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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-05-05 Correspondence~_~.m:~r~ CITY O F IOWA CITY 3f 1 1~/I RA N D ~( ME Q Date: April 23, 2009 To: City Clerk From: Darian Nagle-Gamm, JCCOG Traffic Engineering Planner Re: Item for May 5th, 2009 City Council meeting; Establishment of a loading zone with a 15- minute limit on the east side of the 10 block of Dubuque Street from Iowa Avenue to the alley. As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 36 of the City Code, this is to advise the City Council of the following action. Action: Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A (18), Establish a loading zone with a 15-minute limit on the east side of the 10 block of Dubuque Street from Iowa Avenue to the alley. Comment: This action is being taken as part of proposed parking strategy for South Dubuque Street. Please see associated memo for further details. cc: Chris O'Brien Mark Faye Mark Rummel Mgr/agdldng-dub-iowapkgl imit. d oc 1 ~r w8 wit u ~- e~~~ C? .cm r ~ .. ~> _. ~~ 05-05-09 ~~®~ CITY OF IOWA CIT 3f2 ~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~-~ RA N D U ~ ~EMC~ Date: April 22, 2009 To: City Clerk and City Council From: Darian Nagle-Gamm, JCCOG Traffic Engineering Planner Re: Item for Tuesday, May 5th 2009 City Council meeting; Installation of NO PARKING ANYTIME signs on the south side of Middlebury Road between Scott Boulevard and Westbury Drive. As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 36 of the City Code, this is to advise the City Council of the following action: Action: Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A(10), Install (2) NO PARKING ANYTIME signs on the south side of Middlebury Road between Scott Boulevard and Westbury Drive. Comment: This action is being taken to ease congestion caused by a high density of on-street parking on both sides of Middlebury Road during the PM hours and to improve mobility and visibility for vehicles and pedestrians. Removing parking on the south side of the road will also reduce pedestrian mid-block crossings. On-street parking will continue to be available on the north side of the road. Both the Fire and Police departments support this action. ,~ ;~.~ .. Y ~T ~.- ~~:~.4 5..,. ] .-~ ~ ;.. ~'~ j A . • =; r`` . . ;n ..__ W :\wpdata\jccogtp\NoParking-Middlebury-4-09.doc -~! r®~ CITY OF IOWA C[T 3f3 M ~~o Date: April 20, 2009 To: City Clerk From: Kent Ralston, Acting Traffic Engineering Planner Re: Item for May 5, 2009 City Council meeting; Installation of (1) NO PARKING CORNER TO HERE sign at the southeast corner of the Iowa Avenue /Van Buren Street intersection As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 3B of the City Code, this is to advise the City Council of the following action. Action: Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A (13), Install (1) NO PARKING CORNER TO HERE sign at the southeast corner of the Iowa Avenue /Van Buren Street intersection Comment: This action is being taken to provide adequate sight distance for motorists at said intersection. _M ~._ ;:~ ., `.. ~... J _. <; ~ ;~? ~~ W:\wpdata\jccogtp\IA-VanBuren Act-Cmt-4-09.doc r ~~~,®~, CITY CJF tt~WA CITY 3f4 ~ :~~~~~~ ®~~~ E M D RA N D~ M M Date: April 21, 2009 To: City Council From: Ronald R. Knoche, City Engineer~_ Re: Competitive Quotation Results Clinton Street-Davenport Street Storm Sewer Improvements Competitive quotations for the Clinton Street-Davenport Street Storm Sewer Improvements Project were opened on Wednesday, April 15'h and the following quotes were received: Schrader Excavating Walford, IA $ 55,869.36 Rathje Construction Marion, IA $ 61,560.65 Carter and Associates, Inc. Coralville, IA $ 68,519.30 Lynch Excavating, Inc. West Branch, IA $ 71,679.00 All American Concrete, Inc. West Liberty, IA $ 73,772.00 Maxwell Construction, Inc. Iowa City, IA $ 77,176.00 Connoly Construction, Inc. Peosta, IA $ 79,315.20 Bockenstedt Excavating, Inc. Iowa City, IA $ 81,261.00 Tschiggfrie Excavating, Inc. Dubuque, IA $ 88,192.00 Engineer's Estimate $ 78,160.00 Public Works and Engineering recommended and the City Manager awarded the contract to Schrader Excavating and Grading, Inc. of Walford, Iowa. The project will be funded with Storm Water Utility Funds. 06/26/2013 20:54 FAX USA Bid Committee Inc. April z3, 2009 Hon. Regenia Bailey Office of the Mayor 410 East Washington Street Iowa City, IA 52240 Subject: 2018 / 2022 FIFA World CupTM Bid Campaign Venue Selection Dear Mayor Bailey, ~ 0002 3f 5 We are writing with reference to USA Bid Committee's letter to your organization dated April 3 whereby we introduced the opportunity for your city to become one of the possible venues for the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World CupTM. The purpose of this letter is to keep you informed of the process and to ensure that efforts aze taken to ensure a coordinated effort between the cities and their respective stadiums. The deadline for the response was April I7. While we did not receive a direct reply from your office, we are pleased to inform you that we did receive a reply from Kinnick Stadium expressing interest to advance discussions on this subject. If the discussions do advance with the stadium as part of our review process, it is important that we also maintain a direct dialogue at the city government level, given the considerable coordination required to host the event and the great opportunities it can afford your city. We will remain in contact with you. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. We appreciate very much your support as we attempt to bring the FIFA World CupTM back to America in 2018 or 2022. Yours s' cerely, J~ David Downs t Executive Director USA Bid Committee Inc. 420 Fifth Avenue, 7s' Floor New York, NY 10018 Tel: (212) 450-1402 Email: ddowns@usabidcommittee.org ,~, `~ ~~~ ~ :" - ` ~a ~- ~' ~ ,% _ ~~ `.. c~ ~'` .. co 420 Fifth Avenue, 7tl' Floor, New York, NY 10018 T 212.450.1402 I F 212.575.3780 i 3 6 ~ _,,`~- Iowa City City Council 401 E. Washington St. Iowa City, IA 52240 ("9 •,I f "1 'i i'/ !!~~ ~ ~~ ~ '~~..1_.. i., ~ tl V ~d r Dear Iowa City City Council Members, I am writing in an effort to inform you on the need for change in the amount student are being charged to live near the University of Iowa Campus. I am not referring to those who live with a couple of blocks of downtown, in the most convenient of apartments. These I can't give an educated opinion on. I am referring to apartments that are located on streets from Van Buren east to Lucas. Apartments Near Campus and Apartments Downtown have continually raised the prices of these apartments every year, raising them to unreasonable amounts. Not only do they collect on rent monthly, but parking for the year as well. My 2 bedroom apartment on South Johnson is set to cost $1066 per month the next lease yea, as well as $403 for a parking spot for the year. In any other town, this apartment would cost much less, especially compared to other college towns in Iowa such as Ames and Cedar Falls. I understand that the charge comes from the convenience of being near campus, however, is a 25 minute walk actually close enough to charge this extremely? I find myself aggravated with Property Management more often than when I am please. During winter, it's a good day if anyone actually plows the snow out of our parking lot. Also, since no one usually plows, the snow turns to ice on the mildly warm days and it becomes one massive and dangerous skating rink. I have also incurred charges for violations that I didn't commit, and been called about late rent when someone has forgotten to mark me off as paid upon receiving my check. Mistakes happen, but when you are being charged this much, they are harder to forgive. I know that you may not be able to completely help this situation, but due to the lack of options for student living (without having to drive to campus), it would be nice for this to gain some attention. Students have no more to spare, if not less, then the rest of the population in this rough economic time. If these companies are going to continue to charge extreme amounts, they ought to at least give a comparable amount of quality service. Thank you for your time, Ashley Schlinz ua-ua-uy 3f 7 Marian Karr From: Matthew J. Hayek [mhayek@hhbmlaw.com] Sent: Friday, April 24, 2009 1:22 PM To: Marian Karr Subject: FW :Important! -----Original Message----- From: Rod Sullivan [mailto:rodsullivan@mchsi.com] Sent: Friday, April 24, 2009 10:55 AM To: Regenia Bailey; Amy Correia; Matthew J. Hayek; Mike Wright Subject: Important! Dear Councilors: I recognize that you have some significant challenges on your plate right now, given the flood, sales tax, city manager, and bar zoning, just to name a few. There are two additional issues that I believe to be vitally important, however, and I wanted to mention them to you: First, please adopt the proposed new historic district. Secondly, please ACTIVELY work to ensure that Hancher Auditorium is rebuilt in Iowa City. These two issues are under the radar right now, but I think they are huge! No need to contact me regarding either issue, but I can be reached at 936-9080 if you wish to speak. Thanks for your time. Rod Sullivan 1 3f 8 Marian Karr From: Lisa Drahozal Pooley [Idraz00@hotmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, April 29, 2009 8:43 AM To: Jeff Davidson; Dale Helling; Ron Knoche; Rick Wyss; Mike Moran; Council Cc: 1 shfr-Teresa; Pat Farrant; Paula Kelly; Jane McCune Subject: Letter from the Animal Care Task Force Concerning a New Animal Shelter Site and Design Attachments: Letter to City concerning new Animal Center site and design.doc Dear City Council Members, Interim City Manager, City Planner, City Engineer, Parks and Recreation Superintendent, and Chief of Police: The Animal Care Task Force is respectfully submitting the attached letter concerning site selection and a vision for a new animal shelter. Several members have visited the currently proposed site and have many concerns on several levels. We also urge the Council and city staff to embrace a vision for a new Animal Center that incorporates animal shelter building design "best practices" to create a safe, healthy and inviting environment where programs can thrive and expand to reach more people in the community. Thank you for your time and consideration. We welcome any questions and further discussion. Animal Care Task Force members Pat Farrant, President Teresa Kopel, Vice President Lisa Drahozal Pooley, Secretary Jane McCune Paula Kelly Rediscover Hotmail®: Get a-mail storage that grows with you. Check it out. 4/29/2009 Dear City Council Members, Interim City Manager, City Planner, City Engineer, Parks and Recreation Superintendent, and Chief of Police: The Animal Care Task Force is pleased to hear that FEMA will most likely be awarding funds for the building of a new Animal Care and Adoption Center. As you know, the Center has had to move on two occasions after the June flooding and is due for some good news. We encourage the Council and City staff to seek input from Animal Services staff, volunteers and the community about the site and design of the new Animal Center. An animal shelter is the physical nucleus of a community animal care and control program" (Humane Society of the United States). The amazing response and outpouring of help from citizens, organizations and businesses during the large scale Solon impound situation and again during the flood of 2008, along with the daily support shown by volunteers, donors, and adopters, demonstrate that the Animal Center is highly valued by the community it serves. We urge the Council and city staff to embrace a vision for a new Animal Center that incorporates animal shelter building design "best practices" to create a safe, healthy and inviting environment where programs can thrive and expand to reach more people in the community. The vision includes the following concepts: • Community members must have easy and friendly access to the Center, whether to look for a new family member, report an animal-related issue, meet with an investigating officer, or attend an event • Animal Control officers need to be able to respond rapidly to public safety issues in the community • A highly visible and accessible area will encourage new volunteers, adopters and donors and help to retain current volunteers • It is crucial that the Center have adequate space to provide proper isolation and quarantine for new, sick, or vicious animals, both to prevent transmission of disease to animals and people and to keep volunteers and the public safe. The shelter should be designed to provide an environment of enrichment for the animals in their care (see the Des Moines Animal Rescue League as a superb example of a best practices shelter http://www.arl-iowa.org/) • A community education center would provide classrooms for humane education classes; petdcare/issues and animal safety classes; kids' camp; meetings; disaster preparedness c~ ~1ce~ts/meetings; Center events (dog walk, licensing/micro chipping events) -the list of ~ r~ ~i~ible classes and events is long. Other groups, organizations and businesses could ~ a`~is~a'rent out these areas as a potential source of revenue rw aii-,expanded library and service to address behavioral questions would help to keep ~'~ ~at~~nals in the home and the public safer. This could mean leasing a space to an animal --a 's'avior consultant or providing classes to the public on behavioral issues. Currently the ~w ~~~ Cater handles countless phone calls every day due to questions from the public The Center works hard to educate the public about spay and neuter, offers spay/neuter help to low income residents, and co-sponsors a Spay Day event with Spay Day USA, the Johnson County Humane Society, Iowa Humane Alliance, Friends of the Animal Center Foundation and local vets. An onsite collaborative low cost spay/neuter clinic would reduce overpopulation throughout the county, reduce expenses and most importantly, reduce the number of animals coming into the Center, thereby reducing euthanasia The Center must be able to come to the aid of the community in small and large disasters alike, whether a hoarding situation, a flood, fire, domestic violence situation, or economic hardship. During the flood of 2008, the Center not only rescued animals from flooded homes, they also cared for and housed animals for victims of the floods, and all while relocating to the Johnson County Fairgrounds - an incredible testament to the professionalism, knowledge, versatility and, above all, dedication and passion of the Animal Services staff; their nomination for Iowa City Press Citizen Heroes of the Flood Award was well deserved. • Volunteers must have a safe place to walk dogs and work with them to prepare them for successful adoptions • Outside exercise areas would provide much needed activity for the dogs to keep them healthy physically and mentally and increase adoptions • Currently our dog training classes are held off site due to a lack of space. Training and socializing dogs prepares them for adoption and living within the community. Training also provides skills to our volunteers. The training area could also be used to provide dog (or other animal) training classes for the public to increase knowledge, strengthen the human/animal bond, and help keep animals in the home • Animal related businesses could lease space at the Center, furthering the sense of community as well as creating a potential source of revenue We understand that property near McCollister Road and Riverside Drive is being seriously considered for the new Center location. The Task Force believes this property is an entirely unsuitable location for the new animal shelter for these reasons: • This is a heavy industrial area. National resources such as the National Animal Control Association (NACA), Society for Animal Welfare Administrators (SAWA), American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) recommend that animal shelters not be placed in heavy industrial ~ areas or flood zones ~ Lod noise from the nearby airport, neighboring grain elevator, heavy truck traffic, train ~ r~,., and weather siren would negatively impact animals, staff and the public E~uironmental concerns range from grain dust (associated with respiratory illnesses); ~. dt~i~~~#rom heavy traffic; possible use of pesticides, insecticides and rodent poison at the i ,~ `~ r`' g~~i'rinelevator; and methane gas (a former landfill is directly adjacent to the plot of land `~'; u~i~i~r consideration). A description of the property on City's website supports these ~` con+~rns: "In the course of operating their businesses, the heavy industrial and ~. intensive commercial uses in this subarea create a certain level of negative effects, including, noise, dust and heavy truck traffic.... " (http://www.icgov.org/default/?id=1429) • Volunteers would have to walk dogs along a busy street. A fenced dog area would not fit on this property and could only be placed some distance away on the old landfill area • Safety and security of the Center staff, volunteers and the public would be compromised due to low visibility from the main road • The location is neither user-friendly nor pleasant. It does not project nor fit the community and service oriented nature of the Center, nor does it allow for growth or expansion of community services and involvement We recognize that the current economic environment has put many complicated issues on the Council's agenda; however, a hasty and uninformed decision will have long term negative consequences for the community and the animals. We urge you to take this opportunity to create an environment that will serve the community for decades to come. Sincerely, Animal Care Task Force members Pat Farrant, President Teresa Kopel, Vice President Lisa Drahozal Pooley, Secretary Jane McCune Paula Kelly c ..~ C;s ~ ~ _ ~ ~ ~ ~~ .~.. ~~' ~, :. , .~.. , °~ ~,~ _.~ r~r _ t>_~ .~' Libris R. K. Fidelis ~ ~$ ~ Post Office Box 2146 Iowa City, Iowa 52244 May 5, 2009 `?~~ '": r -b ~~~~~ COMPLAINTS TO IOWA CITY COUNCIL First, t am ap~i;~l~d''bT~~tant changes to the City Council meeting schedules, but especially to the Council meeting directly aft~D'fM~;t~r~ryt~tiq#~e City Manager. I can see no valid reason for rescheduling the regular City Council meeting a day early, becaus~""e-t ere is no valid excuse. The City Council meeting is not for the convenience of the City Council, it is for the convenience of the city cfizens to attend Council Meetings to express themselves either for stating approval, disapproval or suggestions about topics of interest. There is only one reason for this continual re-scheduling, and that is to keep the public off-balance. We cannot all always check the web page or come downtown to obtain an agenda when we learn of issues. We need a dependable Council meeting schedule that should only rarely changed under the most pressing of circumstances.. Second, the news media is the public's primary watch over the actions of a c'dy government that is owned by the cfizens of Iowa City. It is the job and the unique responsibility of the news media to keep our public informed about the happenings and actions with our city government, because the city government belongs to the cfizens, not to the City Council. Although the City Manager may serve at the pleasure of the City Council, it is highly inappropriate for the City Council to refuse to communicate with the news media about the reason for the highest ranking City administrative employee, the City Manager, to be terminated. VN'dhout going into details that might indeed be private to the terminated employees, the City Council can still reveal the reason for termination to the public, because the citizens of any government in a Democracy have a right to know why any prominent employee is terminated for cause. The for-cause part of the City Manager's termination is the legfimate interest of the cfizens of Iowa City, so that we can know if any prejudice or impropriety or action against the wishes of the community is occurring, and conversely, whether any justification or legitimacy or need is being performed in behalf of the wishes of the community. And only the news media can promptly pass that information onto the public as a whole. It is time for the City Council of Iowa City to implement and subscribe to Demcoracy, which is has not been the case since I have become a resident of Iowa City. This problem is not indicative of only the current City Council, this city and the counties and the state of and within Iowa are famous for such anti-Democracy selfishness. And we cfizens need a prompt change, starting with a regular Council Meeting that follows the prescribed City Council meeting schedule. Third, We are having a problem with university students going to and from the Ped Mall on Friday nights and saturday mornings and nights and sunday mornings that has only recently this past half year become a major problem. There is excessive loud vocal noise including shouting, screaming, and singing, accompanied by occasional vandalism all up and down South Dubuque Street. There is also vehicle racing in the parking structure across the street. When tenants of Capitol House Apartments at 320 South Dubuque began calling the police, and occasionally some of us would shout out at students, they retaliated by becoming even more loud, bringing loud motorcycles into the parking structure and racing their engines as they ride by Capitol House Apartments. This has become harassment, and the at~iliiy to race up and down the ramps without speed bumps has presented a danger to anyone inside the parking structure as well as a lot of excessive noises. Fourth, speed bumps need to be placed about finrelve feet from the exit of parking ramps, particularly the parking structure next to the Sheraton Hotel. There also needs to be wording on the exit gates that says in bold print "YIELD TO PEDESTRIANS". I've almost been run over a half dozen times the past year and a half. Fifth, The Sheraton Hotel at the Ped Mall was reprimanded for closing the pedestrian through-way at night a year ago, which is the old street area of South Dubuque Street running through the hotel. Now, in the hotel remodeling, they have blocked off one-third of the pedestrian through-way to be used as part of the hotel lobby. This is atrocious. When the hotel was buil for the original ownert, it was with the caveat that the former street would be a twenty-four hour pedestrian walkway, and that agreement still applies through the grandfather clause. Now, however, the new hotel owner is more than encroaching on the original requirement to keep the pedestrian through-way open. If this encroachment is allowed, encroachments, and undoubtedly the hotel will be trying to close off the pedestrian through-way completely. Libris Fidelis resid n of downtown Iowa City and of Iowa City since 2006