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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1995-08-29 CorrespondenceI would like the Iowa City council to strongly consider keeping the East Loop busAllunninii.,_M~ child rides this bus during th~ 1~1 ret~u~ni~ from would like to have the opportugity ~o have ride this bus next yea~ (1995-96). -- Name: Address: ~.~ City, la. 5224_~. £L~y £ouncLi £LvLc £enter iowa CL~y, Za 522~0 RECEIVED "' '"' 602 It/fiL(Ln~. dye. Pgeaae ~tefer ~o ~he a~acked ahee't. whLch ~eZZa a6ou~ ~ea ~oLnea, Ia paaa~n~ a acoope~ Za~ Ln ~e~a~d ~o pe~aona waZ~gng ~ave made L~ a aLmpge mLadeameanoa ca~aLn~ a flLne up ~o $/00 and/or up ~o 30 da~a &n I~e aaLLcZe crush6 my eye because I ZLve aL~h~ nex~ Lo S~Lmeh Scfiooi. you wouZdn '~ 5eZLeve ~fie numbea o~ do~ ~ha~ peopie (o~ [oo~ oa by auLo} ~ahe ~eae ~o ~uan ~fi~ gooae ~o~ exeaeLae. I have had enou~ do~ daoppLn~a on my eoanea paopea~y {wilLeft I have had ~o pLch wouZd mahea Zot o~ moqey Lff ~Lnea meae-caaaLed ou~. aee ~fie camp ~o many ~cmea c~ ~oea ~Aaou~h ~he iawn morea. I~ La a~o daa~eaoua aunnLn~ over ~ha~ ~u~ wL~A a morea aLnce iopea on ~o ~cdea. /fie mo~e~ a/Ldea do~n L[ 6fie daoppLn~a aae a~LZZ p~e~y moLaL o~a ooy~, a thcad. ~ade% ~o convcnce ~he bea boLnea CL~y Council wily 6fie cL6y ahouZd ~av~ ~uch a law. 1~ La becomLn~ more 9~ a problem aLnce we aaea ~nowcn~ communL~y wLth moae peapie and mone dora. I ~no~ ~ha~ ~ou ~ave.a 6ua~ ac~eduZe eoneeanLn~ mone~ end ~axea e~c., ae~ a iaw ~Aeaeby peopZe ~ouZd be aeaponaL6Ze ~o~ pLehLn~ ~AeLa pe~a oa face a[Lne L~ ~Ae~ aae appaeAended. d~ ieaa~ L~ ~ouZd make ~em ~ALnA e6ou~ L~ and no~ 6e ~o L~aeaFonaL6ie. ~veiyn KraZ ~achmen~ Des Moines passes scooper law By CHRIS OSHER Thanks to 9.year-old Jake Norman, dog owners now will have to use scoopers when they walk their pets in Des Moines. On May 2, the Hubbell Elemeatary third-grader outlined to the Des Moines City Council reasons why the city should have alaw requiring dog owners to clean up their pets' drop- pings. Norman's comments evidently caught the attention of man~ resi- dents. "I had an overwhelming number of cmtstituenta that called and said that's a good idea and needs to be im- plement,ed," Mayor John ':Pat" Dorriah said. Oue woman sent a let~r to Don'i- an complaining that some dog owners exercise their pets on school playgrounds. "5he didn't think that was appro- priate because children use them," Dorrian said. So the City Council last week passed a new law making it a aimpl,e, misdemeanor for a pet owner to iau to clean up after a pet. Simple rais- deemeanors carry a free up to $100 and/or up to 30 days in jail. Doman said it's an issue that ev- elyone can relate to, unlike some of' the more arcane sllbjects ~he ~otmcil deals with, such ~s tax.increment fi- nanring. "I don't know anyone that hasn't had to deal with it at some time," Dotclan said. "But I don't have a big problem with it at the present tirae. There's not a lot of irresponsible pet omersia my neighborhood." A city imvyer had said it might be hard to enforce the new law, but the councd refused to take that as an ex- "Well. murder's hard to enforce, too," Dorrian said. Dog_o. wner~sw. ql~.,lfl~:_~l li~ th~' being singled out. The new law also applies to cats, homes and other animals. "--' August 14, 1995 Dear City Council, I am writing in regards to the annexation and rezoning of over 100 acres of ]and at the intersection of Hwy. 1 and Hwy. 218. I am writing a second time in hopes of clarifying my concerns. I am not opposed to the annexation and rezoning as proposed by Howard Winebrenner. The best use of this land is probably commercial. It is inevitable that some sort of commercial establishment will occupy the land. However, I would like to call the council's attention to the matter of traffic safety. Myself and the residents of R.H. Davis Subdivision (on and around Kitty Lee Rd.) travel the proposed annexed stretch of Hwy. 1 several times daily to get to and from our homes. Traveling this area frequently, we know how dangerous this highway can be. The residents of this area have signed a petition opposing the annexation and rezoning due to the lack of safety precautions taken to accommodate the increase in traffic. The dangers include poor sight distance on the viaduct from both directions, and little lighting. On several occasions I have meet a car "head-on" traveling on the wrong side of the median. My neighbors have similar stories of "close calls" on the viaduct. I would like to shift my attention from safety on the highway in general to safety at the intersection of Hwy. 1 and Kitty Lee Rd. Kitty Lee Rd. is located roughly 1200 feet west of Naples Ave, the access for Winebrenner's proposed businesses. It can not be disputed that a car dealership, and possibly a restaurant, and gas station would bring considerably more traffic to and from both directions on Hwy. 1. Kitty Lee Rd. and Hwyo 1 already represent a dangerous intersection in that there is no turning lane and no street light. In addition, the highway is poorly designed at this point. The lanes merge and the median ends exactly at Kitty Lee Rd. creating a "bottle neck" effect if you will. Kitty Lee Rd. is not included in the annexed area, nor do the residents of the area desire it to be so. However, the concerns over traffic safety are a legitimate concern when considering bringing more traffic in this direction. If Mr. Winebrenner builds his car dealership and other businesses this intersection will undoubtedly be made even more dangerous by virtue of the increased traffic. I am told Hwy. 1 is a state highway and therefore under the jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation. I am bringing this matter of traffic safety to the attention of the city council so that something can be done to alleviate these concerns in light of the increased traffic the annexation and rezoning will bring. I do not wish to see the residents of the area "between a rock and a hard place" in trying to get someone to do so~'~li'~'~B~l traffic safety. The DOT saying the city contributed to'the problem and the city saying the DOT has jurisdiction, and each wanting the other to finance the improvements. ll'l ~ ~ ~.-~,~.~ The city (county and state) have seen steady growth in this area west of town. This is evidence by traffic related issues the city has already had to address on Hwy. 1, namely the intersection of Hwy. 1 and Mormon Trek. The traffic increase seen at this intersection just down the road do extend on Hwy. 1, over the viaduct, past Naples Ave., and Kitty Lee Rd. There are new businesses on Hwy. 1 and new subdivisions past Kitty Lee. There are also greater and greater numbers of people using Hwy. 1 to commute to Iowa City from Washington and Kalona. I would like to point out that now is not the first time the residents of R.H. Davis Subdivision have raised the issue of traffic safety on the highway. The DOT has been contacted in the past. Mr. Winebrenner's proposed development made me feel the issues of traffic safety must be pursued even more at this time. Again, I would like to reiterate that the residents of R.H. Davis Subdivision are not against Mr. Winebrenner. But myself and the residents of the area want safe passage on Hw~. 1 for the residents of the area as well as Mr. Winebrenner's customers. Please think about how rezoning is Going to affect traffic flow and how these issues can be resolved. Thank you. Sincerely, Regina Alatalo 3671 Olde Oak Ln. SW Iowa City, IA 52240 238-9562