plugge, the Superintendent of Schools. He said that basically what nt comes down to is that since the SILO was passed and the school district is getting the tax, five years of money has been committed to different areas and different schools, including building new schools. Ponto said that the old schools, including Roosevelt, Longfellow, Mann, and Lincoln, really have no money designated for those schools in the next five years for any major projects. Ponto said Plugge stated that the plan is not to close these schools; there just have not been any decisions yet. Ponto stated that audience members asked when the decision would be made and speculated that the school district would let the buildings deteriorate to the point where they are too far gone. He said that there are a lot of parents and residents where these local, neighborhood schools are located who are very upset and are writing letters to the School Board. Ponto said that Roosevelt apparently has some structural and envelope problems with water, etc. He said that the other schools are apparently in pretty good shape structurally, but they aren't handicapped accessible and have some other issues. Ponto said that if there would be an addition to Horace Mann, for example to add library space and some other things, at that point the building would have to come up to code on everything, and that would be very expensive. He said that structurally some of the schools are sound and could stand for another 90 years. Bunting Eubanks asked if there is anything the Commission could do, particularly for Longfellow. Kuecker said that Longfellow is within the Longfellow Historic District. Kuecker said that the Longfellow building is protected by the historic preservation guidelines and cannot be torn down without approval. She said that Horace Mann is not in any sort of district and is not a local landmark. Kuecker said that a conservation or historic district could be created including Horace Mann, but more than likely, the School Board would not support that designation. Downing said the issue is not so much preserving the building so much for its exterior but more an issue of preserving the building for its function. Kuecker agreed that it is not just the building that is important to the neighborhood but is having a neighborhood school that the residents' children can walk to and that gives them a sense of community. Ponto stated that a consultant looked at all the schools and the condition of the schools. He said that one of the comments about Horace Mann was that the library was too small compared to other schools in the district and the school needed more small classroom space. Ponto said that it would be difficult to do that in the existing footprint, and someonE; suggested an addition to the building. He said it was then stated that the cost of an addition would involve bringing the whole building up to code. Kuecker said that the Commission could send a letter to the School Board. Bunting Eubanks said that the Commission's aim is not to just preserve the building but also the history of it, and if a building functions as a school, perhaps it adds to the historic authenticity of the neighborhood to keep it functioning as a school. Michaud said that a school is a community center and is invaluable in maintaining strong neighborhoods. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes Page 6 Kuecker said she has done a lot of research on this and could draft a letter for the Commission's approval. Hirschman stated that from the City's perspective, especially in the Longfellow Neighborhood, the elementary school drives the property values there. He said there it drives a higher neighborhood value, which is tied to the City tax assessments, which is tied to the City's funding, which ties into school funding. Wagner said that more homes in the North Side Neighborhood have been converted back to single-family homes, and he suspected that the student population of Horace Mann has or will grow. Ponto said that right now there is not enough capacity in the district buildings to close an elementary school so that this issue relates to five years or more in the future. He stated, however, that some of the older schools will need maintenance for five years, and if nothing is done, they start getting to the point where they will be expensive to save. Kuecker suggested Commission members a-mail any ideas to Kuecker so that they can be incorporated into the letter to the School Board. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 7:05 p.m. Minutes submitted by Anne Schulte c O .y _N .~ 'a L U ~ c ~ o Q, as ago ~ N d "a tl1 C L ~ as .` 0 rn N o x x x x x :~ x x x x x x x x x x x x ~ `~ H W ~ rn N M rn rn N M o rn N M ~ rn N M .- rn N M rn o rn N M o ~ rn N M rn 0 rn N M o rn N M rn 0 rn N M ~ Z d -p •~ ~ m y Y m ~ C c 3 O to Y ~ d W C fC E ~ ~ S ~ ~ V ~ $ C a E ~ fn d ~ ~ H ~ c l~6 N N 7 U X W }, c c ~ ~ y ~ ~ N ~ Q a Q n >' II II W YXOO