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Home My WebLink About2004-06-15 Bd Comm minutes :;[J MINUTES APPROVED HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION APRIL 15,2004 - 6:30 P.M. LOBBY CONFERENCE ROOM, CITY HALL Members Presents: Jerry Anthony, Erin Barnes, Lori Bears, William Greazel, Matthew Hayek, Shellie Mackel Members Absent: John Deeth, Jayne Sandler, Mark Edwards Staff Present: Tracy Hightshoe Recommendation to Council MOTION: Anthony moved to recommend adoption of the FY05 Annual Action Plan by the City Council; Greazel seconded. All in favor; motion carries 6-0. CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Hayek called the meeting to order at 6:30 PM. CONSIDERATION OF THE MINUTES OF THE MARCH 11 & 18.2004. MEETINGS In regards to the March 18"' minutes, Hayek said he has a couple corrections. The first correction is that Grant Wood School is two separate words, not one. The second correction is on page 8, third paragraph, where Hayek says "effective": it should read "affected". MOTION: Barnes moved to accept the minutes as amended; Bears seconded the motion. All in favor; motion passed 6-0. PUBLIC COMMENT OF ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA None. REVIEW FY05 ANNUAL ACTION PLAN Hightshoe explained to the Commission that the submission of an Annual Action Plan is a HUD requirement and in HUD format. She explained the various forms to the members, and gave them a quick run down of how it all fits together. City Council will hold a public hearing on the Action Plan at their May 41h meeting followed by a vote. The Plan must be submitted to HUD by May 151h. Bears asked if the Council normally approves the Plan. Hightshoe gave some history to the members. Members were asked to contact Chairperson Hayek if they decide to attend the May 4th meeting. Anthony asked some questions about HOPWA funding and if the numbers reported in the gap analysis were updated. Hightshoe responded that the Plan is updated every year. The numbers are probably the figures in last year's continuum of care application, as the current figures are not available yet. Thus the report usually contains the prior year's figures. Hightshoe will confirm and email Commission members and let them know. Information concerning HOPWA funds will be added to the narrative. MOTION: Anthony moved to recommend adoption of the FY05 Annual Action Plan by the City Council; Greazel seconded. All in favor; motion carries 6-0. NEW BUSINESS Burns & Burns L.C. - Garden Prairie - Chairperson Hayek stated that members have received a copy of a letter regarding this topic. It deals with the Burns & Burns appeal of the FY03 tax credits, which were denied, and the ensuing appeals have also been rejected. They have a FY04 appeal in the works right now. Hayek recommended to the Commission that they table this issue until May. MOTION: Greazel moved to table the issue until the May meeting; Anthony seconded. All in favor; motion carries 6-0. Discussion of National Community Development Week Celebration -- Hightshoe explained the National Community Development celebration, stating the national celebration is in April, but since this is too close to their allocation cycle and would limit their planning, they celebrate during the summer with various events. At this celebration the staff highlights what CDBG and HOME Funds have done in the - - .- -....-----.-.--.- .- - --_._._-_.__._-,-_."-'~'----'. Housing and Community Development Commission Minutes April 15, 2004 Page 2 community. Hightshoe asked for volunteers to help plan this year's celebration. Hayek, Barnes, and Greazel volunteered. Greazel had questions regarding the last meeting and the allocation process. Hlghtshoe stated that this is on the May agenda. She said that once they go through the allocation process, the commission sets up a committee to see if any changes are needed or desired. Greazel stated that it would be helpful to the newer members to have some history, and some further explanations. It was suggested that newer members read some of the past minutes. Bears brought up the topic of the Housing Authority's Annual Plan and stated she would be interested in hearing from them again. She aiso asked if the Visual Preference Group would have any recommendations on housing. OLD BUSINESS Discussion of FY04 CDBG Projects that have not performed per the Unsuccessful or Delayed Projects Policy - Discussion centered on the list of projects that have not met the policy to date. Hightshoe discussed the list and answered questions from members. Elder Services - Small Repair is the only project so far that has not spent 50% of its funding. Discussion continued about this project, with Hightshoe giving details of the status of this project. The members stated they would not recommend recapture but want status updates in the upcoming months. MONITORING REPORTS Chairperson Hayek stated that both Sandler and Deeth are not present, and therefore that leaves reports by Mackel and Barnes. Mackel stated that she will have her report in May. Barnes stated that her report is on the Shelter House, Emergency Assistance Program. She explained how the program works in helping low-income people get either security deposit or emergency assistance for utilities. Since July 2001, 218 households have been served in Iowa City and Coralville. Most referrals are by word of mouth, or through landlords. Members asked Barnes questions concerning this emergency program. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Barnes made a motion to adjourn; Mackel seconded. All in favor; motion carries 6-0. The meeting adjourned at 8:20 PM. data on cityntJpcd/minutes/hcdc/2004/hcdc04-15-04.doc -..+ . .....~._- '- .-.-"......- ..__._._._-~ Board or Commission: Housing & Commnnity Development Committee ATTENDANCE RECORD YEAR 2004 April 15, 2004 NAME TER 1115/04 2/18/04 2/19/04 3/18/04 4/15/04 5/20/04 6/1 7/04 7/15/04 8/19/04 9/16/04 M EXP. Jerry Anthony 9/1105 X X X X X Erin Barnes 9/1106 X 0 X X X Lori Bears 9/1/04 X 0 X X X John Deeth 9/1/04 X X X X OlE Mark 9/1/05 0 X X X 0 Edwards William 9-1-06 X X X X X Greazel Matthew 9/1/04 X X X X X Hayek Michelle 9/1/06 X X X X X Mackel Jayne Sandler 9/1105 0 0 X X 0 KEY: X = Present o = Absent OlE = AbsentlExcused Housing and Community Development Commission Minutes April 15, 2004 Page 4 NM = No meeting --- = Not a Member Agenda item 3A~ FINAL APPROVED ~Iowa Citv Public'Library MINUTES Iowa City Public Library Board of Trustees FINAL Regular Meeting - Thursday, April 22, 2004 Meeting Room C Members Present: Shaner Magalhães, President, Thomas Dean, Linzee McCray, Linda Prybil, Pat Schnack, Tom Suter, Jim Swaim (left 6:00 pm), David VanDusseldorp Members Absent: Jesse Singerman Staff Present: Maeve Clark, Susan Craig, Barbara Curtin, Heidi Lauritzen, Kara Logsden, Martha Lubaroff, Hal Penick, Stephanie Sueppel Others Present: Kevin Hanick, realtor, Joel Miller, Special Projects Manager, Vanessa Miller, reporter /Tom Press Citizen Call Meeting to Order: President Magalhães called the meeting to order at 5 :03 pm Public Discussion None Approval of minutes: A motion was made by Swaim and seconded by Prybil to approve the minutes, A few typos were noted and the minutes were approved unanimously by a vote of 8-0. Unfinished Business Leased Space Hanick reported a good response so far on promoting the space for lease. He has marketed it to all commercial realtors in and outside ofIowa City and has had a number of contacts /Tom realtors and prospective tenants. He currently is working with 5 or 6 individuals on leasing the lower space. His goal is to have a single tenant the first floor and another in the basement, although he would look at dividing up the space if necessary. Several calls have come in regarding the upper level. A retail business that would be open evenings and weekends, and have a broad range of appeal would be desirable. He acknowledged that parking and access to the building is a concern. Hanick said he appreciates working with us and wants to bring us a good tenant. Buildinl! Proiect: Agenda item 3A 2 Aside from little things that pop up which cause momentary problems, things are moving along very well. The Children's Room space is expanding. Carpet continues to be put down and Jones Library shelving staff have been here working on dismantling shelving and assembling new shelving. June 12 has been scheduled as our opening day. There were no questions for Miller. A tour was given. New Business Election of Officers for FYOS On behalf of the nominating committee, Suter presented the committee's recommendation, which was that the slate of officers remains the same: Shaner Magalhães, President; David VanDusseldorp, Vice President; Secretary, Pat Schnack. The Committee felt that the leadership on the Board is outstanding. There being no other nominations from the floor, a vote to approve the slate was called for. All those present voted to accept the recommendation by a vote of 8-0. Grand Ope niDI! Craig gave an update of the events planned for Saturday, June 12, which will begin at 10:00 am with a program of speakers followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony, which will then open the library. People are working on a series of grand opening events that will take place through the summer, including classes and building tours. These events will culminate in September with a "Get a Library Card campaign" and the Intellectual Freedom Festival. Trustees were shown a new logo that will be used throughout the summer. Unfortunately the Children's Room mosaic will not be completed by opening day. The portion on the library entrance into the Children's Room will be completed and will have the "Ellen Buchanan Children's Room" visible, as well as the area around the kids' slide. VanDusseldorp asked whether the mosaic could be completed while keeping the Children's Room open. Craig reassured Board that this would be done. The artist works off site and can work on installation before lOam. Also there will b.e drawing sheets and other activities for kids to do, based on the mosaic, so they can participate with the event. Announcements from Members: Because he had to leave early, Swaim made some comments earlier than the scheduled agenda item. For the record he expressed his admiration for resigning Board member Jesse Singerman. He remembered that she had recruited him for the Board, and was a mentor for him and other Board members. He said she has been an instrumental leader who will be missed. On behalf of the Board he wishes her well for the future. Circulation Policv The staff recommended a few changes in order to create more consistency and fairness in the fine rates. The policy has recently been reviewed in its entirety. A motion was to approve the changes was made by VanDusseldorp and seconded by Suter. There were no questions. Magalhães called for a vote. All voted in favor and the motion passed 8 -0. Staff Reports Departmental Reports: Children's, Systems, Technical Services - . ..---. -- --'-"'-~'-'-'~- ---,,--_... Agenda item 3A 3 At one time it was thought that we would need to close the Children's Room for a few days to get the shelving in and the carpet laid.. This is no longer the case. VanDusseldorp commented on the Technical Services report. He likes what they are doing in terms of reclassifying the music from other parts of the world. He also commented on the new paperbacks. Black said the selectors chose thousands of paperbacks. A Volunteer has entered the data. All existing paperbacks will be going to the BookEnd. Development Office Curtin reported a great response from people for the "Celebrating Iowa Authors" event. They have twenty-one table sponsors. Everything has been donated and except for a few expenses, which means that all the income will be profit and will go into the collection. The goal is $15,000. Volunteer Recognition Event Craig extended an invitation to Trustees to attend the volunteer recognition events to take place on May 21 and May 24. A flyer was included in the Board packet. Attendance record City Council has requested that all Boards and Commissions keep an attendance record for the calendar year and that it be included with the minutes when they are sent to the City. President's Report Magalhães officially announced Jesse Singerman's resignation effective at the end of June. The City Clerk said the vacancy will be posted at the end of this week or next week and the appointment will be made the second week in June. Magalhães encouraged Board members to be responsive to the committee evaluating the Director. Announcements from Members (continued from above) Prybil reported on her attendance at a workshop called Trustees Time and Talent. She said she felt that we are guided well. Libraries are a grand issue in Iowa. All representatives of libraries seemed to be involved in some sort of expansion, building, etc. The future of Emich Iowa is unsure. There was lots of discussion of electronic media and input into the library system. Librarians are responsible for evaluating the media. Committee Reports Foundation - VanDusseldorp encouraged participation in the author event. Communications None Financial Reports Agenda item 3A 4 Craig included a lengthy report for the Board rrom the City's new financial system. She highlighted four areas of the library's budget for the board's infonnation. There were a few questions about the percentage overage on certain items. Craig explained that when the City uses particular numbers for finite items, they appear out of balance. She said it evens itself out in the final total for the expenditures. Computer expenses are an example. Penick and Craig are trying to establish some consistency in the way computer expenses are coded. Overall, budget is right on track. Output Statistics Fiction Desk numbers look high. In response to a question, Logsden explained that there is no year to date from last year since there was not a Fiction Desk last year. Numbers therefore seem somewhat skewed. Income tax fonns are counted in the last quarter, which is why there were no figures. Statistics for our remote electronic services were impressive. The book drops will go away from Linn Street once the library is open since there is a book drop in the building. Signs will be posted on the existing remote book drops saying that books returned after I :00 pm will be checked in the next day. Emptying book drops is labor intensive and damaging to the building with the pushing of the book drop carts. The Linn Street book drops will be placed in storage until needed. There were no other comments. Disbursements A. Review Visa Expenditures for March, 2004 B. Approve Disbursements for March, 2004 A question was asked about fees for collections agency. Lauritzen explained that this is a one- time fee. Any time we've calculated the costlbenefit of using the agency it is more advantageous to use the agency. We only turn someone in who has not returned material, not for overdue fines. Magalhães asked for a motion to approve disbursements. Suter moved approval and VanDusseldorp seconded. All in favor voted Aye and the motion carried 8-0. Set aeenda order for Mav meetine We will meet in this room and not at City Hall. Adjournment A motion for adjournment was made at 6:30 pm by Prybil and seconded by Dean. All in favor said Aye. Motion passed 8-0. Minutes taken and transcribed by Martha Lubaroff Board or Commission: ICPL Board of Trustees ATTENDANCE RECORD YEAR 2004 (Meetin~ Date) TERM 1/22/ 2/191 3/251 4/221 5/271 NAME EXP. 04 04 04 04 04 Thomas 7/1109 x x x x x Dean Shaner 711 /09 x x x x x Magalhaes Linzee 711/09 x ole x x x McCray Linda Pryhil 7/1105 ole ole ole x x Pat Schnack 7/1107 x x x x x K.J esse 7/1105 ole ole x ole ole Singerman Tom Snter 711/07 x x x x 0 Jim Swaim 7/1105 x ole x x ole David Van 7/1107 x x x x x Dnsseldorp I ! KEY: X = Present 0 = Absent OlE = Absent/Excused NM = No meeting --- = Not a Member ][I 1 MINUTES APPROVED SCATTERED SITE HOUSING TASKFORCE APRIL 29, 2004 - 5:00 P.M. CITY MANAGER'S CONFERENCE ROOM, CITY HALL ' Members Presents Don Anciaux, Jerry Anthony, Darlene ~usen, Matthew Hayek, Jan Leff, Jan Peterson, Joan VandenB rg I Members Absent: Sally Stutsman Staff Present: Steve Long, Steve Nasby, Steve Ra Others Present: CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Hayek called the mee INITIAL REMARKS Hayek started the meeting by outlining e genesis of the Scat red Site Housing Taskforce. He referred to a letter from the Iowa City Co munity School Distr t (ICCSD) concerning the location of assisted housing units which was sent t the City Council' November 2003. In response to this inquiry the City Council requested that t is citizen, ad h c taskforce be created. Hayek noted that the Council resolution, two memorandu and the lett r from the ICCSD were in the packets provided to the taskforce members. Hayek outlined the purpose and scope of the Sca ered ite Housing Taskforce. He said that numerous factors, perceptions and myths exist ab t sisted housing and he urged members to approach the process with and open mind. Hayek s that depending on the work of the Scattered Site Housing Taskforce there mayor may t be policy recommendations for the City Council. Hayek asked Nasby about the definition "a isted housing" the Scattered Site Housing Taskforce is using as their guide. Nasby aid i ame from information collected from the cities of Raleigh, NC andlor Charlotte. Hayek also noted that this is a public body an open to the public and press. He asked Nasby to elaborate. Nasby said that a this is a public ody all of the Iowa open meeting laws would apply. This meant that agendas minutes and mat ials would be available to the public and that all of the meetings are open 0 the public. He no d that there will be set opportunities for the public to participate t ough public hearings presentations, but these things need to be on the agenda so eve ne has the same oppo nity to participate. Nasby said that if the members had questions information to pass it thro h the chair. VandenBerg asked about how the members should andle calls from the media a if any policy existed. Nasby said there is not a policy and e ch member can determine for h self or herself if they wish to respond to questions from th media. He noted that each com 'ssion handles it differently and if the member(s) did ot want to comment to the press the could decline or refer the questions to the chair. Hayek aid that if members do talk with the pre s they should let the reporter know that any response i their opinion and not a formal position 0 Ihe taskforce, INTRODUCTIONS Hayek asked everyone to intro uce himself or herself and tell the group a little out their backgrounds. Clausen said t at she works at the University and is a representa 've of the Northside Neighborhood. J Peterson said she is with the United Way of Johns n County. Anciaux said he is the chair. of the Planning and Zoning Commission, is active in th Wetherby Friends & Neighbors Neig orhood Association, sports organizations and he works t NW Junior High (day) and City of 10 a City Parks & Rec (night). Rackis said he is the Iowa City Housing Authority director and h is relatively new to the job and he lives in Cedar Rapids. Anthony said .- .- - ". _.__..._.___.___m -+- "-----"---'- 2 he is a professor at the University in Urban and Regional Planning and is on the board of the Housing Trust Fund of Johnson County. Anthony noted that he also advises several national organizations on housing policy. Leff said that she is a life long resident of Iowa City, on the school board and a retired teacher. Nasby said that he is the Community and Economic Development Coordinator for the City and his office does the administration of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME). DISTRIBUTION OF BINDER MATERIALS Hayek asked Nasby to briefly review the items in the taskforce's binders. Nasby said that section one was the introductory material Hayek reviewed earlier. Nasby said the next section contained reference materia~ the programs that the taskforce would be hearing about. He mentioned the CDBG and HO programs. The next set of materials focused on the Iowa City Housing Authority so Nasby asked Rackis to highlight this information. Rackis said there was b86ic program descriptions from HUD regarding the Housing Choice Voucher program and eSS~iallY everyone knows this as "Section 8". Rackis said that the next few pages contained speci I ,statistics and information about the program operated by the Iowa City Housing Authority. Racki¡; said the last piece of information as a description of the public housing program. Peterson asked how many public housing un's were in Iowa City. Rackis said 93. \. \ \ Nasby said the next pages were m~f the assisted housi locations in Iowa City. He said Map 1 showed the physical units th received CDBGIHO funds and/or project based HUD funds. Map 2 was completed by the wa City Housing A hority and showed a "snapshot" of the locations of the Housing Choice Vouc r holders in low City as of March 1, 2004. Nasby said that Map 3 was a combination of both ~ps to show t overall picture. The last item in the binder was a copy of ~ 2003 I a City Community Profile. Nasby said this was a reference item that contained statisti~1 info ation on demographics, housing, employment and income. Hayek said that the last tabs in the binders we for research. He said that he expects this to be the bulk of the taskforce's work, but wanted t g t the group started with a solid background on the programs before it started doing resear .H ek noted that the research will come from a variety of sources and encouraged the me berst do their own and share it with the group. MEETING SCHEDULE Hayek asked if the group would be inte sted in a to of assisted housing units now that they had seen the maps. He thought it wo d be important to see these units in context with the neighborhoods. There was consens s by the group th t a tour would be helpful. Rackis said that some of the larger "bubbles" shown n the maps may t be concentrations but rather density so that was important to consider. H ek asked what date ould be available to do the tour and next meeting. He noted that in hi polling of the membe , either Monday or Wednesday worked the best for everyone. Hayek said that after the tour e group could set up prese tations from the "players" in the housing market, which woul be the third meeting. This w Id include assisted housing providers, human service a endes and market rate housin professionals. VandenBerg said that the presentations could g to be very long so she suggeste a very focused approach and time limits. Several members greed with this suggestion. Haye said he could start contacting people or organizations nd that if the taskforce members ha ,suggestions to let him know and they could communica,te via e-mail. Nasby said that thee-mail brought up a question about how the packets would be distributed for the meetings. He asked if anyone wanted it electronically versus hard copy. Nasby also noted that it would be on the web. Everyone wanted to continue to get hard copies. As long as they 3 were talking about electronic communications, Nasby said that e-mail discussions should be kept to a minimum since this is a public body and having a quorum of them having discussions or decisions via e-mail could violate the open meeting law. Hayek suggested that Mondays be the regular meeting date and that the group meets twice per month. After some discussion the group settled on the first and third Mondays of each month. Nasby said that sin~MOndaY in May was only a few days away it would be hard to get a tour arranged. The gr agreed and decided to meet on May 12 at 5:00 p.m. for the bus tour and then start the regula chedule on May 17. '\ Anthony asked when the de~e was to have their work com leted. Hayek said he would like to have it finished by the end of th ~. Nasby said that ideally, he would like it done by November so any policy that may ome out of this discussion ould be included in the Consolidated Plan (a.k.a. CITY 5T 5). Anthony and Vand Berg said that this would be a good goal for the group. Hayek remin'd,~d the group that any ing they came up with would be a recommendation to the City Council and· ould have to go t rough their process as well. ADJOURN Anciaux moved to adjourn. Meeting adjourned 6:00 p.m. 4 Board or Commission: Iowa City Scattered Site Housing Taskforce ATTENDANCE RECORD 2004 April 29, 2004 /"" / NAME 4/29 / / Don Anciaux X- "- // J errv Anthonv X ~ ~ /// --........... ~ / Darlene Clausen X / "'- / Matthew Havek X ~ // .......... V Jan Leff X ...- ~ X / Jan Peterson -......... /' -........ .............. Sally Stutsman DIE /' Joan VandenBerg X V /' KEY: x¿ o - bsent offi = AbsentJExcused NM = No meeting --- = Not a Member ];:I 1 MINUTES Approved SCATTERED SITE HOUSING TASKFORCE MAY 12, 2004 - 5:00 P.M. BUS TOUR Members Presents: Don Anciaux, Darlene Claus~ Matthew Hayek, Jan Leff, Jan Peterson, Sally Stutsman, Joa VandenBerg Members Absent: "'''' A""", I Staff Present: Steve Long, Steve Rackis Others Present: AI Axeen, Jerry Hanso CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Hayek called the me APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM A MOTION: Left moved to accept the Anciaux seconded the motion. All in favor; motion passed 7-0. BUS TOUR OF ASSISTED HOUSING IN 10 Long and Rackis gave a narrated tour of s sidiz d rental housing and emergency housing units throughout Iowa City. ADJOURN MOTION: Anciaux moved to adjour Meeting adjourned 7:00 p.m. 2 Board or Commission: Iowa City Scattered Site Housing Taskforce ATTENDANCE RECORD 2004 May 12, 2004 ; NAME 4/29 5/12 // .~~ / Don Anciaux X J Jerry Anthony X OlE ~ r--.. l/// ~ ,/ .' Darlene Clausen X X .......... // X X ~ Ì'--.. /' Matthew Hayek ,/ .......... ~ Jan Leff X X // V "- ~ Jan Peterson X X / Sally Stutsman OlE X /' ~ ./ V r- Joan VandenBerg X X ./ KEY: x=~ o = Absent OlE = AbsenUExcused NM = No meeting - = Not a Member J;] MINUTES Approved HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MAY 13, 2004 - 7:00 P.M. EMMA HARVAT HALL - CIVIC CENTER MEMBERS PRESENT: Michael Gunn, Michael Maharry, Mark McCallum, Jim Ponto, Amy Smothers, Paul Sueppel, Tim Weitzel MEMBERS ABSENT: James Enloe, Justine Zimmer STAFF PRESENT: Shelley McCafferty OTHERS PRESENT: Greg Littin, Jon Ringen CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Maharry called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA: None ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION: Historic Review: 1223 Sevmour Avenue. McCafferty stated that this is an application for the demolition of the current garage and the construction of a two-car garage on a contributing property in the Longfeilow District. She showed a photograph of the view of the backyard of the property. McCafferty said the current garage is considered a historic structure. She said that at this time there is really no place to put a new garage and keep the present one because of the gazebo in the backyard. McCafferty said the garage also has structural problems. She stated that given the limited space and the fact that there are structural issues, she recommends approval of the application. McCafferty said the new garage would be compatible with the house and would comply with all the guidelines for outbuildings. McCafferty said she discussed using one single garage door versus two doors with the applicant. She said the owner prefers to have one door for maneuverability in order to park his vehicle, which is rather large. Sueppel asked the owner what type of garage door he would be using. Ringen replied that he has not yet chosen the door. He said he would like to use a panel door that would be appropriate for the design of the house and the garage. McCafferty said the guidelines call for the garage door to be very simple in design. Smothers asked Ringen if he would consider retrofitting the old garage. Ringen said there are two issues with the current garage. First, he said that the garage is in such bad condition that it is probably not worth saving. Also, Ringen said that the current garage is not large enough for a modern car. Smothers said it is one of the last remaining original garages in the neighborhood. Ringen said he believed there are four original garages in the neighborhood, all of them in a similar state of disrepair. -"--- - --~--_.~..._.._._. __._".__.n'~_..__._ Historic Preservation Commission Minutes May 13, 2004 Page 2 McCafferty asked Ringen if, should Friends of Historic Preservation find someone who would want to take or saivage the garage, he would be wiiling to cooperate with that. He said he would not have a probiem with that as long as it did not interfere with his time schedule. McCafferty said she did not want to see all of these garages disappear. She said if the gazebo was not located where it is, she would have recommended buiiding the new garage next to the existing one. MOTION: Sueppel moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the demolition of the existing garage at 1223 Seymour Street and construction of a new two-car garage at this address, provided the garage door complies with the Guidelines for New Construction. Ponto seconded the motion. Smothers said she believes there are other options to explore. She said she understood the desire for a two-car garage here but felt that the present garage could be reused for another purpose and/or could be added on to for the purpose of housing vehicles. Smothers asked if the gazebo was built on concrete, and Ringen confirmed this. Ringen said he did expiore the possibiiity of enlarging the garage and was told by contractors that it was not an option. He said he was told that the garage could be preserved but could not be enlarged. Ringen said the garage is actually four feet into the right-of-way. Sueppel asked Ringen if he would be moving the new garage back. Ringen said it would be moved back closer to ten feet. Maharry asked, should the applicant not be granted the speciai exception, if the garage would be feasible with the current plan with regards to setback. McCafferty stated that the applicant has to go through the Board of Adjustment for a special exception and, based on other special exceptions. McCallum said he could support the plan as proposed. Weitzel said he would probably vote in favor, but he did have reservations about granting what is usually discouraged, especiaily with the door being a single door and with the demolition of a historic structure. Weitzel said he did understand that there is a need for this in this case. However, he said he did not want to get into a situation where every certificate of appropriateness becomes a special case. He said if everything has to be evaluated that way, then special cases will eventually water down the guidelines. McCafferty said the Commission could establish more guidelines and some criteria for this type of decision. Weitzel said he understood the need for this. He said he assumed the contractor knew what he was talking about, but the contractor's interests are not necessarily those of historic preservation. Smothers said she worked on a garage in Freeport, Maine in which the garage was raised and righted, and the roof was fixed. She said that anything can be done: it is always a matter of time, money, and what the owner wants. Ringen said he would not say that rehabilitation of the garage could not be done, but the contractors have said they would not do it. The motion carried on a vote of 6-1, with Smothers votinQ no. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes May 13, 2004 Page 3 717 Clark Street. McCafferty stated that this is an application for an addition to a non-historic structure in the Clark Street Conservation District. She said the house was buiit in 1950, and it has some colonial revival characteristics. McCafferty said the applicant proposes to add a four- season sun porch to the back of the house. McCafferty said there are three criteria to be satisfied to determine whether the addition could be issued a certificate of appropriateness: 1) it does not further detract from the historic character of the district, 2) it does not create a false historic character, and 3) it is compatible with the style and character of the non historic property. She said she feels the addition meets the criteria and therefore recommends approval. McCafferty said the addition will be slightly visible from the street. Sueppel said the windows in the back seem much smalier than the other windows. Littin said the windows would be consistent with the windows on the rest of the house. Smothers asked about the raiiing. Littin replied that the existing railing is not in good shape, and he plans to replace it with wood to match the railing proposed for the addition. Smothers asked Littin to comment on the door and the choice of brick veneer around the skirting. Littin replied that the top of foundation on the house is below grade. He intends to add the brick to protect the foundation of the house. Smothers asked if the neighbors had any problem with this, as it comes ciose to the property line. Littin said the neighbors are fine with this. Ponto asked about the decision to have the sun porch extend past the house. Littin replied that is for protection of that corner, where he has had a lot of water infiltration into the basement. Ponto said he would like to see the porch set in, with the entire thing moved north a little bit. McCallum said he agreed with those comments and asked about having the door on the side instead of on the north side or the other side. He said he would have less concern with the door if the whole thing was set back. McCafferty said that since this is a non-historic structure, the Commission has to look at it relative to the criteria. Gunn said the Commission allows extension to the side, front, and behind in all directions for historic properties. He said there are no guidelines that say this cannot extend beyond the side, although it generaliy looks better set back. Gunn said everything the Commission does encourages a setback, but nothing requires it or even close to it. MOTION: Ponto moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the addition of a sun room to the west side of 717 Clark Street, as proposed by the applicant. Sueppel seconded the motion. Maharry said he was in agreement that this meets the three criteria. The motion carried on a vote of 7-0. Weitzel said he was not certain that the extension of the addition in the back would meet the three criteria. McCafferty said the Commission had determined, however, that it wanted to provide a lot of flexibility; part of that decision came via concerns from the City Council. Maharry agreed that he should be able to sign off on non-historic things if they meet the three criteria. '"-- -------".-,..- _···e···__ .._..,....._'---..._--------'~.,-.......----_._"_. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes May 13, 2004 Page 4 Gunn said the Commission did not have a basis for deniai of the addition. He agreed that it could be better, but the Commission cannot always insure that it gets the best possible design. Enqiert Theatre Marquee. McCafferty said this is a request for a recommendation to the Board of Adjustment. She said the Englert Theatre wants to restore its marquee to make it a running light sign again. McCafferty said the Code disallows animated signs except for artistic purposes, and specifically, if it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and if it is significant to the building. McCafferty said the Nationai Register nomination discusses the significance of the marquee so she feel that the marquee itself is historically significant to a Nationai Register building. MOTION: Weitzel moved, given that the marquee is addressed specifically in the National Register nomination and its context is specified to the building and that restoring the sign will restore that element, that this is an appropriate request and the Commission recommends approval to the Board of Adjustment. Sueppel seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 7-0. MINUTES: APRIL 22: MOTION: Weitzel moved to approve the minutes of the April 22, 2004 meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission, as written. Sueppel seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 7-0. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION: Northside Historic Districts. McCafferty stated that Marlys Svendsen made a presentation about the Northside Historic District at the presentation of awards. McCafferty said the Commission will need to have one official meeting for which notice is sent out to property owners and the Commission has its official vote. She asked Commission members how they would like to proceed with any local designation now that the district will be going on the Nationai Register. Maharry said he would prefer to have that discussion once the district is listed on the National Register. Gunn pointed out that there is realiy no connection between the local and NRHP designations. He said the borders don't have to be the same, and the timing doesn't have to be the same; there is no inner connection. McCafferty said the State recommends that the districts are the same, but that does not mean that things could be different. Maharry said he is of the opinion that the Commission should not go forward with a iocal district until a declared NRHP district is in place. He said did not want the Commission to give even the appearance that they are trying to designate a district without sufficient notification and input from the public. Smothers said the documentation and the generalizations that have been made should not be a great mystery. She said the Commission should publicize where things are going and in what order they are being done. -- ---. -.--...- - - ----- ---.--.-..-. - ----,----~ _..._--_._-~ Historic Preservation Commission Minutes May 13, 2004 Page 5 Smother, Weitzel and Maharry had questions regarding notifying property owners about the process and timing, which staff answered. McCafferty said the process of designation is described in a flow chart in the handbook. She said that most of the information is out there if people are interested. McCafferty said this shows the importance of education, as the Commission looks for continuing support for these districts. She said the Commission's originai focus was on education, but the focus has now switched to more of an administrative role, while Friends of Historic Preservation has taken on more of a development roie. McCafferty said the whole segment of the preservation process via education and information is now ignored, and someone needs to take over that role. McCafferty said everyone in the potential Northside District received a letter from the State about the nomination. She said they also received a letter from the City and was notified via the Northside Neighborhood newsietter. Gunn said the City aiso has locally designated conservation districts that have nothing to do with the National Register. Goosetown Conservation District. Maharry said the neighborhood meeting was held, and over 30 people were in attendance. He said that by and large there was support for preservation, and owners were behind the idea of fixing up the houses. Maharry said there was some concern by property owners that they would not support this because they feel that preservation is expensive and there is no funding to assist them. Maharry said that before anything is done to pursue a district in Goosetown, the neighbors need to be educated that it does not necessariiy cost more to comply with the guidelines. He said the Commission will need the facts and figures to back up that claim. Maharry said Svendsen had an excellent idea by encouraging neighbors to help each other do neighborhood do-it-yourself projects. He said she also suggested having a tool lending library so that owners can check out tools as opposed to buying and renting. Maharry said the Commission needs to provide real, tangible incentives to get community support, and/or it needs to talk with the leadership of the Goosetown Neighborhood Association to help them organized and provide those opportunities within the neighborhood. He said the Commission should also talk to friends about bringing back its grant program. Maharry said he was initially discouraged but realized that there was neighborhood support, although people did not want to spend the money to do rehabilitation. Gunn said a property comes before the Historic Preservation Commission for certificate approval only about once every 17 years. He pointed out that the average house in the City turns over every five years so that there could be three owners before anyone ever comes before the Commission. Weitzel asked if there were serious contention about this potential district, and if a lot of people will come to the meetings and speak against it. Maharry said that if incentives are not provided, the owners may not support a district. Sueppel suggested that when the neighbors are approached, the Commission give them information about the resources it can provide and tell them who can fix up their houses and do it without spending a fortune. He said the Commission can let them know that it wili help restore Historic Preservation Commission Minutes May 13, 2004 Page 6 their homes and do it the right way and give them the information. He said as a rule of thumb, it costs three times as much to install siding than to paint the exterior. McCafferty suggested finding a sample house to determine how much it wouid cost to paint versus siding it. She said the Commission can get data from estimates to compare costs to do things in a historically appropriate way. Gunn said that as long as the Commission doesn't force the district through and gives the owners time to react, listen, think, and respond, then he thought it would pass. Maharry said he would iike to respond to the Goosetown owners with concrete facts when the next neighborhood meeting is held. McCafferty said she and Maharry could compile a list of owners' concerns so that the Commission can respond with good information. McCafferty suggested sending out a comment sheet to property owners who have gone through the process to get information to present to homeowners in potentiai new districts. Gunn said he really does not think the Commission forces people to spend a lot of money. Maharry said the Commission needs to have something to prove that. Gunn said that opposition to a district tends to go away as things go along. He said his sense is that as more things are done, momentum tends to carry the nomination along. Certificate of No Material Effect for 1027 Court Street. McCafferty said she would provide information regarding this application in the next packet. OTHER: McCafferty said she that a developer is interested in purchasing the McCollister Homestead and has plans to seil half of it and develop the other portion. She said it is important that any development be done with sensitivity to the site, and, at this point, the developer seems wiliing to do that. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 8:54 p.m. Minutes submitted by Anne Schulte dataoncilynVpcdfminutBslp&zl2004/hpc05-13-04.doc Board or Commission: Historic Preservation Commission ATTENDANCE RECORD YEAR 2004 May 13, 2004 TERM NAME EXP. 1/8/04 1/22/04 2/12/04 2/26/04 3/11104 4/8/04 4/22/04 5113/04 5127/04 6110104 Amy Smothers 3/29/05 NM NM X OlE X X X X James Enloe 3/29/06 NM NM OlE X X X 0 0 Michael Gunn 3/29107 NM NM OlE OlE X OlE OlE X Michael Maharry 3/29/05 NM NM X X X X X X Mark McCallum 3/29/06 NM NM X X X X X X James Ponto 3/29/07 NM NM X X X X X X Paul Sueppel 3/29/06 NM NM OlE OlE X X X X Tim Weitzel 3/29/05 NM NM X X X X OlE X Justine Zinuner 3/29/07 - -- -- -- -- OlE OlE OlE KEY: X = Present 0 = Absent DIE = Absent/Excused NM = No meeting ];i] Minutes Final Iowa City/Coralville Animal Care and Adoption Center Advisory Board May 26, 2004 Attended by: Shane Kron, John Lundell, Kathy Magarrell, Tammara Meester Staff Present: Misha Goodman, Mia Bartles, Tom Widmer Absent: Maryann Dennis, Meeting called to order at 6:43 p.m. (Old Waste Water Treatment Plant) Old Business I) Minutes of March 24.2004 - Review of minutes; made 2 minor corrections; Lundell moved that we approve the minutes, Magarrell seconded, motion carried. 2) Revort on volunteer appreciation dinner - hosted by Misha Goodman on April 9, 2004; it was a great success, about 22 people attended. 3) Volunteer survey reDort - 53 out of 235 responded; survey was given to "active" volunteers (defined as those who have worked during the last 4 months); shelter is trying to increase the numbers of core volunteers. A common issue that came out of the survey was that volunteers feel the shelter hours don't match very well with their schedules, so there are fewer opportunities for some to volunteer as much as they would like. 4) Fees & ordinances - Lundell presented the proposed increase in license fees to the Coralvìl1e City Council on 23 May. They wìl1 be fonnally approved at the next City Council meeting in two weeks. Fees will go through right away; ordinances will take a bit longer. New Business I) New animal laws (fighting. orizes) - Goodman reported that Bill 2249 was passed, which makes animal fighting a class D felony. A law was passed prohibiting giving animals as prizes. 2) Division reorganization - One field officer resigned; shelter staff trying to gain a better work flow through reclassifying and reorganizing (no new money will be spent); there are no problems meeting current field calls, but more staff is needed inside the facility. 3) Statistics - Board reviewed stats of intakes between 01/01/03 and 12/31/03. There has been an increase in rabbits coming to the shelter because of Petland. Shelter is trying to work with Petland about responsible pet ownership; Petland has agreed to show a video to customers about responsible pet ownership. The shelter, involved with the Pets for Life program, is breaking down the stats into distinct categories so that they can know why animals are coming back - this will help them to correct problems. Spay/neuter program for lower income citizens is in trouble. 4) Supervisor reports - Goodman reminded Board that Adoptathon will take place on June 26, 2004. They are currently accepting items for the rummage sale; there will be ads in the Iowa City Press Citizen with various businesses that are agreeing to sponsor the event. Paws in the Park will take place Sept. 19 in City Park. Shelter is looking for sponsors. Items for silent auction are being accepted. Fired Up! is donating glaze and firing for artists' dog bowls and canisters that will be for sale at the event. IC Council has approved an area in the Peninsula for the proposed dog park. Need 30-50 thousand dollars for fencing. S. Board Member reports - No member reports (Lundell made his earlier in the meeting). 6. Citizen comment - None. Meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m. Next meeting - Wednesday, July 28,2004 6:30 p.m. Coralville City Hall - --.--.-.----...- - ._._----_._-~~._---- Board or Commission: Animal Control ATTENDANCE RECORD YEAR 2004 - (Meetin¡: Date TERM 5/26 NAME EXP. John Dec X Lundell 2005 Sane Kron Dec X 2006 Kathy Dee X Magarrell 2005 Tammara Dee X thour Meester 2005 late Maryanne Dee 0 Dennis 2006 Tom Staff - Widmer Misha Staff - Goodman Mia Bartels Staff - KEY: X = Present 0 = Absent OlE = Absent/Excused NM = No meeting --- = Not a Member J;[] MINUTES Approved IOWA CITY PUBLIC ART ADVISORY COMMITTEE THURSDAY, MAY 6,2004--3:30 P.M. LOBBY CONFERENCE ROOM, CITY HALL Members Present: Barbara Camillo, Chuck Felling, Mark Seabold, Terry Trueblood, Emily Walsh, Ron Knoche (for Rick Fosse) Members Absent: Rick Fosse, James Hemsley Staff Present: Karin Franklin Visitors Present: Univ. of Iowa art students Aaron Cantine & Seth Godard CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Felling called the meeting to order at 3:35 P.M. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA Franklin distributed a draft of a Call for the Benton Street Park ~roject for review by the Committee and requested a special meeting on May 20t for a recommendation to the City Council. The committee agreed to the May 20th date. Trueblood distributed materials submitted to him by Lensing Funeral & Cremation Services about art forms in sacred places and cemeteries. CONSIDERATION OF THE MINUTES OF THE APRIL 1, 2004 MEETING Chairperson Felling asked if there were any additions, substitutions, or corrections to the minutes. There were none. Trueblood moved and Seabold seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the April 1 meeting; the motion passed 5-0. Felling reported that the Longfellow neighborhood was proceeding with their neighborhood art project and were now focusing on permissions for placement of the historic markers component. The meeting moved to the Peninsula Park; Camillo left. The committee drove to the area of Peninsula Park where the pedestrian bridge terminates in the park. Knoche reported the bridge would curve south from the point it was currently finished to join the trail system/well access roads. Completion of the bridge project was anticipated in late summer 2004. Trueblood reported on the potential locations of the dog park, indicating the dog park would likely be east and north of the trail/well access road and would have a fence approximately 5 feet in height. The committee surveyed the site and concluded appropriate locations for sculptural pieces would be on either side of the trail coming off the pedestrian bridge. A large space defined by the trail and a row of trees exists between the proposed dog park location and the trail, and a smaller, more linear space exists to the west of the trail. The group felt either would be suitable depending upon the size of the sculpture or sculptures. Discussion followed of whether the sculpture(s) would be part of a rotating sculpture opportunity or would be commissioned pieces. The committee members agreed to pursue the rotating sculpture option, for the time being, thus giving the University students an opportunity to display their work. Cantine asked the committee if there were any design parameters the group would like and if they favored an abstract piece. Walsh and Seabold suggested the space required something of significant size and that an abstract piece that was engaging and welcoming to people as they entered the park from the bridge would be appropriate. Trueblood recalled some sculptures that had been submitted as part of the pedestrian mall sculpture call that included the forms of birds and other forms from nature cut into cor-ten steel as appealing. The art students were asked to submit sketches and/or digital photos of their work prior to the next meeting on May 20th. After much swatting of gnats and further observation of the site, the committee returned to City Hall and the meeting adjourned at approximately 4:45 P.M. Minutes respectfully submitted by Karin Franklin. Board or Commission: Public Art Advisory Committee ATTENDANCE RECORD YEAR 2004 Mav 6, 2004 TERM NAME EXP. 1/8/04 215104 314/04 4/1/04 5/6/04 5/20/04 6/3104 7/1/04 8/5/04 9/2/04 Barbara Camillo 1/1/05 0 X X X X Charles Felling 1/1/06 X X X X X Rick Fosse X X 0 X OlE James Hemslev 1/1/06 0 0 X X OlE Mark Seabold 1/1/07 X X 0 X X Terrv Trueblood X X X X X Emilv Carter Walsh 1/1/05 0 X X X X KEY: X = Present o = Absent OlE = Absent/Excused NM = No meeting J;[J MINUTES Approved IOWA CITY PUBLIC ART ADVISORY COMMITTEE THURSDAY, MAY 20,2004--3:30 P.M. LOBBY CONFERENCE ROOM, CITY HALL Members Present: Barbara Camillo, Chuck Felling, Mark Seabold, Emily Walsh, Rick Fosse Members Absent: James Hemsley, Terry Trueblood Staff Present: Karin Franklin, Marcia Klingaman, RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL: The Public Art Advisory Committee asks the City Council to approve a Call to Artists for the entranceway art component of the Benton H ill Park project. CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Felling called the meeting to order at 3:35 P.M. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA Klingaman noted that Northside would be present for the next committee with their proposal for public art. CONSIDERATION OF THE MINUTES OF THE APRIL 1. 2004 MEETING Chairperson Felling asked if there were any additions, substitutions, or corrections to the minutes. The only correction was in the fourth to last paragraph, "Corten" steel should be changed to "cor-ten" moved by Fosse, seconded by Walsh to approve the minutes of the May 30 meeting; the motion passed unanimously. REVIEW & RECOMMENDATION ON CALL FOR BENTON HILL PARK PROJET Klingaman distributes an updated version of the Call for Benton Hill Park Project. It is noted that the budget increased by $10,000. Klingaman noted that the Park Improvement Contract has $10,000 set aside on it, so in reality, there is $30,000 set aside for this project. Karin Franklin arrives. Discussion of changing the order of the pages to make the piece easier to read and understand. Putting the call out first seems to make sense, as it does a good job explaining the request. Franklin agrees. She explains the layout, which is 11X17, tri-folded. She affirmed that the call would be the first page. There was concern who was responsible for the design of the entryway. Franklin cleared up the confusion by confirming the responsibility lies with the artists and that design will be what is reviewed by the Public Art Advisory Committee. Walsh expressed concern about the deadline. They have less than a month to come up with the entire design, which is very site-specific. Franklin recognizes that concern and says the deadline can be moved if need be. She doesn't want to go through this a second time due to restrictive deadlines. The goal was to try to open the park by November 1st, but there is nothing magic about that date; it can be changed. Walsh suggested the deadline for receipt of materials by June 30, the day before our next meeting. This would be one month. The question of what was hoping to be accomplished by the November 1st deadline arose. franklin and Klingaman responded that the equipment would be installed, trails would be created, landscaping would be done, and fencing along Benton Street would be up. Organic elements like the vine canopy would take a little more time to grow. However, the park would be usable. In the context of discussing the time line for the project, the question arose if a dedication had been scheduled. Klingaman will encourage the neighborhood to plan something. The contract for the park completion is in the middle of October. It would be up to the neighborhood to plan the exact date, but the earliest the dedication could be is late October. June 30th is agreed upon on as the due date for proposals for art. The Committee would review the plans and make their decisions in July. Klingaman brought up the possibility of inviting people from the neighborhood who had been involved in the process before. She mentioned that it was a relatively small group. The committee generally agreed. One correction was noted regarding the call. As it is written, it says the artistic element would be "on" the entrance. Franklin noted the entire call would be reviewed. It was also recommended to add "and wind loads" to the discussion of weather and durability in the call. It was asked to whom the call would be distributed. Franklin noted they will send it to the Iowa Arts Council, The University of Iowa, Arts Iowa City, and any other organizations who might be interested, as well as a list of individuals who have registered with the City. Only Iowa artists will be invited to participate. It was moved by Fosse and seconded by Walsh to recommend to the City Council to approve a Call to Artists for the entranceway art component of the Benton H ill Park project. The motion passed unanimously with a 5-0 vote. ------,-"_.._----------- PENINSULA PARK SCULPTURE PROJECT Franklin notes that she would like to defer discussion on this project until the regular meeting on June 3rd because the art school students were unable to attend this meeting. Franklin asked if she was correct in the past minutes that the group consensus was that the sculpture would be rotating opportunity. The group liked the idea of this. One idea is that new pieces would be added further down the path, as there is so much space out there. Franklin's concern is partly financial; compensation is very different for a sculpture park than an honorarium. It was suggested that a good starting point is an honorarium and then grow into a sculpture park. Or if a piece is especially eye-catching, the committee could consider buying it. REVIEW AND RECOMMNDATION ON AMENDMENTS TO CONRACT WITH DAVID DAHLDQUIST FOR THE COURST STREET TRASNPORATION CENTER ART COMPONENTS Franklin notes that there will be six levels due to the funding that has come in. When originally contracting with Dahlquist, the talk was for four to five levels. Obviously adding levels adds cost. Amendments include: $40,000 for fence and $15,000 for the way finding. Previously it was $30,000 for the fence and $10,000 for the way finding. Total, the increase is $15,000, which would include tile work on extra levels and some increases in cost that has occurred over time (original contract was in 2001) on the fence project as well as additional meetings. There is money in the budget for these increases. Part of the increase could be that Dahlquist perhaps didn't estimate as closely as he should have to begin with. However, Franklin believes the $15,000 for the way finding is clearly justifiable. Fosse notes that if the Committee approves the increase on the fence, we need to be careful not to mention steel price increases. Public Works has taken a position on other projects under contract that the steel price is fixed. The Federal Highway Administration and the Dept of Transportation has taken the same position. Consistency is a must. If his time on extra meetings and other things can be quantifiable, then fine. Franklin offers to bring more precise information to the June 3rd meeting. It's noted that there were delays caused by uncertainty about getting federal money. These delays could have contributed to increased prices. The schedule for the fence is behind roughly a year and a half, while the way finding is behind about a year. UPDATES Herky on Parade - Klingaman shares with the group that all the Herky's are in place. Rosy the Rivetor Herky has been taken in to get repaired. Sarah Brown, one of the artists, has taken over managing the repairs. She knows what needs to get done to make them as indestructible as possible. While there were a few cases of vandalism, there wasn't anything that wasn't surprising. Iowa Sculptors' Showcase - The angle sculpture is in place. Klingaman notes that the initial installation included a plywood base, which has been covered with metal. Franklin feels the base isn't quite up to par. She notes that the Committee might want to be more specific about base standards in the future. Perhaps something toward the edge of the planter that includes the plaque so people aren't tempted to walk through the flowers to read the plaque. Or perhaps something affixed to the planter itself that one could slide a plaque into (rather than an adhesive plaque). Seabold notes that he will be absent at the next meeting, as he will be in Prague. The meeting adjourned at approximately 4:45 P.M. 1 Board or Commission: Public Art Advisory Committee ATTENDANCE RECORD YEAR 2004 i Mav 20, 2004 i TERM I NAME EXP. 1/8/04 2/5/04 3/4/04 4/1/04 5/6/04 5/20/04 6/3104 7/1/04 8/5/04 9/2/04 i I Barbara Camillo 1/1/05 0 X X X X X I I Charles Fellino 1/1/06 X X X X X X Rick Fosse X X 0 X OlE X James Hemslev 1/1/06 0 0 X X OlE OlE Mark Seabold 1/1/07 X X 0 X X X Terry Trueblood X X X X X OlE Emilv Carter Walsh 1/1/05 0 X X X X X KEY: X = Present o = Absent OlE = Absent/Excused NM = No meeting ];] MINUTES PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION APPROVED MAY 20,2004 EMMA J. HARVAT HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Bob Brooks, Don Anciaux, Beth Koppes, Dean Shannon, Jerry Hansen Ann Freerks, Benjamin Chait, STAFF PRESENT: Bob Miklo, Mitch Behr OTHERS PRESENT: Don Cochran CALL TO ORDER: Anciaux called the meeting to order at 7:31 pm. PUBLIC DISCUSSION: None RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL: Recommended approval, by a vote of 7-0, REZ04-00010, an application for rezoning from Community Commercial (CC-2) zone to Public (P) zone for 3.72-acres of property located south of Mall Drive. Recommended approval, by a vote of 6-1, REZ04-00011, an application for a rezoning from ID-RM/OHP, Interim Development Multifamily/Historic Preservation Overlay, to ID-RS/OHP, Interim Development Single Family/Historic Preservation Overlay. Recommended approval, by a vote of 7-0, SUB04-00013, a finai plat of Sand Hill Estates, Part 2 a 4.75- acre, 21-lot, single-family residential subdivision, located at the western terminus of Langenberg Avenue subject to Staff approval of legal papers and construction plans prior to Council consideration. Recommended approval, by a vote of 7-0, SUB04-00014, a final plat of Country Club Estates, Part 2, a 42-lot, 16.65-acre subdivision located west of Flagstaff Drive subject to Staff approval of legal papers and construction drawings including the stormwater detention easement prior to City Council consideration. Recommended approval, by a vote of 7-0, an amendment to the Zoning Code, Section 14-6J-2, to allow consideration of the reduction of street widths for public streets in Planned Development Housing Overlay (OPDH) zones. REZONING / DEVELOPMENT ITEMS: REZ04-00004, discussion of an application submitted by James Clark for a rezoning from Community Commercial (CC-2) zone to Central Business Support (CB-5) zone for approximately 1.34-acres of property located on the east side of S. Gilbert Street. Application withdrawn. REZ04-00010, discussion of an application submitted by the Iowa City Community School District for a rezoning from Community Commercial (CC-2) to Public (P) for 3.72-acres of property located on the south side of Mall Drive. Miklo said this property was located on the south side of Mall Drive. It had been acquired by the Iowa City Community School District. The zoning ordinance requires that land owned by government agencies be zone P. Such land is exempt from most zoning regulations. They planned to build the alternative high school there. Staff recommended approval of REZ04-00010. Public discussion was opened. There was none. Public discussion was closed Motion: Freerks made a motion to approve REZ04-00010, an application for rezoning from Community Commercial (CC-2) zone to Public (P) zone for 3.72-acres of property located south of Mall Drive. Hansen seconded the motion. The motion passed on a vote of 7-0. "_..- ._,-_..~_.,_..- ----- _._-----~~-.._'----_..__._'~_._---_._-- Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes May 20, 2004 Page 2 REZ04-00011, discussion of an application submitted by Don and Lori Cochran for a rezoning from Interim Development Multi-F am ily/Historic Preservation Overlay (ID-RM/OHP) zone to Interim Deve[opment Single-Family/Historic Preservation Overlay (ID-RS/OHP) zone for 10-acres of property located at 2460 S. Gilbert Street. Miklo said this property was the remaining 10-acres of the historic McCollister Farmstead. It was currently zoned ID-RM (Interim Development Mu[tifamily). The applicant had requested ID-RS, (Interim Deve[opment Single Fami[y) zoning to allow them to subdivide the property into two 5-acre parcels, which would be allowed in the ID-RS zone but not allowed in the ID-RM zone. The Comprehensive Plan, specifically the South District Plan, showed the surrounding areas as being appropriate for single-family development. Staff felt the ID-RS zoning would be in compliance with the Comprehensive Plan. Because this property is designated as a landmark any deveiopment on the property would require approval by the Historic Preservation Commission. That would include any activity associated with the existing house, the current vacant parcel and the new parcel that would be created. Any further development, other than the existing house and one new single-fami[y house on the new 5-acre tract, would also require a rezoning from ID-RS and review by the Historic Preservation Commission. The applicant had indicated their intention was to sell the existing house and 5-acres to a third party who intended to live on the property, rehabilitate the house and potentially develop it into a music school at some point in the future. The applicant was preparing a planned development overlay with some cluster development to the south and east of the current historic home for the remaining 5-acres. In order to expedite the sale of the existing house the applicant had requested a rezoning to permit the lot split. Staff had found and recommended approval of REZ04-00011. Miklo said he had been informed earlier in the day that the title to the ID-RM property immediately to the south had been secured by the Iowa Natural Heritage Trust and they would be using it as open space or a preserve area. Koppes asked if any prairie was located on this site. Mik[o said Staff didn't know. Freerks asked when the zone had been adopted. Miklo said probably in 1983 when the ID-RM zone had been adopted. Public discussion was opened. Don Cochran, said he and his wife felt this was a very special piece of property. The property had a very fine history but over the past 30-years had deteriorated to a state where the barn needed to be taken down. They hoped to salvage some of the barn's pieces. An orchestra teacher for a grade school in Cedar Rapids hoped to be abie to move into the home as soon as possible to begin rehabilitating the home and to keep the deterioration from continuing. Because the overlay process would take three to six months, it was very important to the applicant and to the third party that this application be approved quickly so the parcel could be split, the new owner obtain the deed to the home and begin the renovation process. Cochran asked if there were no considerations against his application that the Commission vote on it at this meeting. Public discussion was closed. Motion: Freerks made a motion to approve REZ04-00011, an application for a rezoning from ID- RM/OHP, Interim Development Multifamily/Historic Preservation Overlay, to ID-RS/OHP, Interim Development Single Family/Historic Preservation Overlay. Koppes seconded the motion. Hansen said he would have preferred that a representative of the Historic Preservation Commission be present to inform the Commission of their plans for the property or the party responsible for the plans for the preservation of the house. Miklo said plans had not been drawn up at this point. Any activity that would require a building permit would have to go before the Historic Preservation Commission for their signoff. This property also had national status as it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Regarding future development the Historic Preservation Commission would look at the structure itself and try to assure that any additions Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes May 20, 2004 Page 3 or any alterations kept with the historic character of the property and did not harm the architecture or structural integrity of the property. Any additions or new structures on the property had to be compatible in design with the historic nature of the farmstead. This applied to the exteriors only, not the interiors. The proposed back lot was included as well. There had been some discussions with the Historic Preservation Commission regarding tearing the barn down. Someone from the State Historic Preservation office had come out as well to take a look at the barn. The motion passed on a vote of 6-1. (Hansen voted against). SUBDIVISION ITEMS: SUB04-00013, discussion of an application submitted by Southgate Development for a final plat of Sandhill Estates Part 2, a 4.75-acre, 21-lot residential subdivision located at the west terminus of Langenberg Avenue. Miklo said the final plat complied with the preliminary plat that had been approved a few months ago. Staff was reviewing the legal papers and construction drawings at this time. Staff recommended approval of SUB04-00013 subject to Staff approval of legai documents and construction drawings. Public discussion was opened. There was none. Public discussion was closed. Motion: Brooks made a motion to approve SUB04-00013, a final plat of Sand Hill Estates, Part 2 a 4.75- acre, 21-lot, single-family residential subdivision, located at the western terminus of Langenberg Avenue, subject to Staff approval of legal papers and construction plans prior to Council consideration. Koppes seconded the motion. Note: Koppes said she wished to remind City Council that persons from this development would be driving on Sycamore Street and that the upgrading of Sycamore Street should be looked at sooner rather than later. The motion passed on a vote of 7-0. SUB04-00014, discussion of an application submitted by S&J Development for a final piat of Country Club Estates Phase II, a 16.65-acre, 42-lot residential subdivision located on Flagstaff and Phoenix Drives. Miklo said the preliminary plat had been approved in August, 2003. The plat as submitted was in compliance with the preliminary plat and the City's ordinances and requirements. This development had required an easement across County property to the north in order to provide sanitary sewer service to this property. Securing that easement had taken the applicant some additional time. Staff recommended approval of this application subject to Staffs approval of legal papers and construction drawings. Mlklo said there had been an issue about stormwater detention basin on lots 18, 19, 20. Staff had revised calculations and it appeared that the basin would not get so large as to prohibit building on those lots. Public discussion was opened. There was none. Public discussion was closed. Motion: Hansen made a motion to approve SUB04-00014, a final plat of Country Club Estates, Part 2, a 42-lot, 16.65-acre subdivision located west of Flagstaff Drive subject to Staff approval of legal papers and construction drawings, including the stormwater detention easement, prior to City Council consideration. Freerks seconded the motion. The motion passed on a vote of 7-0. ZONING CODE AMENDMENT ITEM: Miklo said the current standard for local streets was 28-feet wide. Staff had approved on several occasions private streets down to a width of 25-feet In planned developments. Several of those had created problems in terms of concerns by residents who resided on private streets who did not have full City services such as snow removal or trash and recycling collection. Miklo said it was unlikely that Staff - . _.... "- --..-.__._- Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes May 20, 2004 Page 4 would recommend private streets in the future except in very limited circumstances such as in cluster developments where it was a condominium set up. in a Sensitive Areas Overlay a street could also be reduced down to a 25-foot width. The idea being that a narrower street might take some pressure off an environmentally sensitive area. Staff wished to maintain the flexibility of reducing a limited number of public streets to a 26-foot width. The streets would be those that didn't carry a lot of traffic, had a limited number of residences and had alternatives such as alleys for parking so as to maintain sufficient off- and on-street parking. Miklo said Staff would review each appiication on a case-by-case basis. Miklo said Staff recommended that the following language be inserted into section 14-6J-2 0.7.1. (new text in boid): f. Streets: Planned developments shall provide for the continuation and extension of streets, which shall be in accordance with current City Standards. The City may allow for a reduction of street width from 28 feet to 26 feet where it is demonstrated to the satisfaction of the City that the street will carry low volumes of traffic and/or the planned development contains alleys. The City may restrict on-street parking on such streets. Public discussion was opened. There was none. Pubiic discussion was closed. Motion: Freerks made a motion to approve an amendment to the Zoning Code, Section 14-6J-2, as noted in Staff's report dated May 20, 2004. Brooks seconded the motion. Freerks said the amendment was a good idea. She was confident that Staff would come up with creative ideas when this type of reduction was requested and approved. The motion passed on a vote of 7-0. OTHER ITEMS: None CONSIDERATION OF MAY 6.2004 MEETING MINUTES: Motion: Koppes made a motion to approve the minutes as printed and corrected. Hansen seconded the motion. The motion passed on a vote of 7-0. ADJOURNMENT: Motion: Hansen made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:55 pm. Koppes seconded the motion. The motion passed on a vote of 7-0. Elizabeth Koppes, Secretary Minutes submitted by Candy Barnhill dataoncityntlpcdlminuteslp&Z/20041200405-20..o4p&z.doc Board or Commission: Iowa City Iowa Planning & Zoning Commission ATTENDANCE RECORD YEAR 2004 MAY 20, 2004 TERM NAME EXP. 1/ 1/04 1/15/04 2/5/04 2/19/04 3/4/04 3/18/04 4/1/04 04/15/04 05/06/04 OS/20/04 Don Anciaux 05/01/2006 NM X NM X X NM X X X X Bob Brooks 05/01/2005 NM X NM X X NM X X X X Beniamin Chait 05/01/2006 NM X NM X X NM X X 0 X Ann Freerks 05/01/2008 NM X NM DIE OlE NM X X X X Jerrv Hansen 05/01/2005 NM X NM X X NM X X X X Elizabeth Koppes 05/01/2007 NM X NM X X NM X X X X Dean Shannon 05/01/2008 NM X NM X X NM X DIE X X KEY: X = Present o = Absent DIE = AbsentlExcused NM = No meeting - = Not a Member Jm RULES COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES June 4, 2004 Committee Members Present: Champion, O'Donnell Staff Members Present: Karr Planning & Zoning Commission By-Law Change The Rules Committee discussed the by-law changes to page 3 and memo dated April 9, 2004, as referred to the City Council at their May 18, 2004 meeting. Regarding the language "...shall not participate in the discussion..." - The Rules Committee expressed concern that once a member left the panel, they should be able to participate as a citizen, and asked the Planning & Zoning Commission to respond to this concern. The item was referred back to the Planning and Zoning Commission for clarification. 11b5ê\~ MINUTES PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION APPROVED MAY 12, 2004 MEMBERS PRESENT: Nancy Ostrognai, Craig Gustaveson, Ryan O'Leary, David Fleener, Matthew Pacha, John Westefeld, Margaret Loomer, Judith Klink, Sarah Walz STAFF PRESENT: Terry Trueblood, Mike Moran, Terry Robinson OTHERS PRESENT: Ann Burnside FORMAL ACTION TAKEN Moved by Klink, seconded by Walz, to approve the March 10, 2004 minutes as written. The motion passed on a vote of 8-0 [O'Leary had not arrived yet]. RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL Moved by Gustaveson, seconded by Walz, to endorse a dog park with the understanding that the planning process be open to the public so as to provide a mechanism for input to be received, reviewed and acted upon. Unanimous. PUBLIC DISCUSSION: There was none. Pacha introduced Ryan O'Leary, the newest member of the Commission. Each Commissioner made a self-introduction. DISCUSSION OF DOG PARK AND RECOMMENDED LOCATION: Trueblood said he had provided updates as this proposal moved along. Currently three different sites were under consideration. The area by the City landfill had been introduced and discussed at a public meeting; the Scott Park area had been introduced and discussed at a public meeting; the two areas within the Peninsula development had not been discussed at a public meeting as there were very few immediate surrounding residents in close proximity to the Peninsula parkland. Trueblood indicated where the two areas under consideration in the Peninsula development were located on a wall-sized map of existing trail locations. One parcel of land was approximately 8-acres in size, the other was approximately 11-acres. Trueblood said he had met previously with the superintendent of the City's Water division and several members of the DogPAC. The intent was to keep the dog park area fairly close to the roadway and proposed parking area. A possible complication could occur if the 8-acre portion were used for stormwater detention. Trueblood said the existing dirt roadway into the Peninsula area would need to be improved and widened to accommodate 2 way traffic, have some blind spots improved and have the parking lot in place. The projected total cost for those improvements was $150,000-$200,000. Trueblood said he felt the City could not expect members of DogPAC to pay for those improvements, but those items were not currently budgeted in the City's budget. Discussion of the dog park was on the Monday (5/17/04) informal City Council agenda. The Peninsula location was the #1 choice of the DogPAC board. Their second choice was the Scott Park location. _..~ - - . --- _ _ _ ______._._u_______ Parks and Recreation Commission May 12, 2004 Page 2 of 7 Public discussion was opened. Ann Burnside, representative of the Dog Park Board of Directors, said she was there to provide any information the Commission requested. As a background for the new Commissioners, DogPAC had originally come into existence because there were a lot of people who enjoyed being outside with their dogs, meeting other people with their dogs and having a place to walk and have the dogs run. The board had looked at a lot of other dog parks both in the state and around the country. They had done a lot of research on various other dog parks, where they were located, how the parks were constructed and had come up with a pretty specific proposal for the Iowa City dog park. The City Council had requested that Trueblood and the Parks and Recreation department work with the DogPAC board to find a suitable location. Burnside said the members of DogPAC were eager to have the support of the Commission and were more than willing to answer any of their questions or concerns. Burnside said DogPAC members were ready to do fund raising, they had been ready to do so for over a year but really couldn't until Council designated a piece of ground for the dog park's location. They were confidant that it would be easy to raise the funds needed to fence in the dog park area. They were committed to helping to maintain the quality of the dog park and had already written regulations for using the dog park. Fleener asked if two dog parks were being proposed, one for large dogs and one for small dogs, as they were looking at two parcels of land. Trueblood said that had been mentioned when touring the area but it was his feeling to try and get one dog park established and see how it goes before considering a second one. Burnside said through their research and tours of other dog parks, the Board had found it was clearly a good idea to have a small dog specific area. The Cedar Rapids dog park had one acre set aside specifically for small and older dogs who were not able to socialize with the intensity and playfulness of the younger and/or larger dogs. The original tract of land had been a 40-acre tract and they had set aside an area for smaller dogs. Burnside said with a smaller parcel of land consideration needed to be given to the fact that grass or ground cover would be gone pretty quickly due to the increased traffic using the smaller park area. Gustaveson said his research had shown that the ideal park size was approximately 8- to 10- acres of land. He asked Burnside if the 11-acre parcel of land would be enough to parcel off two sections of land. Burnside said she thought it could be done with an 11-acre tract. Klink asked about accessibility to water. Burnside said the original Kansas Avenue site had been located near a creek. At the Peninsula location there would be no river access. They did not intend to install any ponds or water features. Walz said currently there was only the one road access for vehicles. She wondered if the new development would be concerned with the increased vehicular traffic. It would be different with multiple vehicle access points. Trueblood said that had also been a concern of the Planning and Community Development Director, but he explained that he didn't believe the dog park would attract large volumes of traffic in short periods of time. The proposed parking lot is only approximately 25-spaces, however having a dog park in the Peninsula area will generate more traffic. The Cedar Rapids dog park parking area is very small (20 to 25 spaces), but apparently is sufficient. Burnside said _._~ - --~ .-. -------.---.- .__.._----~-~_." -----~- .-... Parks and Recreation Commission May 12, 2004 Page 3 of 7 the Cedar Rapids dog park was heavily used but not to overflow. Some how there was a natural spread out of the flow of park use and traffic clogs didn't occur. Trueblood said there had been an article in the newspaper that specified the possible location at the Peninsula. He had received only one telephone call from a lady who actually lived off of Foster Road. She didn't express big concerns about a dog park being located in the Peninsula area. Westefeld asked if the dog park would be open 24 hours a day. Burnside said no, they had talked about having the park open only during daylight hours. They were not planning on installing lighting. Trueblood said the dog park could not be open more than the established park hours, which are currently dusk to dawn for this park. Westefeld asked what was going to be presented before the Council at their informal meeting. Burnside said her understanding was that Trueblood would make a recommendation whether they should move forward with this or not. Trueblood said he planned to talk about all the proposed locations, what DogPAC wished to do and what the Parks and Recreation Commission was or was not supportive of. Klink asked if a fence was going to be placed around the park area. Burnside said the Board had anticipated installing a fence. The fence's design would be based on fences used at other dog parks. It would not be a chain link or cyclone fence. The most recent plans were a fence that was 4- to 5-feet tall so dogs could not jump over or crawl under it. Walz asked if people would be required to accompany their dogs at all times. Burnside indicated yes, and that Dog PAC already had a set of guidelines and rules for use of the park. Klink asked what was the current ground cover at the Peninsula locations. Burnside said the lower level to the south was full of prickly sand burs which dog's feet were not able to tolerate. She didn't know about the groundcover on the larger area. DogPAC would prefer taller grasses, but were open to any sort of plantings. Klink asked Burnside what she saw as the timeframe. Burnside said it would be somewhat Council dependant. They would love to have a park open yet this construction season, they were confident that they could raise the necessary funding for the fence. The City most likely would not be able to construct a road and parking lot in a short amount of time. Klink asked Burnside if she thought the potential delay would be long enough for groundcover to be installed before persons started using it. Burnside said members of the Dog Pack wanted to consult with specialists regarding removal of the sand burs. Klink asked what type of ground cover Cedar Rapids had. Burnside said they had grass. Burnside said they would also insist the park have walkways and be ADA compliant. Klink said if the Commission voted to endorse the dog park she would like to see some conditions put on it such as: · having a neighborhood meeting of the residents of the Peninsula development · planting plans outlined · fence plan in place · parking lot finished at the bottom of the hill -". . ..-- -- .-.......--....--.-.....- - -,,-----...-....'....-..- .-----.- Parks and Recreation Commission May 12, 2004 Page 4 of 7 Walz said Klink's suggestions made sense, she would like them to be "general standards" not specifics. That would give some assurances to the residents of the Peninsula neighborhood. Pacha asked how many families currently resided in that neighborhood. O'Leary said four. Klink said she would like all four residents to sign off on the dog park. Her concern was that when the current residents had purchased their homes, the neighborhood was not proposed to have a dog park in it. Now it might become a different neighborhood. Trueblood and Pacha said that in no area in Iowa City would they find someone who would not be opposed to having a dog park in 'their' neighborhood. Klink said she felt it was important that the neighbors be fully informed and participate in the final decision if the park was approved. Walz said she would like to give them the opportunity to participate, to express their concerns and to have them addressed. Pacha asked if there was a public meeting and all four persons disagreed with the idea of the dog park, would that rnean no dog park? Westefeld said if persons supported the general concept of the dog park, perhaps there would be a way the Commission could endorse the idea but encourage members of the DogPAC Board to provide an opportunity for the residents of the neighborhood to have input into the situation. He was looking for a way to find a compromise, but he didn't want to see the dog park item delayed for several more months. Burnside said they would be happy to meet with the residents of the Peninsula area. They had done so for the Kansas Avenue and Scott Park locations. Westefeld said he didn't see it as an either or situation. Walz said she did not want to give veto power to the residents of the Peninsula development but felt they should be given the opportunity to ask questions. O'Leary said the members of DogPAC had held meetings for the residents of the other sites, he thought the informational meetings were a great idea. It was possible that the golf course owners or general public members might have concerns as well. Klink suggested that a letter come from the Parks and Recreation Department stating they supported this idea, requesting the residents input and to please respond by such a date. Walz said she did not want to ask for the resident's approval but indicate that if they had concerns or questions, they could contact a staff person. She felt it would be good to explain in the letter regarding the fencing, the self policing policies of the proposed park, that dogs would be leashed until they were inside the fenced area, and any other information which would help to alleviate the concerns that the Peninsula development residents might have. Burnside said approximately one year ago members of DogPAC and their dog companions had presented a proposal to Council that had included the park's design and the specifications. They were not stepping away from any of those guidelines. Klink said the Peninsula area was being used as an unofficial dog park now so the residents might actually prefer the dog park as to how the area was currently being used. Trueblood said to summarize, the Commission desired this to be a public process. Citizens and residents needed to be informed and provided an opportunity to ask questions, have their concerns addressed and make suggestions. -"-- -_.-._-- -..--- .__n___ Parks and Recreation Commission May 12, 2004 Page 5 of 7 Motion: Gustaveson made a motion to endorse a Dog Park with the understanding that the planning process be open to the public so as to provide a mechanism for input to be received, reviewed and acted upon. Walz seconded the motion. Unanimous. Burnside said members of DogPAC and their dog partners would be in attendance at Monday evening's Council work session. LOW INCOME FEE STRUCTURE: Trueblood said he had no further information at this time. When they had not been able to get a revised the low income fee structure in place for the summer season it had fallen to the back burner. He was hopeful that for Fall '04 a proposal would be submitted. CITY HIGH USE OF MERCER PARK BASEBALL FIELDS: Trueblood said a new 16-foot high fence enclosed outfield #1. It had been determined that they would not be able to move the fence out to the high school distance for this season because of the fill that had to be installed beyond the outfield fence and other requirements. A compromise had been to raise it up. Lighting was proving to be problematic and costs are still under review. Musco Lighting had told Staff what supplies were needed. The installation had to be contracted out and the estimated cost that had been submitted was right on the border of having to be bid as a formal instead of semi-formal bid, which would be a more lengthily process. The City High scoreboard is being relocated to Mercer. John Balmer had spoken with Trueblood regarding the 'name' still being on the scoreboard. Trueblood said he didn't foresee that to be a problem and it could be discussed in length at a later date. O'Leary asked if there had been any thoughts on the naming of the field. Trueblood indicated he had been asked about this, and further indicated that, if the name issue went any further, it would come back before the Commission. SAND PRAIRIE ISSUES: Trueblood said the City now owned 17 acres in the Sand Hill subdivision. He referred Commissioners to his memorandum included in their information packet. A prairie burn would probably not be done until Fall '04. Trueblood confirmed for Klink that a plant rescue could be done only on the 17 acres owned by the City, no rescue was or could be done on the surrounding acres owned by Southgate Development. WATERWORKS PRAIRIE PARK DEVELOPMENT: Trueblood said this project was going "great guns". The seed had arrived last Thursday and they had been seeding regularly since then. Walz asked since the accepted bid was lower than the projected cost of the project, what had been done with the remainder of the grant funds. Trueblood said an additional $30,000 in seed was purchased and the remainder would be used to help cover costs of the contractor. ALCOHOL IN THE PARKS: Trueblood said just prior to this meeting he had received an e-mail from the Assistant City Attorney that she had a signed copy of the agreement with Riverside Theatre. - - - ----------- Parks and Recreation Commission May 12, 2004 Page 6 of 7 GRANT WOOD GYM PROPOSAL: Trueblood said the Commissioners had copies of the letter from the City Manager to City Council in their information packet. The City's portion was approaching one-half million dollars. No action had been taken yet. They were waiting to see if City Council was willing to approve an amendment to the capital improvement budget. A 28-E agreement with the ICCSD was being worked on. The projected floor size is slightly bigger than one of the floors at Scanlon Gym. Mike had already had an inquiry from the Iowa City Kickers Club if and when the gym would be available for rental. BENTON HILL PARK PROJECT: Trueblood said this project was moving along. He had noted dates of significance in his memorandum to the Commissioners. He would be attending another meeting Monday at 10:30 am regarding progress on the plans and specifications. CITY PARK PARKING LOT and CEMETERY ROADS PROJECTS: Westefeld and Fleener said the parking lot looked great. Westefeld had received positive feedback from and heard a lot of people commenting on the parking lot. Gustaveson asked Trueblood if the City had heard anything from Anna Buss. Trueblood said he had not heard anything from her, but expected her to be in attendance at the June 1 Council meeting. ANNUAL PARK TOUR: Klink suggested having the tour a week earlier than last year. Having the tour during the summer heat was less enjoyable. Gustaveson said he thought the park tour had been delayed last year to allow some projects to be finished before the tour was held. Staff and the Commissioners discussed possible tour dates, a tentative date of October 6, 2004 was suggested. COMMISISON TIME: "Good Job!" was Westefeld's assessment of the paving of City Park's parking lot. It was a high visibility project and many persons had noticed the repaving. It had turned out to be a very nice project. Commissioners discussed that Happy Hollow and the big lot next to the river in City Park needed to be repaved next year. Margaret Loomer said she was a City Park user and loved the new parking lot. She inquired about a bridge replacement in Willow Creek Park. Staff noted that a new bridge had been ordered and should be delivered the last full week of May, 2004. Klink seconded Loomer's comments regarding City Park. She also said it was very gratifying to see the sand prairie and Benton Hill Park coming along. Walz said she wished to note that a lot of work had already been done at Hickory Hill Park this spring. Friends of Hickory Hill Park were working on a prairie and had planted two acres of seed. The Boy Scouts had helped with a big clearing of honeysuckle. A small burn and reseeding had also taken place. Because of all the work that had been done, the Johnson County Heritage Trust had named The Friends of Hickory Hill Park the Conservationists of the Year. This was the first time the recognition had been given to a group instead of to an individual. She extended a 'thank you' to Trueblood and staff for all their assistance with Hickory Hill Park. - --. -- "_._.__._~ --... ._---_._~-_..-~,-- Parks and Recreation Commission May 12, 2004 Page 7 of 7 Ostrognai asked what had happened to the beavers along Ralston Creek, parallel to Jefferson Street. Robinson said beavers 'went in cycles', so to speak. He'd received telephone calls about the beavers before. They are very secretive by nature, but they could probably be found in all Iowa City creeks at one time or another. O'Leary said he was very excited to be at his first Commission meeting. He had been supportive of a dog park from the beginning and was excited that the Commission had given the park their endorsement and that it might soon become a reality. He felt a dog park could have a positive ripple effect in the community. CHAIR'S REPORT: Pacha said he would not be present for the June, 2004 meeting. It would be only the second meeting he had missed in his twelve years of being a Commission member. DIRECTOR'S REPORT: Sand Lake Recreation Area: Trueblood said he had spoken with the City Manager about this area near Sand Road, south of Napoleon Park. It is approximately 140-acres, almost all water. Suggestions of a beach area, fishing pier, and other water-related recreation possibilities have been mentioned. Ostrognai said homeless persons camped there. Trueblood said he thought that was a different area and the City had temporarily rectified that problem. The area being discussed was now mined out and the commercial owner was planning to move their operations out of that area. Klink asked where would/could a trail go. Trueblood said they were currently widening the shoulders of Sand Road for the safety of bicyclists. A trail could go all the way around the lake. Pacha said he thought it was a great idea, but didn't want to spend a lot of money on it. Gustaveson said he had spoken with Lehman months ago about the potential of developing a private park there. The City of Ottumwa had a small aquatic park, which was very well received by the community. Westefeld said this could be an enticing project. Walz asked about funding. Trueblood said the funding is not in place at this time and would have to be approved by Council. Walz said she was concerned about prioritizing projects, and getting adequate funding for both projects and operations. O'Leary said he felt this was a neat prospect. It would be great not to have to drive 20 miles to an aquatic area such as this. Klink said she thought this was a great opportunity; they should move quickly and quietly. The Commissioners affirmed to Trueblood that they looked favorably upon obtaining this parcel of land, as long as it isn't too costly. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 6:25 p.m. Minutes submitted by Candy Barnhill