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Home My WebLink About1998-09-22 CorespondenceSeptember 15, 1998 Ernest Lehman, Mayor 410 E. Washington Iowa City, IA 52240 Dear Mayor Lehman, Re: Sandusky Drive Storm Water Retention problems For several years I have experienced flooding problems in my home at 1033 Sandusky Dr. In fact, since 1983 1 have been flooded by excess water in the retention ponds 12 times in 8 different years. For the first few years it was hard to get the city management to heed the concerns in the neighborhood about the flooding problems. In 1993 the city management finally sent a letter acknowledging flood problems and began investigating a solution. This has included survey studies by Shive-Hattery Inc. and MMS Consultants Inc. On May 18, 1998, James Brachtel, Senior Engineer, sent a letter to neighborhood residents outlining the most recent ideas for solving the flooding problems. I quote the following time line from page 2: ACTIVITY COMPLETED BY: 1. Verification of field data and conversation May 29, 1998 with home owners 2. Hydraulic Model Analysis of water way June 12, 1998 3. Prepare maps showing area of potential July 10, 1998 flooding for the 2, 5 and 100 year storm for the water way. 4. Prepare maps of individual lots and homes July 10, 1998 which have experienced flooding to the home in the past; or show the potential for flooding based on a 2, 5 and 100 year storm projections. 5. Meet with effected home owners and discuss July 24, 1998 alternative remedies to reduce the risk of flooding for their homes. Mr Paul Anderson of MMS visited my home in the spring and James Brachtel visited my home June 30 following the storm of June 29 to get a personal perspective on how excess water in the storm water retention ponds affect my property. I last talked with Jim Brachtel in ea~y August. He explained that the project was behind schedule due to the June windstorm, but steps 1 - 4 were completed, and no easy solutions were apparent. The city management (apparently) has made no effort to complete step 5, or commit to a project to bring the city into compliance with the restrictive covenants concerning the storm water retention areas on the south and north sides of Sandusky Drive. I think the time has come for the city council, under your leadership, to direct the city staff to propose and implement needed projects to relieve flooding and bring the storm water retention area into compliance with the covenant restrictions. I have been waiting pafienfiy for the city to implement changes for over a dozen years now. I am fired of waiting. Please get the flooding problems with the retention area fixed soon. Sincerely, Steven E. Nelson 1033 Sandusky Dr. Iowa city, IA 52240 Phone: 354-1762 (home, eve.) 356-7202 (office, day) E-mail: steven-nelson@uiowa.edu CONTRACTOR'S TOOL September |,,4', 1998 P.O. BOX 3108 · 1430 WATERFRONT DRIVE IOWA CITY, IOWA 52244 FAX (319) 351-3233 · PHONE (319) 338-112 IOWA WATS 800-397-3233 City Council, City of Iowa City: Why do some people in your different departments feel compelled to justify their decisions. All I'm asking for is a little help into the possibility of relocating two large power poles that sit on my mother's lot. You can listen to all the hot air you want but the fact remains, those poles are in a ridiculous location for future development of this lot. Mr. Rocca mentions that the sirens are "strategically located" to provide balanced coverage... So with new units being installed what better time to relocate and balance. Sounds like they need to do it any way. I'm also hard pressed to believe that a matter of thirty feet difference is going to impair coverage to Hilltop Trailer Court. And yes, maybe the site I have proposed won't work for all of Mr. Rocca's reasons. But if I were in his shoes I'd be suggesting other possible sites in the immediate area that just might/could work. I don't have all the answers but am looking for help in resolving this matter. Goodness, the city surely has Right Of Ways all over the place, and there isn't one feasible different location available? Come on folks, give me a break, if there was the will, there would be a way. We all know that by now. I t would be refreshing for some of your department heads to come up with viable solutions to these types of problems, instead of people like myself attempting to come up with a solution for both parties. Believe me, I'm used to your peoples mentality of deep-sixing the private parties suggestions with nothing to offer in exchange. Oh yes, we can re-evaluate this at a later date, after the money is spent on putting up the new siren in it's present location. That's what I've come to expect, the hindsight mentality, not the forward thinking vision I'm still waiting to see. I respectfully request further negotiations on this issue now, not re- evaluating this ridiculous location dilemma later. I'm sure a mutually beneficial location can be found, if anyone from the city would work with me, not against me, every step of the way. TOOLS FOR ALL TRADES CARPENTRY - MASONRY - PLUMBING - ELECTRICAL - EXCAVATING L. GRAHAM DAMERON, MPH DIRECTOR September 10, 1998 Iowa City City Council City of Iowa City 410 E. Washington St. Iowa City, IA 52240 Johnson County Department of Public Health Board of Health Richard C. Dobyns, M.D., M.S. Kelley J. Donham, D.V.M., M.S. Diane Joslyn James H. Martinek Anita Sehr Re: Project Summary - South Gilbert Street Commercial Corridor Traffic Study Dear Members of the Council: I am making the following comments at the public hearing on September 8, 1998. would hope that you will take the comments into consideration when you are deliberating this issue at Council meetings in the future. The Johnson County Department of Public Health is located at 1105 Gilbert Court, Iowa City. The building and land is owned by Johnson County. I have reviewed the summary report prepared by your consultant and staff. Improvement alternatives 1,2,3 and 6 do not seem to have a substantial impact on the Department. However, Alternatives 4 and 5 do have a substantial impact and those are the alternatives that I would like to address. Alternative 4 - It is my understanding that Alternative 4, which utilizes part of the CRANDIC track area, would take part of the western side of our property and our three storage sheds. The report indicated that a number of parking spaces would be lost if this alternative is chosen. I would estimate that the Department would lose more than 16 spaces if the sheds are to be relocated on existing property. Alternative 5 - Alternative 5 utilizes Gilbert Court for a one-way street going north. The proposed street would come very, very close to the northeast corner of the building. Again, I would estimate that the Department would lose at least 5 spaces since five of our designated parking spaces that appear to be in the Gilbert Court street itself. In addition, there would be no on-street parking for our staff and clients. Alternatives 4 and 5 may assist with the traffic circulation and accident reductions on Gilbert Street, but I believe that it would have a significant effect on the population served by the Department. Currently, we have many citizens who visit the Department monthly for permits, inquiries, complaints, etc. In addition, we have from 600 to 900 families every month who visit our Child Health and WIC Clinics; these families all have 1105 GILBERT COURT · IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240 ° PHONE (319) 356-6040 · FAX (319) 356-6044 recycled paper Iowa City City Council Page 2 children who must visit the clinic site. I would be concerned for the children's safety if Alternatives 4 or 5 were considered. Thank you for the opportunity to comment. Sincerely, L. Graham Dameron, MPH Director Copy: Jim Martinek, Chairperson, Board of Health Joe Bolkcom, Chairperson, Board of Supervisors 1:\440\letter\iowacity Hills Bank and Trus! Company September 16, 1998 Main Bank, Hills, Iowa · 319-679-2291 Mayor Ernie Lehman Civic Center 410 East Washington Street Iowa City IA 52240 Dear Mayor Lehman: This letter is being written to clarify the position of Hills Bank and Trust Company regarding the proposals submitted to you by Stanley Consultants in connection with its study of the South Gilbert Street corridor. The South Gilbert Street project is important to us for a number of reasons: We currently have invested approximately $3.5 million in our South Gilbert Street bank and we are in the process of building a $500,000 addition bringing our total investment to $4 million. To help give some perspective of how important this location is, Hills Bank is the 8th largest bank in the state. We have a total of 8 bank locations and South Gilbert is by far our busiest location. We also employ 69 full and part time employees at that location. We do agree that long term planning is essential for the continued viability of our South Gilbert Street location. I was the initial office manager of our South Gilbert Street bank when it opened 16 years ago in November 1982. We know the traffic has increased and the traffic flow entering and exiting the location is a concern from the standpoint of both safety and convenience. As was pointed out to you at your informal work session on September 8, 1998, each of the six proposals submitted by Stanley proposed a median south of the intersection of South Gilbert and Hwy 6 extending from the intersection to a point south of both the Bank's entrance and Waterfront Drive. The median as proposed would not only prevent South bound traffic on Gilbert from entering Waterfront Drive but would also prevent north bound traffic on Gilbert from entering the Bank's property at its present entrance. The Bank can reconfigure its parking lot and its internal traffic circulation and in the process convert its current exit into an entrance and exit but this would create a continuous conflict between traffic exiting the Bank property to go north and traffic entering the Bank property from the south. The Bank's management views this as an unacceptable design alternative. 131 Main Street, Hills, Iowa 52235, 319-679-2291 · 1401 South Gilbert Street, Iowa City, Iowa 52240, 319-338-1277 1009 2nd Street, Coralville, Iowa 52241, 319-351-8000 · Highway 965, North Liberty, Iowa 52317, 319-626-2381 · 132 E, Washington Street, Iowa City, Iowa 52240, 319-351-3337 September 11, 1998 Page 2 The median as proposed would also require the Council to deal with the access to the businesses that currently front on Waterfront Drive. If that access point is moved south, as has been suggested, such a move would create additional conflicts between traffic exiting the Bank's property to go north and south bound traffic on Gilbert turning left at the same point to access the Waterfront Drive business. This clearly would create a safety hazard to our customers. We don't profess to be engineers. We do believe that there are some common sense solutions, such as dual turning lanes at the Highway 6 and South Gilbert Street intersection, traffic signals to the south of us along with the timing of those signals and not allowing a right turn on red both north and south of us will go a long way in helping solve the traffic problem. In my 23 years of being at Hills Bank, I believe this is one of the few requests that we have made to the City Council or its consultants. Our goal is to be a reasonable and responsible corporate citizen. We look forward to working with you in this project as this portion of the project progresses in a deliberate and well thought out manner to ensure that the right decisions are made. Dwight iller President cc: Council Members ,,. Good News Bible Church RO. Box 5427, Coralvllle, IA 52241 (319) 354-3331 September 4, 1998 The Honorable Emie Lehman 410 E. Washington St. Iowa City, IA 52240 Dear Mayor Lehman: Enclosed you will fmd a letter of invitation to Good News Bible Church's annual Fall Conference. The dates of the conference are November 6-8, 1998. Our speaker this year is Mr. Harry Dent, a Christian layman from Columbia, SC. Due to his past experiences in politics, law, business, and now Christian service and mission work, Mr. Dent brings a unique perspective to the theme of the conference: "Right ~s. Wrong". The elders of the Good News B/kkt ~ weehi er~f~r~lly like ~o iavit~ yountelf and the entire Iowa City Counc~ to the Saturday evening, November 7th, dinner beg/nning at 5:30 pm and fogowing session. During the dinner, if you and other council members were able to attend, we would take a few moments to publicly honor your work and service for the community. I hope that if your schedule allows, you will honor us with your presence at this year's annual Fall Conference of Good News Bible Church. And again, if you would kindly share this invitation with every member of the council we would be appreciative. Sincerely, Rev. Christopher C. Arch, MA Pastor , . Good News Bible P.O. Box 5427, Coralvllle, IA 52241 September 4, 1998 Church (319) 354-3331 Dear friend of Good News Bible Church: I wanted to write and invite you to Good News Bible Church's annual Fall Conference, November 6, 7, 8, 1998. We are excited to have Mr. Harry S. Dent, from Columbia, SC, as our conference speaker. Mr. Dent is a Christian lay writer, speaker, and teacher. He and his wife Betty, have a ministry: Laity: Alive attd Serving, which attempts to motivate the average lay Christian to a greater level of service for the Lord. Mr. Dent has served three US Presidents, Nixon, Ford, and Bush, as well as US Senator Strom Thurmond (SC). He has been an attorney, newsman, businessman, and soldier serving in the Korean War. Mr. Dent has also written five books, one of which will be the theme for the conference, "Right vs. Wrong". In 1981 Harry closed his law practice to begin full-time service as a Christian layman. In 1987 he was chosen the chairman of the South Carolina Billy Graham Crusade, as well as vice chairman of the 1996 Billy Graham Crusade in Charlotte, NC. Harry has also been involved in missions, serving the Lord in eight different nations, with fifteen different missions to Romania, where he has been helpful in establishing Bible Colleges and Christian leaders training centers. If this weren't enough, Mr. Dent has also been instrumental in bringing Character Education Training to the South Carolina Public School System under the guidance of Dr. Barbara Nielsen, State Superintendent. Again, Mr. Dent will be speaking on the pertinent topic of "Right vs. Wrong" as it impacts: the Government and Schools, and Church. Friday evening the topic will be: "Right vs. Wrong in the School House a~l the White House"; Saturday's session will be Mr. Dent's personal testimony: "How 1 Came to Know Right From Wrong", and Sunday's session will be: "Right vs. Wrong in the Church" The Friday and Saturday session is at 7:00 pm. The Sunday morning session will be during the 10:15 am worship aervice. Again this year we will be having a free barbecue dinner on Saturday evening, November 7, 1998, at 5:30 pm. We would like to invite you to be our guest at this meal and stay for the session following. All meetings will be at Montgomery Hall, Hwy. Old 218 S., at the Johnson Co. 4-H Fairgrounds. Thanks again for your friendship and interest in the ministry of GoodNews Bible Church Pastor Christopher C. Arch, MA Please detach return by Oct. 14, 1998 if you will join us at Barbecue Dinner Nov. 7, 1998, 5:30 pm. I will be attending the dinner and service Nov. 7, 1998. Your name: Telephone number: Number of people in your party: Will you need any special seating for the dinner or service? Return to: Good News Bible Church, PO Box 5427, Coralvi!le, IA 52241 Priority: To: From: Subject: Date sent: Normal council@blue.weeg. uiowa.edu "Catherine Woods" <cwoods@inav.net> Reappoint Dan Coleman to the Housing and Community Development Wed, 09 Sep 98 19:21:56 PDT Dear City Councillors Lehman, Thornberry, O'Donnell, Champion, Norton, Vanderhoef, and Kubby, My name is Catherine Woods and I am a registered voter here in Iowa City. rm writing all of you, as a group, today to strongly encourage you to reappoint Dan Coleman to the Housing and Community Development Commission. >From what I know of Dan, I believe he is more than capable of continuing to serve this diverse community responsibly and thoughtfully as a member of this Commission. Further, I believe our community is made stronger when these types of Commissions have sitting members who are representative of or able to consider carefully the full range of perspectives, backgrounds, political persuasions, needs and socio-econornic status of the citizens it serves. Thank you in advance for reconsidering Dan Coleman's reappointment to the Iowa City Housing and Community Develpment Commission. My hope is that you will overturn your earlier vote, see the light, and reappoint him! Sincerely, Catherine Woods email: cwoods@inav.net phone: 358-6337 address: 131 Grove St, #3 Iowa City, IA 52246-2302 -- 1 -- Thu, 10 Sep 1998 07:56:23 Subj: Message to the Iowa City Council Date: 9/16/98 1:45:12 PM Central Daylight Time From: 71371.1422@compuserve.com (David Reed) Sender: 71371.1422@compuserve.com (David Reed) To: lisa52240@aol. com (Iowa City Council) To the Iowa City Council: The Iowa City Green Party would like to speak out in support of Dan Coleman's reappointment to Iowa City's Housing and Community De~lopment Commission. In light of Mr. Coleman's experience and knowledge of housing issues, and his fine record of se~ce on this commission, we feel he is an excellent choice for the position. According to Maxfield Research, Iowa City currently faces a housing cdsis. Since this commission must handle a wide vadety of housing issues, we need to make sure it is fully functioning, with ~lunteers able to do the commission's work. We strongly encourage the city council to reappoint Dan Coleman to the HCDC. Iowa City Green Party David Reed, COordinating Committee member Home: 319-354-3081 Office: 319-335-7040 717 Dearbom St. Iowa City, IA 52240 SEPTEMBER 10, 1998 Iowa City Mayor Ernie Lehman and Members of the Iowa City Council Civic Center Iowa City, Iowa 52240 Dear Mayor and City Council Members: Many years ago when the Englert ice house burned along the Iowa River on Taft Speedway the remaining land up stream was a bean field. This land was the same elevation of all the land upstream to the Elks summer lodge. The Englerts sold a ten acre bean field to a gentleman who farmed for a period of time and then began to sell black dirt out of the field. This gentlemen created a cross shaped road pattern and dug black dirt and hauled it away as long as possible. The result was a man made series of dug holes in the ten acre bean field. When the black dirt potential was over the land reverted to trees and that is what we see today. I purchased this ten acres as a challenge to clean up the site and make it amount to something. I contacted the Corps of Engineers to check into filling the site and was given a favorable o,k. subject to a courteous check with the Iowa City Council. The Corps has full authority to o.k. the fill but out of courtesy they will not give the o.k. without council approval. The city did not give the approval. It is now 1998 and there is a definite need to address this man made swamp condition on the the basis of health hazards. There is a dangerous state of mosquito clouds bearing encephalitis. Hepatitis is caused by water borne parisites. See clippings attached. Something should be done. I ask the council to give me an indication tht they will cooperate with the Corps of Engineers on a request to fill this site. This operation will not cost the taxpayers any funds. The cost will be borne by the landowner. SINCERELY ..... F IDAY, August 21, 1998 '~__.~ Clouds of mosquitoes dangerous, state says DES MOINES (AP) The state epidemiologist w,frn~d ;, lowans Thursday to take cover When outdoors after two cases of mosqtllto~bom dis- eases were repo~led recently. Two boys were. treated LaCrosse Encephalilis at hospilals in Allamakee. and DubUque counties recently, said Dr. Pattieta Quinlisk, ~State epidemi0iogisL ': ' "This particular !strain of ,.eficephalitis tends to hit children the ; hardest;'. She 'hid. "Finntiles need to .. be aware 0f the possible dangers." ".' Several senlind bird flocks in iowa ,! hhve atso shown signs of another mos- ;-'~iuito'-B6rhe form ot~ .: encephalitis, :'.-~uinlisl~i~iild. ..i "' More mosqtitoes are buzzing · .~iround Iowa this summer because of stunmet flooding. · ' '~As a general blanket stalement, it's probably been one of the worst years we've had for a nittuber of years," said Iowa Slate University entomologist Ken th~lscher, who studies mosquito panems arotmd the state. Humid wealher and saturated farmland have created nearly ideal breeding conditions Inosquitoes. "Mosquilo [x~ptdations follow mois- lnre patterns," Holscher said. "Without : d~e raiufall, mo~uilo numbers sl;ul to ,,., go down. This summer, h's beeh chang- ' ing a lot. First it was bad, then it was gcv, xl and now it's bad again?' To reduce the risk of being bitten by mosquitoes, Quinlisk said people should limit ouldoor activity at dusk, i use repellent conlaining DEET, don't , wear peffuines or cologne and drain "standing water places such as bird baths and wading pools. En=:Sphalitis ,warning i,s issued By Dale Kueter Gazette staff writer State health officials on Thursday warned northeast io- warts, especially those living in areas along the .Mississippi River, to take extra precau- tions against exposure to mos- quito bites. TWO young boys, one each from Allamakee and Dubuque counties, recently were hospi: taltzed for LaCrosse encephali- tiS after being bitten by "tree hole" mosquitoes. These are the first two cases of mosquito-borne encephalttts reported in Iowa this year. The children were released af- ter short stays in the hospital for observation. There is no cure or ;~aCcine for the dis- ease, health officials Said. "This particular strain of encephalttls tends to hit chil- dren the hardest," said' State Epidemiologist Dr.' Patrlcia Quinlisk. "Families need to be aware of the possible dan- gets." Qulnlisk Urged parents not to let small children play out- side at dusk without' protee- tion, and especially reedre- mend use of repellent containing DEET and wearing of pants and long-sleeve shirts. At th~ same time, sentinel chicken flocks have indicated the presence of St."Louis on- cephalitts in Dubtlque,: Polk and Pottawattamie counties. HoWever, no cases of human encephalttis from this, strain. have Been reportell.~ ~ ';. This form of encephalttts can occur in anyone.¢ but is most serious in the elde~y4 The types of ' disease ar~ named .after ~roa~ 'wl~ere a particular mosquito was first i'ecognlzed and iS most preva- lent. ; "' On rare occasions, encepha- litis can be fatal or lead to serious brain damage or deaf- ness. Quinlisk said headaches, fever, excessive tiredness, t , . TWo young boys, one each from Allamakee and DubuqUe countlesi recently Were hospitalized for LaCrosse encephalltis after being bitten by k'tree hole" mosquitoes, neck aches and unusual sensi- tivity to sunlight are indica- tions of LaCrdsse encephalitis. "' The carrier mosquito for La- .i;Crosse encephalitis "doesn't ' fly far," said Quinltsk, and j while it historically has tepro- ,.~ flucOd in tree holes, it now is mor~ 'likely .to breed in bird baths and abandoned tires holding stagnant water. She Said. bird'baths should be cleaned daily during late sum- mer to help prevent the mos- q.uitoes from breeding. C /) C7~. Take a bite out of mosquito season ; By James Dulley I Fan draws~s~ Starcott Media Services mosquitoes Q Inside and ,, Mosquitoes are eating me · alive. I use two electric kills them don't help much. If I use more, how much will it push up my to attract electric bills? Are there other of- mosquitoes "'; factlye gadgets or options? -- Ground model Small clip-on uses changing batte -powered Mike D. - · Controlling mosquitoes is :, temperatures mosqu~ repellet Am neither hopeless nor expen- to attract mosquitoes sire. By using a combination of ~t/pical ' low-cost methods, ~ have con- o-It- trolled them in my yard, and ~ I rSe f live next to a woods and a ."' creek. · Lighted-type bug zappers are not always effective against These devices efficiently (:on-. trol mosquitoes. mosquitoes. The loud snaps you hear are often lal:ger beneficial .'~ bugs being fried. Many of these Clip-on battery models the size good bugs, such as dragonflies, of lipstick tubes cost about $8 help control mosquitoes. each and can protect a person A large electric bug zapper us- outdoors. :.:: es tip to 100 watts of electricity. ATTRACTING BATS, birds ENERGY TIPS (Eastern or Western bluebirds and purple martins) and toads ' .' If you leave two units on all to your yard is an effective corn- night (it's easy to forget to plement to an electric mosquito switch them off),. they use 20 control device. One bat can eat cents of electricity per day. hundreds of mosquitoes per night, and it operates free -- no SEVERAL designs of elec- electricity or batteries. tronic mosquito-specific bug kill- ers are effective. Some produce To attract bats and birds, buy a heat signature of animal skin or build houses designed for '.: ,, (no light) or use "cow's breath" them. A bluebird house, for ex .... scent or both. This scent simu- ample, has no entrance perch to lates cows, a favorite blood keep out other birds, and it has , source for female mosquitoes. a ptvoting side for cleaning. An .' Some mosquito killers use a overturned flowerpot makes a varying temperature source, good home for a toad. _ fi'om 95 to 110 degrees, to attract .F"The most effective, no-cost a broad range of mosquito spe- cies. A small fan, on a pole- mounted model, simulates breathing. When mosquitoes get close to it, the air flow sucks them inside, and they are elec- trocuted. Tt~ere are also ground models that use the same basic varying temperature design. These have an electric eye to automatically shut off during the day. One unit, which handles a normal yard, uses about $8 of electricity per month. Electric and battery-powered mosquito repellers help. They mosquito control tip is to empty all standing water. Check care- " fully after the next rain for loca- . tions of standing water. Write for or instant download (www.dulley.com) Update Bul- ' latin No. 851 -- list of mosquito- specific bug killers and repel- lets, simple mosquito control tips and plans for making bat, bluebird and purple martin houses, Please include $3 and a business-size, self-addressed en- velope. Write: James Dulley, c/o The emit high-frequency sound to re-: Gazette, 6906 Royalgreen Dr.. pal biting female mosquitoes. Cincinnati, OH 45244 CITY OF I0 WA CITY 16 September 1998 Bruce R. Glasgow 834 North Johnson Street Iowa City Iowa 52240 Dear Mr. Glasgow: I am in receipt of your letter dated 10 September 1998. If you wish to pursue development on land within the Iowa River floodplain you will need to do the following: Submit a grading plan. The grading plan will show existing and proposed contours, adjacent property owners, methods of controlling soil erosion, limits of the 100-year floodplain, and the rest of the required information which is detailed in the enclosed copy of the Grading Ordinance. Submit either a sensitive areas site plan or a sensitive areas development plan. Enclosed is a summary of the information that is provided on either plan. It will be necessary for you to hire someone to perform a wetland delineation, to determine if wetlands exist within the area you want to develop. Judy Krieg, at MMS Consultants, is a local expert in wetland delineation and you can reach her at 351-8282. The grading plan and a sensitive areas site plan may be submitted to me at the Building Department, 410 East Washington Street. If one or more acres of wetland exist on this site, a sensitive areas development plan will be submitted, with a re-zoning application, to the Planning Department. If you have questions, please call me at 356-5132. Respectfully, Development Regulations Specialist Enclosures /cc: Mayor Lehman and City Council City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: To: From: Re: September 8, 1998 City Clerk Doug Ripley, JCCOG Traffic Engineering Planner ~/ Stop Sign on Waterfront Drive at Southgate Avenue Intersection As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 3B of the City Code, this is to advise the City Council of the following action. Unless directed otherwise by the City Council, this action will occur on or shortly after September 23, 1998. Action Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A(5) of the City Code, stop signs will be installed on Waterfront Drive at the intersection with Southgate Avenue indicating northbound and southbound traffic must stop and yield the right-of-way to traffic on Southgate Avenue. Comment This action is being taken in conjunction with the opening of the newly constructed portion of Southgate Avenue. This action is consistent with City policy of maintaining the right-of-way on the through street at intersections. Im\mem\drg-8.doc City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: To: From: Re: September 8, 1998 City Clerk Doug Ripley, JCCOG Traffic Engineering Planner ~ Stop Sign on Southgate Avenue at South Gilbert Street Intersection As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 3B of the City Code, this is to advise the City Council of the following action. Unless directed otherwise by the City Council, this action will occur on or shortly after September 23, 1998. Action Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A(5) of the City Code, a stop sign will be installed on Southgate Avenue at the intersection of South Gilbed Street indicating westbound traffic must stop and yield the right-of-way to traffic on Gilbert Street. Comment This action is being taken in conjunction with the opening of the newly constructed portion of Southgate Avenue. This action is consistent with City policy of maintaining the right-of-way on the through street at intersections. Im~nem\dr9-8-2.doc City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: September 17, 1998 To: From: City Clerk Doug Ripley, JCCOG Traffic Engineering Planner Re: Installation of Sunday Only Loading Zone in the 100 block of 100 N. Dubuque St. As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 3B of the City Code, this is to advise the City Council of the following action. Unless directed otherwise by the City Council, this action will occur on or shortly after October 1, 1998. Action Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A(18) of the City Code, signage will be installed indicating "No Parking except Loading Zone 6 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday" from the alley on the east side of the 100 block of N. Dubuque Street for 60' to the south. Comment This action is being taken to assist the First United Methodist Church in accommodating members of the congregation who have disabilities. Currently this portion of the N. Dubuque Street has parking allowed only 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays. Since a permanent on-street handicapped space is not appropriate, changing this area to a loading zone on Sundays only will allow persons to drop off and pick up persons near the handicapped accessible entrance to the church. jw/menVdr-dubu2.doc September 2, 1998 CITY OF I0 WA CITY RE: The Honorable Mayor and the City Council Civil Service Entrance Examination - CLERICAL ASSISTANT CABLE TV We, the undersigned members of the Civil Service Commission of Iowa City, Iowa, do hereby certify the following named person(s) as eligible for the position of Clerical Assistant - Cable TV. Mike Brau ATTEST: Ma~rmrm~n Karr, City Clerk IOWA C I TY C IVI L CO f~ , M~ael W. Kennedy SERVICE Chair 410 EAST WASHINGTON STREET · IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240-1826 · (319) 356-5000 · FAX (319) 356-5009 September 2, 1998 CITY OF I0 WA CITY TO: RE: The Honorable Mayor and the City Council Civil Service Entrance Examination INSPECTOR I CONSTRUCTION We, the undersigned members of the Civil Service Commission of Iowa City, Iowa, do hereby certify the following named person(s) as eligible for the position of Construction Inspector I. Mike Sandersfeld IOWA CITY CIVIL SERVICE Chair ATTEST: City Clerk 410 EAST WASHINGTON STREET · IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240-1S26 · {319) 356-5000 · FAX (319) 356-5009 September 8, 1998 CITY OF I0 WA CITY TO: RE: The Honorable Mayor and the City Council Civil Service Entrance Examination - MAINTENANCE OPERATOR We, the undersigned members of the Civil Service Commission of Iowa City, Iowa, do hereby certify the following named person(s) as eligible for the position of Maintenance Operator. Bruce Endris IOWA CITY CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION Michael W. ~nedy, Chair ATTEST: Ma~r~an Karr, City Clerk 410 EAST WASHINGTON STREET · IOWA CITY. IOWA 52240-1826 · (319) 356-5000 · FAX (319) 356-5009 September 8, 1998 CITY OF I0 WA CITY TO: RE: The Honorable Mayor and the City Council Civil Service Entrance Examination - MAINTENANCE WORKER I - PARKING We, the undersigned members of the Civil Service Commission of Iowa City, Iowa, do hereby certify the following named person(s) as eligible for the position of Maintenance Worker I - Parking. John Helfter IOWA CITY CIVIL COMMISSION 'M~'.K~nedy, SERVICE Chair ATTEST: M~~~rjr, City Clerk 410 EAST WASHINGTON STREET · IOWA CITY, IOWA S2240-1826 · (319) 3S6-5000 · FAX (319) 356-5009 September 2, 1998 CITY OF I0 WA CITY TO: RE: The Honorable Mayor and the City Council Civil Service Elltrance Examination - MAI~ENA/qCE WORKER iI - CBD We, the undersigned members of the Civil Service Commission of Iowa City, Iowa, do hereby certify the following named person(s) as eligible for the position of Maintenance Worker II - CBD. Tom Kacena IOWA CITY CIVIL SERVICE Michael W. Kennedy, Chair ATTEST: M~a'~nKarr, City Clerk 410 EAST WASHINGTON STREET · IOWA CITY. IOWA 52240-1826 · (319) 356-5000 · FAX (319) Bob Elliott 1108 Dover Street Iowa City, Iowa 52240 319 / 351-4056 September 18, 1998 Mayor Ernie Lehman Civic Center 410 East Washington Street Iowa City, Iowa 52244 Hello Mr. Mayor: I don't want to intrude on your busy schedule, but rm taking the liberty of contacting you to offer suggestions -- for whatever they're worth ~- on two issues I understand are being addressed by the City Council. The two are: 1. The expressed interest for reappointment of Dan Coleman to the city's Housing & Community Development Commission. My request is that he not be reappointed. My position is not based on his political philosophy. In fact, I agree that the city should actively recru/t qualified persons with diverse backgrounds and philosophies. My concern is the manner in which he has expressed his views publicly. An opinion piece in the September 3 issue of ICON (which, in fact, supports the reappointment of Mr. Coleman) states that he (Mr. Coleman) in writing or public statements compared one city council member to a "schoolyard bully;' called council discussions "blatherings;' referred to the council as "Snow White and the Six Dwarfs;" and in at least one instance identified and ridiculed a council member in an extremely personal, demeaning, embarrassing, and condescending manner. Persons who address differences of opinion in such mean-spirited ways would eventually be counterproductive in public service and are inappropriate for consideration for appointment to city commissions. 2. Persons who are not on the agenda for a specific council meeting, but who wish to address the council regarding any subject not on the agenda for that meeting. It is right that the council has traditionally allowed and even nurtured such public input. On three or four occasions over the past 30 years, I've taken advantage of such opportunities to to address the council at formal meetings. Mayor Ernie Lehman September 18, 1998 Page 2 However, such opportunities for public comment should not be at the total expense of persons scheduled to interact with the council on regularly- scheduled agenda items for that meeting. I suggest the following "for starters" with any discussion to address such scheduling concerns. Set aside 15-30 minutes fairly early in each meeting for public comment on non-agenda items. Then have available additional, open-ended time later in the meeting for any public comment that time didn't earlier allow. Whether signing up on a list prior to or at the meeting, those persons wishing to address the council in the earlier session would have the opportunity on a "first come, first served" basis. Thank you for your significant contributions to our community and for taking the time to read this letter. In order to bring these suggestions to the attention of the other councfi members, I've also taking the liberty of sending copies to their attention. Sincerely, Bob Elliott Connie Champion Karen Kubby MikeO~onnell Dee Norton Dean Thornberry Dee Vanderhoef Date sent: From: Send reply to: To: Subject: Fri, 18 Sep 1998 23:12:15 -0500 Harold Hensel <hmhensel@earthlink.net> hmhensel@earthlink.net council@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu Deer This is a multi-part message in MIME format. .............. 9D58B98A4449734D7196B4A2 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Dear Iowa City City Council, First of all you are killers for approving sharp shooting of Deer. Then you are going to be magnanimous and feed non FDA approved meat to the "poor". You will also probably expect the "poor" children to eat "bambi" and be grateful for it. I hope it is refused. You can get tuberculosis from deer meat so what happens when someone gets sick. I hope you have your insurance paid up. I learned a long time ago that if there is a choice between life and death that you choose life. You just failed this test. You chose death. Also, you just gave one of the worst examples to children that you could possibly give i.e.: killing is an acceptable alternative for trying to solve problems. That attitude has started a lot of wars and has caused the world unspeakable misery. It also makes violence appear to be acceptable in trying to solve problems. When authorities act like this how are you going to have the moral authority to quide young people away from violence? You can bet they are watching and leaning from your example. I am very disappointed that the Iowa City City Council is a part of the problem rather that part of the solution of today's problems. Are you so unenlightened that you have to resort to killing to deal with the deer? Come to your senses and stop the sharp hooting of the deer. You will live to regret it if you ever evolve up the evolutionary scale far enough. Sincerely, Harold Hensel, President Hensel Insurance Agency, Inc 206 Collins Rd NE Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402 -- 1 -- Mon, 21 Sep 1998 07:54:24 Iowa City City Council Civic Center Iowa City, IA 52240 9 Finkbine Lane #10 Iowa City, IA 52246 September 20, 1998 Dear Members of the Council: Please reconsider your decision to demolish three older buildings downtown to provide space for a proposed Io~va Avenue parking structure. Eastlawn and the Harmon Building, in particular, are important elements in the existing historic Iowa Avenue streetscape. The Council's commitment to improving the appearance of this streetscape, and to encouraging a parking structure design that is in character with nearby historic buildings, is laudable. However, it would be a real tragedy if two genuine historic buildings, which contribute strongly to the present attractive streetscapes along Iowa Avenue and Linn Street, are demolished to create a mere historic appearance. The replacement of these buildings by a modern parking structure, however sensitively designed, will only detract from the historic character of Iowa Avenue. The architectural design and highly intact exteriors of Eastlawn and the Harmon Building make both buildings strong candidates for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Moreover, as prominent freestanding comer buildings, both are highly visible from several directions, and form significant components of Iowa Avenue's historic streetscape. The Harmon Building is one of Iowa City's premier examples of 1920s commercial architecture. Built in 1922 as a funeral home for mortician and County Coroner Arthur C. Harmon, the building is notable for its use of multicolored, textured brick, green tile inlays, and a decorative roof parapet. Unlike the great majority of commercial buildings in downtown Iowa City, its exterior appearance remains almost completely unchanged from the time it was first built. No other commercial building in Iowa City from this period is known to retain its original appearance to such a high degree. Its artistic design, combined with its largely unaltered exterior and the absence of similar buildings in Iowa City, make the Harmon Building a strong candidate for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. The other historic building proposed for demolition, the University of Iowa's Eastlawn building, was built in 1914 as a home for nurses who worked at the university hospital. It later served as a women's dormitory, and most recently as a university office building. Eastlawn was designed by the Des Moines architectural firm of Proudfoot, Bird, and Rawson, which was responsible for the design of many buildings on the University of Iowa campus during the first decades of the twentieth century. Buildings designed by this firm include the four that surround the Old Capitol to form the Pentacrest, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Despite some exterior modifications on the Iowa Avenue side, Eastlawn retains substantially its original appearance. No evaluation has yet been made of the historic or architectural significance of Eastlawn in relation to other buildings on the University of Iowa campus, or to other buildings designed by the firm of Proudfoot, Bird, and Rawson. It would be premature to demolish a building designed by this prominent architectural firm before such an evaluation is made. The area surrounding the Harmon Building contains a concentration of historically and architecturally significant buildings built during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This small area may well meet the requirements for local designation, or for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, as a historic district. The significance of the George Van Patten House (9 S. Linn) and the Old Post Office (28 S. Linn), both listed in the National Register of Historic Places, has already been recognized. In addition to these buildings, the Harmon Building and Linn Street Square (13-15 S. Linn) are unusually intact and attractive early twentieth century commercial buildings. Before the Council proceeds with plans to demolish two key buildings in this area, I urge its members to consider carefully what Iowa City will lose forever as a result. The Council has other options that do not involve the destruction of any historically or architecturally significant buildings. Of greatest benefit to the city in the long term are alternatives that do not require the construction of any new parking structures, but rather emphasize approaches that reduce car traffic without reducing the number of people downtown. Even if a new parking structure is considered to be the best solution in the short term, the Council has already considered several locations for such a structure that would not place it in a historically sensitive area. Burlington Street and the federal building parking lot are two such areas. Burlington Street, in particular, would benefit from a well designed parking structure such as the one proposed for Iowa Avenue, since no historic buildings survive along this street in the vicinity of downtown. It is unfortunate that the Council has continued to pursued plans to construct an Iowa Avenue parking structure. However, it is not too late to consider alternative approaches that will promote rather than obliterate the historic character of Iowa Avenue. The destruction of two historic buildings downtown is not in the best interest of the city, and will work against the Council's stated goal of improving the Iowa Avenue streetscape. Other options for relieving the perceived parking shortage downtown remain open, and should be pursued. Sincerely, Richard Carlson POLICE CITIZENS REVIEW BOARD A Board of the City of Iowa City 410 East Washington Street Iowa City IA 52240-1826 (319) 356-5413 September 17, 1998 Mayor Ernest W. Lehman 410 East Washington Street Iowa City, IA 52240 Dear Mayor and Council Members: At our meeting of September 15, 1998, the Police Citizens Review Board unanimously voted to request an extension of the 30-day reporting deadline according to Section 1 of Ordinance No. 97-3792 for PCRB Complaint #98-12. Because we are awaiting additional information from the police department, we are requesting a 45-day extension of: · PCRB #98-12 - Report is presently due 9/25/98 45-day extension - Report would be due November 9, 1998 The Board has scheduled meetings for every Tuesday evening for the remainder of the year, so your prompt consideration would be most appreciated. Sincerely, Paul Hoffey, Chair Police Citizens Review Board