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Home My WebLink About1996-04-09 CorrespondenceMarch 25, 1996 RECEIVED F'IAR '2 8 t996 Naomi Novak, Mayor Civic Center 410 E. Washington Iowa City, IA Dear Naomi: BBoPs, the alternative transportation advocates, will again be sponsoring several events during the week of May 13-18. As in the past, we are soliciting the City Council to participate in one of our activities. Specifically, we are asking city council members to help us distribute cookie to bus riders on the morning of May 14. We distribute cookies from about 6:45-8:15 a.m. at the bus interchange and the University Hospital northside bus stop. This activity is well received by bus patrons who are quite surprised to find people distributing free cookies at that hour of the day. Several council members have participated in the past and have found it an enjoyable event. We hope that this years council will agree to join us. I will contact you later in April with more specifics. We have appreciated City Councils support in the past, and hope that you can find time in your schedules to help us in 1996. Cordially, Robert A. Oppliger 1903 Grantwood St. Iowa City, IA 52240 cc Larry Baker, Karen Kubby, Ernie Lehman, Dee Norton, Dean Thornberry, Dee Vanderhof 2 April, 1996 Dear Members of the Iowa City City Coundl and Johnson County Board of Supervisors, You are cordially invited to attend a very special program to welcome the lamas of the Sera Je Monastery to Iowa City. This Friday, April 5, at noon, at the Iowa City Public Library, this group of Tibetan lamas will give a free concert preview and perform a blessing for the health and welfare of Iowa city. Friday evening at 7:30 pro, at MacBride Auditorium, there will be a bye performance of The Spirit of Tibet, a multi-media program featuring traditional Tibetan sacred dance, music, and chants accompanied by video and traditional instruments. The program is sponsored by the U of I South Asian Studies Program of the Center for International and Comparative Studies, and by Jalandhara Meditation Center. Tickets for Friday evening are available at Prairie Lights Books, or at the door. We are very honored and pleased to have the opportunity to host the lamas in Iowa City. lye sincerely hope you will be able to join us in welcoming them. Sincerely, Russell Karkowski for Jalandhara Meditation Center THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA RECEIVED APR 0 319§§ April 1,1996 Iowa City-City Council Civic Center 410 E. Washington St. Iowa City, IA 52240 Dear Councillors: It has been brought to the attention of the University of Iowa Professional and Scientific Staff Council that there may be a change in bus schedules for Iowa City. One of the changes involves a later start time than is currently being used. This change could seriously impact a large number of staff who need to be at work by 7:00 am. We ask that you reconsider this proposed change in light of the hundreds of University Staff utilizing your service at that time in the morning. We appreciate your consideration and would be happy to address questions or comments you might have. 2~/~Sincerely, Kenneth C. Moore President UI Staff Council Laura Reed President-elect UI Staff Council Universiv/Staff Counci) lOS Jessup Hal: Iowa City, Iowa 52242-J316 CENTERS ACE RECEIvEE APR 0 4 1996 April 4, 1996 To: ~rom: Iowa Ci.ty Council Members: Larry Baker, Karen Kubby, Ernie Lehman, Dee Norton, Naomi Novick, Dean Thornberry, Dee Vanderhoef and Iowa City Staff: Steve Arkins, Karin Franklin Karen Chappell, Joyce Summerwill and Shirley Wyrick Co-Chairs, The CenterSpace Committee ADDENDUM TO EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Last week you received from City Staff the CenterSpace Executive Summary which was compiled for an Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce Round Table discussion, after we had scaled down the space requirements for the Cultural Center portion of the concept. Because of time considerations, the figures used for the projected annual operating expenses were based on the larger project as proposed in the Feasibility Study. The CenterSpace Committee is now in the process of scaling down the operating expenses in proportion to the scaled-down concept. It is our intention to be self sufficient operationally, if the City of Iowa City leases the space at no cost to the not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization as suggested and provides utilities for the Cultural Center space. April 4, 1996 CENTE R PACE To: Iowa City Council Members: Larry Baker, Karen Kubby, Ernie Lehman, Dee Norton, Naomi Novick, Dean Thomberry, Dee Vanderhoef and Iowa City Staff: Steve Arkins, Karin Franklin From: Karen Chappell, Joyce Summerwill and Shirley Wyrick Co-Chairs, The CenterSpace Committee The CenterSpace Concept We believe this community is graced with a rare opportunity to demonstrate the vision our citizens have celebrated in the past. The foresight of earlier leaders brought about a dova~town renewal that's the envy of municipalities nationwide. The renewal project and ensuing civic, business and volunteer efforts through the years have preserved, enhanced, and multiplied the unique at~ibutes that make Iowa City a destination rather than a departing point in this region. It's time for a next visiona~T step. The opportunity before us calls for inventive use of the last remaining parcel of downtown urban renewal property. At the request of the Iowa City Council, the City staff will soon formulate plans to market this large parcel, located just east of the Holiday Inn and south of the Iowa City Public Library. It is in a strategic area, where cultural events enjoy a strong tradition and pedestrian paths run in all directions. How can this property best be used to further our city's vision to benefit this region? Can a facility be packaged that will become our downtown's keystone ~upporting, complementing and enhancing the creative spirit of all activities and enterprises that surround it? Can a facility be envisioned to meet documented co_mmv._n_;ty needs and attract increasing numbers of people to experience the heart of Iowa City and the heart of our region? Can we envision and bring to reality in this key location a structure of intrinsic community value along with commercial value to a developer and a tax value to the city? We believe that with an inventive approach, the answer to these questions is Yes, and that this property in the hub of downtown activity should be marketed with a blend of community goals and commercial goals. By doing so, the two kinds of goals become symbiotic. These goals are embodied in a concept called CenterSpace, the result of more than five years of consideration by a large number of involved citizens. Their discussions led to a professional feasibility study affirming in 1994 the need and logic for incorporating cultural and conference facilities-with the potential for other mixed use as well-into plans for the site, and offering guidelines for approaches to consider. The CenterSpace volunteer group brought together a cross section of area residents and more than 40 arts organizations with well-established and popular programming-groups and individuals concerned not only about cultural needs, but also about the future of Iowa City and its downtown. Our committee is dedicated to realizing a dream that will incorporate community and regional cultural and meeting elements into the plans .for this site, or if this can't be orchestrated, for a similar downtown site. We stand ready to work cooperatlvely with the City Council and staff, the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce*, the Downtown Association*, and all other interested individuals and groups in this vision to build on excitement and to strengthen the heart of our city and region. Visions require collaboration and invention. Inventor Charles Kettering once said our interest should be in the future, because that's where we'll spend the rest of our lives. * In February, the Chamber of Commerce reco~ffirmed its endorsement of the CenterSpace concept and the Downtown Association, the association of businesses in downtown Iowa City, also endorsed the concept. Members of the CenterSpace Committee, a Task Force of the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce: Richard Blazek - Part Cain - Karen Chappell, co-chair - Wally Chappell - Maggie Convoy - Judith Dows - ~o'rm Fitzpatrick - Wendy Ford - Donna Friedman - Gloria Galask - Rudy Galask - Mary Gantz - Patrick Grady - John Hess - Jo Jones - Chrisflane Knorr - Mary Lea Kruse - Donald Macfarlane - Betty McKray - Barbara Nilansen-K - Kevin O'Brien - Ren~ Paine - Laurie Robinson - Robert Sierk - W. Richard Summerwill - Joyce Summerwill, co-chair - Alan Swanson - Wallace Tomasini - Dickie Van Meter - Steve West - Craig Willis - Shirley Wyrick, co-chair A Vision for Developing a Regional Cultural Center The City of Iowa City must demonstrate vision by embracing, promoting and enhancing its unique identity as a lively, cultarallydrich community that serves citizens and attracts visitors. This ~dentity, distinct from other municipalities in the state, can be a significant engine for economic and tax-base growth. The need for a cultural center in the Iowa City area was articulated by citizens of this community long before the CenterSpace committee came into being. With more than 40 established arts organizations in Johnson County voicing need for facilities in which to present, perform and meet, the CenterSpace committee brought together a cross section of area residents concerned about not only cultural needs, but also about the future of Iowa City and its downtown. A mixed use facility, including a cultural center in Iowa City, could be of primary importance to the downtown's continued vitality and to the public perception of its unique identity. It will serve to complement commercial development by neighborinl~ communities and satisfy longtime desires and needs voiced by citizens. The concept of a combined conference and cultural center grew out of the CenterSpace committee's diligent work for over five years to help identify and more closely define the needs and desires of businesses, cultural organizations and the community at large. The City of Iowa City funded a feasibility study that was undertaken to provide guidelines, rather than a blueprint, for the development of a co]fference/cultural center on the last urban renewal parcel. These guidelines indicate the strength of the concept when conference center and cultural center are linked cooperatively. A conference/cultural center will respond to the economic needs of the community by attracting visitors, expanding the tax base and increasing citizen opportunities. Providing needed services in cultural affairs, arts, sciences, and recreation has a positive economic impact that is well documented across the nation. 2 As the last urban renewal parcel is marketed, City officials have agreed to continue to confer with the Cente~$pace committee, and use it as a resource, in the writing of the RFP (request for proposal) for this property, and in the parcel's subsequent development. Allowance for phased expansion should be considered in building and developing a cultural center facility. At a minimum, the City of Iowa City should negotiate with the developer(s) of the urban renewal site, to the extent possible, to accomplish the goals of the cultural center and conferencing facilities. · The CenterSpace Committee* remains dedicated to realizing a cultural center in the best possible location and to finding a way to provide for this much needed keystone for the Iowa City area's future vitality and uniqueness. The Committee promises to work cooperatively with the many individuals and groups interested in keeping Iowa City's active downtown vital and viable far into the future. · The CenterSpace Committee is a task force of the Arts Business Partnership Committee of the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce. City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: To: From: Re: April 1, 1996 The Honorable Mayor, City Council and City Clerk James Brachtel, Traffic Engineer Stop Sign Installation on Fifth Avenue at its Intersection with F Street Removal of Stop Signs on F Street at its Intersection with Fifth Avenue As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 3 of the City Code, this is to advise you of the following action: ACTION: Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A5 of the City Code, the City Traffic Engineer will direct the installation of a stop sign on Fifth Avenue at its intersection with F Street so as to cause traffic on Fifth Avenue to stop prior to entering the right-of-way of F Street. Additionally, the City Traffic Engineer will direct the removal of the stop signs currently in place on F Street, requiring traffic on F Street to stop and yield to traffic on Fifth Avenue. This removal will provide right-of-way to traffic on F Street. These actions will take place on or shortly after April 16, 1996. COMMENT: This action is being taken as an alteration to the basketweave stop sign installations that were placed in this neighborhood in November of 1994, 141'/ City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: To: From: Re: April 1, 1996 The Honorable Mayor, City Council and City Clerk James Brachtel, Traffic Engineer Stop Sign Installation on F Street at its Intersection with Sixth Avenue As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 3 of the City Code, this is to advise you of the following action: ACTION: Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A5 of the City Code, the City Traffic Engineer will direct the installation of stop signs on F Street at its intersection with Sixth Avenue so as to create an all-way stop. This action will occur on or shortly after April 16, 1996. COMMENT: This action is being taken in concert with the reversal of stop signs at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and F Street. The action proposed above will be a break in the basketweave pattern for the neighborhood but will ensure that there is a stop on F Street between Fourth Avenue and Seventh Avenue, thereby reinforcing the intention of the basketweave pattern. ¥~01 ')d.!3 'Vl,~01 ~Jml"i~ ' ).10 L ~1 :~ Did Z- ~d~/96 City of iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: April 1, 1996 To; The Honorable Mayor, City Council and City Clerk From: James Brachtel, Traffic Engineer Re: Stop Sign Installation on Waterfront Drive at its Northerly Intersection with Stevens Drive As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 3 of the City Code, this is to advise you of the following action: ACTION: Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A5 of the City Code, the City Traffic Engineer will direct the installation of a stop sign on Waterfront Drive at its northerly intersection with Stevens Drive. Additionally, the Traffic Engineer will direct the removal of the stop sign on Stevens Drive at this intersection with Waterfront Drive, thereby reversing the assignment of right-of-way at this intersection. This action will take place upon the completion of the paving of Waterfront Drive south of this intersection. COMMENT: This action is being taken so as to more correctly reflect the assignment of right-of-way necessitated by the rebuilding of Waterfront Drive and Stevens Drive in conjunction with the new Hy-Vee Store. Historically, Stevens Drive has T'd into Waterfront Drive. Upon the completion of the new street in this area, Waterfront Drive will T into Stevens Drive from the north. It is anticipated that construction and reopening will occur during the third week of April 1996. bj~,st oPs~gn wd ¥MOI 'A I. i3 '¢MOI Lq :g ~lcl g- ~clV 96 City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: April 1, 1996 To: The Honorable Mayor, City Council and City Clerk From: James Brachtel, Traffic Engineer Re: Parking Prohibition on both the North and South Sides of Stevens Drive from its intersection with Gilbert Street east to its easterly intersection with Waterfront Drive As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 3 of the City Code, this is to advise you of the following action: ACTION: Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A10 of the City Code, the City Traffic Engineer will direct the installation of NO PARKING ANY TIME signs on both the north and south sides of Stevens Drive from its intersection with Gilbert Street east to its easterly intersection with Waterfront Drive. This action will take place upon the completion of the new paving of Waterfront Drive south of Stevens Drive. COMMENT: Historically, Stevens drive has been a commercial collector servicing various commercial properties, both on the north and south sides of Steven Drive. All abutting properties have had sufficient off-street parking so that the incident of on-street parking has been nil. With the changes in commercial property and the completion of the new Hy-Vee Store in this area, the intent of this action is to reinforce and post Stevens Drive as NO PARKING ANY TIME. It is anticipated that with the opening of the new Hy-Vee Store, the amount of traffic using Stevens Drive will increase and the posting noted above will ensure a more clear and direct path between Gilbert Street and the Hy-Vee Store entrance. ¥At01 '),113 '/401 RECEIVED Jennifer McLarty, Executive Director Iowa City Children's Museum 1917 Lakeside Ddve Iowa City, IA 52240 March 25, 1996 Naomi Novick Mayor of Iowa City Civic Center 410 East Washington Iowa City, Iowa 52240 Dear Mayor Novick: The Iowa City Children's Museum (ICCM) is a wonderful new project that is quickly gaining support in the community. The proposed Museum will be a 13,000 square foot, self-supporting, not for profit facility with hands-on exhibits for children 0-12 years old. In a nutshell....the Iowa City Children's Museum will provide a learning playground for our children, internships for our college students, educational field trips for our classrooms and home-schoolers, fundraisers for our schools and charitable organizations, and volunteer opportunities for everyone. On March 11th, we were invited to present this project at a forum gathered by The Chamber of Commerce. The meeting was very informative and reinforced our belief that a Children's Museum is both a want and a need in our community. It also opened our eyes to some new possibilities for locations including the land parcel behind the Iowa City Public Library. Steve Arkins was present at the forum and passed the information about the ICCM on to The City Council. This letter is to formally introduce our organization to you and to let you know that we are interested in pursuing a downtown location on the available land parcel. For further discussion on this possibility, please contact me at 337-6825. I look fortNard to discussing the Iowa City Children's Museum with you in the near future. Sincerely, Jennifer McLarty, Executive Director Iowa City Children's Museum 2014 Rochester ~ve. ]o~a C~ty, ]~ 52245 9 ~p:il, !996 Naomi Novick, Hayo~ iowa City City Council 410 East Washington Street Iowa City ]~ 52240 Re: Transportation networks in new subdivisions Dear ~ayor Novick: lhe layout of sidewa]ks and trails is an often neglected but vital component in the transportation plans for all r, et~ neJghborh(xxls. For our Iowa City derelements, these essential parts of the public infrastructure nea:'ly always are ;)laced adjacent to the streets. lhe pedestrian (and bicycle) traffic on the sidewalks generates constant conflict with the motorized vehJcie5 using tile driveways J.~hich cr~s the sidewalks at frequenL intervals. When a subdivision has priva~.e or public ~en space large enough %o provide alternate aligc~ents for sidewalks or tra~!s away fro~ its streets, this ~3es sp~ce should be designled %o contain %hen,. Indeed, while attenaing the recent South ~rea New Neighbathes Pla~-ning Workshes, ] w85 astonished by %he importance that the participants placeo on having an integrated sysl.e~, of sidewalk5 a~]d trails tha~ is ~nOependent of, and supporting to, the street n~t~ork. Once the streets, lots, aad private o~ publi. c open ~pace Js platted, it is nearly b~possible to retrofit a neJghborhc~x~ with such a con~pJementary, integrated sidewalk aR0 trail network. We Ilave but to l~k to the decades of difficulty that we 1lay9 had ~n constructing the Iowa River Corridor Ir'ail for am example of the pr~]em5 retrofJttiqg adequate 5ide~-;alk/tFai] netmo,'k5 to neighbathes. D] the last five years, only three subdivisions have provided adequate sidewalk/trail network5: tile best network (but 5tii] only marginally adequate) in Windsor Ridge, a~d ]ess adequate ones in village Green South and ~ormon Trek Village. ~s an exampie of a subdivision ulrich coald easily provide a co~Jlple.".,e:ltary side~a!k or Lrail serving its center, but d~s not, I poiuL out the Galway Hills, Parts ;hree and Four, pre]im}nary plal. %hal is on your agenda ]aLer tonight. With ~odest Fedesign, the private ~en space in Outlot 2 could contalP a side~a!k or tiaii that uoulcl safely move bicycle and f~t traffic Jn a norl. h %o south direction Jro[, ~11e hea~ t of the subdivision ~o the planned N~ilow Creek Tra!l while minim~ziug conflicts uiLIm motor vehicles (see attached figure). With or~er design, such a use wo~¢id De fully compatible with tile present 5i:~g!e use of this outlot for stormwate,' detention. Furtheri~,oFe, a s,~a]l park could be constructed at the northern tra~l he,~d, In tl:e area reserved for future development, %o serve a5 a centrally located p]aygrouqd ~or Lhe neighborh~d. yOU for your attention to these matters. S bx~cre]y you.'"3, RJcl~a,,'d S. Rhodes FOLLO~glNG IS ~ & FOUR / / /