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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997-05-06 Bd Comm minutesMINUTES BROADBAND TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION MONDAY, MARCH 24, 1997 - 5:30 P.M. CIVIC CENTER LOBBY CONFERENCE ROOM MEMBERS PRESENT: Betty McKray, Howie Vernon, Cordell Jeppsen, Cathy Weingeist MEMBERS ABSENT: Steven Hoch STAFF PRESENT: Shaffer, Brau, Hardy, Dilkes OTHERS PRESENT: Derek Maurer, Mary Jo Langhorne, Beth Fisher, Rene Paine, Bill BIough, Mark Weills, Arlene Heck RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE CITY COUNCIL/MATTERS DISPOSITION None. PENDING COUNCIL/COUNCIL SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION Weills reported he will be leaving the Senior Center in August. Paine reported PATV will be holding a strategic planning session and will soon be discussing the development of their performance guidelines with the City. Heck reported TCI is testing equipment which could add one channel to the system. A new independent must-carry station, KTVC, may occupy that channel. Fischer said the City Council and the Library Board met and agreed to place plans for an expansion of the library on a public referendum in November. Shaffer reported Iowa City will host a meeting of the Iowa League of Cities Telecommunications Task Force Apdl 15. TCI's annual rate increase will be forwarded to the City's consultant for review. A draft of the Telecommunications Ordinance may be available for review at the next BTC meeting. The Commission agreed that a proactive approach to providing information to the public surrounding cable TV and telecommunication issues is needed. Vernon will write a guest opinion for the newspapers. Use of the access channels will also be pursued. Shaffer will pursue making the school closing information available on one of the local access channels. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Vernon moved to approve the February 24, 1997 minutes and McKray seconded. The motion passed unanimously. ANNOUNCEMENTS OF COMMISSIONERS McKray said she is willing to continue to report on and attend the PATV Board meetings. Jeppsen said the Commission appreciates her doing so. Shaffer introduced Cathy Weingeist who was recently appointed to the Commission. SHORT PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS None. SENIOR CENTER REPORT Weills reported SCTV has recruited two new volunteers bringing the total to 11. The pace of production has picked up as a result. McKray has been working to get Senior Center programs on the cable systems around Iowa City. Programming is now available in North Liberty, which also serves several other small communities. SCTV has submitted tapes to several video Broadband Telecommunications Commission March 24, 1997 Page 2 contests. Weills announced he will be leaving his job with the Senior Center in August. A work- study student has been hired and is expected to be with the Senior Center through next year. LEGAL REPORT Dilkes said she had nothing to report on except the telecommunications ordinance which will be covered later in the meeting. PATV REPORT Paine reported two new staff-assisted series have been selected: Iowa News and Views, dealing with current issues facing Iowa, and Access Johnson County dealing with disability issues. An open house celebrating PATV's seven year anniversary will be held in conjunction with the preproduction workshop April 6 from 1-4 p.m. A staff-Board strategic planning session will be held April 13. PATV gave tours to city officials from Des Moines and the Iowa City schools. Maurer reported he, Paine, and Shaffer met to discuss the development of PATV's performance guidelines, including the impact of PA'I'V in the community. TCI REPORT Heck reported TCI is testing equipment which will permit them to squeeze another channel out of the system. A must-carry request from a new independent station in Cedar Rapids, KTVC, has been received and will likely be added if it is determined KTVC must be added. ECC REPORT None. LIBRARY REPORT Fischer reported the Library Board and the City Council met March 19 and arrived at a consensus to place a referendum on the ballot in November to fund expansion of the library. The cameras in Library Meeting Room A have been repaired. The library also hosted a tour for the school media specialists. 1 CABLE TV ADMINISTRATOR REPORT Shaffer said Hoch has agreed to participate in PA'T'V's performance evaluation if the Commission wishes. The Commission agreed that Hoch should participate on behalf of the Commission. The City Cable TV Department will host the Iowa League of Cities Telecommunications Task Force April 15. Shaffer noted a document in the packet outlining issues surrounding moving PA'I'V and/or the government channel into a new facility. TCI's annual rate increase request will be forwarded to the City's consultant. Shaffer reported receiving 13 complaintswtwo about poor signals, one about ESPN not being in the basic tier as advertised, three about rates, three about billing problems, one about the wrong subscriber being shut off, two about TCI delaying deposits of checks and a late fee being assessed, and one about the removal of pay-per-view programming from the channel line-up. MEDIA UNIT/COMMUNITY PROGRAMMING REPORT Hardy reported the Media Unit has been very busy. Requests for productions are increasing. Hardy distributed a list of members of the Community Programming Advisory Committee for the community programming effort. Their first meeting will be April 3 and will discuss missions and goals. Three to four calls per week are received requesting community programming. Broadband Telecommunications Commission March 24, 1997 Page 3 BTC MISSION EXPLORATION Shaffer said the draft changes in the ordinance expanding the duties and responsibilities of the Commission may not be clear until a draft of the telecommunications ordinance is ready. The Commission may not wish to get into the regulation of public right-of-way which will require the assistance of the Public Works Department. Issues of fees, interconnects, and benefits to consumers may be of higher interest to the Commission. ~ TELECOMMUNICATIONS ORDINANCE Dilkes reported the teleconference held with Rice, Williams was very productive and a draft may be available for the next BTC meeting. Public Works will need to be involved at some point. GUEST OPINION ON THE IOWA CITY TELECOMMUNICATIONS FUTURE Vernon said the Commission should be proactive in informing the public about the activities of the ~ity in regards to cable TV and telecommunications issues and activities of the access channel providers. Vernon offered to write a guest opinion with the input and assistance of the Com'nission. McKray said it is important to inform the public about telecommunications issues and suggested that the guest opinions could be written each month. McKray moved and Weingeist seconded a motion that Vernon write a guest opinion with input from the commissioners. The motion passed unanimously. SCHOOL CLOSINGS ON GOVERNMENT CHANNEL 4 Sha~er said he put forward a proposal to the schools to put school closing notices on InfoVision at nc~,charge last year. The school administration declined and gave no rationale. McKray aske(~ if there were reasons the offer could not be presented again. Shaffer said the additional demand on the cable division's for resources, may not allow this work to be handled. The first offer involved the cable division doing this work at no charge. If the cable division were to unde'take this work now, a chargeback may have to be included. Weingeist said that it is possi31e that the schools are unable to handle additional outlets to inform students of school closirgs. Jeppsen noted that the schools have their own channel which could be utilized. It was the consensus of the Commission to pursue the issue and indicate to the schools that the Comr Verne public has d where City ¢ Shaft some hission was responding to inquiries from the citizens. ~n said it would be productive if City Council members had an e-mail address for the ; to contact them. Shaffer said the City Clerk puts the Council meeting minutes online and iscussed establishing an e-mail account for the Council. ,leonet, the World Wide Web site ; the minutes can be accessed, often does not have up-to-date minutes. Hardy noted that epartments deal with Jeonet individually rather than the City having one point of contact. 9r will inquire into the status of the Council's e-mail account. Vernon has said that this is thing the Commission should track. BTC UPDATE ON PA'I'V Shaffer said it had been suggested that a member of the Commission go on PATV's Access Update program to inform the public about the BTC's activities. Vernon said this would be a good way of informing the public on a number of issues such as rate increases, what PATV is doing, what TCI is up to, and a means to stimulate input from the public. Hardy said there has been discussions inside the City about creating additional programming to better inform the public of the City's activities. McKray agreed that a regular outreach effort on PATV and/or the government channel would be productive. Hardy will report back to the BTC how this is progressing. McKray said the outreach effort should be utilizing several formats. Broadband Telecommunications Commission March 24, 1997 Page 4 ADJOURNMENT It was moved by McKray and seconded by Weingeist to adjourn. The motion passed unanimously. Adjournment at 6:50 p.m. Respectfully submitted, William rD-F~w Shaffer '" ~ Cable Television Administrator cabletv~btc3-24.wl=5 DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE MEETING MONDAY, MARCH 17, 1997 - 4:00 P.M. CIVIC CENTER - LOBBY CONFERENCE ROOM MEMBERS PRESENT: Clara Swan, Daryl Woodson, Karyl Larson, Randy Rohovit, Martin Haynes, Phil Reisetter, Bill Nowysz MEMBERS ABSENT: Gary Nagle STAFF PRESENT: David Schoon OTHERS PRESENT: Jim Larew, Brian Sharp RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL: Recommended, by a vote of 6-0, approval of the design of the temporary Butterfly Garden structure, as submitted, subject to Design Review Committee review and approval of exterior signs and banners. Recommended, by a vote of 6-0, approval of the proposed awning at 116 E. College Street (College Street News). REQUESTS/RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY MANAGER: Recommended, by a vote of 7-0, that the design of the modular newspaper vending machines be incorporated into a comprehensive streetscape plan. CALL TO ORDER: Haynes called the meeting to order at 4:05 DESIGN OF A PROPOSED ENCLOSED BUTTERFLY GARDEN ON CITY PLAZA Jim Larew, representative from the Science Center, presented a description of the enclosed butterfly garden. The project consists of a steel-framed pre-fabricated structure covered by a shading canvass material. He passed colored photographs around of similar projects in other places in the country. He said the exterior of the proposed project will be much like those in the photographs. A difference will be that the side post will be 8 feet on center rather than 4 feet, and the roof supports will not be used. Apparently, Spineless Wonders determined that they had overbuilt them in the past. Larew said the Science Center will be purchasing the structure and may use it again next year if all goes well. Larew also showed the inside layout of the project, which consists of a horseshoe configuration. He did state that there will also be a portable display for selling goods. He did not know whether it will be stored inside in the evening or will be left outdoors. He noted the location of the project and that the parking meters would be located elsewhere on the parking lot. He noted the endorsement of the project by the Monday Forum and John Gross. 3,. DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE MEETING MONDAY, MARCH 17, 1997 Page 2 He noted that the details for the signs have not been finalized, but that Emily Vermillion has offered the use of two of her butterfly paintings (Note: Ms. Vermillion arrived later on at the meeting and showed the Committee the two paintings. The Committee responded favorably to them). Larew said there would probably be two signs, one at each of the structure, and banners will probably be displayed along the long sides of the structure. He also said there will probably be some use of colorful streamers. Haynes encouraged the use of color. In response to a question from Woodson regarding potential vandalism, Larew stated that the only way to take back control of public space is to use it and then to deal with any vandalism. He also noted that they hope to place a planting bed around the structure, so as to discourage people from approaching the structure and pushing on it. Hopefully, this will discourage vandalism. In response to a question from Haynes, Larew stated the soil would be contained through the use of a border constructed out of railroad ties and lime stone. In response to a question from Nowysz, Larew stated that other options regarding the structure's shape were not investigated. The structure and the program is a package that comes from Spineless Wonders. Nowysz encouraged the use of a professional to design the signage. He indicated that using the Vermillion's artwork was a great start. Larew stated that they probably will use Bensen & Hepker, a local design firm. This firm has done most of their graphics in the past. Woodson moved and Nowysz seconded recommending approval of the design of the temporary butterfly garden structure, as submitted, subject to Design Review Committee review and approval of exterior signs and banners. The motion carried by a vote of 6-0. Swan suggested that the memo to the Council regarding this item include something regarding the Committee's support of temporary projects that bring people downtown. DESIGN OF AN AWNING AT 116 E. COLLEGE STREET ('Colle.ae Street News/ Haynes and Schoon reviewed the proposed project. In response to a question from Woodson, Schoon said the project includes replacing the materials on the existing retractable frame. Woodson indicated his preference for retractable awnings versus permanent awnings. Swan commented on the proliferation of awnings along these store fronts. Woodson moved and Nowysz seconded to recommend approval of the proposed awning at 1 16 E. College Street. The motion carried by a vote of 6-0 DESIGNS FOR MODULAR VENDING MACHINES IN CITY PLAZA: Haynes stated that he believes any design of the modular newspaper vending machines must be incorporated in a comprehensive streetscape plan, such as the streetscape plan recommended by the Downtown Strategy Committee. Committee members, in general, were in agreement with this. Swan noted that this issue has been around for sometime. 'Rohovit noted that Swan had at one time voted against modular vending machines. Swan stated she is still not in favor of modular vending machines. She likes the color and originality of each individual machine. She believes it gives the downtown a big city feel. Nowysz noted that there are more and more newspaper vending machines on the Plaza and that something must be done about them. He stated that he hopes the City does not use the standard metal modular machines that you often find in airports. DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE MEETING MONDAY, MARCH 17, 1997 Page 3 Reisetter arrived at 4:35 Rohovit moved and Nowysz seconded to recommend to the City Manager that the design of the modular newspaper vending machines be incorporated into a comprehensive streetscape plan. Rohovit did question if the Committee wanted the motion to be more specific, such as stating what types of modular vending machines we would not be in favor. Haynes responded that he would rather give the consultant for the streetscape plan as much latitude as possible. Other members indicated agreement with this statement. The motion carried by a vote of 7-0. Sharp left the meeting at 4:45 p,m. 1997 DESIGN REVIEW AWARDS PROGRAM: Haynes questioned whether there have been enough projects constructed or rehabilitated to warrant having an awards program this year. He did not know if there would be projects that warrant receiving recognition. Woodson noted that there may not be enough projects to give out an award in each category, but the Committee only needs to give out awards in those categories that warrant it. After some discussion, the Committee formed a subcommittee (Larson, Rohovit, and Nowysz) to come up with a list of potential nominations. The Committee will then review this list at its next meeting to determine whether or not it will have an awards program this year. If the Committee does have an awards program, the Committee still plans to do it during the Arts Festival. The Committee discussed having press releases at various stages of preparing for the awards program; notifying the Chamber and the Home Builders Association regarding the program; having the government channel prepare a short five or ten minute program to be shown on the government channel; in future years, present winners with something more than a certificate; and preparing a display at the public library. DESIGN REVIEW SURVEY FORMS As a test run, the Committee completed a design review survey form for a downtown building. This gave Committee members an opportunity to complete a survey form and to ask questions regarding how one should complete the various components of the form. The Committee still plans to begin the actual survey work in April. CONSIDERATION OF THE MINUTES OF THE FEBRUARY 101 1997 MEETING: Rohovit moved to approve the minutes. Woodson seconded. The motion carried by a vote of 7-0. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA: There was none. DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE MEETING MONDAY, MARCH 17, 1997 Page 4 COMMITTEE DISCUSSION: Schoon noted the memo to the Committee regarding the changes to the approved design of the Magna Bank monument sign. He requested feedback from the Committee regarding his determination that the changes were not significant and did not require that the redesign be brought back before the Committee. Committee members stated that they agreed with how the changes were handled. Nowysz stated that he had spoken with Dick Gibson at the University, and that Gibson had informed him that the University had hired an artist, independent of the architect, to design the skywalk. ADJOURNMENT: Reisetter moved to adjourn the meeting. Rohovit seconded. The motion carried by a vote of 7- 0. The meeting was adjourned at 6:00 p.m. Minutes submitted by David Schoon ppdadmin\drc3-17.doc HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION SENIOR CENTER, LOWER LEVEL CLASSROOM MARCH 5, 1997 AT 6:30 P.M. MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT: Ann Donovan, Charlie Eastham, Sandy Kuhlman, David Purdy, Kathleen Renquist, Gretchen Schmuch, Bill Stewart, None STAFF PRESENT: Maurice Head, Pam Barnes, Steve Nasby, Steve Long, Linda Severson, Roger Jensen, Carol Sweeting, Steve Schornhorst OTHERS PRESENT: Dave Jacoby, Carol Dollman, Joni Thornton, Joan Hills, Deanna Nurhberg, Linda Miller, Diane Hagarty, Bob Hagarty, Theresa Kopatich, AI Axeen, Sandy Pickup, Cris Kinkead, Ellen McCabe, Thomas Fast, Liz Swenson, MaryAnn Dennis, Jodi-Beth McCain, John Kramer, Michael Richards, Jackie Heinle, Mary Dole Ritter, John Paul Chaisson, RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL: CALL TO ORDER AND APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM FEBRUARY 18,1997 Chairperson Schmuch called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Renquist motioned for approval of the minutes from the February 18, 1997 meeting, Doricvan seconded; The motion to approve the minutes passed on a vote of 7-0, PUBLIC\MEMBER DISCUSSION OF ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA Eastham questioned the amortization period on the ranking forms. Purdy said they were not specifically set by the Commission. Stewart noted that some periods vary. Eastman said they should consider amending the forms. FREE MEDICAL CLINIC REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL FY97 FUNDING Sandy Pickup from the Free Medical Clinic explained why additional funding was needed to complete their FY97 project. Demolition, disposal, engineering fees and other costs were not included in their original FY97 CDBG request. The Free Medical Clinic project needs an additional $23,000 to complete the renovations. Schmuch asked if this was a grant request. Pickup said the request is the same form as last year. Eastham asked how the project costs could have increased almost 50%. Long detailed the bid information for the project. In response to a question, Schmuch said they cut out money that would have gone to church improvements. Doricvan said the project was ranked first last year. Nasby said the organization has raised $4,000 in donations. Eastham asked what they would do if they did not get the extra funding. Pickup said they would have to cut back on some items. Eastham asked if this money would come out of contingency funds. Nasby said there is approximately $150,000 in that fund and that the changes are signifi- Housing and Community Development Commission March 5, 1997 Page 2 cant enough that the project had to come back before the Commission. Pickup listed some of the possible project cuts, including the sound barrier between the dental and medical areas. Eastham noted that the cost increases are not from unexpected expenses. Pickup explained how they got the estimates and the oversight. Eastham noted that increasing the funding for a project by 50% was unusual and favored increasing the funding 15% and limit the elements of the project accordingly. Long said Free Medical Clinic has a ranked priority of deductions. Pickup said the sound barrier panel would be the first thing to go. Long explained how the estimates were done by individual contractors and the work will have to be done by a general contractor, which also contributed to the increased cost. Eastham moved to increase the CDBG funding 15%, $7,800. Motioned failed for lack of second. Donovan moved to increase the funding $23,000 in the form of a grant for the renovations. Kuhlman seconded. Donovan commented that this was an honest oversight. Stewart agreed but was concerned with the lack of preparation in the original request. The motion to increase funding'by $23,000 failed on a vote of 3-4 (Eastham, Purdy, Renquist, Steward voting no). Stewart moved to increase the funding by $10,800. Eastham seconded. This motion passed on a vote of 7-0. REVIEW OF PROJECTS REQUESTING FY98 CDBG\HOME FUNDING: COMMISSION DISCUSSION OF PROJECTS Schmuch said the review would go in the order of the proposals in the CDBG and HOME book. Economic Development Proiects: Fast Carpe Real Estate Investment Company. There were no questions or comments on this project. Institute for Social and Economic Development. Schmuch said the budget includes a lot of overhead and the target group is similar to the SBDC proposal. She asked of the location of the recipients. ISED handed out a worksheet outlining the aided businesses and the profitability. Long asked how they determined "profitable". ISED explained that the businesses must meet more than expenses, breaking even or better. Heartland Candleworks. Head said this is a for-profit business and it could possibly do the funding request as part grant and loan instead of full grant. Schmuch noted permanency of jobs as an issue. Housing and Community Development Commission March 5, 1997 Page 3 University of Iowa Small Business Development Center. Schmuch handed out a letter answering some of the Commission's concerns for the project. Stewart asked if this is a high priority in CITY STEPS. Nasby said that it is a high priority. Schmuch noted the U. of I. overhead could be a leverage. Stewart questioned the target population percentages to be served by SBDC. Renquist said the letter explains those issues. Stewart suggested they earmark the funding for low-income. Head said there is a benefit to having a mix of skills and incomes in a business development setting. Schmuch said the cost of the graduation ceremony is a concern. Torus Precision Optics. Stewart said this application caused him a dilemma between priorities within CITY STEPS. Nasby clarified the loan information on the application. Stewart said they should go to a 7 year term for this project and we needed a better return than 3% for the CDBG funds, 7-8% would be more applicable and would improve the ranking, too. Schmuch said there would be 3 jobs created at $7 an hour wage. Nasby said this would also maintain 7 or 8 jobs and create 4 new positions. Head clarified HUD's general rule of thumb of $10,000 CDBG for each job created. Stewart asked what would happen if the 4 jobs are not created. Nasby indicated they are required to pay the funding back. Long outlined the different routes that collection can take. Schmuch asked if the SBA funding has come through yet. Nasby said they have not heard back yet. Stewart said the project could be scaled back if the full SBA funding does not come through. Public Facilities Projects: City of Iowa City Sidewalk Repair.' Schmuch indicated that this is a low CITY STEPS priority. Head said the homeowners would be paying 25% of the sidewalk repair costs. Kuhlman noted there are two requests from the City for low cost projects. Schmuch said the level of public subsidy needed for this project creates an issue with the target income level and reimbursement to the homeowners was also an issue. Crisis Center. Stewart said this is a low CITY STEPS priority and only 10% of the request comes back as a loan. Schmuch questioned the renovation section of the proposal. Ellen McCabe, Crisis Center Director, said the property is available earlier than expected and they would like to get a start on the renovations, so the funding request was increased to the full $200,000. Horace Mann Elementary School Recreation Development. Donovan questioned the precedent of schools coming to this group for funding of playground equipment. Renquist explained that other schools have raised the money for this equipment but this school is unique because they have not been able to raise the money. Severson noted the cost of the equipment is not in the school budgets, PTO's raise the money. City of Iowa City Residential Water Backflow Prevention. Donovan asked if the city budget would cover this project. Carol Sweeting of the City Water Division, said the City does not provide for this in the budget and low-income households cannot afford the devise. Schmuch said most landlords can afford, but won't pay the $7. Emergency Housing Project Upstairs Flooring Improvements. Stewart assumed this was a high priority in CITY STEPS. Schmuch agreed, safety and upkeep are important. Housing and Community Development Commission March 5, 1997 Page 4 Stewart noted his disappointment with this process because of the lack of input from others. Nasby asked if the ranking sheets have eliminated any questions or discussion. Kulhman said she spent a lot of time on the sheets and felt comfortable with her decisions. Schmuch said it was key for Commission members to discuss what factors went into their decisions. Untied Action for Youth. Schmuch said this is a low priority but deserved funding for minimum maintenance. Emergency Housing Project Transitional Support Services. Schmuch said this request was in difficult category since there is a limited amount of public service funding available in CDBG. HACAP Family Services Coordinator. Stewart asked if this position could be maintained without more CBDG funding. Axeen said they could eventually get other funding from block grants in the future. Schmuch asked if the $3,600 in their budget was for indirect costs. Axeen said the payroll figures included indirect costs- like management. This was a flat percentage per program of 16%. Stewart asked about volunteers. Axeen said this position requires licensed Social Workers. DVIP Furniture Project. Stewart said he had problems ranking this project. Schmuch rated it a high priority or a 10 on CITY STEPS. Kuhlman inquired as to how she came to that number. Stewart said it meets affordable housing and homeless needs. Schmuch placed it under public service needs since it did not really fit another category. Nasby said this was an appropriate category to use for this project. Schmuch asked what would happen if solid waste department did not support this program. Chris Kinkead, of DVIP, said the program would have to be scaled back or ended. Schmuch noted that last year the program served 400 households on $7,500 which was a good return. LIFE Skills. Schmuch was concerned about outcome, follow -up client information provided by LIFE Skills. MaryAnn Dennis representing LIFE Skills, as a board member, did not have client tracking information with her. Kuhlman asked about statistics for the participants. Schmuch noted the Tool Pool was a new program. Dennis said they are often contacted by landlords who want tenants to avoid eviction. Help is provided to clients with property up-keep and with after move out clean-up to get deposits back. The figures in the proposal don't divide out the funding. Nasby pointed out that question nine separated the figures. Schmuch noted that this has been funded through this process since 1993 and. has become a long term project. Mayor's Youth Employment Program, Long asked about the HUD grant that was applied for by the MYEP. Diane Hagarty, from MYEP, said they will find out about the status of the grant at the end of March. Schmuch acknowledged she liked the project but the pilot required more funding than was available for the whole public service category. Hagarty said the program could be scaled back and done for less people. East Central Iowa Employment and Training Consortium. Stewart indicated this is a high priority but it was hard to define. Nasby said this has a high CITY STEPS ranking because it is job training/economic development. Schmuch said a mandated program not being funded by the State was a concern. Kuhlman said a message to the State about alternative funding could be Housing and Community Development Commission March 5, 1997 Page 5 made. Stewart said this was a good program and needs funding regardless of the problem with the State. Schmuch said the salaries of the participants are impressive and it was good to see a salary that met the living wage. C.CJ.A. Youth Leadership Program. Donovan said the graduation was expensive but asked if it was a key ritual. Kuhlman asked about transportation costs for the project Linda Miller, from C.C.I.A., said they were exploring other options and are gathering bids to try to reduce transpor- tation costs. Stewart asked about a HUD rate for transportation. Nasby indicated this would be a human services proiect and their are no fixed rates for transportation. Stewart noted that in the long run this project could have a big payoff to the community. Housin.q Proiects: Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship, Stewart asked about the 40 year repayment term and that it could be less for the project. Donovan asked about the properties location. Maryann Dennis said the 1997 CDBG funding purchased 5 homes and more homes will be purchased soon with other funds. The locations were scattered. Donovan liked the scattered approach. Schmuch added that they have a good track record. Nasby noted that they still complied with HUD, timeliness was a subjective issue. Donoran said compliance was not an issue since staff follow- up with the project. Schmuch asked about the leveraging and the financing resources. Dennis said they meet the rehabilitation requirement, HUD procurement standards, and require on-going maintenance. She added that GICHF utilizes a lot of volunteer time. Habitat for Humanity, Schmuch asked how the religious affiliation affected the funding proposal. Head explained that they need to keep the separation of church and state activities clearly defined when using federal funding. For example, no religious activities should be conducted at a Habitat house that was funded with CDBG. Nancy Stensvaag, from Habitat, said they were not sure if it would be a problem. The group is selective in the requests for funding because of this issue. The project does not discriminate on religious or economic basis. Head said the require- ment could be worked out. Renquist noted that they need to not discriminate against Christians. Nasby asked about pending sites. Stensvaag said that depends on how much money they have to spend. Elderly Services Agency. Donovan said this project fills an important niche. Steward said this project is compatible with the City's Housing Rehabilitation Program. City of Iowa City Housing Rehabilitation. Donoran asked if loans were used last year. Barnes said they were loans last year and they are doing more housing rehabilitation projects by loans. Stewart said the leverage was hard to rank. Nasby said the declining balance loans are mostly for mobile homes. Schmuch said elderly usually want to stay in their home and preserving the existing housing is a good use of funds. Iowa City Fire Department. Stewart said this was hard to rank and put it as "medium" because it was supportive of low income households. Nasby said it fits housing needs. Roger Jensen, Fire Marshal, indicated the target group this program will serve is well below 50% of median income. Schmuch gave it an 8 and questioned the VCR and TV. Jensen said it would make it easier for Housing and Community Development Commission March 5, 1997 Page 6 the occupant to meet the education requirement. Jensen noted the tie between rehabilitation and fire safety. Nasby said the smoke detectors are tied in too. Stewart asked it they replace batteries. Jensen said they need replacement so the detectors work. Meadow Wood Senior Apartments. Schmuch said there are no plans for on site programming by Elderly Services Agency. Stewart asked to clarify if he was able to comment on the age category. Long indicated Elderly Services age is 62. Nasby noted that CBDG elderly is 62. Donovan said working out of Florida is an issue. Nasby said that could be a consideration for the future. Stewart said the limiting funds to local applicants could limit development. Schmuch said other groups have built senior buildings. Nasby pointed out the target is affordable senior housing. Schmuch asked what happens if the units aren't filled. Nasby said there are methods to pursue for collection. Schmuch echoed her concerns over the market for this kind of housing. Stewart noted the aging population is increasing. Schmuch was concerned over the incentive to move when other programs are encouraging staying in homes. Svenson and Associates. Schmuch asked about sites. Liz Swenson explained the status of the owner occupied housing site on North Dodge Court and that she is looking at other single family housing sites. Swenson stated that her goal is to serve households at 50 to 60% of median income. River City Housing Collective. Stewart noticed this was a one percent interest loan. Schmuch asked if the site acquisition timeline was realistic. Jodi-Beth McCain said they are looking at two properties. They are still searching for other properties, too. Schmuch asked if they could use a smaller property. MCCain indicated the set costs make it harder to meet on a small property so a larger property makes more sense with the cash flow. Donovan said 2/3 will be students, but do they allow non-students. McCain said they advertised in the Press-Citizen, Daily lowan, ICON and flyers. They are working on improving contacts to get non-student applicants. COMPLETE RANKING SHEETS: Members handed in their completed ranking sheets. DISCUSS FUNDING SCENARIOS: Schmuch said they still needed to come to a consensus on criteria using the ranking sheets and other considerations. Nasby asked how the group wanted scenarios developed. Stewart favored the high points as a priority to funding. Schmuch noted the partial funding dilemma, some programs do not lend to that situation. Head said one scenario could be a combination of high/medium/low projects. Donovan asked how the money was divided. Nasby explained the breakdown of the process. Schmuch said there is sometimes the need to shift funding between categories and that creates more problems. Head said the combination scenario could help with that. Nasby reviewed the possible options. Donovan said the pools are useful but need to be flexible. Schmuch noted that they need to avoid just funding small proposals to avoid making decisions. Donovan said the combination situation could help with keeping focus. Renquist suggested pie charts to keep track of all the numbers. Schmuch asked about the contingency left Housing and Community Development Commission Mamh 5, 1997 Page 7 over in this budget. Schmuch said she used funding categories and criteria to decide for herself. Kuhlman ranked then put in suggested allocations. Donovan said recommended ways to use contingencies was useful last year. REVISED TIMELINE: Nasby indicated the Council meeting was moved from 3/25 to 3/18 setting the public hearing. Eastham clarified that this would not be considered until the April 8 meeting. Schmuch encour- aged members to attend the Council meeting. NEW BUSINESS: None. HOUSING STUDY: Eastham asked about the market study. Head said the Commission allocated $50,000 to do studies last year and they would use only as much as needed to get the analysis and proposal done. They needed to start selecting a consultant so the whole process could be completed in the next 3-4 months. Stewart asked who would be doing the work. Nasby said they would hire outside consultants. Stewart suggested using local businesses that may already have a lot of the information available. Head said they would bid the project out. Eastham said $50,000 was a lot of money, and there was an expectation of accurate helpful information coming out of this. Nasby explained that RFP will require examples of previous work. Eastham said there is already a lot of information on this area and the added expense needed to be justified. Head said that there is a need for up to date information that is reliable and useful. Nasby said the focus options were housing, living wage and others. Eastham said a local business may not be preferred but could help contribute data. The low income focus should be key. Stewart said some local business already perform smaller analysis for lenders and developers. Head said the Commission would have input in this process. Nasby outlined the motion that was needed to take this request to the Council. Eastham motioned to recommend to Council to approve the coordination and securing required for the proposal following the outline in the memo= Donovan seconded. The motion passed on a vote of 7-0, OLD BUSINESS Schmuch said' suggestions were needed for the Community Development Awards and a theme needed to be agreed on for the 4/30 event. ADJOURNMENT Stewart moved to adjourn the meeting. Donovan seconded. The meeting ended at 9:05 p.m. ppdcdbCmins~hcdc3-5.mln Housing and Community Development Commission Thursday, March 6, 1997 - 6:30 P.M. Senior Center, Lower Level Classroom MEMBERS PRESENT: Ann Donovan, Charles Eastham, David Purdy, Gretchen Schmuch, Sandy Kuhlmann, Kathleen Renquist, Bill Stewart. MEMBERS ABSENT: None, PUBLIC: MaryAnn Dennis, Ellen McCabe, Linda Miller, Julia Rembert, Carol Sweeting, Liz Swenson. STAFF: Steve Long, Steve Nasby, Maurice Head. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Schmuch at 6:30 PM. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM FEBRUARY 19 AND 20, 1997: Schmuch recommended amending the February 19 minutes, bottom of page 5, deleting "is behind" and inserting "becomes too frail". Nasby noted the D & K Properties discussion needs to be added back into the February 20 minutes. He requested the Commission's approval to do so. Moved by Donovan, seconded by Kuhlmann to approve the minutes as amended. Motion carried, 6-0. lEastham arrived: 6:35 PM] PUBLIC/MEMBER DISCUSSION OF ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA: No public discussion. DEVELOPING A FY98 CDBG/HOME BUDGET RECOMMENDATION FOR CITY COUNCIL: Nasby distributed four possible funding scenarios: Staff made comments regarding the issues and concerns memo. This memo was put together to help HCDC evaluate projects and the funding scenarios. HCDC members reviewed the information. Schmuch asked the Commission for their comments on the funding scenarios. Kuhlmann stated she did not like scenario #1. Schmuch said scenario # 1 relies 100% on the criteria sheets and full funding of projects until the funds are all spent. Schmuch noted scenario //2 was based on categories and the ranking follows CITY STEPS closely and incorporating how the Commission ranked each project. Nasby said these rankings are broken down by what is available in each category and using that strictly. Doricvan asked how//2 and//4 are distinguished. Nasby explained that//4 is using an amount that the project could receive based on what everybody had written on the bottom of their sheets as proposed allocations. He then put the average funding amount for each project and those scores were used in conjunction with the rankings. Doricvan said she was not too scientific on her alloca- tion amounts and therefore would be willing to eliminate scenario//4. Head said scenario//4 funds the most projects and the distribution for funding the projects is really pretty good. Hsg. & Community Development Minutes March 6, 1997 Page 2 Head said scenario #1 funds the least number of projects, but provides at full funding, and //4 spreads the funding out and also ranks the projects that HCDC members felts were important. Schmuch said having things divided by category buffers some of the bias that might be built into the criteria sheets. Kuhlmann said public services is likely to be reduced because of the lack of leveraging. Schmuch asked how Commission members felt about scenario #3. Nasby stated in scenario #3 he grouped the projects by thirds into high, medium and low. Head said the high projects got 95% funding and the medium projects got 90% and then the remaining money was spread down to the lower-ranked projects. Schmuch said it is just based on percentages. Donovan said she is leaning to one of the pool scenarios because it gives a point of departure and she felt scenario//4 would be good. Schmuch said she does not know if the HCDC feels that any of the scenarios is exactly what they want to do. Schmuch said HCDC members appear to be leaning towards scenarios/12 or//4. Kuhlmann said//4 funds more projects and a nicer place to start. In response to Doricvan, Nasby said the staff did not make a recommen- dation regarding scenarios. HCDC agreed to begin with scenario//4. Stewart noted HCDC members booklets began with ISED. Nasby said that the total funding available is $1,337,000. Schmuch asked if HCDC wanted to review the projects in order of rank? HCDC agreed. Schmuch stated that HCDC members will need to write rationales, reflecting the Commission decisions in terms of why this looks like something to fund or why partial funding for projects was given. Schmuch said a subcommittee would be needed to write these justifications. Kuhlmann and Donovan volunteered to assist Schmuch. Schmuch suggested the Commission begin with projects by ranking order. Project #1 -- Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship: Acquisition and Rehabilitation Stewart stated this project requested a lot of funding and could be reduced. Renquist stated she agreed with the staff comments concerning removing the properties from the tax rolls. Stewart said everything can not be funded and this project was one of his high ranking projects. Stewart said this project should be funded at a high level. HCDC members discussed allocation amounts. In response to Stewart, Nasby said the request is for t~21,148.33 per house. Stewart inquired about other expenses and said 15 houses would be $317,220. Moved by Stewart, seconded by Renquist to allocate $317,220 in the form of a 3% loan for 15 houses for Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship. Motion carried, 5-0. Project #2 -- DVIP Furniture Project Moved by Renquist, seconded by Stewart to fully fund the DVIP Furniture Project. Motion carried, 5-0. Project #3 -- Heartland candleworks Schmuch said they requested 972,000. Donovan said the whole economic development category is tricky because the total requested amount is more than 1/3 of what is theoretically available. Nasby said $167,000 is available in this category. Donovan said there are a couple of lower ranked projects in that category. Schmuch inquired about the internal audit. Nasby said staff has not received an end of the year audit and the project is being monitored. Long said they have been growing very rapidly and an independent audit of their financial position Hsg. & Community Development Minutes March 6, 1997 Page 3 is needed. In response to Schmuch, Nasby said an audit w~uld cost 82,500 to ~3,000. Schmuch suggested that an internal audit requirement could be a contingency placed on the allocation. Head said if the allocation was recommended, there is time before the start of the fiscal year to get the audit done. Donovan asked who would fund the audit? Long said it would come out of the contingency budget. Stewart stated there was also a staff comment about making this a loan. Nasby said at the presentation the Commission showed interest for a loan. Head suggested a deferred loan that would payback rather than a grant. Schmuch said they had sought other financing through banks. Kuhlmann raised the concern that Heartland requested ~72,000 and divided the request between three pieces of equipment and a lower funding allocation would mean they cannot purchase the third piece of equipment. Schmuch said it may make sense to look at either full funding or reduce it by one whole piece of machinery. Nasby says each machine does something different. Kuhlmann said the equipment was what they needed to be able to compete. If they only had two of the three pieces of equipment, they may not be able to fulfill future contracts. Donovan said last year's allocation was contingent on a certain number of hires. Nasby said it was eight FTE's. Moved by Kuhlmann to fund Heartland Candles at ~72,000. (No second to motion). Schmuch noted that this was HCDC's third ranked project. Stewart noted that he will not vote on funding alloca- tion for this project because of a possible business affiliation with them. Moved by Renquist, seconded by Donovan to allocate $72,000 minus $24,000 (the taper machine) at 1% loan. Donovan said looking at the candles, votive candles and peg candles are used more than the taper machine and the loan should be a 1% payback because they are starting to get to a point of making money. Nasby noted they currently produce taper candles by hand and it is very time consuming. Kuhlmann noted that Heartland Candles said the taper machine takes up a lot of space. Schmuch said they have storage space so that a taper machine would not be a problem. Schmuch said there is a motion on the floor to fund Heartland Candles Works at 2/3s of their request. HCDC voted 1-4. Schmuch asked why no one would second the motion to fully fund them? Donovan said she is struggling with the decision. HCDC members discussed funding Heartland. Moved by Renquist, seconded by Kuhlmann to fund the average allocation, $63,000 as a 1% loan, contingent on an audit. Schmuch stated she gave them full funding when looking at the rankings. Kuhlmann said Heartland does more than what was documented. Schmuch said there is a motion on the floor to allocate ~63,000 to Heartland Candleworks. HCDC voted 2-2-1 (Stewart). Donoran moved to fully fund Heartland Candle- works, $72,000, seconded by Kuhlmann. HCDC voted 4-0-1 (Stewart abstaining). Stewart noted the allocations are $18,385 beyond the budgeted amount for the economic develop- ment category. Project #4 -- Crisis Center Schmuch said their original request was $150,000 but was amended to $200,000 because the acquisition date was moved to August 1997. Therefore, they will need the additional funds for rehab along with the site acquisition. The entire request was considerably more than what has been set aside for the entire Public Facilities category. In response to Stewart, Nasby said CITY STEPS is a five year plan. Stewart said it would be a one year major funding. Schmuch said it was previously done with the Adult Day Care. Schmuch said it could be considered as a grant or a conditional occupancy loan for 90% and 3% interest on the 10% loan. Stewart asked what reduced funding would do to the Crisis Center. McCabe, represent- ing Crisis Center, said they could be sitting there while raising the other funding and there will be additional costs with operating two sites. McCabe said the letter they have sent out stated they have completed two grants, each requesting $25,000. There are also Mid American Energy and General Mills Foundation grants pending. She added that the grants are for the Hsg. & Community Development Minutes March 6, 1997 Page 4 private funding on the project. In response to Stewart, Renquist said it would cost more to do the rehab when the Crisis Center is occupying the building. Schmuch said this allocation is assuming the site that they have is the site that they are going to move into. Moved by Stewart, seconded by Kuhlmann to allocate $200,000 to the Crisis Center as a grant. HCDC voted 5-0. Project #5 -- Habitat for Humanity Stewart asked about providing funding for two sites instead of three because of the number of projects Habitat is committed to. Moved by Stewart, seconded by Donovan to allocate $30,667 grant to Habitat. HCDC voted 5-0. Project #6 -- Emergency Housing Project Supportive Services Moved by Stewart, seconded by Donovan to allocate $16,600 EHP. Motion carried, 5-0. Project #7 -- River City Housing Collective Donovan asked if this is primarily for student housing. Renquist said that is a concern. Stewart said he likes the volunteer work the organization performs. Kuhlmann asked if they have another site to look at. Long said they have another site but it requires a lot of rehab. Schmuch raised concern about the time line and that the house on College Street needs rehab. Head said they have a good track record. McCain, representing River City Housing Collective, said their time line is to have full 'Occupancy by August but they have the Dubuque Street property until August 1998; therefore, they have one year to complete the project, not just a few months. Nasby said to meet their payment obligations, they need to get it occupied as soon as possible. Stewart asked what reduced funding would do to the project. McCain said they would have to have a smaller home and limit their market search. Stewart said he thought they could borrow more. Nasby said they leverage about 3.24 to 1, private to public dollars. Moved by Stewart, seconded by Donovan to allocate $80,000 in the form of a loan to River City Housing Collective. HCDC voted 4-0-1, (Renquist). Donovan said there is a contingent on site control. Stewart asked if there should be a date. Nasby suggest six months from the start of the fiscal year, to January 1. HCDC agreed. Long said $613,013 is left to allocate. Project #8 -- City of Iowa City Housing Rehab Program Schmuch said the City of Iowa City Housing Rehab Program is requesting 9461 ,O00. Stewart said the biggest projects are going to have to take the biggest cuts realistically. Donovan said funds were cut last year but were able to restore because more money became available. In response to Schmuch, Nasby said we will figure out the allocations breakdowns as far as CDBG and HOME funds later. Moved by Stewart, seconded by Renquist to allocate Housing Rehabilitation 9424,000. Motion carried 5-0. Project #9 -- Elderly Services Agency Schmuch said this request is for ESA's Small Repair Program. Stewart said this goes hand in hand with the Rehab Program. Moved by Donoran, seconded by Renquist to allocate 928,000 as a grant to ESA. HCDC voted 5-0. Hsg. & Community Development Minutes March 6, 1997 Page 5 Project #10 -- EHP/Refinishing Floors Moved by Donovan, seconded by Kuhlmann to allocate $1,800 as a grant to EHP. HCDC voted 5-0. Project #11 -- City of Iowa City and University of Iowa Burn Treatment Center: Mobile Home Fire Prevention and Education Program Schmuch noted they requested ~6,000 in funding. Donovan said she is not convinced about the TV and VCR. HCDC members discussed the need for the TV and VCR for fire safety education. Renquist said she recommends partial funding because of concerns that the in- home component may not work. Kuhlmann suggested getting equipment from the library. Renquist suggested funding the new smoke detectors and the battery replacement and to give them seed money to see how the educational effort works. Moved by Donoran, seconded by Stewart to fund $3,000. HCDC voted 5-0. Schmuch said the educational part is being cut out and therefore lives are being saved by having smoke detectors, but people will not be taught about why they should have a smoke detector. Donoran said 'the motion was to let them spread out the funding however they want. Donovan said it might be good seed money. Renquist said there may be internal funds available from the University for video development. Project #12 -- Meadow Wood Senior Apartments Stewart noted they need our money as match for Low Income Housing Tax Credits. Schmuch noted the average monthly rent was going to be 9600 plus a month. Nasby said the afford- able units are going to be at fair market or less. Nasby said the minimum HOME investment is $1,000 a unit. D0novan noted they are requesting 11 units. Schmuch asked if they could get their tax credits with $11,O007 Nasby said they will get some points for leverage and currently they are requesting 6-8% loan from the HCDC. Schmuch asked if everyone had recommended this project for funding. Donovan said she is re-thinking the recommendation and did not like the response to the HCDC questions. Kuhlmann said they included things that were not requested for the packet. Kuhlmann said she originally recommended full funding because she thought that is what they needed to leverage their other financing. Schmuch said she recommended full funding because of the way the points were placed. Schmuch said she would like to know about other proposed elderly projects being proposed for development in town. Moved by Stewart, seconded by Kuhlmann to recommend ~ 11,000 funding at a 6-8% loan. Nasby explained that the applicant wanted a 6-8% loan, the applicable federal rate, so they do not lose some of their tax credit money. Motion carried 5-0. Project #13 -- Small Business Development Center Schmuch stated the proposal looked very similar to ISED, only less expensive. In response to Stewart, Donovan said it was her understanding that the University was waiving the 42% overhead fee. Schmuch noted that the ISED proposal had higher indirect costs, this is just personnel, books, supplies, marketing, printing, miscellaneous and graduation ceremony. Kuhlmann asked if they could run the program by serving half as many people and try to recruit paying individuals. Schmuch said they can run it by recruiting paying individuals but it is a matter of targeting the lower income group and waiving the fees. Schmuch said the partial funding could be used as scholarships for some people. Kulhmann said she didn't know how many people would be served. Stewart said he is concerned about low income persons feeling intimidated by going to Pappajohn Business College. Renquist said many low income Hsg. & Community Development Minutes March 6, 1997 Page 6 people have college degrees and are not intimidated. Stewart said his impression is that ISED works with less well educated persons. Head stated that having a blend of skills and experi- ences may be good. Stewart agreed that a good mix of experience would be beneficial. Moved by Stewart, seconded by Donoven to allocate $20,700 as a grant to the Small Business Development Center. Motion carried 5-0. Project #14 -- United Action for Youth: Security System and Floor Coverings Schmuch stated they requested 98,725. Stewart said UAY is a good agency. Renquist said the grant application states, "in the past five years we have had only a few encounters with upset persons and where safety was a concern." Renquist asked why they have a security system. Schmuch explained that UAY has a lot of nice video and music equipment. Donovan said UAY was ready to do a conditional occupancy loan. Nasby said with a conditional occupancy loan, if they move they pay us back. Schmuch said she supports making houses secure for volunteers at night. Moved by Stewart, seconded by Donovan granting $8,725. HCDC vote 5-0. Project #15 -- Community Corrections Improvement Association: Youth Leadership Program Schmuch said this is the Youth Leadership proposal. Stewart noted the proposal includes a lot of transportation cost. Stewart said this kind of program helping youth could save money in the future. Moved by Renquist, seconded by Donoran to fund the project at $17,000 as a grant. HCDC members discussed funding the graduation ceremony. Head explained a formal sit down eating experience may'be worthy of funding just for the important experience. Schmuch noted that this money is coming out of public services category. HCDC voted 4-1 (Schmuch voting no). Project #16 -- E. C. Iowa Employment and Training Consortium: Quality Jobs/Promise Jobs Nasby said 97,050 remains in the public service category. Schmuch said she was really impressed with the living wage and the outcomes of the Job Training Program. In response to Donovan, Nasby summarized the following funding recommendations: DVlP is at $7,500; EHP supportive service at 916,600, and CCIA for 917,000. Moved by Stewart, seconded by Donovan to fund the East Central Iowa Employment and Training Consortium at $7,050. Kuhlmann stated she opposes the funding because it should be funded from another funding source. HCDC voted 3-2 (Schmuch and Kuhlmann voted no). Project #17 -- Institute for Social and Economic Development: Micro-Enterprise Development Schmuch raised concerns about the figures of businesses created in their application and their high indirect costs. Moved by Donovan, seconded by Stewart to allocate $20,000 as a grant, Stewart said the 920,000 is close to their allocation average of 919,500 and the recommen- dation takes 1/3 away from their request. Stewart said it is a decent program. HCDC voted 4-1 (Schmuch voting no). In response to Donovan, Nasby said the occupancy charge is rent. Stewart said small business was a high priority in CITY STEPS. Hsg. & Community Development Minutes March 6, 1997 Page 7 Project/118 -- HACAP Schmuch said this program, LIFE Skills and Mayor's Youth, can be funded only if money is diverted from other public service projects. Otherwise, there was no more public service money available. The Commission decided to move forward to the next non-public service project. Project #21 -- City of Iowa City: Backflow Valves Schmuch noted this is a $3,500 request. Donovan asked if the devices can be removed if there are problems? Carol Sweeting, from the Water Department, said the backflow valves can be permanently fixed to water faucet. Moved by Stewart, seconded by Donovan to allocate $3,500 as a grant. Renquist raised concerns that landlord can pay the 97 cost. HCDC voted 5-0. Project #22 -- Swenson and Associates In response to Schmuch, Nasby said $68,238 is left to allocate. Schmuch said this is for the North Dodge project but it is not located on North Dodge. Moved by Donoran, seconded by Stewart to fund Swenson and Associates $68,238 as a conditional occupancy loan. Schmuch noted the request was for $160,000 for eight units. Stewart asked if the project can be scaled back? Swenson said yes, there is flexibility. Renquist said seed money could be used for two or three lots to see if the program works. Renquist said there is a market for the population to be served by this project. HCDC voted 5-0. SUMMARY OF HCDC FY98 CDBG AND HOME FUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS Project # Name Funding Rec. 1. 3% loan GICHF 9317,220 2. Grant DVIP furniture 97,500 3. 1% loan w/audit Heartland Candleworks 972,000 4. Grant 5. Grant 6. Grant 7. 1% loan 8. Loan/grant 9. Grant 10. Grant 11. Grant 12. 6-8% loan 13. Grant Crisis Center Habitat for Humanity EHP - Supportive Services River City Housing Collec- tive Housing Rehab Elderly Services Agency EHP-Refinish floors Univ. of Iowa/IC Fire Dept. Meadow Wood Senior Apt. Small Business Develop- ment Ctr. 9200,000 $30,667 916,600 980,000 9424,000 928,000 91,800 93,000 911,000 920,700 Motion Vote Stewart/Renquist Renquist/Stewart Donovan/Kuhlmann Stewart/Kuhlmann Stewart/Donovan Stewart/Donovan Stewart/Donovan Stewart/Renquist Donovan/Stewart Donovan/Kuhlmann Donovan/Stewart Stewart/Kuhlmann Stewart/Donovan 5-0 5-0 4-0-1 (Stewart) 5-0 5-0 5-0 4-0-1 (Renquist) 5-0 5-0 5-0 5-0 5-0 5-0 Hsg. & Community Development Minutes March 6, 1997 Page 8 Project # Name Funding Rec. 14. COL United Action for Youth 98,725 15. Grant Community Corrections 917,000 Improvement Association East Central Iowa Employ- ment and Training Consor- tium Institute for Social and Economic Development City Water Department Swenson and Associates 16. Grant 97,050 17. Grant 920,000 18. Grant 93,500 19. COL 968,238 Motion Vote Stewart/Donovan Renquist/Donovan Stewart/Donovan Doricvan/Stewart Stewart/Donovan Donovan/Stewart 5-0 4-1 (Schmuch) 3-2 (Schmuch, Kuhlmann) 4-1 (Schmuch) 6-0 5-0 'NEW BUSINESS None. OLD BUSINESS None. ADJOURNMENT Moved by Stewart, seconded by Doricvan to adjourn at 8:35 PM. The motion passed unanimously. ppdcdbg\mins\hcdc3-6.wp5 MINUTES IOWA CITY HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 1997 - 6:30 P.M. CIVIC CENTER LOBBY CONFERENCE ROOM MEMBERS PRESENT: Daniel Cilek, Ann Donovan, Charlie Eastham, Denita Gadson, Sandy Kuhlmann, David Purdy, Kathleen Renquist, Gretchen Schmuch, Bill Stewart MEMBERS ABSENT: None STAFF PRESENT: Doug Boothroy, Maggie Grosvenor, Maurice Head, Steve Long, Steve Nasby, Traci Howard RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: 1. Approval of an amendment to the 1994 Supplemental CDBG (Flood #2) Budget. This amendment would fund the Wylde Green Sanitary Sewer ProJect. 2. Approval of the FY98 Annual Action Plan, including any potential funding changes made by the City Council. CALL TO ORDER, APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM APRIL 17. DUCTION OF NEW MEMBERS: Chairperson Schmuch called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. 1997, AND INTRO- Stewart moved and Purdy seconded to approve the April 17, 1997,. meeting minutes. Schmuch noted that in the March 5 minutes, the first motion should have passed on a 7-0 vote instead of 6-0. Schmuch also noted that her comment, in the March 6 minutes concerning Meadow Wood Senior Apartments, about the west side of town becoming concentrated with elderly was not meant as a serious comment. The motion to approve the minutes as amended passed unanimously on a vote of 8-0. Schmuch introduced Dan Cilek and Denita Gadson as new Commission members. The rest of the Commission and staff introduced themselves to the new members. PUBLIC/MEMBER DISCUSSION OF ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA: There was none. IOWA CITY HOUSING AUTHORITY UPDATE: Maggie Grosvenor, Iowa City Housing Authority, handed out a copy of the landlord news- letter and relevant housing statistics. She noted that the Authority is really pushing Section 8 and Public Housing occupancy levels. Section 8 occupancy rates have increased from 93 percent in February to 99 percent in April with the year to date average of 9§ percent. The Public Housing occupancy rate has increased from 90 percent in February to an updated 97 percent in April. Grosvenor then described the policy revisions the Authority is working on. First, is the revised public housing lease that is in a 30-day comment period lasting until May 7. She Ibwa City Housing and Community Development Commission April 17, 1997 Page 2 noted that this lease was created from a HUD model lease and a model lease developed by the Quadel Corporation in Washington D.C. The next step would be to present the lease to the Housing and Community Development Commission in May, and pending approval, present it to the City Council in late May or June. The Quadel corporation also created models for public housing admission, the continued occupancy policy and Section 8 administrative plan. She said that the revisions have to follow the same planning steps as the housing lease. In response to a question, she said that the public housing admission and continued occupancy policies are the rule books for only public housing, while the Section 8 administrative plan is the rule book for Section 8 housing. She plans to devise a summary form to describe what has been changed and what is required because both documents are very lengthy. (Donovan arrived at the meeting at 6:40 p.m.) Purdy asked if all affected residents would be made aware of the change. Grosvenor said that they have posted notice of the 30-day written comment period, but had received no comments to date. Schmuch asked if the changes would be substantial. Grosvenor said yes, for example the "One Strike and You're Out" policy where a tenant is evicted if they are reported for drug activity. It is a severe rule, but tenants are able to present their cases through an informal hearing process. Tenants will not be evicted if they go through a drug rehab program. Also, tenant obligations and housekeeping standards have been inserted into the lease instead of being separate written or verbal agreements. Stewart asked for some specific housekeeping examples. Grosvenor stated that it is very explicit, and is de- signed to document the ideal and for people to know what is expected. Eastham asked if Grosvenor could get the Commission the necessary information before they are sent their regular packets so they have extra time to review them. Cilek asked when the release would go into effect, and if it would be just for new tenants. Grosvenor said the revisions would go into effect whenever they complete the steps previously men- tioned, and the authority can encourage all tenants to sign the lease but cannot force them to do so until their annual review is held. Grosvenor noted the application period to apply for Section 8 certificates or vouchers for persons with mental or physical disabilities has come out from HUD. This would allow persons with mental or physical disabilities to bypass the Section 8 housing waiting list. She noted there are only 2000 certificates or vouchers available in the country. Eligible applications are put in a lottery pool, so it is a different ranking criteria. Schmuch noted the Commission's next meeting is May 15. Grosvenor said that she would have the necessary information to the Commission members before then, but basically Iowa City Housing Authority could only apply for 100 vouchers and it is a 5-year grant proposal. Grosvenor discussed the Section 8 landlord and public housing tenant newsletters, both dated April 1997. These are first issues, and she hoped to have them printed monthly to highlight changes and to serve as informational outlets. Grosvenor noted that they are starting the third year of the Comprehensive Improvement Assistance Program (CLAP), dealing with structural improvements. The 1995-96 projects are finished, and all the 1996-97 projects have been bid and are in progress. She noted that they have come in under bid, so have some extra money do finish some projects they had originally not considered. The 1997-98 ClAP has a tenant meeting date for April 21 to ~wa City Housing and Community Development Commission April 17, 1997 Page 3 explain the grant and get suggestions, and the applications have to be submitted in June 1997. Grosvenor mentioned that the Iowa City Housing Authority is trying to get the Tenant to Ownership Program for public housing going again, and they hope to have their first tenant- owner by the fall of 1997. She said that they are working with consultant Mary Lee Dixon, who will help draw up forms and help the households in securing funding. Stewart said that he thought the program was ready to start a year ago. Grosvenor said that people have applied, but no one has tried to secure finances for the applicants or checked to see if they are qualified. Boothroy said the program was ready to go, but they need more staff to accomplish all the tasks. Eastham agreed with Stewart that he also thought the program was ready to go, and all they needed to do was hire a Housing Authority director. He asked if the eligibility requirements were changed and if the application process is over. Grosvenor said that the requirements have not changed, and while the application process is technically over, they will not exclude any new applicants from consideration. They will also contact previous applicants to see if their housing situations are still the same, and to see if they still would like to participate in the program. Eastham asked if they are holding any units, and Grosvenor said no. Purdy asked in regard to the revisions previously mentioned, if the revisions are summarized and posted at Gros_venor's office or another location so tenants can see them. She said that if a tenant calls and requests the revisions, they will make a copy and mail the revisions to them. Eastham said that posting a summary or making one available might make ;~he revisions easier to read and understand. Schmuch asked in regard to the disability vouchers, if there were no longer federal preferences for persons with disabilities. Grosvenor said that this is a separate grant that would take persons with disabilities off waiting lists. Eastham said he appreciated both newsletters, and suggested explaining the local policy ramifications of proposed legislation; how it would directly affect tenants. AMENDMENT TO THE 1994 FLOOD BUDGET: Nasby said that he had mailed out a summary of the original budget page detailing how much money was used for what purpose and when. The original money was given to the City in July 1994. It was originally planned for the acquisition of a mobile home park located in the floodplain, but that fell through. As a result, the relocation assistance was moved to rehab, replacement and demolition. The Wylde Green Road sanitary sewer project will use the remaining money for infrastructure replacements. There are no other activities planned in the other categories. He requested that the Commission adopt the budget amendment shown as April 1997, and recommend it to the City Council. Stewart asked where the peninsula of land acquired with the original money is located. Nasby said it is across the river from the Iowa River and Power Company restaurant. The total area is approximately 205 acres with about 110 acres in the floodplain. The flood money was used for the flood plain land, but the owners would only sell the entire property, so the city purchased the rest (about 90 acres) for 81.2 - 81.3 million. Cilek asked what money was being used for what. Nasby gave some historical background on the Wylde Green project and allocated flood money, and said that the 8400,000 is being ~owa City Housing and Community Development Commission April 17, 1997 Page 4 used for infrastructure improvements. Cilek noted that his neighborhood has the same problem, and is interested on how it can be remedied. Stewart moved to accept the budget as amended. Renquist seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously on a 9-0 vote. FY98 CDBG/HOME FUNDING DEBRIEFING: Schmuch said the CDBG/HOME fund allocations the Commission recommended is before the City Council, and suggested that the Commission review the application and selection process while it was still fresh in their minds. Nasby said staff has considered meeting with all the subrecipients before the application process to discuss any questions they have, explain the application process, go over the application form, etc. They have considered making the meeting required for application, but did not know that they can deny an applicant who did not attend the meeting. He said Davenport follows this process and is very successful. Eastham expressed concern about allowing people to apply who did not attend the required meeting. Head said that the requirement will probably be phrased as, "you will have an enhanced opportunity of receiving funding if you attend the pre- application meeting", but they will not be able to keep people from applying who do not attend the meeting. Head said that one thing staff was concerned about was presenting the Commission mem- bers with the various funding scenarios with very little time to review them. He said that next year, staff will give members much more time to review the scenarios before they have to make their final decisions. He also asked members if they preferred receiving a staff recommendation for each applicant or all the information and scenarios to decide themselves. Stewart said that he thought the process was very intense, but it worked well. Schmuch she preferred not to receive the staff recommendations because it biased her less against applicants. She did like receiving all of the information beforehand to refresh her memory about each applicant. Stewart noted that he liked the recap sheet provided by staff, includ- ing the pro/con analysis and how each applicant had previously used their CDBG/HOME funds. Eastham agreed, but suggested that staff stay objective and consistent when analyzing each applicant. Donovan said that she felt uncomfortable at the selection meeting because the more inex- perienced Commission members were making all the motions and giving input while the more experienced members were not allowed to because of interest conflicts. She also noted that there were only five Commission members participating instead of nine. Head asked Kuhlmann about the comment she made about the first meeting being open to all the nonprofit organizations and if that was mandated. She said that it was awkward to not have any time for only Commission members to discuss the applicants, but have to discuss everything in front of them. Head said that the meeting is open to the public because of the process layout, the nonprofits have traditionally come to that first meeting to listen. Eastham made four suggestions about the process. First, he said he was interested in more statistical information on each applicant, such as statistics on discrimination because the application does not ask about demographics and who was served in the. past. Head said that information is required at the end of each program year, so staff could compile that ~owa City Housing and Community Development Commission April 17, 1997 Page 5 information. It could also be incorporated on the application form if Commission members wished. Secondly, Eastham said he would be interested in each applicant's financial information and reports because he considered that information a necessary part of the selection process, especially for the economic development programs. Stewart said he would be interested in the total amount of money received, where it is from and what their expenses are for each application. Thirdly, for economic development projects, Eastham said he wanted past employment records for each applicant provided, including the number of employees they have previously had, the number they expect to have, the amount of payment in wages incurred, and the type of employees (full-time or half-time). A brief employee job description including educational requirements would serve that purpose. Eastham said if the applicant claims to be creating jobs, it is helpful to see their previous employment records. All of that information should be in the application. Nasby said staff did this with Heartland Candleworks last year prior to signing a contract. Last, Eastham noted that the outcomes yielded useful information, and suggested including Elderly Services Agency's outcome as an outcome analysis model for future applications. Nasby noted that almost every applicant called staff with questions on outcome analysis. Head said the subrecipients may need to be advised that the Commission is moving more toward low-interest loans than-'grants. Schmuch suggested reviewing the ranking and criteria sheets at some future point. She suggested the subcommittee review the sheets. Renquist noted that. she is concerned with the Commission's current trend of funding more people that could pay them back, and not funding other worthwhile projects that could not pay them back. Nasby said that several applicants asked for feedback information and a summary of their scores for each category. Stewart said showing them how they scored is enough. Schmuch said the Commission's justification to the City Council can also go back to the agencies. Eastham suggested letting the applicants see how they scored in comparison with the other applicants. Purdy noted that with only five scoring sheets, there was quite a flexible range in scoring. Head asked if Commission members would be interested in being more proactive by directing the type of applications they want to receive which they consider important. He wanted to know if those applicants should receive bonus points or preferences for proposing projects to address unmet need or issues in the community. Eastham said the CITY STEPS Plan explains what issues and programs are important. He also said it was an interesting idea, and suggested earmarking a specific dollar amount to be given to applicants proposing such projects. Head said he had no specific project in mind, but wanted to see if the Commission was interested in the general concept. Stewart said it would be a good idea, especially if a certain area demonstrated a big need. FY98 ANNUAL ACTION PLAN REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATION: Nasby said there were 91,522,000 in CDBG/HOME funds, $50,000 in program income and 9140,000 in unprogrammed FY97 funds. Eastham asked about loan payment amounts. ~wa City Housing and Community Development Commission April 17, 1997 Page 6 He mentioned the breakdown of projects funded with the name, organization description and amount received. Eastham asked what the qualifications were to be an organization to help the homeless. Nasby listed all the housing projects he counted, and changed Habitat for Humanity from directly helping the homeless to "no" because it is an owner-occupied project. The financial numbers were discussed, and Nasby noted that he tallied all the private donations and allo- cations. Nasby noted that the geographical map in Section 6 is missing. Nasby said the plan will go to the City Council on May 6. There is time scheduled on May 5 for a Council work session to discuss the projects, so Commission members may be in attendance to answer questions. He noted that the review of FY98 funding is a pending item on the Monday, April 21 Council agenda, and it may or may not be discussed, so no Commission members need be in attendance. Stewart asked if staff could send Commission members copies of the Council agenda to they could schedule time. Stewart moved to approve the FY98 Annual Action Plan, including potential funding changes. Donovan seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously on a 9-0 vote. HOUSING MARKET ANALYSIS: Head said the Request For Proposal (RFP) draft is done and is being circulated among staff. It will be ready in about one week to begin the 30-day bid process. He asked if any Commission members were interested in participating in the process of selecting a consultant to do the marketing analysis. Eastham asked what the consultant's duties would be, and ,Nasby said they were broadly outlined in the memo the Commission members had already received. Eastham asked if the consultant would be under contract, and Nasby said it will be outlined in RFP format. Eastham said it would be a good idea to participate, and said he would help. Stewart also volunteered to participate. Purdy asked what the general timeline for the project would be. Head said probably between 90-120 days, but the consultant should give a more specific time period when they are selected. MONITORING REPORTS: E.C. Iowa Employment & Training Consortium (Renquist) Renquist said she is meeting with the representative on Friday, April 19. Homeownership Assistance Program (Stewart) Stewart explained that the program helps pay up to 83,000 for a home downpayment to qualified applicants at or below 80% of the median income level based on family size and income-to-debt ratios, and a maximum mortgage amount of 894,000. The City takes a silent second mortgage, so the money is paid back either when the homeowner sells the house or it is no longer owner occupied (rented). From the money funded last year, seven allocations have been made totaling 818,400, and leaving 826,600 of the funding. The money must be spent by June 30, but the deadline could be extended if necessary. Individuals can use this program along with other state programs. He is confident that the program will be able to use up the remaining funds before the deadline. Past mortgages have ranged from 847,000 to 894,000. Eastham requested more detailed information from Itawa City Housing and Community Development Commission April 17, 1997 Page 7 the staff on the average mortgage amount and income of the households using the downpayment assistance program. ESA Small Repair Program (Staff) Long said the organization has spent about 60 percent of their funding, and they usually complete about 50 projects per year. Basically, they focus on accessibility and bathroom repairs for elderly or disabled persons, allowing the people to remain in their homes. _OLD BUSINESS: CD Week Celebration Update Schmuch said the celebration is scheduled for 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30, at the Free Medical Clinic. Mercy Medical Center has donated free use of their parking lot for people interested in attending. There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony and a few speeches from long-time volunteers from 4:30 to 5 p.m., recognition awards will be handed out and plenty of munchies will be there. Long said they had finished the painting and installed the sinks. The carpet is scheduled to go in Monday, April 21. Staff sent out cards/invitations to various community members and Free Medical Clinic volunteers. Heartland Candleworks Audit Head said that Heartland Candleworks is being audited to make a determination of their financial stability. They received CDBG/HOME funds last year, and requested $72,000 this year to expand the business. The Commission (out of CDBG funds) is paying for the audit. Head approached various businesses about taking on the project, but due to the timing, all the local accountants were busy preparing taxes and no one wanted to take on the project. He hopes to get a commitment from someone next week after he explains the situation, but wanted to let the Commission know that the audit will probably cost around ~ 10,000, which is much more than expected. He said that audits are usually done on a 3-5 year contract, all the costs are in the first year, and it will be a big job to do. Another option is to have the City Controller and staff do the audit, but since there may be a conflict of interest, it may be better for a neutral party to do the audit. It will probably take 30-45 days to do the audit. Stewart suggested using an individual accountant instead of a firm. Cilek said since the audit is being done for the organization to get 1998 funding, maybe it would be a better deal to get a three year contract to spread out costs. Stewart asked of the Commission is committed to do the audit, and Head said that the Commission cannot justify giving the organization the funds without doing one. Stewart noted that Heartland Candleworks financial information is very complex. Head noted that the audit can be categorized as technical assistance to the company, and can be put into the grant total. HUD Best Practices Nasby said HUD was interested in three activities; the continuum of care practice, an eco- nomic development project and the Housing Rehab computer program, and had staff fill out forms describing each. The forms were sent to Washington D.C., and were chosen as best practices. They will be included in a booklet that HUD distributes to Congress and nationally. Renquist said that staff should be commended for all their hard work. ibwa City Housing and Community Development Commission April 17, 1997 Page 8 HUD Consultation Visit Letter HUD visited Iowa City on January 29, 1997, and recently sent a letter discussing the visit. They said that everything is in good shape and the City is heading in the direction that HUD wants to go. The only thing HUD suggested was forming a longer-term vision. Future performance based funding was also mentioned. Eastham asked Nasby to explain the 108 Loan Guarantee option. Nasby said it uses future CDBG funds as security for current use as long as the loan runs. If there is a revenue pro- ducing project, CDBG funds should not have to be used to repay the loan. HUD sells bonds once per year to provide the money. He said it is not a tremendous interest rate break. Commission members discussed the pros and cons of utilizing this type of loan. NEW BUSINESS: Nasby reminded Commission members that an updated member list was enclosed in their agenda packets. He also enclosed part of an article on fire prevention and safety. ADJOURNMENT: Moved by Eastham, seconded by Donovan to adjourn the meeting at 8:25. The motion passed unanimously, 9-0. ppdcdbg\hcd4-17.doc MINUTES IOWA CITY AIRPORT COMMISSION THURSDAY MARCH 13, 1997 - 5:45 P.M. IOWA CITY TRANSIT FACILITY MEMBERS PRESENT: Howard Horan, John Penick Rick Mascari, Pat Foster MEMBERS ABSENT: Dick Blum STAFF PRESENT: Dennis Mitchell, Ron O'Neil CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Horan called the meeting to order at 5:50 p.m. quorum was present° A PUBLIC HEARING: Horan said that he and Penick had met with Aviation Management and they were not ready to hold a public hearing on the lease. It will be rescheduled when the lease is signed. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The minutes of the February 13, 1997, meeting were approved as submitted. AUTHORIZATION OF EXPENDITURES: Mascari made a motion to approve the bills. motion. The motion was approved 4 - 0. Foster seconded the PUBLIC DISCUSSION - ITEMS NOT ON AGENDA: No comments were received. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION/ACTION: ao ACSG, Inc. project - O'Neil circulated a preliminary schedule for the land acquisition project. He said there were a couple of comments by the FAA that they would like to see addressed in the contract. Dilkes will be back in town on Monday and will discuss the issues with Pat Bridget. Greg Bridget, from ACSG, showed the Commission what he was working on. He is putting the aerial mapping around the Airport on computer so it will be more convenient. The work order system has been completed, with the RPZs labeled. The relocation plan is being designed. A meeting will be scheduled with the residents of the Fitzgarrald mobile home park sometime in late March, as soon as permission can be obtained from the property owner. O'Neil said he sent some relocation information to the Council members. bo T-hangar rent increase, ICFS - Iowa City Flying Service is requesting an increase in the rent they charge for T-hangars. The Commission must approve any rent increase. O'Neil said E.K. Jones was sick and could not attend the Commission meeting to answer questions. If the Commission had any reservations about discussing the issue, it could be deferred until the next meeting. The Commission negotiated a 15 % rent increase with ICFS in December and Jones wanted to pass that increase on to his customers. Mascari asked when the rent was raised the last time ? O'Neil said the rent was raised $ 10.00 per hangar in August of 1993. O'Neil said he understood ICFS had already raised the rent as of January 1, 1997. Mascari confirmed this° O'Neil said that the rent per square foot for the old T-hangars would be more than the new hangars° Penick made a motion to approve the ICFS request for a 15 % T- hangar rent increase. Mascari seconded the motion and it passed 3 - 1. c. Airport entrance sign, contest criteria - Mascari and Blum had met and discussed criteria for a contest to design a sign for the entrance to the Airport. They thought a cash prize should be offered for the best design. Several ideas were discussed concerning the contest, including who would be eligible, how much should the prize be, how would it be advertised, who would judge the contest, etc. This issue will be on the agenda for the April 17, 1997, meeting° d. Lease, AMI - discussed. Horan said this issue was not ready to be e. North Commercial Area - Horan said he has met with a developer who is interested in developing the north area of the Airport° There are approximately 60 acres to develop° Penick said the Commission should control what is developed in the area and to require, or at least encourage, aviation related businesses. Mascari said the Commission should look at being their own developer. He thought there would be control and more income for the Airport if the development was done in-house. Horan suggested inviting the developer to the next meeting and have him make a presentation to the Commission. O'Neil said the Commission should think about what restrictions they would like to impose if a private developer developed the entire north area. Horan will contact the developer and invite him to make a presentation at the April Commission meeting° O'Neil said he has talked with several pilots concerning relocating the threshold on Runway 17. No one seemed to have any major objections. It would not change the VOR approach to Runway 35. O'Neil said this will be an agenda item at the next meeting. CHAIRPERSON'S REPORT: Horan said he had nothing more to report° COMMISSION MEMBERS' REPORTS: Mascari said that at this time of year, waterfowl on the runways becomes a problem. O'Neil said some of the devices for scaring the birds away, like propane cannons, may not be practical at the Airport because of the residential development near the Airport. O'Neil will provide the Commission with some information at the next meeting. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT: O'Neil said he has 14 names on a waiting list for the south T-hangars° He said Jones, from ICFS, told him last week that all of the north T-hangars are full. The Commission may want to consider building another set of T-hangars. O'Neil will contact the people on the list to see if there is a commitment to bring 10 more planes to the Airport. He said he did not advertise for the south T-hangars and the building was full as soon as it was built° O'Neil said because of all the obstructions near the Airport, the FAA would like to change the traffic pattern from 800 feet to 1000 feet° The Central Region Conference is April 30 and May 1. Mascari, Foster, Penick, and Blum expressed interest in going on May 1. The Jay Cees have m~ved their 4th of July fireworks back to City Park. A temporary tower has been approved for the fly-in breakfast on August 24, 1997o ELECTION OF OFFICERS: Mascari made a motion to defer this until the next meeting. Penick seconded the motion and it was deferred on a 4 - 0 vote° SET NEXT MEETING: The next regular meeting is scheduled for April 17, 1997, at 5:45 p.m. ADJOURNMENT: Foster moved to adjourn the meeting. and the meeting adjourned at 7:17 p.m. Howam Horan, Chairperson Mascari seconded the motion MINUTES IOWA CITY BOARD OF APPEALS MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1996 - 4:30 P.M. LOBBY CONFERENCE ROOM, IOWA CITY CIVIC CENTER MEMBERS PRESENT: CARLSON, ROFFMAN, WERDERITSCH, MAAS, STASKA STAFF PRESENT: BOOSE, KLINEFELTER, JENSEN, MITCHELL, ZUCKWEILER OTHERS PRESENT: JOHN R. SAPP, DAVID L. BROST, JR., RICHARD HANSON 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 4.'35 p.m. by Chairman Carlson. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF JUNE 3 AND JULY 1, 1996 MEETINGS Roffman moved to approved the minutes of the June 3 and July 1, 1996 meetings as submitted. Staska seconded. The motion carried unanimously 5-0. RECONSIDER APPEAL OF NOTICE OF VIOLATION FOR IMPROPER LOCATION OF LAUNDRY FACILITIES AT 631 S. VAN BUREN Carlson asked why the laundry facilities should remain where they are currently located. Hanson cited the length of time the facilities had been in place, the existence of approved plans for this arrangement and t. he fact that three inspections had not listed any violation. Carlson stated that the City acknowledged it had made an error in granting a building permit since the location of the facilities is a clear code violation, and indicated to Hanson that the Board of Appeals is limited to interpretation of the Uniform Building Code and cannot approve a code violation. Werderitsch asked if there were any alternatives to the current location of the facilities. Hanson indicated that there were not. Maas asked if stackable units would work. Hanson reported that they would work in one area but not in others. Boose stated that the basement was an alternate location for the laundry facilities. Hanson asked if precedence could be established if he could submit approved plans for another building in Iowa City with corridor laundry facilities. Boose indicated that the location of the facilities would still be a code violation. Klinefelter stated that the violation had been cited on a housing inspection as a violation of the Uniform Building Code. Carlson said that if precedence can be shown as set by the Housing Commission, the Board of Appeals will reconsider this case. Werderitsch moved to table the discussion for no more than 30 days until Hanson 'can provide the information on the other building and if at that time, the situation is not applicable to the current case, the Board will return to the Uniform Building Code which states that the location of the facilities is a violation. Staska seconded. The motion carried unanimously 5-0. HEAR APPEAL OF BUILDING INSPECTOR'S INTERPRETATION OF SECTION 661- 16.700 OF THE IOWA STATE CODE Boose stated that Iowa City does not adopt Chapter 11 of the Uniform Building Code pertaining to handicapped access to eliminate any conflict with the State Code, and instead adopts section 661-1 6.700 of the Iowa State Code. Brost stated that he agrees with Boose's interpretation of the code. He presented copies of a Cedar Rapids ordinance that permits the Board of Appeals to grant variances in cases of undue hardship or practical difficulty and asked if Iowa City has a similar ordinance that might give his client some relief. Carlson indicated that Iowa City does not have a similar ordinance that allows the Board of Appeals to grant variances. Following a brief discussion of alternatives, Staska moved to uphold the staff decision. Maas seconded. The motion carried unanimously. The Board briefly discussed the Cedar Rapids variance ordinance and whether it should send to City Council for its review a similar ordinance for use by the Iowa City Board of Appeals, particularly as it relates to issues of handicapped accessibility. Carlson assigned Boose to research the Cedar Rapids ordinance and report back to the Board. 5. OTHER BUSINESS The sub-committee assigned to review the appeal of declaration of dangerous building at 130 Jefferson Street submitted their report to Mitchell, who reviewed and revised it. Mitchell indicated that the report needs to' be presented at a public meeting. A meeting date was set for Monday, December 9, 1996 at 4:30 p.m. for presentation of the hearing officer's report on the appeal of declaration of dangerous building at 130 Jefferson Street. 6. ADJOURNMENT Roffman moved for adjournment at 5:15 p.m. Carlson seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved and the meeting adjourned. Minutes submitted by Kathy Zuckweiler. Approved: Robert Carlson, Board Chair Date MINUTES IOWA CITY BOARD OF APPEALS MONDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1996-4:30 P.M. CITY MANAGER'S CONFERENCE ROOM, IOWA CITY CIVIC CENTER MEMBERS PRESENT: CARLSON, ROFFMAN, STASKA, MAAS, WERDERITSCH, HAMAN MEMBERS ABSENT: BUSS STAFF PRESENT: BOOSE, MITCHELL, ZUCKWEILER OTHERS PRESENT: JOHN SHAW 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 4:37 p.m. by Chairman Carlson. SUBMITTAL OF HEARING EXAMINERS' REPORT ON APPEAL OF DECLARATION OF DANGEROUS BUILDING FOR THE STRUCTURE AT 130 JEFFERSON STREET Boose distributed copies of the Hearing Examiners' report. Carlson explained that the report needed to be presented at this meeting and a date set for the rendering of the Board's decision. Roffman asked if the engineering recommendations had been received regarding the structure. Carlson indicated that Shive Hattery had submitted a report detailing the requirements for making the structure conforming and the estimated costs associated with that. Shaw stated that a 21-unit apartment complex identical to the current structure would not be permitted at the current location of the structure due to density requirements. Shaw also noted the deadlines suggested by the Hearing Examiners for commencement of the work to repair the structure and final completion of the project and asked if the Board would consider extending those deadlines if needed, provided reasonable effort to meet them could be demonstrated. Carlson indicated that an extension might be considered. Carlson suggested January 13, 1997 at t-he Board's next regular meeting as the date for rendering the decision on this appeal. Maas moved to accept this date as proposed. Staska seconded. The motion carried unanimously 5-0 (with Werderitsch absent). 3. OTHER BUSINESS Boose indicated that the Board might want to consider approaching City Council about raising the fees for an appeal. He noted the number of appeals that were submitted for consideration but then the appellant(s) never came to present the appeal. Carlson cited the appeal at the December 2, 1996 meeting where the appellant began his presentation by stating that he agreed with the Building Inspector's interpretation, but wanted to know if the Board could offer him any relief. Boose asked the Board to think about raising the fees and be prepared to discuss the topic at the January 13, 1997 meeting. Roffman asked for an update from Boose regarding the code modification feedback that was solicited from the Home Builders Association by Naomi Novick. Boose stated that he had met Iowa City Board of Appeals December 9, 1996 page two with Glenn Siders, Chair of the Legislative Committee for the Home Builders Association, regarding the Home Builders suggestions. Boose indicated that Siders had mentioned approximately twelve items that the Home Builders Association would like to see modified. Boose plans to meet with Siders again before the Home Builders Association submits its recommendations to Naomi Novick. 4. ADJOURNMENT Carlson moved for adjournment at 4:55 p.m. Roffman seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved and the meeting adjourned. Minutes submitted bY Kathy Zuckweiler. Approved: Robert Carlson, Board Chair I-/$- ?? Date MINUTES IOWA CITY BOARD OF APPEALS MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 1997 - 4:30 P.M. CONFERENCE ROOM, IOWA CITY PUBLIC TRANSIT BUILDING MEMBERS PRESENT: CARLSON. ROFFMAN, WERDERITSCH, STASKA, MAAS, HAMAN MEMBERS ABSENT: BUSS STAFF PRESENT: BOOSE, BOVEY. KLINEFELTER, JENSEN. MITCHELL, ZUCKWEILER OTHERS PRESENT: DICK PATTSCHULL, DOUG OLSON, JAWAHAR TICKU, JONATHAN TICKU, RICHARD HANSON 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 4:40 p.m. by Chairman Carlson. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF DECEMBER 2 AND DECEMBER 9, 1996 MEETINGS Werderitsch moved to approved the minutes of the December 2 and December 9, 1996 meetings as submitted. Roffman seconded. The motion carried unanimously 6-0. CONSIDERATION OF EXAMINERS' REPORT AND PROPOSED DECISION FOR APPEAL OF DANGEROUS BUILDING DECLARATION OF STRUCTURE AT 130 E. JEFFERSON STREET There being no discussion, Haman moved to accept the Examiners' Report as presented. Roffman seconded. The motion carried unanimously 6-0. HEAR PETITION FOR REVOCATION OR MODIFICATION OF CERTIFICATE OF STRUCTURAL COMPLIANCE FOR 530 WASHINGTON STREET Bovey summarized his inspection report of November 21, ! 996 and noted the inadequacy of fire escape and egress windows on the third floor of the building and the lack of height/headroom on the stairs leading from the second to the third floors. He expressed concern for the safety of the occupants of the third floor because of the inadequate escape routes. Bovey presented some photos he had taken of the building during his inspection that showed the small size of the third floor windows and an air-conditioning unit blocking the one window equipped with a fire escape ladder. Bovey indicated that the Housing Code provides for amendment of the Certificate of Structural Compliance if material and substantial noncompliance with the Housing Code can be demonstrated. Bovey asked the Board to consider amending the Certificate of Structural Compliance for 530 Washington Street to show the third floor as not safe for habitation, due to the violations outlined in the inspection report of November 21, 1996. Jawahar Ticku, owner of the property, indicated that the building had been maintained in that condition for greater than 15 years and had not been previously cited. Ticku showed a videotape of the building that had been made after the inspection of November 21, 1996. Iowa City Board of Appeals January 13, 1997 page two In that video, the size of the windows was documented, the stairs leading to the third floor were sho~vn and the fire escape was shown. Carlson moved to declare the third floor of the building not safe for habitation based upon the inspection report and the video. Staska seconded. The motion carried unanimously 6-0. Boose indicated that the result of this motion would be the amendment of the Certificate of Structural Compliance to show that the third floor is not habitable in its current condition. Carlson moved to so amend the CSC, noting that the primary items for correction are numbers 5.9, 16 and 19 of the inspection report, and give the tenants until March 1, 1997 to find another place to live until the violations are corrected. Maas seconded. The motion carried unanimously 6-0. CONTINUE APPEAL OF NOTICE OF VIOLATION FOR IMPROPER LOCATION OF LAUNDRY FACILITIES AT 631 S. VAN BUREN Hanson indicated he had not been able to find any information on actions taken by previous Boards that might indicate precedence. Carlson moved to deny the appeal. Staska seconded. Werderitsch asked for confirmation that there were alternate locations for the laundry facilities available with some expense involved. Boose stated that there was a large unfinished basement that could house the laundry facilities and Klinefelter indicated that there was also some space at the south end of the second floor that could potentially be used. The motion carried unanimously. HEAR REQUEST FOR APPROVAL OF ALTERNATE METHOD OF ESTABLISHING GRADE AS DEFINED IN SECTION 208 OF THE 1994 UBC Pattschull explained that he sought an alternate definition of grade for his development at 621 Iowa Avenue, a four-story apartment building over underground parking because of the unique design of the building. Pattschuli presented plans of the building which showed a six-foot wide sidewalk running the length of the front of the building and four sets of stairs leading up to the second level. Them is a berm that extends along approximately half of the mar of the building. The plans also showed that there are no windows on either end of the building. Boose stated that the way the building currently exists, according to the standard definition of grade, the parking level is the first story and the building is one story too tall according to code. Boose indicated that in order for the lower housing level and not the parking level to be considered the first story, the housing level must be no more than six feet above grade for more than 50 percent of the perimeter of the building. Boose also indicated that the zoning ordinance uses the same definition of grade as the building code and that as it stands, the building is also too tall under the zoning ordinance. Boose told Pattschull that the zoning ordinance violation should be addressed by the Board of Adjustment. Pattschull noted that if he had not built the sidewalk, he would not have a problem. Pattschull indicated that he could not move the sidewalk to another location closer to the property line due to the placement of the electrical meters. Boose indicated that by the definition of the building code, the column that supports the roof would be considered the exterior wall of the building because it is the furthest structural component and defines the exterior of the building, so by calling the sidewalk grade, grade would be established inside Iowa City, Board of Appeals January 13, 1997 page three the building. Boose also indicated that~ from a fire safety perspective, grade is a relevant issue in assuring that fire department equipment can reach the top of the building. Pattschull said that he had called ICBO and they confirmed the relevance of grade to fire safety. Additionally, ICBO referred Pattschull to Section 106 of the code, "Modifications" which grants modifications in cases where intent and purpose does not lessen fire safety. Carlson asked if windows exist on the ends of the building and Pattschull said no. Boose stated that the windows on the southwest side of the building overlooked the creek such that ladder access to them is limited on the side, but toward the east fire equipment could access the windows. Boose indicated that Pattschull does not meet the 50 percent perimeter requirement to make the parking level the basement. Carlson asked if the walkway, since it extends all the way across the front, could be used to meet the 50 percent requirement. Boose replied that using the entire walkway would meet the 50 percent requirement. Werderitsch asked if the back berm could be extended any farther or did the creek get in the way. Boose indicated that the berm was extended as far as it could go. After some discussion about alternate methods, Pattschuli referred to the UBC section on modifications and stated that he thought it allowed some leeway for special cases without setting precedent. Boose summarized staff objections to the proposal as: if the sidewalk was considered as grade, grade was then established inside the building, and if the walkway were up at another higher level, would that be considered grade? at what point is the line drawn since the sidewalk is an elevated walkway as it exists? Boose indicated that he had been directed by Doug Boothroy to work on the definition of grade and that the Board would see a code amendment in the near future that restricts man-made grade. Boose indicated that under the code, as currently written, Pattschull's proposal is legal since he meets the 50 percent perimeter requirement with the sidewalk. Werderitsch moved to accept the alternate definition of grade for this project as long as no life safety is lost. Haman seconded. Carlson stated that the approval be based on the fact that the option being presented to the Board offer equivalent safety measures to the code requirements. The motion carried unanimously. 4 DISCUSSION OF NEW CITY LICENSING CATEGORIES FOR FIRE ALARM AND FIRE SPRINKLER INSTALLERS Boose stated that there have been problems with the submittal of plans for fire sprinkler and fire alarm systems. He indicated that there has been some staff discussion with Building Inspection, Housing Inspection and the Fire Department. Cu .rrently there is no licensing requirement and no exam. There have been some problems with incorrect installation. The staff looked at solutions to the problem and would like to license them, similar to the procedure for plumbers or electricians. Boose indicated that he had contacted Block and Associates and they had tests for fire alarm and fire sprinkler installers. Boose stated that one solution wsuld be to write an ordinance and standards and have prospective installers take the exam and be licensed by the City. He suggested that this might alleviate some of the past difficulty in obtaining plans for staff review prior to installation. Werderitsch asked what was covered by the exam - commercial installation, residential installation or both. Boose indicated both were included on the same exam. Haman stated that residential installers did not need to have all the knowledge required of commercial installers, due to the relative simplicity of residential fire sprinkler systems as compared to commercial systems. Iowa City Board of Appeals January 13, 1997 page four Carlson stated that currently a great deal of trust is put in the code without measurable assurance that the installer is qualified. He noted that life safety in many buildings depends on working fire alarm and sprinkler systems and that the idea of testing and licensing installers makes sense. Carlson suggested considering a threshold where small jobs (under a designated number of sprinkler heads, as in a single family dwelling) might not require a certified installer, but any job over that threshold would require a certified installer licensed by the city. Boose stated that the staff did want to establish a threshold for small jobs. Haman asked if Block and Associates might have an exam tailored to a residential installer. Boose indicated that there was only one exam currently available from Block and that staff did not want to do individual testing. Boose also indicated that Block might be able to set up a specialized exam that certified residential installers. Carlson directed Boose to discuss this optioh with Block and report back to the Board. 8. OTHER BUSINESS Election of officers was delayed until the next meeting. 9. ADJOURNMENT Roffman moved for adjournment at 6:25 p.m. Haman seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved and the meeting adjourned. Minutes submitted by Kathy Zuckweiler. Approved: Robert Carlson, Board Chair Date MINUTES IOWA CITY BOARD OF APPEALS MONDAY. MA.RCH 3, 1997 - 4:30 P.M. LOBBY CONFERENCE ROOM, IOWA CITY CIVIC CENTER MEMBERS PRESENT: BUSS, CARLSON, HAMAN, MAAS, ROFFMAN, STASKA, WERDERITSCH STAFF PRESENT: BOOSE, KLINEFELTER, JENSEN, ZUCKWEILER OTHERS PRESENT: RICHARD HANSON I. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 4:37 p.m. by Chairman Carlson. Chairman Carlson reordered the agenda to place item 3, Approval of Minutes of January 13 Meeting, on the agenda before item 2, Election of Officers for 1997. 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF JANUARY 13 MEETING Werderitsch moved to approved the minutes of the January 13, 1997 meeting as submitted. Haman seconded. The motion carried unanimously 7-0. 2. El ,RCTION OF OFFICERS FOR 1997 Chairman Carlson opened nominations for chairperson. Werderitsch nominated Roffman. Staska nominated Carlson. There being no other nominations, Roffman moved to close nominations for chairperson. Carlson seconded. The motion carded unanimously 7-0. Boose collected and tabulated the written ballots and announced Carlson had been elected chairperson. Carlson opened nominations for vice chair. Werderitsch moved that Roffman be appointed vice chair. Buss seconded. The motion carded unanimously 7-0. HEAR REQUEST FOR APPROVAl, OF USE OF ALTI::.RNATE MATERIAI.S UNDER SECTION 106 OF TIqE 1973 UBC FOR I:iATIqROOM EXI-IAUST FANS Carlson asked if all board members had read the Board packet notes regarding this item. Roffman asked if the bathroom exhaust fans were recirculating fans. Hanson said yes. Roffman asked if the fans had charcoal filters. Hanson said that the fans had charcoal filters and that they had not been changed by him. Klinefelter indicated that this was a building code deficiency and that there was no practical way to retrofit the building. Klinefelter stated that thebathrooms are on interior walls and that there was no attic space, only shallow trusses which do not provide adequate space for venting the fans into the attic. Werderitsch asked if there have been any tenant complaints or if this issue arose at inspection. Klinefelter answered that no problems associated with moisture exist. Carlson asked if the owner would be willing to replace the filter. Hanson replied that he would try to f'md the filters and replace them. Carlson moved to accept this request. Roffinan seconded. The motion carried unanimously. Iowa Cid' Board or' Appeals March ' a. 1997 page two DISCUSSION OF INSTALLATION OF FIRE EXTINGUISHF. RS IN OWNER-OCCUPIED DWELl ,INGS Boose stated that this issue arose out of an apparent discrepancy between the standards for owner-occupied condominiums and rental condominiums. Currently, units that are known to be rental are required to have fire extinguishers before a certificate of occupancy is issued. Owner-occupied units are not required to have a fire extinguisher and problems of enforcement occur if those units become rental property. Boose stated that seemingly, the same hazard is present whether the units are owner-occupied or rental and thus fire extinguishers should be installed in all units when they are constructed. Werderitsch asked how installation in owner-occupied units would continue to be monitored. Boose stated that it would not be, but at least a fire extinguisher would be in place initially. If it was removed later, the facility for storing an extinguisher would still exist. Werderitsch asked if this standard would be enforced in single-family dwellings or in multi-family dwellings only. Boose replied that the intent would be to enforce installation of fire extinguishers in all new housing. Carlson indicated that he thought of enforcing installation of fire extinguishers in new multi- family housing where the units are connected and a fire in one poses a viable threat to the adjoining units, but stated that in detached single-family dwellings, fire in one house did not threaten an adjacent house in the same way. Werderitsch, Buss and Carlson stated that they did not favor requiring fire extinguishers in single-family homes. Haman asked if fire extinguishers would be required in zero-lot line duplexes. Werderitsch commented that they are attached but that zero-lot line dwellings are single-family homes. Boose indicated that zero-lot line dwellings have a higher degree of fire protection in the fire wall, which is a two-hour wall versus a one-hour fire wall in condominiums. Carlson stated that the Board must determine if it wants to require fire extinguishers in new dwelling units and if so, which occupancy groups (single-family, duplex, four-plex, etc.) this requirement would affect. Klinefelter stated that this requirement is already present in the Housing Code, and that the Housing Code's purpose and scope apply to all housing in Iowa City. Klinefelter indicated that this issue is a question of policy, since the Housing Code already provides for £n:e extinguishers in all dwelling units. Past policy has been to apply the requirement to multi-family rental and not multi-family condominium. Klinefelter said the Board is being asked to approve the enforcement of the requirement in condominium units and some owner-occupied dwellings. Boose indicated that there are some logical places to draw lines for enforcement of this requirement and that one such line might be between R-I and R-3 occupancies, with R-I being anything over a duplex. Buss asked if the enforcement issue was departmental, since the Housing Code already requires fire extinguishers in every. dwelling unit. Carlson replied that the Building Code has no requirements for fire extinguishers, which creates a situation where, when the building was completed, a certificate of occupancy could be obtained from the Building Department but as soon as that dwelling is occupied, it would be in violation of the Housing Code if it did not have a fire extinguisher. Boose stated that staff is asking the Board, as the advisory body for both the Housing Code and the Building Code, to approve a change in policy to require fire extinguishers in owner-occupied units. Carlson, on behalf of the Board, recommended altering departmental policy to require fire extinguishers in all new residential construction except detached single-family and zero-lot line dwellings. Werderitsch indicated that he would like to see appropriate code amendments presented to correct the discrepancy between the Housing Code (which requires fire Iowa City Board or' Appeals March 3. 1997 page three extinguishers in all dwellings) and the Building Code (which has no fire extinguisher requirement) at the next meeting. Boose stated that he would work with K!inefelter to write amendments for presentation to the Board. 6. OTHF, R BUSINESS Boose distributed the response of the HomeBuilders Association to City Council's request for input regarding the Building Code. Boose noted that the HomeBuilders had developed a list of 23 items and narrowed that list to seven items, six of which fell within the purview of the Board of Appeals. Boose summarized the items and indicated that Council would review and discuss the letter also. Boose indicated that he had been instructed by the City Manager to formulate a written response to the HomeBuilders letter in time for a Council work session on March 17. Jensen noted that the Fire Department responded to a fire alarm in an apartment building over the weekend. The fire crew arrived at the scene and tried to contact the property owner. The dispatcher then tried to reach the emergency contact provided by the property owner and was unable to reach anyone. As a result, the fire crew was unable to access the room to silence the alarm, and the alarm sounded all weekend. Sunday moming, the fire crew arrived at the apartment building again to find that the fire alarms had been pulled off the walls and smashed. Jensen stated that language needs to added to the law to state that the property owner or emergency contact be able to be reached at any time in case of an emergency. Jensen noted that an alternative would be to require property owners to contract with a company to monitor the alarm system and be available to silence a nuisance alarm at any time. Currently, property owners are required to provide the Fire Department with the name of an emergency contact in the event the property owner cannot be reached. Jensen stated that not all property owners are diligent about providing and updating that information which causes a breakdown in the system when a problem exists. Buss said that usually the main alarm panel is located in a common area. Werderitsch noted that a key is necessary to open the panel and silence the alarm and asked Jensen if the Fire Department would want to have keys to the main panels. Jensen stated that the Fire Department would not want keys to main panels for liability reasons. Jensen said that this is a recurrent problem and needs to be addressed. Buss indicated that she would raise the issue at the next Landlord Association meeting and asked if Jensen would be willing to talk to t~e landlords about the problem. Jensen indicated that he would come to a meeting. 7. ADJOURNMENT Werderitsch moved for adjournment at 5:45 p.m. Maas seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved and the meeting adjourned. Minutes submitted by Kathy Zuckweiler. Apwoved: "Rol~ert C'arlson, Board Chair Date MINUTES IOWA CITY PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 1997 CIVIC CENTER COUNCIL CHAMBERS ' Subject to Approval MEMBERS PRESENT: Ann Bovbjerg, Benjamin Chait, Dick Gibson, Jane Jakobsen, George Starr, Lea Supple MEMBERS ABSENT: Pam Ehrhardt STAFF PRESENT: Melody Rockwell, Sarah Holecek, David Schoon, Anne Schulte RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: Recommended, by a vote of 6-0, to the City Council that the Scott-Six Urban Renewal Plan is in conformity with the Iowa City Comprehensive Plan - 1989 Update, subject to the Urban Renewal Area being annexed and rezoned to an Intensive Commercial (C1-1) zone and a General Industrial (I-1) zone, Recommended approval, by a vote of 6-0, of SUB96-0011, a preliminary plat of Windsor Ridge - Parts Seven and Eight, a 22.05 acre, 41-1ot residential subdivision located in the RS-5 zone north of American Legion Road and west of Taft Avenue. Recommended approval, by a vote of 6-0, of SUB97-0007, the final plat of Windsor Ridge - Part Eight, a 13.31 acre, 25-1ot residential subdivision located in the RS-5 zone on the north extension of Barrington Road, subject to approval of the legal papers by the City Attorney's Office. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA: There was none. ANNOUNCEMENT OF VACANCIES ON CITY BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS: Starr said there are three vacancies on the Board of Library Trustees to fill six year terms expidng July 1, 2003, one vacancy on the Design Review Committee to fill a three year term ending July 1, 2000, and two vacancies on the Histodc Preservation Commission to fill three year terms ending March 29, 2000. He said these appointments will be made at the May 20, 1997 meeting of the City Council. Starr said there is one vacancy on the Animal Control Advisory Board to fill a three year term ending May 4, 2000, one vacancy on the Civil Service Commission to fill an unexpired term ending April 1,2000, one vacancy on the Historic Preservation Commission to fill an unexpired term ending March 29, 1999, and one vacancy on the Planning and Zoning Commission to fill a five year term ending May 1,2002. He said these are previously announced vacancies that will be filled at the April 22, 1997 meeting of the City Council. COUNCIL (LISA, 1 SIDED) Iowa City Planning and Zoning Commission Thursday, April 17, 1997 Page 2 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ITEM: Public discussion of the Scott-Six Urban Renewal Plan's conformity with the Iowa City Comprehensive Plan - 1989 Update. David Schoon, Economic Development Coordinator referred to the staff report. He said he would answer any questions the Commission might have. Schoon said the Commission is · asked to forward a recommendation to the City Council regarding the conformity of the Urban Renewal Plan with the Comprehensive Plan. Schoon said there should be one condition to the recommendation: that it be subject to the area being annexed and rezoned to C1-1 and I-1. Supple asked what the downside would be to this plan. Schoon said if future tax revenues are used to invest in this industrial park, the tax revenues are not available to the City's general fund and also the other tax entities will forego those tax revenues for a period of time. He said the plan is to encourage development in the City and once development occurs, the City will have those future tax revenues, after they are used for Tax Increment Financing (TIF), to use for the general funds and the other taxing entities. Bovbjerg asked how the project would be financed if the City wanted to help with the financing, but Tax Increment Financing was not used. Schoon replied that the money could come from the general fund. Bovbjerg asked if there could be a bond issue for the financing. Schoon said debt could be issued .to pay for the improvements to 420th Street. Bovbjerg said if the City is going to be a part of the project, tax revenues will be involved in some form or another. Schoon agreed with her statement. Bovbjerg said this is a way of using those taxes that won't be missed, because the City does not have them yet. The TIF will help pay for development, rather than using the general funds, where the money might be missed. Schoon confirmed that the land is vacant and that the goal is to encourage industrial development that will pay off with good jobs and employment opportunities while providing additional tax revenue in the future. He said the City's general fund and other tax entities' general funds will forego those revenues for a time and use them to invest in the industrial park to make those industrial projects happen. Jakobsen asked if it is projected to be a 20-year tax abatement plan. Schoon said the TIF is available for 20 years. He said State code limits the use of TIF to 20 years for an area designated an economic development urban renewal area. Schoon said the City Council could consider limiting the use of TIF to a shorter time period. Starr said the Commission's role is not in dealing with the TIF per se, but with the conformity of this Urban Renewal Plan with the Comprehensive Plan. Bovbjerg said the information regarding TIF has been a good education and Starr agreed. Public discussion: There was none. Iowa City Planning and Zoning Commission Thursday, April 17, 1997 Page 3 Public discussion closed. MOTION: Bovbjerg moved that the Planning and Zoning Commission forward a recommendation to the City Council stating that the Scott-Six Urban Renewal Plan conforms with the Iowa City Comprehensive Plan - 1989 Update, subject to the Urban Renewal Area being annexed and rezoned to an Intensive Commercial (C1-1) zone and a General Industrial (I-1) zone. Jakobsen seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 6-0. REZONING ITEM: REZ97-0003. Public discussion of an application submitted by James P. Glasgow for a rezoning from RM-20, Medium Density Multi-Family Residential, and RS-5, Low Density Single- Family Residential, to OSA-20 and OSA-5, Sensitive Areas Overlay Zone, for 1.9 acres located at 1122-1136 N. Dubuque Street. (45-day limitation period expires April 17, 1997) Rockwell said the applicant has requested a deferral of this item to the May 1, 1997 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. She said a revised letter of waiver with the correct address on it has been received. Public discussion: There was none. Public discussion closed. MOTION: Supple moved to defer REZ97-0003, an application submitted by James P. Glasgow for a rezoning from RM-20, Medium Density Multi-Family Residential, and RS-5, Low Density Single-Family Residential, to OSA-20 and OSA-5, Sensitive Areas Overlay Zone, for 1.9 acres located at 1122-1136 N. Dubuque Street, to the May 1, 1997 meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission. Gibson seconded the motion. Bovbjerg said she appreciated the comments from Gibson regarding the inconsistency in the minutes from the March 20, 1997 meeting and Frey's statements at the April 3, 1997 meeting regarding the working relationship that TermCon has with the project. Bovbjerg said there is also a discrepancy between the lawyer's statements at the April 3, 1997 meeting and the March 20, 1997 minutes regarding who was the engineer who did the work on the project. Bovbjerg read from the April 3, 1997 minutes that "Randy Van Winkle said he is the engineer who prepared the proposed Grading Plan. Van Winkle said he did examine several alternatives." Bovbjerg said Frey had stated at the April 3, 1997 meeting that Van Winkle was not the engineer who drew up the plans or certified them. Bovbjerg said James C. Jacob signed the plan. She said the uncertainty as to who actually did the engineering work is a serious issue since the plan may have significant flaws. Iowa City Planning and Zoning Commission Thursday, April 17, 1997 'Page 4 Bovbjerg cited the incorrect address on the applicant's request for a waiver and noted that it has been corrected. Bovbjerg discussed a letter to Amy Bouska, Environmental Specialist with the USDA and the National Resources Conservation Service, from Doug Morningstar, a civil engineer, who had examined the plan for stabilizing the slope. Bovbjerg said the letter demonstrates how serious the concerns were about the plan because of how strong the wording is. She said the letter often states "should be." It does not make mere suggestions. Bovbjerg said the report should be a sedous alert to everyone interested in the project. She said she had discussed the issue further with Bouska, who confirmed that the whole slope project should be taken very seriously and care should be taken to ensure that the plans are correct. Gibson said he is not competent to determine if the original plan would work. He said he assumes it could work, but said it would be such a total decimation of the hillside that it would be unacceptable from a community standpoint as well as to adjacent landowners. Gibson said he thinks that is a perfectly appropriate consideration. He said the issue is not necessarily whether or not the plan will work, but whether or not it is an acceptable plan. Gibson said he would be willing to accept staffs opinion on the plan if staff is willing to certify the plan or else would like to see a third, independent neutral party make a judgment on the issue. Holecek said she has discussed the matter with Rick Fosse, the City Engineer. She said, depending on the reports that are submitted, Fosse will either be able to agree or disagree that the plan has a reasonable or more than reasonable chance of success. Holecek said Fosse will be able to state at that time whether or not he would feel comfortable certifying the plan. Rockwell said the City has received information that TermCon has begun soil borings on the slope. Starr said he concurred with the comments by Gibson and Bovbjerg. He said this issue has been on the table for a long time and there may not be a second opportunity to correct the problem. Starr said the project needs to be done right this time. He added that he agreed with Gibson's comments about getting staffs unqualified opinion or a third party opinion. He said expert certification is absolutely critical. Starr added that the discrepancy with the role of TermCon bears some looking into. Chait asked if the landowner could cut down the trees on his own property. Holecek said that would be a violation of the Sensitive Areas Ordinance, because it is a wooded area on a protected slope. She said it would be a municipal infraction and the applicant would be subject to a fine and possible reparations for the replacement of the trees. The motion carried on a vote of 6-0. DEVELOPMENT ITEMS: SUB97-0003. Public discussion of an application submitted by Dean Oakes for final plat approval of Meadow View Subdivision, a 31.5 acre, 10-lot residential subdivision located on the Iowa City Planning and Zoning Commission Thursday, April 17, 1997 Page 5 west side of Buchmayer Bend at its intersection with Highway 1. (45-day limitation period expires April 11, 1997) Rockwell said staff has received a letter waiving the 45-day limitation period to May 1, 1997. Public discussion: There was none. Public discussion closed. MOTION: Bovbjerg moved to defer SUB97-0003, an application submitted by Dean Oakes for final plat approval of Meadow View Subdivision, a 31.5 acre, 10=lot residential subdivision located on the west side of Buchmayer Bend at its intersection with Highway 1, to the May 1, 1997 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. Chait seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 6-0. SUB97-0005. Public discussion of an application submitted by Doug Yansky and Dan Berg for preliminary plat approval of Crestview Second addition, a 45.38 acre, 4-lot residential subdivision located at the intersection of Highway 1 and Landon Avenue. (45-day limitation period expires Apdl 28, 1997) Starr said the applican. t has requested that this item be deferred indefinitely. Rockwell said staff had no further information regarding the application. Public discussion: There was none. Public discussion closed. MOTION: Supple moved to defer indefinitely SUB97-0005, an application submitted by Doug Yansky and Dan Berg for preliminary plat approval of Crestview Second Addition, a 45.38 acre, 4-lot residential subdivision located at the intersection of Highway 1 and Landon Avenue. Gibson seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 6-0. SUB96-0011/SUB97-0007. Public discussion of an application submitted by Arlington, L.C. for an amendment of the preliminary plat of Windsor Ridge - Parts Seven and Eight, a 22.05 acre, 41 -lot residential subdivision located north of American Legion Road and west of Taft Avenue, and final plat approval of Windsor Ridge - Part Eight, a 13.31 acre, 25-1ot residential subdivision located at the north end of Barrington Road. (45-day limitation period expires April 28, 1997. Iowa City Planning and Zoning Commission Thursday, April 17, 1997 Page 6 Rockwell said the amendment to the preliminary plat for Windsor Ridge - Parts Seven and Eight essentially effects a change in Windsor Ridge - Part Eight. She said two lots have been added to Part Eight, through narrowing lot frontages along Barrington Road and putting the access into Outlot B, an open space area, off Southchase Court, rather than Barrington Road. Rockwell said there were some outstanding issues previously that have been resolved. She said the Grading Plan, construction plans, and Sensitive Areas Site Plan have all been approved. Rockwell said the legal papers are now very close to being approved by the City Attorney's Office. She said staff recommends that the preliminary plat of Windsor Ridge - Parts Seven and Eight be approved, and the final plat of Windsor Ridge - Part Eight, be approved, subject to legal papers being approved by the City Attorney's Office prior to City Council consideration of the final plat. Bovbjerg asked about the status of the legal papers. Holecek said she has forwarded her comments to the attorney for the developers, Doug Ruppert, and with a few revisions, the legal papers will be ready for signatures. Public discussion: There was none. Public discussion closed. MOTION: Jakobsen moved to recommend approval of SUB96-0011, a preliminary plat of Windsor Ridge - Parts Seven and Eight, a 22.05 acre, 41-1ot residential subdivision located in the RS-5 zone north of American.Legion Road and west of Taft Avenue. Gibson seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 6-0. MOTION: Jakobsen moved to recommend approval of SUB97.0007, a final plat of Windsor Ridge - Part Eight, a 13.31 acre, 25-1ot residential subdivision located in the RS- $ zone on the north extension of Barrington Road, subject to approval of the legal papers by the City Attorney's Office. The motion carried on a vote of 6-0. CONSIDER THE APRIL 3, 1997, PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION MINUTES: MOTION: Bovbjerg moved to approve the minutes of the April 3, 1997 Planning. and Zoning Commission minutes as amended at the informal meeting. Chair seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 6-0. OTHER BUSINESS: Supple said she had talked with Charlie Denney at the Convention in San Diego. He is now living in Washington, D.C. and working for the Bicycle Federation of America and doing well. Iowa City Planning and Zoning Commission Thursday, April 17, 1997 Page 7 Jakobsen said this is her last meeting on the Commission and she has enjoyed her second term. She said she anticipated that problems in this go-around would be more difficult and they have turned out to be. Jakobsen said she envisions that in-fill problems will become more difficult in the future because of ownership issues. She added that the City has also made some problems for itself by passing the Sensitive Areas Ordinance and the Neighborhood Open Space requirement. Although she did not see these as bad things, she noted it made things more difficult for the City. Jakobsen also had suggestions about streamlining the process for the formal meetings, particularly in limiting extraneous and repetitive public comments. Starr thanked Jakobsen for her efforts and said he has appreciated all her work. Bovbjerg and Supple also thanked her for all her efforts on behalf of the Commission. Gibson said he was very happy when Jakobsen came back on the Commission. Gibson added that he appreciated her contributions and perspective and that the Commission would miss her. Starr said he could not attend the May 12 and May 15 meetings. The meeting was adjourned at 8:07 p.m. Lea Supple, Secretary Minutes submitted by Anne Schulte. 'ppdadmin~mins~p&z4-17,wp5 MINUTES PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION APRIL 9, 1997 MEMBERS PRESENT: Ken Fearing, Judith Klink, Bruce Maurer, Matt Pacha, Rex Pruess, Allen Stroh, Kathy Wallace, Ross Wilburn MEMBERS ABSENT: Barbara Endel STAFF PRESENT: Terry Trueblood, Mike Moran, Bob Howell, Marilyn Kriz, Marcia Klingaman (Neighborhood Services Coordinator) GUESTS: Judy Pfohl, David Dawes FORMAL ACTION TAKEN Moved by Pruess, seconded by Stroh, to approve the March 12, 1997 minutes as written. Unanimous. Moved by Maurer, seconded by Fearing, to support Iowa City Girls Softball proposal to install lights on four of the softball fields at Napoleon Park at an approximate cost of $100,000 and the city committing to paving one-half of this cost, to be covered within the budgeted allocation for the Napoleon Park redevelopment project° Unanimous. P.I.N. GRANT APPLICATIONS Marcia Klingaman, Neighborhood Services Coordinator, addressed the commission regarding the 1998 P.I.N. Grant Applications° She indicated the Neighborhood Council would be meeting on April 10 to complete the review process and rank the applications. The Neighborhood Council's recommendation will go to the City Council on May 20 for their approval. Judy Pfohl addressed the commission regarding the Ty'n Cae Neighborhood Association and Southwest Estates Neighborhood Association applications; one for the Kiwanis Park Prairie and one for the West High Bike Path. With respect to the Kiwanis Park Prairie project, she stated the neighborhood has and will continue to collect seeds to establish a natural area. The original timing of the project was next spring but will be delayed due to the Willow Creek interceptor sewer line which will be installed through the middle of Kiwanis Park. The original amount of funds requested was $2,000, with Pfohl indicating they would probably reduce it to $500 and submit another application next year for the remaining $1,500. Trueblood stated he learned of other complications today - an archaeological study is required before the sewer project can begin and complications have been encountered relative to permits needed from the Corp of Engineers. Pfohl indicated in light of this information the application would be withdrawn for this year. Trueblood indicated he would keep the Ty'n Cae Neighborhood Association informed of further developments. With respect to the West High Bike Path project, Pfohl indicated a bike and walking path would be constructed from the proposed Willow Creek trail to West High School. A letter was received from the School District indicating they were very interested in the development of this path. FIRST has agreed to do a matching grant up to $1,000. Pruess questioned whether the path could be wider, with Pfohl stating the five foot width with a one foot edging was the most the parties involved would agreed to. Stroh asked if the School District would maintain the path. Pfohl stated the School District would maintain the crushed rock, but would not remove snow from the path. Marcia Klin9aman reviewed the following P.I.N. Grant Applications: Grant Wood Neighborhood Association - Trees for Whispering Meadows Wetlands; Northside Neighborhood Association - North Market Square Improvements; and Longfellow Neighborhood Associa6ion - Longfellow Trees III (planting additional trees in the neighborhood). Stroh asked if there were more projects than money this year. Klingaman indicated there was, but noted once the applications are ranked, the City Council will be responsible for designating the amount of money. She felt all projects would receive funding, noting the cooperative efforts between the various neighborhood associations. David Dawes addressed the commission regarding the Pepperwood Neighborhood Association's application for tree planting along Lower Sandusky Drive from Taylor Drive to Keokuk Street. He noted the various city construction projects in the neighborhood and the need for trees along this major thoroughfare. Klink stated the Program for Improving Neighborhoods was a great program, and expressed appreciation to Marcia Klingaman for her work in this program. JUNE MEETING AND 1997 PARK TOUR Trueblood indicated he would be out of town during the June meeting. He stated the commission could either meet on its regular date or reschedule it. After discussion, it was determined the June meeting would be held one week later on June 18th. The commission discussed various dates for the annual park tour. It was set for July 2nd. A short meeting will begin at 4 p.m., with the tour to begin thereafter. No commission meeting will be held July 9th. PROJECT UPDATES Soccer Complex: The grand opening was April 5th, with soccer games being played in the rain on Saturday and cancelled on Sunday due to the weather. Pacha indicated the soccer complex roads were very rough. Trueblood noted the roads had been installed just the week before and will get better. It will be the responsibility of the Streets Division 2 to maintain the roads. Pacha inquired as to why people were not allowed to use Nursery Lane; Trueblood indicated this is a condition stipulated by the county. Napoleon Park/Girls Softball: The project is progressing, with plans for Girls Softball games being played on these fields next summer. An irrigation system will be installed and Iowa City Girls Softball is finishing up the concession stand this summer. The parking lot may not be finished next year in that the area needs to settle before a hard- surfaced parking lot is installed. A letter from Iowa City Girls Softball was distributed to the commission. Iowa City Girls Softball would like to enter into a cooperative effort to install lights on four of the girls softball fields at Napoleon Park. The approximate cost is $100,000 and Iowa City Girls Softball would like the city to commit to paying one-half of the cost. Trueblood noted that Iowa City Girls Softball will be putting in a lot of volunteer labor in order to keep the costs down. Trueblood felt it was a good plan and that sufficient funding should be available in the Napoleon Park renovation project. Pacha felt it was a great idea, with Fearing stating he felt money could be saved if the project was completed now. Wilburn supported the concept of private investment with public dollars. Moved by Maurer, seconded by Fearing, to support Iowa City Gir~s Softball proposal to install lights on four of the softball fields at Napoleon Park at an approximate cost of $100,000 and the city committing to paying one-half of this cost, to be covered within the budgeted allocation for the Napoleon Park redevelopment project. Unanimous. Hickory Hill Trail: Staff had its first meeting with the consultant to discuss the trail system. April 28 will be the first of two meetings held in order to receive public input, the first meeting being by invitation only (nearby Neighborhood Associations, Environmental Advocates, FIRST, the vario. us trail committees, Riverfront and Natural Areas Commission, etc.) and the second meeting for the general public. Trueblood noted he would like to have a commission representative attend, with Stroh volunteering. (NOTE: Plans were changed to hold only one meeting, scheduled for April 30). Oakland CemetezT: Staff is still waiting to hear from the Chicago firm completing a "master plan" to maximize utilization of space in Oakland Cemetery. Babe Ruth Baseball: The city is working with Babe Ruth on field #1 at Mercer Park, installing a grass infield, added irrigation, and improvements to the back stop, warning track and drainage. Babe Ruth is making plans to host an eight state regional tournament this year. RIVERFRONT AND NATURAL AREAS COMMISSION REPORT Fearing reported Julie Tallman, Iowa City Development Regulation Specialist, presented a slide presentation on the Sensitive Areas Ordinance. He felt it was very informative and that the commission may also be interested it. Fearing reported he is on the Arbor Day Committee, noting it will be the 125th anniversary. Present plans are to plant 6 trees and 150 flowers at Ryerson's Woods. PARKS AND RECREATION FOUNDATION REPORT (Mercer Park Gymnasium Project) Trueblood reported Dave Hoeksema and he had several promising meetings with prospective contributors on Monday, April 7. Campaign Co-chairs are Matt Pacha, Jack Muller and Bill Brandt, and a meeting of the full campaign cabinet is scheduled for Tuesday, April 15. COMMISSION TIME Fearing asked if plans have been developed to offer a senior softball league, with Moran stating it has been offered. Fearing inquired about the post which had been removed at Crandic Park, noting it prevented vehicles going onto the trail. Howell stated it is removed during the winter for snow removal and will be reinstalled. Fearing asked if it would be possible to put a'wind screen on the west side of the City Park tennis courts; Moran will look into ito Wilburn complimented staff on the grand opening of the soccer complex, and encouraged parents to car pool as much as possible. He also suggested offering a Saturday/Sunday bus route after the complex is up and fully running° DIRECTOR'S REPORT Trueblood reported on the following: Leash Free Zone: Copies of petitions were distributed to the commission requesting a leash free zone for pet owners in Hickory Hill Park. Staff will initiate discussions with the Police Department and Animal Control to obtain their thoughts on this proposal. Maurer stated he had safety concerns, noting the recent incident where a dog was attacked by unleashed dogs in Hickory Hill Park. Stroh indicated an ordinance would also be involved and suggested including this request in future master planning. Trueblood stated he would discuss this issue with the Legal Department. Wilburn noted a park in St. Louis where dogs have been abandoned, stating it may be difficult to know if a dog is with its owner. Trueblood stated he would proceed at staff level and will report back to the commission. 4 Peninsula Park Development: The Regional Trails and Bicycling Committee is interested in forming a committee to develop recommendations regarding trails and parkland on either side of the Iowa River Power Dam. They would like a representative from the Parks and Recreation Commission. Stroh indicated he is the University's representative on the Regional Trail Committee. He stated there is money to go ahead and open up the dam crossing, but noted the trail does not link up to anything. He stated there is a need for this committee to plan for trail development in the peninsula area. Ross Wilburn and Kathy Wallace volunteered to serve on this committee. DowntownPlanninG/Work Session: An all-day planning session/workshop is scheduled for Thursday, April 10, to discuss downtown Iowa City and to follow up on the Downtown Strategy Report. Mike Moran, Joyce Carroll, Sheri Thomas, and Trueblood will be attending this meeting. The City Manager has implemented and will facilitate the meeting. Moved by Wilburn, seconded by Fearing, to adjourn. meeting adjourned at 6:20 p.m. Unanimous. The RIVERFRONT AND NATURAL AREAS COMMISSION WEDNESDAY MARCH 19, 1997 - 5:30 PM LOBBY CONFERENCE ROOM MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT: STAFF PRESENT: OTHERS PRESENT: Cortney Daniels, Catherine Pugh, Lori Goetsch, Richard Hoppin, Ken Fearing, Larry Wilson, Gretchen Grimm, Joe Kral, Jim Pugh David Thayer Neumann, Tallman, Dulceak Seiberling CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Daniels called the meeting to order at 5:30 PM. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA: Daniels noted changes to the agenda. CONSIDERATION OF THE MINUTES OF THE FEBRUARY 19.1997. MEETING: Goetsch and Wilson noted changes to the minutes. J. Pugh motioned to approve the minutes as amended. Wilson seconded. The motion to approve the minutes passed on a vote of 7-0, RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE CITY COUNCIL: The Commission asked the Council and its Rules Committee to consider a recommendation that the City Council adopt the Riverfront and Natural Areas Commission by-laws amendments regarding membership, officers, and amendments. REQUESTS TO THE CITY MANAGER: There were none. COMMISSION DISCUSSION: a. Presentation by the Iowa City Development Regulation Specialist, Julie Tallman. Tallman covered the mechanisms of the Sensitive Areas Ordinance. She outlined the objectives involving the environmental and building concerns. Sensitive areas include: wetlands, slopes, woodlands and others. Tallman explained the use of buffers to protect areas. Wilson and J. Pugh asked about the process of designation. Tallman explained how it occurs before development planning. She reviewed the circumstances for re-zoning and waivers. Tallman used local examples to explain the mitigation situations and exemptions. Riverfront and Natural Areas Commission March 19, 1997 Page 2 Wilson asked for clarification of maintenance exemptions. Tallman said this is for single family/duplex exterior maintenance. J. Pugh asked for details for the designation of wetlands. Tallman outlined the circumstances that make an area a wetland. Grimm arrived at 6:00 PM. Tallman said permitted uses included park land, stream crossings and public utilities. She used a map to illustrate the different control areas and the locations in Iowa City. Site plans and maps are sent to the State archeologist for clearance, if there are no significant sites on the planned development area. Tallman showed photos of past review plans and explained the concern and solution in each site. Wilson asked about follow up with expansion and maintenance in Sensitive Areas. Tallman said existing properties are exempt. b. Discuss Flood Plain Ordinance changes. Neumann updated the information on the proposed changes and the evaluation of the effect the ordinance is having. J. Pugh suggested identification of the rain drain plains which are hazardous during flooding. Wilson noted concern over waiting to make evaluations by the commission and questioned the review. Neumann said the council wanted review and it made its way to RNAC. The memos in the packet represent the opinions of the Engineering department. Daniels suggested J..Pugh and Goetsch make a list of concerns and issues with the ordinance to provide a focus for group discussion. Wilson requested the Commission find out if review is needed before progressing. Daniels said they need to write a memo to council to get some direction on this. J. Pugh and Wilson will do the draft of the memo. Fearing asked about clarification. Daniels explained the intent of the memo so the group would know what the council wanted done in a review. Neumann said the memo should go to Bob Miklo. Wilson identified some areas of concern as being visual compatibility with the preservation corridor. c. Discuss Joint Committee to prepare plans for the Peninsula area. Neumann said the dam should be complete in Spring '98, and the roads to the well houses complete in Fall '98. He said complications with the EIk's Club are still a stumbling block. d. Update on the Butler House. Neumann said the City is currently taking bids for the "mothbailing" of the house, work will begin this summer. Grimm asked for location clarification. Neumann said it was on the north side of the Interstate by the new water plant. The 1850's home is going to be preserved. COMMISSION ACTION: a. 1997 Arbor Day project proposal. Daniels reviewed the work done by the sub-committee. The list was narrowed to Ryerson Woods. Forestry Department has trees that the Commission can plant in that park. Suggested dates were for April 26 or the evening of April 25. J. Pugh noted this will be the 125th anniversary of Arbor Day and that should be incorporated in the event. Kral asked about the Riverfront and Natural Areas Commission Maroh 19, 1997 Page 3 location of the plantings. Daniels explained that Forestry will pre-dig the holes. She added the possibility of giving out an award during the Arbor Day event. Neumann explained the famous trees program and the possibility of working with some of the local schools next year. b. Proposed changes to RNAC By-laws. Neumann reviewed the changes and passed out the additional changes not included in the packet. Daniels addressed the time and location perimeters covered in the additional page. Neumann said the Commission needed to approve and then send the changes to Council to officially change the by-laws. J. Pugh suggested adding required attendance at a meeting before a member is officially appointed. Daniels changed the wording with the formal orientation section to include suggesting attendance at a meeting. Neumann noted that the change in membership numbers and quorum requirements are now up to date. C. Pugh moved to approve the by-laws as amended. J. Pugh seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. c. Comments on FY98-2000 JCCOG Transportation Improvement Program. Daniels asked the group for comments on the Program. Wilson said he had no recommendations or comments. Hoppin motioned to approve the JCCOG Program, Geotsch seconded. The motion carried unanimously. OTHER BUSINESS: a. F.I.R.S.T. Daniels said the organization is focusing on Willow Creek Trail by West High School. Four neighborhood associations are involved with bringing the trail to the West High parking lot. F.I.R.S.T. is excited about the Coralville Dam project and wants to work with the Commission on the Peninsula. The group requested a letter of support for the Willow Creek project. Daniels noted the exchange of support and information would be beneficial to both groups. She said a F.I.R.S.T. representative would attend this Commission's next meeting. Fearing said Willow Creek might be considered open space for a developer. Daniels gave the date and time for the next F.I.R.S.T. meeting. J. Pugh motioned to invite F.I.R.S.'r. representative to the next meeting. Wilson seconded. The motion carried unanimously, b. Focus for the new year. Daniels noted the need for a focus area or theme for the new year. She suggested creeks and trails as an option. c. March for Parks. Riverfront and Natural Areas Commission March 19, 1997 Page 4 Daniels said the Bird Tower was moving to Johnson County and a site near the Butler House has been suggested. She noted the date and time of the next March for Parks meeting. d. Ralston Creek Clean-up. Daniels relayed the Ralston Creek Clean-Up information. e. Commission assignments. There were none. Neumann noted the April 7th Council meeting will include a presentation on the Power Company Dam project. Wilson addressed the Joint Committee on the Peninsula issue. He questioned whether the coalition should be put off due to the complications with the EIk's Club. Daniels said input from others was needed. J. Pugh said that private citizens can inquire about it. Wilson suggested using caution with that approach because it could create complications. ADJOURNMENT: C. Pugh moved to adjourn, Grimm seconded. The motion carried unanimously. jccogtp\rnac3-19.doc Riverfront and Natural Areas Commission Proposed Changes to the By-Laws The following are proposed changes to the RNAC by-laws. The commission would like to submit these changes to the Iowa City City Council's Rules Committee. The proposed changes are listed below. Article II, Membership Current: Section 1, Membership: The Riverfront and Natural Areas Commission of the City of Iowa City, Iowa, shall consist of ten (10) members or commissioners. (the remainder of the paragraph remains the same) The commission members shall be appointed in the following manner: nine (9) of the members or commissioners, including those from outside Iowa City, Iowa, shall be appointed by the City Council of the City of Iowa City, upon recommendation by the Mayor. (the remainder of the paragraph remains the same) Proposed Changes: Section 1, Membership: The Riverfront and Natural Areas Commission of the City of Iowa City, Iowa, shall consist of eleven (11) members or commissioners. (the remainder of the paragraph remains the same) : The commission members shall be appointed in the following manner: Ten (10) of the members or commissioners, including those from outside Iowa City, Iowa, shall be appointed by the City Council of the City of Iowa City, upon recommendation by the Mayor. (the remainder of the paragraph remains the same) Article !1, Membership, Current: Section 3, Terms: Upon the expiration of members' terms, new three-year term appointments shall be made. Present members are eligible for reappointment. The term of office of the Parks and Recreation Commission representative shall be one year, beginning January 1 and ending December 31. Proposed Changes: Section 3, Terms: Upon the expiration of the members' terms, new three-year term appointments shall be made with terms expiring and beginning on January 1. Current members are eligible for reappointment. If a position/appointment becomes vacant by reason of resignation or otherwise and results in an unexpired term, the Council may choose to fill the unexpired term in such a manner that the appointee shall continue in the position not only through the unexpired term but also through the subsequent regular term. Current: Section 4, Absences: Three consecutive, unexplained absences of a Commission member may result in a recommendation to the Mayor from the Commission to discharge said member and appoint a new Commission member. Proposed Changes: Section 4, Absences: Three unexplained absences, without notification, of a Commission member within the period of one (1) calendar year, may result in a recommendation to the Mayor from the Commission to discharge said member and appoint a new Commission member. Current: Section 5, Orientation for New Members: Prior to the first regular meeting following their appointment, new members shall be provided with copies of the pertinent portions of the City Code, Riverfront and Natural Areas Commission, By-Laws, and other documents that would be useful to Commission members in carrying out their duties. Proposed Changes: {in addition to the above paragraph) Section 5, Orientation for New Members: An orientation meeting will also be required within sixty (60) days of the member' appointment. Attendance at meetings prior to a members official appointment is encouraged. The orientation meeting will take place at a public facility. Article III, Officers, Current: ' Section 2, Election and Term of Office: The Officers of this Commission shall be elected annually for one year terms. Proposed Changes: Section 2, Election and Terms of Office: The Officers of this Commission shall be elected annually at the first regular meeting in January each year for a one year term, Proposed Addition to Article III, Officers: Section 6, Nominating Committee: A nominating committee of three (3) shall be assembled at the first regular meeting in December each year. One nominee for Chair and one nominee for Vice Chair shall be recommended to the commission at the first regular meeting in January each year. Article V, Amendments, Current: Section 1: These by-laws may be altered, amended, or repealed and new by-laws may be adopted by the members at any regular meeting or at any special meeting called for that purpose, Proposed Changes: Section 1: These by-laws may be altered, amended, or repealed and new by-laws may be adopted by an affirmative vote of a quorum of the Commission at any regular meeting or at any special meeting called for that purpose. Amendments shall be approved by the Council to become effective. jccogsw\rnacbvI.doc