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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-03-10 Correspondence^~'_,-.-r,®~ CITY QF IOWA CITY. 4f(1 ~ui~~`~ E1VI~ R Date: February 26, 2009 To: City Clerk and City Council From: Darian Nagle-Gamm, JCCOG Traffic Engineering Planner Re: Item for March 10th, 2009 City Council meeting; Installation of PARALLEL PARKING ONLY signs on the north side of B'jaysville Lane east of Dubuque Street and NO PARKING CORNER TO HERE signs at the intersection of B'jaysville lane and the private driveway on the north side of the road. As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 3B of the City Code, this is to advise the City Council of the following action: Action: Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A(10, 13), Install PARALLEL PARKING ONLY signs on the north side of B'jaysville Lane east of Dubuque Street and NO PARKING CORNER TO HERE signs at the intersection of B'jaysville lane and the private driveway on the north side of the road. Comment: This action is being taken to clarify that vehicles must be parked parallel to the travel lane to improve mobility on B'jaysville Lane. This action is also being taken to improve sight distance and accessibility for the residents of the private drive on the north side of B'jaysville Lane. Site visits have found vehicles parked consistently both parallel and perpendicular to the travel lane and vehicles partially blocking the private drive entrance. Mgr/agdld ng-bj ayvillparking. doc FHB 2 7 ?~~9 4f 2 Marian Karr From: WalkerCL04@aol.com Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 2:24 PM To: Council Cc: Michael Lombardo Subject: Why does the city allow the senior center to close on holidays? To the entire city council: I sent an email to the City Manager on 2/15/09 to ask a serious simple question about the senior center that I would like answered. Here is what I asked: "Mr. Lombardo, why does the city allow the senior center to close on holidays when other city facilities are allowed to be open? The salaried staff there could use some scheduling flexibility which would allow the senior center to be open without any additional labor costs. " Instead of replying to me, he forwarded my question to the senior center manager. Her response is shown below. However, I had already asked the senior center manager about it and she replied (her first reply is also shown below). I was asking the city manager about it since he is the supervisor for the senior center manager. I assume he reviews what she decides to do there. I would like to know if the city manager and the city council approves of the decision made by Linda Kopping to close the senior center on holidays when the recreation center, the aquatic center, and the library are open? No phone calls, I am asking for a reply in writing, preferably by email. Very sincerely, Charlotte Walker 320 S. Dubuque Street Iowa City, IA 52240 In a message dated 2/20/2009 1:36:49 P.M. Central Standard Time, Linda-Kopping@iowa- city.org writes: Charlotte: This message was forwarded to me for a response The senior center administrative staff is not asked to work holidays for several reasons. 1. Providing time off on the actual holiday allows employees to spend the holiday with family and friends who also have the day off. This is common practice in most city departments. 2. Closing the Center for a holiday allows all the staff to be present during the regular work week when their work can be carried out more effectively and when the facility is busier with Center programming and 2/24/2009 Page 2 of 3 services. 3. Asking administrative staff to fulfill reception or building supervisor duties is not effective use of staff and takes away work time that should be spent on regular responsibilities. 4. Opening the building on holidays would increase routine cleaning demands on the maintenance staff and in the event something happens, e.g. a door is stuck open or a fuse trips, they would need to be called in and paid in accordance with the AFSCME contract. Unless the staffing at the Center increases, this policy is unlikely to change. Linda Kopping From: Citizen Feedback [mailto:walkerc104@aol.com] Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2009 12:47 PM To: @feedback Subject: ICgov.org -Citizen Feedback The following information was submitted: Subject: Inquiry Message: I sent an email to the City Manager on 2/15/09 to ask a serious simple question that I would like answered. Here is what I asked: "Mr. Lombardo, why does the city allow the senior center to close on holidays when other city facilities are allowed to be open? The salaried staff there could use some scheduling flexibility which would allow the senior center to be open without any additional labor costs." Citizen Information Name: Charlotte Walker Company: Retired senior citizen Address: 320 S. Dubuque St. # 211 (home) Iowa City IA 52240 Phone #: no calls (home) E-Mail: walkerc104@aol.com Submitted from htt~~ a/www. icg_ov.or~/defau It//~pslserviceCenter/feedback.asg previously Linda wrote about this subject: In a message dated 1/22/2009 10:41:37 A.M. Central Standard Time, Linda-Kopping@iowa- city.org writes: Charlotte: I understand that while I was away from the office last week you had some questions related to the Center closing for the Martin Luther King Holiday. 2/24/2009 Page 3 of 3 Hopefully I can provide some clarification related to this practice. The city's administrative offices close on all observed holidays. This includes the administrative offices at the Library, Parks and Recreation, and the Center. Due to the fact that staff at Parks and Recreation and the Library are significantly larger than the Senior Center's staff, they have a lot more options when it comes to offering services on observed holidays. For example, Parks and Recreation open their facilities by using part-time temporary personal who do not receive holiday time. The Library reduces their hours of operation and utilizes a mix of part-time and full-time employees. At this time, the Senior Center does not have any part-time temporary staff members who could fulfill a supervisory role or any money allocated in the budget to pay holiday time. As for the decision to open or close the noon meal program, that is made independent of the operation of the Senior Center. The previous site manager made the decision to close the meal program whenever the Center closed. The new site manager has reversed this decision and now makes decisions independent of the Center about whether or not to close the program for weather related reasons. In either case, the Center has never made decisions about the operation of the meal program. Please let me know if you need additional information. Thank you, Linda Get a jump start on your taxes. Find a tax_professional_n your neighborhood today. 2/24/2009 4f 3 Marian Karr From: Dr. Gary Filosa II [filosa2@att.net] Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 9:08 AM To: Council Subject: street collapsing Dear Madame Mayor, One of your predescessor's name, Ernest Lehman, is still listed as Mayor on the intenet. I wish to report two of the large concrete slabs composing a street are sinking in front of the southern end of the 415 Sourh Van Buren apartment complex. Furher north on Van Buren about a football length in from Burlington, the roadway itself is also sinking. Sincerely, Dr, Gary Fairmont Filosa II f j l o s a.@ a_..t t.._n e t 2/24/2009 ~~=16~~ ~4f~4~ February 13, 2009 Dear Iowa City Council, My name is Peter Ziegenhorn and I am a student at City High School. I am doing a project for my Local Government class about the impact of Wal-Mart of our community. I would like to share my findings with you and share with you my opinion about how the Iowa City Council should deal with Wal-Mart in the future. The main idea of what I found for pro's and con's on the Super Wal-Mart issue is that people strongly like the prices and convenience but people also dislike the bad benefits to employees and the effect it will have on local businesses. I also interviewed members of the community about what they thought about Wal-Mart. The pros and con's evened out on the end. But morally the con's are important and my opinion that should make things go from evened out to tipping the metaphorical scale on the con side. One thing I learned that you as members of the City Council can do is use the power of eminent domain. Eminent domain says that government can take land forma private person for the common good. Begs the question why, can't citizens do the same? Meaning the land Wal-Mart would use could be used for the common good, like a park, rather then for private profit. This helps a city maintain a neighborhood. I hope you think about my suggestions next time an issue like this come up. Thank you very much for your time. Sincerely, ~A,~,~ ~~.~~,,,,.96'.o'vz Peter Ziegenhorn -.- ~:3OPf'~ FES 2 5 ?~J~J9 j 4f 5 Marian Karr From: Kathryn Johansen Sent: Monday, February 23, 2009 3:22 PM To: 'caitlin-lombardo@uiowa.edu' Cc: 'City Council; Dave Elias Subject: RE: A question from The Daily Iowan Hello Caitlin: Thank you for your email to the City Council. Your message will be received by Council as official correspondence on the consent agenda at the Council meeting scheduled on March 10, 2009. Please note your email has been directed to Mr. Dave Elias, Superintendent of the Wastewater Division, for response. Thanks again for writing, Caitlin. Sincerely, Kathi Johansen Administrative Assistant to the City Manager 319 356-5010 -----Original Message----- From: Lombardo, Caitlin M [mailto:] Sent: Monday, February 23, 2009 2:51 PM To: Council Subject: A question from The Daily Iowan Just wondering who I could ask about complaints made to the City Council regarding the odor from the landfill. Any info is helpful! Caitlin Lombardo Metro Reporter The Daily Iowan Office: 319.335.6063 Cell: 712.310.5083 1 4f 6 Marian Karr From: david gurwell [gurwell@mchsi.com] Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 6:38 PM To: Council Subject: Public Comment Roosevelt school This correspondence will become a public record. I work for the school district. I understand reluctance to comment on issues close to your bread and butter. I almost didn't write. Please don't think poorly of me for writing. ~~ I read the article in the paper today Council supports letter about Roosevelt." I believe that the council should and has made a public comment on this community issue after reading today's article. Thank you. Until it was recently announced that a school district facility plan included closing Roosevelt Elementary School no published documents stated that closing any school was in a district operations facility plan. On the Roosevelt issue our public employees are authorized to make present options and make decisions. They can change plans unexpectedly which is why public commentary is so important. In this case time is of the essence. The district can with a full examination of available data offer a plan with less negative impact on budget and community. Facility managers have data to use in detailing a comprehensive long range facility plan. Please continue as public leaders to encourage other public leaders to speak out on all public issues. I want that from my public official. David Gurwell 2110 Prairie du Chien Rd Iowa City, Iowa 2/24/2009 Marian Karr From: Poe, Marshall [marshall-poe@uiowa.edu] Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2009 8:15 AM To: Council Subject: Schools As a residents of the Northside neighborhood with two children, I strongly urge the city council to send a letter of concern to the IC school board re possible school. closings. We appreciate the efforts of the school board, but we would like a much more thorough investigation of all the options before any decision is made on closings or further "deferred maintenance. We think that Mann is a vital part of our neighborhood. I'm sure the people who live around Roosevelt believe it, too, is an important part of their community. I should also say that we are worried about the further intrusion of absentee landlords (and the students to whom they rent) in Northside. Nearly all houses west of N. Linn and south of Fairchild are rentals and in bad repair. They are honestly a blight. If Mann is closed, families will not want to move into Northside, and their will be further erosion of the community. We moved here because of Mann; and we would not have if Mann were closed. Warmest Regards, and With Thanks for Your Work, Marshall Poe and Julianna Tymoczko 416 N. Linn Iowa City, IA Page 1 of 1 Marian Karr From: david wieseneck [davineck@hotmail.com] Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2009 12:04 PM To: Council Subject: school closings Dear Council, I am writing to express my appreciation of those council members voting to send a unified position letter to the school board regarding neighborhood school closings. I share the perspective that losing neighborhood schools can deeply and negatively effect the dynamic of our town. As a parent of a future Horace Mann student, as a homeowner near the school, and as a Northside small business owner I have concerns about many potential repercussions of school closings. I disagree strongly with the assertion that this is not a City Council issue; a// changes to the face of Iowa City are the responsibilities of the sitting board. I plead with the remaining members to reconsider their passive stance on this issue. Thank you. David Wieseneck 818 N. Linn Street and owner of The Motley Cow Cafe Windows Liver'": Discover 10 secrets about the new Windows Live. View post. 2/26/2009 4f 7 Marian Karr From: Jon Kimmel [jonkimmel@gmail.com] Sent: Friday, February 27, 2009 12:05 PM To: Council Subject: Fwd: Litter ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Jon Kimmel <ionkimmel(a~~mail.conl> Date: Thu, Feb 26, 2009 at 3:06 PM Subject: Litter To: rosy Wilburn cr owa-city.org Council Members, Have any policies been drawn-up to encourage (require) bars and restaurants to provide outdoor ashtrays yet? Having no more indoor smoking has been great, but now cigarette butts litter the area immediately outside of numerous downtown establishments. The amount of cigarette-related litter I have encountered in front of many of these places is shocking. In front of more than one place, for example, the number of cigarette butts is quite literally well over a thousand. It would greatly improve the appearance of our city, and be yet another step in the right direction, if something could be implemented. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and please feel free to contact me if you have any information to provide. Jonathan Kimmel 2/27/2009 ~- o~ ~f ~ y ~ ,~~~/~~ ~ ~~ 4f 8 J 2 ~~'~ ~~'~ ~s ~ ~~ Qi~- ~~ ~o5~~e~ ~~° -~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~ Tbi° ~ ~b, ~~ ~~ ~ S _ ~~ ~ ~ I ~ ~ ~~ ,~ i s~ ~~ ~~~ ~D 1/ / ~ `/ t 'l! ^ ~~~~ 34~~~~ ~ ,~ ~ ~ ~~ b phi~?~~~-~~~~7 ~ ~ l~ ,~;,t. ~-1 ~ ~ 3; ~p Kr FEB 2 3 ~~~~ 03-10-09 No Child Left Behind fallacies 4f 9 Marian Karr From: elzahari@netexpress.net Sent: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 1:16 PM To: Council Subject: No Child Left Behind fallacies March 2, 2009 No Child Left Behind: Yet another naive, utopian, and social truth circumventing policy in TJSA that results in time and money consuming woes to school districts across the country. Providing a "different school" or tutoring for the failed students are reality avoiding scapegoat solutions as these methods are often disrupting and too expensive to justify their meager success. Many of the failing kids need different parents, not different schools. A culture that avoids confrontation with those in the wrong track early in life is a supporting collaborator in the high prevalence of troubled kids in the schools and the streets of this country. The glorious but ambiguous proclamation that "all people are created equal" is as much of a fallacy as the expectation that all humans have the qualifications to become well educated. I had the benefit of inside information on the serious trouble some special education students cause to teachers and class alike, including violent acts and profanity. Apparently some visionary zealot failed to recognize that public schools are not psychiatric wards. Shame to the local news media for not reporting such incidents. I have lived in Iowa City since 1969 and during the course of that time I observed undesirable changes in the makeup of its population and the gradual deterioration of its social fabric as the result, leading to the present decline of academic performance in the schools as well as steep a rise in violent crime. Shortsighted liberal notions, otherwise known as "naive" and "utopian", bear much of the blame for these defaults. Incidentally, I do not suffer from the arrogant and often conclusive stances in liberal and conservative philosophies; I simply employ logic and its sibling, common sense, in my contentions. It is about time for cities and states to demur against this flawed and poorly deliberated federal mandate masqueraded under the No Child Left Behind euphemism. Elias Zaharias Iowa City 3/3/2009 4f 10 Marian Karr From: Kathryn Johansen Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 1:31 PM To: Marian Karr Cc: "City Council Subject: FW: From: Chris Arch [mailto:chrisarch@goodnewsiowacity.com] Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 9:18 AM To: Dale Helling Subject: RE: Dear Mr. Helling: Thank you for your very informative answer. I really appreciated your detailed explanation and the time I am sure it took for your research and response. Sincerely, Chris Arch From: Dale Helling [mailto:Dale-Helling@iowa-city.org] Sent: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 1:13 PM To: Chris Arch Cc: Council Subject: RE: Dear Mr. Arch, Thank you for your recent email to the City Council regarding a local option sales tax for flood relief. Council members do not receive all their email messages directly. Your's will be forwarded to them and received as official correspondence as part of the consent agenda for an upcoming formal Council meeting. Perhaps I can provide some useful information. The ballot language that will be placed before the voters of Iowa City will specify that all of the revenues from a sales tax will be used "100% percent 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." The City Attorney has indicated that the ballot language adopted would not allow for the use of local option sales tax revenue for the buyout of privately owned structures or flood relief subsidies to any private property owner. The two primary projects that have been identified for funding from these revenues include: 1) the elevation of that portion of North Dubuque Street that is often flooded in a wet spring season along with the replacement and elevation of the Park Road Bridge, and 2) relocation of the treatment facilities still 3/4/2009 Page 2 of 3 remaining at the old North wastewater treatment plant to the South plant site. You may be aware that the County Supervisors have established a four year sunset on this tax should it be approved. More detailed informational material will be available on the City website in the near future. The City will not advocate for or against the issue but we will strive to ensure that citizens are informed. There may be forums privately sponsored by local interest or advocacy groups in which you may wish to participate. I hope you find this information helpful. Regards, Dale Helling Assistant City Manager From: Chris Arch [mailto:chrisarch@goodnewsiowacity.com] Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2009 11:12 AM To: Council Subject: This correspondence will become a public record. Dear Mayor Bailey and Council Members: I was disturbed to read in today's CR/Iowa City Gazette (2-25-09) that you are proposing a local option sales tax that will be voted on in early May for the purpose of "flood relief '. The last thing a stagnant economy needs is another tax. The last thing property owners who have had property damaged due to flooding is another tax. I would like to know what you propose to do with revenues collected. How exactly would these monies go to "Flood Relief '? Is there a real need for yet another tax, or are the affected property owners already covered with owners or renter's insurance or are they receiving FEMA funds. How will you be held accountable for the collection and usage of these funds? Any response you would give on this matter would be appreciated. Also, would there be any forum in which the public could ask you about such a proposal. Sincerely, Chris Arch 3/4/2009 Page 1 of 1 Marian Karr From: pete cram [mailto:petermcram@yahoo.com] Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2009 10:03 AM To: Council Cc: Margie Subject: budget Dear Sir/Madam, I am dismayed at how local, state and federal officials all seem determined to boost taxes and spending even as the economy falters. Over the past five years I have seen my property taxes soar as Iowa City has both consistently increased its assessment of our home value and also raised the assessment rate. Now, with home values sagging and the economy faltering, do we see shared sacrifice by City Hall? No. The government responds to a faltering economy by increasing frivilous spending and taxes. I encourage you to rethink planned tax increases and do more with less. That's what everybody else is doing these days. Sincerely, Peter Cram 3/4/2009 4f 11 Marian Karr From: Bob Saunders [bsaunders16@gmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 2:22 PM To: Council Subject: Homeless village behind the vacant old Wendy's location on S Riverside Dr Hi to all: After having had absolutely no luck by going through the City Manager's office, I am going to turn to you next for help. I have called his office about getting this "village" removed and nothing has been done about it. This has become an annual event around here. Each year I have to contact the city again to get this mess cleaned up. For those of you I am not familiar with, I am one of two owners of Insurance Associates of Iowa City. Our offices are located at 44 Sturgis Corner Drive. Each year I call the city to complain about this "village" that seems to grow each and every year. The women who work for me are extremely uncomfortable with this mess (and frankly do not feel safe here when they are in this building once it is dark outside) being literally right next door to our office. The residents of the: "village" routinely search through our dumpsters and walk along the back side of our building, loaded down with either the days finds or arms full of beer. Just now we were able to enjoy the river view by watching 2 men urinate on the river bank, beers in h<~nd. Why Monday morning, at 8 am, we were able to enjoy the river view by watching 4 men gather for the beer party, literally stumbling around the area drunk and urinating along the banks. They have everything from tents to make-shift huts, lawn furniture to gas gr=ills, bicycles to coolers. I doubt seriously that they have added to the local retail market by purchasing any of these items. What must we do to get the city officials to do something about this completely illegal, filthy and disgusting situation? Maybe all of you should stop by our building, take a walk along the river side of the building and view this glorious site for yourself. Then after you have done so ask yourselves what would you think if your business had to be located by this and your employees had to look at this every single day. I will await your response. Thank you, Bob Saunders Partner, Insurance Assoc of Iowa City 430-1753 1