HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997-09-09 CorrespondenceS~p-O2-g? o3: 37
FRON : BRINES MRNP~MENT
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~ug. 30 1997 01:~GPM P2
'P.O.. Box 64
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,
Robyn Parks
917 Dearborn St.
Iowa City, Iowa
52240
AU6 2 8 ]997
OFFICE
August 26, 1997
Dear Mayor Novick, Counselors Baker, Lehman, Kubby, Norton,
Thornberry, and Vanderhoef:
I attended a portion of tonight's city council meeting, for the specific
purpose of hearing others' opinions regarding the First Avenue
extension. I appreciate the listening you did, yet I am disappointed
that the council was unable or chose not to have a conversation with
the community members. Listening to your assessments as to why
the five council members voted in favor of putting the extension in
its beginning stages would have been beneficial for me. As it now
stands, without the opportunity to hear why you voted the way you
did, I continue to exhort all of the council to support Scott Boulevard
as the arterial extension, not First Avenue, it was intended to be.
I wrote to Mayor Novick, and Counselors Lehman, Thornberry and
Vanderhoef last week asking them to not give their support to this
proposal. I was not aware that Dee Norton was in favor or I would
have written to him as well. I thank Dee Vanderhoef for calling me
regarding the letter I sent. She was informative and explained her
position. Unfortunately, as I understand it, there is no further
opportunity to have a conversation with the council as a whole. I am
distressed that there is no chance to speak with you as an decision
making body. Clearly there needs to be a time to close discussion,
yet it seems this is not the time, as many of the community are just
becoming aware of the issue.
On Friday, you will speak to one another and I will listen. It is my
hope that you will give the council a two year extension to further
hear from the community and study our needs and wants. If this is
not possible, then I will work to support the referendum for the
November election.
Sincerely,
Robyn Parks
Date: Wed, 27 Aug 1997 14:03:14 -0600
From: "D. Beard" < dbeard@aoc.nrao.edu >
To: council@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu
Cc: dbeard@zia.aoc.nrao.edu
Subject: First Ave. Extention
8-27-97
Dear Iowa City, City Council,
We have of late seen rising descention among Iowa Citians concerning the
extention of First Ave. They are asking that they have a vote or at least
some say in the situation. After some discussion and eventually careful
consideration my friends and I have concluded in our own personal theory
concerning the problem and offer this theory to you to use as you our own
personal theory concerning the problem and offer this theory to you to
use as you may.
We believe the problem lies in a general discontentment of the population as
a hole. Thoughs of us who are natives or whom have lived here for at least
10 years have noticed the oppressive growth and expansion of Iowa City
which in and of itself is not healthy and causes the discontentment. One
does not need a PHD in Human Relationships to
know that growth is not good. Bigger is not better. For example, a casual
city crossing used to take 5 to 10 minutes. Now, due to the higher vehicular
Icad, construction site detours, slow moving construction vehicles, more
stop lights, below average speed limits,
etc. the same trip takes from 10 to 20 minutes. This makes people unhappy.
The closer community of 10 years ago knew almost every police officer by
name. Those officers had time to chat and lend a hand if need be. Todays
officer count is many and few of us know their names. They are young and
have to prove themselves. This makes people unhappy.
No matter what you do in this town you must stand in a line. If you go to the
bank you must stand in a line. If you go to an automatic teller you must
stand in a line. If you go to the grocery store you must stand in a line. After
parking at HyVee one can walk 1.2
blocks for a quart of milk and of course stand in a line. If you go to the
Quick Trip for a pack of gum you must stand in a line. People who want to
get into Iowa City and if you want to leave Iowa City you must stand in a
line. This makes people unhappy.
The average citizen having average intelligence believes that only a handful
of people in this town, not including business owners, are benefiting from
this fast growth which is much to the demise of the quality of living. This
make people very unhappy and they
subconsciously desire some kind of control. You may be seeing the tip of the
iceberg and if extreme slowing if not stop growth is inacted, that iceberg
may extend it's exponential
head.
Thank you for listening
Yours Truly
D.J. Beard
Iowa City Native
151 Ravencrest Drive
Iowa City, Iowa 52245
August 27, 1997
Iowa City Civic Center
City Council Members
410 East Washington Street
Iowa City, Iowa 52240
Dear City Council Memebers:
We listened %o the Open Meeting by the City Council last night. I
am writing to express our opinion.
These people seemed to be book educated buy do not seem to under-
stand basics. They blamed this Council for changing the promise
of the past city council. Do they not realize that Iowa City is
growing and along with population growth MUST come growth of roads
too? And so therefore laws must change also.
We feel Iowa City will and does need more that just one enterance
(Dodge Street) to Interstate 80. First Avenue and Scott Streets
are the very best choices and will certainly be better than just
one street. The semi truck are now using Scott Street and then
West Branch road. Would it not be better to have them go directly
onto Interstate 80?
If the City Council were to open up Scott Street then First and
Dodge Street would be open to cars to go directly to Interstate 80.
They also stated that the noise would ruin the quiet and peace of
the park. Plant a row of Evergreens along the very narrow piece of
Hickory Hills park. No one will ever realize there is a road there.
and people on the road will never realize there is a park located
there.
We feel these very same people will enjoy using First Avenue to
get to Interstate 80 more than anyone else that were doing all the
complaining.
Another thing, we want to compliment these people for doing such
a good job of advertising Hickory Hill park. We have never been
there, but will now be going there. We did not realize it was such
a nice park.
Sincerely,
Bob & Helen Ramer
358 Magowan
Iowa City IA 52246
27 August 1997
Iowa City City Council
410 East Washington
Iowa City IA 52240
To the City Council
I recommend that Hickory Hill Park be not interfered with by road construction.
The pm'k is a unique resource for the city and deserves preservation.
Sincerely,
R. Lakes
1552 Prairie du Chien I/d.
Iowa City, IA 52245
(319) 339-7330
August 25, 1997
City Council of Iowa City
Civic Center
410 E Washington St.
Iowa City, IA 52240
Dear City Council,
I am writing to you to alert you to a problem that exists in Iowa City and to request action on your part to
rectify this situation.
I have resided in Iowa City for four years. One year ago, I adopted a dog, Maggie, from a family in Cedar
Rapids who was no longer able to care for her. In the past year, Maggie and I have established a walk as
part of our daily routine. These walks have been an invaluable part of our time together, as they afford an
opportunity for training, socialization with unfamiliar people and places, as well as a time to relax and
enjoy the outdoors.
However, over the past year, I have become increasingly aware of the lack of observance of Iowa City's
leash laws by many of Iowa City's dog owners:J,n our neighborhood, I can count on seeing a dog off its
leash at least thirty percent of the time. In other words, if I walk Maggie seven times a week, we will see
a dog off leash at least twice. While this may not :seem like an extreme problem, it has become ve~y
problematic for us as Maggie has been approached four times this summer by dogs who have come out of
their owner's property. Three of these incidents involved the other dog approaching her aggressively;
one of these three--the most recent--resulted in Maggie requiting veterinary care for bite wounds.
The problem of owners not observing the leash law is compounded, however, by the fact that most
people (including myself) are home with their dogs (and thus when many dogs are "let out") in the
evening and on weekends, at which time there are no Animal Control officers on duty. I have spoken
with the police department about their authority over animal control in the evening, and was advised that
unless my dog or I am attacked or threatened, they cannot be of assistance. However, when Maggie was
attacked earlier this month--on a Sunday evening--I called the police and was advised to call Animal
Control the next morning, as the dog's owner had already put the dog back in his house and so the dog no
longer posed a threat. I called Animal Control the next morning, and they have thus far been unsuccessful
in their efforts to meet with the man who owns the dog who attacked Maggie. They have been to his
house several times, but he has either refused to answer the door or has not been home. The officers at
Animal Control are doing everything they can to rectify this situation, but the lack of availability of Animal
Control officers in the evenings and on weekends has meant that more than three weeks after the attack,
the dog and the owner responsible have gone unpunished, and the situation remains unresolved. It
means that we have virtually no protection at the times we most need it.
Please note that I am not saying that all dog owners in my neighborhood are not observing the leash laws,
as many of them are. Nor am I saying that the problem exists only in my neighborhood. We have also
experienced "encounters" with dogs off-leash when walking in City Park and on the University walkways
near the river. However, I do want to maize clear the urgent need for stricter enforcement of city leash
laws. Maggie and I no longer feel safe walking alone in Iowa City. When on a walk, Maggie becomes
extremely agitated and anxious at the sight of another dog and I am constantly on my guard for dogs
running loose. Because we don't feel safe, we now take wallcs only when accompanied by at least one
other person, and I carry a wooden broom handle for protection. While this may seem extreme, our
experiences this past summer attest to the need for some form of protection against roaming dogs. It
seems wrong that I and other law-abiding citizens should have to take extraordinary measures to ensure
the safety of themselves and their dogs in order to take a simple walk.
And so, I am urging you to take action to tighten enforcement of the city's leash laws and to increase the
hours during which animal control officers are available for "routine" animal control complaints. Animals
and their owners should have the same protection on evenings and weekends as they have during the
day.
Thank-you in advance for your consideration of this issue.
Sincerely,
Beth Shields
September 5, 1997
City Council
City of Iowa City
HAND DELIVERED
Greater Iowa City Cultural Alliance
c/o Peter Sims
351 Willowind Place
Iowa City, IA 52246
(319) 354-7401
Dear City Council Members:
I understand you will soon be discussing the proposal for an Iowa City Public Art
Program. In this regard, ! wish to inform you of a recent vote by the membership of the
Greater Iowa City Cultural Alliance to endorse the proposal. The Alliance mission
statement and paid membership to date is listed below.
SincErely,
Peter N. Sims
Mission statement:
The mission of the Greater Iowa City Cultural Alliance is to foster cooperation and
dialogue among arts and cultural organizations and to increase quality opportunities
for self-expression, research and participation in arts and cultural activities in the
greater~Iowa City, Iowa area.
The Greater Iowa City Area Cultural Alliance Paid Membership
Arts Iowa City
The Barn Collections
Center Space/Shirley Wyrick
City High Arts Council
Hancher Auditorium
Iowa Artisan's Gallery
Iowa Arts Festival
Io~va Barbershop Chorus
Iowa City Chamber of Commerce
Iowa City Community Theatrer
Iowa City/Coralville Convention & Visitor's Bureau
Iowa City/Johnson County Senior Center
Iowa City Public Library
Iowa City Recreation Division
Iowa State Bank & Trust Co.
Naomi J. Novick
Julia J. Peterson
Preucil School of Music
Public Access Television, Inc.
Nancy Purington
Riverside Theatre
University or Iowa Museum of Art
West Music Company, Inc.
Women's Caucas for Art
IT¥ MANA i 'S OFFIC
August 22, 1997
Mayor Novick and Members of the City Council,
I think the redesigning of Iowa Avenue is a good idea, since Iowa City was the
first capitol of Iowa. It would be an asset to our City, reflecting how it looked
80 years ago. But how will a skywalk fit into this concept? It would also detract
from the downtown area.
First of all, the skywalk is not absolutely necessary. Why can't the students,
researchers, etc. walk or push carts with their materials across a 4-lane street
that has traffic lights at an intersection that is not that busy? The University
will be pushing for a skywalk as an art project. If the University has money for
an art project, let them put it somewhere else on the campus and in the art complex
on the west side.
The tunnel would be the best answer if a walkway has to be made. I heard it
would be too costly. Has this been really looked into? I don't know how it could
be more costly than an overhead walkway that would have to be maintained all the time.
Besides, if the tunnel were constructed, the University would not have to pay the
artist's fee.
This is our town and the citizens, businessmen and Council should let the
University know about our concerns for Iowa City and the downtown area.
Very truly yours,
Mrs. Kathryn ~eeley
301 Woodside Drive
Iowa City, Iowa 52246
cc:
Planning & Community Development
Chamber of Commerce
Downtown Association
September 5, 1997
CITY OF I0 WA CITY
Ms. Kathryn Keeley
301 Woodside Drive
Iowa City, IA 52246
Dear Ms. Keeley:
Thank you for your letter. I am pleased to know that you are supportive of our project to
improve Iowa Avenue. We have consultants working on this, and we expect to hear their
recommendations at Council's September 8 work session. (Seven o'clock, if you would like to
attend.)
The University of Iowa's skywalk decision does not have to be approved by the City Council.
We did tell them that we prefer a tunnel and that we prefer a different type of skywalk. Part of
the reason for hiring an artist was the City Council's concerns about the first skywalk plan. We
all understand that fragile organisms need to be protected from heat and cold while transported
between buildings. So your idea to cross at street level would not be as easy as it sounds.
I am sending a copy of your letter to Richard Gibson, Director of Facilities Services Group. He
is pleased to receive comments from the public and will give them to his committee members.
Sincerely,
Naomi J. Novick
Mayor
cc: Richard Gibson
City Council
jwAtr/nn-skywk.doc
410 EAST WASHINGTON STREET · IOWA CITY, IOWA $2240-1826 ~ (319) 356-5000 · FAX (319) 356-5009
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