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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-03-26 Info Packet~ i #; ~~~ -n..~ CITY OF IOWA CITY www.icgov.org CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION PACKET March 26, 2009 MARCH 31 SPECIAL WORK SESSION IP1 Council Meetings and Work Session Agenda MISCELLANEOUS IP2 Memorandum from Director of Public Works & Director of Planning & Community Development: Update: Flood Related Activities IP3 Letter from Susan Thrams and response from Library Director: Safety on Library staircase IP4 Email from Jim Knapp and response from Personnel Administrator: Age Discrimination Concern DRAFT MINUTES IP5 Airport Commission: March 12, 2009 IP6 Historic Preservation Commission: March 12, 2009 IP7 Housing & Community Development Commission: March 12, 2009 IP8 Public Art Advisory Committee: March 5, 2009 ~ i _~ ~~ _t.~__ City Council Meeting Schedule and IP1 CITY OF IOWA CITY Work Session Agendas March 26, zoos www.icgov.org • TUESDAY, MARCH 31 Emma J. Harvat Hall 5:30p Special Council Work Session- Priority-setting Dinner Provided TENTATIVE MEETING SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE • MONDAY, APRIL 6 Emma J. Harvat Hall TBA Council Work Session 7:OOp Special Formal Council Meeting Continue Work Session if necessary • 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 • 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 ~,!„r®~ CITY t~F ICJ WA C[TY 1P2 -~.as._ DATE: March 26, 2009 TO: City Council FROM: Rick Fosse, Director of Public Works Jeff Davidson, Director of Planning and Community Development RE: Update: Flood-related activities Planning and Community Development • Nasseem attended the Long Term Recovery Committee meeting this week -the committee discussed increasing the assistance maximum for flood victims who have not qualified for other funding sources. The committee also discussed the long term recovery goals to be set and scheduled a meeting for April 6t" to discuss further. • The HUD median income guidelines for Iowa City increased 4.7%. This was the first change in 4 years. Three jumpstart applicants became eligible to received Jumpstart State #2 because their income fell under 150% LMI under the new guidelines. • The Crisis Center has processed 16 applications for unmet needs and distributed over $19,000 to those households. Additional unmet needs assistance is ongoing. • Anew business assistance program is being unveiled by IDED. This program is funded by CDBG resources and aims to promote the revitalization of flooded areas by offering new and existing businesses a receding forgivable loan up to $50,000. The original Jumpstart Business Program will be phased out by April 16'" • A second CDBG Rental Rehabilitation for units of 8 or larger has been created. The limit per unit is $24,999 and the program requires that 51% of the units be occupied by tenants with incomes at 80% LMI or less for 5 years. The program offers a 5-year non-receding loan. Units served must be residential only, no mixed-use units will be allowed in this program. • Staff is preparing a grant application to the State for $2.4 million in Community Disaster Grant funds (as discussed at the March 23 Council Work Session). The grant application is due on April 1. • Several PCD and Public Works staff attended a meeting with representatives from the University of Iowa, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Iowa Department of Economic Development (IDED), Rebuild Iowa Office and VMWP Architects of San Francisco to discuss Iowa City's recent award from EPA for their Smart Growth Implementation Assistance (SGIA) program. The award will provide consulting services with no direct cost to the City and it will assist the City with preparing redevelopment designs for flood prone areas. Staff gave a tour of the area around the North Wastewater Treatment Plant as a possible redevelopment site. Flood Update March 26, 2009 Page 2 Public Works Engineering and Public Works Administration • Council passed resolution for Mayor's signature on the EDA Grants for North Wastewater and Park Road Bridge /Dubuque Street Projects. • Signed contract for the river bank repair on the Iowa River Corridor Trail south of Hills Bank. • Met with contractor for the University of Iowa Chilled Water Project regarding protection of the remaining sanitary sewer pipe. • Awaiting DNR approval of the plans for the reconstruction of the Iowa Avenue Sewer Crossing. • Worked with staff regarding the programs and projects presented at the March 23rd work session. • Developing plans for the repair of flood damaged streets and highways. • Met with FEMA regarding the status of the Animal Shelter. • Held monthly Hazard Mitigation Plan meeting. Wastewater Division Plant Maintenance Crew work this week: • .Complete duct and heat exchanger clean up, AHU #5 filter building -complete • Meter chambers #1 & #2, replacement of sump pumps, controls, heaters and electrical - complete Additional items to complete: • Remove old Admin Bldg. boiler • Relocate River Street Storm water Station controls -higher elevation • Convert West Park Lift station to submersible pump system • Replace Iowa Ave. Siphon system Water Division The following is what was completed this week and expected next week. • Replacing meters in flooded areas (Idyllwild & Parkview Terrace) as residents move in...(this is really accelerating with the nice weather). • Working with Engineering for design and schedule on the 12" river crossing repairs (Old Plant and Hwy 6) • Met with FEMA (Sylvia and Deb Mansfield) on Monday 3/23/09) to go over the PW's before Sylvia left • Hazard Mitigation projects and costs were submitted to Deb Mansfield and FEMA on 3/24/09 • A draft report on the Hazard Mitigation projects with cost estimates is expected next week s/floodinfo/weeklymemo 3- 6-09 IP3 March 19, 2009 Susan Craig Library Director Iowa City Public Library 123 S Linn St Iowa City IA 52240 Dear Ms. Craig: On Friday evening, February 20, 2009, while making my way to the book checkout area in the library, I tripped and fell down the staircase leading from the second floor to the first floor, sustaining an arm fracture. Looking back upon the accident it occurred to me that suggestions might be in order for your consideration for some relatively simple modifications to the stairway and surrounding area which might help to avoid similar unfortunate incidents in the future. All of the steps in the staircase are very dark in color which creates an environment where it is sometimes difficult to clearly identify the edge of each step. I think a worthwhile safety feature might be to install a contrasting (white) strip of material on the leading edge of each step in order to help individuals clearly distinguish one step from another. In the somewhat low light conditions in the staircase area this might be something that could go a long way toward helping your patrons more safely navigate the staircase. This is an exceptionally wide set of steps. While there are hand rails located on each side of the staircase there would be substantial value, in terms of safety, to have a center rail as well. Perhaps that's something else that could be considered in the near future. Thanks very much for taking the time to listen. I enjoy visiting the library and look forward to returning frequently in the future. Regards, C~, b~2~(~~vLr.~ Susan F. Thrams 529 Amhurst St Iowa City IA 52245 C3 ~~ cc: ICPL Board of Trustees ~ ~ .~~ City Council of Iowa City ~'3 -~% c~ w -~ r - m Q~ ~'~ .. Iowa City Public Library 123 South Linn Iowa City, Iowa 52240-1820 ~ Susan Craig, Director • Information (319) 356-5200 • Business (319) 356-5206 • Fax (319) 356-5494 March 24, 2009 Ms Susan F. Thrams 529 Amhurst St. Iowa City, IA 52245 Dear Ms Thrams: I am very sorry to hear about your accident on the library staircase and I understand your concerns regarding the safety of the area. In 2007, we looked at both of the options you propose, and were advised that anything added to the surface edge of the step would create an additional hazard and should not be considered. The width of the staircase and current railings meet both building code requirements and ADA guidelines. The possibility of adding a middle stair rail was discussed, but safety concerns were raised about young people sliding on or creating congestion around the railing. At that time we felt, given the ready availability of the adjacent elevator and the presence of railings on both sides of the stairs, that we should not create new hazards in attempts to address other issues. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience, we will discuss options again. Sincerely, Susan Craig Library Director cc: ICPL Board of Trustees City Council of Iowa City IP4 Previous correspondence - 3/5/09 (IP7) Marian Karr From: Jim Knapp [jimknapp@mchsi.com] Sent: Tuesday, March 24, 2009 12:08 PM To: Karen Jennings Cc: Council Subject: Re: age discrimination concern Ms. Jennings, I know the City does not ask ones age but it is able to discern because of the dates graduating from high school and college. Yes, you mention 58 however I am 68. To be truly non-discriminatory they should not ask for dates attended or dates employed. Only education and experience are of any releveant knowledge. In my situation I find it hard to believe that the other applicants had $43,000,000 experience in all phases of construction as a general contractor, project manager and cost estimator. I do not know how many built homes in Iowa City but I did. I do not know how many were involved with additions to churches and high schools but I did. I do not know how many stood up for what was right and honorable when the City illegally gave Marc Moen several millions of dollars but I did. I would think that doing that may have come to mind in the selection process. I have had good relations with the Building Department who are doing an excellent job under very difficult situations due to the flooding of 2008. Howerver, I have also had adversarial relations with previous councils, Steven Atkins and Karin Franklin. I am sure that came to mind also in the selection process. It would be a shame for someone to be denied employment on the basis of standing up for the injured parties because of illegal actions taken by the City of Iowa City. When I applied I was willing to take a lessor salary and not interested in the insurance benefits. In a time of financial distress in the Nation and the City I would think that would be a consideration. Not that is germane to the subject but several years ago the City had a program setup to make forgivable loans to owners that rented homes along Iowa Avenue. I with a wealth of building experience and a degree in accounting applied to Mary Ann Meskimen for the position of Building Inspector. Unfortunately the City was in the mode of hiring women and they hired Pam Barnes whose only qualification was being a woman. Was that not discriminatory towards men? Ms. Barnes was able to get a college education at the expense of the taxpayers as well as a job which I was told by by people that she did not perform well. I don't know what the criteria is today but I am a veteran, citizen and male. All I really want is a chance to overcome the devestation dealt to us by the economy. I am willing to work where I am qualified and even to sub- contract services on a by the case basis which would be a substantial savings to the City. Maybe you will keep my resume on file and review it as other positions arise. I am sure that the City hired well qualified people for these positions and what I am asking for is the opportunity to be considered on my skills, experience and education. Sincerely and Respectfully Submitted Jim Knapp ----- Original Message ----- From: Karen Jennings To: jmknapp~a mchsj.com.. Cc: '`City._Co_uncil Sent: Tuesday, March 24, 2009 8:46 AM Subject: age discrimination concern Mr. Knapp, Your inquiry and concerns relating to age discrimination in hiring by the City of Iowa City 3/24/2009 Page 2 of 3 was forwarded to me. My office is responsible for coordinating and overseeing the hiring process for City positions. Our records indicate that you applied for four positions with the City of Iowa City in 2008. We were fortunate to have large applicant pools for all of those positions with the number of applicants ranging from 45-129 for each position. Because we received applications from many quality candidates for each of the positions for which you applied, there were many applicants who met the minimum qualifications and had relevant experience but were not selected for an interview. With regard to age being a basis for rejecting candidates, the City's application form does not ask that a candidate's age be disclosed. Therefore, this is not information that supervisors should be privy to when selecting candidates. Furthermore, of the five employees that were hired from the job postings for which you applied, four of the individuals hired were 49, 56, 57, and 58 years of age. Human Resources forwards all applications received for a position to the appropriate hiring supervisor following the application deadline. In cases where the vacancy is immediate and the supervisor intends to interview as soon as possible, this can occur immediately upon the deadline. It is not unusual for supervisors to spend weekends and/or evenings reviewing applications and selecting interview candidates. This can greatly reduce the time between the deadline and notice to applicants. Letters notifying you that you had not been selected for an interview were mailed to you by Human Resources staff from 9 - 23 days following the application deadline for each position in question. None were mailed within 3 days of the application deadline. To summarize, I would like to assure you that the fact that you were not selected to interview for any of the four positions for which you applied in 2008 is not a reflection of your age, nor is it necessarily a reflection of your qualifications. The City of Iowa City has historically been fortunate to have large, high quality applicant pools firom which to fill many of our positions. The positions that you applied for were no exception .Specifically, the decisions of which applicants to interview and who to hire were the result of objectively comparing the requirements of each position to the experience, background and qualifications of each applicant, resulting in those applicants with the most relevant experience and qualifications being interviewed and the most-qualified applicant being appointed. Thank you for your interest in employment opportunities with the City of Iowa City. I encourage you to continue to apply for positions in which you are interested. Sincerely, Karen Jennings Personnel Administrator CC: City Council 3/24/2009 Page 3 of 3 From: Jim Knapp [mailto:jimknapp@mchsi.com] Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2009 10:54 PM To: Michelle Buhman Subject: Age discrimination Hello Michelle, It is amusing that the City of Iowa City claims not to discriminate on the basis of age. I have over 52 years in construction of some sort or another including bulling homes in Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty and Marion as well as Clear Lake as a carpenteer when in high school. I have $43,000,000 of experience from residential to industrial to commercial to institutional project management experience. Would one not think that would at least merit an interview for a building inspector position or housing inspector position? I received a rejection letter within 3 days of the position closing. So tell me why the City of Iowa City would reject me. It certainly would not be because of being 68 years old. Any answers? Jim Knapp 3/24/2009 o - -o IP5 MINUTES Iowa City Airport Commission March 12, 2009 Iowa City Airport Terminal - 7:00 PM DRAFT Members Present: Greg Farris, Minnetta Gardinier, Howard Horan, Janelle Rettig, John Staley Staff Present: Sue Dulek, Michael Tharp Others Present: Harrel Timmons, David Hughes, Jay Honeck, Rex Brandstatter, Doug Moore, Larry Bell, John Cunningham RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: DETERMINE QUORUM: The meeting was called to order at 7:10 P.M. ELECTION OF OFFICERS: Rettig made the motion to move this item to later in the agenda as Staley had not yet arrived at the meeting, but was expected later. Rettig moved to delay Election of Officers until Staley's arrival; seconded by Horan. Carried 4-0; Staley absent. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM THE FEBRUARY 12 AND FEBRUARY 23, 2009 MEETINGS: Farris asked if there were any comments to the above-named minutes. Horan moved to approve the February 12 and February 23, 2009 minutes as submitted; seconded by Rettig. Carried 3-0; Staley absent and Gardinier abstaining. PUBLIC DISCUSSION: None. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION/ACTION: a. Iowa Concrete Paving Association -Paving Project Award Presentation - Rettig moved to delay Items a and b until Staley's arrival; seconded by Horan. Carried 4-0; Staley absent. Iowa City Airport Commission March 12, 2009 Page 2 of 10 c. Private Hangar Construction -Doug Moore -Moore addressed the Commission, explaining that he wants to build a hangar. He is asking the Commission for a land lease. He explained that he would be financing 100% of the cost to build asix-unit hangar. Moore further explained how he intends to use some of the space and stated that he would like to rent out the unused portion. Moore continued, explaining what he would like to do in building this hangar. He noted that his project would not require the Airport to lay out any money or issue any bonds. He is looking fora 25-year land lease, and noted that the hangar can always be taken apart and moved. The conversation continued, with Members asking for some clarification of Moore's proposal. Farris noted that the Commission would be open to further discussion of such a project. Rettig stated that she would have no problem with a land lease, but she does question the location of this proposed hangar on the south end of the airport. Moore said that having the location closer to the T-hangers would be preferable to him anyway. She added that she believes a subcommittee could deal with such a proposal and then bring back a firm offer for the Commission's review. The conversation continued with Moore further explaining what his plan is and how he hopes to proceed with it. He added that he would put together a business plan of sorts prior to next month's meeting so the Commission has something further to review. Tharp will work with Moore on his proposal and there will be further info at next month's meeting. ELECTION OF OFFICERS With Staley's arrival, Farris stated that they would open the floor for election of officers. Horan nominated Rettig for the Chair position. Rettig noted that having meetings on the second Thursday of the month would be a problem for her, if she were to accept the Chair position. She asked if the Members are willing to move the meeting date to the third Thursday of each month. After a brief discussion, Members decided to change the meetings to the third Thursday of each month. Rettig noted that she would be happy to serve as Chair. Horan moved to nominate Rettig as Chair; seconded by Staley. Carried 5-0. The Members moved next to the Secretary position. Rettig noted that Gardinier would be in this position if they continue to rotate as they have, but given that she has just started on the Commission, she questioned this. Farris noted that having been Chair, he feels they could use this position more to help out the Chair position with meetings, etc. Dulek then noted that they should be looking at a Vice Chair position, not a Secretary position, under the bylaws. Rettig asked who would be interested in serving in this position, and Horan stated that he would be happy to serve as Vice Chair, but that he is not 2 Iowa City Airport Commission March 12, 2009 Page 3 of 10 interested in being in line for the Chair position later. Farris moved to nominate Horan as Vice Chair; seconded by Rettig. Carried 5-0. a. Iowa Concrete Paving Association -Paving Project Award Presentation - John Cunningham from the Iowa Concrete Paving Association addressed the Commission. He explained the award that the 7/25 runway's paving has received. The Iowa Concrete Paving Association's awards are considered the most prestigious in the country, according to Cunningham. He continued, thanking everyone for their great teamwork on this project. Cunningham then presented the award to Rettig as Chair of the Airport Commission. b. Aviation Commerce Park / U of I Aircare Facility -Tharp noted that Peggy Slaughter was unable to attend this evening's meeting, but that she did relay a message that there maybe possible interest in lots 17 through 13. Dulek then noted that the land-swap deal that Slaughter had mentioned previously is still being discussed. Gardinier asked for some further information on this, and Rettig explained what is being proposed. (Staley recused himself as an Airport Commission Member and participated in this discussion as a UIHC employee.) Staley noted that they are in the process of determining whether or not they will make an offer or a commitment to purchase. He noted they have a few things to go through first -two independent appraisals being one. They have a past appraisal, but are not sure if this will stand. Then on the 26th of this month, Staley noted they would be meeting to address these issues and hopefully move ahead. d. Gilbert Street Land Parcel -Rex Brandstatter addressed the Commission, noting that Larry Bell, the landowner, is also present. Brandstatter explained to the Commission where this parcel is on Gilbert Street. He then explained what they would like to do on Gilbert Street, noting that they would follow the City's rules for paving and that it would be used strictly for parking. They would like to enter into a lease agreement based on the value of the property. The discussion continued, with Brandstatter explaining in detail how such a possible lease might work. He noted that he needs to go back to the Planning Commission once he knows how the Airport Commission feels about such a lease. David Hughes with AECOM responded to Members' questions regarding FAA rules and regulations. Rettig stated that she would like to know what the Parks and Recreation has planned for the pond area by Hills Bank, as well as the Highway 6/Gilbert Street intersection that the City has discussed upgrading, as these are in the area being discussed. Horan noted that he believes it is a good idea, as did Staley. Staley added that it is another avenue of revenue for the Airport, something they have been discussing. Rettig noted her concerns, noting that she would question the cost of having an official appraisal on this land. Brandstatter noted that he did take some Fair Market Values and worked up some numbers, which he shared with the 3 Iowa City Airport Commission March 12, 2009 Page4of10 Members. The "Lease Value" that he came up with is around $309 per month. Rettig asked if Members would like to pursue this, and added that Tharp could begin to look into the questions raised this evening regarding the proposal. FAA/IDOT Projects -AECOM - i. Runways 7/25 & 12/30 -Hughes addressed the Members, noting that since the last time they met they had a "surprise" come up with the FAA. He continued, noting that the FAA has designated Iowa City as one of the three airports in the state of Iowa to receive economic recovery funds. After this construction season, Hughes noted they would have new pavements on 7/25 and 12/30. These funds help to move the AIP program along by about a year. This eliminates the closing of 12/30 next construction season. Hughes continued, stating that with the economic recovery funds, the FAA is requiring the project be based on bids, and that the FAA have a grant application by May 1, 2009. He further explained the FAA's rules and regulations regarding these monies. The project would be completed this construction season, but would not start until later in the season. Hughes gave the Members further information regarding these grants and how they will need to proceed with them. Farris noted that he and Tharp have worked with the City on moving funds around and that the City has been very responsive to this need. The Members continued discussing this issue, with Rettig questioning any possible cost over-runs and the possibility of being able to shift funds as needed. Tharp noted that they should be able to do this should the need arise. Hughes continued, explaining how they will need to proceed with the runway projects. Worst- case scenario, according to Hughes, would be a July 2nd start date. Members asked Hughes for further clarification on the closings, and he responded with details. Jay Honeck noted that the busiest time for air traffic is around July 25th through August 3rd. This prompted further discussion on the closing of the runways. It was noted that the Commission might need to hold some special meetings in order to address some of the issues that will come up with these projects. 1. Consider Resolution #A09-04 Approving Contract With AECOM for Design Services for Runway 12/30 Reconstruction -Horan moved to approve Resolution A09- 04 approving contract with AECOM for design services on runway 12/30; seconded by Farris. Carried 5-0. 2. Hangar Rent Reimbursement (Farris and Gardinier recused themselves due to a conflict of interest-they are both hangar tenants.) Tharp brought everyone up to date on this issue, 4 Iowa City Airport Commission March 12, 2009 Page 5 of 10 noting that due to the upcoming closures, some tenants may not be able to use their hangars/planes, and therefore may have to go elsewhere during the down time. He shared information with the Members, showing what the rental rates are for all of their tenants, and he broke this down into aper- day rate, as well as various weekly rates. Tharp stated that the discussion for the Commission would be whether they want to issue credits to some tenants, and also the need to think about the two major enterprises that use the Airport - namely Jet Air and the University -and how their operations on the airfield will also be affected. The discussion continued, with Hughes explaining how they would pursue damages should an unforeseen problem make the closure longer than anticipated. Gardinier (as a member of the public) asked if this would include all tenants, or just those who would actually be affected during this period. The Commission continued to discuss the situation, with Rettig noting that they do not have anything budgeted for this, that they would have to delay a project in order to reimburse tenants. Tharp noted that there are 13 hangars possibly affected, according to the letter they received. Horan suggested that they offer a half a month at no charge. Harrel Timmons shared with the Members how he would see this from an individual hangar lease standpoint versus Jet Air's business. He stated that he believes they will be able to keep some of their maintenance business going during this downtime, and if they can't, they will have to lay off some of their employees. He added that the fuel sales would be a big hit for the Airport. Timmons stated that Jet Air isn't necessarily looking for any payments, but they would certainly expect some time of relief for loss of income during the closure period. Discussion continued, with Gardinier stating that some individuals will incur a loss, and with Rettig stating that she agrees with Staley -they are not contractually obligated to do this. Rettig stated that she does not see any way possible for the Airport to afford to do these reimbursements. Staley asked Hughes if there is any feasible way to have the intersection portion completed within atwo- week time period. Hughes stated that there would be no possible way to do this, with four weeks being optimum. He explained that this has to do with not only curing the concrete appropriately, but also just how many workers can be working at one time. With too many parts of the project going on at one time, workers would end up tripping over each other trying to get their portion done. Staley noted that 5 Iowa City Airport Commission March 12, 2009 Page6of10 the best thing they can probably say to the tenants requesting reimbursement is that they understand their concerns; however, the Airport just does not have the financial resources to meet this request. The best thing to do is to minimize the downtime as much as possible, without affecting the overall project. Discussion continued about other down time at the Airport including bad weather and if this proposal could lead to other reimbursement requests during other closures. After much discussion, Rettig stated that they would not be able to provide reimbursement of hangar rentals. Staley noted that the letter's writers have asked that the Airport Commission present this request to the City administrators. Horan suggested that this request be taken to the City Manager for his input. Staley agreed, stating that he believes they should at least get the City's input on this request. The majority of the Airport Commission agrees that they do not have the financial ability to do this, but they would at least like to get the City Manager's opinion on this matter. ii. South Aviation Development Study -Hughes stated that he would like to combine the remaining issues, and would also like to address runway 7/25 again in light of the discussions taking place. The paving and lighting contract -they have prepared the final change order for the contractor and it is being processed right now. Once this is returned they will get the final paperwork to the FAA. Hughes stated they anticipate closing this project at the April meeting. He noted that the Airport layout plan, that was part of this grant, has been submitted to the FAA for review. Hughes continued, stating that the Phase 1 reconstruction that was this past summer in the eastern portion of runway 7/25 is being finalized with the contractor, and he hopes for a May closure on this one. The South Aviation study has been sent to the FAA for their review. However, Hughes is not sure how long this will take for the FAA to get back with them. iii. 2008 Pavement Rehab (North Taxilanes) -Hughes stated that as soon as they get some good weather they plan to fix the spot on this taxiway. After that they will be able to close this project out. iv. Obstruction Mitigation -Hughes stated that they are still awaiting documentation from the contractor who did the United hangar demolition. He added that Mediacom still has to get some final documents in, as well. v. Building H -University of Iowa Hangar Expansion -There was a pre-construction meeting today, according to Hughes. He stated 6 Iowa City Airport Commission March 12, 2009 Page7of10 that this project is moving forward. The completion date is set for October. vi. FY2010 State Aviation Program Grant Application -Hughes noted that the State application is due May 5th. He stated that he has met with Tharp and Farris to work on a priority list. Members continued to discuss the upcoming budget years and subsequent shortfalls. The conversation turned to the immediate needs -more space, upgrades, and maintenance -and how they can address these things with State money. Members then briefly talked about some of the issues with lighting and reflectors around the hangar areas. f. Airport "Operations;" Strategic Plan-Implementation; Budget; Management - Regarding the budget, Rettig asked who they are paying unemployment compensation to, and for how long. Tharp stated that this should be done now, and that it covered the temporary employee they had. Tharp stated that he would double-check on this issue. Tharp noted that he hopes to set up a meeting for the strategic planning sometime this next week. vii. Operations Specialist Evaluation -Farris noted that the evaluation for the Operations Specialist was turned in to the City. In going through the evaluation, Farris noted that all they had done on Tharp in the past was asix-month review. Therefore, he is eligible for one step up in his classification. Farris proposed that they approve this merit increase for Tharp. Farris moved that Tharp be given an increase to the step 5 position in his classification; seconded by Horan. Carried 5-0. g. FBO Staff Report -Harrel Timmons addressed the Airport Commission. He noted that the segmented circle is progressing, and that it certainly is colorful. He added that at night, the circle would be impossible to see. He stated that many airports put a lighted windsock in their circle, which can be very helpful for pilots. Timmons continued, stating that fuel sales are down and that for the past three or four weeks he has noticed very few contrails in the sky during the day. He noted that in Galesburg they went about five weeks without a single corporate airplane landing there. The maintenance area of Jet Air is doing well, however, in this economic slump. Charter flights are running about 20% still, according to Timmons. In regards to the hangar project discussed earlier by Doug Moore, Timmons stated that he suggests keeping this on the operating side of the field to keep congestion at a minimum. He also touched briefly on Moore's comment about other maintenance going on at the Airport, and that if this is occurring, they should pay the commercial fees like everyone else does. Rettig asked if Tharp had checked into this, and he stated that he did at the time it was initially brought up, and that he did not see a commercial operation at that time. However, he will look into this issue again. 7 Iowa City Airport Commission March 12, 2009 Page8of10 h. Airport Commission Meeting Date/Time -Rettig asked if everyone was okay with meetings being on the third Thursday of each month. This was okay with everyone. Next they discussed the meeting time. Some history of the 5:45 meeting time was shared. It was proposed to change the time to 6:00 P.M., to which everyone agreed. Subcommittees' Reports -Farris spoke about the viewing area briefly. He noted that he is getting cost estimates for the viewing "tower" and that once they have these they want to start on some fundraising. Farris also noted that they need to do some landscaping this season, and that perhaps they can get some volunteer work to complete this. Rettig asked if Gardinier would be interested in joining this subcommittee. She stated that she would be happy to work with Farris and Tharp on this. Other subcommittees are: Airfare, Strategic Plan, and Viewing Area, and almost completed is the South Aviation Development. Commission Members' Reports -Farris welcomed Gardinier to the Commission. Gardinier noted that she was glad to be on the Commission, and she looks forward to learning a few things. Horan noted that at one time there was electricity to the windsock area, but he questions how they would get electrical service to the segmented circle area. Tharp noted that he thought of moving the airplane mockup to the area but that that won't work as he thought. Rettig then shared an article that she received from Randy Hartwig about a "green hangar" in Stevens Point. She also noted that she would like to work on outside communications this year regarding the Airport, and that she has been thinking about a PowerPoint educational presentation that they could share with service clubs in the area. Farris noted that the Kiwanis have been interested in such a presentation. Rettig then thanked Farris for his past year as Chair of the Airport Commission, and she too welcomed Gardinier to the Commission. Gardinier then asked about the lighting of the taxiways that she had brought up earlier this evening. She suggested solar lighting of some type, and Tharp stated that the FAA does not approve this type of lighting. k. Staff Report -Tharp stated that the segmented circle construction consumed quite a bit of his time. Tharp also noted that the packets the Members receive prior to each meeting are now available online at the City's web site. He hopes to eventually replace the paper packets with just the electronic version. Rettig noted that she believes it should be an individual decision, not mandatory, that they go electronic. She would still like to receive a paper copy of the packet prior to each meeting. Staley asked if they could bring their laptops to meetings and get wireless Internet access so they can read it online during the meeting. Members were told they can do this, as well. Tharp said he is open to both ways, that Members can let him know. Tharp noted that in addition to Facebook, he has set up an account at Twitter. Dulek then brought up the bylaws change for the Commission due to the change in 8 Iowa City Airport Commission March 12, 2009 Page 9 of 10 the Commissioner's terms, and that they need to put this on next month's agenda. SET NEXT REGULAR MEETING: Thursday, April 16, 2009 at 6:00 P.M. There may be a special meeting called prior to this meeting, depending on AECOM's needs. ADJOURN: Farris moved to adjourn; seconded by Horan. The meeting adjourned at 9:58 P.M. 9 O ~~OyC ii u u u u zz~yb 0 0 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~°°~ B as ~ ~ y 'S fD Q. ~. . ~ ~ a ~~ ~ • ~ ~~ W W W W W W r~~ a ~ b~ v, o N ~ ~o w ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~c ~ x i ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ N ~ ~'C ~'C ~C ~C N W W ~'C ~'C ~'C ~ ~ N i i ro d y y ~. O (~ O °o ',T1 ~, ~ trj ~• b o ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~ N ~ ~ a O ~ `~ ~ O n 0 ~. o~ IP6 MINUTES PRELIMINARY HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2009 EMMA J. HARVAT HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Esther Baker, Thomas Baldridge, William Downing, Lindsay Bunting Eubanks, Jim Ponto, Ginalie Swaim, Alicia Trimble, Frank Wagner MEMBERS ABSENT: Carl Hirschman, Pam Michaud STAFF PRESENT: Christina Kuecker OTHERS PRESENT: Robert Bulmahn, Alan denBelyker, Frank Durham, Steve Hedlund, Will Jennings, Walter Kopsa, Bill Lake, Phil Launspach, Jim Niebuhr, Michael Oliveira, Judith Pascoe, Wally Plahutnik, Mark Russo, Catherine Schneider, Claire Sponsler CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Bunting Eubanks called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANYTHING NOT ON THE AGENDA: There was none. CERTIFICATES OF APPROPRIATENESS: 409 Summit Street Kuecker described the proposal for the project at 409 Summit Street. Regarding the spiral staircase, she said she was recommending against that, but she believes there is a way to accommodate the request on the opposite side, more interior to the lot and probably more in keeping with the style of the house. Kuecker said that staff recommends approval of the enclosure of the porch and approval of the windows as shown in the revised drawing. She said that the recommended motion in the staff report says that the final window and door type and placement should be subject to staff approval, but she believes these are in keeping with the style of the house. Kuecker said the Commission could have a short brainstorming session with the applicant regarding how to accommodate the egress. She stated that if a satisfactory solution is arrived at, this could be subject to staff approval. Kuecker said, however, if the Commission cannot come to a satisfactory solution, the Commission might want to postpone a decision on egress until the next meeting. Durham, the owner of the property, said that presently the staircase inside the mudroom is too narrow and takes up space used for storage. He said the spiral staircase seems to fit, but he is interested in discussion from the Commission about how to accomplish the idea of a second means of egress. Bunting Eubanks asked Durham if he is therefore tearing out the staircase currently in the mudroom. Durham confirmed this. Bunting Eubanks said the Commission has no purview on the interior. Historic Preservation Commission March 12, 2009 Page 2 PRELIMINARY Bunting Eubanks asked if the staircase is just needed for egress. Durham said the primary concern is that there should be a second point of egress for emergency. Bunting Eubanks asked if a ladder would be adequate to meet code. Durham said he would be open to attaching a metal ladder there. He said he was not certain what the requirements are. Kuecker said she was uncertain what the building code requirements are with regard to a ladder. She added that there are no guidelines in the Iowa City Historic Preservation Guidelines with regard to a ladder, so one would need to look to the Secretary of the Interior Guidelines. Kuecker suggested that if a ladder is what the applicant would want, he should discuss the issue with the Fire Department and the Building Department, in conjunction with the Commission. Ponto said he thought it would be okay to have a metal ladder bolted to the side. He said that if a future owner wanted to get rid of it, the ladder could be unbolted. Kuecker agreed that a ladder would be a reversible change, which would be in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior Standards. Swaim said it would also be less visible, but the way it is shown in the drawing gives the sense of the 1980s deck added on. She said that if it can be made to blend with the house, then a ladder would be a great idea if it is workable. Durham said the real point is to be able to get out of the house. He said a ladder is a flexible approach. Baldridge asked if there were any possibility of putting a spiral staircase inside the house. Durham responded that it would be possible, but it would cost him space. He said the other thing is that from the other side there is a trap door entrance to the side where he was going to put an exterior door, instead of having it inside the living room as it is right now. Durham said the staircase is right over that so that if he put the spiral staircase in that area, it would cost him space that is needed for storage. He said it could be done but is less preferable. Bunting Eubanks stated that anything interior to the house is not under the Commission's purview. She said that if the Commission gave the option for an external ladder, which would be within the Secretary of the Interior Standards. Bunting Eubanks said the concern is that a spiral staircase is a more difficult change to remove, because it becomes more of a permanent structure and is external. She said it would detract from the style of the house. Bunting Eubanks said the goal is to be consistent with the Secretary of the Interior Standards. Swaim asked if the application mentions the exterior door to the basement. Kuecker replied that it is shown in the drawing and referred to the drawing. Russo stated that essentially there is a courtyard on the other side, and it is completely obscured from view except from the backyard of the house to the north. He said that even if there were a little balcony, it is very private. He said they are happy to move it around there; in fact his first drawing showed it there. Russo said, however, that it made more sense, if the structure was to be built, to put it on the south side. He said he would be happy to move it around to the north side. Russo said, however, that if one thinks about the intersection of Burlington and Summit Streets, there is a large, Italianate white brick structure on the southeast side. He said the second floor southeast corner window has a little metal balcony with a fire escape coming right down it. Russo said that when he drew the little balcony, he was thinking the Commission might allow something that Historic Preservation Commission March 12, 2009 Page 3 PRELIMINARY minimal where it is maybe a metal structure, where the ladder is affixed to the wall. He said the whole point is for people to get out safely in an emergency. Russo said he thought a little balcony out there, if it were built to Commission specifications, would look nice and would be a little private balcony coming off of that second floor room. He said it is a tucked-away area. Russo said he and the owner are willing to do whatever the Commission wants, but they are not able to put it inside. He added that it has to be easy to use. Bunting Eubanks asked if the balcony would have to be wood. Kuecker said that if this were on the front of the house, metal may not be appropriate, but in this rear, isolated area, a minimalist metal would be acceptable. Kuecker asked if the proposal is for a window or door access to the balcony. Russo stated that the contractor, Dan Lammers, feels that a window would work. Russo said that in the original drawings, if this is going to be a balcony, one would want a door. He said that if it is inappropriate to have a door, then he would just limit the size and use of the balcony to an egress structure. Kuecker stated that if a future owner wanted to remove the balcony, a window would be more appropriate. MOTION: Swaim moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the proposal for 409 Summit Street, with the following conditions: the applicant use double hung windows that are similar to other windows in the house, instead of transom windows; final window and door type and placement being subject to staff approval; and that instead of the spiral staircase, the applicant install a metal fire escape ladder or a balcony with the final details to be worked out with staff. Baker seconded the motion. Wagner asked if there would be a hole in the balcony to go down. Russo confirmed this and said that something is within the space of the balcony. AMENDMENT TO THE MAIN MOTION: Swaim moved to amend the motion to clarify that the ladder or balcony shall be on the north elevation of the house. Baker seconded the amendment. The motion carried on a vote of 8-0. Russo asked if he should come up with a drawing of what the owner would like to put up there. Bunting Eubanks confirmed this and said that the motion approves a ladder or a balcony with final approval by Kuecker. 815 Washington Street. Kuecker said this project involves the relocation of a retaining wall. She said the retaining wall runs along the eastern portion of the property and becomes integrated into the columns of the carport as it goes under the house, and then it continues on towards the rear of the property. Kuecker said the retaining wall is structurally failing, and it needs to be rebuilt. She said the driveway is currently just over eight feet wide, which is a tight fit for many modern cars. Kuecker said the applicant would like to move the retaining wall to the property line, which is three feet to the east, and is trying to come up with some solution for dealing with the columns. She said the applicant is not asking for approval of the columns at this point and is trying to work out some things with building setbacks, etc. Kuecker said that for now the applicant would like to get approval for moving the retaining wall three feet to the property line and widening the brick driveway. Historic Preservation Commission March 12, 2009 Page 4 PRELIMINARY Kuecker said that last summer the applicant received approval to reconstruct the retaining walls on some portions of the property and was able to find matching brick that was a good match. Kuecker showed a drawing of how the property looks now and a drawing of how the property would look with the retaining wall moved over. She showed other photographs of the property. Niebuhr, the contractor for this project, said there are a lot of technical, small issues involved with this. He said that at this time, the applicant is seeking approval to move, which is allowable under the Zoning Code, the retaining wall over to the property line. Niebuhr said it is narrow drive. Niebuhr said that he is currently talking with the Planning and Zoning Department trying to work around the setbacks. He said that to get this project started for the summer season, he wanted to get at least the front portion done if possible. Niebuhr said that the brick that is on there is also on the drive itself. He said the brick in the drive is a loose fit, and it tends to wear down. Niebuhr said he was told to expect about 50% attrition when the wall is moved, so he hopes to address that by using a matching sized brick off the driveway in the reconstruction and facing of the wall and then using a Purington paver of a larger size that is appropriate for that driveway. Baldridge asked about the widening of the arch. He said the existing elevation shows eight feet three inches, and then it is widened by three, but the part above it stays the same. Niebuhr replied that it is confusing because the driveway is what the dimension lines are indicating. He said that at this time, the arch itself is remaining the same. Kuecker said that essentially the columns would be coming down into the driveway so that one could pull up and be able to open the car doors, but the car could not open the doors along the entire driveway. Wagner referred to the photograph that shows the apron coming off the street. He said it might look nicer to have it go over. He asked if that is brick, and Kuecker confirmed this. MOTION: Ponto moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for an application for 815 Washington Street to move the retaining wall approximately three feet to the east and widen the existing driveway, with the new retaining wall to match the existing retaining wall in material, color, joint profile, mortar color, height, and overall appearance. Wagner seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 8-0. 430 Oakland Avenue. Kuecker said the Commission has looked at this property a few times in the past. She said that this application is a variation on a previously approved addition, which was athree-story addition with a gambrel roof. Kuecker said the applicant has built and finished the first story and would like approval of what was done, which is the addition as constructed. Kuecker said the applicant did mimic the roofline on the north elevation, extending it a few feet as approved, and the roofline was approved in the previous application. She said the reason for the different roofline for one portion of the addition is because the owner wanted to reuse the windows from one wall and move them to the addition, as approved in the application. Kuecker said that in staff's opinion, this addition is congruent with the style of the house, and staff is recommending approval of the addition as built. Historic Preservation Commission March 12, 2009 Page 5 PRELIMINARY MOTION: Baker moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 430 Oakland Avenue as presented in the application. Swaim seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 8-0. 617 Ronalds Street. Kuecker stated that the proposal for this house is for a new deck on the rear of the property. She said there are quite a few projects occurring right now on this house, including new windows. Kuecker said that some other projects for this house have already been approved. Kuecker showed a front view of the house. She said that part of the application is to remove the side deck and then construct the new deck. Kuecker said it would be an elevated deck in the proposed location. She said one requirement for a deck is that it needs to be set back from the side elevation. Kuecker said it is set back on one elevation. She said it is not set back directly from the side but is set back from the furthest most elevation, and in staff's opinion, that meets the guidelines. Kuecker said the other requirement is that the balustrade has a top and bottom rail and the balusters are tied into those. She said the elevations do show this. Kuecker said the applicant would like the option of using a composite material such as Trex, rather than using wood. She said the Commission has approved that in the past, and staff believes it is appropriate in this application. Kuecker said that staff recommends approval as stated in the application with the door specifications subject to staff approval. Oliveira, the owner of the house, said that he has been before the Commission in the past. He said he wanted to extend the deck to the back and to try to use the side door. Oliveira said to try to wrap it around was too much, and it seems better to just put it right off the back instead of trying to rebuild it. He said he plans to use a composite door with awood-type molding on it. Oliveira talked about moving the existing door when he moves the deck. MOTION: Ponto moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the proposal for 617 Ronalds Street as presented in the application, with the condition that the door specifications are subject to staff approval. Baldridge seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 8-0. Ponto said he thinks this will look a lot better than the side deck. PUBLIC HEARING: NORTHSIDE HISTORIC DISTRICT. Discussion of an Application Submitted by the Northside Neighborhood Association to Designate a Northside Historic District. Bunting Eubanks said that any citizen wishing to make comments should come to the microphone, sign in, and limit comments to five minutes. Kuecker said that the application for the proposed Northside Historic District was submitted by the Northside Neighborhood Association. She said there have been a few other attempts to designate a Northside Historic District that for various reasons have failed, although there is a National Register Historic District in this proposed district that has been approved by the National Park Service. Kuecker said it is called the Gilbert Street/Linn Street Historic District, and a copy of the nomination is included in the packet. Kuecker said that letters were sent to property owners within the proposed district and those with property within 300 feet of the proposed district. She said the map on the back of the letter Historic Preservation Commission March 12, 2009 Page 6 PRELIMINARY was not the final map that the applicant had decided on. Kuecker showed the boundary that the Northside Neighborhood Association would like to use for the district, focusing primarily on Linn Street, Gilbert Street, and Fairchild Street. Kuecker said the light gray shaded area is the National Register area, and staff is recommending that, because the National Register Historic District has already proven its merit at the national level, that that entire area should be included in the historic district. She asked the Commission to consider the two alternatives -the one proposed by the neighborhood and the area recommended by staff. Kuecker said that this neighborhood is one of the oldest areas of town, with many different styles of architecture that are prevalent throughout Iowa City, but there is a concentration of such in this neighborhood. She said that in the neighborhood's proposed district, there are 96 properties, 81 % of which contribute to the historic character of the neighborhood. Kuecker said that in the staff recommended boundaries there are 121 properties, and 83.5% of those properties contribute to the historic quality of the neighborhood. Kuecker said that the historic preservation guidelines would apply to this area if it is designated a historic district. She added that staff recommends that the Northside Neighborhood Guidelines that have been compiled for the Brown Street Historic District also apply to this area. Kuecker said that the City has a Comprehensive Plan, and part of that Plan is the Historic Preservation Plan. She said the preservation of this neighborhood is listed as a priority in the overreaching Comprehensive Plan, the Historic Preservation Plan, and the recently adopted Central District Plan. Kuecker said it is therefore upheld by many of the documents that the City Council has already adopted. Kuecker said that staff recommends approval of the district and would like the Commission to consider approval of the staff-recommended historic district, because it has already proven its merit at the national level. She said that after the public hearing, staff would send a report to the State Historic Preservation Office to solicit its comments, and there will be a public hearing at the Planning and Zoning Commission level. Kuecker said then there will be a public hearing at the City Council level. Public hearing open. Pascoe, the representative of the Northside Neighborhood Association, said that the application pretty well expresses the Association's wishes. She said the NNA had looked at both versions. The Association had proposed a slightly smaller area but does accept staff's advice about the boundaries just making sense in terms of the rationale for the historic area. Pascoe said the Neighborhood Association does not oppose the boundaries proposed by staff. Bunting Eubanks asked if there were a reason the Association cut the area in some places. Pascoe replied that there is probably not swell-defined reason. She said the Association was partially thinking about where the strongest opposition to the nomination would be. Pascoe said this is such an old part of the City, and there are so many properties under pressure in the neighborhood. She said there are the obvious good results for the neighborhood from having the historic structures preserved. Bunting Eubanks asked if it would be possible for the Commission to approve both boundaries as an option for the next level of consideration. Kuecker responded that the Historic Preservation Commission level is where it is appropriate to make the boundary decision. She Historic Preservation Commission March 12, 2009 Page 7 PRELIMINARY said that if the Planning and Zoning Commission doesn't agree with the boundaries, it would send this back to the Historic Preservation Commission before it would go on to City Council. Sponsler said that she had been involved in previous efforts to have this area designated as a local historic district. At that time, she was excited when it passed through the Historic Preservation Commission and Planning and Zoning Commission and was very disappointed to find that it did not quite make it through City Council for the final vote. She said that now she is excited that the neighborhood has decided to once again go forward with this plan. Sponsler said this is a natural next step from the National Historic designation that the neighborhood has. She said it provides a really wonderful opportunity for the City to protect one of its oldest neighborhoods. Sponsler said that owner occupied residents overwhelmingly support this designation). Bulmahn referred to the corner of Church and Van Buren and asked if it is no longer within the proposed district. Kuecker confirmed this. Hedlund said that he owns two properties on Fairchild Street. He said he has owned the properties since the 1970s, and the whole block now is all rentals. Hedlund said that it has become a slum; it is absolutely trashed. He said that the only historical house in that area was sold, and a bunch of kids are living there now. Hedlund said that the people who live there can't afford to fix the properties up any more because of the taxing problem. He said he thinks that by doing this, there is no way this is going to improve; it will just get worse and worse. Hedlund said he thinks what the City is trying to do is anti-productive. Hedlund stated that an area like this should be excluded when there is no possible hope that anything historic is going to happen out there. He said the Commission needs to look at each of these areas and be more selective. Hedlund said he would like the area to look better. Downing said that recent experience has shown otherwise. He said that there are a couple of neighborhoods around Iowa City and around the country that have received historic preservation designations, which tends to quickly lift a slum situation. Downing said it does happen that when people are not willing to spend money, they sell their property to cash out, and someone who does care about the property takes it over and rehabilitates it. He said the designation isn't affix-all, but it does provide some support to the neighborhood. Bunting Eubanks said the designated area along Iowa Avenue was affected by the tornado. She said the property owners were able to access funding, and it was really rebuilt nicely even though it is primarily a rental neighborhood. Schneider said that she lives on Church Street She said that the area has gone through this designation finally goes through. Schneider said that her house is 110 years old. process several times, and she hopes that the Jennings stated that he and his wife own and occupy a house on Fairchild Street and are in favor of the designation. Jennings said that they have found historic preservation to be a beneficial and cooperative process. Jennings said that this is the sort of thing that does facilitate owner-occupier work in the neighborhood. Jennings said that he balks at constantly referring to this area as only a student neighborhood. He said that one of the things that is offered here is affordable housing for families. Jennings Historic Preservation Commission March 12, 2009 Page 8 PRELIMINARY said these are properties that are close to downtown, the University, parks, school -all things that represent long-term investment. Launspach said that his father purchased a property on Davenport Street in 1960. He said that since then the property really hasn't changed. Launspach said that he is not part of the Northside Neighborhood Association, so he doesn't have any idea about the discussions that have gone on there before. Launspach said one concern he has is that the proposed boundary that was sent out is not either boundary shown tonight. He said he is seeing three different maps, trying to determine which properties are involved and which are not. Launspach said that with the original picture, he took the time to drive through the whole area. He said his biggest concern is that the options for siding in the guidelines are non-maintenance free. Launspach said that cement siding would be painted and wooden siding needs to be painted. He said that he went through the area originally shown, and there are 173 homes in the area. Launspach said that of those 173 homes, 96 of them have some form of maintenance-free siding, whether it is aluminum, vinyl, asbestos, or steel. He said he is concerned about the fact that a lot of people don't realize just what it is to live in a historic district. Launspach said that in the 800 block of Iowa Avenue there was a property that had aluminum siding on it, and it was replaced it with vinyl siding. He said he did not know how that worked, because it is a conservation district, so perhaps special exceptions were made for the tornado or flooding. Launspach said his concern is that there are a lot of people with property in this area who probably don't understand the implications. Launspach said that he is not against historic preservation. He said he hasn't changed his house in 50 years. Launspach said he just wants to think that everyone who is going to be part of this agrees with it. He said that he advocates that the Northside District map be more accurate, because they actually have an association and get together and talk about these things. Launspach said that to include other properties that aren't a part of the Association really doesn't allow input from those property owners. Bunting Eubanks said that the map that was sent out was just a larger boundary, and that the boundaries shown tonight are within the boundary sent out. She said that every property owner with a property on the map and within 300 feet of the boundary was notified. Kuecker said it was her error that the wrong map was sent out. She showed the map that should have been sent out and noted that it has a smaller boundary, as does the staff boundary, than the boundaries on the map that was sent out. Regarding the siding issue, Bunting Eubanks said that it only comes into play when a homeowner wants to put synthetic siding over the top of wood. She said that when the vinyl is already there, it doesn't have to be removed. Bunting Eubanks said that it also depends on whether the structure is contributing or non-contributing. Launspach asked if the Commission has looked at the possibilities for approval of some type of maintenance free siding. He said that when he went through the area, he could not initially tell if the siding was vinyl or wood on a lot of the houses except for a lot of them that had paint and he knew they were wood right away. Bunting Eubanks said that the standards are set by the Secretary of the Interior. She said that although vinyl is deemed to be maintenance free, it actually only lasts 15 to 20 years before it starts to come apart. Bunting Eubanks said that wood, if maintained, is a more durable material. Historic Preservation Coimi~ission March 12, 2009 Page 9 PRELIMINARY Pascoe said that she had a point of clarification. She said that the entire area is part of the Northside Neighborhood Association and that no one is excluded. Pascoe said that it is a group of neighbors that try to organize things in the best interest of the neighborhood. She said that when the neighborhood holds any kind of event, the Association sends notice out to every single property owner in the neighborhood. Pasco said that in addition, representatives from the neighborhood actually walked around and left notification on everyone's property. Pascoe said the Association has tried to be very, very inclusive. Kopsa said that he owns two properties on Davenport Street. He asked how many property owners were at the meeting when the Northside Neighborhood Association voted on this issue. Pascoe responded that there were probably about 20 property owners there. Kopsa asked how many properties are in this area. Kuecker said there are 121 properties in the staff proposed district. Kopsa said that he never received notification of the meeting. He said the Commission is proceeding with this based on a recommendation of around 20 property owners in the neighborhood out of 120 properties. Bunting Eubanks responded that the Commission, as a governing body, responds to any citizen to speak before it; it doesn't matter the number. Kopsa said it is not right to freeze this large of an area based on the desires of 20 or 30 property owners. Bunting Eubanks said that owners were notified because citizens in that neighborhood formed a group to ask the Commission to consider this. She said that once the Commission is asked to consider something, the City notifies everyone who would be affected by the decision. Bunting Eubanks said the Commission did not have anything to do with the neighborhood procedures, because a group of public citizens is not required to make public notice. Kopsa asked, if a property is destroyed, if it could be put back the way it was. He said that if a property is not in a district, as long as the damage is less than the assessed valuation of the improvement, the owner can rebuild it exactly the way it was. Kopsa asked how a historic preservation district would impact this, should a property be destroyed. Kuecker said the percentage would be the same as it would be for any other area of town. She said that during the tornado, there were some properties that were destroyed beyond repair, beyond a certain percentage. Kuecker said they were required to rebuild to the historic preservation guidelines. Kopsa asked if insurance would normally cover cost of replacement. Kuecker stated that after the tornado, quite a few owners were able to get larger insurance settlements or a State grant to cover the difference. Kopsa said it is wrong to freeze this large of an area with so many different types of properties. Hedlund asked if there is a process, by which an owner could exempt his property from inclusion. He said that his properties are non-historic and non-contributing. Bunting Eubanks said that if the property is non-contributing, there are different rules that it would be governed by; it wouldn't be held to the same standards. Kuecker said that the boundaries are not set until the district is passed by the City Council. She said that it is still possible to change the boundaries, but there would need to be a reason to Historic Preservation Commission March 12, 2009 Page 10 PRELIMINARY exclude a property. Kuecker said, however, that a historic district does need to be contiguous - properties in the center could not be excluded. Hedlund asked how he would go about asking to be excluded. Kuecker suggested writing a notarized letter of opposition or request to change the boundaries and send it to the City Clerk. She said also that the Commission could exclude or omit properties from the boundary when the recommendation is made. Bunting Eubanks asked Hedlund to point his properties out on the map. Hedlund did so and stated that he owns 207, 209, and 215 East Fairchild, actually two properties. Bunting Eubanks said that those would be non-contributing properties in the district, which means that exceptions to the guidelines would be allowed for those properties. Hedlund pointed out that if he has a fire, he would not want to be held to building to historic standards. Kuecker said that it would depend on what percentage of the house the fire destroyed. She said that if the whole house was destroyed, the new building would need to be approved by the Historic Preservation Commission. Hedlund said that is his problem; that is just not right. Hedlund said the buildings are non-contributing in the first place and asked if he would have to go back and make them historic. Bunting Eubanks said that Hedlund would just have to construct a building that is compatible with the neighborhood. Lake said that he owns a key contributing property on East Davenport. He said it sounds like he would be under a totally different set of rules for this whole thing. Lake said that he has all wood siding, but his concern is what he could put on the building if he needed to replace siding. He said there is no redwood any more, and the available cedar is not of good quality. Bunting Eubanks answered that there are synthetic sidings that are approved. She said that fiber cement board siding is a valid alternative to wood. Bunting Eubanks said the Commission encourages salvage being used or reusing old siding, but sometimes that is not possible. She said in that case, fiber cement board siding has been approved. Lake said that he has lived in Iowa City his whole life and has talked to a lot of people who have had dealings with this historic preservation thing. He said that a lot of them are really negative for the reason that they can't improve their property without going through the process of getting it approved. Lake said he is really concerned about having to go through a different set of rules. He said he feels like he should have a choice. Bunting Eubanks said that when it comes to historic preservation, it doesn't mean that the Commission will expect a homeowner to keep everything exactly the way it was. She said that lots of additions have been approved. Bunting Eubanks pointed out the example of the ladder for the first application and how it involves reworking ideas to keep the character of the house intact. She said the process is not about trying to limit modern usage of the building. Bunting Eubanks said that sometimes people don't necessarily understand what would be a historic way in which to redo their homes. She said that an owner can make a building energy efficient, but there are ways to do that that don't detract from the exterior of the building. Lake said one of the contractors for an Iowa Avenue property wanted to use exterior foam to better the energy efficiency of the house but was not allowed to do it. He said it wasn't allowed because then the windows would have to be built out and covered and some other reasons. Historic Preservation Commission March 12, 2009 Page 11 PRELIMINARY Lake said that he is not against historic preservation and thinks it looks kind of neat to see the old houses brought back. He said that he keeps his properties up and is very hands on, even though his properties are rental properties. Lake said he cares about his properties but just doesn't want to be under the scrutiny of the Historic Preservation Commission to do certain things. He said they are his properties, and he feels the property owners should have a choice as to whether their property should be in a district. Lake said that if a property owner doesn't have a big budget for a property in a historic preservation district, then he has to do what he can do to make the property presentable but may not have enough money to invest in bigger improvements. Bunting Eubanks said that except for four Commission each represent a historic district. many of the people on the Commission ow boundary makes the district cohesive. at-large Commissioners, the people on the She said there is representation. She said that i older homes, and the idea of a contiguous Lake said there are still people who will keep their houses the way they are if they get a choice. He said that he is not planning on changing his. Swaim said that there were many different situations on Iowa Avenue in the conditions of the properties and the contractors and owners. She encouraged Lake to check the facts regarding any certain situation that he has heard about. Swaim said that Kuecker could give the information and facts regarding any particular situation, because there were so many different issues there. Lake said there was a house with steel siding that had vinyl put back on it. He said it sounds like they were not under Commission scrutiny, whereas he would be with a key, contributing structure. Lake said that if something happened to the house, he is not a fan of the cement board that has been recommended. He said that he has seen one instance where the material literally fell apart when subjected to moisture. Swaim said that there are always many landlords that protest this. She said she wondered if they know what the rules are and if they believe them to be more restrictive than they really are. Kopsa said that one of his properties has an old-style seamed roof on it. He said that he sees new steel roofs and asked if those are approved for use. Kuecker said that they are. Kopsa asked if vinyl clad windows are allowed. Kuecker said that vinyl clad windows are disallowed by the National Park Service. She said that there are exceptions for anon-contributing structure. Kopsa asked if, once a property is in a district, the rules are set somewhere else. Kuecker replied that the Commission comes up with specific Iowa City guidelines, but all of them go back to the Secretary of the Interior Standards. Kopsa asked about metal doors. Kuecker replied that they have been allowed. Kopsa asked about waterproof materials for decks and porches. Kuecker said the Commission just approved a deck that was of composite material earlier in the meeting on a contributing property in the Brown Street Historic District. She said that a composite material is usually not allowed on a front porch but may be acceptable for a rear porch or deck on a contributing property. Trimble added that just because there is one type of material doesn't mean it has to be replaced with the same type of material. She said, for example, that a metal roof could be replaced with an asphalt roof. Historic Preservation Commission March 12, 2009 Page 12 PRELIMINARY Kopsa said that he has a rented attic that had hopelessly defective windows. He said that as soon as the district was turned down the last time it was proposed, he put good vinyl-clad windows in there and updated the fire escape so someone could get out if needed. Kopsa said that if he had not done that, there would be no real practical way of improving that attic area. Bunting Eubanks said that egress requirements would trump historic preservation. She said, however, that vinyl windows might not have been acceptable. Downing said that Kopsa could have installed aluminum clad wood windows. Kopsa asked why then he cannot put vinyl siding on the house itself. Downing said that vinyl windows and vinyl siding have been shown to not be durable. Kopsa said that he has owned a house that has vinyl siding on it for 20 to 30 years. Downing said that they do not hold paint. Kopsa said that they don't need to hold paint, because they are already painted. Kopsa said that vinyl siding holds paint. Swaim said that there are other problems in that sometimes during the installation of vinyl siding, the installer has to cut off trim on the house that is part of the architectural signature. Kopsa said that the installer wouldn't have to. Swaim said that the installer wouldn't have to, but oftentimes that is what happens. Kopsa asked if the Commission would allow the vinyl siding if it could control for that. Swaim said the project on Iowa Avenue is an individual case. She said that another thing that has been found over and over again is that there are problems with moisture behind the vinyl siding. Swaim stated that then if a future owner wanted to take the vinyl off, there would be moisture deterioration of the wood siding. Kopsa said that a lot of new houses are built with these materials, and they don't seem to have problems. Downing said that they are also built with a vapor barrier, but the older houses were not. He said that then the attic insulation and exterior surface can contribute to water vapor building up inside the wall and simply rotting away the structure from the inside. Bunting Eubanks said that there have been problems with communicating just what the historic preservation standards are. She said that in an effort to clarify that, there will be a forum aired on television to summarize what is and is not allowed. Bunting Eubanks said the standards come from the Secretary of the Interior, which uses information from engineers and architects who test these materials over years. She said the program will be aired March 26. Plahutnik stated that he owns a property on North Gilbert Street. He asked if the forum/program could be made available on a CD so that people could view it when they have time. Bunting Eubanks said that the forum will be on line, perhaps two weeks after its airing date. Plahutnik said that he is on the Planning and Zoning Commission and was at the meeting to listen to public input. He reminded people that no one who lives in Iowa City can do whatever he wants to his house. Plahutnik said that every single house in the City is governed by some zoning code. He said that the code is more stringent in some areas and more lax in others, but everyone in the City is subject to the zoning code. Schneider said the Association is trying to get word out about what the historic designation would mean. She said that there will be a follow up Neighborhood meeting on March 25th at 7 p.m. in Horace Mann School. Schneider said the Association plans to have experts there to answer questions. Pascoe said that she has talked to a lot of people about this. She said there does seem to be a lot of information out there that makes it seem like there are more restrictions than there actually Historic Preservation Commission March 12, 2009 Page 13 PRELIMINARY are. Pascoe said that the Mr. Hedlund refers to his area as slums, but she believes that the 200 block of Fairchild is lovely. She said that there is some student housing there, but there are also a lot of lovely houses that she would like to see stay in that kind of condition. Pascoe said it has been demonstrated that property values tend to go up in historic districts. She said, for example, that on Brown and Ronalds Streets where there is a historic district, most would agree that in general, the historic character of that area has been maintained and that those houses have appreciated at a faster rate than in some other areas of the North Side. Pascoe said that if part of the reason for having property on the North Side is investment, which is true for many people, having historic district designation should be a confidence builder. She asked if the worry about increased requirements and expense of maintenance is so strong that it would overrule the possible increased investment value a property owner would have. Pascoe said that appears to be a real concern about not being able to do certain things with the property, but many are outstanding property owners doing things that the neighborhood would like people to do anyway. DenBelyker said that he owns a property on North Gilbert Street. He said that if a tornado would have hit this area, since it is not a historic district yet, it could have been turned into apartments. Kuecker said that the area is currently zoned RNS-12, which is asingle-family designation, so any new buildings would have to meet the zoning code requirement if a building were destroyed. DenBelyker said that there is an apartment complex on Fairchild and Gilbert. Kuecker said that was built before the area was rezoned to RNS-12. DenBelyker said that he has also been kicked out of two different apartments he recently purchased. He said that in both cases the back yards were turned into concrete, and he was evicted. DenBelyker said that the whole reason for it was to pack more people into these areas. Baldridge said there are restrictions on the number of people who can live in a rented unit in a particular zone. He said that sometimes that is exceeded by a landlord or tenants. Bunting Eubanks said that there is evidence that when a Historic District Overlay is enacted, the neighborhood stabilizes. She added that it doesn't tend to pull further back; it tends to improve, and more people move in who are owner-occupiers. Kopsa said that historic preservation has no effect on density, use or zoning. Kuecker said that is correct. He said that then the number of units one could have all stays the same, regardless of historic preservation. Kuecker said that when a City rezones an area to a historic district, the underlying zoning stays the same. She said the historic district is an overlay. Public hearing closed. Bunting Eubanks thanked those who attended the meeting and those who made comments. She added that the Commission does hear and take into consideration all concerns. MOTION: Ponto moved that the Commission recommend approval of the proposed Northside Historic District using the staff recommended boundaries that include the nationally designated district but removing the properties at 207 Fairchild and 215 Fairchild from the proposed district, because they are not contributing properties and one of them is anon-historic property. Swaim seconded the motion. Historic Preservation Commission March 12, 2009 Page 14 PRELIMINARY Swaim said that she lived in this neighborhood in the 1970s when she was a student. She said she chose to live in the neighborhood not only because it was close to the University but because it was an older neighborhood. Swaim said she loved living there and took good care of the property, although she knows that is not the situation with every student. Swaim said it was not long after that that old houses were being torn down and some apartment buildings showed up. She said that even though she wasn't an owner or long-term resident, she was distressed by this, because to her it was ruining her neighborhood. Swaim said that as she remembers, it was halted only because the City put a moratorium on that area so that no more houses could be torn down nor apartment buildings put up, because the neighborhood was at a kind of breaking point. She said this involved a point where the area could shift completely to a neighborhood that didn't have the kind of quality, a sense of the past and a sense of stability, as it previously had. Swaim said that this is a critical neighborhood in Iowa City. She said that if the moratorium hadn't been put in place, the neighborhood would be completely different than it is now. Swaim said this is an opportunity to put another layer of protection on the neighborhood. Swaim said that the people who put on the moratorium in the 1970s were not just thinking about the neighborhood; they were thinking about it in terms of the future residents in Iowa City. She said that a lot of what preservation is about is protecting property for the future. Swaim said that all residents will be selling their homes at some point and want to get the most out of them but also want to sell them in good condition so that the next owners will pay the price it deserves. She said that only happens when one takes care of his home. Swaim said that it behooves us all to look really closely at what the regulations for preservation are. She said they are pretty sound and basic. Swaim said there is a lot of misunderstanding by the public in Iowa City and all over the country. She said that before one makes judgments, he or she should really grasp what the requirements are. Swaim said she thought people would find them far less onerous than believed. Swaim said that that generally we all need to think of preservation as being on "your side" in that it's as much interested in your investment as anyone else, because it is looking at the long term stability of the property. She said the materials used maintain the quality and architectural and historic look, which is what a lot of people are looking for more and more these days. Swaim said that if one has a house that is contributing or key contributing, even if he takes exquisite care of it, the value of the house is not going to stay as high as it is right now if the surrounding houses are not also kept up to par, with the historic quality maintained. She said that is what a district does; it protects the individual property and it protects all of them. Swaim said that is where a district has a far greater way of preserving an individual home than not having a district. Ponto said that he originally bought a house on Davenport Street in the 1970s and lived there until he bought his current house on Brown Street. He said that one of the reasons he bought the Brown Street house is that it was a historic district, and he knew that it would maintain stability and have a neighborhood feel and the atmosphere of being a vibrant neighborhood with not only homeowners but also renters. Ponto said the area is close to downtown and close to the University and is a wonderful area. He said that he walks through the neighborhood every day and would like to see it maintained. Swaim said that she lives in the Woodlawn District, and in 1991, she wanted to make some alterations. She said that the contractor and she and her husband came before the Commission Historic Preservation Commission March 12, 2009 Page 15 PRELIMINARY and actually came away with a much better plan than they had proposed. Swaim said the Commission is generally trying to find solutions that are affordable. She said there is no doubt that it is expensive to maintain an old house, but the preservation way is not always the most expensive way in the long term. Ponto stated that earlier in the evening Kuecker distributed an a-mail she had received. Ponto asked if there were any other comments that should be considered. Kuecker said she had not received anything else in writing, although she had some phone calls from people who had questions about this issue. Downing said that he bought his first house on Burlington Street, which was not in a historic district. He said that when he first looked at it, it was zoned RS-8, so that three unrelated people could live there. Downing said that six people had signed the lease, and nine people were living in the house. Downing said that he did a lot of restoration work on the house. He said the historic district was expanded to include his house. Downing said he supported that, although many of his neighbors did not, but in the long run, the designation did pass the City Council. Downing said that he presented a proposal for an addition to his house to the Commission. He said the Commission discussed the relative merits of the design, and he made some changes that helped keep the character of the exterior appropriate. Downing said he did not believe the costs were increased one way or the other. He said taking a little time to consider what one is doing when making an addition to an otd house can help in the process. Downing said that he sold the house after owning it for seven years and bought another house in a historic district. He said he feels that entirely because the house was in a historic district, the value was considerably more than what he paid for it. Downing said that it is still owned by owner occupants, and none of the other houses on the street where he lived have changed from owner-occupant to rental property in that time. Baker said that she lives in the College Street District. She said that an addition was put on the house by the previous owner. Baker said the addition had a flat roof and was leaking. She said she came to the Commission and requested to change the slope of the roof to provide drainage, and the request was approved. Baker said the material that was approved was EPDM, which is a newer material. She said that the material and slope were both approved, and it has worked out fine. Bunting Eubanks said that since she has been on the Commission she has found the members to be reasonable and interested in feasibility. She said that there is a City staff person who can help resolve issues and review projects. Bunting Eubanks pointed out that an escape ladder has to be a lot less expensive solution than a spiral staircase would have been. Baldridge stated that he has been on the Commission for less than a year, but in that time he has noted that the restrictions and regulations are much less onerous than many people believe. He said that time and time again, it has been the case that people should have come to the Commission or to Kuecker earlier to present their ideas, and they would have saved a lot of agony. Baldridge said that the restrictions are not overly stringent, and the homeowner sometimes ends up with a better idea. Trimble stated that the Commission's problems have often been with people who were required to obtain a permit whether or not they were in historic districts, and they did not get a permit. Historic Preservation Conunission March 12, 2009 Page 16 PRELIMINARY She said that those have been the biggest issues, so either way they would have to come before someone trying to get a permit after the fact. Swaim said, taking into consideration everything she has heard and knowing that there are other people on both sides who have not spoken up, she is going to vote in favor of the designation. She said she looks at this as a long-term protection for a part of Iowa City that needs it. Downing said that this proposal is consistent with the Historic Preservation Plan that was approved by the City Council. Ponto said perhaps there should be more discussion on the boundaries. Trimble asked if there were any reason why the two properties on Fairchild were included in the proposed district in the first place. Kuecker replied that when she discussed this with the Northside Neighborhood Association, the boundaries were drawn with the idea that Fairchild is a fairly intact street and to try to protect as much of that as possible. She said that now looking at the map, it would be appropriate to include them or not include them, either way. Bunting asked the Neighborhood Association for its opinion on the two Fairchild properties. Pascoe said she believes the more important properties on Fairchild are farther east so that she did not have a strong opinion on this. Swaim said that one of the arguments for the district as shown is the rationale of not putting the boundary down the middle of the street. She said in that case one side of the street could be well maintained and the other side might be allowed to slip away. Swaim said that the two sides of a street are sort of a neighborhood unto itself. Bunting Eubanks said that one map shows more people who are willing to be incorporated into a district, but the other map includes the National Register historic district so that all the properties have already been nominated and received that designation. She said she thought that if the Commission were to approve the smaller boundary, it could later add on the rest, because there may be a request for that. Ponto said that he thought it would be easier to do it the other way around. He stated that he would prefer to approve a larger area to begin with, and then if there needs to be some negotiation, that could come later. Kuecker said that she thinks it would be hard to justify excluding any part of the National Register District. She said that that is why she adjusted the boundaries, as it is not as if the part being excluded has lost its historic integrity. Swaim agreed that the argument has been made. Pascoe said that the Neighborhood Association would be fine with designating the larger area. Kuecker said that the Commission's role is to evaluate the historic character of this district and determine whether it is in compliance with the Historic Preservation Plan. She said that is what the Commission is to consider, taking into account the comments that have been made. Kuecker stated that the political issues come into play at the City Council level, while the Commission evaluates this based on the historic integrity of the neighborhood. Baldridge said that his preference would be to approve the staff boundaries less the two properties on Fairchild, as the owner specifically requested, because they are on the edge of the boundary. Historic Preservation Commission March 12, 2009 Page 17 PRELIMINARY Lake asked if anyone on the Commission was aware of the balloon framing that all the old houses carry. He asked if anyone had thought about that. Lake said there was a property on the east side of the 300 block of South Johnson Street that had balloon framing. He stated that some students threw some fire bombs on the porches, and the property actually burned to the roof, because it had a balloon frame. Lake said that is the way the old houses are designed. Several Commission members said they were familiar with a balloon frame. Lake said that if it is a two-story house, it has a stud that leads all the way up to the second floor. He said there is nothing to stop a fire from going all the way up there. Lake said that it is a safety issue more than anything. He said he has the same thing on his property - a front porch and a balloon frame. Bunting Eubanks stated that when buildings are being constructed, they don't just meet preservation guidelines, they have to meet egress standards and other building codes, as a new house would, as well. Lake said his point is that this is the way the old houses were built. He said the way they were constructed, the old foundations are crumbling, because they were brick and block and everything that could be thrown into those old foundations. Lake said it is just the way they were constructed back then. He said it is an issue with him, because he knows that is what he has. Lake said he is just asking what happens if his entire property is burned down. He said then he is faced with putting cement board horizontal siding on it and probably a no-vinyl window to rebuild that property. Lake said his point is, how is he going to rebuild that property and how many restrictions will he be facing. Downing said that if one were going to build a new, two-story house today, he would not be allowed to build a balloon frame. Lake agreed, and Downing asked why that is an issue. Lake said he just wants to know how he would rebuild a house in a historic district and what kind of materials he could use, composite or wood, in an economic crisis. Bunting Eubanks said that sometimes buildings are designed differently than they were before they were torn down. Bunting Eubanks said that the Commission is very reasonable in how a structure is rebuilt. She stated that the old building codes do not meet modern standards. Lake said that he wouldn't want to build the exact same way, but that was the way they did it back then. Bunting Eubanks said that any new structure would have to meet all current building codes and egress requirements, and then on top of that, the Commission would review the style to make sure it doesn't look like there is a really modern house right next to all the older houses. Lake stated that it is almost a guarantee that he would have to use fiber cement board, which he is against, if his house were destroyed. He said there is red tape in the whole process. Ponto added that, looking at the map, the two excluded properties are not in the National Register District, so it would be appropriate to exclude them. The motion carried on a vote of 7-0. (Wagner left prior to vote) CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES FOR FEBRUARY 12, 2009. MOTION: Ponto moved to approve the minutes for the February 12, 2009 meeting, as written. Swaim seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 7-0. OTHER: Historic Preservation Conunission March 12, 2009 Page 18 PRELIMINARY Kuecker asked to move the April meeting from the Stn to the 13tH. The consensus was to reschedule the meeting to April 13tH Kuecker distributed handouts from the Human Rights Commission, which is doing aCity-wide survey of members of the various commissions and boards to determine demographics. Kuecker reminded Commission members that the Commission's forum will be held in two weeks, on the 26tH of April, at 6:00. Swaim asked if there will be handouts available for people to take, and Kuecker responded that she could provide those. Bunting Eubanks asked anyone with suggestions for the forum to provide them to Kuecker. Kuecker said that she is sending out invitations to anyone who lives in a historic district or owns a landmark property. She said there will also be a press release in the newspaper. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 8:15 p.m. Minutes submitted by Anne Schulte c O .N rn .~ E 0 U c O ca to d L V ~L it .a L V m ~~ ~o ~o ~ N .a C d ~+ Q ^ M X X X X ~ ~ X X X X N O X X X X X X X X X ~ T X X X X ~ X X X X X H W r N M ~ N M ~_ N M r N M r N M ~_ N M O_ N M Q N M 0 N M 0 N M ~ ~ Z ~ ~ ~ m ~ Y m C '~ 3 o Y C ~ w' c ~ t L = ~ IC a te O c a° E ~'~ v3i d ~ ~ ~ L C ~ 3 U X W !_ ~ ~ ~ ~ N ~ N ~ Q ..aQ II ~ II II w YXOO 0 - - 9 IP7 MINUTES Preliminary HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MARCH 12, 2009 - 7:00 PM MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY Members Present: Stephen Crane, Andy Douglas, Charlie Drum, Holly Jane Hart, Michael McKay, Rebecca McMurray, Brian Richman, Michael Shaw Members Absent: Marcy DeFrance Staff Present: Tracy Hightshoe, Steve Long Others Present: Ashlee Swinton (Successful Living), Steve Rackis (Housing Authority), Charlie Eastham (The Housing Fellowship), Brianne Wojak (Successful Living), Tom Walz (Extend the Dream Foundation), Maryann Dennis (The Housing Fellowship), Ann Berg (MECCA), Sandy Pickup (The Free Medical Clinic), Yolanda Spears (Isis), Steve Noack (Successful Living), Kate Moreland (United Action for Youth), Diane Funk (Home Ties), Joshua Weber (Builders of Hope), Andy Johnson (Housing Trust Fund) RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (become effective only after separate Council action): None. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. APPROVAL OF THE FEBRUARY 17 & 19, 2009 MINUTES: Hart motioned to approve the minutes. Shaw seconded. The motion carried 8-0 (DeFrance absent). PUBLIC COMMENT OF ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA: None. STAFF/COMMISSION COMMENT: Douglas said that the subcommittee looking into an event on affordable housing was considering getting a speaker to look at how the economic downturn has affected low-to-middle income housing consumers. Douglas said the subcommittee would investigate resources to help arrange a speaker if the idea sounded agreeable to the Commission. Shaw asked if the speaker would be speaking to the issues and its impacts or if the speaker would have some sort of expertise that would allow them to HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MARCH 12, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 2 of l7 provide suggestions and context for the problem. Douglas said that his hope was that the speaker could address both the issues and impact and provide expertise and suggestions. Hart asked if the subcommittee had any speakers in mind. Drum said they were looking for suggestions. Douglas said that Andy Johnson of The Housing Trust Fund suggested someone at the state economic development office. Shaw suggested that discussion of Jumpstart might be a useful topic for the speaker to address. Richman asked if the subcommittee had a date in mind. Douglas said they were looking at late April. Drum added that a firm date would be set when the speaker was decided on. Shaw asked if there was some funding available to help arrange the speaker; Staff said there was not. Shaw suggested staying local if that was the case. Douglas said the subcommittee would continue looking into the idea. Richman suggested they make sure to leave enough time for the Commission to get the word out about the event. Richman noted that he had sent out an e-mail asking Commissioners to identify any real or perceived conflicts of interest with respect to the allocation process. Hightshoe reported that she had received and addressed all responses. Richman asked if anyone had thought of any potential conflicts since initially responding to his e-mail. Shaw noted that his response had been verbal. No other Commissioners had comments on the subject. Long gave a brief update on the status of flood recovery. Long said a new program was beginning on March 13`" for replacement single family housing for homes that were lost in the floods. Long said the City would be acquiring and demolishing 40 homes this summer through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. He said that up to $1 million dollars would be coming through this new program, called the Single Family New Construction Unit Production Program that would provide down-payment assistance; up to 30% of the purchase price or $54,000, whichever is less to income eligible homebuyers. The terms of the assistance would be a 10-year forgivable loan. Long said the City was developing partnerships with developers and builders to allow the City to construct up to 17 homes; the homes would be required to be constructed for less than $180,000. Long said these homes would have to be moved into or sold by December 31, 2009. Hightshoe said that the City was looking at a variety of housing options such as townhouses and duplexes, even manufactured homes that will be permanently affixed to the foundation. Long said there is excitement about the program. Hightshoe said that Staff is first identifying cooperating homebuilders and developers and then will look into partnerships with lenders; she said the program is proceeding pretty fast. Long said Staff was continuing to work on rehabilitation of damaged homes, and is currently working with 52 households and 62 businesses. He noted that there were a lot more homes and businesses to be helped. HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION..- CITY BOARD AND COMMISSION SURVEY: Hightshoe explained that the Human Rights Commission was surveying board and commission members to determine if there were any barriers to service and to gather demographic information. Completion of the survey is voluntary; they can be turned in at the end of the meeting. UPDATE ON THE AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT (a.k.a. STIMULUS BILL): The stimulus bill was passed. Hightshoe gave a brief breakdown of the funding. She said there is additional CDBG funding of $1 billion, of which Iowa City will receive $176,785 (determined by formula). A neighborhood stabilization program received $2 billion nationally; however, Iowa City HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MARCH 12, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 3 of 17 does not have that program and will not receive those funds. Public Housing received $4 billion in capital funding, of which the Iowa City Housing Authority will be receiving $191,000. Hightshoe said that the guidance the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) gave for the $176,785 was brief and consisted of using the funds quickly with maximum job creation and economic benefit. Hightshoe said that while no guidance had been given on whether the funds were eligible for public services, she did not anticipate that they would be. Long said this meant HUD was looking for construction projects, "bricks and mortar" projects that can begin within 120 days of amending their fiscal plan. Hart asked if it was correct that the additional funds could not be used for the building of rental housing. Hightshoe clarified that CDBG funds cannot be used for building rental properties. Hart asked if the funds could be used for public facilities and Hightshoe said that they could. Richman said that the easiest way to deal with the funding is to take it and toss it in with the $831,000 that is currently available, with the qualification that it could, for the most part, only be used for public facilities projects. Richman explained that effectively this additional funding allows the Commission to take money that would otherwise be spent on public facilities projects and allocate it toward other projects. Hightshoe reminded Commissioners that the goal in the five-year plan is to spend 20% of funding for public facilities projects, but that in actuality, only 13% was spent toward them to date (4 years completed out of our 5 year plan). Richman said that when new allocation sheets are done they will show available funding of approximately $1 million with new maximums and minimums. Hart asked where the $191,000 discussed earlier came into the picture. Long explained that the $191,000 was strictly for public housing and would be allocated by HUD to the Iowa City Housing Authority (ICHA). He noted that Steve Rackis, Director of the ICHA, was present and could explain more about that. Rackis said that the guidance ICHA received was for "bricks and mortar" projects with job creation. He said the primary focus would be on renovating and reconstructing vacant public housing units with contracts issued within 120 days. CONSIDER AN EXCEPTION TO THE POLICY FOR ALLOCATION OF UNCOMMITTED CDBG & HOME FUNDS: Hightshoe explained that this agenda item is a result of the stimulus package. She said that there is a current HCDC policy on how to allocate additional funding provided by HUD. The policy states that the Commission will first look at existing projects, then will look at unfunded applications, and then will look at new proposals. Hightshoe said that Staff had consulted with the legal department and determined that the simplest way of combining the stimulus money with the FY10 funding is to make an exception to this policy. The exception would be that the extra funds will be allocated to FY10 applications that meet the purpose/intent of the Stimulus package; the source of the funds. Hightshoe explained this would differ from the existing policy as we would not be looking at FY09 projects or new projects that would require additional funding availability notices. Long explained that the changes would really just be administrative changes that Staff would implement. HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MARCH 12, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 4 of 17 Shaw made a motion for an exception to the existing policy for allocation of uncommitted CDBG and HOME funds and to allocate the additional funds received through the Stimulus bill to FY10 applications. Hart seconded. A vote was taken and the motion carried 8-0 (DeFrance absent). DISCUSSION REGARDING FY10 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT (CDBG) AND HOME INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM (HOME) REQUESTS: • Review Project Rankings • Discuss Average Allocation Worksheet Richman explained that there were two meetings left in the allocation process. This evening's meeting would be a discussion of each of the projects and the rankings/allocations that Commissioners submitted to Staff. On March 13th, Hightshoe will send Commissioners revised allocation sheets, giving them an opportunity to reallocate based on discussions held at tonight's meeting. In two weeks, March 26th, the Commission will reconvene and will finalize allocations and zero in on dollar amounts for each project, making its recommendations to City Council. McMurray asked to confirm for her own understanding that the Commission has more money to give out but that it cannot go to public services. Long clarified that the funds could be used for a Rehabilitation Project, but not toward new construction. Richman said that basically the Commission has another $176,000 that has to be spent on public facilities projects, which frees up some money that can then be spent on housing projects. Long noted that the projects would have to be of the "bricks and mortar" type. Douglas said that essentially the extra money can go toward anything; it is just a matter of how Staff accounts for it administratively. Richman said that as long as the Commission spends at least $176,000 on public facilities projects, then the rest of the money can go either to public facilities or housing; based on the number of applications, he added, that will likely not be an issue. Richman asked Staff if there were any projects under public facilities that might not be eligible for the stimulus money and was told that there were not. Long noted that there were some housing projects that were CDBG eligible but not stimulus recommended (land acquisition projects). Drum asked if the First Mennonite Church project would be eligible under the stimulus and Hightshoe said that it would be. Long noted that new construction of housing is not eligible for CDBG funds. Housing Activities: Richman asked if anyone wanted to put forth the principles or thoughts that guided their approach to allocations. Hart responded that she tried to think of projects that met the greatest or most dire need. She said this led her to give priority to rental assistance and the creation of rental properties. She noted that she did not do this perfectly across the board. Hart said she was torn between funding the Builders of Hope project and the similar Shelter House project. She said she liked the idea of the Shelter House project being LEED certified, but noted that they had so much need elsewhere she chose not to fund their rental project. Hart said she was also guided by her assumptions of when projects might be able to find other resources or personal resources to call on, versus those who probably had nowhere else to go. She said some people might raise their eyebrows at her choices but she tried to go where the resources were most needed. HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MARCH 12, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY Page5of17 Drum said he tried as best he could to stick to the scores he got from the ranking sheets. He said that he tried to put his personal preferences aside. He cited Local Foods as an example, saying that they were one of his personal favorites, but that they did not score high on his rating sheet and therefore he did not fund them. He said he also was guided by the most good for the money. He said he would like to hear more about Builders of Hope, but that his impression was that it was a lot of money for a very small number of units (four), which turned him off. McMurray noted that there was not as much on the order of homeownership in this funding cycle. She said that the only homeownership project was Dolphin Lake which had an impressive track record and received the most funding from her. Richman noted that this was a different dynamic than in previous years when there have been multiple homeownership projects. ISIS Investments: Richman noted that Crane had funded Isis on the low-end. Crane said that he just did not really have a good grasp of how much rehabilitation they had to do based on the dollar amount the Commission had to fund. He said his reasoning was to fund just one unit this time, because last year two had been funded. Hightshoe said that the per-unit cost was a good basis for analysis. Shaw noted that last year ISIS had asked for funding for four units, had received funding for two, and then proceeded on time and on budget. Richman said that he had analyzed the projects based on their dollars per bedroom costs because the unit sizes and types were so different. He said for this project he came out with a cost of $16,000 per bedroom. Douglas said he thought that sounded like a pretty efficient use of dollars. McKay said that he was impressed with Isis's ability to pull off the projects and get them done in a timely manner, as opposed to projects that are sometimes two years away. Shaw said that Isis had already pulled off so much with a limited staff, and done so very efficiently. He said that they had demonstrated that their projects were a good use of City money and provided a great amount of services and support to their families. He said he would be interested in funding at least two units this time around. Hart said she liked the idea of doing two units for Isis as well, and that she had been impressed with their efficiency. She noted that she had also been impressed with the innovative use of land and the program offered by The Housing Fellowship (THF). The Housing Fellowship -Rental Shaw noted that McMurray had funded this project on the low-side; McMurray could not immediately recall her reasoning for this. Crane noted that he had funded The Housing Fellowship on the high side because they always do a good job. Richman suggested that since McMurray had allocated more toward homeownership than other people there may simply have been less left over for THF's project. McMurray said she thought this was the case. Douglas said that he had funded the project high based on THF's proven track record and their ability to plug into the tax credit system. Richman said that there were obviously a lot of different funding approaches taken by the various Commissioners, just as there were a wide variety of projects asking for funding. He asked if there was any sense of how people felt about one project format versus another. McKay said that while he may not have been consistent in applying this, some of his thinking was in how fast the money can be injected into the community, how fast it can be spent and the housing can become available. Crane said that he would likely move some of the new funding to Isis, as he is comfortable with doing two units now that more money is available. Shaw said that the projects are strong for different reasons. He said that with Isis there is a sense that there will be good support for the HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MARCH 12, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 6 of 17 families and that such a net will likely help the projects to be sustainable for the families. With THF, Shaw said, there is a strong institutional structure to be able to maintain the properties as affordable housing. Either way, families will be receiving some sort of affordable housing support. Richman noted that with the Isis project the idea is for the families to eventually buy the rental properties, so it is difficult to compare the two. Shaw said that keeping families locked into the community for 10-15 years and getting them to a place where they can buy a home and be solidly invested in the community is difficult to compare with a project of 20 units that will provide affordable housing to a large number of families over the years. Hart asked if THF knew what the average length of stay was for their families. Maryann Dennis of THF said that she did not know that statistic off hand but offered the anecdote that the property manager for the organization had been a tenant since 1993. She offered to get the figure and provide it to the Commission. Hart said that her impression had always been that the stays of families in THF housing were fairly stable and long-term. Long asked Dennis to e-mail the information to Hightshoe or him and he would distribute it to the Commissioners. Shaw asked what the per-unit cost was for THF's project. Drum said it was $30,000. Richman said that to determine per unit cost, he used the dollars being allocated by HCDC. Hart said she used the per-unit cost as listed on the application. Richman said he calculated $8,000 per bedroom for this project. Drum asked if it was the same per bedroom figure for Isis. Richman said that Isis's project was $16,000 per bedroom. The Housing Fellowship CHDO Operatin Hightshoe clarified that at the time THF applied they did not know what the HOME entitlement was and requested $50,000. Staff calculated the most the City can provide in CHDO operating expenses is $30,687, 5% of the FY09 HOME entitlement. This amount is subject to change if the actual FY10 HOME entitlement amount is considerably different, however the City anticipates about the same HOME entitlement as last year. HOME rules prohibit more than 5% of the entitlement for CHDO operating expenses. Douglas said it looked like there was some consensus on the funding amount for THF's CHDO application. Richman asked if McKay had concerns based on the fact that he did not fund THF's CHDO request. McKay said he thought it was more a question of having first put the money where he thought it should be and not having any left over. Shaw asked if anyone had concerns about the ratio of funding for this request versus the others. He noted that the Commission was talking about funding 82% of that request. Hart said that was not a consideration for her, that it was more a matter of how well the money would work in that context. Richman noted that in some respects it was a different request than all of the other applications because it was for administrative and operating costs. Long pointed out that the money would help to maintain over 100 units in Iowa City and produce more affordable housing. Drum said that seemed like a good investment. Shelter House -Rental Richman noted that five Commissioners had allocated no money to this project and three had partially funded, and one had nearly fully funded the project. Hart said she thought this sounded like a great project, but she saw no way Shelter House could pull it off at this time as there was so much additional fundraising to do. She said she personally liked the idea of LEED certification. She said HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MARCH 12, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 7 of 17 that she felt that allocating money elsewhere or to Shelter House's other projects might be the best bet this time around. She said she assumed they would be back with the same project the following year, perhaps with even more fundraising done. Douglas asked if the new Shelter House was also intended to be LEED certified. Staff said it was not. Hart said that she knew that Shelter House intended to look at costs that could be cut for this rental project, but in her opinion it maybe better to leave costs such as LEED certification in and then wait on the project. Douglas said he had concerns about funding two big projects for Shelter House and because he really likes the new Shelter House project he decided to put his weight behind that one. McMurray asked if Shelter House had expressed any reservation about having simultaneous construction projects. Hightshoe said that Shelter House had replied that they did not think the projects would wind up being simultaneous. Richman asked if this project was one in which it could not proceed without full HCDC funding, an "all or nothing" type project. Crane said he had asked Shelter House that question and the response had been that whatever could be given would be of help. Richman asked for input from the Commissioners who allocated no dollars to the project on their reasoning. Shaw asked if there had been concerns about Shelter House foraying into the rental market for the first time. Hart said that was not a concern for her and that she thought it was a great project. She said she simply felt there were other pressing needs right now and this would not have immediate benefits. Richman said that for him the cost per bedroom was $33,000 and was way too high for him to back. He noted that in some respects it is an experimental format in affordable housing. He said that while he does not dispute the need, he does have concerns for the cost. He added that he is not a believer in funding only the lowest per bedroom cost across the board, but that there were a couple that stood out as too expensive given the limited funding. Hightshoe noted that given the high cost of construction it would be difficult to recoup those costs with single room occupancy units with capped rents. Douglas asked if it was fair to say that this project and the Builders of Hope project are quite similar Richman said they seemed so to him. Douglas said his thinking had been that rather than fund two similar projects, fund one. Arvind Thakore - Homeownershi. Richman noted that this was the Dolphin Lake Pointe Enclave project. Richman noted that McMurray had been on the high end for this project. She said that she had been really impressed with what he had done so far and supported the homeownership aspect of this project. Shaw said he was impressed with the fact that Thakore had worked with Grant Wood Elementary and come up with a street named Paul Davis Street (a longtime Grant Wood principal). Shaw said this had a big impact for him. He said that the previous year he had not funded as high because he had concerns about the continuing specter of absentee landlordism for that property. Shaw said that although the primary base of operations for the project is not Iowa City, the project has demonstrated a willingness to engage with the community and communicate with the neighborhood and HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MARCH 12, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 8 of 17 surrounding areas. He said that the effort to reach out and work with the school for a street name shows a commitment to the local community and the neighborhood as a whole. McMurray noted that the crime rate had decreased remarkably in the area. Shaw noted that there were not as many people because of all the empty units due to construction, which could also account for the drop in crime. Richman asked what Commissioners felt about the long-term viability of the project. Shaw said he believed that it depended on their ability to continue to beat the bushes for funding. He said there would have to be an ongoing evolution of the space and a cultural shift in the community. He said if the project could be successfully re-branded then there would be far-reaching effects for the whole area. Right now, Shaw said, it is still seen as "Lakeside." Douglas said that the project had sold out its first phase and that this was impressive. Long noted that the project has not actually sold any properties; rather, it has purchase offers for the whole first phase, which will begin to be sold April ls`. Richman said he actually went there and went through the files of purchase offers. He said that there are indeed purchase offers, but that the deposits are only $100. Crane said he was actually outspoken against the project last year. However, because of the progress that has been made and the money that has gone into it, he has somewhat changed his opinion. He said the big question now was whether the prospective homeowners can get their funding to purchase the units. He said that if they can, he believes the project will be viable. He said that he does question how much money can actually be made by the investors. Shaw said that it is probably the case that so much money has been put into it now that it has to work. Richman said that he too was not a proponent of this project last year. He said that credit has to be given for the fact that there has been a lot of investment in this project. He said the units are nice looking. He said his concern was the same as Crane's. His concern was whether the people wanting to buy these units would be able to get a loan for them. Shaw said two years ago they may have, but now it could be a different story. Crane said that he understood that Thakore may now be moving here. Richman said that this program is essentially adown-payment program, providing $10,000, less than 10% of the purchase price. Crane said that a minimum 10% down payment was currently being required for financing with the more realistic number being 15-20%. Crane said it might be possible that first-time home buyers could use their new tax credit (passed in the stimulus package) in conjunction with this. Richman noted that as that is a tax credit, a consumer would still have to have the cash available. Hart said she also thought that Thakore had done an excellent job with this project, but that she had felt there were more pressing needs. She said she felt like if the units were not sellable they could ultimately be rented. Crane said he did not know if rental income would support the project. Long noted that units funded by HOME funds cannot be rented. Richman asked if the terms being requested were the same as last year's. Hightshoe said they were. Drum said that at issue for him was that it was afor-profit project rather than anon-profit and that it was owner-occupied versus rental. He said he loved this project but that it did not target primarily low-income people and was low on the CITY STEPS priority list. Douglas said that the housing survey seemed to indicate a greater need for affordable rental housing than homeownership. HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MARCH 12, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 9 of 17 Iowa Citv Housiu~ Authority - TBRA: Shaw said that this was a very consistent project that reliably uses its dollars in the most efficient manner. He said for him it was a matter of determining the allocation amount. Richman pointed out that this project is not a "bricks and mortar" project, but does have immediate impact for the very low income population of the community. McKay said that he was influenced by seeing how quickly the dollars turn into housing for people who might otherwise have to go without. He said that the way ICHA is able to leverage these funds to provide housing to the elderly and the disabled is very much a factor for him. McMurray said her allocation was on the lower end because ICHA had not yet used their FY09 allocation. Douglas said he had wondered about that as well. Steven Rackis of ICHA said that it had not yet been used as they are hoping to add it to the FY10 allocation to be able to serve more families for a longer period of time. Richman noted that all Commissioners funded the project, but amounts varied. Builders of Hope: Richman noted that five Commissioners allocated nothing to this project, whereas four Commissioners partially funded it. McKay said that so much of the square footage was going to be used to house services unique to the organization. He said that there are so many services already available in this town that he could not see why money should be used to construct a building to house more instructors and therapists. He said this drove his thinking in allocating nothing to the project. Richman asked if he was correct in his belief that there were now four units and Hightshoe said that was correct, and that it was also correct that there was a commercial component to the project, though HOME funds would not be used for that portion. Crane said he was a proponent of this project last year but that the per-unit cost was of concern to him this year. Based on the limited funds available, he chose not to allocate toward the project this year. Drum said the for-profit aspect of the project was a factor in not allocating funding to it. Richman said that it probably was not very profitable, but that $65,000 per unit was too high. He said that it probably served a need in the community, but that the costs were too high at this time. Douglas said he liked the overall sound of the project, and since he was not funding the Shelter House model, he wanted to fund this one. He said that the financial arguments presented by Commissioners make sense, although he does feel it is a good project. Hart said that her thinking was similar to Douglas's, although she had mistakenly believed she was funding the less costly version of the model. She said the projects this group has done in the past have been quite worthy, but that another year may be a better time for this. HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MARCH 12, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 10 of 17 Richman said that Builders of Hope had a project two years ago that he was not a big proponent of, but that it turned out very well. However, in terms of dollars, this project was a little problematic for him. William Witti;; -Rental: Richman noted that this was another one where four people funded the project and four did not. Hightshoe noted that this would probably be a project where CDBG funding was used rather than HOME, as she did not think the comprehensive rehabilitation required by HOME could be done with success in this case. Richman said that although the cost of the project is low, it does not necessarily add new affordable units to the community. Hart said she had gone on the high-end for funding this project because she felt there was a safety issue at play. She said that having lived in similar housing types, she believed the units fill a need for those who cannot afford more. She also felt that there were probably not other resources from which the money could come. Douglas asked if the project seemed viable in the revised pro forma. Hightshoe said that if the predicted 5% vacancy rate was applied it could be viable; however, if the historical 15% vacancy rate applied, then it would not be. McKay said his problem was both the occupancy rate and the fact that the money being put into the house was not going toward making the rooms look better (thereby increasing the occupancy rate). Hightshoe noted that the kitchen and bath would be improved. Drum said that for him it was once again the for-profit issue. He said he had a hard time refurbishing someone's house. Richman pointed out that there probably was not much profit in the for-profit project. Long pointed out that as afor-profit property taxes were being paid by the owner. Hart said that Wittig had mentioned that he was working with the STAR program and to keep the place better kept up with higher occupancy rates. Drum said he did not see much effort being put into up-keep. Richman asked, in light of Hart's assertion that there probably was not another funding source for the project, if there was a mortgage out on the property. Long said there were at least two mortgages on the property. Crane noted that the combined mortgages were higher than the assessed value of the house. Drum said he had been under the impression that Wittig had purchased the house very recently, but that it appeared he had owned it for quite some time. Long said that he had owned it since the mid 1990's. Richman asked if Drum had toured the property. Drum said he had and it is rough looking. Crane asked how many people resided there, and was told that there were 16 units with 12 people living there currently. Shaw said this had been one of his concerns, that if the occupancy rate can be filled with 16 residents, then you have 16 residents living in a very small space. He asked what the impact of that amount of people would be on the landlord's ability to keep the property up. HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MARCH 12, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 11 of l7 Drum said he really appreciates what Wittig is trying to do and does not mean to disparage that. He said if there was enough money to fund all of the projects, he would fund this. However, since the money is limited, he thinks other projects better fit the community's needs. Dan Tonnesen -Rental: Richman noted that no one funded this project. He said there were issues with the lack of completeness in the application, but wondered if anyone else wished to speak to the issue. McKay said he just had the feeling that the project was going to go whether HCDC gave them a dime or not. He said it is afor-profit project and if they can make it work, they should do so. PUBLIC FACILITIES: First Mennonite Church -.Home Ties Addition: Crane said he was in strong support of the project, largely due to the amount of fundraising they had already done. He said he was very impressed with what they have achieved with their fundraising versus the amount of their request. Drum said he was impressed as well with the support they have from the church. He said that he was impressed that the church had basically given over their entire Sunday school area and their general meeting room to this daycare. He said he was impressed with the church's commitment to the daycare. He said that the addition would also solve the ongoing security problem with the daycare. McKay said that every Friday the church packs up the rooms used by the daycare so they can be used by the congregation and then every Monday unpacks them again. He said that the church has gone to considerable inconvenience, staff time, expense and trouble while getting no direct benefit from the daycare. He said he was very impressed with the church's commitment to the daycare. A member of the public, Brianne Wojak of Successful Living, spoke up to attest to what an amazing program Home Ties is and what a unique service it provides, saying she has worked closely with them in her professional capacity. United Action for Youth -Facility Rehabilitation: Hart said that this was not a bad project, but that she felt it was one that was less of dire need and more for aesthetics. Drum said that the windows issues and the resulting loss of heat were real issues that went beyond the cosmetic, as did the steps. Richman said his funding was based on the fact that the organization had gone out and gotten the labor for free. Shelter House -New Construction: Hart said that she had allocated higher because she was hoping to help push the project to completion as it had been in the works for four years. Richman asked if this project was eligible for the stimulus funding; Hightshoe said it was. Long noted that digging would have to commence prior to July10, 2009 for it to be eligible. Richman noted that this was by far the biggest request on the Public Facilities list. He asked if anyone felt strongly that the 70-bed facility should receive greater than the average Commissioner allocation of $119,000. Shaw asked about the capital campaign the Shelter House was doing. Drum asked if it was worth discussing how people wanted to handle the extra money; if they wanted to HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MARCH 12, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 12 of 17 move it around as planned. Richman noted that if they wanted to, the Commission could use the extra money to fully fund Shelter House without changing much of anything else. He noted he was not advocating either way. McMurray said that Shelter House could be given 50% and the other projects could still be funded. Richman said it could also basically all be moved up to housing. Shaw said that the reality of the Shelter House is that every little bit helps and the more the Commission gives the less stress that is put on their capital campaign. Conversely, Shaw said, if the Commission does not give as much, the project will still move forward regardless. Richman said that past requests have usually been approached in one of two ways: 1) they are fully funded (such as Four Oaks) or 2) priming the pump (Splash Pad) and giving momentum for outside fundraising. Richman said that it seemed to him the Commission was going to have to decide which approach to take with Shelter House. Long said that as the Commission thinks about some of these projects and the stimulus money, they may want to think about what they have to report to HUD. He said things such as carpet replacement might not be what HUD has in mind because it is a one-shot stimulus, whereas "bricks and mortar" projects are "stimulating" in the way HUD is seeking. Shaw said the idea is to put more people to work. DVIP -Facility Rehabilitation: Crane asked if the air conditioning is not working. Shaw replied that they are 15 years old, original to the building and had some trouble operating last summer. Shaw said that shelters are pushing the state hard for a new formula for funding to help them stay open. He said this may be a situation where there is no other funding source. MECCA -Facility Rehabilitation: Shaw said that he has appreciated that the security upgrades are directly related to residents and services provided and will directly improve their lives. He said he liked that the systems were considered in the context of their impact on the outcomes of services provided, which was a somewhat rare thing in this funding category. Richman agreed. CMHC -Facility Rehabilitation: Crane said that he funded it as a safety issue for clients. Hart said that while the windows were an important project, the pavement takes precedence. Richman said this was one of two projects that he did not fund. He said it was simply a matter of prioritization for him. Hart asked if Richman took the tour of the property and he said he did not. Hart said the tour had made a difference for her. Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County -Facility Rehabilitation: Staff clarified that $26,615 is stated on the application. The applicant made an error in the budget, however $26,615 is the amount HCDC must consider. Shaw asked what the priority order was for the projects because even if the full request was granted, it would still not be what they had intended to request. Crane said that he allocated enough to fund the deck due to the safety issues. McMurray asked if the Commission could specify which project they intended to fund and Hightshoe said that they could. Hightshoe said that this is the second year an allocation request has been made for the deck and the HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MARCH 12, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 13 of 17 third year funding for the asphalt has been requested. Crane noted that given the allocation amount on the application both projects could not be funded even if they wanted to. Arc of Southeast Iowa -Facility Rehabilitation: Richman noted that this was another project that half of the Commission funded and half did not. Hart said she believes Arc does fantastic work and that they are very deserving of new carpet, but that it is one thing that people could live without and delay for another year. Douglas said he agreed, and he thought the amount was so small they could probably raise it themselves. Crane agreed. Richman said he just did not feel the carpet was in that bad of shape other than a few rough spots under the desk. Drum agreed that it was a project that could wait another year, noting that the carpet on the administrative side of the building was in worse shape. Crane reminded him that Arc had said they were only interested in replacing carpet in the area clients were served in at this time. There was no further discussion on Arc at this time. Richman said there were basically four projects in Housing and Public Facilities where half of the Commission funded it and half did not: Shelter House rental project, Builders of Hope project, William Wittig rooming house project and The Arc carpet project. Richman asked if everyone felt they had enough information on these projects to move one way or the other on these projects. He asked if there was anything else about these projects that needed to be discussed. Shaw said it made sense to figure out which of the similar rental projects offered by Builders of Hope or Shelter House is the project to fund since it seems as though people picked one or the other to fund. Richman said there were several people who came out with zeros for both projects. It was determined that Commissioners felt they had enough information to proceed. PUBLIC SERVICES Richman pointed out that there is a minimum allocation of $2,500 for Public Services this year, and that this meant that at a minimum half of the projects that applied will not receive funding. He asked Commissioners to realize that in two weeks they would be saying no to at least half of these projects. Douglas asked if there were any that everyone had agreed not to fund, and was told that there was not. Crane noted that there were also no projects that everyone had agreed on. Shaw asked Crane how he reached his decisions. Crane said that he had concerns about the financials of Extend the Dream and that with Compeer he was concerned with the director turnover. He said that he liked all of them but that he had to leave two out so these were the two that he chose. McKay said that he chose to fund only The Free Medical Clinic (Free Med) in the amount of $10,000 because he feels that they serve a very desperate social need and that their services will be even more in demand as the economy attempts to recover. Hart said that she gave nothing to Free Med because she thought that they were in the best position to find outside funding. Hart said she funded Shelter House high because she felt that they could make the dollar go a long way and do a lot of good. In funding Extend the Dream and Compeer, she felt that they were organizations that could not really count on funding from other resources. Hart said it was her understanding that Extend the Dream now had the services of Taxes Plus and was on firm financial footing; Long said that their financials were better than they had been. Hightshoe said that Staff did have concerns with all-volunteer agencies and the administrative and regulatory burdens placed on them when dealing with federal funding sources. She said this is part HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MARCH 12, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 14 of 17 of the reason the Commission had gone to the minimum Public Service allocation of $2,500. Hightshoe just said that it was something to think about when allocating funds to an organization run entirely by volunteers: are more regulations being imposed upon them than in which they might not have the capacity to comply with or could the funds be more easily obtained through fundraising with no built-in restrictions? Hart said that this new information about Extend the Dream could affect her funding decision. Hart said that it was her understanding that the turnover issue with Compeer could be alleviated by funding the director position. Hart said that she felt Local Foods could probably find a few more friends to use as its funding source, as might Successful Living (whose presentation she found very nice). Hart acknowledged that the additional funding sources could be simply her impression. Hightshoe noted that there had been discussions in the past about funding the same agencies year after year and whether to put a limit on it; an issue which she said had not been resolved. Crane said that this was a consideration in his decision not to fund Extend the Dream as they have had the same basic request funded for the past three years. McKay asked what the e-commerce that shows up in their budget refers to. Hart said they hold trainings to teach people how to sell things on E-bay. Hightshoe noted this was for supplemental income purposes. Hart said she felt like more and more people are utilizing their services. Richman noted that Extend the Dream has been very good at leveraging their dollars and they have shown consistency. He said that he respected that they never asked for a lot of money. Douglas said that he loves Local Foods but is not a strong supporter of financing them. He said that they are getting a lot of money from New Pioneer Co-op and seemed to have hooked themselves in to other funding sources. Shaw said that they are growing and it maybe time to see if they can fly with their new wings. Richman said they seem like they would be able to fly if pushed out of the nest. Drum pointed out that in other situations the Commission rewarded those who went out and raised money on their own whereas in this case it seems to be seen as a reason not to fund them. Hart said that all of the services serve critical needs; it is just a question of what is going to go the farthest. McKay said that in looking at Extend the Dream's budget he noted that they are spending $5,000 on internet; he said he could find them internet for one-third that cost. He said $5,000 exceeds what the organization is even requesting. Shaw wondered if the best way to allocate for public services would be to reward the top four agencies for their administrative abilities and capacity, since it is accepted that all of the agencies provide good services. Hightshoe said that from Staff's perspective they are monitoring organizational structure and financial information more closely. All federal recipients must have a structure that separates financial duties and must have a system of record keeping and maintaining client information that is readily available. This is hard for some of the small agencies to do, especially for very small amounts of federal funding. Crane said that the income for the executive director for Local Foods is rather low without the HCDC funding although it is not something he would want to continue to fund. He said the goal would be for Local Foods to find other funding sources to sustain the position. Douglas said that he did not fund Shelter House under Public Services because he had funded their new construction project. Richman noted that Free Med and Shelter House had received the most votes for funding from Commissioners. Richman asked Commissioners to consider which two of the six projects they would choose not to fund if they had to drop two. Hart said she had given more to Shelter House thinking they would get more bang for their buck. HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MARCH 12, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 15 of 17 Long noted that Commissioners can ask the applicants at the next meeting if the projects are still feasible with only $2,500. Crane said he found it rather confusing that the project that was ranked last (Compeer) seemed to have quite a bit of funding allocated to it. Hart said she had funded Compeer because she thought it might help the long-term stability of the project. Shaw said that there is a value judgment to be made by the Commission as to whether a program is effective and can grow in the community and should therefore receive more funding. McMurray said that there were other mental health resources in the community to serve the Compeer population. Hightshoe said the agency serves 22 people. Richman said he had funded the program but was persuadable. It was discussed that Compeer had not received funding last year, but had the year before. Shaw asked if significance is given to having to repeatedly fund programs. Crane asked how long Local Foods had been funded and Hightshoe said it was funded in FY08 and FY09. She noted that this information is found in the staff review under "Applicant History." Shaw noted that all of the agencies in question had received past funding. Richman noted that it is a question as to whether these organizations are even intended to be entrepreneurial and self-supporting. Shaw said he was not thinking ofself-sufficiency so much as whether the agencies were administratively self- supporting enough to comply with all of the necessary regulations. Long asked if anyone had questions for Successful Living. Long asked Successful Living if only $2,500 of the requested $8,000 was granted it would be enough to sustain the program. Steve Noack of Successful Living replied that it would be difficult, but that any help would be appreciated. He said that the hours of the position would likely be cut down. Wojak noted that Successful Living receives no Aid to Agencies funding at all and that it was their hope that the new position could direct the recreation activities and look for new funding and fundraising opportunities with the goal of becoming more sustainable. Wojak joked that she would love to not be at this meeting at 9:45 p.m. at this time next year and that funding this position would help to make that possible. Wojak stated that the pilot project has been going very well and has grown each week, and that they would certainly take any funding that could be given. Long asked Sandy Pickup of the Free Medical Clinic if their project would continue with or without full funding. Pickup said that it will continue with partial funding if necessary. McMurray asked if pharmacists volunteer in addition to the doctors that volunteer. Pickup explained that the skills of a pharmacist are not as necessary as the skills of a prolific paper-pusher that could fill out and document the intensive paperwork necessary for the project. Richman noted that the two most highly ranked Public Service projects were also the projects that received the fewest votes for zero funding. He proposed agreeing that those two projects and one or two others be funded for the next round of allocations. He said that would reduce the number of moving pieces to deal with in two weeks. Drum asked if there was any one project that could be dropped now. Shaw said he was comfortable with that suggestion. Richman suggested that when people fill out their next allocation worksheet they assume that Free Med and Shelter House get funded at some level, and then everyone can pick one to two others to fund. McMurray concurred. Crane asked if they should allot four at $2,500. Richman and Shaw said it was up to each Commissioner how to allocate and at what amounts. Douglas asked if Compeer and Successful living were somewhat similar. Drum said he did not think so. Wojak, who volunteers at Compeer and works at Successful Living, said that while they both serve the chronically mentally ill, the clients at Successful Living receive more life-skills training and HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MARCH 12, 2009 MEETING ROOM A, IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY Page 16 of 17 the Compeer program is about one on one relationships. Hart asked how many clients Successful Living currently served. Wojak said they serve 84 clients. Hightshoe said she would send out revised allocation sheets on March 13th and asked Commissioners to return them to her by March 18th Long said that since the final dollar amounts are not yet known and will not be until the President's budget is passed, he wondered if it was alright with the Commission if the numbers varied by 5% or less if the change was applied across the board. He said if it varied more than 5% it might be necessary to reconvene. The Commission gave their consent. ADJOURNMENT: Shaw motioned to adjourn. Crane seconded. The motion passed 8-0 (DeFrance absent). The meeting was adjourned at 9:53 p.m. O .y N .~ O U c ~ ~ L _0 Q~ ~ ~ •~ 'C '_ ~ 3 ~ ~ Q O U otS C .N O 2 N M X ~ X X X X X X X N X X ~ X X X X X X j Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z N X ~ X X ~ X ~ X X ~, ~ ~ L .L W rn o r rn o r ~ ~ f o ~ r o ~ r ~ ~ r Q ~ ~ r 0 o ~ r rn o r ~ E (0 Z N ~ ~ ai ~ L U i ~ N `~° ~ N ~ ~ Q `° ~ O ~ ~ L L ~ L ~ ~ ~ ~ - = := N 2 A~ N ~ U ~ co Y V ~ U U ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ V ~ C '~ m E ~ .V 2 ~ U 3 ca L (n L U _ W '~ ~ ~ ~ ~ N N N N ~ (0 ~Q~z ° Q z ii n n ii ii >+ W YXOOz 3- - 9 IP8 MINUTES PRELIMINARY PUBLIC ART ADVISORY COMMITTEE THURSDAY, MARCH 5 2009 LOBBY CONFERENCE ROOM -CITY HALL Members Present: Mark Seabold, DaLayne Williamson, Jan Finlayson, Ann Khan, Terry Robinson (sitting in for Terry Trueblood), Patrick Carney Members Absent: Rick Fosse Staff Present: Marcia Bollinger, Jeff Davidson, Nate Kabat Public Present: Dale Merrill, Liberty Iron Works of Mt. Vernon, IA; Daniel Kinney, Tate High School Art Teacher; Laura Paczatek and Megan Lisbon, University of Iowa Journalism Students RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL Recommend approval of contributing $1000 supporting the second phase of a mural to be painted on the Wetherby Park shelter by students of Tate High School, Grant Wood Elementray School and Mark Twain Elementary School. Moved by Finlayson. Seconded by Kahn. Motion passed 6:0. CALL TO ORDER Finlayson called the meeting to order at 3:00 PM. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA None CONSIDERATION OF THE MINUTES OF THE JANUARY 8, 2009 MEETING MOTION: Robinson moved to approve the minutes; Williamson seconded. The motion passed 6:0. SCULPTURE PROJECT AT WATER WORKS PRAIRIE PARK -PASSIVE SOLAR LIGHTING PROPOSALS -DALE MERRILL Merrill reported the formal quote he received for lighting from SEPCO. The quote included two packages for dusk +7 hours of lighting. Option 1: 7 hours of continuous lighting - $8,673 Option 2: Computer maximizes efficiency of lighting. Sunnier months provide more then 7 hours of lighting. Has the capacity to split the 7 hours of lighting between directly after dusk and before dawn to maximize visibility - $9,006 Both systems are 425 watts with 47" X 86" solar panels to be mounted on a pole. The panels can be located up to 100ft. from the sculpture, although the distance can be increased using higher gauge wire. Merrill noted often times installers want the panels to be close by to display to the public the use of "green" energy. Public Art Advisory Committee Thursday, March 5, 2009 Page 2 of 4 Flood style light bulbs would be places low to the ground and directed upward to light the sculpture. Robinson noted installation of the lights should consider the 3' - 4' height of mature prairie grass. Merrill noted the lights use LED bulbs and comes with batteries, control switches and a warranty. The battery lasts 5-7 years. Merrill noted the system used three lights which would provide ample lighting for the project. Bollinger asked if the estimate includes footings for the lighting. Merrill said he could provide that element. Merrill said he would like to place the lighting temporarily before making it permanent to ensure proper positioning. He said he would like to be part of that process. Fosse asked how the sculpture would be transported. Merrill said he would transport pieces of the sculpture using a truck and trailer. The pieces would than be assembled on site. Merrill asked if it would be possible to get the large trucks into the site for installation. Robinson said it would be possible in the summer when the ground has dried and hardened enough to support the weight. Bollinger said it would be good to work with organizations like MidAmerican to seek grants to support the artwork and the use of renewable energy for the lighting. Williamson said she has worked with MidAmerican before and would help with that discussion. Williamson asked what the timeline for the project is. Merrill said the beginning of August would be the latest he plans to begin installation. Bollinger informed the committee that the contract with Merrill would be presented to City Council at the next Council meeting. Davidson encouraged the committee to contact City Council to tell them about this project so they keep it in mind when setting the budget. Davidson said the council had not mentioned PAAC when discussing possible cuts. WETHERBY PARK SHELTER MURAL PT. 2 -DANIEL KINNEY TATE HIGH SCHOOL Dan Kinney showed the committee the results of the completed first phase of the Wetherby Park Shelter Mural. The community has been very excited about the results of the project and the dedication ceremony received a lot of positive press. Kinney explained that since the back of the building continues to be a target for gang related graffiti, he would like to extend the mural to wrap around to that portion of the shelter. For the first phase of the project, Kinney asked for $500 and ended up adding an additional $500 of his own funds. This time he asked for $1000 to cover the entire cost of the second phase. Kahn said she is very impressed with the results of the first project. Seabold agreed adding the dedication was very positive. Kinney said the neighborhood has taken pride in the project. He expected the second phase would be able to begin very soon since the weather has been getting warm again. Seabold asked if the money is available. Bollinger passed out a budget highlighting the current outlays. The committee agreed that the funds are available. Seabold noted the high level of success seen in the first phase shows the great need for extending the project. Robinson noted this would help deter further graffiti, adding that the lower backsplash board on the building should be considered a boarder to the mural since that piece needs to be replaced form time to time. Robinson also said an anti-graffitti sealant should be put on the mural. Public Art Advisory Committee Thursday, March 5, 2009 Page 3 of 4 MOTION: Finlayson moved to recommend approval of $1000 to support phase two of the Wetherby Park mural project to be painted in the shelter. Seconded by Kahn. Motion passed 6:0. ARTSFEST - KIDZTENT Bollinger asked the committee to think about scheduled for the June 7`h Artsfest Kids Day. Last time the committee split the workload into 2 hour shifts. Seabold asked if the artwork that will be sold in the tent should be collected on Saturday or Sunday. Finlayson said Saturday when the artists are setting up their tents would be the best time. Finlayson noted this was done for the last Kidztent and worked well. Williamson offered that artwork could be stored in her office after it is collected. COMMITTEE TIME/UPDATES Kabat informed the committee about progress on Poetry in Public. He noted a record number of poem submissions were received this year. He also explained that most of the schools in the school district participated in the program including higher participation from the high schools and junior highs. Bollinger told the committee the program is being expanded this year to solicit artwork inspired by winning poems from local artists. Selected artwork will than be displayed alongside poems and unveiled at Artsfest. ADJOURNMENT Finlayson motioned to adjourn; Williamson seconded. Meeting adjourned at 3:57 pm. Next meeting scheduled for April 2nd, 2009. Minutes submitted by Nate Kabat. Eo U~ ~~ ~ i ~> ~a Q~~ ~ T ~ ¢~~ -~~ :~ ~~~ ~~~ a~ ... ~ ~ o ~"' U o ~ ~ ~ a •~ U O ~ ~ N b ~ ~', i~.i V ... 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