HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-07-16 Bd Comm minutes Item Number: 4.a.
CITY OF IOWA CITY
COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
July 16, 2024
Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission: May 16
Attachments: Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission: May 16
May 16, 2024
Approved Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Minutes
Emma Harvat Hall, City Hall
Commissioners present: Amos Kiche, Cliff Johnson, Louis Tassinary, Chad Simmons, Chastity
Dillard.
Commissioners on Zoom: Lubna Mohamed.
Commissioners not present: Wangui Gathua, Lauren Merritt.
Staff present: Redmond Jones, Stefanie Bowers.
Recommendation to City Council: No.
Meeting called to order: 7:06
Reading of Land Acknowledgement: Tassinary read the Land Acknowledgement.
Approval of minutes from May 2,2024: Tassinary moved, and Johnson seconded. Motion passed
6-0.
Facilitators final report: Commissioner Simmons commented that he does not believe the final
report should be sent to City Council. Simmons stated the final report made by the facilitators
could be used to aid the Commission in creating their own final report due to the fact he believes
the report only records half the work the TRC is looking to accomplish. Commissioner Dillard and
Kiche agreed with the need to include more information in its final report. Commissioner
Tassinary agreed with the need for additional information for a final report, but asked whether
there were contractual obligations that would require the TRC to submit the facilitators final report.
Simmons recommended that a letter be submitted to City Council acknowledging the facilitator's
final report along with a message that there is additional work to report on in the future.
Commissioners Tassinary and Johnson agreed with moving forward with submitting a letter.
Dillard volunteered to write a letter that would later be shared with the Commission before
submitting. It was agreed that the information going into the letter would include acknowledging
the facilitator report and work/ information provided to the TRC and that the Commission will
continue to consider that information as they continue to work based on their charter.
Commissioner Kiche suggested asking Think Peace for a letter that considers their thoughts on the
training program and what they saw went well and what did not. Commissioner Tassinary shared
that he felt there was a disconnect in information within the report,which Commissioner Dillard
suggested reconciling with their own data in a final report. It was agreed amongst Commissioners
that there needs to be more specifics when it comes to questions and answers regarding data that
would lead to policy recommendations for a final report.
Redmond Jones confirmed it would be acceptable to explain to City Council that the report made
by the facilitators is an addition to the work that the TRC is doing rather than the final data on the
work that has been done.
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Commissioner Tassinary volunteered to work through the facilitator's report to find ways to
incorporate it moving forward. Commissioner Kiche also volunteered to help with the task.
Request for additional funds from City Council: Commissioner Simmons told Commissioners
and staff that the two payments made to Cocoa Creative Agency that came off the TRC budget
should be paid off of the City Manager budget because they were requests to the Agency from City
staff and not a member of the TRC.
Commissioner Kiche reviewed the current budget and spending, noting there are no resources left
for spending and future projects. Kiche provided Commissioners with a general expense report
with an overview of possible fund allocations if additional money is granted. Along with the
budget,the Commission considered the amount of time left for work to be done. A previous
discussion on cutting back on the total number of topics/areas to cover in the remaining six
months was revisited. It was suggested to cut back on the number of topics to focus on due to a
lack of time and resources. Commissioner Kiche brought up concerns that the Commission may be
falling short to their commitment to implement change in the community. Commissioner Dillard
believes there is still work to be done beyond the six-month period, which is what they hope to
convince the City Council to keep the Commission going beyond the contractual end-date.
Upcoming Presentation to City Council: The next opportunity for the Commission to present to
City Council is the 4th or the 18th of June. Simmons questioned why there still has not been a vote
by City Council to consider additional funding to the TRC. Commissioners discussed their
concerns with the Commission's budget and staff went over how the Commission operates under
the rules of the City and City Council. Commissioner Simmons stated he would be making public
comments at the next City Council meeting to bring up the concerns of budget and the future of the
TRC. Commissioner Dillard suggested each Commissioner speak at the next City Council meeting
during public comment to share their personal perspectives. Commissioner Kiche suggested
providing a business model to the City Council in regards to increasing the budget in order for
them to understand where and why the money will be used. Commissioner Dillard suggested that
each commissioner reach out to six of the seven current City Council members.
Commissioner Johnson agreed to reach out to Mayor Teague, Commissioner Kiche agreed to reach
out to Mayor Pro Tem Salih, Commissioner Dillard will reach out to Councilmembers Alter and
Dunn, Commissioner Tassianry will reach out to Councilmember Shawn Harmsen, Commissioner
Simmons will reach out to Councilmember Moe. Commissioner Simmons suggested for
Commissioners to ask councilmembers to support a vote for the use of additional funds as soon as
possible. Commissioner Mohamed will join commissioner Johnson in meeting with the Mayor.
Commissioner Simmons shared a presentation he put together Commissioner reviewed and made
suggestions of what to include from this report when it comes to talking to City Council and
sharing the document with them. Commissioner Kiche suggested to add some more details that
would allow the City Council to see the general direction in which the TRC is headed without
cornering the Commission and their efforts moving forward.
2
Next steps for phase three and four: It was suggested to get involved in community spaces like
the Farmers Market,the Diversity Markets, and churches. It was also shared that a community
member volunteered to provide up to 15 hours a week to assist the TRC with its work. The
Commission considered different roles this person could help with including project management
and data reporting. It was agreed to discuss further about ways to get involved and recognized in
the community for future projects.
Announcements of commissioners: None.
Announcements of staff. None.
The meeting adjourned at 9:46 PM.
The full meeting video can be viewed at this link.
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Item Number: 4.b.
CITY OF IOWA CITY
COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
July 16, 2024
Charter Review Commission: May 23
Attachments: Charter Review Commission: May 23
FINAL/APPROVED
MINUTES
CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION
May 23, 2024—5:30 P.M.
EMMA J. HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL
Members Present: John Balmer, Susan Craig, John Death, Makenzie DeRoo, Matt Hayek,
Molly Kucera, Bijou Maliabo
Members Absent: Gerene Denning, Jennifer Patel
Staff Present: City Attorney Goers, Deputy City Clerk Platz
(Videos of the meetings are available at citychanneWcom typically within 48 hours)
RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (to become effective only after separate Council
action):
None
1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
2. MOTION TO ADOPT DRAFT MINUTES AS PRESENTED OR AMENDED
Moved by Craig, seconded by Deeth to approve the April 25, 2024, draft minutes as
amended. Commissioner Hayek noted a typo in the last page, last paragraph, 4th line
down. Motion carried 7-0, Denning and Patel absent.
3. Motion to Accept Correspondence
Moved by Deeth, seconded by Maliabo to accept correspondence from Rod Sullivan
and Commissioner Hayek. Motion carried 7-0, Denning and Patel absent.
4. Review of City Charter: Article II —City Council
Section 2.06 Mayor
Chair Balmer introduced item 4, Article II - City Council, starting with Section 2.06 relating to
the Mayor and advised commissioners there would only be discussion at this time and they
would not take any action. Commissioner Hayek started the discussion noting his memo to
the commission which was included the meeting packet stating the thoughts mentioned
came from his background serving on Council appointed commissions, City Council as a
Councilor, and as Mayor. Hayek stated he was advocating for maintenance of what is
already in place, noting that the system in place makes sense and creates a stronger
Council as a whole. Hayek stated true representation of the public should come via a
majority of the Council which is best for the entire public and less power vested in a single
individual.
Chair Balmer mentioned his experiences as Mayor and wanting to lead the Council but also
have the body working together. Hayek also added that in many of the communities where
the Mayor is elected, they are also non-voting. Hayek stated having a voting Mayor was
good for accountability and equalizes the Council if all members have an equal vote on a
measure.
Charter Review Commission
May 23,2024
Page 2
Commissioner Craig shared feedback from the public who want to vote for the Mayor and
understands those views but also sees that the public votes on all seven positions knowing
that one of them will be elected Mayor. Craig advised she didn't want a four-year term Mayor
and preferred 2-year terms because a change could be made in the elected Mayor if one
was needed.
Commissioner Maliabo agreed with Craig as her preference was a two-year Mayor, stating it
gives someone else an opportunity to serve.
Commissioner Deeth felt that the choice of Mayor should go to the public rather than the
Council and liked the two-year term for Mayor and the Mayor to be a voting member of
Council.
Commissioner DeRoo stated she agreed with most of the views already stated and there did
not seem to be a strong desire to change how the Mayor functions or to create a more
powerful Mayor but to retain a two-year Mayor that is a consensus builder and can
effectively run the meetings. DeRoo noted that the current structure has seemed to cultivate
that type of person and she would have a high bar for changing the structure, not that she
couldn't as conversations or public input comes in.
Vice Chair Kucera stated that it's the commission's duty to think about what is best for the
City. Also saying they need to think about if it is best to have a City-elected Mayor, noting
that even if the Mayor did not have a vote, they would still have a voice and that may be
better for the City. Kucera mentioned the Mayor has many roles where it does become a
full-time job and not everyone has the ability to do that when they are elected by the Council
and would like the commission to look into it more.
Chair Balmer stated he believed the Mayor should have a vote and with a Council-Manager
system it does not have to be a full-time job, and with a professional staff that is given
direction by Council it has functioned very well. Balmer noted the term for Mayor is currently
two-years and is comfortable with those terms.
Commissioner Deeth reviewed the Iowa City Council election history and historically the
Council has elected the candidate who received the most community votes as Mayor.
Balmer stated that may be true noting he would not have run for Mayor if it was City-elected
but after serving on Council and gaining some experience for a couple of years was
comfortable being elected Mayor by the Council. Commissioners discussed the additional
duties and time commitment by the Mayor. Vice Chair Kucera urged the commission to
continue to receive input from the community to get their views. Commissioner Craig gave
the example of two Councilors running against each other for Mayor, noting that if the Mayor
is City-elected one of those Council candidates running is going to lose. If the Mayor is
Council-elected, both could still be on Council if elected and possibly be Mayor.
Section 2.12 Prohibitions
City Attorney Goers wanted to highlight the nature of the prohibitions in B and C noting City
Council cannot intervene or micromanage staff that are hired by the City Manager. Goers
wondered if the offices of the City attorney and City clerk should also apply to this. Chair
Balmer agreed and asked the City attorney to draft language for the commission to review.
Charter Review Commission
May 23,2024
Page 3
Vice Chair Kucera mentioned Commissioner Denning's submittal included in the May 14th
meeting stating Denning had added a Section 2.12(D) regarding the library director and
airport director. City Attorney Goers pointed out that the airport director is the only
employee at the airport and is appointed by the Airport Commission. Goers also added that
the library already had some statutory protections preventing Council from interfering with
library staff and stated he would prepare language for the commission to review.
Commissioner Craig expressed the language in sections B and C should also reflect the
library director.
Section 2.08 Appointments (E)
Commissioner Maliabo asked for clarification on Section 2.08(E). City Attorney Goers
advised that City Council appoints the City Manager, City Clerk, and City Attorney and sets
the compensation for those employees.
5. Discuss Summer Schedule
Chair Balmer suggested taking the month of August off and hold public input sessions in
September on a proposed document. Balmer felt the Commission would be able to submit
a preliminary proposal to Council for feedback by the first of the year. The Commission
moved to item 6 to discuss the tentative schedule.
6. TENTATIVE MEETING SCHEDULE
Due to scheduling conflicts, the Commission agreed to cancel July 91' and July 25th and
scheduled a meeting for Tuesday, July 30th. It was also agreed to move the August 22nd
meeting to Thursday, August 27th Deputy Clerk Platz will check on room availability for the
meeting changes.
7. COMMUNITY COMMENT:
The following individual appeared: Dean Abel.
8. ADJOURNMENT:
Moved by Maliabo, seconded by DeRoo to adjourn the meeting at 6:43 P.M. Motion
carried 7-0, Denning and Patel absent.
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Item Number: 4.c.
CITY OF OF IOWA CITY
COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
July 16, 2024
Charter Review Commission: June 17
Attachments: Charter Review Commission: June 17
FINAL/APPROVED
MINUTES
CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION
June 17, 2024—5:30 p.m.
EMMA J. HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL
Members Present: John Balmer, Susan Craig, John Deeth, Gerene Denning, Makenzie
DeRoo, Matt Hayek, Molly Kucera, Bijou Maliabo, Jennifer Patel
Staff Present: City Attorney Goers, City Clerk Grace
(Videos of the meetings are available at citychannel4.com typically within 48 hours)
RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (to become effective only after separate Council
action):
None
1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
2. MOTION TO ADOPT DRAFT MINUTES AS PRESENTED OR AMENDED
Moved by Death, seconded by Craig to approve the May 23, 2024, draft minutes as
presented. Motion carried 9-0.
3. Motion to Accept Correspondence
No correspondence received.
4. Continue discussion of Review of City Charter: Preamble
Chair Balmer stated the Commission would not be making any final decisions but should be
coming to a consensus as they review the sections of the City Charter. Commissioner
Hayek asked if there was a draft of the changes that had been discussed. City Attorney
Goers had submitted a memo dated May 9 in the May 141h meeting packet. It was noted in
the memo from Attorney Goers he was asked to review the Charter to search for uses of the
term "Qualified Elector', to see if there was a good reason not to collapse that term into the
definition of"Eligible Elector." The memo states that the term is repeatedly used not only in
the Charter, but in the remainder of the City Code and recommended preserving the
definition of"Qualified Elector." Commissioner Denning asked if as part of the
Commission's recommendations they could say they had a discussion and agreed "Eligible
Elector' is the better language and if the people that could amend it do so, the next
Commission could correct the language. There was consensus among the Commission to
make the recommendation. Chair Balmer asked the Commission to continue the review of
the Preamble before moving on to other sections.
City Clerk Grace read through her notes from the May 23 Commission meeting to confirm
the agreed changes made to the language in the Preamble, number 1 as follows:
"a. Each individual shall have an equal opportunity to participate f^"V IR the ^^^^^^ALC
Guttural--and4ntelteGtual in the life of the cit
including economic cultural and intellectual.
Charter Review Commission
June 17,2024
Page 2
b. Discrimination prohibited by Title 2 of the City Code shall not be tolerated. is
'
age, sexual qFieRtat On
vital GtatUG w.ilila Fy Stat ,n n nhvninnl or mental disability." '
Vice Chair Kucera asked staff if they could produce a document of the agreed upon
changes by the Commission and have it available to review. City Attorney Goers noted that
typically draft documents are not public but since the discussion is at a public meeting, he
did not have concerns with the document being public if that's what the Commission wanted.
Kucera noted that the Commission wants to have input from the public and having a draft
document the public can review as well as the Commission makes sense. City Attorney
Goers asked if the Commission was okay with staff crafting language for the document so
the public would know that it is a working document. The Commission agreed to staff
drafting language and also noted that the draft should only have items the Commission has
had consensus on.
Commissioner Patel stated she wasn't sure when to ask and noted throughout the
document there were references to she and he and not everyone identifies by male or
female and asked if those could be changed to the singular they. Attorney Goers asked the
Commission if staff could finish reading the Preamble changes before moving on. City Clerk
Grace read from the minutes of April 25 where Commissioner Denning made suggested
changes to paragraph one of the Preamble which included language from the Model Charter
as follows:
"We, the people of Iowa City, Iowa, pursuant to the constitution and statutes of the state of
Iowa and the principle of self-determination proclaim that the government of Iowa City
belongs to all its residents and all share the responsibility for it. We hereby adopt this charter
and confer upon it the full home rule powers of a charter city in order to provide for an
honest and accountable council-manager government. By this action we secure the
benefits of home rule and affirm the values of representative democracy, rofessional
management. strong political leadership, public engagement, diversity and inclusiveness
and regional cooperation. Furthermore, adoption of this Charter recognizes the following
principles:" Commissioners discussed the inclusion of"council-manager government" in the
language and having a clear and concise document. There was consensus leave the
language as proposed. Commissioner Maliabo asked why the Commission was adding
language if the current language is good as is. Vice Chair Kuchera noted that the proposed
language was from the Model City Charter and is more inclusive and that is why it was
suggested to be added.
City Clerk Grace continued reading the suggested changes for numbers 1 — 5 of the
Preamble:
1. Resident participation on an equitable and inclusive basis as part of the process of
democratic self-government. More specifically:
2. The provision of city services including but not limited to those related to the health,
safety, and welfare of its residents in an fair equitable, inclusive, effective, efficient and
L manner.
3. The conduct of city business in conformity with the principles and practices of due
process, equal protection under the laws, and protection of individual liberties granted by
the Constitution of the United States, by State of Iowa, and by local ordinances.
Charter Review Commission
June 17,2024
Page 3
4. Civility and responsiveness by city employees in their interactions with the public. (Ord.
15-4621, 5-19-2015)
5. Fair and effective environmental stewardshin that treasures the many wonders of our
unique environment and recognizes that the power and duty to protect this region is
inherent to its people.
There was consensus from the Commission to accept the language as is for items 1 -4.
Commissioners discussed the proposed language in item 5. Commissioner Patel felt
environmental stewardship was important and Commissioner Maliabo thought it sounded
very welcoming. Commissioner Hayek asked Attorney Goers if there was an issue with
using Power and duty. Goers noted the Preamble is considered aspirational, but the
language could possibly be challenged if someone thought the City should be doing more or
if the City approved a project that some thought was environmentally unfriendly. Goers
stated his preference would be to remove words like power and duty from the language.
Commissioner DeRoo asked if instead of making the language its own statement, could a
portion of it could be added to the first paragraph of the Preamble as follows:
"We, the people of Iowa City, Iowa, pursuant to the constitution and statutes of the state of
Iowa and the principle of self-determination proclaim that the government of Iowa City
belongs to all its residents and all share the responsibility for it. We hereby adopt this charter
and confer upon it the full home rule powers of a charter city in order to provide for an
honest and accountable council-manager government. By this action, we secure the
benefits of home rule and affirm the values of representative democracy, professional
management, strong political leadership, public engagement, diversity and inclusiveness,
aad regional cooperation and fair and effective stewardship of our unique environment.
Furthermore, adoption of this Charter recognizes the following principles:"
There was consensus of the revised language for paragraph one and deletion of item 5
among Commissioners.
City Clerk Grace confirmed the revised language of Article I. Powers of the City, Section
1.01 Powers Of The City to read as follows:
The city shall have bas all powers possible under the constitution and laws of this state.
(Ord. 76-2792, 1-2-1976)
Commissioner Denning explained that"shall have' makes the language stronger and
Commissioner Hayek stated it also reads better.
City Clerk Grace also noted there was a suggested addition of Section 1.04
Intergovernmental Relations which the Commission agreed not to add.
There was consensus of the revised language for Section 1.01 and not to add to Section
1.04 among Commissioners.
5. Continue discussion of Review of City Charter: Article II —City Council
Section 2.12 Prohibitions
Chair Balmer noted the memo dated June 12 from City Attorney Goers in the June 17
Charter Review Commission meeting packet regarding adding City Attorney and City Clerk
Charter Review Commission
June 17, 2024
Page 4
to the Prohibitions section from discussion at the May 23 meeting. Commissioner Craig
added there was also discussion regarding the Library and Airport. Chair Balmer noted that
the Library is under separate governance by the Library Board and asked if they should be
included in the language. Commissioner Craig noted she had originally thought the
language should be under Article IV. City Manager, Section 4.04. Duties Of City Manager
because they are responsible for the hiring and thought it should be pointed out someplace
in the Charter, noting the governance of the Airport and Library are different from the rest of
the City. City Attorney Goers stated Section 2.12 is specifically trying to avoid Council
interference with the management of employees. Goers also noted there are other sections
of the Iowa City Code such as 11-1-2(E) in reference to the Library that gives the Library
Board direct control over all activities and operations of the Library but doesn't necessarily
protect Library employees. City Attorney Goers summarized the two proposed language
samples from the memo dated June 12. Commissioner Hayek thought the second version
of proposed language from the memo was hard to read. Chair Balmer's preference was to
only reference the City Manager, City Attorney and City Clerk in this section. The
Commission discussed the proposed language from the City Attorney and made
suggestions. Commissioner Hayek asked if the City Code sections could be referenced in
the Charter. Goers noted there were two issues being discussed, one being council
interference and the other being who gets to do the hiring. Additional discussion continued
by the Commission.
The Commission directed the City Attorney to redraft the version of Charter Section 2.12 to
simplify the language, move the Police and Fire Chief's to section 2.08, and to make clear
that council members should not interfere with any City employees other than the City
Manager, City Attorney, and City Clerk. Staff will make a note to revisit language regarding
the Library Director and the Airport Manager, particularly in 4.04, at a later date.
6. TENTATIVE MEETING SCHEDULE
Commissioners reviewed the tentative meeting schedule and agreed to cancel July 30 and
moved August 27 to Wednesday, August 28 due to meeting room availability. Chair Balmer
asked staff to look at meeting rooms at the Iowa City Public Library in September to hold a
public hearing to gather public input. Vice Chair Kucera suggested having one of the public
hearings on a Saturday to encourage more attendance. Commissioner DeRoo suggested
working with partner organizations that already have an engaged base of members that
could promote on behalf of the Commission. Staff will look at the room calendar for
openings at the Library. Commissioner Maliabo suggested a photo of the Commission for
the City webpage and asked if the public hearing could be held at the Robert A. Lee
Recreation Center for ample parking. Commissioner Craig suggested using Harvat Hall for
a public hearing. Commissioners discussed how to disperse information to the public.
Commissioner Maliabo suggested having a table for Commissioners at local events or
flyers to help promote the Commission. City Clerk Grace added that a OR Code could be
added to the flyers.
Chair Balmer suggested they should focus on giving the Charter another general overview
starting at Article III going forward at the June 271" meeting and leave the more controversial
items for later.
7. COMMUNITY COMMENT:
No discussion.
Charter Review Commission
June 17,2024
Page 5
8. ADJOURNMENT:
Moved by Maliabo, seconded by Patel to adjourn the meeting at 6:51 p.m. Motion
carried 9-0.
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Item Number: 4.d.
CITY OF IOWA CITY
COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
July 16, 2024
Civil Service Commission: June 13
Attachments: Civil Service Commission: June 13
Minutes—Final
City of Iowa City Civil Service Commission
Thursday,June 13, 2024—8:15 a.m.
Helling Conference Room
Members Present: Rick Wyss, Ashley Jennings
Members Absent: Chi Ogboko
Staff to the
Commission Present: Karen Jennings (via phone), Tracy Robinson
Other Parties Present: Police Chief Dustin Liston
Recommendation to Council (become effective only after separate Council action):
None.
Call to Order:
Wyss called the meeting to order at 8:15 a.m.
Certification of hiring list for the position of Police Officer:
After a brief discussion, A. Jennings moved and Wyss seconded to certify the list as
presented. All were in favor.
Certification of promotional lists for the positions of Police Sergeant and Police
Lieutenant:
After a brief discussion, A. Jennings moved and Wyss seconded to certify both lists as
presented. All were in favor.
Adjournment;
A. Jennings moved to adjourn, Wyss seconded, all were in favor and the meeting was
adjourned at 8:23 a.m.
Board/Commission: Civil Service Commission
Attendance Record
Year 2024
(Meeting Date)
Term 2/9/24 4/19124 6/13/24
Name Ex ires
Rick Wyss 413128 X X X
Chi O boko 4/7/25 O/E O/E O/E
Ashley Jennings 4/6/26 X X X
KEY: X = Present
O = Absent
OIE = Absent/Excused
NM = No Meeting
-- = Not a Member
�tJ4_
June 13, 2024 CITY OF IOWA CITY
410 East Washington Street
Iowa City, Iowa 52240-1326
To: The Honorable Mayor and the City Council (3 19) 356-5000
(319) 356-5009 FAX
RE: Civil Service Entrance Examination —Police Officer WWWr1C0-0v.org
We, the undersigned members of the Civil Service Commission for Iowa City, Iowa, do hereby certify the
following named person(s) as eligible for the position of Police Officer.
1. Gregory Lalla
2. Rhonda Hayes
3. Mia Brdecka
4. Kolton Johnson
5. Morgan Light
6. Abigail Tindal
7. Mathieux Rehnke
Iowa City Civil Service Commission
Rickr,WJy_ss
1��aJ,_
Chi Ogboko
As iey Jen n s
ATTEST-
Kellie race, City Clerk
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CITY OF IOWA CITY
June 13, 2024 410 East Washington Street
Iowa City, Iowa 52240-1826
(319) 356-5000
To: The Honorable Mayor and the City Council (3 (9) 356-5009 FAX
wwwaicgov.org
RE: Civil Service Promotional Examination—Police Sergeant
We, the undersigned members of the Civil Service Commission for Iowa City, Iowa, do hereby certify the
following named person(s) as eligible for the position of Police Sergeant.
1. Nathaniel Rose
2, Daniel Boesen
3. Christopher Passmore
4. Zachary Murguia
5. Andrew Farrell
6. Kurt Fuchs
7, Jeffrey Schmidt
8, Conner Herman
Iowa City Civil Service Commission
�i-kickW��yss Chair
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Ash ey Jennin
ATTEST: F' .J ,(, ,
Kellid Grace, City Clerk
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CITY OF IOWA CITY
June 13, 2024 410 East Washington Street
Iowa City, Iowa 52240-1826
(319) 356-5000
To: The Honorable Mayor and the City Council (31 9) 356-5009 FAX
O'N4R rCg O6'.Org
RE: Civil Service Promotional Examination —Police Lieutenant
We, the undersigned members of the Civil Service Commission for Iowa City, Iowa, do hereby certify the
following named person(s) as eligible for the position of Police Lieutenant.
1. Matthew Ties
2. Douglas Roling
Iowa City Civil Service Commission
Rick
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Ashley Jen g
ATTEST: - ��
Kellie Grace, City Clerk
Item Number: 4.e.
CITY OF IOWA CITY
COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
July 16, 2024
Community Police Review Board: June 11
Attachments: Community Police Review Board: June 11
FINALtAPPROVED
COMMUNITY POLICE REVIEW BOARD
Minutes —June 11, 2024
CALL TO ORDER: Chair Jensen called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Melissa Jensen, Ricky Downing, Orville Townsend,
Amanda Remington, Jerri MacConnell, Saul Mekies
MEMBERS ABSENT: Jessica Hobart
STAFF PRESENT: Staff Connie McCurdy, Legal Counsel Patrick Ford
OTHERS PRESENT: Police Chief Dustin Liston, City Council Liaison Laura Bergus
RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL:
• None.
CONSENT CALENDAR:
• Draft minutes of the meeting on May 14, 2024
• ICPD Policy#330 Major Incident Notification
• ICPD Policy#331 Death Investigation
ICPD Policy#347 Response to Workplace Incidents of Sexual Misconduct, Domestic Violence
and Dating Violence
• ICPD Policy#702 Vehicle Maintenance
• ICPD Policy#1015 Commendations and Awards
• ICPD Use of Force Report/Review—January 2024
• ICPD Use of Force Report/Review— February 2024
• ICPD Use of Force Report/Review— March 2024
Motioned by Remington, seconded by Townsend to adopt the consent calendar as presented.
Motion carried 6/0, Hobart absent.
NEW BUSINESS:
Legal Counsel Ford suggested that the board discuss the wording used in the online complaint
forms.
Ford asked if the online CPRE complaint form could say something like "does the incident involve an
officer employed by the City of Iowa City". Ford also thought that it might help if the title at the top of the
page said, "Iowa City Community Police Review Board". Ford mentioned that it might be a good idea to
have the website say, "Iowa City Community Police Review Board".
Chair Jensen commented that"City of Iowa City police officer' seems clunky the way it's worded and
maybe the structure of it could be changed. Commissioner Remington mentioned that maybe having
the complainant check a box "who the officer is employed by" such as Iowa City, Coralville, Johnson
Co., etc., so if they check anything other than Iowa City, the response to them would be to contact that
jurisdiction. Jensen was not sure she liked Remington's idea because she does not want complainants
expecting that the Iowa City CPRB would forward non-Iowa City complaints to the proper jurisdiction.
Commissioner Mekies asked if the title of the complaint form could be changed to include Iowa City.
Police Chief Liston commented that unfortunately the changes that were made a couple of years ago to
make filing easier did not seem to make a difference.
CPRB
June 11, 2024 FINAL/APPROVED
Page 2
OLD BUSINESS:
• None.
PUBLIC COMMENT OF ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA:
• None.
BOARD INFORMATION:
Chair Jensen thanked Remington and Townsend for their service on the Board. Townsend mentioned
that there have been a lot of changes and stated the success of the board is because of the efforts put
forth by the City.
Dean Abel, public, asked if replacements for Remington and Townsend had been appointed.
STAFF INFORMATION:
None.
TENTATIVE MEETING SCHEDULE and FUTURE AGENDAS (subiect to change):
• July 9, 2024, 5:30 p.m. — Helling Conference Room
• August 13, 2024, 5:30 p.m. — Helling Conference Room (moved to August 20, 2024)
• August 20, 2024, 5:30 p.m. — Helling Conference Room
• September 10, 2024, 5:30 p.m. — Helling Conference Room
• October 8, 2024, 5:30 p.m. — Helling Conference Room
Motioned by Mekies, seconded by Jensen to change the meeting date from August 13, 2024 to August
20, 2024.
Motion carried 610, Hobart absent.
EXECUTIVE SESSION:
Motioned by Remington, seconded by Downing, to adjourn to Executive Session based on Section
21.5(1)(a) of the Code of Iowa to review or discuss records which are required or authorized by state or
federal law to be kept confidential or to be kept confidential as a condition for that government body's
possession or continued receipt of federal funds, and 22.7(11) personal information in confidential
personnel records of public bodies including but not limited to cities, boards of supervisors and school
districts, and 22-7(5) police officer investigative reports, except where disclosure is authorized
elsewhere in the Code; and 22.7(18) Communications not required by law, rule or procedure that are
made to a government body or to any of its employees by identified persons outside of government, to
the extent that the government body receiving those communications from such persons outside of
government could reasonably believe that those persons would be discouraged from making them to
that government body if they were available for general public examination.
Motion carried 610, Hobart absent.
Open session adjourned 5:46 p.m.
CPRB
June 11, 2024 FINALtAPPROVED
Page 3
REGULAR SESSION:
Returned to regular session at 6:18 p.m.
Motioned by Remington, seconded by Townsend to set level of review for CPRB Complaint 24-02 at
8-8-7 (13)(1)(a), on the record with no additional investigation.
Motion carried 6/0, Hobart absent.
ADJOURNMENT:
Motioned by Townsend, seconded by Remington to adjourn.
Motion carried 610, Hobart absent.
Meeting adjourned at 6:23 p.m.
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Item Number: 4.f.
CITY OF IOWA CITY
COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
July 16, 2024
Council Economic Development Committee: September 25 [See Recommendations]
Attachments: Council Economic Development Committee: September 25 [See
Recommendations]
EDC minutes September 25,2023 -p1
FINAL
MINUTES
CITY COUNCIL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
September 25, 2023
EMMA HARVAT HALL, 8:00 A.M.
Members Present. Laura Bergus, Megan Alter, John Thomas
Members Absent:
Staff Present: Rachel Kilburg, Redmond Jones, Eric Goers,
Others Present: Beth Meyer, Entrepreneurial Development Center, Inc.; Michelle Higgins,
AugmENT; Tracy Jon Sargent, Multicultural Development Center of Iowa, John
Schickedanz, Englert Theatre; Andrew Sherburne, FilmScene; Adam Knight,
Riverside Theatre, Lisa Barnes, Summer of the Arts; Judith Leavitt, Iowa City
UNESCO City of Literature
Recommendations to council:
Thomas moved,Alter second a motion to approve the minutes of the November 29, 2022
meeting. Motion passed (3-0).
Thomas moved,Alter seconded a motion to approve a recommendation to the full council for
$25,000 to Entrepreneurial Development Center, Inc. and $25,000 to the Multicultural
Development Center of Iowa. Motion passed (3-0).
Alter moved, Thomas seconded a motion to approve a recommendation to the full council for
$32,000 for FilmScene, $20,000 for Riverside Theatre, and $67,000 for Summer of the Arts.
Motion passed (3-0).
Alter moved, Thomas seconded a motion to approve a recommendation to the full council for
$70,000 for the Englert Theatre. Motion passed (2-0, Bergus recused).
Bergus moved, Thomas seconded a motion to approve a recommendation to the full council
for $60,000 for the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature. Motion passed (2-0, Alter recused).
Call meeting to order:
Laura Bergus called the meeting to order at 8:01 A.M.
Consider approval of minutes from the November 29 2022 Economic Development Committee
meeting
Thomas moved,Alter seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the November 29, 2022
meeting. Motion passed (3-0).
Consider FY25 budget recommendation to full City Council for Community Development
Assistance funding for business development organizations:
Kilburg provided a brief introduction to the process, explaining these business development and arts
and culture organizations are invited to present their funding requests to the Council Economic
Development Committee each year. Kilburg shared that almost all of the organizations had expressed
EDC minutes September 25,2023 -p2
FINAL
a need for increased funding this year, and she in turn described the fiscal challenges and budget
uncertainties facing the City. She shared that staff's recommendation maintains stable funding levels,
but the organizations were encouraged to be candid in their requests.
Kilburg welcomed Beth Meyer, VP of Marketing, and Michelle Higgins, client, representing the
Entrepreneurial Development Center, Inc. (EDC, Inc.). Meyer explained that EDC, Inc. works with
interstate commerce entrepreneurs, start-ups, and matures business owners looking to scale. Meyer
introduced Higgins, a client of EDC, Inc. and founder ofAugmENT to provide her perspective on how
EDC, Inc. supported her business' growth. Higgins shared that she came with the idea for ear, nose,
throat surgery simulators during her time in medical school and EDC, Inc. assisted her with developing
her idea, preparing to launch, product development, raising capital, marketing, and product packaging
and presentation. Meyer shared that most clients they work with are generated through referrals, but
they are always looking to work with more.Alter expressed her desire to see EDC, Inc. take a more
proactive approach to working with entrepreneurs and start-ups with diverse backgrounds and asked
Meyer to speak to their current efforts on that front. Meyer said a new focus of their organization is
increasing capacity to actively seek out and recruit more diverse entrepreneurs and business owners.
Bergus asked Kilburg when the property tax rollback rate will be set. Kilburg shared that those are
typically published in November, and that there is flexibility in the budget process timeline depending
on how they want to handle today's recommendations. Meyer expressed appreciation for the City's
support and the Committee thanked Meyer and Higgins.
Tracy Jon Sargent, Executive Director of the Multicultural Development Center of Iowa (MDC), was
invited to the microphone. Sargent shared they have assisted more than 60 businesses over the past
two years and are entirely volunteer-led so no funding is used for staff costs, which does introduce
some challenges with consistency and availability. Sargent noted a few highlights from the provided
impact report, mentioned their new micro-financing program, and described how MDC Iowa provides
ongoing support to clients to help them anticipate future needs and build connections and capacity.
Sargent shared that 85-95% of the organization is led by people of color and participants have shared
how appreciative they are to work with people who look like them and share similar cultural
backgrounds and perspectives.Almost of all of incoming revenue is returned to support businesses
through technical assistance.Alter asked how the organization is building capacity with such limited
volunteer staff. Sargent described a partnership with Iowa Community Capital and mentioned how a
few board members and volunteers have been able to step up as business coaches and mentors.
Sargent said they are trying to identify new resources but are sensitive to bringing in partners who
may circumvent the trust and relationship MDC Iowa has already built with clients. Bergus asked
Sargent about their process to become a CDFI. Sargent described challenges with being an affiliate to
another loan committee and the traditional approach to underwriting and explained that obtaining
CDFI status may help them overcome those barriers and tap into additional funding. In the meantime,
the organization is laying down the foundation to begin providing micro-loans.
Bergus asked Committee members whether they were inclined to support staff's funding
recommendation. Thomas stated he is but would like to revisit as some of the budget uncertainties
play out over the course of the budget process.Alter agreed. Bergus noted there may be some
overlap or collaboration as the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)funded underestimated business
support recommendations are rolled out. With the understanding that they will revisit the funding
recommendations during the City Council budget meetings, Thomas moved and Alter seconded a
motion to approve a recommendation to the full council for$25,000 to Entrepreneurial
Development Center, Inc. and $25,000 to the Multicultural Development Center of Iowa. Motion
passed (3-0).
EDC minutes September 25,2023-p.3
FINAL
Consider FY25 budget recommendation to full City Council for Community Develo ment
Assistance funding for arts and culture organizations:
Kilburg welcomed John Schickedanz, Executive Director of the Englert Theatre. Bergus recused
herself due to a potential conflict of interest. Schickedanz noted that following the pandemic, the
Englert had reduced ticketed events by about 30% and offered more community and free events,
which reduced the organization's earned income. Meanwhile, the Englert assessed programmatic
needs in the community and centered their focus on diversity.As a result, the organization will be
prioritizing diversity in administration, leveraging partnerships, and hiring the first community
engagement position in partnership with FilmScene. Schickedanz also noted shifts in audience
demographics and how the organization is pivoting to support new, more diverse audiences and
programming.Alter asked Schickedanz to expand upon how the core audience has changed and he
noted how they largely lost an older demographic post-pandemic and when they do see that core
audience return, there are younger, and more diverse audience members intermixed. It has been a
learning curve to project performance and metrics of programming due to these new audience profiles.
Next, Kilburg introduced Andrew Sherburne, Executive Director and Co-Founder of FilmScene.
Sherburne noted his appreciation for the City's support and acknowledged current financial
challenges, and also felt an increased funding request was needed. Sherburne mentioned FilmScene
is ten years old and, like the Englert, programming has needed to shift significantly post-pandemic due
to changes in audiences. When faced with the fiscal need to either scale back or grow, they chose to
go bigger. FilmScene has increased payroll and staffing by about 15% since last year, including the
community engagement partnership with Englert. Overall attendance has increased nearly 50%, but
revenue has only increased approximately 33% since they are offering more pay-what-you-can and
free community programming in an effort to be more inclusive. This is particularly notable since
national box office trends have been flat year-over-year. Finally, Sherburne noted since they launched
ten years ago, FilmScene's budget has grown fivefold, increased from one to six screens, and added
a film festival; all of which is estimated to result in an over $2 million local economic impact each year.
Alter asked what budget changes FilmScene is making to address some of the challenges and
opportunities Sherburne described. Sherburne noted the hiring of a Membership & Development
Director and new changes to the membership model will help sustain the organization's financial
health while also maintaining the focus on inclusion of all. In light of the growth the organization is
experiencing, Bergus asked Sherburne what he projects the upper limit to be. He shared that the
industry overall is still recovering and there is more opportunity to expand reach into the community.
Thomas noted his appreciation for the organization's focus on public engagement.
Kilburg welcomed Adam Knight and Kathleen Johnson from Riverside Theater. Knight reported the
Theatre served around 10,000 patrons in 2022-2023 and highlighted some of the performances they
offered over the past year, including the free Shakespeare programming in Lower City Park. Knight
discussed Riverside's unique regional role in both production and employing union artists as well as
Riverside's priority to support diversity and gender parity among their local artists and performers. Last
year, BIPOC performers made up 30% of all hires and 57% were female identifying. Knight also
shared that 85% of all hires are local and out-of-town hires bolster the local economy by spending on
accommodation, dining out, and more. Knight explained how many community theatres are in crisis
and forced to close their doors, and described some of the operational budget cuts Riverside has
made alongside targeted investments in area education which will grow Riverside's reach. City funding
accounted for 5% of Riverside's annual budget in 2019 and now equates to approximately 2.5%.Alter
appreciated Knight's points about Riverside's ability to maintain the balance between advancing
economic impact in an inclusive, equity-forward way. Bergus asked how Riverside may affected by
some of the challenges other small theatres are suffering from. Knight shared that they are in a better
position than many theatres because they proactively made changes to their membership,
EDC minutes September 25,2023-p.4
FINAL
intentionally employed artists who are reflective of their communities, and benefit from an open-
minded audience in Iowa City. However, costs for supplies and materials are increasing without
proportionate audience and revenue growth.
Next, Kilburg welcomed Lisa Barnes, Executive Director of Summer of the Arts (SoTA). Barnes noted
2023 marked the 40th anniversary of the Arts Festival, 30t1 anniversary of the Friday Night Concert
Series, and 32nd year of the Jazz Festival. However, unlike other arts organizations, SoTA does not
sell tickets for revenue and face many financial risks with outdoor events and potential weather
impacts. They continue to offer free events and expand partnerships and programming into the
neighborhoods and new areas of the community. SoTA has also strived to diversify programming,
genres, and performers. Barnes explained the increased funding request would support a new,
ongoing concert series in Riverfront Crossings Park, in collaboration with Iowa City Parks &
Recreation.Alter expressed her appreciation for SOTAS focus on continuous improvement to reflect
community needs and Thomas commented on how important the neighborhood programming is.
Finally, Kilburg introduced Judith Leavitt with the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature. John Kenyon,
Executive Director, was not able to attend. Alter recused herself due to being on the Board of
Directors. Leavitt discussed the impact of the One Book, Two Book festival, Music IC program, Poetry
in Public, and the Iowa City Book Festival. She also reported that the City's UNESCO designation was
recently renewed and Executive Director John Kenyon serves as the coordinator for the UNESCO City
of Literature network and has conducted extensive networking with other locations sharing the
designation. Leavitt noted staff capacity is a challenge and that the organization will be embarking
upon a new strategic planning effort to evaluate local, state, national, and international partnerships,
areas of priority, and how to improve diversity and inclusivity. Bergus asked for information on how the
organization is extending programming out into neighborhoods and throughout the community. Leavitt
noted Poetry in Public is one way and will ask Kenyon to follow-up.
Given the two recusals, City Attorney Eric Goers suggested the Committee consider recommendations
for FilmScene, Riverside, and SoTA first, followed by the remaining two organizations with the
respective members recusing.
Bergus agreed and reviewed the funding requests for the first three organizations: FilmScene received
$32,000 last year and is requesting $40,000; Riverside Theatre received $20,000 last year and is
requesting $30,000; and Summer of the Arts received $67,000 last year and is requesting $70,350.
Thomas stated he is inclined to support staff's recommendation for stable funding levels, but would
like to revisit later in the budget process. Alter asked staff what ARPA funds had been dedicated to arts
and tourism and whether it had all been exhausted. Kilburg responded that 'Small Business, Arts,
Culture, and Tourism'was one of the initial spending priorities set by the City Council and some
expenditures have been made addressing these priorities, but there are not necessarily ARPA funds
assigned to the category and there are unspent ARPA dollars remaining.
Bergus noted that it is helpful to hear specific uses for increased funding requests. She also stated
there is an opportunity to evaluate this funding wholistically in the future and is inclined to vote with
staff recommendation at this time. Alter reiterated Bergus' comment that it is helpful if the
organizations can tie increased requests to a specific need or use and indicated her support to vote in
line with the staff recommendation. Similar to the business support recommendation, the committee
members expressed a desire to again revisit these funding levels later in the budget process when
more certainty on the City's financial position is known.
EDC minutes September 25,2023-p.5
FINAL
Alter moved and Thomas seconded a motion to approve a recommendation to the full council
for$32,000 for FilmScene, $20,000 for Riverside Theatre, and $67,000 for Summer of the Arts.
Motion passed (3-0).
Bergus recused herself. Thomas brought forward the requested and recommended $70,000 for the
Englert Theatre.
Alter moved and Thomas seconded a motion to approve a recommendation to the full council
for$70,000 for the Englert Theatre. Motion passed (2-0, Bergus recused).
Alter recused herself. Bergus brought forward the requested and recommended $60,000 for the Iowa
City UNESCO City of Literature.
Bergus moved and Thomas seconded a motion to approve a recommendation to the full
council for$60,000 for the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature. Motion passed (2-0, Alter
recused).
Staff Report
Staff provided an update on economic development-related ARPA investments. First, Kilburg reported
on the City's agreement with the University of Iowa Labor Center for a Pre-Apprenticeship Program
serving underrepresented populations in the skilled construction trades. The Center conducted
extensive outreach and engagement and have 32 people registered for the fall cohort, all of whom
represent populations which are considered underrepresented in the construction trades.
Next, Deputy City Manager Redmond Jones provided an update on the $4 million ABPA
Underestimated Business Support program. Jones reviewed the application process in which
applicants were invited to submit a statement of need in the areas of physical space or business
support serving underestimated businesses and entrepreneurs. He reported 31 applications were
received, totaling approximately $26 million in requests. A review committee consisting of City staff
and a City Council representative reviewed applications, met with applicants, and sought to encourage
partnerships.A preliminary funding recommendation is expected to be delivered to City Council by
November. Bergus asked whether the Council Economic Development Committee would play a role in
the process going forward. Jones responded that recommendations will go directly to City Council and
staff intend to remain involved with the awarded applicants to connect them with technical assistance
or other resources needed to implement projects and ensure sustainability beyond the exhaustion of
ARPA funding. Kilburg noted that if it is the Committee's desire, discussion of the overall inclusive
economic development strategy could be a future agenda item.Alter asked Jones how the push for
collaboration impacted final project recommendations. Jones explained that through the process, there
have not been major changes to initial project requests and that partnerships may continue to emerge
in the future, even if they were not able to materialize through this process.
Kilburg also noted staff are in conversation with the two SSMIDs to discuss how an ARPA award could
be used to benefit their district priorities. Alter noted some concerns had been raised about providing
equivalent funding levels due to the size of each and Kilburg said the use of funds may be very
different between the two districts and so appropriate funding levels will be fleshed out as uses are
determined.
Finally, Kilburg reviewed the projected process and timeline for developing the 21 S. Linn Street
property, which is a project that typically would come to the City Council Economic Development
EDC minutes September 25,2023-p.6
FINAL
Committee. This will kick off with a review of prior similar process with the full City Council in
November or December.
Other Business
None
Adjournment
Alter moved, Thomas seconded that the meeting be adjourned. Motion carried (3-0)
EDC minutes September 25,2023-p.7
FINAL
Council Economic Development Committee
ATTENDANCE RECORD
2020-23
TERM 12109/20 10/27!21 10119/22 11/29122 125/23
NAME EXP.
Megan
Alter 01/02/24 --- — X X X
Laura
Ger us 01102/24 --- — X X X
John
Thomas 01102/24 X X X X X
Susan
Mims 01/02/22 X X — --- ---
Mazahir
Salih 01/02122 O/E X —
Key:
X = Present
O = Absent
--- = not a member
O/E =Absent/Excused
Item Number: 4.g.
CITY OF IOWA CITY
COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
July 16, 2024
Historic Preservation Commission: April 24
Attachments: Historic Preservation Commission: April 24
MINUTES APPROVED
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
APRIL 24, 2024 - 5:30 PM — FORMAL MEETING
EM MA J. HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL
MEMBERS PRESENT: Noah Stork, Andrew Lewis, Deanna Thomann, Carl Brown, Jordan
Sellergren, Nicole Villanueva, Frank Wagner, Margaret Beck
MEMBERS ABSENT: Christina Welu-Reynolds
STAFF PRESENT: Jessica Bristow
OTHERS PRESENT: Jamie Powers
CALL TO ORDER:
Sellergren called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.
PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANYTHING NOT ON THE AGENDA:
None.
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS:
HPC24-0011: 430 Church Street— Goosetown/Horace Mann Conservation District (window change):
Bristow stated this property is in the Goosetown/Horace Mann Conservation District on the corner of
Church and Van Buren Streets. They believe this is a catalog home, it's a front gable with a wall dormer
on the Van Buren Street side and it's covered in metal siding. The current project is they are redoing
their bathroom and would like to replace a window and make a new frame for the upper sash of that
window to install it as a fixed sash window, similar to the window in the bump out. Doing so will allow
them to reorganize their bathroom and provide more privacy and safety.
The owner did some mockups of what this might look like, the window would stay the same width and
keep the same head location. Bristow included the guidelines about dormers because when they are
looking at historic dormers one of the ways they can tell that a dormer is historic or not is if the window
actually fills that dormer proportionally. If a dormer has too much wall that's usually something that was
added on or revised at some point, most dormers, at least in the guidelines when new ones are
allowed, are composed primarily of window area.
Additionally, there are siding recommendations, the house currently has synthetic siding and because
they're just making a small change they found a match of the metal siding. Bristow did suggest to them
that in the future the guidelines would not allow a complete replacement of the synthetic siding, if this
synthetic siding had reached the end of its life it would need to come off and the historic siding repaired.
Therefore, she also suggested to them that they take care to make sure that their sheathing is the
correct depth to facilitate that in the future when that needs to come off. The homeowners are working
with a carpenter so they're sure that they're going to be able to accomplish that, and of course they
would match the trim as well. Bristow noted in the guidelines it talks about preserving historic windows
and if they're adding them to match the type and size so in some respects, they're following that
guideline by the fact that this house does have a small, fixed sash window on the floor below. Staff
recommends a motion to approve this project as presented in the staff report.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
April 24, 2024
Page 2 of 7
Wagner asked how they are going to match the siding, it is aluminum or steel siding. Bristow believes it
might be steel siding but is not sure if they just plan to paint the whole thing or if the carpenter found
siding, the homeowners just reported they have siding to match.
Bristow noted there's no conditions on this recommendation because of the fact that it meets the
guidelines as proposed. The only guideline it wouldn't meet is retaining historic openings at the size
they already are, but since they are altering a window, it would follow those guidelines. Also, there's no
conditions because they don't have a window product to review as they would just work with that
existing window.
MOTION: Villanueva moves to approve a Certificate of Appropriateness for the project at 430
Church Street as presented in the staff report. Lewis seconded the motion.
A vote was taken and the motion passed 8-0.
HPC24-0012: 602 Dearborn Street— Dearborn Street Conservation District(rear addition):
Bristow stated this home is in the Dearborn Street Conservation District. It was a little bungalow and
then had an interesting change where they added four feet to the north side and kicked the roof out to
have the same eave height on each side. She noted this happened before the district was created and
she assumes based on the plan it was to add a little bit more room to the bedroom and bathroom and
the living room along that side. The foundation is currently parge coated and it's very smooth, probably
altered to blend in everything and then the synthetic siding on this house went on originally in the 1970s
but she is unsure if it's been replaced since then. Bristow noted that all the windows have been
replaced and at the time that the district was created it did still have historic windows, so she doesn't
know when that change occurred.
The current project is to add an addition to the back of the house. Bristow shared the site plan showing
the existing footprint, the new addition and how it's set in from each side and it will have a step and
stoop off the back. She pointed out it also has an additional little bump out which is not normally
something that they'd have on a historic house, it's more likely a modern house to have that, but it is on
the back. Regarding the guidelines for additions and distinguishing between the structures they're
setting in from the side, matching key horizontal lines such as the eave height, window height, any of
the trim details, using a palette of materials that are similar, on the rear constructing additions that are
consistent with the mass line and roofline massing of the historic building as well. The roof pitches and
spans are all to be consistent. The guidelines continue with noting the roof overhang, soffits and eaves
must match, the need to apply siding to the new addition that appears similar in size, shape, texture,
and material to the existing siding on the historic building. Bristow noted this is interesting because this
house has a synthetic siding on it. Then finally, not creating large expanses of wall without windows
and doors and matching the trim. Bristow also included information about substitute materials and
noted there will be a recommendation because neither door product nor window product has been
submitted for this one yet. It would need to be either a wood or fiberglass door. Regarding the roof
lines, they need to retain the original walls and the vertical corners of the building. The windows would
need to match a historic window. Bristow stated originally when this was submitted the windows in the
new addition had a lower sill than any of the other windows on the house and they were also fatter
windows than anything else on the house, so they located a window on the south side that they think is
the historic window size and revised the drawings to match per a staff recommendation. That change
was made between the first publishing of the agenda and the recent one.
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The siding section of guidelines does not include an exception to allow synthetic siding on a property in
a historic district or conservation district unless that property is non-contributing or non-historic. Bristow
noted that is one of the things that she talked about with this applicant during the first review, the fact
that they don't have an option to just match the existing siding because in the guidelines it is intended
that at some point that synthetic siding will be removed. Staff wrote a recommendation that by putting
an addition on the back of the house they will obviously have to remove some of that synthetic siding in
order to construct the addition so at that time they will note what the siding on the historic house is and
then match it and that would include the trim, and whether or not it has corner boards, frieze board,
water table, etc. The applicant thinks that it does not have a water table but that it has mitered siding
with mitered corners and goes all the way down to the foundation, which is a little bit more difficult to
match to some degree. But they have already been discussing how to do that. They're also relocating
some of the interior steps as they do this project. They will match all of the horizontal lines and all of the
notes talked about the different siding and matching things is being set up the way that staff would
recommend. The recommendation here is to approve the project, with window and door products
submitted for staff review and the siding and trim configuration matches that historic siding and trim.
Bristow stated it would be understood that they would resolve the issue with the eave line as the
guidelines are clear that it needs to match.
Sellergren asked if the owner intends to ever remove the synthetic siding. Bristow doesn't believe they
have a plan for that right now and it would be hard with the window trim and the fact that they increased
it by four feet.
MOTION: Beck recommends approval a Certificate of Appropriateness for the project at 602
Dearborn Street as presented in the staff report with the following conditions:
• Window and door product information is submitted for staff review.
• The siding and trim configuration matches the historic siding and trim.
Wagner seconded the motion.
A vote was taken and the motion passed 8-0.
HPC24-0015: 515 Rundell Street— Longfellow Historic District (rear window to door alteration):
Bristow noted this property is located in the Longfellow Historic District, it was recently purchased by
someone and was in a pretty bad condition. They have already approved numerous projects and have
been using some of the historic preservation funds to help with the siding and trim repairs. This house
is interesting because it is a Moffitt and at one point in time the second floor was added and the garage
was converted to living space. The owner is interested in converting the garage back to a garage and
will probably do that in a future time and some of the work already done is in preparation for that. From
the back of the house they can see the added second floor and added sliding glass door. One of the
things already approved since it wasn't historic was removing the entry canopy, because when it is
converted back to a garage the sliding glass door will be removed as well. The current project is a
kitchen remodel and replacing the two rear windows with a pair of French doors. It will also have a
small deck, more like a stoop and step. Bristow showed the submitted drawings noting the new French
doors will keep the same head height and width per guidelines, so will be custom made, and for
materials they can use wood or fiberglass. Bristow included in the staff report the additional
requirements to review the stoop and step but frankly since it is small enough and on the back, it could
be reviewed like a deck and decks on the back need to be set in at least eight inches and this is far
beyond that. It will also be attached in a manner that will not damage the historic siding. It will have
closed risers and an appropriate balustrade and handrail. Bristow shared specs on two possible door
options, one is a wood door from Knebl and the other is aluminum clad. Staff would not recommend
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
April 24, 2024
Page 4 of 7
approving the aluminum one and would recommend either a wood or fiberglass.
MOTION: Thomann recommends approval a Certificate of Appropriateness for the project at 515
Rundell Street as presented in the application with the following conditions:
Wood door or with an option of a fiberglass door.
Villanueva seconded the motion.
A vote was taken and the motion passed 8-0.
HPC24-0019: 812 South Summit Street— Summit Street Historic District (permanent accessibility ramp):
Bristow stated this property is located here in the Summit Street Historic District, it's Deluxe Bakery.
They have been working a long time to come up with an accessibility solution here, they've talked about
having a lift next to the stoop or using the door on the side but it opens directly onto the property line in
the alley so it's not possible to put a ramp there. Any entry on the back would go into the bakery
operation and not the customer side. The applicants have now proposed a plan that moves the
planters out front and install a ramp. They'll be replacing the stoop and moving the planters and add in
the ramp that will have a landing with stairs to access the door into the back addition. The ramp will
then continue along the side of the property line to the sidewalk. This project does need some minor
modifications and other approvals because of the proximity to the property line as it can't meet the
setback requirements but those are all things that will be reviewed within the rest of the development
department. The ramp will have a simple black metal railing, it'll have intermediate posts and there's
also a small rail that will go along the bottom to prevent the wheels from going off of the side of the
ramp. Bristow noted staff can approve ramps for individual residential locations as a temporary
structure at a staff level but anytime when it becomes a permanent structure, it automatically comes to
the Commission. The ramp would not detract from the historic character of the building nor the patio
that they use for dining. The Secretary of Interior standards number two and nine relate to this project.
Number two is retaining the historic character of the property, not removing historic materials or altering
features, and that new additions and alterations shall not destroy historic materials. Staff finds that this
would not do either of those things, it is minimal and provides very needed accessibility. Earlier today,
staff did get an email from Chad Wade, who is member of the Planning and Zoning Commission, he is
a person who uses a wheelchair and he just wanted to make sure the size of the landing is accessible
as those dimensions weren't included in the packed. Mr. Wade recommends a 60 inch deep or 54 inch
deep landing with 36 inches or 42 inches parallel to the latch side of the door to provide clearance so
that a wheelchair could be maneuvered. Bristow is assuming that this project will easily be able to
accomplish all of that but will provide that information to the architect and owner because it's a letter
that came in about the project. The accessibility standards will also be reviewed as part of the building
permit and the building inspectors would make sure it is all correct. Therefore, the recommended
motion for this project is just to approve it.
Jamie Powers (owner, Deluxe Bakery) has owned the bakery for 20 years and has gone back and
forth on how to get a ramp for the bakery and what design works best. Do they do a lift, how much is it
going to cost, etc. She is now in a position in a lot of different ways to really want to make this happen.
They have been working this past year to come up with something that still makes the bakery look like
a diamond but can also serve the whole community and have them safely access the building. The way
that the stairs are now were likely built in 1920 and are concrete, this will not only serve the accessibility
community, but improve those stairs too. Powers added it they need to modify things she is willing to
do so and to answer the question about the door they have actually modified it so that when someone
comes up the ramp the door opens correctly for more accessibility.
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April 24, 2024
Page 5 of 7
MOTION: Wagner recommends approval a Certificate of Appropriateness for the project at 812
South Summit Street as presented in the staff report.
Villanueva seconded the motion.
A vote was taken and the motion passed 8-0.
REPORT ON CERTIFICATES ISSUED BY CHAIR AND STAFF:
Certificate of No Material Effect-Chair and Staff review
HPC24-0018: 728 East College Street— College Green Historic District (porch wall reconstruction):
Bristow noted staff has been working with them and will be using historic preservation fund to repair it.
Getting a match for the brick was not entirely successful, it is two wythes of bricks with a wall on the
inside and a wall on the outside. They were able to find one brick match but unable to find a green
match at all so when they approved this, they not only recommended that they try to save as much of
the brick as possible but that they do not use the green brick and if at all possible, they use existing
brick on the outside and new brick on the inside of the porch.
Minor Review— Staff review
HPC24-0002: 804 Iowa Avenue — College Hill Conservation District (replacement of deteriorated French
Doors):
Bristow stated this is a replacement of doors that are very deteriorated and don't lock.
Intermediate Review— Chair and Staff review
HPC24-0014: 515 Rundell Street— Longfellow Historic District (non-historic rear entry canopy
demolition:
This is the removal of the entry canopy over the sliding door on the project already discussed.
CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES FOR MARCH 21, 2024:
MOTION: Thomann moves to approve the minutes of the Historic Preservation Commission's
March 21, 2024. Lewis seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 8-0.
COMMISSION INFORMATION:
Bristow noted in 2021 they had the most applications that they've ever had and this year are on track to
have a really high level number of applications as well.
Sellergren asked about Commission vacancy applications. Bristow said she doesn't see the
applications, only the ones that are appointed, but all of the applications would be posted in the Council
packet.
Sellergren asked about the maximum number of Commissioners being 12, have they ever had 12 at
one time and how would they make that work. Bristow said they would make it work so they all fit.
Quorums are based on the total number of potential commissioners, not on the number of total filled
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
April 24, 2024
Page 6 of 7
commission spots. However, it's so important to fill those vacant spots and have every district
represented. Also, with more members they wouldn't have things like needing to cancel meetings and
change dates.
Bristow also wanted to remind everybody that they should be gathering information for the Historic
Preservation Awards so they aren't scrambling in August. At some point in June they will have the
awards subcommittee start.
Bristow noted the other thing is after the Palagi's landmark has finished, whatever the outcome is, then
they might want to consider forming a subcommittee to work on whatever the next project is. She
stated in the first few years she was here they included a line item for update on the commission work
plan for every single meeting, so if they do form a subcommittee, they might have that line item added
back in.
ADJOURNMENT:
Wagner moved to adjourn the meeting. Lewis seconded. The motion carried on a vote of 8-0.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:15pm.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD
2023-2024
TERM 5/11 6/8 7/13 8/10 9/14 10/12 11/9 12/14 1/11 2/8 3/21 4/24
NAME EXP.
BECK, 6/30/24 X O/E X X X O/E X X X X X X
MARGARET
BOYD, KEVIN 6/30/23 X X -- -- --
BROWN, 6/30/26 O/E X X O/E X X O/E X O/E O/E X X
CARL
LEWIS, 6/30/26 X X X X X X X X X X
ANDREW
SELLERGREN, 6/30/25 X O/E X X X X X X X X X X
JORDAN
STORK, NOAH 6/30/24 X X X X X X X X O/E X X X
THOMANN, 6/30/26 X X X X X X X X X X X X
DEANNA
VILLANUEVA, 6/30/25 X X X X X O/E X X X X X X
NICOLE
WAGNER, 6/30/26 X X O/E X X X X X X X X X
FRANK
WELU- 6/30/25 O/E X O/E X X X X X X X X O/E
REYNOLDS,
CHRISTINA
KEY: X = Present
O = Absent
O/E= Absent/Excused
--- = Not a member
Item Number: 4.11h.
CITY OF IOWA CITY
COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
July 16, 2024
Historic Preservation Commission: May 22
Attachments: Historic Preservation Commission: May 22
MINUTES APPROVED
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
MAY 22, 2024 — 5:30 PM — FORMAL MEETING
EM MA J. HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL
MEMBERS PRESENT: Noah Stork, Christina Welu-Reynolds, Deanna Thomann, Frank Wagner,
Jordan Sellergren, Andrew Lewis, Nicole Villanueva, Margaret Beck
MEMBERS ABSENT: Carl Brown
STAFF PRESENT: Jessica Bristow
OTHERS PRESENT: Thomas Agran, Mary Bennett, Karen Crane
CALL TO ORDER:
Sellergren called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.
PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANYTHING NOT ON THE AGENDA:
Thomas Agran stated he lives in the Northside neighborhood and was on the Commission for seven
years and overlapped with some of the current Commissioners but not everybody. Agran wanted to talk
about the Council meeting last night and some things he's been thinking about both based off of
conversations he's had with the mayor pro tem right before the meeting. First, he noted was last night
was a huge victory and everybody should be congratulated on that, but it also brings forward what the
next step is. One of the things that he talked about in his speeches to Council on the issue was that
most of downtown is not protected and if this is the level of battle that they have to go through to
landmark a property then downtown just doesn't stand a chance. If the whole supermajority thing is the
only approach it's going to be really hard. As part of the effort of Iandmarking downtown this
Commission should not even focus on the buildings at this stage, but really focus on increasing staff
time and talking to Council and to the City Manager about getting staff hours back up. That will make
all kinds of issues with the Preservation Commission, and the interfacing with the public better.
Second, people get frustrated with preservation because the answer is always no they can't do this or
that. However, the reason that they have these districts is because they are a blunt force action to
save property and preserve neighborhoods, they exist as the only thing that they have, because they
do not have a form-based code to otherwise protect and preserve neighborhoods while also allowing
them to evolve. Agran encourages the Commission to really think about how the Preservation
Commission works with the Zoning Commission and advocate for form-based code. He feels it would
be a good look for the Preservation Commission to say they are open to seeing the neighborhoods
evolve, and are open to that avenue, rather than the current ways to stop people from tearing things
down and doing bad stuff to buildings. He noted when he was on the Commission, one of the reasons
that he stayed on it for seven years was because so many people on the Commission really just
seemed to get off on telling people no for what they wanted to do with their properties. Maybe because
they had a really labor of love and fixed up their properties forever and ever and ever but he owns
historic houses and thinks that it creates a lot of enemies when they say no to projects so part of why
he stayed on the Commission was because he felt if his voice wasn't on the Commission it was
skewing to the most conservative interpretations of the standards. His priorities were to preserve the
character of the neighborhood, not like the trim, although he thinks it's great to preserve the trim, but a
lot of what created the friction at the Council level for the supermajority is an interpretation that's all
preservation cares about, saving the trim. And all the Commission does is say no and that homeowners
have to do it the same way it was done in the 19th century. Agran thinks they can look at the standards
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May 22, 2024
Page 2 of 15
and think about what they are really trying to preserve. He is not saying to remove the expectations or
the requirements, just in his experience over those seven years there were often different ways to think
about things and different ways to talk about what was approved. If this Commission can be more open
minded they will create more allies, because the enemies created talk to the Council members and if
any one of them ends up listening it only takes one vote to trip things up. So again, as they look
towards what will happen if they really try to landmark buildings downtown, they are going to be looking
at a lot of supermajority votes so they have to figure out a different strategy so people don't get weary
and ultimately so that these buildings don't fail, because they can't be taking every single thing to a
supermajority vote every single time.
NATIONAL REGISTER NOMINATION — IOWA CITY COMMUNITY RECREATION CENTER, 220
SOUTH GILBERT STREET:
Bristow stated they got a letter that accompanies the nomination that explains what the Commission is
supposed to do. The process for National Register Nomination is that once it has been gone through
the State, which is just the National Register Coordinator and the State staff, they work with the writer
to come up with a finished nomination and then it goes to the State Nomination Review Committee
(SNRC). In this case, it will go before that Committee on June 14 and anyone can watch it via zoom.
Part of the nomination is this review and then afterwards it will go to the National Park Service and
they're the ones that determine whether or not it's listed in the National Register. As a certified local
government, they review it because of the fact that the local government is familiar with the building and
are familiar with the significance of the building to the community. Staff will fill out the appropriate form
and mark the applicable criteria and then will note whether or not the City recommends that it's listed in
the National Register or not. They can also make comments if they would like. Bristow noted the staff
recommendation includes some suggested comments.
The nomination is for the rec center located between Gilbert and Van Buren and College and Burlington
Streets. It's a mostly rectangular building and is basically intersecting rectangular blocks as well as
some overhangs. Bristow showed one of the design drawings at one of the steps during the process of
building the building because part of what was going on with this building is it was going to be a portion
of a new civic corridor that started with the construction of the police and fire stations around 1961 and
then the rec center in 1964, and then City Hall. Bristow also showed some exterior photos noting the
rectangular volumes with the flat planes cantilevering. It is a flat plane now but wasn't originally. She
pointed out the intersecting boxes and forms as part of modern architecture and the idea of working
with the geometry and repeating geometry. The nomination talks about how the architect did some of
the other buildings during this time like the Lemme school and others with a different type of geometry
that was intersecting, this one just happens to be rectangular. Some of modernism of the building also
has to do with the unadorned planes, walls without windows, and more modern clean lines but then
also has an emphasis with glazing and glass.
Bristow explained the National Register eligibility consists of two parts, integrity, or the existence of the
original materials and forms, and the building's significance. For integrity, they must have sufficient
integrity to convey their significance so depending on how the building is significant, it needs to have
the integrity related to that. For example, if a building is significant for its architecture, or its engineering,
then those things should be apparent. If it's significant for something else, then maybe more alterations
of the architecture do not diminish its significance, so it depends on how the building is considered
significant. A building also only needs to be significant in one area to be eligible. If a building is
significant in multiple areas, it's fine to include them all in a nomination but only one is actually required.
Bristow noted the seven aspects of integrity are location, design, setting, materials, workmanship,
feeling and association. The nomination does go through and includes a short paragraph for each of
them explaining how it has either good or excellent integrity in each of those areas. For this building the
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
May 22, 2024
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nomination includes two areas of significance, criterion A which is generally an event and that a
property associated with events has made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of history.
Second is criterion C, architecture, that a property that embodies the distinctive characteristics of a
type, period or method of construction, or that represents the work of a master or that possess high
artistic value. In this case, with this building, they are not going with the approach of the work of a
master because it's more difficult to evaluate that. The architect is still living and is here tonight, he is
retired as it is preferred to discuss their work at least after they finished practicing but preferably after
they are no longer here because that gives the distance to evaluate all of the works that they have
done. Again, this nomination does not attempt to say it's a work of the master but it does say that it is
eligible for its architecture as an example of a style and a specific use of the style. It basically states
the significance is a local, not state or national, example of mid-20th century architecture, community
planning and development, social history and recreation entertainment.
Reading from the nomination Bristow quoted 'The Iowa City Community Recreation Center is eligible
for the National Register of Historic Places under criterion A as an excellent local example of mid-20th
century architecture, community planning and development, social history and recreation
entertainment. Built in 1964, it represents the construction of civic and municipal buildings following
World War II when the economy was robust and was propelling the "Golden [economic] Age"of the
1950s forward into the 1960s. The American public was looking for additional recreation activities to fill
the increasing amounts of leisure time available to them, while Iowa City was catching up on long-
delayed municipal improvements." Bristow also noted the nomination includes a history of recreation
buildings in Iowa City, including the destruction by fire of two earlier recreation buildings and the section
also describes the conditions in which the building was built, including a strong community desire to
replace the previous facility, local and broad cultural needs for expanding recreation opportunities, and
the construction of the new Civic corridor. The nomination talks about how there was an interest in
having a recreation center and it does grow out of progressive movements, interests in health and
cleanliness, improving things, but also after the war when people had more leisure time. The first
recreation center built was the American Legion building, built in 1928, and destroyed by fire in 1936.
The next one was the community building which they started working on it right after the fire in 1936 but
then it was also destroyed by fire in 1955. As all of this is going on the City had community recreation,
but also had have a need for a swimming pool. The history of Iowa City includes many people
swimming in the river but the dam changed how the river flows, there were child deaths, etc., which all
lead to the eventual construction of the City Park pool in 1949. Along with the idea of creating the new
Civic corridor after the second recreation center burned, came the plan for the new recreation center
and at that time it was determined that the City needed more pool places so a pool was designed into it.
Why it is significant to the building is because it really represents a great interest in recreation. There
was a history of open space in this area, community need for recreation building, increasingly interest in
pools and swimming and doing that safely lead to the need for a pool in the downtown area and for all
those reasons it became significant.
Bristow stated the other way that the building is listed as significant is because of its architecture.
Again, reading from the nomination it is described as follows 'The Iowa City Community Recreation
Center is also eligible for the National Register of Historic Places under criterion C as an excellent local
example of Modern Movement municipal architecture. The building represents the architectural style of
low, horizon-hugging profiles with clean lines, little ornamentation, and functionality of interior space.
Through its large windows the plan merges interior space with the outdoors and its use of prefabricated,
industrial materials enabled increased open interior space and circulation, while also allowing for swift,
cost-efficient construction. Using Modern Movement schematics and innovations, architect Roland C.
Wehner combined aesthetic, functional, and decorative ideas into a custom design with distinctive
characteristics and high artistic values." The nomination includes a history of the education and
practice of the architect and his work in Modern Movement design. The use of a grid system and design
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
May 22, 2024
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modules based on geometric shapes were an important aspect of his designs. As the nomination states
on page 29 "Wehner began by applying form-follows-function principles and concepts where
relationships between site, materials, and the people who use the buildings are considered. By using
the natural sloping geography to his advantage, Wehner efficiently laid out the two-story structure
allowing it to present as a long, low building from its west facade. He designed the structure using
concrete, brick, and glass to achieve a natural harmony." Bristow showed one of the construction
photos which showed the pre-stressed concrete beams, the T-shaped concrete beams that provide
structure and allow a long span, and the concrete block and brick are modular allowing that module and
to expand it and everything will then work together and the brick walls will not end up with little pieces.
She showed an image of the interior of the west entry and the terrazzo flooring which is one of the
important aspects. It's very durable and a modern material. As is the high ceiling and the long span in
the social room. All of the glazing to the exterior as well as the interior glazing between the rooms lets
light come in and all of these are very modern aspects of the building. Bristow acknowledged they do
have a significant number of changes to this building for safety and security, adding accessibility, fire
code changes, and other certain things that would happen with a community building.
Bristow also mentioned that every building listed in the National Register also has what's considered a
period of significance. In this case, the period of significance extends from the time that it was
constructed in 1964 until basically 50 years ago, or in this case 1974. 50 years is typically the cut off. It
has been continually used as a recreation center with just some minor changes to how the spaces are
used inside. Changes done within that period of significance are allowed if they are to not detract from
the significance of the building. Typically, changes that are made after that could detract from the
significance of the building. Staff noted that they have some concerns about some of the changes,
partly because they altered some of the main areas where a person would approach the building, enter
the building, or of how the building interacts with the public who are entering it. The west fagade had
an accordion profile of the inverted part of the T-truss and the cantilever canopy, it was an thin line and
the original color was dark so it really accented that thin line. Since then it's been converted so that it
has a flat roof and they don't have that same accent on the structure, so that was one of the concerning
changes. Another was the fact that originally the facade was a curtain wall but it had areas of panel
that one couldn't see through and the areas of glass tended to be very horizontal with the panel. There
also was a concrete block screen and those concrete blocks were mass produced at that time and it
was a decorative feature but also was a screen letting light and air through while also creating a little bit
of a sense of privacy for offices there. Now without the screen on that wall, the vertical columns still
remain that were between the screen, but now is basically a glass curtain wall and the panel and
glazing doesn't have that same horizontal emphasis. Bristow acknowledged because it was designed
in the modern era, the architect did use experimental materials so there are cases where some of those
materials might have needed to be replaced. Some of those changes are to be expected but the curtain
wall design is different than what it was before.
On the east side, originally it was not the same as the canopy as on the west facade but did have that
emphasis on the thin line of the roof edge, the T-shaped structure, and the planes that intersected with
the emphasis on the brown facia edge. There is also a patio with the screen repeated again. Bristow
noted some of this change needed to happen because of accessibility issues and how this space was
used but the overall change the curtain wall caused the loss of the horizontal area that intersected with
the cantilever of the entry. Also the roof edge has changed and it doesn't emphasize quite the same.
Moving inside, the glazing of that wall that was hidden by the screen continues on to the inside and the
reception desk area where the public would come in was a very light-filled space. The area reflected a
lot of the glazing that was between the viewing area and the pool and the social hall which increased
the interaction between staff and the public. Now the same staff area has become more like a common
office, they still have the glazing area, but it has changed. This could just have to do with the modern
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
May 22, 2024
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curtain wall construction, but they have a structural member that bisects the glazing that did not exist in
the original area. Some of the other changes are there was always an emphasis on the vertical part of
the curtain wall. There have been some changes, that may not be as significant, in the area of the
game room which became a weight room, they basically divided the space but including more glazing,
something that is a part of the architecture and it doesn't obstruct the view and makes two define
spaces. She stated a change like that does not negatively impact the architecture the same way as the
other changes. There have also been some changes to the pool area, there have been some changes
to the wall because of sound and acoustics. So, part of the comments relates to the fact that staff is
concerned about some of the changes and how they impact the integrity of the building. Staff does not
think that the changes impact criterion A only criterion C so the recommendation would be to have the
SNRC committee evaluate that specifically.
Staff also noticed an error and wanted to point that out from Marlise Wiinston's 2001 study of downtown.
When she did that study, she used a boundary for the study and every property within that boundary
she studied for its eligibility as a district. Winston determined that there were two historic districts in that
area in 2001, one is the Jefferson Street district, and one is downtown. Her caption says the map of
Iowa City showing survey boundaries for potential Downtown Historic District and East Jefferson Street
Historic District shaded. The concern was that this caption seemed to imply that the recreation center
was part of the district that Winston had found in 2001 and it was not. Multiple staff members noticed
this and thought that it said that the Rec Center was part of a downtown district, and the study did not
so that is another comment that staff would just like to include to clarify the caption for that map.
Bristow stated the recommended motion is that the Iowa City Community Recreation Center at 220
South Gilbert Street is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic places in Criterion Category A
and C at the local level and meets the criteria for both significance and integrity.
If the Commission wanted to suggest that they thought it was only eligible in one or the other they could
modify the motion. The Commission could also decide whether or not they wanted to include either or
both of the staff comments or make their own comments. Again, the comments from staff are to ask
that the State Nomination Review Committee carefully evaluate the Modernist elements of the design to
determine if the building has enough integrity in this regard to remain eligible under Criterion C. And
also note that the caption for map four implies that the 2001 study found a historic district that included
the recreation center which is a misinterpretation of the map from the study where the district areas are
shaded, not outlined.
Sellergren opened the public comment.
Mary Bennett prepared this nomination and wanted to thank the Commission for taking the time to
review this document. She also wanted to thank Linda Bradley of the State Historic Preservation Office
who helped with this nomination. To try to address some of the concerns that staff brought up, Bennett
would like to acknowledge the architect role and say Wehner is here today and gave them much of
insider advice about the building and its construction and design. Bennett acknowledged this is an
unusual opportunity, because they have a modern building under consideration and this is probably one
of the first times that this type of building has been brought before the Commission. Bennett stated she
worked nearly 50 years at the State Historical Society of Iowa and have prepared several National
Register nominations, she was also a City employee who taught deep-end aerobics and other aerobic
classes at the pool and in the social hall for about 18 years. Bennett wanted to be clear that this is not
about the pool, it is about the building, because it offers many amenities, and they need to look at it as
a whole thing. Bennett wanted to review the historical integrity and the seven points that Bristow
mentioned. Again, this has been written in concert with the State Historic Preservation Office and
they're in agreement with what is on this page. Location, the building retains its original address and
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therefore the integrity of the location is intact. Design, it is excellent as the footprint forum plan and
interior room arrangement although a glass partition wall has been added to the game room and the
reception counter has been enclosed on the upper level and relocated to the lower level. Of greater
importance is a loss of visual integrity the removal of the exterior concrete screens from the west
fagade, south of the main entrance and from the terrace near the east entrance area, still leave the
exterior with good but not excellent integrity. Nonetheless, the principles based on Modern Movement
architectural style still define the most prominent design features and characteristics and match some
of the elements in this building itself. Number three was setting and the character, the setting has
determined to be good because it's centrally located in downtown Iowa City and as defined by that
1839 City Planning map it's an area that was identified for public recreation municipal use since 1839.
Number four was materials. Most of the buildings structural and exterior materials remain intact and
have excellent integrity. Windows were changed due to wear and tear but also because of the tornado
damage in 2006, which raised concerns about the pool windows in particular. They remain as
commercial type windows made of similar sympathetic aluminum framing and insulated glass and they
feel the same fenestration openings of the original design. Number five is workmanship, the
workmanship is excellent with fine brickwork and precast pre-stress beams intact and exposed for
public viewing and examination. There are no significant structural problems existing in the building, nor
are there deteriorating finishes on the interior or exterior, even after 50 years of active use. Number six
is feeling and the feeling has been determined to be excellent. In reflecting the low horizontal and cubic
lines of Mid-century Modern Movement architecture the building can evoke an emotional response or
memory that cannot be expressed in words. This is conveyed by familiar unchanged spaces.
Association is excellent and intact with development of commercial precast pre-stressed concrete
construction of Mid-century municipal and non-residential buildings. It also demonstrates the history of
Iowa City and continuous provision of services for citizens with a community center at this location for
approximately 100 years, as well through its association with innovative architect Roland C. Cleaner
and retired recreation superintendent Robert E. Lee. Both were instrumental in the current facilities
development. Bennett also wanted to emphasize again that as a municipal building in Iowa City the
property is eligible under criteria A as a significant example of how modernism and careful methodical
city and comprehensive planning helped to change the broader built environment and also contributed
an enduring and versatile structure for many generations of Iowa citizens to use. The building has good
integrity and has retained much of its original appearance, feeling, and association with only minor
alterations to design elements, setting, materials and workmanship. It continues to serve the community
as a recreational, cultural, social and municipal building. Its central location and accessible design and
interior spaces continue to make it Iowa City's most use recreational facility, as noted from an October
22 recreational comprehensive plan. As far as criterion C, it is representative of Mid-century Modern
Movement architectural style, again the low horizon hugging profiles with cubic lines and efficient
functionality of interior spacing, resulting from modular design elements. Key reasons why Bennett
thinks the Commission should consider preserving this building are it is structurally sound and it's a rare
example of municipal planning in Iowa and the original functions have been retained for the most part.
The architectural integrity is intact and despite changes it's proven be versatile and adaptable. Yes,
some functions have changed within the building but the central location favors goals of walkability in
the community, retaining the structure favors sustainability goals, because they don't end up with
demolished materials in the landfill, and probably most importantly the community memories and
stories are preserved. The history, which is the richest part of the nomination, includes that it honors the
vision of Robert E. Lee, who was involved in the D Day invasion of Northern France in World War II,
and Roland Wehner who has created many beautiful structures in the community, whether it be
schools, churches, or public buildings. So when they look at the history of the community and ways in
which buildings can tell stories, and remind them of the past and the experiences that their
grandparents had, or that they hope their grandchildren to have, remembering these two men is very
significant.
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Regarding the maps, Bennett noted she said this was part of the 1839 plan and looking at a map of the
1868 bird's eye view of the area this is largely an open space. The 2001 study map points out that the
building was not eligible to be on the National Register, because it was not old enough as in 2001 it not
yet 50 years old. Bennett next wanted to talk about the whole idea of using the windowless cubic form
and the geometry that Wehner uses on the north side of the west fagade. It is important to modern
architecture design. The concrete blocks were originally intended as a wall of glass shielded by the
concrete block screens and the newer replacement windows there are sympathetic in style lining that
walkway or terrace. The structural elements that were used to support those concrete blocks are still
there so it'd be very easy to replace or restore the decorative block if someone determined they had the
money to do it, or they wanted to restore the original appearance of the building. On the southwest
corner of the building again the windows are in exactly the same fenestration as they originally were,
there were no new openings made, the original windows were more vertical in nature and not just
horizontal as these modern ones look. The large window wall or curtain wall on the south side of the
pool has a solar effect and warms the pool. One of the letter writers said the sunlight dances on the
water when they're in the pool. It's a very important element about the feeling of the building when
they're in that space along that south wall because it allows both natural light into the building and
illuminates a pool area but again, they're in the same fenestration. Bennett noted this is something that
the State Historic Preservation and she discussed repeatedly, they believe that it still retains the overall
aesthetic as the design intended. They'll also notice there's protruding brick wall that helped define that
space and terrace area. Now they have a garden space in that area but even as long as 10 years ago
that was just a flat patio out there. The design was incredibly clever in order to support the weight of
that south wall and the east facade contributes to the dynamic geometric appearance of the building
and the celestial windows between the T-beams allow natural light to enter the space from both the
east and the west side, it's a virtual wall of glass. Bennett explained because of the length and height of
that wall, which is actually 24 feet high, Wehner had to have additional wind bracing and stability and
they did that by filling cells with a concrete block with reinforcing rods and grout and dedicated basically
masonry pilasters to hold that wall up. That's a very important design feature on the structural integrity
of this building and is still very visible today. Over to the right are the cantilever things, the upper
transom and the T-beams also provide light into the gymnasium from both the east and the west side,
which again makes that space an inviting place. On the east side there were significant changes
because of ADA and the need to put a ramp in there. Bennett noted it was a little clever thing as the
original floor plans called that area the teen terrace, and it was specifically an entrance for teenagers to
use and when thinking about the 1950s and 60s and the emergence of teen culture is very clever for
the architect to have responded to that. The north side clearly shows how the beams are allowing the
light into the gymnasium, there is also a little cut out allowing for the north wall of the arts room to have
that curtain wall of windows, again contributing to the geometric effect.
Bennett reiterated they don't need to necessarily always worry about the interior on a National Register
application, but they discussed it because it is something that's been subjected to change. The original
layout of the floor plan and the design remain essentially the same, they have a transition zone
between the lobby and the outside area. She also wanted to point out that the buff-colored brick of the
building exterior is introduced into the interior walls as a transition. Additionally, the original globe
shaped light fixtures hang in the lobby, the terrazzo flooring and the wooden doors are stained a dark
brown, these all appear on the upper level where room functions might include more formal business,
and public areas. Everything on the lower level is pretty much concrete block, but they definitely dress
this particular part up. It also is the gateway into the building where one can enter into all the other
areas including the stairwell. Bennett acknowledged it was originally a very light-filled space, now
because of security and COVID and other reasons that office has become one common office and
closed off. The reception desk, which was there up until just maybe eight or nine years ago was altered
because of the administrative offices. The entire south wall of the social hall is exactly the same as it
was when it was built in 1964, there's high celestial windows and there is a chance to look down into
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the pool area that was created as an extra space for spectators who might be wanting to look at
competitive sports in that area. There was a weekly "paper doll" dance that went way back to the 1930s
for teenagers in junior high and high school and the kinds of memories that can't be encapsulated when
looking at bricks and mortar, but they're very important to the integrity of the building and how they
might evaluate it. Adjacent to the lobby is a balcony that was a visual extension of the lobby and a key
link into one of the buildings most significant features, the swimming pool on the lower level. The only
thing that really changed on that balcony was the railing for it and again those windows on the south
she would consider the vertical windows that allowed a lot of light to come in as well as the ones along
the ceiling level to be important to the integrity of the building. The to speak about the pool itself, it's a
145,000-gallon swimming pool with six lanes 25-yards long. There's a 10-foot-deep diving well and a
wading pool that's 1 7/10ths feet in depth. This is a pool that was supported by creosote treated wood
pilings that were capped with concrete so this construction produced a pool that has not leaked to this
day. Bennett stated if they had better management and vision going on in the parks and rec department
they would not restrict the hours of this pool because it's the prohibited use and participation with the
limited hours that have been in place now for four or five years after the pandemic. Bennett
acknowledged this pool is very special to people as many stated in their letters. Again, the beauty of it
is the direct sunlight generates enough heat to warm the water in the pool on sunny days reducing
overall energy costs. The lighting in there is just magnificent and is really a magical place. Looking at
other changes the staircase was originally an open riser staircase and that was enclosed, and
sympathetic terrazzo flooring was put in, and also an elevator was installed. Those were part of the
accessibility between the upper and lower levels and those modifications were necessary and improve
the functioning of the building but don't really interfere too much with the design. The exercise room
was remodeled in a sympathetic manner in March 2015 and the glass enclosure allows the area to
retain a sense of openness as in the original floor plan. Along the north wall of the pool are the windows
that on the south part of the exercise room, are still used by parents watching their children's swim or
could be used for spectators watching competitive swimming. Other changes have been made like
single use restrooms have been modified to be ADA. The restroom that was on the deck of the pool
was also modified in a different way so it can be a private dressing room. The other key feature of the
building is the enormous block that houses a gymnasium, which measures 82 by 94 feet and
accommodates two full size basketball courts and serves multiple functions relating to competitive
sports, fitness, recreation, entertainment, and education. The maple flooring is set on rubber cushions
which is forward thinking in terms of versatility and durability because the hardwood floor on the
gymnasium was laid down with 5 '/a inch thick boards instead of the usual thickness of% inch boards.
This was done purposefully so the floor could be maintained by sanding and refinishing without causing
excessive wear but more importantly, it withstands the rigors of roller skating, which was very popular in
this building, and the scuffs of ordinary street shoes, and other intended uses of that space. One of the
clever things that Mr. Wehner included was an observation port so if someone is up on the upper level
there's a curved Plexiglas window that they can look down and see all the activities on both sides of the
court. So in terms of the alterations, the footprint and primary functions of the building remain
unchanged. The original design characteristics based on Modern Movement architecture style and
methods persist in the building's distinctive visual identity. In terms of interior changes, the floorplan
remains the same with most of the room functions remaining the same for more than 50 years, the
exception would be in what was a rifle range at one time is now a weight room. But it was It wasn't even
a rifle range when it was first built, that was added later. The original design characteristics based on
Modern Movement had been retained and the interior spaces are linked visually with the use of interior
glass curtains and sidelights next to any entrance doors that are there.
Bennett stated this nomination was prepared for the benefit of the State Review Committee so they
could do exactly what they need to do, which is to weigh and balance what those changes really mean
about the use of the building and its look. The arts and crafts room is virtually unchanged except for
the curtain wall of windows has changed, meeting room A and meeting room B have essentially the
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same look that they always did. There's an emergency exit out of meeting room B to that small terrace
that was next to the concrete blocks and in the social hall there's a back stairwell which has another
emergency exit. So again, the architect took public safety into consideration at all times. The kitchen
was designed cleverly as well because above the sink is an opening that would allow one to pass food
or materials over to meeting room A during meetings.
In closing, Bennett reiterated this building has a very rich history. The original community building that
was built there in 1928 was 10 years after World War I and there's an entire spread of newspaper that
talks about the significance of this building to that community at that time which laid the groundwork
historically for why they now have as such a well-functioning building today that has proven to be
versatile, adaptable and enduring. She encourages the Commission to approve this nomination.
Karen Crane stated she is from Iowa City and is going to read a letter written by her friend Mitzi Reed
that speaks for her them both. "Dear Historic Preservation Commissioners on behalf of my family, I'm
writing to express our support for listing Iowa City's Robert E. Lee Recreation Center on the National
Register of Historic Places. The Lee Recreation Center located at 220 South Gilbert Street in Iowa City
represents the ideal community rec center. It's a marvelous example of the underrepresented and
sometimes underappreciated Modern Movement architectural style and for more than six decades it
has continued to bring together area residents of all ages and from all walks of life to a central location
to build a healthy community, just as it was intended. The recreation center was a significant
consideration when my family recently chose to move to Iowa City and make our home within walking
distance of downtown. We join many other residents who have repeatedly shown a deep appreciation
for all forms of artistry in public spaces. The unique qualities of its efficient simplicity and innately
welcoming atmosphere, filled with natural light and room to breathe, enable the Robert E. Lee
Recreation Center to attract an incredibly diverse and joyful cross section of our community. It is and
has always been a special place where lifelong connections and memories are made because it was
designed to do exactly that, provide a sustaining place of community for all. In response to comments in
the City's May 15, 2024, memo describing how minor alterations to the building's interior and exterior
have changed public perception or interaction with the building we offer our considered feedback
firsthand. While we cannot compare our current perceptions or interactions to what might have been in
1962, after reviewing the nomination and historical images in their entirety, we can say with new eyes
and a fresh public perspective that we do not find these adaptations to be any impediment whatsoever
to our perceptions or interactions with the building's modernist design principles as employed by the
masterful hands of Mr. Wehner. If any of these minor elements have been diminished, it seems a
nominal amount of restoration would alleviate the City's concerns. The recreation center stands out as
an excellent example to all other communities of how art and function in historical public structure can
coexist and flourish as well as support the health and well beings of generations of Iowa City residents.
So it is with respect and admiration for architect Roland Wehner that we convey our support for the
listing of the Robert E. Lee Recreation Center on the National Register of Historic Places, and thank
him for facilitating our participation in the special community that continues to thrive within. Thank you
for your consideration and for your efforts to preserve Iowa City's vibrant legacy of architecture and
community building."
Sellergren closed the public comment.
Bristow mentioned that staff did get numerous letters and she forwarded them to the Commission. They
cut it off at noon so anything that came from noon on, because of timing and getting it ready for the
meeting, have not been forwarded to Commission and there might have been three that came in later
this afternoon.
Thomann has a clarifying question, they're considering this building for the National Register of Historic
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Places and if that becomes approved does this building then fall under the jurisdiction of this
Commission if there are exterior changes to the building. Are those things that this Commission will be
informed of and be able to discuss and to act on in any way. Bristow replied the answer to that is no, a
listing in the National Register is basically an honorarium, it acknowledges the history of the building
and the significance of the building. It does get that history documented and lets everyone know that
it's listed in the National Register. For non-government owners there is a tax credit (Iowa City is
already tax exempt) and there are grants available for rehabilitation and stuff like that. It does also
trigger a review anytime that federal money is involved in a project that impacts a building that is either
listed or eligible for the National Register. The agency that is using the money and doing the project
needs to evaluate whether or not their project will adversely affect the resource or not. Even if it does,
that does not necessarily mean that the project would be stopped, usually there's some kind of
mitigation and that agency or owner might have to do a study or something to mitigate for the loss, or
the agency could attempt not to have an adverse effect. It would trigger a review if federal money was
involved but generally the only way that it would come before this Commission would be if there was a
section 106 review related to it or if after this happened it was locally designated. A national registered
listing does not prevent demolition or alterations on their own.
MOTION: Wagner moves to recommend that the Iowa City Community Recreation Center at 220
South Gilbert Street is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places in criterion
category A and C at the local level and meets the criteria for both significance and integrity. We
would include the following comments, we would ask that the State Nomination Review
Committee carefully evaluate the modernist elements of the design to determine if the building
has enough integrity in this regard to remain eligible under criterion C. Note that the caption
format for implies that the 2001 study found a historic district that included the recreation
center this would be a misinterpretation of the map from the study where the district errors are
shaded not outlined.
Villanueva seconded the motion.
Thomann noted it is a building of significance to the community and this will just highlight it even more.
She acknowledged that space around the downtown can be a vulnerable place so she was hoping
maybe it would protect it from demolition. Another hope was that when she looks at the building she
sees elements of mid-century design and it would be great to enhance some of those elements or to
even restore some, that would be very exciting from a historical perspective. Thomann is convinced
that this building really should have its day and be on the National Register.
Bristow noted if the Commission wants to make comments, either use the staff comments or different
comments, they should make sure that they are clear on that as well because they do need to include
that in the form.
Thomann agrees with keeping the information about criterion C there. That committee will do its job, but
this is a nod to some of the things they are seeing. She understands what Bennett said about time
having passed so that now this building, maybe if a survey or study is to be done again, that this
building might be included.
Bristow noted the downtown is actually listed as a district and the boundaries do not extend far enough
to include this building.
Sellergren asked wouldn't there be some restrictions due to the time period that it was built, compared
to the time period due to urban renewal. Bristow explained that would be complicated. When the
downtown study was redone by Alexa McDowell, they originally reduced the boundaries from what
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Marlise Winston had, partly because the Jefferson Street Historic District had been listed along part of
the north edge and then the rest of that north edge was University buildings and the City didn't really
need to study them. Alexa McDowell did determine that parts of downtown were only eligible if included
the urban renewal context and these buildings are more preurban renewal. The destruction of the
historic City Hall could be considered a portion of urban renewal, but the new Civic quarter seems to be
outside of the historic downtown as the nomination for downtown was written by Alexa McDowell.
Bristow stated nominations can be modified, but there needs to be a compelling reason and changing
the boundaries out to the east edge just to capture the rec center with other non-contributing buildings
in between would not necessarily make a regular boundary and would be a little bit erratic and irregular.
A vote was taken and the motion passed 8-0.
REPORT ON CERTIFICATES ISSUED BY CHAIR AND STAFF:
Certificate of No Material Effect-Chair and Staff review
HPC24-0024: 215 Brown Street— Brown Street Historic District (west side retaining wall and fence
replacement):
Bristow noted this is the replacement of the retaining wall between that property and the one on
Dubuque Street. This retaining wall and the fence above it will be replaced. She stated there are some
zoning code issues so they couldn't extend all the way out to the streets.
HPC24-0028: 1022 East College Street— East College Street Historic District (deck floor and railing
repair and replacement):
Bristow stated this is to replace some deck materials.
HPC24-0033: 1041 Woodlawn Avenue —Woodlawn Historic District (soffit and fascia replacement):
Bristow stated much of the soffit and facia are going to be replaced and she showed some of the
photos that showed the evidence for the need.
HPC24-0034: 215 Brown Street— Brown Street Historic District (deteriorated shingle replacement):
Bristow stated this property recently changed hands and most of the roof is being replaced. There's a
section of metal roof on the top that will remain but that's a modern addition and not a historic roof. She
showed the shingle the roof will be replaced with noting it is kind of interesting because they tend to
approve a brown or gray but apparently this home was owned by an artist, and she had replaced it with
a green shingle because she really liked it. Now her grandson is the owner of the house and he wanted
to go with a green shingle in order to honor his grandmother and it looks gray so it was approved.
HPC24-0021: 538 South Gilbert Street— Local Historic Landmark (exterior wood repair and
replacement):
Public Space One has worked with the State to get an HRDP grant for some repairs to the Close
Mansion. They hired someone to evaluate the structure and they came up with a detailed punch list
with photos of areas showing what will be repainted and repaired, and/or replaced. Staff worked with
them to approve everything that they have marked either as repair or replace. They will continue to
provide documentation of the deterioration for those areas that need to be assessed and it was agreed
that they would just provide the City the documentation and then be able to proceed. They do also need
to do some work on some of the brick and that will be handled separately.
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Minor Review— Staff review
HPC24-0022: 531 Clark Street— Clark Street Conservation District (front step replacement):
Bristow noted this is a basic stoop and step replacement.
HPC24-0027: 533 South Summit Street— Summit Street Historic District (deteriorated attic window sash
replacement and rear window replaced with casement for egress):
Bristow stated this is actually Wagner's project so it's staff review because of that. The attic windows
are deteriorated but it was also found out that they had brick mold trim which is a trim that is added to
the window and it steps out because a window in brick or stone is recessed into the wall. So when they
replace the windows they will also need to cover the gap for installing and make a transition from the
window out to the brick or stone partly to shed water and so it has that stepped out appearance.
Modern construction uses brick mold trim for all buildings. They would approve it only for masonry
construction and then they would have no trim and use flat casing. Additionally, one of the windows in
the back will also become a casement egress window because they're making the attic into an
occupiable space.
HPC24-0029: 425 Oakland Avenue — Longfellow Historic District (rear basement egress window):
Bristow noted this little brick house was recently sold and they are putting a bedroom and bathroom in
the basement so one rear window out of the pair will become an egress window which means that the
sill drops and they install a window well, matching the foundation material.
CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES FOR APRIL 24, 2024:
MOTION: Thomann moves to approve the minutes of the Historic Preservation Commission's
April 24, 2024. Beck seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 8-0.
COMMISSION DISCUSSION/INFORMATION:
Work Plan and subcommittees:
Bristow included a copy of the Work Plan in the agenda packet. One thing they need to get started on
is the awards so it would be good to form a subcommittee for the awards. Staff is giving the
Commission and Friends an ultimatum that they need to be more involved so there's less staff time
involved in the awards if they want them to continue. Last year was the 40th anniversary of the awards
and after the ceremony Friends reached out to her and said that they do want to be more involved and
they're ready to be on the subcommittee and take a more proactive role. The Commission should form
a subcommittee, hopefully with at least three people or maybe four on that subcommittee. They would
meet in June with the Friends representative and start to figure out how to move forward. They would
need to find a location, set a date and then put out a call for nominations. In the past the awards were
done in September, but she thinks that they might be a little late to get this all done by September now
but that's something they can work out when the subcommittee meets.
Welu-Reynolds stated she has been helping with it and would be glad to continue to do so.
Thomann could helping with the writing but would likely be unable to make a meeting, especially if it's in
the afternoon during the week. Additionally, there are other subcommittees she excited about but would
help with writing.
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Sellergren asked if the subcommittee meets in June and then proceed with putting out a call for
nominations to the public at that meeting in June, could that be done in an email. It would at least that
get the process started and then she could be on the subcommittee.
Bristow stated it would be easier to do it over a Zoom meeting than to type out an email. Sellergren
stated they could start with an email just to get anybody who's willing to even consider being on the
subcommittee figured out.
Bristow stated traditionally the subcommittee first selects the winners that are then presented to the
Commission for approval and then write up the information. They are reaching out to all of the owners
to get information and then inviting the owners and the contractors to the event. They are also creating
invitations, a program and the slideshow for the event.
Beck, Lewis, Welu-Reynolds, Sellergren and Thomann have volunteered so Bristow will reach out to
them to set up a meeting with the representative from Friends. She does have a handy spreadsheet for
all of the tasks that need to be done.
Bristow asked the group if they have other subcommittees or things that they want to start working on.
Sellergren asked about the grant that Public Space One received, was that due to them being a
501(c)3 or is it available to any historic property. Bristow stated they didn't reach out to her so she
wasn't aware of it until they required review. It's a State grant but she doesn't think that they have to be
a nonprofit for it and it is one of those grants that is available to any owner of a historic property.
Sellergren stated they should all make a promise to each other to look up and research form-based
code and try to wrap their heads around it. Bristow stated it has been discussed at past Planning and
Zoning meetings and City Council meetings so they could get some information from those past
meetings as well.
Sellergren reported they were successful in Iandmarking the 312 to 316 Bloomington Street properties,
which is exciting. It was a very long process and the Mayor Pro Tem brought up a number of things that
were concerns of hers, the main one was staff time, pushing for full time staff and all of them could be
advocates for that. Also she spoke with some property owners who were very anti Historic Preservation
just due to restrictive guidelines. Sellergren is unsure how to approach this but it would be very helpful if
they could provide more easy to digest education to the public. The City has started putting out social
media graphics that explain if someone is starting a project to reach out and also that there's grant
funding. That's helpful but she thinks it would be really amazing to have like one graphic a week that
explains the different aspects of things like why materials should be rebuilt rather than replaced, why a
window should be rebuilt rather than replaced, and anything else to bridge the gap between people
feeling like it's a purposeless inconvenience and what is important about historic preservation. That
may be a City Communication department kind of thing. Bristow noted they would have to work
through that at a staff level. The communications department does the website and the social media.
Sellergren acknowledged that by they also have to get the right information, educating the public is
really important to keep the goodwill high and not get too much pushback.
Beck wanted to mention at the Museum Studies program at the University there's someone coming in
again to offer the historic house management class. They don't want people in this class to have
projects that burden City staff but what if part of what students generated is how to communicate more
effectively to the public. Perhaps assignments where people in those classes develop related materials
and do the legwork of generating some of the graphics or other posts that could just be a bank of things
that could be used.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
May 22, 2024
Page 14 of 15
Lewis noted there are also other places that have other graphics that they post, the City could just
repost things, that's a good possibility. General things about why they do Historic Preservation not
necessarily specific to Iowa City, but just information.
Sellergren suggested that is something that a commissioner could reach out to City communication
staff about to see what that process might be. Bristow thinks it would be helpful as education and
outreach are a part of the Commission's directive and preservation plan.
Thomann asked about a subcommittee for more landmarking or steps to build up to landmarking.
There used to be a list of buildings and homes that are maybe landmark eligible. Now that the
Bloomington properties are done they have the time to think about some of these other properties and
work at it slowly and deliberately to see if there are property owners who are interested in doing
something.
Bristow noted there was a subcommittee that in late 2014 started compiling lists of properties that were
eligible but not part of districts. She can't remember how many properties that they felt they wanted to
move forward with but some of the basic information could be reviewed.
Thomann thinks that is a good starting point and maybe there are some property owners who don't
realize their property is eligible and maybe they want to be a landmark. As everyone knows the
property owner didn't agree with what happened at Bloomington so it would be nice to have a situation
where the owner wants it, the community wants it, and everyone sees how it's beneficial to have a
property be landmarked.
Sellergren noted on that subject she wants to get in touch with the realtor and send him some ideas
that he could include in the listing for the Bloomington property that might make it entice possible
buyers, like tax incentives and grant information.
Beck noted an earlier discussion of public signage in the area of the Iowa City barrio by the railroad
tracks. She stated there is a University of Iowa grad who's now a postdoc at Princeton in both history
anthropology who did some work on Mexican American communities in Iowa City and actually has
written some nice stuff about the barrio. Sellergren there is also a new staff member at Little Village
who also has shown interest in this area so they could have him work on this as well.
Bristow agreed and stated they should get in touch about that to get that rolling. She is keeping the
Parks and Rec director up to date on the fact that they're interested in this area and not only the
signage but potentially renaming the park to tell this story.
ADJOURNMENT:
Thomann moved to adjourn the meeting. Wagner seconded. The motion carried on a vote of 8-0.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:15pm.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD
2023-2024
TERM 6/8 7/13 8/10 9/14 10/12 11/9 12/14 1/11 2/8 3/21 4/24 5/22
NAME EXP.
BECK, 6/30/24 O/E X X X O/E X X X X X X X
MARGARET
BOYD, KEVIN 6/30/23 X __ __ --
BROWN, 6/30/26 X X O/E X X O/E X O/E O/E X X O/E
CARL
LEWIS, 6/30/26 -- X X X X X X X X X X X
ANDREW
SELLERGREN, 6/30/25 O/E X X X X X X X X X X X
JORDAN
STORK, NOAH 6/30/24 X X X X X X X O/E X X X X
THOMANN, 6/30/26 X X X X X X X X X X X X
DEANNA
VILLANUEVA, 6/30/25 X X X X O/E X X X X X X X
NICOLE
WAGNER, 6/30/26 X O/E X X X X X X X X X X
FRANK
WELU- 6/30/25 X O/E X X X X X X X X O/E X
REYNOLDS,
CHRISTINA
KEY: X = Present
O = Absent
O/E= Absent/Excused
--- = Not a member
Item Number: 4.i.
CITY OF OF IOWA CITY
COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
July 16, 2024
Housing and Community Development Commission: May 16
Attachments: Housing and Community Development Commission: May 16
MINUTES FINAL
HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
MAY 16, 2024—6:30 PM
FORMAL MEETING
THE CENTER ASSEMBLY ROOM
MEMBERS PRESENT: Kaleb Beining, Horacio Borgen, Maryann Dennis, Karol Krotz, James
Pierce, Kiran Patel, Becci Reedus, Denise Szecsei
MEMBERS ABSENT: Kyle Vogel
STAFF PRESENT: Sue Dulek, Brianna Thul
OTHERS PRESENT: None
RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL:
None.
CALL MEETING TO ORDER:
Beining called the meeting to order at 6:30 PM and welcomed new member Borgen.
CONSIDERATION OF MEETING MINUTES: APRIL 18, 2024:
Reedus moved to approve the minutes of April 18, 2024. Dennis seconded the motion. A vote was taken
and the minutes were approved 8-0.
PUBLIC COMMENT FOR TOPICS NOT ON THEAGENDA:
None.
CONSIDER A RECOMMENDATION TO AMEND THE HCDC BY-LAWS:
The Commission discussed a recommendation from staff to amend the by-laws. The proposed
amendment included reducing the size of the commission from nine to seven members and changing the
number of members required to form a quorum from five to four.The commission previously discussed
the proposal in April.
Dennis began the discussion asking how many times they haven't had a quorum.Thul stated in the last
year, February they planned to not have a meeting, in January it was cancelled due to snow and not
having a quorum. Prior to that, the last meeting that was cancelled and rescheduled was February 2023,
it was cancelled and later rescheduled.
Reedus also asked how many times they met and just have five Commissioners present. Thul shared in
the past year the attendance was:
• April 2024—6 members present
• March 2024—5 members present
• December 2023 to February 2024—no meetings held
• November 2023—8 members present
• October 2023—5 members present
• September 2023-6 members
• August 2023—no meeting held
Housing and Community Development Commission
May 16, 2024
Page 2 of 7
• July 2023—7 members present
• June 2023—no meeting held
• May 2023—5 members present
• April 2023 6 members present
Dennis asked if it is staffs opinion that Council just doesn't receive applications for the Commission and if
that is why it is hard to maintain membership. Thul explained the applications for the three upcoming
positions closed yesterday and they have eight applications currently that are active.They try to
encourage people with experience described in the by-laws to apply. Staff can list some of the places that
they try to recruit from and also at the last meeting the communication staff from the City was here taking
some pictures and videos that will be used in marketing materials for boards and commissions so
hopefully that will help. Vacancies are announced at the Commission meetings, City Council announces
them as well, and then staff have sent info to the Iowa City Association of Realtors,the University of Iowa
Student Government,the Homebuilders Association, Better Together, South of Six, University of Iowa
Planning and Public Affairs, Iowa City Tenants Union, Greater Iowa City Apartment Association, Johnson
County Social Services, and they've also tried realtors and to banks. She noted it's difficult to recruit
people.
Szecsei commented there's no outreach to people who are actually affected by the decisions that are
being made here and that might be something else to reach out to have representation from the people
who are directly involved.Thul stated one of the groups that they work with would be the Iowa City
Housing Authority that is housed in City Hall so they receive info on vacancies as well. Staff are always
open to suggestions if others have recommendations on places to send the vacancy notices, or if
Commissioners have a network of people, they can always feel free to pass those along.The more they
can get it out there,the better recruitment will be.
Dennis asked about the conflict-of-interest policy and noted it says that if a Commissioner is involved with
a possible applicant,for any kind of funds that HCDC recommends to Council be allocated,that they can't
then participate. Dulek confirmed that is true, because CDBG and HOME funds are together in one pot, if
someone is conflicted for a HOME application then they're conflicted from the CDBG pot as well. Dennis
stated one of the biggest things they do is allocate those funds and if someone can't participate then that
really doesn't make sense.
Reedus noted last year the Commission added the somebody with nonprofit background in the bylaws
because this Commission took over the Aid to Agencies funding about a decade ago. There wasn't really
a requirement for nonprofit background,though a big chunk of the work is reviewing nonprofit applications
and awarding monies to nonprofits.
Krotz noted she receives housing assistance through the Iowa City Housing office and would like to see
maybe one more person who actually is out there and sees firsthand what it's like to acquire housing as it
brings a broader experience to the Commission.
Szecsei agreed and stated the school board,for example, doesn't have anybody on the school board who
has actually fallen through the cracks in getting their education here in Iowa City. The representation of
this Commission should be a group of people that actually need to be served.There are a lot of educated
people in Iowa City, and she appreciates that but would like to hear from the people who are directly
affected or impacted.
Krotz noted there are also a lot of educated low-income people in Iowa City. She added some people
have a misconception that is someone is low-income, they're probably not very educated and thafs not
true so there has to be a pool to pull from.
Szecsei stated her concern is that dropping the number of people serving will reduce the chance for those
people to have a voice and representation-
2
Housing and Community Development Commission
May 16, 2024
Page 3 of 7
Reedus agreed but noted getting them to meetings is the problem and thats been the problem, as well as
keeping them on the Commission. She also stated they've had a lot of turnover since she's been here
and she can't even begin to count the number of people that have come and gone.
Borgen stated he thinks that one of the difficult parts of being a board member, or part of a commission, is
recruiting the people because people don't know what to expect from that commission. Sometimes people
have the backgrounds and the experience and the knowledge of participating in a commission, but if they
don't advertise what they're trying to do, its difficult to engage people in what they're doing. He noted if
they have less board members or commissioners because of the attendance, in the end what they are
cutting participants who could bring something new to the table and could be that representative from one
sector.
Krotz stated maybe people will feel more comfortable applying to vacancy if an orientation or onboarding
happens before the person has already been appointed.
Dennis noted to try and orientate or onboard somebody who is considering applying to be on the
Commission would be extra work for staff and it sounds like they already reach out quite a bit. Dennis
does not have an interest in doing that as a commissioner.
Reedus stated they could watch videos of previous Commission meetings if somebody wanted to know
what the Commission was about,they could go back to the archives and watch the meetings.
Krotz was just thinking in terms of being able to retain the Commissioners once they're appointed, and to
get good attendance.
Dennis stated if someone applies for a commission, goes through the process, and is appointed by City
Council and then they don't come to meetings, or let staff know that they're not going to come, in her
opinion, it better be for a pretty good reason. In fact, she had asked for the January meeting to be
rescheduled because she would not be able to attend and knew there would be a presentation she didn't
want to miss.
Reedus stated there are a couple of meetings every Commissioner should be here for.The funding
meetings where they do the work, score the applications, hear from the applicants. She noted it was one
of the most recent funding meetings where they had to wait for another Commissioner to show up and
every seat in the audience was full. That shouldn't happen. If someone else didn't show up,they would
have had to send everybody in the audience home. It does not send a good message to the community.
Reedus stated part of being on a Commission is the commitment of making the meetings and doing the
work.
Krotz is trying to understand how reducing the number of people on the Commission is going to give a
guarantee that the other Commissioners are going to come to the meetings.They can't guarantee that.
Thul stated from the staff perspective,they are recommending a smaller Commission to have a smaller
quorum.Typically, it's the fifth person that wouldn't be able to make it and they would have to cancel the
meeting.To give an example of when this would be a problem, when staff gets funding amounts from
HUD,they have about 60 days to do a sequence of events. Staff need to do a public notice, they need to
bring it to HCDC, and they present at a Council meeting.They need to hit these benchmarks before they
can submit that to HUD by their deadline. So, if they have to cancel a commission meeting at the last
minute, that means staff might not be able to get HCDC feedback,which is valued and really important to
include in the plans. If they have to cancel a meeting and are unable to reschedule,they are not getting
HCDC feedback and would have to submit that to HUD without it to meet the deadline. Staff is looking at
it from the perspective of, if they have a quorum of four people -they could likely meet more often and be
able to get input. Thul clarified that they are not asking to make a smaller Commission to get less
feedback,thats not the intention-
3
Housing and Community Development Commission
May 16, 2024
Page 4 of 7
Dennis agreed and stated the most important thing they do is make a recommendation to City Council on
how to spend the federal money that comes into this community every year. There are a huge amount of
regulations and they have to rely on staff to make sure that everything is compliant and deadlines are
met. They may miss a lot of money coming into this community to support the folks that need the
services that are provided with that federal money.
Szecsei stated the winter months are probably the most challenging months to get the quorum, often due
to weather, and thats not going to change regardless of how many people are on the Commission. So,
when the applications are being screened,that would be the time to emphasize the importance of coming
to the meetings on a regular basis and getting that commitment.
Reedus asked about doing the work remotely if somebody wasn't able to get here for whatever reason,
does the City allow them to attend remotely. Dulek explained that they have to have quorum present in
person, others can join remotely but the quorum needs to be bodies present. Thul noted that
commissioners have probably all received her Thursday phone calls as sometimes it's hard to know if
they will have five people in the room to form a quorum.
Dennis appreciates staff does that because the last thing she wants to do is come here and then not have
a quorum and not be able to do any business.
Szecsei noted also if they move the meetings to Wednesday, like staff is proposing, and change the
location, that might solve some of the parking issues.
Thul stated it's hard to say. The reasons she hears for not being able to attend are across the board -
weather,family, life.
Pierce noted two things, one is they're discussing this topic at a meeting when they have eight people
present, so discussing going down to seven is a little bit awkward. He did acknowledge he also has been
here when they only have five or six present, so it definitely fluctuates. He stated on a previous
commission he served on they had five members and still had trouble getting a quorum of three. So he is
unsure if reducing the number required will actually help. It may be a little bit easier to get four people
instead of five but also sometimes it's hard to even get three so reducing the number might not solve the
problem or they may still encounter the problem.
Krotz asked if staff has talked with any other staff who work with Commission's to find out what their
experience is with attendance. Thul can't speak for the other Commission's but doesn't think its a unique
problem to HCDC.
Dulek noted the Airport Commission, which runs the airport, almost always had four or five present.
Planning and zoning runs closer to almost always full attendance, the Board of Adjustment has five
members and almost always all five are present. However, there are some of the other Commissions that
do struggle - the Senior Center, Parks and Rec., Public Art. It really varies but staff certainly could reach
out and get to that information if needed. Board of Appeals,which hears appeals to the housing code and
the building codes, may only meet once or twice a year and they struggle for a quorum just because they
meet so infrequently.
Beining gauged support for the amendment by a show of hands. Borgen, Patel, Szecsei, and Krotz were
opposed, and Pierce preferred to abstain.There was not enough support to amend the bylaws and no
motion was made to recommend approval to Council. Beining encouraged commissioners to attend the
meetings.
Pierce stated he is very open to reconsidering this question in the future, of amending the number, but
they currently have eight people and if there's eight applicants for three spots, it is likely they will get
some quality applicants and there just needs to be a stronger effort to retain them and emphasize the
importance of making the meetings unless there's an extenuating circumstance or something-
4
Housing and Community Development Commission
May 16, 2024
Page 5 of 7
Szecsei asked how the applications are reviewed and decisions made of who gets selected for the
Commission. Thul noted of the eight applications only three of them are new since the last appointment.
She explained if someone applies for this Commission their application is kept on file for a year.
Ultimately,the appointments are up to City Council's discretion.There are some things in the bylaws that
they consider like someone with experience with housing assistance, construction, or finance.
CONSIDER CHANGING THE REGULAR MEETING DATE AND LOCATION OF THE HOUSING AND
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION:
The Commission discussed changing the date and location of the monthly meetings to the 4th Wednesday
of each month. Patel stated she has a standing meeting at that time.
Thul noted if the 4th Wednesday is not going to work for everybody, she can go back to the drawing board
and try to look at the calendar again. She noted there's a lot of logistics that go into these meetings and
she doesn't want to suggest something tonight that might not work.
The Commission discussed possibly Mondays might work for the group and staff will look into options.
DISCUSS PROCESS FOR FY25 ANNUAL ACTION PLAN:
Thul stated normally the City's Action Plan would be due to HUD within 45 days of the fiscal year starting
however because of the turmoil around reaching agreement on a federal budget,they received the grant
allocations very late this year. Originally, HCDC was not planning to meet in June, but staff would like to
hold a meeting to get the Commission's input on the Action Plan. Thul explained for context, after the
March meeting where HCDC came up with the funding recommendations for CDBG and HOME, staff
then take those recommendations and put them into the federally required Annual Action Plan.The
Commission can then review the Plan and provide any comments or notes. Staff then take the Action
Plan to City Council, which this year will be on June 18 after a 30-day public comment period. Staff will
submit the plan to HUD after Council approval.Thul noted the HCDC meeting will need to be off schedule
from the normal meeting time in order to make the Council meeting on the 18th. Staff have proposed June
6 or June 13.
Commissioners discussed the two options and Szecsei made a motion to move the meeting to June 13.
Reedus seconded the motion. A vote was taken and the motion passed 8-0-
Pierce asked if there would be a July meeting.Thul stated the July meeting will still happen and the
agenda will have introductions for the new appointments to the Commission,they will need to elect a new
chair and vice chair, and staff will present the calendar for the upcoming fiscal year once they finalize the
meeting dates.
Reedus requested to discuss possible presentation options for the next fiscal year also.Thul stated they
can do that. One idea staff hope to include is fair housing training from the City's Human Rights staff as
that might be useful for this group and commissioners agreed.
STAFF & COMMISSION UPDATES:
Thul stated she already went over the Annual Action Plan update and the public comment period for that
Plan - that is going to start tomorrow and it will run for 30 days. It will be in the HCDC packet for June as
well. She reminded them it is a long document and in a HUD required format but at the June meeting
staff will provide an overview.
Thul also noted that the City has hired a consultant for the Consolidated Plan. She reminded the
Commission that is the five-year plan where they set priorities for CDBG and HOME funds.There will be
the public participation opportunities and she is hoping by the June meeting she'll have some more
information on how the Commissioners can participate in that process-
5
Housing and Community Development Commission
May 16, 2024
Page 6 of 7
ADJOURNMENT:
Reedus moved to adjourn, Dennis seconded the motion and a vote was taken and the motion passed 8-
0-
6
Housing and Community Development Commission
May 16, 2024
Page 7 of 7
Housing and Community
Development Commission
Attendance Record 2023.2024
Name Terms Exp. 3/30 4/20 5/18 7/20 9/21 10/19 11/16 3/21 4/18 5/16
Beining, Kaleb 6/30/24 X X O/E X X X X X X X
Dennis, Maryann 6/30/25 X O/E X X O/E X X X X X
Krotz, Karol 6/30/24 X X X X X X X O/E O/E X
Reedus, Becci 6/30/24 X X X X X X X X X X
Vogel, Kyle 6/30/26 X O/E X X X O/E X X X O/E
Patel, Kiran 6/30/26 X X X X X O/E X O/E O/E X
Pierce, James 6/30/26 X X X X O/E X X
Szecsei, Denise 6/30/25 -- -- -- --
X X X X
Borgen, Horacio 6/30/25 -- -- -- --
O/E O/E X
• Resigned from Commission
Kev:
X = Present
O =Absent
O/E =Absent/Excused
=Vacant
7
Item Number: 4.j.
CITY OF OF IOWA CITY
COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
July 16, 2024
Iowa City Public Library Board of Trustees: May 23
Attachments: Iowa City Public Library Board of Trustees: May 23
r4WPUBUC LIBRARY
Iowa City Public Library Board of Trustees
Meeting Minutes
May 23, 2024
1st Floor— Meeting Room D
Regular Meeting - 5:00 PM
FINAL
Tom Rocklin - President Bonnie Boothroy Robin Paetzold
DJ Johnk—Vice President Joseph Massa John Raeburn
Hannah Shultz-Secretary Claire Matthews Dan Stevenson
Members Present: Bonnie Boothroy, DJ Johnk, Joseph Massa, Claire Matthews, Robin Paetzold,
John Raeburn, Tom Rocklin, Dan Stevenson.
Members Absent: Hannah Shultz.
Staff Present: Elsworth Carman, Sam Helmick, Anne Mangano, Jason Paulios, Angie Pilkington, Katie
Roche, Jen Royer.
Guests Present: Charlie Mangano.
Call Meeting to Order. Rocklin called the meeting to order at 5:01 pm. A quorum was present.
Approval of May 23, 2024, Board Meeting Agenda. Boothroy introduced herself to the
Library Trustees. The Trustees and Library Coordinators introduced themselves to Boothroy.
Johnk made a motion to approve the May 23, 2024, Board Meeting Agenda. Raeburn seconded. Motion
passed 8/0.
Public Discussion. None.
Items to be Discussed.
Policy Review: 803 Event Board. Rocklin noted no changes to the policy were recommended. Rocklin
asked if room eligibility was for nonprofits, and if so, if there is a check to ensure organizations are
nonprofits. Helmick said yes and there is rigorous training on this for staff. Johnk made a motion to
approve policy 803 Event Board. Boothroy seconded. Motion passed 8/1.
Policy Review: 700 Community Relations. Johnk noted policy language, "membership in civic
organizations will be maintained" and asked if it was membership or participation that is key. Rocklin
asked if the recommended change is due to the Chamber of Commerce changing its name. Helmick
I f you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting,please contact len Royer,Iowa City
Public Library,at 379-887-6003 or iennUer-rovertaicol.oro. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to
meet your access needs.
IOWA CITY
*AW PUBLIC LIBRARY
agreed and said if the name changes in the future the policy won't need to be revised. Paetzold said
participation is interesting because we might not always be a member in certain organizations. Carman
shared he liked participation too. Paulios noted the previous sentence noted participation. Helmick
asked if ICPL needed to have a codified policy that supports the library having memberships. Mangano
said memberships in ALA and ILA are addressed in a separate policy. Johnk asked if was within the
Library Board's rights to deny Trustee memberships. Paetzold noted ALA and ILA are professional
memberships, not civic, and the policy didn't refer to that. Rocklin said participation could take the form
of membership. Rocklin asked Trustees to consider adopting the policy with the change to "participation
in civic organizations will be maintained". Johnk made a motion to approve the policy with the
suggested change. Paetzold seconded. Motion passed 8/0.
Staff Reports.
Director's Report. Carman gave a verbal report after returning from leave. Carman thanked the library
Coordinators for their work while he was gone. Carman welcomed Boothroy. Carman gave a brief
update on the Capital Improvement Project in the Boardroom and Meeting Room E. Carman said the
project has taken a long time and noted when you walk into the room it feels like there are
underwhelming changes. Carman said the library is waiting for furniture to be delivered including a new
table and chairs. Royer said the furniture is scheduled to be delivered June 21.
Carman shared the Summer Reading Program mailer went out and looks a little different this year. The
mailer is four pages with highlights of the programs and has QR codes to see the traditional sixteen-
page document online. The mailer was reduced this year for several reasons including the
environmental impact and budget. Carman said the guide can be printed in house for those that need it.
Carman shared an ILS (Integrated Library System) upgrade occurred on Monday that resulted in four
hours of offline time. Carman noted Palmer and Todd Brown were able to continue offering circulation
during the outage using the self-check stations, which was a big deal. In the past checking out items
would have had to be done by manually recording checkouts and later uploading them one at a time.
Carman recognized that Palmer and Brown's work allowed patrons to have almost no service impact.
Matthews clapped and recognized their work.
Departmental Reports: Adult Services. Johnk asked if people have stayed away from the garden beds
this year. Paulios said yes and noted the first bed would be planted next Thursday at 4 pm with native
pollinator plants. Paulios said last year's mustard greens are currently in flower. Paulios thanked Charlie's
Native Plants for donating supplies and shared the second garden bed has been planted and is thriving.
Paulios said if you see something that looks harvestable not to be shy, the produce is for everyone.
Paulios said produce used to be donated to Table to Table, but the library didn't produce much so it is
now for anyone who wanders by and is hungry. Paulios thanked Roche for nominating Victoria
Fernandez for the 2024 Excellence in Librarianship Award from Greater Iowa City.
Community &Access Services. Mangano noted she was impressed by Helmick's department during
the ILS update and noted all materials were checked in within a half hour after the ILS update
completed. Helmick thanked Becky Dannenberg and the CAS Library Aides for their work and noted
they were only made aware of the update a week and a half in advance.
if you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting,please contact len Royer,Iowa City
Public Library,at 319-887-6003 or'enn'er-ror is I.or Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to
meet your access needs.
IOWA CITY
2jW PUBLIC LIBRARY
Development Report.Johnk noted the Development Office hosts events with Pulitzer Prize winners
now. Roche said it was nice to learn that Myon Woo won the Pulitzer Prize a week after her event with
ICPL. Rocklin thanked Roche and noted Woo was a very generous speaker and tailored things to the
Iowa City audience.
Roche shared Book Bags with Benefits sales are beginning. Roche hoped it would promote intellectual
freedom, inspire others to be positive advocates of public libraries, and be a nice fundraiser for ICPL.
Matthews asked if the art on the bag was submitted. Roche worked with Wright House of Fashion and
asked for a recommendation for a graphic designer. Wright House of Fashion then selected Graphic
Designer, Nugget Larkai, to create the design.
Miscellaneous: News Articles. None.
President's Report.
President Appoints to Foundation Board. Rocklin thanked Boothroy and Massa for serving on the
Foundation Board as Library Trustee Representatives. Rocklin shared next month there will be two
meetings. The Trustees will meet as the Corporate Board Members and the Library Board of Trustees.
Announcements from Members. Matthews shared she was happy to host the Children's
department and her students were very excited to see Clifford the Big Red Dog. Matthews noted Mari
Redington and Miriam Khaetov were exciting and engaging. Matthews noted Summer Reading Program
numbers were down last year for children and asked Paulios if that was true for the adult program too.
Paulios agreed. Pilkington said district-wide, ICPL only saw 7S0 students sign up from the Iowa City
Community School District last year and is hoping to see more sign-up this year. Pilkington's goal is to
visit all ICCSD elementary schools and discuss the Summer Reading Program with students. Paulios said
Fernandez will be going to South East Junior High and City High School as well.
Committee Reports. None.
Communications. None.
Consent Agenda. Johnk made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda. Matthews seconded.
Motion passed 7/0. Boothroy abstained from voting.
Set Agenda Order for June Meeting. Rocklin shared the June meeting will include the
corporate meeting, Library Use policy review, approving the NOBU budget request, and departmental
reports.
Adjournment. Rocklin adjourned the meeting at 5:26 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Jen Royer
I{you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting,please contact len Royer,Iowa City
Public Library,at 319-887-6003 or iennJer-rayerO&W ora. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to
meet your access needs.
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Item Number: 4.k.
CITY OF IOWA CITY
COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
July 16, 2024
Public Art Advisory Committee: April 4
Attachments: Public Art Advisory Committee: April 4
Approved, p.1
Public Art Advisory Committee Mtg, 4/4/2024
Minutes
Public Art Advisory Committee
April 4, 2024
Emma Harvat Hall
Public Art Advisory Committee
Members Present: Ben Clark, Steve Miller, Andrea Truitt, Jeremy Endsley, Rachel
Kinker, Leslie Finer, Nate Sullivan
Members Absent: Anita Jung, Juli Seydell Johnson
Staff present: Rachel Kilburg Varley
Public Present: None
Call to Order
Miller called the meeting to order at 3:36 p.m.
Public Discussion of Any Item Not on the Agenda
None.
Introduction of new members: Leslie Finer and Rachel Kinker
Committee members introduced themselves and welcomed new members, Kinker and
Finer.
Officer elections: Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson
Per the PAAC by-laws, officers must be elected annually in February or the first
possible meeting thereafter. Sullivan nominated Miller for the role of Chairperson, Clark
seconded. Miller nominated Truitt for the role of Vice-Chairperson, Endsley seconded.
Miller made motion to approve these nominations, motion passed (7-0).
Consider minutes of the February 1, 2024 PAAC meeting.
Truitt moved and Endsley seconded that the minutes from the February 1 , 2024,
meeting be approved. Motion passed (7-0).
Determine Awards for the 2024 Public Art Matching Grant Program
Committee members individually scored 2024 Public Art Matching Grant applications
using a scoring rubric prior to the April PAAC meeting. Kilburg projected the compiled
scores and anonymous comments for Committee review and discussion. Kilburg shared
that $15,500 was available to award and approximately $46,505 in funding was
requested. She noted that a few applicants (Open Air Media Festival, Public Space
One, Family Folk Machine) were previous recipients of Public Art Matching Grant funds,
though that does not disqualify them from being funded again. Kilburg also mentioned
that after several Committee members had commented that two applicants' proposed
project budgets were incomplete, she reached out to those applicants to seek
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Public Art Advisory Committee Mtg, 4/4/2024
clarification. Kilburg provided budget clarification received back on one of those grant
proposals.
Finer asked whether other Committee members felt the Open Air Media Festival
submission was different enough from the past to warrant funding. Miller mentioned it is
an annual event and that they are continuing to grow and invite new artists each year,
but suggested the Committee consider allocating less than the amount requested. Finer
asked whether there was a minimum funding requirement the Committee had to follow
and Kilburg said the Committee has the discretion to make an award at any amount
they desire.
Sullivan noted that Open Air Media Festival, Quicker than a Ray of Light, Summer
Groove Dance, This Too Shall Pass, Refocus Film Festival, Illuminating Excellence, and
the Writing Garden proposals received the highest scores and suggested the
Committee decide whether and how much to fund each of these top proposals. Miller
suggested maxing out grant awards at $3,000 in order to fund all of these proposals.
Committee members deliberated briefly. Several Committee members mentioned they
liked the Englert's grant application and were disappointed it fell just outside of the top
scores.
Kilburg pointed out that, if funded, Open Air Media Festival will have been a top scoring
application and funded for five years in a row. She suggested that, in the future, the
Committee could consider funding that annual event as a sponsorship, rather than
continuing to put it through the grant program, which would make more funding
available for other projects. The Committee decided to discuss that possibility in the
future before the next grant cycle.
Sullivan made a motion to approve the following Public Art Matching Grant allocations,
Finer seconded:
• Open Air Media Festival - $3,000
• Quicker Than Ray of Light Then Gone - $1 ,725
• Summer Groove Dance — $555
• This Too Shall Pass— $3,000
• Refocus Film Festival — $3,000
• Illuminating Excellence - $3,000
• Writing Garden - $1,500
Motion passed (7-0).
Discuss Sculptor's Showcase Program for 2024-2026
Kilburg Varley reviewed that the Sculptor's Showcase has been being offered annually,
in which the Committee issues a Call for Artists to submit sculptures for consideration
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and selection for placement on one of 8 pads throughout the community. For the next
round, staff recommended the following changes:
• Transitioning from a one-year to two-year display period, which would lessen
burden on both artists and City staff and open up additional budget flexibility in
the "off' years;
• Increasing the artist honorarium due to a longer display period; and
• Streamlining the application form and imposing a maximum limit of 3 artwork
submissions per artist.
Committee members agreed with the proposed two-year cycle and discussed the
amount of the honorarium and directed Kilburg to research stipends paid to artists in
similar programs in other communities and establish a competitive rate based on that.
Sullivan made a motion to accept the memorandum and increase the honorarium rate to
no more than $2,500 for two years, Finer seconded. Motion passed (7-0).
Discuss Lucas Farms Neighborhood & Meskwaki/Sauk History Prosect
Kilburg shared that, after the Call for Qualifications for this project was unsuccessful,
she contacted faculty at the Meskwaki Settlement School to discuss a possible
partnership on a public art installation that involved students through art and trades
curriculum. The students would have the opportunity to develop a design based on
neighborhood input, fabricate the installation through their coursework, and install the
project under the leadership of the faculty. Kilburg shared a proposal letter the faculty
drafted which included a couple of concept ideas to demonstrate how they would
approach the project. She clarified that the Committee was not selecting one of these
concepts but should indicate whether they wish to move forward with this process. A
concept would still be developed by the school faculty and students in partnership with
the neighborhood, with final concept approval by the Committee.
Discuss South District Bus Stop Bench Prosect
Kilburg reminded the Committee that, after several delays due to budget issues, the
Committee increased the project budget in September 2023 and has been waiting for
an updated timeline and budget from the artist and artist mentor in order to amend the
initial agreements. They artists submitted an updated budget just prior to the April 4,
2024 PAAC meeting, which was below the established $24,000 maximum budget Oust
under $20,000). Miller asked about the responsiveness and timeliness of the
artist/mentor on previous milestones. Kilburg shared that she had established monthly
check-in meetings with the artist/mentor and there had been some difficulty with seeing
progress be made over the last few months. Committee members discussed setting
specific and firm project milestone deadlines to ensure the project stays on track.
Kilburg suggested signing a first amendment to their agreements which would deliver
the 4:1 scale metal model by May 15th. If that deliverable was met, then the Committee
could consider signing a second amendment with the artist/mentor to complete the
project in full, with those firm and specific milestone deadlines included. Truitt
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suggested the Committee invites the artist/mentor to provide more frequent progress
updates at PAAC meetings, and not just with staff. She also asked whether making
smaller, more incremental payments to the artist/mentor is possible to ensure the
deliverables are being met. Miller asked Kilburg to work with the City Attorney's Office to
determine the right contract language that accomplishes the Committee's interest in firm
deadlines and fiscal responsibility. Kinker made a motion to authorize an agreement
amendment with both the artist and mentor for the completion of the 4:1 scale metal
model, Sullivan seconded. Motion passed (7-0).
Outreach & Engagement Subcommittee Updates
Miller mentioned a draft agenda for the Arts Stakeholder Meeting was included in the
agenda packet and asked for any comments or feedback. The Committee members
discussed possible dates and Truitt and Finer encouraged staff to consider a guest
speaker who would be a fresh voice for attendees. Miller also suggested lengthening
the period for discussion and that the agenda timeline overall felt a little rushed. Kilburg
agreed to incorporate these suggestions and continue planning the event.
Staff Updates
Kilburg shared that the Downtown Iowa City Cultural & Entertainment District launched
a new marketing campaign, "X Marks the Arts," and encouraged Committee members
to subscribe to the newsletter.
Kilburg Varley also shared that she is unable to attend the May PAAC meeting and will
have another staff member lead the meeting in her absence.
Miller and Truitt shared their experiences and thoughts on the Regional Arts Summit
which they attended in March.
Adjournment
Clark moved to adjourn at 4:39 pm. Sullivan seconded. Motion passed (7-0).
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Public Art Advisory Committee Mtg,4/4/2024
Public Art Advisory Committee
Attendance Record
2023-2024
Name Term 2/2/23 4/6/22 5/4/22 6/8/23 7/6/23 8/3/23 9/7/23 11/2/23 12/7/23 1/4/24 2/1/24
Expires
Ron Knoche X X* X X X X X* X X X* X
Juli Seydell- X X X X X X X 0/E X* X X
Johnson
Steve Miller 12/31/23 X 0/E X X X X X X X X X
Eddie 12/31/24 0/E X 0/E 0/E 0/E O/E 0 — —
Boyken
Andrea 12/31/25 X X X X X X X X X 0/E X
Truitt
Anita Jung 6/30/23 X X X X 0/E 0/E X X X X X
Jenny 12/31/23 X 0/E 0/E X X X 0/E 0/E X —
Gringer
Jeremy 12/31/25 O/E 0/E X X O/E X 0 X X X X
Endsley
Nate 6/30/26 -- -- -- X X X X X 0/E 0/E
Sullivan
Key:
X = Present
X* = Delegate attended
0 = Absent
O/E = Absent/Excused
--- = Not a member