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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-07-17 Info Packet CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION PACKET CITY OF IOWA CITY July 17, 2003 www.icgov.org I MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS IPI Tentative Future Meetings and Agendas IP2 Letter from Mayor to DTA Board of Directors: SSMID IP3 Letter from Animal Services Supervisor: Adoptathon IP4 Memorandum from Association Planner Hightshoe: Emergency Shelter Grant Program IP5 Letter from Lane Plugge (lC Schools) to City Manager: School Crossing Guards IP6 Letter from John Kempf (U of I Health Laboratory Scientist) to Carol Sweeting: Appreciation IP7 Letter to City Manager from Margaret Wieting (JC Historical Society): Appreciation IP8 Email Article [Daytona Beach News]: City Sear4ches for "Retail" Profits [Pfab] IP9 Email Article [The Los Angeles Times]: Public Sector's Job Insecurity [Pfab] IP10 Minutes: March 20 PATV Board of Directors IPll Minutes: May 15 PATV Board of Directors I PREUM NA.¥ D T M NUTES IP12 Historic Preservation Commission: July 10 IP13 Parks and Recreation Commission: July 9 IP14 Police Citizens Review Board: July 3  City Council Meeting Schedule and Ju,y~7.~uu~ C~T¥ OF ~OW^ C~T~Work Session Agendas www.icgov.org TENTATIVE FUTURE MEETINGS AND AGENDAS · MONDAY, AUGUST '18 Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:30p Council Work Session · TUESDAY, AUGUST 19 Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:00p Council Formal Meeting · MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 Labor Day Holiday - City Offices Closed · MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 Emma J. HarvatHall 6:30p Special Council Work Session · TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 Emma J. Harvat Ha// 7:00p Special Council Formal Meeting · MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:30p Special Council Work Session · TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:00p Special Council Formal Meeting · MONDAY, OCTOBER 13 Emma J. HarvatHall 6:30p Special Council Work Session · TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14 Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:00p Special Council Formal Meeting Meeting dates/times/topics subject to change FUTURE WORK SESSION ITEMS Regulation of Downtown Dumpsters Downtown Historic Preservation CITY OF IOWA CITY www.icgov.org CITY COUNCIL Ernest W, Lehman Mayor July 16, 2003 Dee Vanderhoef Mayor Pro Tern Connie Champion Board of Directors Irvi. Prah Downtown Association of Iowa City Steven Kanner P.O. BOX 64 Mike O'Donnell Iowa City, IA 52244 Ross Wilburn Dear Board of Directors: With regard to the Self-Supported Municipal Improvement District (SSMID) proposed for the CB-10 Zone in downtown Iowa City, it is the position of the City of Iowa City that the revenue generated by the SSMID will be used, at the governing board's discretion, for improvements or enhancements beyond the level of service the City provides. As City revenues increase or decrease, the service levels provided in the CB-10 District may vary proportionally. However, it is not our intent that SSMID funded services replace those which the City has traditionally provided. The enclosed list generally reflects what those traditional services are. Thank you for your efforts on behalf of Downtown Iowa City. Ernest W. Lehman Mayor Enclosure cc: City Council City Manager council~iowa-ciW.org 410 E. Washington Street Iowa City, IA 52240 Phone: (319) 356-5010 Fax: (319)356-5009 SUMMARY OF SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE CITY OF IOWA CITY IN SUPPORT OF THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT (CB 10) ZONE ADMINISTRATION Vendor permits for City Plaza and Iowa Avenue Event permits on City Plaza and other public ways PARKING & TRANSIT Maintain Transit interchange Maintain and operate parking garages Maintain meters and enforce surface parking regulations PARKS & RECREATION Power vacuum (ATLV) City Plaza daily and outer sidewalks Mondays and Fridays as weather permits Maintain ail planters: plant, prune, water, mulch, weed, fertilize and remove litter Scrub City Plaza with power scrubber on Sundays during the summer as weather permits Repair/replace loose or missing bricks on City Plaza Maintain and repair, when possible, site furnishings, ie: trash receptacles, benches, kiosks, posting pillars, ash urns, hose bibs, hydrants, etc. Monitor and remove graffiti, where possible, from public infrastructure Remove hazardous and putrescent waste from public facilities and right-of-way Maintain City Plaza fountain Inspect and maintain City Plaza playground Clean tree grates Snow/ice removal on City Plaza Maintain downtown turf areas Monitor and administer daily solid waste pickup Pressure wash City Plaza and outer sidewalks each spring PLANNING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Iowa Sculptor Showcase - place annually, maintain and evaluate program. Maintenance of kiosks and posting pillars. POLICE Foot/bicycle patrol: routinely as staffing allows and for special events. STREETS Street cleaning Snow removal from streets and crosswalks Steam clean alleys twice annually Enforce solid waste laws re: alleyways and use ofdumpsters TRAFFIC ENGINEERING Maintain electrical service for public use/events Mount and remove banners July 16, 2003 Steve Atkins & City Council On June 21, 2003 the Iowa City animal care and adoption center held the 5th annual adoptathon event. This year's event had a beach party theme. We brought in ten tons of sand, set up wading pools and tables with umbrellas to bring the theme to life. All staff wore Hawaiian shirts and straw hats. We had a goal to adopt out 15 cats and 10 dogs. We had such a successful event we ended up adopting out 24 cats, 6 dogs and 3 rabbits. In conjunction with the event we held a huge rummage sale to bring in donations. We were able to raise a total of $3,300 dollars for the animals at the center. I want to thank the staff for giving their time and creativeness towards this event that in mm made it so successful. Misha C. Goodman Animal Services Supervisor City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM TO: Iowa City Council Members ~.,~, FROM: Tracy Hightshoe, Associate Planner DATE: July 16, 2003 RE: Emergency Shelter Grant Program The Council previously raised a question concerning the Emergency Shelter Grant Program and how these funds are allocated to local communities. The Emergency Shelter Grant program is a federal program, through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), to support services for persons who are homeless. Eligible activities include operations of overnight shelters, meals, medical care, legal assistance, transitional housing, and other kinds of supportive services. In Iowa, the Iowa Department of Economic Development (IDED) has been given the responsibility of administering this program. Agencies providing services to persons who are homeless apply to IDED directly for funding. It is a competitive process, with the state allocating funds based on a scoring process as identified in the Administrative Rules (Section 261, Chapter 29). Applications are reviewed based on the following criteria: · The identified need for the funds · The comprehensiveness and flexibility of the program · The accessibility of the applicant's services to it clients · How the applicant deals with cultural diversity within its community · Any partnerships or collaborations between the applicant and other programs within the organization · The unique role of the applicant within the area of service · A description of specific outcome measures for short- or long-term objectives for clients · The experience of the applicant in administering these funds, and; · How well the applicant maximizes or leverages resources The City of Iowa City does not review or receive the application each applicant submits to IDED. Once IDED has made their decisions on funding, the City becomes the administrative agent for the state for contract compliance and funding disbursements. If you have any further questions regarding this process, please contact Diane Foss, IDED, at (515) 242-5907. cc: Karin Franklin IOWA CITY COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT Lane Plugge, Ph.D. 509 S. Dubuque Street Superintendent Iowa City, IA 52240 (319) 688-1232 (319) 339-6890 FAX julyT, 2003/ Steve Atkins, City Manager ~'~'~ City of Iowa City 410 E Washington Street Iowa City, IA 52240 Dear Steve: I am writing to clarify the Iowa City Community School District's position regarding school crossing guards. Please know ICCSD greatly appreciates the City of Iowa City's commitment to both finance and operate this service. The district has long maintained the position that providing traffic control on city streets is not a school responsibility. While the district will always visit with the city regarding cooperative programs which are mutually beneficial, the district is not willing to assume responsibility for the crossing guard program. Once again the district appreciates this valuable service. In the past the district has assisted the city in advertising for crossing guard candidates and will assist in this process again if requested. Sincerely, Lane Plugge THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA ~,~~ July 7, 2003 ~ / Ms. Carol Sweeting City of Iowa City Water Department 2551 North Dubuque Street Iowa City, IA 52245 Dear Ms. Sweeting: Carol, please accept our thanks for participating in the Hygienic Laboratory's Environmental Education Experience on Thursday June 26, 2003, attended by advanced high school students enrolled in the Wallace Summer Institute program. Judging from the students' evaluation, your presentation, "Watershed Dynamics: A Hands-on Approach", was very well received and provided an anchor for concepts introduced during their weeklong experience at UHL. Again, on behalf of the students and UHL instructors, thank you and hope we can call on you in the future. Sincerely, John L. Kempf Health Laboratory Scientist (.~E/:':~r. Rick Fosse, City of Iowa City Water Department HYGIENIC LABORATORY 102 Oakdale Campus, #H 101 OH Iowa's Environmental and FAX: 319/335-4555 Iowa City, Iowa 52242-5002 Public Health Laboratory http://www, uhl.uiowa.edu 319/335-4500 IP7 JOHNSON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY July 9, 2003 ~ .~- ~ Mr. Stephen J. Atkins ' City Manager City of Iowa City 410 E. Washington Street Iowa city, IA 52240 Dear Mr. Atldns, On behalf of,the Johnson County Historical Society, I would like to express our appreciation for the support Of our organization by the City of Iowa City. I believe we all agree that these are difficult times financially and we 9omnhend you for the very careful and deliberate way that you approached a final budget. We all appreciate your hard work in doing what was not an easy task! Margaret Wieting Executive Director P.O. Bax 5081 · Coralville, IA 52241 · Phune (319) 351-5758 · Fax (319) 551-5310 Marian Kart r~ From: Irvin Pfab [ipfab@avalon.net] Sent: Saturday, July 12, 2003 7:47 AM To: Iowa City City Council Subject: 71203fw..Daytona Beach, Inc.: Daytona Beacy News-Journal, by John Bozzo - staff writer http://www.news-j ournalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Headlines/03NewsHEAD03 GOV071203 .htm Daytona Beach, Inc.: City searches for 'retail' profits Cities eyes less-traditional utilities, Internet promotion By JOHN BO7-ZO Staff Writer Last update: 12 July 2003 DAYTONA BEACH -- One of the largest corporations in the city owns a small retail store downtown. The same organization also bottles water for sale, runs a 36-hole golf course and operates a state-of-the-art clay court tennis complex. This business giant is the incorporated city of Daytona Beach. "Parts of the city government operate like a business," said Jim Maniak, city finance director. "We're looking at things to do to bring in more money." Most local governments have business-type operations, said Ken Small, a Florida League of Cities official. Typically, those businesses are public necessities such as water, sewer and stormwater services. But some communities branch out a little further, he said. New Smyrna Beach operates an electric utility. Lakeland provides telephone and Internet access services. Newberry and Valparaiso offer cable television service. Orlando netted $90,000 from a chilled-water utility that provides air-conditioning to buildings, prompting Daytona Beach officials to recently approve spending $27,800 for a study to determine if such a utility would be profitable here. The purpose, he said, might not necessarily be to make a profit. "They're offering a good product at a Iow price for their citizens," he said. Daytona Beach has one of the most unusual city-run businesses, he said: the City Store at 111 W. International Speedway Blvd. "You might see a city where they sell a couple of things inside City Hall over a counter, but not in a storefront," Small said. "That would be innovative. But then again, Daytona Beach has that name recognition." The store offers T-shirts, caps, mugs, pencils and other souvenirs emblazoned with the city of Daytona Beach logo. Officials decided to promote this city's famous name with another business about four years ago. The city markets bottled drinking water under various labels including Bike Week and Biketoberfest. About 5,000 bottles of specially labeled water will be available at the Florida International Festival. Both the store and bottled water venture operate at a loss, but the products serve to promote the city and the store helps build a bridge with downtown merchants by making the city a downtown business presence. With city commissioners looking at approving a property tax increase for the second straight year, city officials are 7/13/03 Page 2 of 3 considering ways to squeeze more dollars from recreation businesses such as Peabody Auditorium, Municipal Stadium and the Municipal Golf Course. The City Commission is expected to get a look Wednesday at two options for Peabody Auditorium, which is losing money. The options include taking a chance on promoting and booking events, or leasing the concert venue to Volusia County. "A full house courd generate thousands of dollars, depending on ticket sales," said Lynn Parfitt, interim Leisure Services director. "That's where the risk comes in." She's also looking at making similar use of Municipal Stadium, where local high schools and Bethune-Cookman College play football. Business-type functions that operate independently from the city's $52 million general budget channel any profits they make back into the general fund. Those businesses contributed about $4.7 million this year; at the same time, property taxes netted $18.8 million. The water and sewer operation -- the largest city business -- operates as an internal bank, making loans to other city departments from its $7 million in reserves. Such loans helped get the bottled water business started and build the new Florida Tennis Center. "There's a whole lot of work if you borrow from a bank, even small amounts," Maniak said. Money loaned from one fund to another has to be repaid with interest. The city went into the tennis business in a big way about a year ago when the Florida Tennis Center opened. Despite initial losses projected at $444,950 during its first year, Tennis Director Dave Brown feels the center will be a success. Membership sales have been slow because the fees are too high, Brown said. But hopeful signs include a partnership with USA Tennis Florida, and planned housing construction in the area. He also began offering a special membership price this month. "1 do have the ability to offer promotions," he said. He can thank Municipal Golf Course officials and city commissioners for that flexibility. Several years ago, commissioners granted the golf director the power to change rates in response to competition after the course lost about $450,000. John Cameron, golf director, changed rates up or down based on seasonal demand and competitors' rates and cut losses to the point where he expects to finish the year about even. "It's always good to be able to react to current economic conditions," Cameron said. Most revenue sources are more mundane. On-street parking is a typical city income producing activities, but Daytona Beach officials are projecting an $8,763 loss this year. Like many businesses, the city has turned to the Internet for sales and promotion. Water and sewer bills can be paid online, and City Store merchandise can be purchased from the city's Web site at www.ci.daytona-beach.fl.us, where Net surfers also can find links to the Municipal Golf Course and Florida Tennis Center. All of the business-type city government functions losing money this year are being subsidized by nearly $1 million from various other city accounts. But even if those business activities were at least breaking even, they would "probably not" eliminate the need for a property tax increase. City administrators propose a property tax increase to bring in $1.25 million more than this year, as well as using $1.4 million in reserves to balance next year's budget. john. bozzo@n ews-j m! com The Bottom Line 7/13/03 Page 3 of 3 Here are some of the top money-making - or losing - city operations: Golf Daytona Beach Municipal Golf Course: $231,360 Bottled water Drinking water for sale at special events such as Speed Weeks and Bike Week: -$70,000 City Store Daytona Beach souvenirs: -$9,600 Marina Halifax Harbor Marina: +$233,150 Other Ventures MONEY MAKERS Daytona Beach city business-type functions making payments to general city operations this year.· . Water and sewer: $3,254,690 · Solid waste: $725,360 · Stormwater: $263,620 MONEY LOSERS City business-type functions losing money this year' · The Florida Tennis Center: $444,950 . Peabody Auditorium: $110,000 · Jackie Robinson Ballpark: $235,000 - Halifax Harbor Plaza: $110,000 · On-street parking: $8,763. SOURCE: City of Daytona Beach Finance Department © 2002 News-Journal Corporation. ® www.news-journalonline.com.. Do not republish or distribute without permission. 7/13/03 Marian Karr r~ From: Irvin Pfab [iplab@avalon.net] Sent: Friday, July 11, 2003 9:54 PM To: Iowa City City Council Subject: 71103Nv.,Public sector's job insecurity: The Los Angeles Times, by Maria Dickerson -Times staff July 11,2003 Public Sector's Job Insecurity ~J For state and local govermment workers, the emphasis has shifted to firing, not hiring, as communities struggle to plug their budget holes. By Mafia Dickerson, Times Staff Writer Laid off from a bank during the early-1990s recession, Pasadena real estate appraiser James Lyons latched on to a state government job and held on tight. His post with the Office of Emergency Services provided a steady paycheck, good medical benefits, the prospect of a tidy pension and the knowledge that government payrolls generally move in only one direction up. "The most attractive thing was the job security," said Lyons, 54, who earns $49,000 a year providing disaster assistance to homeowners and businesses. "You're more insulated from the boom and bust." No longer. Lyons is slated for layoff this month, part of a decline in government payrolls that has public servants making a rare appearance in the unemployment line. Figures from the state Employment Development Department show that California's government sector has shed nearly 28,000 federal, state and local agency jobs since January, a 1.1% drop that was three times faster than that of the overall labor market. Proponents of smaller government say it's high time that these workers take their lumps along with the rest of California, where more than 1 million people are unemployed. But in the short run, analysts say, the cutbacks in government hiring triggered by the state's $38-billion budget gap will be one more drag -- and a potentially big one at that -- on California's struggling economy. Love it or hate it, the public sector is a huge economic engine in the Golden State, employing more than one in six California workers in jobs that tend to pay much better than average wages. Government employees in California average $950 a week, compared with $753 for workers across ali industries. The loss of more good-paying jobs will hamper California's income and spending growth, which have suffered disproportionately from the meltdown in Silicon Valley. Take Mike Ibold. Recently laid off from his job as a librarian with the state Office of Administrative Law, he has deferred his dream of homeownership. The 57-year-old says he'll sit tight in his Sacramento apartment and keep a lid on spending. Such consumer restraint will ripple through the economy, to restaurants, shops and even thrift stores. 7/13/03 Page 2 of 4 In San Francisco, where as many as 350 city workers might lose their jobs and the rest have agreed to $80 million in salary cuts, Goodwill Industries already has seen a noticeable drop in traffic at the retail outlet near City Hall. "Many of the government workers that used to shop there aren't coming around anymore," said Mary Edington, president of Goodwill Industries of San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin counties. "We've held 50%-off sales and $2 promotion days, but people are watching their pennies." Eroding Job Protections Historically, government employment has been one of California's most dependable employment sectors, typically growing more slowly than the private sector in boom times but rarely shrinking, in part because services such as education, health care and public safety keep expanding along with the population. Civil service unions also have proved adept at preserving jobs for their members. That stability has been evident in the last couple of years, when government was among the few sources of job creation in the state, helping to prop up the labor market after steep declines in high technology and manufacturing. Most of that growth came at the local level, particularly in public education. Now the emphasis has shifted to firing, not hiring, as communities struggle to plug their budget holes. Other states are grappling with similar problems. But the public-sector slowdown will hit California harder because it is slightly more dependent on government employment than the nation as a whole and its budget gap is by far the country's largest, said Mark Zandi, chief economist with research firm Economy.com. He estimates that cuts in government jobs and programs will trim as much as $6 billion from California's economic output this year and $13 billion next year, slowing the state's recovery. States such as California "rely on government to be a source of stability when times are tough," Zandi said. They "can't look to government this time around." California's government job cuts have been minuscule compared with the losses in the private sector, which shed nearly 300,000 positions at the depths of the downturn in 2001 and 2002. And so far, officials have trimmed payrolls mostly through attrition, early retirements, hiring freezes and the elimination of vacant positions. But with a new fiscal year just begun and California's budget picture looking bleak, agencies are sharpening the layoff ax. Most of the pain will be felt by local governments, which account for 70% of public-sector employment in California. Schoolteachers have gotten pink slips in San Diego. County doctors are getting their walking papers in Los Angeles. City auto mechanic jobs are on the chopping block in Oakland. Shock and Disbelief The recent reductions are an unexpected jolt to laid-off municipal workers such as Raja Khan, who became a public servant expressly to avoid the turbulence in the larger economy. Weary of putting in 15-hour days as a supervisor in the highly cyclical construction industry, Khan took a lower-paying job as a public works inspector with the Northern California city of Richmond in 1990. The $64,000-a-year position offered him a comfortable living, though nothing to compare with the riches of nearby 7/13/03 Page 3 of 4 Silicon Valley. Still, Khan considered himself lucky to have a steady paycheck when the tech bubble burst. That is, until he lost his job in April as part of Richmond's belt-tightening moves. Now drawing $370 a week in unemployment benefits, Khan can barely make his $1,200 monthly rent, much less tuition for his college-age kids or medication for his weak heart. The job market in Northern California is so dismal that he is thinking of returning to his native Pakistan. "I'm in shock," said Khan, 50. "Over the years you get used to that security blanket around you." Sharing the Pain That cocoon mentality is part of the problem in the eyes of Assemblyman John Campbell (R-Irvine), who argues that government employers shouldn't be allowed to defy the laws of gravity when there isn't enough tax revenue to support them. Critics note that government payrolls in California kept climbing well after the rest of the economy fell into recession, hitting record levels as recently as January before starting to slide. "The public sector is just now beginning to feel what the private sector has been suffering through for the last two years," Campbell said. "Welcome to the real world." A fan of outsourcing and smaller government, Campbell said he doubts that state payrolls will shrink much even in the face of an unprecedented budget gap. Civil service rules allow state employees who are cut from one agency to get first crack at openings in another, a practice that has almost guaranteed them employment in previous downtums. For example, during the brutal recession of the early 1990s, when nearly half a million jobs vanished from California, fewer than 200 state workers were let go, said Ted Gibson, former chief economist with the California Department of Finance. "It's very rare that anybody in state government ever loses a job," Gibson said. "The whole system is set up to protect against it." State government head counts continued to grow even after Gov. Gray Davis imposed a hiring freeze in October 2001. Still, the most recent data show those payrolls, not including California's higher education system, have declined modestly over the last year, down 0.9%, or 2,400. Davis recently extended the hiring freeze and has ordered a crackdown on vacant positions, a move that could make it more difficult for workers targeted for layoffs to find jobs elsewhere in state government. Changing Times "The pickings have definitely gotten slimmer," said Pamela Gavin-Watts of Los Angeles, who is slated to lose her job with the California Film Commission by the end of the month and is growing nervous about landing another state post. "Every agency I've interviewed with has been told to reduce." Already a 1 O-year government employee at age 31, Gavin-Watts started studying for the civil service exam when she was a teenager. Her mother, also a state government worker, had encouraged her from an early age to pursue the steady pay, good benefits and -- perhaps most important --job security that accompany public service. "Times have changed," Gavin-Watts said. "Now we have this budget deficit crisis.... I just never thought it would hit me." The federal government won't be of much help, either. 7/13/03 Page 4 of 4 At just over 250,000 jobs, California's federal sector is still one-third smaller than it was in 1990, before deep defense cuts took their toll. The recent weak economy is bedeviling other U.S. employers as well. Declining mail and package volume has the Postal Service looking to trim its ranks through early retirement, spokeswoman Terri Bouffiou said. The agency employs about 100,000 workers in California. "If we want to control our costs, we have to control the number of people" on the payroll, Bouffiou said. "The same forces that are affecting everyone else apply to us." Copyright 2003 Los Angeles Times *** eSafe scanned this email for malicious content *** IHPORTANT: Do not open attachments from unrecognized senders 7/13/03 IP10 PATV Board of Directors Meeting March 20, 2003 PATV, 206 Lafayette Street 7:15 Call to order. Present: Phil Phillips, John Ca~hoff, Tom Nothnagle, Mike Petersen, and Sing Luong. Absent: Steve Newell, Bradley VVorkman-Goltz Approve minutes: Phil motions to approve February minutes, John seconds. Motion passes. Board Recruitment: Discussion on marketing of Board meetings. The idea of running text of our minutes on a PSA and on our website. Referred to the Outreach Committee. Old Business: none New Business: Bradley is working on a fundraising event forApdl 1. Reports: ICTC: none Committees: Fundraising: We need larger raffle items for the Chili Gala raffle. Marketing for Chili Gala may include radio ads, dorm ads. The idea of asking restaurants to donate chili is suggested. Thai Flavors has donated $118. Building & Grounds: Flower pots for outside front area. Signs for parking spaces. Treasurer. none Management; We will have new interns in May. A UI PR class will do a viewer survey for us. Apdl 8 lC City Council will read a proclamation for PATV Day. Twenty children from the Rec Center Spring Break Kids Group visited the station. Iowa Shares retreat coming up. There is a Board Leadership Workshop on March 29. Board Announcements: none Adjourn: 8:16 pm Minutes by Sing Luong PATV Board of Directors Thursday, May 15, 2003 7:00 PM PATV ~ 206 Lafayette Street 1. Call meeting to order. 7:09 PM Present are John C., Steven N., Tom N., Mike P., Phil P., Brad W-G and also Director Rene P. Also present is Carrie VVatson of the general public. Arriving at 7:15 PM is Sing L. 2. Approval of Apdl Minutes - Mike P. so moved and Brad seconded. Passed unanimously. The March minutes will be at the front desk tomorrow for Board members to initial and approve. 3. Old Business: Carrie VVatson attended lhe meeting to be considered as a new member of the PATV Board of Directors. The application form was provided and will be completed and the plan is that at the next meeting the motion will be made to consider her placement upon the Board of Directors. 5. Short PublicAnnouncement: None. 6. Now Business: Maybe we should have another strategic planning session was a comment by Sing L. This was recommended to the Out Reach Committee byTom N. 7. Reports: ICTC - None Committees - Building and Grounds further discussed the changes in the facility of the upstairs offices for the tenants. This was further explained by Rene P. It was decided that the next time the tenants upstairs with Director Chds O'Hanlon arrange to have a Directors meeting that it would be nice if it be attended by Tom N. Treasurer - We have been able to keep costs down and the Net Income category is up by about $5 thousand dollars from last month. We are making progress on reducing the budget deficit which started this year at 23,690 dollars. VVe now have about 15 thousand of that covered. Management - Iowa Shares - It is reported that we will have an Iowa Shares raffle which will be $5 per ticket per the report by Rene P. we need to sell 118 tickets. The drawing is the 12th of August and the tickets will need to be back by the 7th of August in order to be in the drawing. If people write out a check they should have it written to "Iowa Shares" and not PATV. There was a Univ. Of Iowa class that visited our PATV station. Adam B taught this class. Also the Univ. Of Iowa class project of a Survey Poll is done and it tums out that Tom's Guitar Show is the most popular TV show according to the poll but this was just a college class project for their academic program and not a major statistical instrument. VVe have completed the Fair Housing program production shoot and it worked well. In facilitating this PATV supports a community activity and supports our ~urces for the local Johnson County area. July 9th through the 12th in Tacoma, VVashington is the big meeting called the "Alliance for Community Media National Conference" and we have a contact out there so you could possibly sleep free as a guest in Tacoma and the registration fee is $350. Coming up, on Career Day, Adam B and Rene P will be at the Senior High Alternative Center on the 28th of May (Wednesday) to do a presentation about media career possibilities. We also have two PR Interns starting on the 25th of May. And we also have one Production Intern named Spencer G, who will be completing training on our equipment soon. We are going to t~j to have our newsletter available on our Web Page, as well as having hard copies here at the office. We are sending out a post card to tell people that the newsletter in on the web page. And if they need to have a hard copy mailed then they can respond to the post card by calling us and we will be able to mail them a copy as well. 8. Board announcement - We talked about a portable studio with a video mixer and/or a sound mixer. Possibly we can plan a portable studio in the 2004 budget suggested Sing L. He also suggested he would go in some part with others to get a mixer for this system. Brad W-G suggested that if we get a fund-reiser going that identities that this mixer and portable studio system will make us able to do a live broadcast from a local bar or other restaurant and entertainment business in the community then that may draw more interest. Mike P agreed that if we explain what the goal is, sometimes this makes the fundraiser work better. We discussed the idea of satellite ~---J systems with advisement from Brad W-G for mobile studio systems using the newer technology. 9. Adjoumment: 8:30 PM Notes by SWN Draft MINUTES ~ HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION JULY 10, 2003- 7:00 PM EMMA HAP. VAT HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Richard Carlson, Michael Maharry, Mark McCallum, Jim Ponto, Amy Smothers, Tim Weitzel MEMBERS ABSENT: James Enloe, Michael Gunn, Paul Sueppel STAFF PP,ESENT: Shelley McCafferty OTHERS PRESENT: Ann Freerks CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Maharry called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA: There was none. CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS: 347 South Governor. McCafferty said that at the Commission's last meeting, the Commission disapproved a certificate of appropriateness for the demolition after the fact of the barn at 347 South Governor Street. She said that in this case, the penalty for demolition is an increased fee for a demolition permit after the fact. McCafferty stated that, according to ordinance, a permit cannot be issued until a certificate of appropriateness is approved. She said that she is therefore recommending that the Commission rescind its disapproval and then approve the certificate of appropriateness, while adding language to explain the Commission's decision. Maharry proposed the following language to add to the certificate: Whereas, the Iowa City Historic Preservation Commission determined that the outbuilding at 347 South Governor was indeed an historic, contributing structure to the neighborhood and thus denied an application for demolition; whereas the applicant was notified both of the denial and the contributing nature of the outbuilding in person and in writing by the iowa City Historic Preservation Commission; whereas on or around June 3, 2003 the outbuilding described above was demolished, the Iowa City Historic Preservation Commission hereby approves the application for demolition and strongly condemns the action by the applicant and the company or persons hired to carry out the demolition. The Commission further recommends seeking harsh penalties for the applicant and perpetrator to the fullest extent possible. McCaffedy pointed out that the Commission only consulted with the applicant and did not officially deny a certificate of appropriateness. She said it was also determined by Doug Steinmetz, AIA that the barn could in fact be moved, and the Commission also offered the alternative of moving the property line. Maharry asked if the owner was notified that the building was contributing, and McCafferty said that was correct. She added that the owner was notified that if he applied for a certificate of appropriateness for demolition, it would be denied by the Commission. McCafferty said Steinmetz determined that the barn was structurally sound and could be moved, and the option of moving the property line was discussed. Weitzel said if a property can be moved, that means it is in good shape. McCaffedy said that a house has not yet been built on the adjacent property. Maharry suggested the additional language therefore be changed to: Whereas the Iowa City Historic Preservation Commission determined at its (to be filled in with the date of the meeting) meeting that the outbuilding at 347 South Governor was indeed an historic, contributing structure to the neighborhood; whereas the applicant was notified of alternatives to demolition, which included moving the structure and moving the property line; whereas on or around June 3, 2003 the outbuilding described above was demolished, the Iowa City Historic Preservation Commission hereby approves the application for Historic Preservation Commission Minutes July 10, 2003 Page 2 demolition and strongly condemns the action by the applicant and the company or persons hired to carry out the demolition. The Commission further recommends seeking harsh penalties for the applicant and perpetrator to the fullest extent possible. MOTION: Ponto moved to rescind the denial of a certificate of appropriateness for 347 S. Governor Street. McCallum seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 6-0. MOTION: Ponto moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for 347 S. Governor Street with the following notation: Whereas the Iowa City Historic Preservation Commission determined at its (to be filled in with the date of the meeting) meeting that the outbuilding at 347 South Governor was indeed an historic, contributing structure to the neighborhood; whereas the applicant was notified of alternatives to demolition, which included moving the structure and moving the property line; whereas on or around June 3, 2003 the outbuilding described above was demolished, the Iowa City Historic Preservation Commission hereby approves the application for demolition and strongly condemns the action by the applicant and the company or persons hired to carry out the demolition. The Commission further recommends seeking harsh penalties for the applicant and perpetrator to the fullest extent possible. Weitzel seconded the motion. Weitzel stated that he understands the rationale for this, although it seems odd to approve something that is so wrong. McCafferty agreed this is a technicality. She said she has discussed increasing the penalty for demolition with the City Attorney's Office, and they are looking at language to amend this. McCafferty added that in a case like this, the City of Dubuque withholds building permits from the offending party for a period of years to prevent something from being built on the lot. Maharry said this will be a topic for discussion at the July 14th meeting with City Council. The motion carried on a vote of 6-0. 443 South Governor. McCafferty said this is an application from Ann and Brent Freerks to remove the 1960s entryway on the front of the house. McCafferty said the Freerks have a long-term plan to reconstruct the porch. She said the front entryway is currently on a slab and is pulling away from the house. Smothers asked what the Freerks would have for a door covering before the final porch work is done. Freerks responded that the existing door is still on the house. She said she wants to protect it somehow and asked for ideas for some type of storm door for that purpose. Freerks she would like to have it done before winter. She said she is planning to take the synthetic siding off the front of the house and behind the entrance addition. Freerks said there are no clapboards beneath 1960s entrance addition. She said the entryway is falling away, resulting in some leaking as well. Freerks said she has asked one of the previous owners what the original porch looked like, and he has given her some information. Freerks said the porch was enclosed and did not have spindles. MOTION: McCallum moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the demolition of the front entryway at 443 South Governor. Cadson asked if everything else but the siding on the front would stay until next year. Freerks said they intend to take that siding off. Carlson asked if that should be included in the certificate. McCafferty said restoring original siding does not require a permit. Carlson asked if the Commission should or even could state that the certificate is being approved with the expectation that the porch will be rebuilt. McCafferty said she did not think the Commission could require something that will burden the homeowner with additional expenses. McCallum said this will be an improvement just in the fact of taking the entryway off. Ponto seconded the motion. Regarding a potential screen door, McCafferty suggested talking with Adams Architectural Wood Products or looking at Hawkeye Lumber. Freerks asked if there were specific requirements for a storm door. Weitzel said that Adams works for the correct time period, and they custom build all of their doors. McCafferty said that for screen doors, the Commission recommends wood screen doors with Historic Preservation Commission Minutes July 10, 2003 Page 3 interchangeable sashes or combination storm insert. She said the Commission disallows plain aluminum doors. Carlson asked if the storm door would also require a cedificate of appropriateness. McCafferty replied that right now a building permit is not required for doors. She said doors are considered an historic facet of a property, but they are more easily replaced than windows. Ponto said he has always assumed that storm doors are equivalent to storm windows, and because storm windows don't require a permit, storm doors also should not require a permit. The motion carried on a vote of 6-0. HISTORIC PRESERVATION HANDBOOK REVISIONS: McCafferty said the handbook obviously needs a lot of grammatical, spelling, and clean-up type changes. She said, at this point, she would like to focus on context. McCafferty provided several new pages for some of the more significant changes she had already made after receiving input from Gunn and Maharry regarding nonhistoric properties. She suggested first focusing on where guidelines have been added or changed. McCafferty referred to the classification of properties on page six. She said the thought is that if there is a nonhistoric property in an historic district and synthetic siding is allowed on that, does that mean synthetic siding should be allowed on new construction. She said one of the arguments against vinyl siding is that you're imitating wood with plastic, but that perhaps plastic could be acceptable if the aesthetic of vinyl was not to imitate wood, but had the aesthetic of plastic. McCafferty said, however, that there is nothing out there like that. She said that based on the Secretary of Interior's Standards, the integrity of materials should be maintained, especially on primary structures for both new and old buildings in historic districts. Regarding the siding issue, McCafferty said she had thought that perhaps the Commission could consider giving a little leniency to primary structures, if synthetic siding was available during the time period of significance. She said the Commission could then allow the type of synthetic siding that was available during that time period. Smothers said that for new construction, she would rather see new materials on it to define it as a new building going in. McCafferty said the other thought is that plastic, synthetic siding, whether it looks like wood or not, is a modern material, so the Commission should just allow modern materials for new construction. She said the other thing to keep in mind is that there was an appeal several years ago where the Commission required fiber cement board when the applicant wanted vinyl. McCafferty said, based on other historic districts in Iowa as well as other states, her recommendation at this point is that the Commission minimize the changes to the vinyl siding guidelines for historic districts. Regarding the outbuilding section, McCafferty said if a person has a nonhistoric property and no garage, synthetic siding would be appropriate for an outbuilding. She said if one has a nonhistoric garage that he wants to reside on a noncontributing properly, then vinyl siding might be acceptable. McCafferty said that for the primary structures, however, unless synthetic siding was available during the period in which it was constructed, she recommended that it continued to be disallowed. Smothers stated that vinyl siding may have been available in the 1960s. She asked if the discussion was strictly regarding new construction. McCafferty said she is talking about residing a nonhistoric structure. Carlson said it would be some decades before there is a district covered by a period during which vinyl siding was available. He said the most recent period covered by a district is the 1940s. McCafferty said she believes vinyl siding became available in the late 1970s. Carlson asked where vinyl siding is currently allowed. McCafferty responded that it is currently allowed on noncontributing properties in conservation districts. Maharry said he did not have a problem with an exception that would allow synthetic siding, provided the proposed type of synthetic siding was commonly used during the period in which the building was constructed. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes July 10, 2003 Page 4 Ponto discussed the third bullet under Exceptions on the right-hand side of page 16. He said this is for noncontributing properties in conservation districts. Ponto said there could be a 1960s house with the very wide, original siding. He asked, if someone wanted to use narrow siding that would perhaps match some other things, would the Commission not allow that because it would not match the original. McCafferty said the Commission could recommend fiber cement board. She said if it was really wide, the Commission might stipulate using the widest available, if it was a dimension that was commonly used. Ponto wondered whether the Commission should soften the language and say that it should match the original or be similar to other properties in the neighborhood. Weitzel said he has a problem with a building that is clearly out of context with the neighborhood when someone is trying to make it look more like the neighborhood. He said trying to assimilate a property sometimes results in something that is weird looking. McCafferty said the Commission needs to keep in mind all of the building styles. She said the Commission needs to be particularly concerned about the historic structures. Ponto said the Commission doesn't care that much about noncontributing properties, but this exception is specifying that even on noncontributing properties, the siding should match the original. Maharry said noncontributing does not necessary mean that it is a newer house. He said the building could be a 100- year old house that the Commission has labeled noncontributing because of alterations. Ponto said, for this exception, if noncontributing is still historic, then he totally agrees with the language. He said, however, that if the noncontributing property is a 1970s house and the owner wants to change the exposure on his siding, he would not have a problem with it. McCafferty said that at some point the Commission may want to add a clause stating that, although the Commission takes into consideration all architectural styles and ages of buildings, the guidelines are primarily written for historic buildings, and the Commission may, at its discretion, grant some flexibility for nonhistoric structures that are less than 50 years old. Ponto said he would like to see some flexibility like that added to the guidelines. Maharry said he would rather see a sweeping statement like that than address each issue individually. WeiLzel said that does make a difference. McCafferty said the neighborhood guidelines for new construction describe the models that should be used, along with some alternative designs. Weitzel said that for new construction in a conservation district, as long as the vinyl looks like the right exposure and the real material, then it doesn't have to be wood or fiber cement board. Weitzel also referred to paragraph two on page 16 where it says that synthetic siding will last longer than a paint job. He said that a paint job can last 20 years or more and suggested changing the word "will" to "may." McCafferty said the other thing she added in the siding section under Exceptions to noncontributing in conservation districts is that trim boards shall not be recessed behind the face of the siding. The issue was raised as to whether or not that might encourage an owner to remove the original siding. McCafferty said the Commission could specify that original siding that has not deteriorated cannot be removed. Weitz_el suggested stating that it cannot be removed without a demolition permit. He said there may be a case where the siding is completely gone, and the owners would like to replace it with wood, rather than vinyl. McCafferty said that some districts go so far as to say that the applicant has to actually shim out all that trimwork. She said she was not certain an owner should go through all the work of shimming it out and then later, if it is restored, the owner would have to go through the extra work of putting it together. Weitzel said he did not think the Commission would want to absolutely prevent siding coming off in a case where it looks so bad that it would be better for the interior structure to remove the rotten wood. McCafferty suggested then adding the clause that original siding cannot be removed unless it is severely deteriorated. Maharry said that is also within the Secretary of the Interior Guidelines. McCafferty referred to page 21 and the Exception at the bottom. She said that this is a broad statement that allows more flexibility for nonhistoric properties. Maharry said he asked himself whether this would help someone doing research as to what can and cannot be done. He said if someone were searching the handbook to see if vinyl could be used on an outbuilding, that question is answered specifically. He said that for all of the nonhistoric exceptions, if they help someone figure out easily whether he is able to do something, then that is a plus. Maharry asked if someone would be looking up applying new Historic Preservation Commission Minutes July 10, 2003 Page 5 balustrades and handrails in the guidelines or if a sweeping statement would be preferable, because the person probably needs to discuss this with McCafferty anyway. He said if a broad statement is inserted, the handbook would not be burdened with a lot of exceptions. McCafferty said one benefit of having more exceptions is that they affect public perception. Ponto agreed and said that judgments by the Commission seem less arbitrary if they fall under an exception. He said the Commission would do well to have both. Maharry pointed out that the Commission does not want to have more exceptions than rules in the handbook. McCaffedy said she has rearranged the handbook and discovered that a lot of the exceptions apply to additions. She said once those are pulled out and put in the additions section, there are fewer left in the alteration section. Ponto said that in the past, the Commission discussed the possibility, for noncontributing properties in conservation districts especially, of going to nominal lumber sizes for spindles, rather than full two by twos. McCafferty suggested going to nominal sizes for the rear of the property. Ponto said that is absolutely true, but to him it would be fine even on the front of a noncontributing property in a conservation district. Maharry said he could see it on a nonhistoric property. McCafferty said she first questioned what difference one-half inch would make. She said that as she has looked around to see what proportions look right and what don't, and she has found that the narrower spindles look flimsy. Ponto agreed but said if this is the same house that has vinyl siding on it, he does not think it is that big of a deal. Maharry said he would be comfortable with putting in an exception for nonhistoric properties in both conservation and historic districts. McCafferty said that nonhistoric is covered by the bottom Exception, so that the owner does what is appropriate for the house. Carlson said he did not quite understand why that first exception is even there, because it seems to be very similar to the second bullet under new balustrades and handrails. McCafferty said it would cover the case where if there is a Victorian house, which typically has turned spindles, the Commission might request turned spindles because other similar houses have turned spindles, but this gives an exception to simplify that detail. Maharry said in the case of a Victorian, the Commission would still want to see the owner work toward something historic, as the house is still old. Weitzel asked how much the Commission wants to encourage restoration versus rehabilitation or adaptive reuse. McCafferty said the Commission might want to do more research in this area to see if in fact square spindles might be acceptable on even Victorian house styles. Smothers says she sees that loophole there for someone whose porch is falling off and cannot reasonably pay for the turned spindles. Ponto asked if the first exception could be rolled into the second exception to say that, "Alternative designs are acceptable, provided..." McCafferty said the second exception applies specifically to nonhistoric properties. Weitzel said that requiring turned spindles could turn into an undue financial burden fairly quickly. Smothers said that turned spindles are currently being mass-produced, but at this point they are much more expensive than square spindles. Maharry asked if square spindles weren't on a Victorian house, even if it is noncontributing, does the Commission want to allow that and then have every house on that block now have square spindles because they were cheaper. Carlson said he would be inclined to change noncontributing in the exception to nonhistoric to narrow the exception. Maharry said there is a greater financial burden to using turned spindles, but everyone who buys an older house takes that on. Weitzel said that is a good point. He said an older home takes lots of repairs and maintenance, even if it is not in a district. Maharry said he is talking here about noncontributing properties in either conservation or historic districts, structures that were built in the significant period that have been altered and whether the Commission wants to allow a lesser requirement if the porch is rebuilt. He said that now that the nonhistoric category has been defined, it is a distinct layer in and of itself, and it helps the noncontributing properties contribute a bit more to the neighborhood aesthetics. Maharry said he thinks that is the goal. He said there is not as much desire to turn nonhistoric properties into the rest of the neighborhood, but the Commission would encourage people as much as possible to make their noncontributing properties contributing. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes July 10, 2003 Page 6 Maharry asked how much discussion of spindles starts splitting hairs and how much it adds to or detracts from the appearance of the neighborhood. He said that on rear elevations it would not seem to be much of a problem. The consensus was to add the phrase in the first exception on page 21 so that the sentence reads, "Square spindles may be installed in place of turned spindles in balustrades, when not highly visible from the street." Carlson said that Gunn's point was that the Secretary of the Interior Standards don't distinguish between visible or not visible from the street but apply to the whole exterior of the building. McCafferty said that the street visibility issue primarily applies in conservation districts, and the Secretary of the Interior Standards are not strictly implemented in conservation districts because they are a City entity. Ponto said that one of the benefits of conservation districts is having a few things with some flexibility. McCafferty said she would check through the handbook to see that the exceptions for things that are not highly visible from the street are used for conservation districts. Weitzel said he believes that is very appropriate for conservation districts. Ponto pointed out that on page 21 in the first exception for balustrades not highly visible from the street, then historic districts could be removed. McCafferty said one concern is that the Commission is revising the guidelines to be more restrictive in some areas. She said Gunn was involved in the writing of the guidelines in the first place, and he would probably have valuable input in this area. Weitzel said he did not want to see politics erode everything that the Commission has done, but the reality of the situation is that some issues need to be addressed. He added that he would hate to see the guidelines rewritten for historic districts so that one by one, as porches are replaced, they all become made up of square spindles. Maharry said one important point to make is that the intention for conservation districts and historic districts is similar - to preserve the historic buildings. He said whether the district has a cohesive concept or not, whether they fit the guidelines of conservation districts, which represent the traditional character of Iowa City neighborhoods through architectural characteristics, building scale, setbacks, etc., preservation is still an important aspect to a conservation district. He said there is the same desire to preserve the homes. Maharry said the City Council may be looking for greater differences between the two types of districts, but he feels the Commission might need to focus more on nonhistoric properties rather than noncontributing properties. He said it should be emphasized that there are still some gems out there that are encrusted in mud right now. Maharry said those are the noncontributing properties, and he thought they should be deserving of some of similar protections. Carlson said he would not want to see the Commission go too far in saying that the two districts are the same. He said there may be concern that the Commission is basically designating stealth historic districts and calling them historic districts. Maharry said that was the concern, but it wasn't the Commission's call. He said the Commission went with the recommendation of a preservation architect, who was paid a lot of money to make the determination. Weitzel agreed that the designation came about as the result of an informed professional decision. Maharry said if the thinking is that a conservation district is easier to pass and easier to correct, that is incorrect. He said it is a lot harder to have a historic district, but that doesn't mean it is easy to have a conservation district. McCafferty said one consideration is that there are a lot of properties in the conservation districts that need a lot of work and have had unsympathetic alterations, but one can still tell the style of the structure. She said that in a conservation district, is the criteria for classification as a contributing property is looser and more properties determined to be contributing, then there needs to be a little more flexibility. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes July 10, 2003 Page 7 Maharry referred to page 21, the last bullet on the left under Recommended, saying that it is not controversial and would be acceptable. Regarding the chimney section on page 22, McCafferty said that she was filling in information for chimneys. Smothers asked for discussion about chimneys that are encased in rubber sheathing or chimneys that are painted and sealed because people don't want to do the masonry work so high up. She said this is happening around town and is being used for a quick fix. McCafferty said the Commission would probably want to recommend against the practice, but enforcement would be an issue. Weitzel said that no permit is involved. McCafferty stated that there are other issues in the handbook that the Commission does not have authority over, in and of themselves, but the Commission still has guidelines for. She said if such an issue is ever rolled in with another project, the Commission can use the guidelines as a reference for its decision. Weitzel said the main reason the Commission doesn't want people encasing chimneys is that it is not an acceptable repair. Smothers agreed but said people are seeing these as options, with everyone having a different interpretation of what can be done. She said if they are not taking away the historic brick, they think it is acceptable. Smothers asked if the Commission wanted to add some language to disallow this type of inappropriate repair. Weitzel, McCafferty, and Ponto agreed that they would like to add such language. Weitzel said a lot of the quick fixes are just deferred maintenance. Weitzel referred to page 23 and suggested that somewhere the Commission include language to make at least not recommended, if not disallowed, the removal of existing historic fences. Maharry said that would not require a building permit, but it would be good to include it in the handbook. Weitzel said the second bullet under Recommended for fences did not include a location. He asked if that was referring to the front plane of the house. McCafferty said at this time fences 4 feet high or less are allowed in the front yard and do not require a building permit. M¢Callum asked if the height of the fence would depend on the scale of the building. McCafferty said the maximum allowed height for a fence in the front yard would be four feet, per the building code. Maharry said that on page 26 in the section on decks and ramps, the second bullet under Not Recommended is essentially the same as the bullet under Disallowed. The consensus was to leave the bullet under Disallowed and delete the bullet under Not Recommended. Maharry suggested that on page 26 in the second bullet under Recommended, the word "rot" be changed to "deteriorate." Smothers asked if the Commission wanted to make size and scale recommendations for decks. McCafferty said it was determined, when the guidelines were originally being written, that legally the Commission cannot limit the size of an addition. Smothers said she is considering the house size as compared to the lot size, for example in the Goosetown area. She said she would not want to see decks from the back porch all the way back to the alley or even landscaping from the edge of the porch all the way up to the City sidewalk. Smothers said that in her opinion, the size of the deck should never be equal to or larger than the square footage of the footprint of the house. McCafferty suggested a broader statement, to say that the deck should not detract from the predominant character of the neighborhood backyards. Maharry agreed that would be a very broad statement. Smothers said she did not know what the City code specifies, especially for the rear of a building. She said, however, that you could end up with what looks like a huge deck with a house attached to it. Maharry asked if the Commission could disallow that kind of deck in general by a vote saying that overall this takes away from the appearance of the neighborhood and not necessarily listing something specific. McCafferty said there may be other factors to balance. She said if someone wants to build a Iow deck with no railings, then the Commission would probably be more lenient than for some giant structure cascading down a hill. McCafferty said that those things are hard to define. Smothers agreed that some things can be done quite nicely, such as boardwalks and lower garden beds, so she did like McCafferty's suggestion for making the language a little broader. Weitzel said the tricky thing is that decks did not exist during the pertinent time periods so that it's hard to regulate them in terms Historic Preservation Commission Minutes July 10, 2003 Page 8 of period aesthetics. Maharry said the biggest guiding factor is how much it would detract from the appearance. Carlson suggested separating out decks from ramps in separate sections. He said even though there are a lot of similarities, for the most part, people who are looking for deck guidelines won't be looking for ramp guidelines and vice versa. Maharry agreed. Ponto said that in some cases, ramps may have to be on the front of a house, based on door width or other factors. The consensus of the Commission was to change the second exception on page 29, applying to conservation districts, to add the words, "...or the style of the primary structure." Maharry stated that on page five in the bottom line under historic districts, the sentence should read, "...must have a cohesive character that provides a distinct sense of time and place." He said that the second sentence on page six under conservation districts should read, "However, because they have fewer properties that retain a high degree of historic integrity and contribute to a distinct sense of time and place within the neighborhood, they do not quality as historic districts based on State Code." Maharry said that on page six under the section on Classification of Properties, the second sentence should begin, "Due to changes in the neighborhood over time..." He stated that in the next paragraph, the first sentence should read, "...or not contributing to the historic character of the proposed district." Maharry said the next sentence should begin with "For" instead of "In." Maharry said that on page seven under "When is Design Review Required?" the handbook should be consistent (can't hear - something about including in bullet form examples of projects that do require design review). He said the first sentence should read, "Design review by the Historic Preservation Commission is required for all construction projects that require a regulated permit and that change the exterior features of properties in conservation and historic districts and historic landmarks." Maharry asked about if key/contributing properties should also be in the section. McCafferty said they should not, as that ks just a subcategory of contributing. Key properties are treated the same as contributing properties in historic districts. Maharry said the next sentence should include, after "applying siding", "reapplying siding." Maharry said McCafferty planned to clean up the language of the underlined on page 7 to emphasize the guidelines for siding and window replacement. McCafferty said she already cleaned up some of the language and included a note in boldface to state that the application of siding and windows requires a building permit for landmarks and properties within districts. She said outside of districts, these items do not require a building permit. Maharry said that on page eight in the section under Cedificate of Appropriateness, the language should include key/contributing structures in conservation districts in the first sentence. He stated that in the second sentence in the same paragraph, the sentence should read, "...however, there are two alternative types of review that are intended to shorten the design review process." McCafferty stated that on page eight under Certificate of No Material Effect, the sentence should end with, "...if the work contemplated in the application will have no effect on the appearance of significant architectural features." Maharry said that on page 10 under Exceptions to the Iowa City Guidelines, the first sentence should be deleted, and "However" should be removed as the first word of the next sentence. McCafferty said she had already made those changes. Maharry suggested that for the sake of consistency, the recommended and allowed items be on the left side of the pages, with the Disallowed on the right side of the pages. He said some of the recommendations are so long they carry over to the right side. McCafferty said she carried the "Recommended" caption over to the right side, but she could try to get them all to fit on consistent sides of the pages. McCafferty stated that on page 11 under Building Code and Zoning Ordinances, she added, "The Historic Preservation Commission does not review projects for compliance with the building code or the zoning ordinance." Historic Preservation Commission Minutes July 10, 2003 Page 9 Maharry recommended that on page 17, regarding paint and color, the second sentence read, "One color for the body of the house, one for the trim, and one for accent is historically proper." Ponto pointed out that on page 17, the recommended section discusses removing loose and peeling paint. He stated that under Not Recommended, dry sanding, dry scraping, etc. are listed. Ponto asked how one would remove loose and peeling paint if none of those methods are allowed. McCallum suggested that some of these things are listed under Not Recommended because they may be dangerous to the person, particularly if the paint is lead paint, as much of the older paint would be. Ponto said that he sees people dry scraping all the time. McCafferty said these issues come into play when an owner is using federal funds. Ponto said he is concerned that a person who is using the handbook as a resource would not have many options for removing paint. He did say that it is under Not Recommended versus Disallowed. McCafferty said the Commission could at least remove dry scraping from the list of Not Recommended items. Weitzel suggested that on page three there could be another subset of items under Iowa City Guidelines for Alterations, specifically under Mass and Roof Lines and Site and Landscaping. He said there are so many other issues under those two things that unless there is an index, it would be difficult to find them. Weitzel said HIS is going to be prepared to handle different types of permits for historic districts. He asked if the replacement of sashes require a permit, and McCaffedy responded that a permit is required for replacement sashes. Weitzel asked if anything else is like that in that a permit is required for a property in the district but not city-wide. McCafferty replied that siding and window replacement and demolition of portions of buildings typically don't require permits but would require a permit for a property in the district. Weitzel said it should then be made clear that these things are required because the property is in a district, and HIS should know to flag them when they come up. He said he is also concerned that this not be seen as an historic preservation tax. Weitzel said he would like to word it so that people understand that the reason they may have to pay a permit fee for a property in a district when they would not have to elsewhere is because the Commission needs to regulate the design process. McCafferty said that at the current time, if an owner wants his property to be designated a landmark property, he/she is required to go through the rezoning process, which requires a $380 fee. She said the Commission may want to discuss waiving that fee, because there are so few such applications, and this is something the Commission would want to encourage. Ponto said that on page 13, in the third bullet under Original Masonry, he would suggest changing the bullet to read, "Replacing deteriorated masonry units with ones that match the color, texture, and size of the original and use an appropriate hardness." He pointed out that the Commission had discussed this before and come to the conclusion that if there was an improper hardness originally, it should not be replaced with that improper hardness. Carlson stated that on page thirteen in the second bullet under Disallowed, the wording should read, "Pointing soft, historic masonry with a strong Portland cement mix or synthetic caulking compound." Ponto discussed the last bullet under Disallowed on page 19. He suggested adding the language "...are possible and not original." McCafferty suggested putting that bullet under Not Recommended instead of under Disallowed. Smothers stated that on page 24 under Recommended, the bullet "Leaving large expanses of wall surface uninterrupted by windows or doors" should be under Disallowed. Carlson said that under Siding, the second bullet regarding synthetic siding should be under Disallowed. Smothers discussed the Disallowed bullet on page 28 under Masonry. She asked if the Commission wanted to discuss masonry veneer if it is not tied into a building. Weitzel said that is already addressed by the building code. McCafferty said the issue here is when using thin veneers, if you don't have corner pieces, it can look pretty bad. She said she would consult the Secretary of the Interior Standards for more information. Ponto pointed out that the key/contributing structures should have an asterisk on the map on page 58. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes July 10, 2003 Page 10 Carlson stated that in the Disallowed section on page 20 under original porches, the third bullet should be changed to, "Enclosing front or other character defining porches with permanent windows and/or walls." DISCUSSION OF CURRENT PROJECTS: Maharry said that Goosetown is going to have a neighborhood meeting, at which time a petition will be circulated for interested parties to sign. He said it will be a good gauge of the interest in having a district in the area. McCafferty said the Commission has not discussed the potential downtown district for some time. She said (something here about the CLG deadline - it passed or is coming up?). Maharry said the CLG grant is a good way to get a professional opinion. ELECTION OF OFFICERS: MOTION: Weitzel moved to elect Maharry as Chair of the Historic Preservation Commission. McCallum seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 5-0, with Maharry abstaining. MOTION: Smothers moved to elect Carlson as Vice-Chair of the Historic Preservation Commission. Ponto seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 5-0, with Carlson abstaininR. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: JUNE 6, 2003. Maharry deferred consideration of the minutes to the Commission's next meeting. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 9:29 p.m. Minutes submitted by Anne Schulte data on citynt/pcd/rnin u t es/hpc07 - 10~3.d oc DRAFT PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION JULY 9, 2003 MEMBERS PRESENT: Kevin Boyd, Judith Klink, Margaret Loomer, Nancy Ostrognai, Matt Pacha, Sarah Walz, John Westefeld MEMBERS ABSENT: Craig Gustaveson, A1 Stroh STAFF PRESENT: Matt Eidahl, Mike Moran, Terry Robinson, Terry Trueblood FORMAL ACTION TAKEN Moved by OstroRnai~ seconded by Westefeld~ to approve the June 11~ 2003 minutes as written. Unanimous. BUDGET REDUCTION UPDATE The department needs to reduce its work force by two. Tmeblood reported Recreation's Clerk Typist has announced her retirement for the middle of next month. As a result, the position most likely to be eliminated is the Mercer Park Aquatic Center/Scanlon Gym Clerk Typist position. Trueblood noted staff would like to continue registrations at the MPAC/Scanlon, with the Clerk Typist splitting her time between the two facilities or by utilizing temporaw staff. Other budget reductions include discontinuing the mass mailing of the department's brochure, increasing the cemetery and park shelter fees prior to next summer, and a 30 percent reduction in the department's travel budget. With respect to the brochure, Trueblood noted tentative plans are to notify citizens via a postcard, the City's web site, press releases, or utility mailing as to when the brochure is available. Pacha suggested making the brochure available at various outlets; Moran stated it would be available at City facilities, but keeping other locations stocked may be a problem; it will be considered. Walz asked if it would be possible to provide the brochure to grade schools for inclusion in the children's take-home packet. Tmeblood noted that this was done in the past, but was discontinued because some schools did not release them in a timely fashion. Staff currently provides the schools with one-page flyers on various programs. SCANLON GYM Matt Eidahl presented an overview of the activities and programs offered at the Scanlon Gym. The first Teen Program in the fall of 2000 involved a fishing trip (2 participants), horseback tiding (0 participants), and a dance (153 participants). Eidahl noted since that point he has developed the trips into a year-round Teen Extreme Program, which included cross-country skiing, tubing and skate parks. A quarterly Teen Newsletter is sent to all teens that have registered for programs and to organizations that serve teens. A Teen Club was established, sponsored by the Optimist Club who donated $2,200 towards game room equipment, and a Teen Advisory Board was formed. With respect to junior high students, seven dances have been held, averaging 275 students. A Junior High Termis League sponsored by USTA is held in the spring, with youth receiving free racquets at the end of the league. Various competitions and 3-on-3 tournaments have been held. Intramural sports have also been offered, without much success; staff is trying to find the right dates and times for youth. Future programs this fail are a Hip-Hop Dance Group, Cheerleading Camp and Job Training Program. Staff is also bringing in a "Night Storm" dance event for teens 13-15 years in age. He stated it is important to get youth into the programs early so they become aware of what is available. There have been three 5~6~ grade dances, averaging 475 students. Various trips have also been held for this age group. With respect to the younger youth, the following programs are held: a six-week program consisting of various camps and sports; a Tots Fundamental four-week program with seven different sports; week-long summer Parks and Recreation Commission July 9, 2003 Page 2 of 3 sports camp to develop skills in a non-competitive environment; a Junior Punters and a Junior Shooters program; and a Tot Time indoor play program. Eidahl reported the programs are very popular, noting the total attendance for the Tot Time program in 2000 was 1,075, with the year-to-date total for this year being 1,543. Klink asked what population the programs draw; Eidahl noted the majority is Southeast students, especially for drop-in activities after school. Klink asked if them were comparable programs offered on the west side of Iowa City; Eidahl noted Coralville does not have a Teen Director. He stated west side youth have participated in field trips and dances. Trueblood noted there are several special events in the facility, such as an indoor soccer tournament. EidahI stated there have been two indoor soccer tournaments, four volleyball tournaments and a church league. He noted the facility is heavily used. Klink suggested offering babysitting classes also; Eidahl noted Program Supervisor Joyce Carroll has offered these. Moran stated the job training classes would cover the basics, such as appropriate dross and timeliness. Westefeld noted he has a daughter in junior high that prefers to attend the dances at Scanlon instead of the school dances. Pacha asked about the ratio of staff to youth at these dances; Eidahl stated he plans by area - eight staff members in the gym, three in the Procter & Gamble room, two roaming, two at the door and one in the front. They also have two off-duty officers from the Johnson County Sheriffs Department at each dance. Eidahl stated the most recent 5t~-6th grade dance had 525 youth attend. Westefeld stated so many different groups use the facility all the time, and felt the diversity of the programs offered was good. Loomer asked if similar programs were offered at the Recreation Center. Tmeblood noted some of the programs offered are not headquartered out of either facility, although them are not as many dances offered at the Recreation Center. Moran noted the Recreation Center is harder to supervise due to the extra entrances and exits. He stated staff is working with the west-side community to start programming, possibly utilizing the west side elementary schools. Pacha expressed the commission's appreciation for the report, noting Eidahl is doing an awesome job. WATERWORKS PARK REPORT Walz reported a meeting was held, with over 20 people in attendance, even though the weather was bad. The people who attended were very interested, experienced and knowledgeable, and represented a broad range of interest. She also received a total of 13 e-mails from individuals who were unable to attend, who want to be involved. The next meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m., Sunday, July 13 at Waterworks Park. Klink noted Trueblood mentioned at the meeting the need for letters of support, and she felt many of the attendees seemed very inclined to do so. She requested sample letters of support. Klink stated there have been discussions about various ways organizations and individuals could get involved. Some suggestions were allowing people to donate one-acre of seed, one type of seed or even possibly donating seed gathered from their own prairies. She noted Russ Bennett was receptive to the idea of having a small area for the public to seed. Klink stated Walz wrote up a summary of meeting for the Environmental Advocates magazine, which resulted in e-mails from people who want to become involved in the project. Boyd referred to staffs concern regarding maintenance; Trueblood noted staff has not taken over the mowing. Walz asked if the ama was being mowed; Trueblood stated the Water Division is doing so. Klink asked when the Waterworks Park would be dedicated as parkland; Trueblood noted it might not be dedicated but instead designated as parkland. Walz suggested a different name besides the Waterworks Park. She suggested "Prairie Gateway Park", noting them is a grant available for roadways that serve as an entrance to cities. Klink felt the current name confuses people - they think of a water park with a swimming pool, slides, etc. Boyd asked about the process; Trueblood stated the commission would recommend a name, which would be forwarded to the Parks and Recreation Commission July 9, 2003 Page 3 of 3 City Council for approval. Pacha recommended having a suggestion box at the Sunday meeting for names, with the Commission discussing them at the next commission meeting. COMMISSION TIME Ostrognai suggested an indoor playground for young children and their mothers. Trueblood noted there am groups of mothers who bring their children into the gym to play during the school year; Mol'an stated it is not a formal program. Staff will explore the possibilities. Klink reported that on April 12 her neighborhood did a clean up at the one-acre park at the end of Harlocke Street and had nine bags of construction and miscellaneous materials, which the City picked up. She noted the neighborhood is looking forward to the time they can use the place for ice cream socials and having a small playground for the children. Tmeblood indicated a letter from the developer's attorney was received requesting that the City formally accept the open space. He noted there are a few things the developer needs to take care of prior to this, but he anticipated formal acceptance might occur in August. Klink noted the neighborhood received a PIN grant for seeding the area. Boyd stated he received an e-mail inquiring about the naming of Wetherby Park. He contacted Marilyn Kfiz who was able to find a 1970's document from the Parks and Recreation Commission naming the park. It was named after Isaac Wetherby, who was a prominent photographer and businessman in Iowa City. His great granddaughter is putting together the family history for the family and plans to visit Iowa City. He expressed appreciation to Marilyn for being able to provide this information. Westefeld stated City Park rides have been doing a great business, with a lot of people at different times of the day and asked what staff attributed the increase to. Tmeblood felt it was mainly due to the increase in the number of rides from three to five, along with the expanded train track and the ticket price increase. Robinson stated the longer train ride is a real attraction to people. Pacha asked if the City ~vas responsible for mowing the new portion along Scott Boulevard from Rochester to the intersection with Highway 1; Robinson indicated it was not the City's responsibility. DIRECTOR'S REPORT Trueblood reported on the following: Iowa City Kickers Soccer Park. The Iowa City Kickers are donating $10,000 towards installation of playground equipment at the Soccer Park. It will be located near the north concession/restroom building. Walden Woods. Plans am to have some trees planted late summer/early fall. Loomer indicated the area was staked last week. Walden Hills. Thc two parcels, a few blocks west of Walden Woods near Galway Hills, will probably be formally accepted by the end of summer. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 6:05 p.m. DRAFT POLICE CITIZENS REVIEW BOARD ~ MINUTES - July 3, 2003 CALL TO ORDER Chair John Stratton called the meeting to order at 4:00 P.M. ATTENDANCE Board members present: John Stratton, Loren Horton, David Bourgeois; Board members absent: John Watson, Bev Smith. Staff Kellie Turtle also present. Legal Counsel Catherine Pugh absent. Also in attendance was Lt. Sid Jackson of the ICPD and citizen Candy Barnhill. CONSENT CALENDAR Motion by Horton and seconded by Bourgeois to adopt the consent calendar. · Minutes of the meeting on 05/27/03 · ICPD Use of Force Report- May 2003 Motion carried 3/0, Smith and Watson absent. NEW BUSINESS · NACOLE Membership Tuttle informed the Board the membership was up for renewal and the cost is $100. Stratton explained that NACOLE is a national organization of boards and committees such as the PCRB. Stratton stated that they can still have access to information on the website without a membership. Motion by Bourgeois, seconded by Horton to not renew membership. Motion carried 3/0, Smith and Watson absent. ·Annual Report Tuttle provided the Board with a draft of the annual report. Stratton wanted to add some information about the Board's review of the Department's traffic stop procedures and member changes. Stratton will get the additions to Tuttle for the August meeting. OLD BUSINESS No old business. PUBLIC DISCUSSION No public discussion. BOARD INFORMATION Horton will be attending the August 12th meeting. STAFF INFORMATION No staff information. EXECUTIVE SESSION Motion by Horton and seconded by Bourgeois 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 PCRB-Page 2 July 3, 2003 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 3/0. Open session adjourned at 4:20 P.M. Smith and Watson absent. REGULAR SESSION Returned to open session at 5:20 P.M. Motion by Horton and seconded by Bourgeois to extend the level of review of Complaint #03-02 to 8-8-7-B (a) (b) (e). Motion carried 3/0, Smith and Watson absent. Motion by Horton and seconded by Bourgeois to extend the level of review of Complaint 03-01 to 8-8-7B (a) (b) (e). Motion carried 3/0, Smith and Watson absent. Motion by Bourgeois and seconded by Horton to request a 30 day extension for complaint 03-02. Motion carried 3/0, Smith and Watson absent. The Board directed staff to request a brief presentation from Caption Johnson at the August 12th meeting regarding the audio/video training/procedures and any perceived problems. Tuttle reminded the Board of the vacancy pending Smith's removal and that only one application had been filed for the vacancy. The deadline for applications is August 13th. MEETING SCHEDULE · August 12, 2003, 7:00 P.M., Lobby Conference Room · September 9, 2003, 7:00 P.M., Lobby Conference Room · October 14, 2003, 7:00 P.M., Lobby Conference Room · November 11,2003, 7:00 P.M., Lobby Conference Room ADJOURNMENT Motion for adjournment by Horton and seconded by Bougeois. Motion carried 3/0, Smith and Watson absent. Meeting adjourned at 5:27 P.M.