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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996-09-10 CorrespondenceSTATEMENT FROM THE CITY COUNCIL RE THE AUGUST 30 SHOOTING September 10, 1996 Council Meeting The members of the City Council of Iowa City wish to express our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Eric Shaw. We cannot truly experience their anguish, but we and the entire community do share in their grief. We believe it is essential for all of us to be cautious in our judgments until the various investigations, internal and external, are completed. As soon as the reviews are finished and the results are available to us, we will share with the public as much information as we possibly can. Subsequently the Council will study the reports on this terrible incident and consider carefully what changes may be necessary in our policies and procedures to preclude any similar occurrences. We ask for your patience now and for your participation in those forthcoming discussions. Date: Tue, 3 Sep 1996 21:58:13 -0500 (CDT) From: "K. Kubby" <kkubby@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu> To: mariane karr <~Lkarr@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu> Subject: transit cuts (fwd) Marian, Will you make sure this message gets included packet? Thank you--K. Kubby in the next city council .......... Forwarded message .......... Date: Fri, 23 Aug 96 09:40:21 CST From: Daughert@act.org To: jc-news@netins.net Subject: transit cuts To the City Council: I realize it's a done deal, but I'm angry about the cuts in bus service that will go into effect next week. Paying more for the same service is one thing; paying more for _less_ service is another. Because of which bus runs were eliminated, I'm not going to be able to work in the evening if I want or need to, unless I'm willing to take an $8-10 cab ride. I can't take an evening class I had planned on taking this fall, unless I'm willing to wait out in the dark for an hour and fifteen minutes (!) for the next bus. I won't be seeing any more movies downtown during the week, either. And I'm sure my choices will be restricted in other ways I haven't even thought about yet. The cuts may seem trivial to anyone who does not depend on the bus for all their transportation. Those who made the cuts ought to see what it's like to have to plan one's whole life -- work, shopping, entertainment, everything -- around a hourly bus run. They ought to have to spend an entire evening trying to finish just one errand. They ought to be in the position in which I saw one young mother recently, lugging her child down Riverside Drive (in what felt like 90 degree heat and 90% humidity) because there was no bus the hour before when she needed it, missing her connection, and then having to wait almost another whole hour downtown before the next Coralville bus came. For me, what's going to end up happening is that in a couple years I will finally save up enough money to buy a car I don't want and can't afford, and I'll proceed to add to the problems of traffic, parking, and pollution. I would rather put that money toward my house or retirement, or even into savings; I would rather ride the bus, but you're making that impossible. Julia Daugherty daughert@act.org ~'-'- E,~EO SEP 0~8 Dear Iowa City Council Member: As you may or may not know, the city attorney's office is reviewing a proposed animal ordinance written by Lisa Goodman, an animal control officer. This law, if approved, will require among other things that anyone owning any reptile or lar___Lgg amphibian have a $15 permit to do so. This includes ownership of anoles (the chameleons of your youth) or the garter snake that you catch in your back yard (one of the only two unprotected reptiles in the state of Iowa). Requiring a permit for these innocuous animals is unreasonable but not unprecedented. What is unprecedented is that besides requiring a permit for ownership, this new law requires a home inspection by an animal control officer before a permit will be issued and an animal may be possessed and that this home inspection must take place on a yearly basis. All of this is required just to own a $5 lizard. This is outrageous! I am hosting the Eastern Iowa Breeder's Showcase on Sunday September 8, 1996. This event will showcase exclusively captive born snakes and lizards produced by breeders in Missouri, Kansas, Minnesota, Illinois, and Iowa. I would like to invite you to come to this event to meet with the people in your city who have an interest in these wonderful animals, to see what ownership of these animals is about, and to get input about the proposed law directly from the people it will affect. On the reverse of this letter you will find a flier detailing this upcoming event. I hope you can find the time to stop by and enjoy our show and to find out what reptile ownership is all about. I hope to speak to you in person soon at a city council meeting. Dr. Shawn Lockhart University of Iowa Iowa City resident BRBBD , Sunday September 8, t 996 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. Best Western Westfield Inn, Cor~,~ '~.e, 1,8.95 27th Ave. H~ghway_~65 and I-~,? · Adults,'.$3 .... ~ 11'and~.unde, : Uncle?r-6 free Exclusive H..,~ your questions answered 53' some of the top experts in the midwest Sponsored By Dr. Shawn Lockhe- For more information call:: :- ' .; .~nd Mr. Bruce Ritchie, Tiliqua Etc. )6~i 4..-:.202 or Shawn (319)33%7239 9/9/96 TO: From: Re: City Council Dee Norton, Larry Baker Downtown-21 schedule As soon as possible, the Council needs to form a citizen co~mnittee to start formulating re-vitalization goals for the downtown. This memo is meant to offer some suggestions for that process. First, we need to set a specific date for the completion of this committee's task. With or without a comprehensive downtown vision, the Library Board should also be given a specific date on which a bond issue referendum will be held for some version of their expansion plans. Ideally, any Library expansion project will be part of a larger bond issue that will include downtown infrastructure improvements and/or a 64-1A project. Thus, the Library and downtown proposals should be ONE bond issue at one time. We would suggest a Fall-97 deadline for the referendum, possibly in conjunction with the 97 Council elections. If consensus cannot be reached about the downtown, some version of the Library expansion will have the ballot to itself oon the November-97 ballot. Next, the size of the committee. One possible approach would have a larger committee to begin with, perhaps 20 members. Sub-committees would evolve out of that primary membership. A larger group can be unwieldy at times, but a strong facilitator, such as Steve Atkins or Karin Franklin, could hold it together. A/so, a larger committee has two advantages. The absence of one or two members at any one time would not impede the progress of the whole committee. Also, a larger committee with a diverse membership has an inherent broad base of energtic public advocates for the final vision. Politically, having more people involved will help in the long run. Membership of the committee? We need to move on this promptly. We can certainly advertise for volunteers, but it is probably ~dicker and just as effective for each of us to solicit people whom we already know from our own Council activities. By the end of September we should have a list of citizens who we know want to serve or whom we want to contact. We should look for those people willing to make a serious cormmitment to a vigorous public debate and dialogue. We want both their ideas and their energy. Categories of expertise we need on this committee? Downtown business o~]ers and managers, from the CBD and the Near Southside. A Library representative. A University representative. Someone from the Press-Citizen editorial board? An architect and/or engineer. DTA and Monday Forum members. A UI student? Member of the Design Review Co~nittee. A City Council mender(s)? A Ch~er representative? A Planning and Zoning Commission member. A representative from the arts con, unity? Miscellaneous and/or unaffiliated citizens, but who have some connection to the downtown? If we decide to have a large co~tu~littee, why not allow each Councilmember to recruit three people of his or her own choice? The above categories are not meant to be exclusive. But, regardless of who is chosen, the Council should be seeking those individuals who will actively look for and listen to innovative proposals from each othez and from the public. They should go into this debate with a simple premise in the back of their minds at all times: "If I had the power to do anything to change or improve the downtown, what would it be?" With that attitude, ideas should be plentiful. Money, law, and public sentiment will eventually refine those ideas. We should begin with the dramatic; reality will always catch up to us. Specific Goals of the Committee? A dynamic group will set its own agenda, but the Council should offer some general guidelines. The following four broad categories might be a start, but they should not be a limit. Under each category are listed sub-issues. Again, these are merely a beginning. 1. Development of 64-1A All for Library? How much for Centerspace elements and/or conference center? Hotel? Open green space? Skating Rink? Residential? Design? Development by local investors? Public/private ratio? Financial incentive package? 2. Library Expansion How much? Acceptable cost? Design? New library on urban renewal parcel, shared space, or remain on present footprint? Long-term future expansion? Note: items 1 and 2 are obviously interconnected. But a decision about where the Library can expand cannot wait until the end of this process. The Library Board and those studying the future of 64-1A have to answer that question fairly early so that, if each project is to be developed separately, the appropriate architectural and engineering plans can be made. 3. Downtown Visual and Infrastructure Renovations Landscaping? More ped mall space? Sidewalks widened? Galleria over College Street between Clinton and Dubuque? Playground? Burlington Street median? Signage? New benches and planters? Public restrooms? Streets opened? Fountain re-designed by local artists? Streets closed? Skating rink? University walkway over Dubuque? Iowa Avenue parking? Cleaning, maintenance, and security concerns? Iowa Avenue canopy? 4. Downtown Economic Review Limit on liquor licenses? MID? Zoning Impact of more residential development? ordinance. Location of new parking ramp? (does from St. Patrick's?) Parking requirements? possible to stimulate downtown)? City personnel made more flexible? Amendments to sign it have to be across Impact fees? Is it c~nmercial development(people working commitment? Arts and Culture budget? Schedule of the Coramittee? Working back from the deadline we establish, the committee will probably set its own individual meeting schedule. But we should expect a monthly report from them. As for the Council, we should have the con~nittee established before the end of October. The committee's first major decision should be how much, if any, outside expertise they need. Obviously, city staff will provide the basic support, but we should be willing to pay for specialized talent, especially in design, if the conm~ittee thinks it is essential. Hopefully, that talent could be found locally. The decision to seek outside expertise should be made before Decel~er. By the summer of 1997, we should expect a final proposal. A series of public discussions will follow. The Codicil will ~lend the committee's plans as we think appropriate. The campaign to generate widespread public support will begin after Labor Day, 1997. As should be obvious from this short outline, this is a major undertaking that will require a commitment from the Council and committee members, as welt as the city staff. The long-term benefits, if we think creatively and expansively, should have a profound impact on the future of downtown Iowa City.