Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005-06-07 Bd Comm minutes MINUTES FINAL PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION April 13, 2005 MEMBERS PRESENT: Craig Gustaveson, Judith Klink, Margaret Loomer, Jerry Raaz, Sarah Walz, John Westefeld MEMBERS ABSENT Ryan O'Leary, Matt Pacha, Phil Reisetter STAFF PRESENT: Terry Trueblood, Mike Moran, Terry Robinson FORMAL ACTION TAKEN Moved by Klink~ seconded by Raaz, to approve the March 9, 2005 minutes as written. Unanimous. Moved by Westefeld, seconded by Walz~ to support the PIN Grant proposals with the following comments: 1) The Commission supports the Weber Playground request with required ADA guidelines. 2) Commission would encourage the school district to reexamine their policy of not financially supporting playground equipment. 3) Commission endorses Galway Hills Street trees request with a comment that they would like to see developers make tree planting a part of their planning and development process. Unanimous. Moved by Walz, Seconded by Westefeld that the City purchase the McCollister Property (adjacent to Sand Hill). Unanimous. Moved by Klink, seconded by Westefeld that the letter to City Council from the Parks and Recreation Commission regarding fundraising for capital proiects be approved as written. Unanimous. PUBLIC DISCUSSION No public discussion. Trueblood distributed Parks and Recreation Commission roster for review and revisions. PIN GRANT PROPOSALS Trueblood reviewed with commission members the PIN (Program for Improving Neighborhoods) Grant program. This program awards a total of $15,000 in grants to neighborhoods for proposed projects, some of which are parks and recreation oriented. Commission is to review and make comments and then pass on to the Neighborhood Council for Parks and Recreation Commission April 13, 2005 Page 2 of 6 their review and approval. The maximum award is $5,000 per project. City Council then reviews for final approval. The proposed projects for Commission review are as follows: 1. Brookland Park Master Plan request: The Parks and Recreation Department is to survey the Park (which has been complete) and will contribute up to $1000 towards the cost of developing a master plan if the PiN Grant is not sufficient. The Parks and Recreation Department will then undertake the high priority items thought to be affordable using existing funds to the extent possible and will shepherd the proposed project through the Capital Improvement Program budgeting process. Once the plan is finalized it will be presented to the Commission. 2. Southwest Estates/Weber School Playground, Southwest Estates is requesting $5,000 to go towards new playground equipment for Weber School. The school district has a policy whereby they do not put any funds towards playgrounds. The PTO/PTA's are responsible for raising the funds. Commission discussed whether or not a school playground was appropriate disbursement of city funds. Walz asked staff if this playground would be open to the public. Terry Robinson stated that this school playground is indeed open (during non- school hours) and is very well utilized. Trueblood stated that when Weber School was being built the PTO came to Parks & Recreation Commission (not through a PIN grant) requesting $10,000 to be donated towards a school playground. The Commission voted at that time that they could not in good conscious give them $10,000 when their own administration would not give them any funds. It was suggested that if they could talk the administration into giving funds that the P & R Commission would look at the possibility of matching those funds. Gustaveson commented that in the view that this playground is used as a "restricted park", he feels denying this request would hurt the children living in the area. On the other hand, if this project is approved it may increase the number of requests from other schools. 3. Hal~l~y Hollow Playground Equipment: Trueblood directed attention to the statement "existing equipment is old, falling apart, and unsafe." He reminded Commission members that the Parks and Recreation Department does not wait until equipment is "falling apart or unsafe" before replacing it so feels this is an overstatement. This park is on the high priority list for improvements including the playground. This money would supplement what has already been planned. 4. Benton Hill Park Kickoff Celebration: This is a request for $1800 for a kick-off celebration for the opening of the park. Trueblood noted that typically PIN Grant projects are of a permanent nature. Some comments made about the dollar amount of the request. No other comments made. 5. Galway Hills Street Trees: Request for $4000 to plant street trees in Galway Hills. Terry Robinson stated a similar request was approved three years ago for this neighborhood. Robinson stated that it really helps out the Forestry Division for these requests to be approved as it gives the neighborhood a sense of ownership in the project. Walz made the comment that all developers should be required to include tree planting in their initial planning. The trees cost approximately $200 per tree and are usually 8-10' tall. Parks and Recreation Commission April 13, 2005 Page 3 of 6 6. Saturday Night Drive-In/Wetherby Friends and Neighbors: Request for $600 so that the neighborhood can show movies in the park on two Saturdays, one in the fall and one in late spring/early summer of 2006. Such requests have been approved in the past. Trueblood asked for comments from the commission that they would like to be incorporated in any of these requests. Moved by Westefeld~ seconded by Walz~ to approve the PIN Grant proposals with the following comments: 1) The Commission supports the Weber Playground request with required ADA guidelines. 2) Commission would encourage the school district to reexamine their policy of not financially SUl~portine playground equipment. 3) Commission endorses Galway Hills Street trees request with a comment that they would like to see developers make tree planting a part of their planning and development process. Unanimous. PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN Tmeblood stated that the next step towards creating a master plan is to put together a request for proposal. He distributed examples of RFP's and master plans for the commission's review. The process that Tmeblood envisions is 1) staff writes RFP, 2) commission reviews draft of RFP, 3) RFP is distributed to selected consultants. The review and selection committee would involve staff, (Terry Trueblood, Terry Robinson, Mike Moran) plus three or four Commission members. Tmeblood may also ask for a representative from Public Works and/or Planning Department to be involved. Committee would select consultants to be interviewed, conduct interviews, make selection and enter into a contract. The above process would be incorporated if Iowa City does this alone. There has been previous discussion about involving Coralville and/or North Liberty in this project. This would involve a lengthier process but could also be more economical for each community. Parks and Recreation Commission needs to determine if they want to, as a whole, review an RFP and also if Trueblood should again inquire with Coralville and/or North Liberty. Klink stated that it is great to have governments working together. Gustaveson agreed. If timing is such we can bring back to the whole Commission for review and if not, can make it a committee function. All members present expressed interest in being a part of the committee. Trueblood commented that we wait until the next meeting to determine who will serve on the committee. Deferred to May meeting. Parks and Recreation Commission April 13, 2005 Page 4 of 6 NEIGHBORHOOD OPEN SPACE-BROOKWOOD POINTE SUBDIVISION: The developer has agreed to put an entryway into Wetherby Park. This development would require just under an acre of land to be dedicated to the city which is felt to not be necessary in light of the close proximity oFWetherby Park. It is suggested by the Parks and Recreation staff that we accept Fees in lieu of the land. Moved by Walz, seconded by Raaz to accept fees in lieu of land for the Brookwood Pointe Subdivision. Unanimous. REVIEW/DISCUSS DRAFT OF LETTER TO CITY COUNCIL RE: FUNDRAISING' Gustaveson reminded Commission of discussion at March meeting regarding Council's request for fundraising activities, and the decision to draft a letter. Gustaveson asked Commission for comments/revisions to letter. Walz mentioned that Muscatine receives funds from the utilities programr-information item only. Klink moved, Westefeld seconded that letter to City Council from the Parks and Recreation Commission regarding fundraising for capital pro[ects be approved as written. Unanimous. COMMISSION TIME Walz commented on how beautiful all the flowers and trees look in Iowa City and commended Parks staff for a job well done. Walz also commented on the angel statue. She feels that the issue is not an esthetic one or whether this would be a religious symbol, but that Mr. Titus wants to put a use in the park. While she feels this is an admirable request and noted that she is not in any way against the idea, she also feels we need to come up with a compromise. She suggested that perhaps we reach out to appropriate organizations and find out what they would like to see done rather than basing our decision on the request of one individual. Loomer suggested perhaps the Hospice Memorial at Willow Creek Park would be a more appropriate location for such a statue. Klink stated that she really likes the look of the Parks & Recreation Activity Guide and commended staff for their efforts. Westefeld commented on the great job done by Parks & Recreation staff on the city ball fields. He also mentioned that Hickory Hill park remains an issue regarding dogs off leashes. Trueblood stated that this is an enforcement issue and that Animal Control does give citations when they are present. Raaz stated that on Sunday, April 3, he had the opportunity to use City Park & Terrell Mill Park which were both very busy and found it encouraging and commended staff for how wonderful the park looked. Raaz made a recommendation that the Iowa City Web Site have a direct link to the Parks and Recreation Department. Trueblood is conversing with the ITS Department about the possiblity of Parks and Recreation Commission April 13, 2005 Page 5 of 6 creating a Parks & Recreation web site or least a direct link on the main city home page. We are on the list as one of the most requested pages. Raaz stated that he has been approached by two groups requesting that Iowa City look at the possibility of creating a disc golf course and lacrosse fields. Trueblood recommended that they first contact Parks and Recreation staff and then if needed they may attend a Parks & Recreation Commission meeting. CHAIR'S REPORT Gustaveson received a comment from a couple of visitors from Minneapolis who stated that our skateboard park is "awesome." Other members made comments on the amount of use that the skatepark gets. DIRECTOR'S REPORT Trueblood announced that the Iowa National Heritage Foundation has accepted the City's offer for property near Sandhill of $22,000. This item is on the council agenda for their next meeting. Trueblood stated that we have entered into a contract with the Driftless Land Stewardship out of Wisconsin to do a management plan for the Sand Prairie area. The Public Art Committee toured Hunters Run Park and Willow Creek Park and are scheduled to tour upper City Park, South Sycamore Greenway and the Soccer Complex to get ideas where public art may be incorporated. Trueblood has drafted a letter from the City Manager to the National Guard about the city possibly being interested in a partnership for their new armory. Tmeblood reviewed e-mails regarding smoking at the soccer complex. This issue came up a few years ago and it Was determined to place signs discouraging smoking at the park. One person sent the suggestion to ban smoking at the soccer park to board of directors. It is difficult to enforce in this large of an area (11,0 acres). Information item only at this time. Trueblood briefly discussed the angel statue request. Mr. Titus has provided Trueblood with a list that includes other parks in the nation where these types of statues have been placed. Trueblood will be contacting some of these areas to discuss issues they may have encountered. Trueblood would prefer to have City Attorney's opinion so commission would know up front whether this would be okay or not. However, City Attorney does not want to go through the work of researching it unless the commission has given their endorsement first. ADJOURNMENT Moved by Raaz, seconded by Walz to adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 6:30 p.m. Unanimous. Parks and Recreation Commission April 13, 2005 Page 6 of 6 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD YEAR 2005 NAME EXPIRES 1/12 2/16 3/9 4/13 5/11 6/8 7/13 8/10 9/14 10/12 11/19 12/14 Craig Gustaveson 1/1/07 NM X X X Judith Klink 1/1/07 NM X X X Margaret Loomer 1/1/08 NM X X X Ryan O'Leary 1/1/06 NM X X O/E Matt Pacha 1/1/05 NM X X O/E Jerry Raaz 1/1/08 ...... X X Phil Reisetter 1/1/09 NM X X O/E Sarah Walz I/1/07 NM X X X John Westefeid 1/1/06 NM X X X KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused NM = No meeting LQ = No meeting due to lack of quorum .... Not a Member MINUTES APPROVED Iowa City Airport Commission April 14, 2005 Iowa City Airport Terminal - 5:45 PM Members Present: Randy Hartwig, Chair; Carl Williams; Dan Clay; Mich¢ll¢ Robnett; John Staley Staff Present: Sue Dulek Others Present: Dave Hughes, Earth Tech; Michael Tharp, Elizabeth Freiburger Interns; Kim Brogan-Coleman, Ron Duffe, Herrel Timmons. DETERMINE QUORUM: Chairperson Hartwig called the meeting to order at 5:48 PM. RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL:. Request that City Council authorize the Mayor to appoint Dan Clay as a non-voting, advisory member to the Commission. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM MARCH 10, 2005: Staley moved, Robnett seconded. Motion passed 5-0 PUBLIC DISCUSSION: None ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION/ACTION: A. Eastern Iowa Big Kids Toy Show: Ron Duffe and Herrel Timmons gave an update on the event including how they are going to arrange the displays. B. Runway 07 Project - Earth Tech: David Hughes stated that the FAA grant application for the next phase (3) has been prepared. Mr. Clay moved that the Commission make application for the FAA grant, and Ms. Robnett seconded the motion. Motion passed 5-0. Mr. Hughes also reported that survey work is in process. C. Aviation Commerce Park: Harry Wolf was unable to attend. Mr. Hartwig and Mr. Clay met with Mr. Wolf to get an update. Finalization of the Wal-Mart sale is needed before going forward on remaining ACP lots. The Wal-Mart sale is proceeding on schedule. D. Strategic Plan - Implementation: Mr. Hartwig gave a summation of the Strategic Plan objectives and the current status of work towards achieving them. E. Airport Budget: Mr. Hartwig indicated that the issue of hangar leases should be addressed in the next few months in order to allow a more timely issue of new leases. F. Airport Management: Ms. Robnett outlined some management arrangements that she and interns are working on for further discussion. It was agreed that setting a permanent management arrangement is a priority. G. Obstruction Mitigation Project - Stanley Consultants: There is little remaining in this project. There is still some funding available and the Commission is looking at possible alternative uses that would meet the DOT's approval. H. Airport Viewing Area: Discussion centered on the status of getting approval from the FAA. We need to provide Bill Flannery (Snyder & Assoc.) with more detailed specifications in order for him to submit the needed drawings. The interns are working on getting these details. I. Old United Hangar - Leasing additional space to Kim Brogan: Eastern Iowa Pilots Association is interested in leasing the remaining half of the Old United Hangar. Discussion centered on the desirability of the Commission retaining said space for its use. No action was taken on Ms. Brogran's request, and the matter will be on the agenda for the May meeting. J. Howard R. Green Co. - Environmental Assessment costs: Mr. Hartwig and Richard Blum detailed for the Commission the issue ora H.R. Green invoice reflecting a change order that Mr. Blum stated was approved verbally by the past manager, but never by the Commission. Mr. Hartwig indicated that he was satisfied with the finished product and with Mr. Blum's explanation and desire to ensure that a similar occurrence would not occur in the future. Mr. Clay moved and Mr. Hartwig seconded the motion to authorize payment. Motion carried 5-0. K. Non-Voting Member - Mr. Clay will be moving outside City limits and he desires to continue to serve. Mr. Staley moved and Mr. Williams seconded a motion to request that the Mayor appoint Dan Clay as a non-voting, advisory member of the Commission. Motion passed 4-0, with Mr. Clay abstaining. CHAIRPERSON'S REPORT: Mr. Hartwig congratulated Jill and Justin Fishbaugh on the recent completion and test flight of their homebuilt airplane. COMMISSION MEMBERS' REPORTS: Members thanked Mr. Clay for his service and urged the City to annex his new address. STAFF REPORT: Sue Dulek indicated the Commission opening has been advertised and that the Council could appoint at the May 17 meeting. SET NEXT REGULAR MEETING FOR: MAY 12, 2005, AT 5:45 P.M. ADJOURN: Meeting adjourned at 8:30 PM. Randall D. Hartwig, Chairperson Date MINUTES FINAL/APPROVED 4b~~3 HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION LOBBY CONFERENCE ROOM, CITY HALL THURSDAY, APRIL 2'1, 2005 Members Present: Jerry Anthony, Lori Bears, William Greazel, Matthew Hayek, Brian Richman, Jayne Sandier Members Absent: Mark Edwards, Rita Marcus Staff Present: Tracy Hightshoe, Steve Long, Deb Briggs Public Present: Charlie Eastham, Maryann Dennis Recommendation to Council: - MOTION: Greazel moved to recommend adoption of the FY06 Annual Action Plan by the City Council subject to minor edits as necessary. Sandier seconded the motion. Motion passed 5:1. Anthony opposed. CALL MEETING TO ORDER Chairperson Hayek called the meeting to order at 6:35 PM. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM MARCH 10 & '17, 2005 Motion: Sandier moved to approve the minutes as submitted. Greazel seconded the motion. Motion passed 6:0. PUBLIC COMMENT OF ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA Eastham said that during the HOME and CDBG allocation process he was surprised to notice that the application from Extend the Dream for Affordable Housing did not include a proforma investment analysis. He added that he is extremely puzzled as to how the commissioners scored the application due to the lack of a proforma or how they determined project feasibility/administrative capacity. He stated that the FY06 applicant guide clearly stated that the FY06 Housing Applications required the developers to complete and submit a proforma for the proposed project. Eastham asked why this requirement was not applied to all applicants. Dennis mentioned that they would like to see any group produce affordable housing in the area, but would like to emphasize that there are some process issues, and all the applicants deserve a level playing field when applying for funds. Anthony said that members of the public and members of the community sometimes disagree about what information should be reviewed. Greazel said that there were some flaws in the process, and the commission should be aware of so it would not happen again. Richman said that there were requests for housing and non-housing in the same application, and that challenged the evaluation that was used. Sandier said that in the past there were less than complete applications and some were funded. She added that they would need to determine at what point would a submitted application not be considered. Hayek said there are challenges with the scoring, but ultimately the group consists of volunteers that try to make good decisions. Greazel mentioned that the commission does not necessarily distribute the money based on the final score, but uses their own judgement to determine their final recommendation. Commission agreed to review the allocation process and will set up a subcommittee at the May meeting. Points to review include the scoring and ranking criteria, incomplete applications, and the general process. Hightshoe stated there were some handouts to distribute. Old Brick submitted a project schedule for their FY06 project. Hightshoe stated it would be available if anyone wanted to review it. Hightshoe noted due to the substantial increase of handouts during this year's allocation, the committee formed next month to review the entire process might want to address what will be accepted as correspondence. Housing and Community Development Commission Minutes April 21, 2005 Page 2 Hightshoe stated the City contacted our legislators to encourage their support of the CDBG program. Senator Grassley and Nussle submitted letters of support for the program. Hightshoe stated a copy of Senator Grassley's response is available. Staff expects to receive additional letters from legislators. Hightshoe announced there was a change in the way the Iowa City Housing Authority determines subsidy standards for Section 8 vouchers. Hightshoe stated the change, effective March 1, 2005, may affect the FY07 and subsequent rental housing applications as developers may build smaller units (bedroom size) if dependent on Section 8 vouchers. Hightshoe passed out the Subsidy Standards, Assignment of Bedroom Sizes (page 21), from the HCV Administrative Plan for reference. Briggs, Public Housing Coordinator, stated that there was a reduction in subsidy money so in order to make the dollars stretch to serve the same number of families, the Housing Authority decided to revise the number of bedrooms that could be assigned based on family composition. For example, she stated that it used to be that a child had to share a bedroom with a parent until the age of one, but now a single adult with a child under the age of 7 would be assigned one-bedroom. She added that kids of the opposite sex would be assigned one bedroom until the age of 11. Briggs stated families still have the option, depending on their income and the rent charged, to live in a larger apartment. The family would have to pay the difference if they wanted a unit larger than their voucher size (i.e. a family with a 2 bedroom voucher could still live in a 3 bedroom unit if they can pay the difference and the rent is not above the Housing Authority's threshold). Bears asked about live-in aides. Briggs stated one bedroom would be added for a live-in aide if required for a disabled person. REVIEW FY06 ANNUAL ACTION PLAN Hightshoe said that the FY06 Annual Action Plan identifies the objectives and projects that will be funded this upcoming year. This year marks the first year implementing our new Consolidated Plan for 2006- 2010 (CITY STEPS). Sandier said that it was her understanding that one applicant has declined funding and there would be $25,000 to reallocate. Hightshoe stated that the River City Housing Collective called staff to decline the funds, however staff was waiting for a written response. Long added that they could not do anything until they receive a letter from the River City Housing Collective declining their use of the funds. The commission discussed if they should recommend funding the Extend the Dream - housing application without a proforma. A real estate analysis was submitted at the question/answer (Q/A) session for this project and the micro-enterprise application. Hightshoe stated Extend the Dream included the real estate analysis with the micro-enterprise application, however as the application exceeded 13 pages it was returned to the applicant. The applicant then submitted it at the Q/A session. Commission members decided to ask for a preforma. Hayek said that after receiving the proforma there should be at least one person opposed to the initial allocation for the Extend the Dream housing project in order to set up another meeting. Richman referred back to the $25,000 declined from the River City Housing Collective. Richman said that given that this is something the applicant rejected after the commission made their recommendation; maybe it should be upon the Council to take action. Greazel said he does not feel obligated towards reallocating those funds unless the commission thinks they know better where to put that $25,000. Anthony asked what would happen if they do not hear from River City Housing before the Council meets to approve the Annual Action Plan. Hightshoe said that if they do not receive a written response from River City by May 3, the Council would most likely reallocate the money. Richman said there is a legitimacy issue that would appear if the money were to be reallocated by the Commission at tonight's meeting. Other organizations would want to have an opportunity to come and present their case again. Tonight's meeting is not for that purpose and it should be Council's time to make the call. MOTION: Richman moved that if there would be a meeting due to the submission of proforma from the Extend the Dream Foundation, the agenda should only contain that matter. Greazel seconded the motion. Motion passed 6:0. Housing and Community Development Commission Minutes April21,2005 Page 3 MOTION: Richman moved to schedule tentatively a meeting for Tuesday, April 26th to discuss the Extend the Dream recommendation. Staff would request a proforma from the applicant for review and distribute via email and mail to commission members. Once the commission members reviewed, at least 4 members must indicate an interest to meet and discuss the allocation by 4:00 PM Monday (the 25th). If not enough interest, staff would cancel the meeting, and the commission would submit the existing recommendations to the Council. The commission discussed. At this point the applicant would have Friday, the 22nd, and Monday morning, the 25th, to submit a proforma. Hightshoe questioned if a proforma was emailed/mailed to members on Monday if they would have sufficient time to review and determine if they have concerns by late afternoon that same day. Richman said that at this point it would be too late in the allocation process to go back and stated this particular concern was just too late in the process to alter their recommendations. He said that in reality the process is not perfect and suggested to present the existing recommendations to the Council. Hayek said that he agrees with Richman due to the time constraints. Richman withdrew his motion. MOTION: Greazel moved 'to recommend adoption of the FY06 Annual Action Plan by the City Council subject to minor edits as necessary. Sandier seconded the motion. Motion passed 5:1. Anthony opposed. OLD BUSINESS Discussion of FY05 CDBG projects that have not performed per the Unsuccessful or Delayed Projects Policy. Hightshoe said that Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County submitted a bill for their window repairs/replacements totaling $4,996. The work on the windows is complete. Their total FY05 allocation is $6,000. MECCA submitted a reimbursement request for the entire grant at the beginning of April. Hightshoe noted that MECCA typically bills after the second or third quarter due to their reporting system. As clients enter their system they are recorded as high income and/or undisclosed. As they receive income verification the system is updated. Thus at the start of the year, they may not reach the required 51% of their clients as Iow to moderate income due to the number of clients with unverified incomes. HUD requires that all undisclosed recipients be considered high income. As the year progresses and income verifications are received and updated, the pementage of those who are considered Iow to moderate income increases. Hightshoe noted that Old Brick installed the wheelchair lift, but staff does not have a reimbursement request yet. Sandier said that Old Brick has not spent the needed percent by this point. She added that staff should follow the traditional protocol and send them a letter stating they have until a specific date to spend a certain percent of their money. MOTION: Sandier made a motion to send a letter to Old Brick stating that they need to spend 50% of their money by June Ist, and spen~d 100% by June 30th. Sandier requested that Old Brick provide an updated schedule. If work is not anticipated to be complete by June 30, the commission would request that the applicant submit a request for an extension of time. Motion passed 6:0. NEW BUSINESS Discussion of National Community Development Week Celebration Hayek said that every year they organize the National Community Development Week Celebration. He said that last year the celebration was at the Rack, and was a great success. Hightshoe said this year we may publicize the event more and highlight the contribution CDBG/HOME funds make to our local community due to the current debate over the CDBG program. Hightshoe stated that in the past we have encouraged prior CDBG/HOME recipients to submit letters to area newspapers in support of the program. They are encouraged to describe what the funds have done for their organization. She said that they would need a committee of 2-3 people to help organize the event. Sandier and Hayek volunteered to be on the committee. Housing and Community Development Commission Minutes April 21, 2005 Page 4 Hayek proposed to have the monthly HCDC meeting after the celebration. Review and Discussion of the Draft Scattered Site Housing Taskforce's Recommendations. Hightshoe passed out the updated 4/19/05 draft recommendations. Hayek said that these recommendations come after one year of meetings and discussions. He said that there are two recommendations that are tabled because they are still discussing them. He said that the one tabled has to do with the matrix that was submitted. He said that they are getting close to the end. Sandier asked how would this work with the Development Code. Hayek said that they did not study the Development Code rewrite process. He said they have made some suggestions, and some of them seem to have been adopted. Sandier said that she would hate to see the work lost and not implemented. Anthony said that the City could choose to take some of the recommendations and say that CDBG/HOME funds could not be spent in certain tracks, however this may limit the supply of affordable housing. Anthony said that his concern derives from the fact that the recommendations that might limit affordable housing are pretty detailed, while those to encourage things such as inclusionary zoning are clich~ statements. There are generalizations about how to increase affordable housing, but not specifics. Richman asked if there is a value to the City assisting the schools in some way in order to help with the special needs implied by Iow income children, rather than taking action which might reduce the future supply of affordable housing. Anthony said that before going to the Council those aspects would need to be discussed. He said that one option for the City that would not reduce affordable housing would be busing, taking kids to schools that have a less concentration of Iow-income kids. Greazel asked how would the recommendations influence the allocation process if the Council would pick all the recommendations. Anthony said that there would be more money available. He said that recommendations 2 and 3 suggest that the additional money would be committed to locating sites in the City that do not have a high concentration of affordable housing. MONITORING REPORTS Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County Hayek said that Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County have made a lot of progress on the windows. The work, he said, is 99% complete. Shelter House Richman was unable to reach anyone from the Shelter House and would present his report at the next monthly meeting. Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship Anthony said the Housing Fellowship received a grant from FY02 City HOME funds to purchase three lots in Longfellow Manor to be used for 6 rental housing units. The grant, he said, was for $220,000 and in partnership with the Iowa City Housing Authority (10 duplex lots were purchased in Longfellow Manor). Anthony mentioned that the Housing Fellowship received a FY05 City HOME loan in the amount of $190,000 to construct the three duplex buildings. State of Iowa HOME funds, Housing Trust Fund of Johnson County, and Hills Bank are the other sources of funding that have been secured for the project. He added that the environmental part has been completed. He mentioned that the construction would require noise attenuation measures due to the proximity to the railroad. He added that no other significant findings resulted from the environmental assessment. Anthony said that a Request for Qualifications was mailed to nine area architects, and five responses were received. He said that a committee of the Board of Trustees of the Housing Fellowship reviewed the Architects' qualifications and selected John Shaw to be the project architect. Anthony said that City staff, the project architect and staff will meet on Thursday, April 21, 2005 to discuss federal requirements for the project. Housing and Community Development Commission Minutes April 21, 2005 Page 5 Anthony said that construction would begin this spring/summer. He added that all units must be rented to households at or below 50% of AMI and one unit will be initially rented to a household at or below 30%. Free Lunch Program Greazel said they completed their project to build a storage area for food and misc. items. Free Medical Clinic Greazel said that case management is spending their funds timely. All funds will be spent by the end of the fiscal year. Adjournment MOTION: Greazel moved to adjourn. Sandier seconded the motion. Motion passed 6-0. The meeting adjourned at 8:20 PM. Minutes submitted by Bogdana Rus. s:/pcd/rninutes/HC D0/2005/04-21-05 hcclc doc Housing & Community Development Commission Attendance Record 2005 Term Name Expires 01/20 02/17 03/10 03/17 04/21 00/00 00/00 00/00 00/00 00/00 00/00 00/00 Jerry Anthony 09/01/05 X X X X X Erin Barnes 09/01/06 X X X × .... Lori Bears 09/01/07 X X X X X Mark Edwards 09/01/05 X O/E X O O William Greazel 09/01/06 O/E X O X X Matthew Hayek 09/01/07 X X X X X Rita Marcus 09/01/06 O/E X X X O Brian Richman 09/01/07 X X X O/E X Jayne Sandier 09/01/05 O/E X X X X Key: X : Present O ~ Absent O/E -- Absent/Excused NM -- No Meeting ..... Not a Member MINUTES APPROVED IOWA CITY BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT MARCH 9, 2005 EMMA J. HARVAT HALL-IOWA CITY, CITY HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Carol Alexander, Michael Wright, Ned Wood, Karen Leigh, Vincent Maurer MEMBERS ABSENT: NONE STAFF PRESENT: Robert Miklo, Sarah Holecek OTHERS PRESENT: Steven Rohrback, Mike Brown, Terry Ira, Dwight Dobberstein, Sandra Wagner CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Maurer called the meeting to order at 5:05pm. CONSIDERATION OF THE FEBRUARY 9, 2005 BOARD MINUTES MOTION: Alexander moved to approve the minutes from February 9, 2005. Leigh seconded the motion. Motion passed 5:0. SPECIAL EXCEPTIONS: EXC05-00003 Discussion of an application submitted by Southgate Development for a special exception for a drive-through restaurant on property located in the Community Commercial (CC-2) zone at 901 Hollywood Boulevard. Before beginning the staff report Miklo showed a map with the location of the property, the proposed site plan and photos with the general location. Miklo said that the applicant is proposing to construct a Taco Bell restaurant to the east of the new driveway. He added that a drive-through window is proposed for the new restaurant. Miklo mentioned that the CC-2 zone permits auto and truck oriented uses by special exception. He stated that there are two concerns raised by the proposed uses of drive-through. He said that one concern would be how well the drive-through lane is separated from surrounding pedestrian and vehicular use areas. He added that the plan shows sidewalks on the north, east and south sides of the building. Miklo said a connection to the shopping centers main sidewalk crosses the drive-through lane in a location south of the pick-up window. He stated that although it would not be ideal to direct pedestrians across a driveway, there would be no good alternative in this location. A second concern, Miklo said, would be whether there are enough stacking spaces for motorists waiting to pick-up orders from the drive-through window. He stated that the site plan shows sufficient area within the drive-through to accommodate 10 vehicles. Miklo added that if there would be a need of additional spaces there would be a driveway to the east of the drive-through entrance where vehicles could wait, which would result in temporary delays for motorists wishing to access the parking areas. Miklo said staff found this to be acceptable. Talking about the general standards Miklo said that the specific proposed exception would not be detrimental to or endanger the public health, safety, comfort or welfare. He added that the proposed exception should not be injurious to the use and enjoyment of other property in the immediate vicinity and will not substantially diminish or impair property values in the neighborhood. Miklo said that Pepperwood Plaza is easily accessible by car, and the traffic generated by the proposed use would be a minor fraction of the total. Miklo continued by saying that the establishment of the specific proposed exception should not impede the normal and orderly development and improvement of the surrounding property for uses permitted in the zone in which such property is located. He said that restaurants are permitted uses in the CC-2 zone, and the addition of the drive-through should not impede the development of other properties in the area. Iowa City Board of Adjustment Minutes March 9, 2005 Page 2 Miklo said that adequate measures should be taken to provide ingress or egress designed to minimize traffic congestion on public streets. He said that the proposed drive-through is likely to have no effect on public streets. Miklo said that except for the specific regulations and standards applicable to the exception being considered, the specific exception, in all other respects, conforms to the applicable regulations or standards of the zone in which it is located. He mentioned that it will be required to conform to all requirements when they seek the building permit. Next, Miklo said that the proposed use is consistent with the shod-range Comprehensive Plan of the City. Staff recommends that EXC05-00003 an application submitted by Southgate Development for a special exception for a drive-through restaurant on property located in the Community Commercial (CC-2) zone at 901 Hollywood Boulevard be approved subject to general conformance with the submitted site plan. Leigh asked how many access points are there to allow entrance to the Plaza. Miklo said that the site plan does not show but there are at least two different entrances to the Plaza. Public Hearing Opened Steven Rohrback, 755 Mormon Trek Boulevard, said that the project would add up to the renovation of the Pepperwood area. Rohrback said that he would be happy to answer any questions that the board would have. Public Hearing Closed MOTION: Leigh moved that EXC05-00003 an application Submitted by Southgate Development for a special exception for a drive-through restaurant on property located in the Community Commercial (0C-2) zone at 90'1 Hollywood Boulevard be approved subject to general conformance with the submitted site plan and pedestrian crosswalk sign being installed. Alexander seconded the motion, Alexander said that she would vote in favor of the application. She said that the crosswalk sign for cars would help with the pedestrian's safety. She said that there would be enough stacking spaces for people waiting to pick-up orders. Alexander added that it will not be detrimental to or endanger the public health, safety, comfort or general welfare, the proposed exception would not be injurious to the use and enjoyment of other property in the immediate vicinity and will not substantially diminish or impair property values in the neighborhood, but would help the area. The specific proposed exception would not impede the normal and orderly development and improvement of the surrounding property. She mentioned that it is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan of the City. Wright said that he would vote in favor of the application. He said that with the pedestrian crossing sign the proposed exception would not be detrimental to or endanger the public health, safety, comfort or general welfare. The proposed exception would not be injurious to the use and enjoyment of other properties, but would help the area. The establishment of the specific propose~J exception would not impede the normal and orderly development and improvement of the rest of the area. He added that there would be no ingress or egress problems. He mentioned that adequate utilities, drainage and access are in place, and it is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan of the City. Leigh said that she would vote in favor for the reasons already stated. Wood would also vote in favor for the reasons already stated. Maurer said that he would vote in favor of the application. He said that all general standards have been met and have been indicated in the motion. Motion passed 5:0. EXC05-00004 Discussion of an application submitted by Iowa City Tire & Service Inc. for a special exception to reduce the front yard from 20 feet to 5.5 feet for property located in the Intensive Commercial (C1-1) zone north of 404 Kirkwood Avenue. Iowa City Board of Adjustment Minutes March 9, 2005 Page 3 Before beginning the staff report Miklo showed a map with the location of the property, the proposed site plan and photos with the property. Miklo said that the property is located at the corner of Maiden Lane and Kirkwood Avenue. He mentioned the property contains three buildings, two of which are used by Iowa City Tire & Service Inc., while the other one contains a retail pet supply store on the first floor with residential apartments on the upper floor. Miklo stated the applicant wishes to add a 5 by 60-foot building to the property to be used for auto repair and warehouse space. He added that the applicant seeks a special exception to the front yard setback requirement to allow the addition to encroach approximately 14.5 feet into the required 20-foot front yard adjacent to Maiden Lane. Accordingly, he said, that would leave only about a 5.5-foot yard between the property line and the new building. Miklo added that the Board can grant a special exception if the owner of the property demonstrates that there is a peculiar situation to the property in question, and there is a practical difficulty in complying with the zoning requirements. Miklo said that in staff's view there is no peculiar situation that warrants special treatment for the property, and granting the special exception might have negative consequences for adjacent properties and the general public. Miklo mentioned the application indicates that the requirement for two front yards for the tract is a peculiar situation that warrants the special exception, but all corner lots are required to have two front yards, so the property is not peculiar in this regard. He said that the requirement for a minimum front yard is intended to provide open space, visibility and consistency with the rest of the neighborhood. He added visibility is important for motorists and pedestrians, and reducing the set back to 5.5 feet would reduce visibility of motorist who need to cross the railroad tracks, and would force them to drive forward of the building before seeing an on coming train. Miklo said that in addition to visibility for traffic, a minimum setback helps assure the visibility of a business is not reduced, and granting the request would give a special privilege to this property that would reduce the visibility of its neighbor. Miklo mentioned that open space is important for the general aesthetics of the neighborhood, and provides space for landscaping. He said that the particular area has very little landscaping, and a further reduction of open space would diminish even more the space for landscape. Miklo said that another test is that there is a practical difficulty. He said that the applicant indicates that given the existing configuration of the buildings and parking lots on this tract, it would be difficult to locate the addition on the property. He added that although it may not be possible to build a structure the size the applicant wishes, it would be possible to adhere to the 20-foot set back on Maiden Lane and add a building with a 45-foot east to west dimension, which would allow the addition of considerable more square footage. In addition, Miklo said that the specific proposed exception should not be detrimental to or endanger the public health, safety, comfort or general welfare. He said that staff finds that the proposed exception will limit the visibility of the railroad for motorists, would reduce the visibility of another business, and the amount of open space available for landscaping. He added that the proposed exception should not be injurious to the use and enjoyment of other property in the immediate vicinity and will not substantially diminish or impair property values in the neighborhood. Miklo mentioned that it will limit the visibility for motorists, and would reduce the visibility of another business, and the amount of open space available for landscaping. Miklo continued by saying that the establishment of the specific proposed exception should not impede the normal and orderly development and improvement of the surroundihg property for uses permitted in the zone in which such property is located. Miklo stated that adequate utilities, access roads, drainage Iowa City Board of Adjustment Minutes March 9, 2005 Page 4 and/or necessary facilities have been or are being provided. Miklo said that adequate measures should be taken to provide ingress or egress designed to minimize traffic congestion on public streets. Miklo repeated that it will limit the visibility for motorists. Next, Miklo said that the proposed use should be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan of the City. He said that this area is proposed for commercial development in the Comprehensive Plan, and staff believes that it would be possible to further develop the property for intended uses yet still adhere to the minimum standards applied to al other commercial properties in the zone. Staff recommends that EXC05-00004 an application submitted by Iowa City Tire & Service Inc. for a special exception to reduce the front yard from 20 feet to 5.5 feet for property located in the Intensive Commercial (C1-1) zone north of 404 Kirkwood Avenue be denied. Maurer asked what would the height of the proposed building be. Miklo answered that it would probably be a one-story building. Alexander asked if all other buildings in the area meet the required 20-foot set back. Miklo said yes. The closest building to the street is 25-feet. Public Hearinq Opened Mike Brown, 4547 Jenn Lane, North East Iowa City, said that the biggest concern for the board would be the visibility. He said that they have removed trees in the area to improve the visibility which has been affected by those trees for about 20 years. He said that having the building back to the 5.5 feet would help visibility; it would not be as good as it currently is, but from what it was when the trees were in place, it would actually improve it. Brown explained pointing to a picture presented that the edge of the building would be 17 feet from the beginning of the driveway, so it would be set back. He added that the width of that entrance is 25 feet. He mentioned he agrees that on the north side there would be some visibility issues. Brown said that the traffic there is the train. He added that they monitored over a few months how much train traffic here is in the area. Brown stated that the train goes by one or two times a week, very slow, and blowing the horn the entire time. Talking about the open space Brow said that even with the proposed building they would still have 88% open space of that whole parking lot. As far as the landscaping, Brown said that when his dad opened the shop in 1994 he had to do a lot of landscaping to comply with the code at that point, and he added that he is willing to do more if it would be necessary. Wood asked for explanation regarding the measurements of 17 feet from the beginning of the driveway. Miklo added that the setback from the driveway is not the concern in this case. The concern is the setback from the street right-of-way. Maurer asked how would the building tie with the rest of the existing constructions. Brown said that it would tie into the existing storage building. Maurer asked what would the access points be. Brown said that they would have access through the south, and also access from the other building. Terry Ira, 386 Running Deer Road, said that the pictures are kind of deceiving. Miklo mentioned that the pictures were meant to present the visibility issue, not to show the actual height of the proposed building. Ira said that the area is a 3.5-foot hill so there are visibility issues there already, and cutting down on the setback would not impede anyone's access. Ira said that it is possible to build a smaller building, but that would influence the business that he would do. Iowa City Board of Adjustment Minutes March 9, 2005 Page 5 Public Hearing Closed MOTION: Alexander moved that EXC05-00004 an application submitted by Iowa City Tire & Service Inc. for a special exception to reduce the front yard from 20 feet to 5.5 feet for property located in the Intensive Commercial (C1-1) zone north of 404 Kirkwood Avenue be approved. Wright seconded the motion. Wright would likely vote against the application. He said that the Board can grant a special exception if the owner of the property demonstrates that there is a peculiar situation to the property in question, and there is a practical difficulty. He mentioned that the application indicates that the requirement for two front yards for the tract is a peculiar situation that warrants the special exception, but all corner lots are required to have two front yards, so the property is not peculiar in this regard. Wright said there would be issues with the visibility. He added that the general standards are a concern because of the visibility issue. It would be injurious to the use and enjoyment of other property in the immediate vicinity; it would impede the normal and orderly development and improvement of the surrounding property. Wright said that it would also reduce the open space. Adequate measures would be taken to provide ingress or egress designed to minimize traffic congestion on public streets. The visibility would again be the issue. He added that a smaller building would be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan of the City. Alexander would likely vote against the application. She said that although wanting to support people who improve their businesses, the board is restricted in what they do by the code, and they are stuck on the question of being a peculiar situation. She said that after that she does not think that it would qualify for a peculiar situation. Leigh would likely vote against the application. She mentioned that she is disappointed in not being able to help businesses expand, but this case would be a situation that would be detrimental to or endanger the public health, safety, comfort or general welfare. She added that those businesses might not always be the same, and their visibility might be obstructed by the proposed building. Accordingly, there is no precedent of other businesses so close to the street in this neighborhood. Wood would vote against the application. He mentioned that there is nothing that would make it a peculiar situation. He said that he knows that the train goes slow, and with the horn on, having a building so close to the street represents a potential detriment to the public health. He added that the biggest concern would be that it would be injurious to the use and enjoyment of other property in the immediate vicinity. He stated that the proposed building would be very inconsistent with the rest of the neighborhood. Maurer would vote against the application. He said that he would like to see the building built. He said that he does not have a problem with the ingress and egress. He added that the reduced setback would stand out among all other properties there. Motion denied 5:0. EXC05-00005 Discussion of an application submitted by Sycamore Mall for a special exception to allow the reduction of he parking requirements for property located n the Community Commercial (CC-2) zone at 1600 Sycamore Street. Miklo said the Sycamore Mall property contains a variety of retail uses, and based on parking requirements the existing development is required to have 1,369 parking spaces. He added there are 1,411 spaces on the property. Miklo said the applicant would like to construct additional commercial space in the northwest corner of the property and additional theaters near the southwest corner of the property. He mentioned that the current theaters'contain a total of 1,200 seats, and the applicant would like to add 800 more seats. Miklo mentioned that based on the parking requirements the proposed development would require 248 additional spaces, 206 more spaces than currently exist on the property. As a result, he said, the property would not have sufficient spaces to satisfy the requirements of the zoning code. Iowa City Board of Adjustment Minutes March 9, 2005 Page 6 Miklo said that by special exception the required number of parking space can be reduced by up to 50% where it can be demonstrated that the specific use has characteristics such that the number of parking spaces required is too great. He added the applicant is requesting such an exception to reduce the required number of spaces to one space per 200 square feet. Miklo stated that the applicant contends that the manner in which the zoning code calculates the required number of parking spaces for a shopping center results in a requirement that is too high. To demonstrate this contention, Miklo said, the applicant has conducted a count of the parking spaces being used. He added the counts were taken at three times per day- Noon, 3PM, and 7PM. He mentioned that the peak period of parking usage was Saturday afternoon when 644 of the 1,384 of the parking spaces were being used. Miklo said the actual peak parking demand at the mall likely occurs in late November, or in December, and even though parking counts are not available for the busiest time of the year, in staffs view the counts provided by the applicant demonstrate that the number of spaces provided by the mall, far exceed the actual demand for parking spaces. Miklo added the applicant had submitted information from the existing movie theaters indicating that peak attendance occurs at approximately 9:00PM when most other businesses in the mall are closed. He said that in staffs view the proposed exception will not be detrimental to or endanger the public health, safety, comfort or general welfare, the proposed exception would not be injurious to the use and enjoyment of other property in the immediate vicinity and will not substantially diminish or impair property values in the neighborhood. The establishment of the specific proposed exception would not impede the normal and orderly development and improvement of the surrounding property for uses permitted in the zone in which such property is located, adequate utilities, access roads, drainage and/or necessary facilities have been or are being provided. Adequate measures would be taken to provide ingress or egress designed to minimize traffic congestion on public streets. He mentioned that adequate utilities, drainage and access are in place, and commercial development in this area is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan of the City. Staff recommends that EXC0$-00005, an application submitted by Sycamore Mall for a special exception to allow the reduction of he parking requirements for property located n the Community Commercial (CC- 2) zone at 1600 Sycamore Street, be approved. Public Hearing Opened Dwight Dobberstein, 111 East College Street, said that they see this as the next step in what it was a remarkable transformation for the mall. He mentioned that he had never seen the parking lot full even during Christmas time. He said that the last thing the mall owner want to do is to short the parking which is critical for people to come. Sandra Wagner, 1606 Spruce Street, said that their backyard is directly adjacent to Sycamore Street. She said the time of the Board meeting is not appropriate for people who are working. If the meeting time was later she said more of her neighbors would be here to voice their concerns. She said that they love the theaters, but their concern with the new additions would be the loss of the buffer zone between the mall and the housing area. She said they had their fence vandalized, the American flag stolen, people climb over the fence, and they had been sworn at by teenagers traveling across their residential yards to get to the mall. Wagner said there is constant litter and noise. She said that there were other outdoor activities at the mall, such as car shows and bands, that disturbed the peace and quiet of the neighborhood. Public Hearin.q Closed MOTION: Alexander moved that EXC05-00005 Discussion of an application submitted by Sycamore Mall for a special exception to allow the reduction of he parking requirements for property located n the Community Commercial (CC-2) zone at 1600 Sycamore Street be approved. Leigh seconded the motion. Leigh would vote in favor of the application. She said that she appreciates the concerned raised about the adjacent neighborhood, but she did not think the proposed parking reduction related to those concerns. Iowa City Board of Adjustment Minutes March 9, 2005 Page 7 She added the application has tremendous merit in revitalizing that part of town. She said she found the parking count very supportive of the request. She mentioned the application meets both specific and general standards. The proposed exception will not be detrimental to or endanger the public health, safety, comfort or general welfare, the proposed exception would not be injurious to the use and enjoyment of other property in the immediate vicinity. The establishment of the specific proposed exception would not impede the normal and orderly development and improvement of the surrounding property for uses permitted in the zone in which such property is located, adequate utilities, access roads, drainage and/or necessary facilities have been or are being provided. Adequate measures would be taken to provide ingress or egress designed to minimize traffic congestion on public streets. She mentioned that adequate utilities, drainage and access are in place, and it is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan of the City Alexander would vote in favor of the application. She said the data submitted was very helpful. She added that it fulfils all general and specific standards. Wright would also vote in favor of the application. He said that he appreciates the concerned raised. He added the specific and general standards are met. The parking would be more than adequate. He said that it will not be detrimental to or endanger the public health, safety, comfort or general welfare, the proposed exception would not be injurious to the use and enjoyment of other property in the immediate vicinity and will not substantially diminish or impair property values in the neighborhood. The establishment of the specific proposed exception would not impede the normal and orderly development and improvement of the surrounding property. Wood would also vote in favor of the application. He said that he appreciates the concerned raised. He said the data submitted was very helpful. He added that it fulfils all general and specific standards. He said it is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan of the City. Maurer would also vote in favor of the application for the reasons already stated. Motion passed 5:0. OTHER: NONE ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 6:30PM. s:lpcdlminuteslboal2005103-09-05 doc Board of Adjustment Attendance Record 2005 Term Name Expires 01/12 02/09 03/09 04/13 05/11 06/08 07/13 08/10 09/14 10/12 11/09 12/14 Carol Alexander 01/01/08 X X X Ned Wood 01/01/10 .... X X Karen Leigh 01/01/07 X O/E X Vincent Maurer 01/01/06 X O/E X Michael Wright 01/01/09 X X X Key: X -- Present O = Absent O/E : Absent/Excused NM -~ No Meeting Not a Member (~ Iowa Ci~ Public Library BOARD OF TRUSTEES Agenda item 3A Minutes 5:00 pm -April 28, 2005 2nd Floor Board Room David VanDusseldorp, President Linzee McCray, Vice President Thomas Dean Kathy GIoer William Korf Linda Prybil Pat Schnack, Secretary Tom Suter Jim Swaim Members Present: Thomas Dean, Kathy Gloer, William Korf, Linzee McCray, Linda Prybil, Tom Suter, Jim Swaim, David VanDusseldorp, Members Absent: Pat Schnack StaffPresent: Barb Black, Maeve Clark, Susan Craig, Debb Green, Heidi Lauritzen, Kara Logsden, Martha Lubaroff, Patty McCarthy, Hal Penick Call meeting to Order VanDusseldorp called the meeting to order at 5:02 pm Public Discussion None Approval of minutes Minutes of the regular meeting of March 24 were approved after a motion by Swaim seconded by Suter. All were in favor and the motion carried 8-0. Unfinished Business Leased Space Update: Realtor Kevin Hanick reported on the status of the rental of the retail space. The College of Medicine of the University of Iowa has approved putting forth a request, for the Board of Regents' approval, to lease 4400 ft in the basement. There are issues regarding bids Agenda item 3A Page No 2 for improvements. The structure of the lease is a technicality that Hanick will work on with Craig. Hanick has a good prospect for the remainder of the space and feels that there is a good chance of having the entire basement leased in the next 60 days. He's had some interesting inquiries about the first floor if the current prospect does not work out. Once the University is a firm tenant, he'll pursue other options. He indicated that some potential tenants would be interested in a smaller space on the first floor, and if we do not reach a conclusion with the prospective tenant, he may suggest a consultation with an architect on how to divide the space. He is showing the space frequently and feels there is interest. VanDusseldorp suggests waiting to hear about the first floor space before we begin any exploration about dividing the area. Strategic Plan Update A Board committee consisting of Gloer, McCray and Dean drafted a revised mission statement. Their focus was a community gathering place for cultural and leisure activities. Prybil moved acceptance and expressed appreciation for their work. Swaim seconded the motion. VanDusseldorp supports this version as being true to the previous mission statement. He confirmed with staff that were supportive of it as well. All in favor voted Aye. Motion carded 8-0. Staff has worked on drafting strategies for the objectives previously approved by the Board. The goals were a result of the Board's work and the staff has been working on adding details. The Board saw the objectives, and staff has been working on strategies to accomplish the objectives. Craig highlighted some of the issues that are priorities in her memo. Staff has proposed improving our ability to serve Spanish-speaking patrons. Other highlights are maintaining quality collections, organizing staff to meet changes, and having up to date technology. Craig pointed out that we have a new emphasis on "tween" programming. Prybil asked whether or not the young adult area is being used. Logsden replied that it is. Korf asked about improving conditions of the disc collections. Craig said we were working on a systematic plan to inspect and clean all of our discs. In response to a question, Craig explained that Express fiction are the first two shelves in fiction that allow the checking out of popular materials for a shorter period with no renewals and the collection is not used to fill holds. The plan calls for a conversation about what other collections should have express components. They rotate off the Express Fiction shelves when they no longer are getting checked out frequently. Swaim likes our work plan after years of emphasis on nothing but building. He reminded staff that West Liberty offers Spanish classes for citizens. Perhaps this could be a partnering opportunity. Swaim asked about potential library interns and any difficulty attracting them. We have been successful in recruiting interns and we want to expand. Agenda item 3A Page No 3 We are looking at placing our circulation module on-line at an outreach site. This will enable us to give people cards and other library service. In response to a question about an "information chat", Clark responded that this is being studied and that it would be a live conversation on line with someone, enabling a reference interview to take place. It's like instant messaging. Gloer said it is a great planning document and wondered if the objectives and strategies are in any priority order. The goals are prioritized, but not the objectives and strategies. Library wants to increase involvement with the Downtown Association in an expanded cultural role. Swaim said he liked the use of the term "corridor" libraries. With this informal approval the staff will edit and this plan will come back to the Board in July for approval along with the completed FY05 plan, and the FY06 plan. New Business Internet Policy Review: Clark headed up the staff committee charged with reviewing this policy. In response to a question, Clark replied that if there were an issue of our computers being used to view child pornography, we would work with authorities. With the addition of a wireless connection on the City Plaza, we will not be responsible for patrolling outside the building. The language will be changed to refer to the space as City Plaza instead of the Pedestrian Mall. A question was raised about Intemet access on City Plaza. Craig replied that this availability is seen as a logical extension of what is offered in the building. Wireless in public spaces is growing in popularity because it creates a liveliness that makes it attractive to people who want to live here. Swaim said it's consistent with the new mission statement. Swaim moved adoption of policy with the amended language. Suter seconded. All in favor voted Aye. Motion passed 8-0. Personnel Policy City Council approves personnel policies for the City, and the Board approves them for the Library. There are some different components to each. We rely heavily on the City's legal and personnel staff. Our practice is to update ours when the City updates theirs, which was recently done. Board is being asked to approve the Authority Statement, Personnel Policy, and Administrative & Confidential employees' policy. Board was provided with both new and old policies. Suter moved acceptance of new policies, 501,502, and 503. Swaim seconded. Board felt staff did a good job and Agenda item 3A Page No 4 appreciated the extra week to read the material. A question was asked regarding peer evaluation. It has not been done in awhile but we do it from time to time. Craig described the definitions of a professional librarian who holds a job with a Masters of Library Science and the Confidential description for people in an organization who deal with confidential personnel matters. In drafting specific language that is different from City's, did staff have input? Four managers worked on the revisions. It was presented to all Coordinators for review, then to all staff before coming to Board. All in favor of adopting the three related policies with Dean's editorial correction voted Aye. Motion passed 8-0. Election of Officers for FY06 On behalf of the Nominating Committee, Suter presented the current slate of officers for re-election: VanDusseldorp, President; McCray, Vice President and Schnack, Secretary. No nominations were received from the floor. With that as a motion, all in favor voted Aye. Motion carried 8-0. Dean thanked Suter for leading them through the process. Staff Reports Departmental Reports: Children's, systems, Technical Services Board appreciated the updates from Systems. The 05 budget has been amended to cover the costs for the City Plaza wireless project. Board was impressed with the software developed in-house to book meeting rooms. Black clarified end-of-year spending on library materials. It is at this time in the fiscal year that we begin to use gift money from the Foundation to pay for library materials. We cannot carry over operating budget but can carry over gift money if all on-order items are not received by the last check date. Fourteen librarians divide up the collection and select materials in their area. Development Office McCarthy expects approximately 200 people at the Sunday night event. The Annual fund is around $20,000. The Book End is doing well. Foundation members: Suter reported that McCarthy and Lensing were guests at KCJJ recently and spoke about the Iowa Author's event. Hancher/Children's Museum This is year one of a four-year partnership between Hancher, the library and the Children's Museum that includes residencies and performances for children. A flyer describing the events for the months of May and June was included in the packet. Agenda item 3A Page No 5 University Heights Coralville Public Library will no longer sell fee cards after July 1, 2006. Craig has drafted a cover letter and fact sheet and sent out to Coralville Director and Board member for review. Publications will be mailed out to University Heights residents on a date to be determined. This is an attempt to clear up misunderstandings about the issue. It is Craig's understanding that a group of University Heights citizens will be working towards securing library services. As incoming President of Iowa Library Association, Craig will be in Washington, DC Monday through Wednesday of next week, lobbying Iowa's national legislators on library issues. President's Report VanDusseldorp commented on the recent Library Week and Library workers Day. He reminded Board that they do not need a special day to express appreciation for our staff. Announcements from Members Swaim said the new UAY center would not open when they originally thought. It will be in late May. He reminded people of the "Mothers Day too soon" event. Reception is on May 7, at Mercy Hospital. A photo documentary of teen moms will be located in the hallway in the atrium. Korfpassed out brochures for the Early Keyboard Society. Dean announced that Saturday is the second Irving B Weber Chautauqua event. Steve McGuire will be storytelling and Library staff is working on this event. Suter gave one more reminder of the May 1 "Celebrating Iowa Authors" event. That same day, he told Board, the Crisis Center's pancake breakfast will take place at St. Wenceslaus Church. Gloer expressed her thanks to Greg & Barb Black for graciously hosting an author's dinner at their home. Communications Letter from Vincent Prosser was included along with staff comments. Board felt there should be a response upholding the staff's action. VanDusseldorp and Craig will work on drafting a response. Clark reiterated that we do not index letters however we index Guest Opinions if it is a topic of local interest like the Englert. Financial reports: Agenda item 3A Page No 6 Receipts are up. Fines were raised over a year ago. State funds are really not down as much as it looks, but an extra check was deposited in FY04. Prybil had a question about building expenses. Craig responded that although we do have warranties on many things, there has already been wear and tear requiring routine maintenance as well as fixing some things that were not right. Use reports Circulation overall is up 14% and staffhas been able to handle the increase. Sel£-check is up to about 50%. Claims returned were down, which relieves staff. Reserves are up 1,000 a month and since patrons can now pick up their own reserves and use sel£-check, it relieves staff. Without the new self-service options it would be hard for staffto keep up. Some clarification on use reports. Overall, use of the library has increased in almost all areas, but some numbers are down in specific areas. Multi-media circulation is down because we discontinued the adult collection last year. Reference Desk and Fiction Desk community questions refer to questions asked of our staff outside the library but resolved here in the library. Disbursements Visa reports were reviewed. Disbursements for March were approved after a motion made by Suter and seconded by Prybil. All were in favor and the motion passed 8-0. Set agenda order for May meeting. Building Fee Cards/University Heights Committee Reports - Update on process for Director's evaluation Policy review - Meeting Rooms Adjournment 6:50 pm Minutes taken and transcribed by Martha Lubaroff Board or Commission: ICPL Board of Trustees ATTENDANCE RECORD YEAR 2005 (Me~ ~ Date) TERM 1/27/ 2/25/ 3/24/ 4/28/ 5/26/ NAME EXP. 05 05 05 05 05 Thomas 7/1/09 O/e x x x x Dean Kathy Gloer 7/1/05 x x x x x [~ill Korf 7/1/09 x x x x x Linzee 7/1/09 x x x x O/e McCray Linda Prybil 7/1/05 O 0/e O/e x x Pat Schnack 7/1/07 x x x O/e O/e Tom Suter '7/1/07 x x x x O/e Jim Swaim 7/1/05 x 0/e x x O/e David Van 7/1/07 x x x x x Dusseldorp KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused NM = No meeting .... Not a Member