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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999-03-30 Bd Comm minutesMINUTES HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION SENIOR CENTER - LOWER LEVEL CLASSROOM WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1999 - 6 P.M. MEMBERS PRESENT: Bob Elliott, Denita Gadson, Rick House, Jayne Moraski, Lucia-Mai Page, Kathleen Renquist, Gretchen Schmuch, Bill Stewart MEMBERS ABSENT: Dan Coleman STAFFPRESENT: Maurice Head, Steve Long, Steve Nasby, Linda Severson, Pam Barnes, David Powers, David Schoon, Marcia Klingaman, Liz Osborne OTHERS PRESENT: Jane Hagedorn, Jesse Burns, Maryann Dennis, Charlie Eastham, Danielle Thompson, Ethel Madison, Sherrie Panther, Carol Dollman, Robert Burns, Angle Madsen, Chris Bergan, Angela Gravely-Smith, Christine Molenkoff-Pigsley, Ginny Rew, Mark Cannon, Ann Cole, Ruth Baker, Tracy Adams, Carlan Vail CALL TO ORDER AND APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM JANUARY 21, 1999: Chairperson Schmuch called the meeting to order at 6:11 p.m. MOTION: Stewart moved to approve the January 21, 1999, meeting minutes as submitted. Renquist seconded the motion. The motion carried by a vote of 8-0. PUBLIC/MEMBER DISCUSSION OF ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA: There was none. REVIEW OF FY00 APPLICATIONS FOR CDBG/HOME FUNDING: Schmuch noted that Commission member Dan Coleman had the flu and could not make the meeting. She said that the Emergency Housing Project and Pappajohn both withdrew their applications. Renquist asked about differences between Fair Market Rent rates in some applications. Long said he would bdng the Fair Market Rent table to Thursday's meeting. Elderly Services Agency- Small Repairs Program (p. 185) Jane Hagedorn said the organization's mission is to keep people age 65 and older safely in their homes for as long as possible by providing paid and volunteer services. She said last year the project spent $28,657.95, and they are requesting $28,000 this year. She said on p. 186 of the application, #7B should be "yes" because the clients pay property tax, and that would make the second question not applicable. She said the repairs include plumbing, electrical work, carpentry or disability-related equipment, and gave some examples. She said most modifications deal with bathrooms and accessibility. She said last year they worked in 25 households and utilized 32 contractors. She said an average cost for a larger project is $2,506, and an average cost for a smaller repair is $264. She provided some AARP statistics about elderly people staying in their homes and affordability of modifications. She said 93% of the clients reported low incomes (below $17,000) and of that 23% were at or below poverty level. Page asked how ESA determined which homes to repair. Hagedorn said the client has to meet the age and low income level criteria, and they can apply year-round for the funds. Elliott asked if clients were homeowners or renters. Hagedorn said they have done occasional work for renters where disabilities were concerned, but about 90% of their clients were homeowners. Housing and Community Development Commission February 17, 1999 Page 2 Elliott said in the case of renters, does ESA have to set up a contract with the landlord to make sure the client stays their for a certain amount of time after receiving the repairs/services. Hagedorn said anything that is removable goes with the tenant when they move. Stewart asked how they checked the assets of clients. Hagedorn said they receive a monthly banking statement from each client. Barnes said the applicant fills out that information on their application, and Jean Mann verities that. Gadson asked if the Board developed a new policy for repeat clients. Hagedorn said she did not know, but could have Mann provide that information before the Commission's March 4 meeting. Schmuch asked how long it took to get into the homes once a request is made. Hagedorn said it happens almost immediately for service work, and is a minimum amount of time for larger projects. She said the longest wait she remembered is one month when they had to coordinate several contractors for a large project. Stewart asked to what extent the project provides services if ESA did not receive funds. Hagedom said they would not be able to serve as many clients or do as many projects if they did not receive funding here, but they do check other funding sources, and she listed some of those. Stewart asked if the program utilized volunteers. Hagedorn said volunteers work within ESA's Chore program, but with the small repair program the contractors come from the City Housing Rehab list and are paid. Stewart noted that the ESA Board is volunteer. Elliott said he would like to talk about the CITY STEPS priority after each project. He said he would consider this project under public service needs - senior services. Schmuch said this project is not under the public service category, it is under the housing needs category. She said in the past this project has been a high priority because it serves the lowest income group and the elderly. Staff directed members to look at the table on p. 191 for the priorities. Stewart asked staff if the Commission needed to ask each applicant if they have met the reporting requirements in the past. Head said staff would tell the Commission if an applicant had not done that either at the two meetings or in the pro-con memo. City of Iowa City - Housing Rehab (p. 158) Pam Barnes said the Housing Rehab program is requesting $300,000. She said Housing Rehab runs five programs for single-family owner-occupied homes within the Iowa City city limits. She said clients have to be below 80% of median income to receive funding. David Powers said the five programs are comprehensive rehab with a maximum of $30,000 per project, exterior repairs, emergency repairs for immediate and life-threatening situations, residential accessibility and mobile home repair. He passed around some before-and-after project photos. Elliott asked how they verified clients' income levels. Powers said they verify through the banks, social security, and receive copies of clients' tax forms. Elliott asked if there was any overlap of services between Housing Rehab and Elderly Services Agency. Powers said generally where ESA's largest project ended, Housing Rehab's smallest project began so the two services compliment each other. Page asked if clients had to contribute some of their own money toward the rehab projects. Barnes said clients either get a no-interest loan, a 3% loan or a 6% loan if they can pay for the project. She said if they cannot pay they get a conditional occupancy loan that sits on the property until it is sold or rented, and then the money comes back to the City with a one-time 5% interest fee. Elliott asked how the loan money was used differently from the grant money. Powers said they usually only use grant money with mobile home repairs when the cost is less than $2,500, and everything else is in the form of the mortgage. He said on the comprehensive rehabs, 15% of the cost is forgiven after 10 years and the rest is either in a payback or deferred loan. Barnes said $200,000 of the requested money would go for programs and the other $100,000 would be for administrative and project delivery costs. Housing and Community Development Commission February 17, 1999 Page 3 Schmuch asked about the program's waiting list and how it is prioritized. Barnes said there are 41 families on the waiting list, and the ones with the lowest income are served first. She said the list is computerized and prioritized on a point scale based on criteria, such as income level, disabilities, age, single parents, etc. Powers said they tend to serve more older homes because they are the most affordable for clients. Stewart asked how much of the $200,000 would be returning and how much interest would be charged. Barnes said all of the $200,000 will be coming back, it is just a matter of when. She said about 90% of the loans would have some type of interest assessed. She said about $100,000 has been paid back to CDBG/HOME program so far this year. Downtown Evaluation (p. 280) David Schoon said the funding request is to hire a consultant to evaluate the downtown retail and office sector. He said in the last six to eight months, there has been a significant change in the local retail market and now people are starting. to see the impact of that change. He said existing retail areas in the community are going to have to establish niches for themselves. He said the study's goals are to create a positive business climate that focuses on business retention and recruitment, to ensure the commercial success of downtown and maintaining the health of one of Iowa City's community commercial centers. He said he does not have the time or the expertise to do such a study, and would like the grant to hire a consultant with expertise to help identify niches in the retail and office markets. Stewart asked how the downtown businesses owners would be involved in selecting the consultant. Schoon said they would form a steering committee that could include members from the Downtown Association, the Northside Marketplace, businesses in the near south side and area residents to help gather information and guide the consultant. Gadson asked if Schoon would focus attention on finding a local person to be the consultant. Schoon said he thought they would have to keep the search open in terms of a regional and national call to see who would submit a proposal, but if there were two consultants of equal qualification he thought they would consider the local person over the person from outside Iowa City. Elliott asked if Schoon had ruled out using classes at the University for the work. Schoon said they have explored that, but more often than not they have not been pleased with products that come out of those classes and given the amount of work and time that would be required to gather and analyze the information, one professor told him that he would have to charge the City to cover those costs. Schoon said he thought this is a community heart issue in terms of maintaining the vitality of downtown. He said while there will be benefit to the individual business owners, there would also be the benefit of maintaining the health of the community center. Stewart asked if they had tried to secure any outside funding for the project. Schoon said he has approached the Downtown Association, but they have a limited budget and have not committed any funds toward the study yet. He said the next step of the business enhancement and recruitment would require a partnership with them. Schmuch asked how Schoon arrived at the $35,000 figure. Schoon said he contacted the International Downtown Association who gave names of consultants, and the range for consulting fees was between $25,000-$50,000. Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship (p. 197) Maryann Dennis and Charlie Eastham said they are requesting $300,040 to develop affordable rental housing. Dennis said the proposed project would add 18 units of affordable rental housing, nine units in Iowa City with the local funds and nine units in Coralville with state HOME funds. She said the other funding sources were private mortgages and Federal Home Loan Bank Affordable Housing Program funds. She showed a map of Iowa City that had push pins where GICHF had units. She said the HOME funds would be used to purchase existing two Housing and Community Development Commission February 17, 1999 Page 4 bedroom units that were in need of substantial rehabilitation. She said project rents are set at $473 per month, including a utility allowance of $71, which would result in a net monthly per unit rent of $402. She gave some facts and figures regarding income levels and housing options in Iowa City. She said this project allows for the reuse of City funds because they propose to repay the amount equal to the ratio of City funds to project costs, multiplied by the future value of the project, in 30 years. She said the percentage of funds contributed by the City to the overall project cost would be repaid in 30 years, but the amount of the repayment would be based on the project's future value, so they are assuming that the projects will increase in value. Eastham said those loan terms are the same as what was negotiated for their project last year. Dennis said the rental properties are exempt from taxes, but GICHF makes a voluntary payment of 25% of the full tax liability in lieu of taxes. She said GICHF has completed similar projects in the required time period, and she thought the per unit cost of $73,815, an average cost of $60,000, was extremely reasonable. She said Mercantile Bank has indicated an interest in providing the private funding for the project, and in order to receive State HOME funds the City has to indicate that it is in favor of the project. She said the proposed units would be targeted to families at 40% of median income, but no families with incomes lower than that or who receive rental assistance would be denied as tenants. She said they have developed 67 units of affordable rental housing in Iowa City, they currently house 204 people and the average tenant income is $14,000. Dennis said that GICHF has not spent the City HOME funds allocated last year because the state ran out of HOME funds last year, and requested that GICHF send in their funding request at the end of 1998. She said GICHF should know if the state would allocate their HOME funds to that project within the next few weeks. She said if the state does not allocate the HOME funds for that project, GICHF could still produce and put affordable rental housing into service with the City HOME funds within the required time frame. Stewart asked how GICHF leveraged other human resources. Dennis said they have to competitively bid the rehab projects due to HOME fund regulations. She said they have a volunteer board, volunteers who help with the units once they are put in service, an attorney in Iowa City who has provided countless hours of legal advice without billing GICHF and a realtor that does not charge commission. Moraski asked how GICHF selects buildings or homes for the project. Dennis said the red pushpins on the map represent single-family houses or duplexes, and they have a strict price that GICHF can pay. Moraski noted that the pushpins are scattered, but there seems to be a concern that the affordable housing is more concentrated on the south side of Iowa City. Dennis said GICHF has units in 10 of the 12 elementary school attendance districts in Iowa City. She said they do not have any in the Shimek or Lincoln districts. She said the houses that they look at on the north end tend to be quite old and the rehab is not feasible for the program, but they have looked at houses along Prairie du Chien road and getting houses on the north end is one of their goals. Eastham said they would eventually start buying houses in the area. Elliott asked about the loan payback system. Dennis said the bank gets first position, City gets second position and the state gets third position with the loan paybacks. Schmuch asked if there were a set number of units that GICHF wanted to purchase to reach a goal or did they want to expand the program each year. Dennis said the Board set one long-term goal to become a self- supporting Community Housing Development Organization, so after the debt service is paid their rent income could support their operation. She said they think they need between 80-100 units to do that. She said they maintain an eligible applicant pool, and it is their experience that the only way to decrease that pool is to increase the affordable rental housing stock in the Housing and Community Development Commission February 17, 1999 Page 5 community. Eastham said he thought the goal should be to keep developing affordable housing until the waiting time for people applying for Section 8 assistance is less than two weeks. Hannah's Blessing Day Care Center - Property Acquisition (p. 52) Danielle Thompson said Hannah's Blessing Day Care Center is currently being run out of a home, but the home is full and they cannot accept any more children. She said this would be an early Headstart program for 0-2 year olds, which would allow Hannah's Blessing to obtain funding from the Department of Health and Human Services since there is no other early Headstart program in Johnson County, She passed out an amendment to the application. She said that at the time of the application they did not have a location, but now they do. She said the building is located at 1539 Gilbert Street, and Hannah's Blessing would be located in the south portion of that building. She said they are now requesting $150,000, $134,000 for a four- year lease of the 2,800 square foot space and $15,600 for renovations and equipment. She said she would get a copy of that information to City staff. Thompson said the Department of Health and Human Services has a requirement of serving a minimum of 32 children and families. She said the program would target teen parents to allow them to continue with school and/or work. She said they are also planning to operate in the evening. She said they have been working with 4C's Childcare, and they noted that only 10% of the total day care slots available in Iowa City are allotted for children ages 0-2, and 80% of the calls that 4C's receives are looking for childcare for children in that age group. She said they would also like to involve JTPA and Johnson County Health Services. Moraski asked who paid the taxes, insurance, etc. Thompson said the landlords. Stewart asked if Hannah's Blessing was a nonprofit organization. Thompson said yes. Moraski said she knew about the strict requirements about space for day care centers, and asked if there was anything in the regulations about the building being in a flood plain. Thompson said there were not any regulations like that to her knowledge. Elliott asked if the children were accepted on a financial- need basis. Thompson yes, they have to be from Johnson County and they are targeting low- income areas for clients. Elliott asked how they would prioritize if there are more applicants than there is space. Thompson said that would be based on the Headstart guidelines, which priodtize based on income. She said Headstart allots about $4,000 per year per child, so there could be a nominal monthly fee. She said they are planning to have the parents volunteer to put some time back into the program. Schmuch asked if there were any concerns about zoning for the building. Thompson said yes, and they are working with the realtor with that. She said if the zoning does not work out, they have considered purchasing a large house for the program. Severson asked where the operational income would come from. Thompson said the $120,000 for salaries would come primarily from DHS. She said while there is no guideline on childcare salaries, they do not want a high turnover with teachers and would like to pay them reasonable salaries to keep the staff. Stewart asked about alterations to a project once it is submitted, and noted the Robert Burns project from the 1998 funding cycle. Schmuch said that could be discussed later in the meeting. Evert Conner Center (p. 40) Ethel Madison said the Center provides services for people with disabilities and technical assistance for people in the community regarding accessibility issues. She said in making accessibility changes they try to keep everybody in mind. She said pregnant mothers and elderly persons also benefit from the accessibility changes. She said they would like to update their guide that lists public accessibility accommodations. or lack thereof in the community. She passed around a copy of the current guide. She said there are a lot of businesses that are Housing and Community Development Commission February 17, 1999 Page 6 almost accessible, whether they need a small ramp, a door opener, etc. so the center is also requesting $20,000 to help local businesses make change in their accessibility. Schmuch asked what discussions Madison has had with local business owners and if they are interested in making accessibility changes. Madison said that the local business owners were excited about the guide because they saw it as a form of advertising. She said that most businesses are eager to make the accessibility changes, some just can't afford to do it. Stewad asked if the funding would be an incentive to do that. Madison said yes, and to assist some of the smaller businesses that cannot afford to do it. Page asked if there was an estimated cost on how much money would be needed to make the accessibility changes. Madison said they are only talking about small changes. Gadson said it sounded like the owness of responsibility was on the business owners to make sure that there were no barriers to anyone. She asked if there were federal, state or local policies that would require all businesses to meet the accessibility regulations. Madison said the Americans with Disabilities Act states that areas that provide services for the general public would follow certain accessibility guidelines. She acknowledged that becoming accessible was the business' responsibility, but in order to get each business to follow that they would have to sue each one. She said they could do that, but if there were a better way to do it they would rather pursue that. Coldren Residence (p. 167) Sherrie Panther and Carol Dollman gave some background information about the Coldren Home. She said this home is for people who cannot live alone, but who do not need nursing care. She said that all of their current residents are low income with two-thirds at or below the poverty level. She said the home's day-to-day operating expenses are paid by tenants' room rents, which is about $700 per month and includes the room, three meals per day, cleaning and laundry service. She said for maintenance they depend on income from a small trust, donations and gifts, small bank loans and grants. She said the Board does not want to raise room rates, but they need to pay for a new boiler, which would reduce operating expenses by making the building more energy efficient. She said she contacted the Iowa Finance Authority. who encouraged them to bring the entire house up to standard, but to get that grant they have to get a 25% local commitment so they need $6,000 in CDBG funds. She also said that the pro-forma did not really work for them because they are so small. Schmuch asked Panther to compare Coldten Residence's boarding costs at Walden Place or Windmill Point. Panther said she did not know the cost difference between the three, but she knew that those places referred clients to them because the clients could not afford to live there. Schmuch said Walden Place and Windmill Point start at around $1,400 per month for room and board and do not accept housing vouchers as Coldren does. Dollman said that the pro-forma does not really represent their budget because it shows that they have excess funds, which they do not have. She passed out a revised financial statement from 1998 and a projected financial statement for 1999. She noted that they had a lot of volunteer help last year because they could not pay staff enough to keep them. Elliott asked where the residents came from and how are they prioritized. Panther said there is no priority; if there is an empty room and if the tenant can live there without assistance they accept them. Dollman said in 1998 they only averaged five or six tenants and they have room for 10. Elliott asked if acceptance was based on financial need. Panther said no. Elliott asked what happened when a tenant could no longer live independently, and if there were policies regarding that. Panther said the tenant goes to a nursing home, and most tenants either have a social worker or family member that is very involved. Moraski asked if they had sought other sources of local money as match. Panther said no. Moraski asked if they had heard of energy assistance loans and audits provided by utility companies. Dollman said they had gone through Housing and Community Development Commission February 17, 1999 Page 7 the energy efficiency audit several years ago. Stewart asked if they make payments in lieu of taxes. Panther said not that she was aware of. Stewart asked if they utilized volunteers. Dollman said they have four staff members, a student volunteer who lives there and serves as a night security person, volunteers do yard work and grocery shopping and have a volunteer board. Renquist asked how they advertised room openings. Dollman said they spent more money on advertising this year, putting ads in the newspaper and on buses, and sent letters to churches. Panther said it worked and they are full right now. She said they receive referrals from nursing homes when people can leave, hospitals and elderly services. She said they could often take people on a days notice for about a week or a month if they are between places or a family member cannot care for them for a period of time. Elliott asked how many of the tenants were short-term. Panther said not very many. Walden Hills Senior Housing - Phase I (P. 230) Robert Burns said the project meets 10 high level needs and four CITY STEPS strategies. He said they had an independent market study done of the proposed area, and they currently have 62 people on a waiting list for a similar property in Iowa City. He said they hope to use these funds to leverage other funding sources, and the project leverages other human resources. He said the project meets all of the National HOME Program objectives. He said they are requesting a 30-year $275,000 loan with principal and interest to be paid so all the money would return to the City. He said this project is for new construction at HUD's Fair Market Rent. He read over the outcome data and key elements and how they are met by the project from p. 238 of the application. He said the proposed site, which they own, was rezoned by the Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council. He said this loan is the last element of financing for the project, as they have already received Low Income Housing Tax Credits and funds from the Housing Assistance Fund from the Iowa Finance Authority. He said the state has not committed their HOME funds, but they can't get that until they get the City HOME funds. He said the City HOME funds would be for gap financing and the project would not be feasible without the funds. He said they have developed and managed 30 similar projects in Iowa, including four in the Iowa City area that are currently operating. Head asked about the archaeological/environmental study costs. Burns said they had to hire an archaeologist, as required by the Iowa Department of Economic Development. Head asked about the third party inspection costs. Burns said when they are architects for the project they hire a third party inspector to approve all the pay requests during construction. He said it was a service that would normally be in the architecrs fee, so they removed it from there put it in the third party inspection. He said that third party would also monitor the Davis-Bacon labor standards. Head said that generally when the City funds projects, they are the ones that go out and do the interviews for the Davis-Bacon regulations and verification. Burns said IDED has- been requiring them to do it at every inspection and file continuous reports that cover all the payment periods. Head asked if the construction loan fee cost was being waived. Burns said it is listed as a cost, but it is also a source of funds that is waived. Schmuch asked about Burns' experience with mixing populations of elderly, homeless, transitional and seriously mentally ill persons. Burns said they have the same mix at the Citizen Building they operate in Iowa City, and it seems to work. Severson asked if there would be on- site management for the project. Burns said there will be a site manager there every day, but it is up to the site manager if they decide to live there or not. He said they have very little turnover at their other buildings, and that is why they have a waiting list. Renquist asked how they determine the income of the individuals applying. Burns said they use the HUD certification guidelines that include an application procedure and verification of information through banks, Housing and Community Development Commission February 17, 1999 Page 8 tax forms, etc. EIliott asked if HUD had requirements for exiting when the tenant is no longer able to live independently. Burns said no since this is not an assisted living facility, and noted that they have not had to evict anyone from their other buildings. Schmuch asked about the size of the whole project. He said the first phase is 30 units out of 120, and there will be 249 total units in the Walden Hills subdivision. He said the City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission have approved the zoning, the site plans and the floor plans. Stewart asked if the loan would be paid back monthly over 30 years. Burns said yes. He said that Phase l is one building of 30 units, and 100% of the units would be affordable. Walden Hills Senior Housing - Phase III (p. 252) Burns said Phase III would be another 30 units located south of Phase I along Shannon Drive, and everything that he said about Phase I would apply to Phase III except that they are projecting the costs to be higher because they do not anticipate starting construction until Spring 2000, and are anticipating construction costs to be higher. He explained how the funding they are requesting would attract outside funds. He said without the City HOME funds the project would not be feasible. He said that they would give preference to anyone with a Section 8 certificate and to anyone at 0-30% of median family income. He said the reason they are asking for two phases at one time is to get the projects on different cycles. He said Phase I is to catch up to the tax credits allocated in 1998, and Phase Ill is to set aside the City funds to apply for 1999 tax credits. Renquist asked if Burns would return next year for more money for Phases II and IV. Burns said perhaps, but each phase is designed to stand on its own. Elliott asked if the Phase III loan would also have a 30-year term. Burns said yes. Renquist asked if the land was zoned for all four phases. Burns said yes. He said that the Commission is not locking themselves in for the other two phases because they could be developed as regular, non-affordable housing. He explained the competitive tax credit process. Head asked if the floor plan and layout for Phase Ill was the same as for Phase I. Burns said yes. Head asked if there would be a reduction in architectural costs for Phase III. Burns said that a saving is already reflected. He said they are estimating that construction costs would increase. Burns said the list of agencies on p. 263 of the application are ones that they contract with to provide human services for the tenants. He noted letters of support from Hillcrest Family Services and the Impact Program included in the application packet. DVIP Furniture Project (p. 110) Angle Madsen and Chds Bergan explained how the Furniture Project worked. Madsen said they cannot provide delivery transportation most of the time, so the recipient makes an appointment and organizes their own transportation. She said the recipient comes to the project and picks out the furniture they have requested from the furniture stock. Gadson asked what some of the more popular items were. Bergan said beds, including the mattresses and frames, kitchen tables and dressers. Page asked how the program is advertised. Bergan said that they put fliers up around town, placing ads in the newspapers, from the agency referrals and by word-of-mouth. She explained the referral and confirmation process. Madsen said when they receive a call they look through their records to make sure that the caller did not receive furniture during the calendar year. She said if they did, DVIP calls the referring agency to ask if the caller experienced another crisis since the last time they received furniture. Madsen said DVIP provides the van, benefits, pest control, etc., so the funding they are requesting is for Bergan's salary. Housing and Community Development Commission February 17, 1999 Page 9 Head said that this is the fifth year that the Furniture Project has applied for CDBG funds, and asked if the project had explored other funding options. Madsen said they receive funding from the City of Iowa City Landfill, and they are always exploring other funding options, but this project falls through the cracks of most grants. Bergan said she is attending a furniture bank conference in Orlando, Fla., in March on a full scholarship and hopes to get some fundraising ideas. Nasby asked Severson if this project could be funded by the County. Severson said it was a possibility and could be requested. Nasby suggested including a value of donated materials for leverage on any future CDBG applications. Madsen said there are no other funding sources to go to and without CDBG funding she was not sure if the landfill could pick up the cost of a full-time coordinator. She said the City did a study in 1996, taking the amount of furniture that the project dispersed and seeing how much it would cost for the City to run a similar project, and they found it was about $40,000. She said they would probably go to the City first for additional funding, and then to the County to keep the project afloat. Severson asked if they served clients in rural Johnson County. Bergan said she receives clients from Iowa City and rural Johnson County. ISED (p. 1) Angela Gravely-Smith and Christine Molenkoff-Pigsley passed out some supplemental materials and gave some background information on the project. Gravely-Smith said they are applying for a $34,000 grant to do two training classes with extensive follow-up training and job placement assistance if the participants cannot start a business for the upcoming year. She said they received funding from the City four out of the past five years, and are looking forward to the new component of job placement and working with the Chamber of Commerce and the Iowa City Workforce Development Center. Molenkoff-Pigsley explained the concept of "refugee resettlement" microenterprise training. She said the economic development division focuses mostly on low-income individuals. Gravely-Smith said this funding request would serve Iowa City residents exclusively. Schmuch asked if this proposal was to. serve non-Family Investment Program (FIP) clients. Gravely-Smith said yes, and that there is a match of $6,000 that would cover some of the FIP recipients that may enroll. She said in this proposal they say that they will serve five FIP clients that will be paid for through ISED's contract with the Department of Human Services. Gadson asked if the request was for administration and operation costs. Molenkoff-Pigsley said that is a good portion of the request because that is what it takes for this class, and they do a lot of follow-up with clients. Schmuch asked if the clients who start their own business are becoming self-sufficient. Molenkoff-Pigsley said that they have found that there are incomes of $25,000- $30,000 that are supporting a family of four. She said they just finished a study of in-home day care providers in Iowa, and found that at a full capacity the provider made an average of $32,000 per year. Moraski asked about the time specified and full-time equivalents on p. 5 of the application. Gravely-Smith said those figures are the hours the staff puts in. Severson asked if there had been any progress in terms of health benefits for people who are self-employed. Molenkoff- Pigsley said the progress continues, and they are working to help DHS to better understand business income. She said that Blue Cross and Blue Shield has a structured health insurance program for children through DHS, but for the adult it continues to be a challenge. She said they have had some luck with the Farm Bureau in getting health benefits for a sole proprietor of a business. Gadson asked how much market analysis ISED did to provide information to clients regarding job opportunities. Molenkoff-Pigsley said they try not to provide a list of potential jobs because they want to encourage the clients to explore their own interests, talents and education level, and said that clients come up with ideas that ISED would never have thought of. She said ISED is reality-based, and if the idea is not going to go in a direction of self-sufficiency they let Housing and Community Development Commission February 17, 1999 Page 10 them know. Gravely-Smith said they let the client go through the research process on their own to determine if the idea would work or not. Elliott asked what percentage of the funding would go for employment assistance, and asked why they don't just send those clients over to Job Service of Iowa. Molenkoff-Pigsley said that will happen to some extent, but they are hoping to create a network of businesses that will recognize ISED's training as a valuable asset through work with the Chamber of Commerce and Iowa Workforce Development. She left a copy of their new curriculum and video with staff. OLD BUSINESS: Schmuch said that based on the Commission's precedent, what they have funded and voted on is what was given in the application. She said that Hannah's Blessing Day Care Center requested $75,000 to purchase a facility, and the request presented at the meeting was $150,000 to lease a facility, so the Commission would need to vote on the $75,000 request. Nasby said that the Crisis Center changed their requested amount from their application two years ago. Schmuch said that was still for a purchase. She said in light of the Burns issue last year when one thing was presented and another thing was in the application, the Commission needs to vote on the application request. Stewart said the project applied for was a facility purchase, and what was presented was a building lease. Schmuch said Thompson said they are still looking for places if the area is not rezoned. Long passed out a letter from Liz Swenson. Nasby said funds were allocated to her in FY98 and explained her project to new Commission members. He said if her project does not move forward, the Commission would lose their window to reallocate the funding. He said the Commission has some options, including the City foreclosing on the agreement and taking possession of the property and the drawings and having someone else complete the project. He said if the Commission is going to reallocate this money, they would have to do it in this funding round and it would have to be sent to HUD in May. He said there is about $6,500 of the funds left. Head said worst-case scenario is that the City would get the lots back and reallocate the money to another organization that would complete the project. Moraski said she thought a worst-case scenario would be building starts and the house sit half-completed for a long period of time. Nasby said that deadlines have been extended for this project, and the reallocation window for this money closes in March. He said Swenson said she could complete the project in 120 days. Head said if Swenson is moving forward with the project staff will work with her, but they just wanted the Commission to be updated on the situation and be thinking about the issue for their March meeting. Miller-Orchard Neighborhood Park - Land Acquisition (p. 63) Ginny Rew said that the Miller-Orchard Neighborhood Association is requesting a $215,000 grant to purchase parkland for the neighborhood. She showed the map of the neighborhood and the proposed park area. She said the property was appraised at $125,000. She said the neighborhood has a net deficiency of 7.53 acres of open space and the Neighborhood Open Space Plan recommends 3 acres of open space per 1,000 residents. She said they are the only developed district without an easily accessible park. She said site improvements would be planned in over the years as the Neighborhood Association applies for PIN grants and the Parks and Recreation Department schedules capital improvements, but it is crucial to purchase the land that is finally available for sale at a reasonable price. She said the Neighborhood Association would be actively involved in the park planning process. She read a letter from neighbor Barbara Buss. Renquist asked how they would propose access to the park because it is an extremely dangerous portion of West Benton Street and there is no sidewalk on the south side of the Housing and Community Development Commission February 17, 1999 Page 11 street. Ruth Baker said there is a possibility of access off Miller, but the issue is that the land is available now, and the Neighborhood Association feels that they can work out the issues. Klingaman said they could install a permanent or temporary sidewalk, or a pedestrian bridge depending on the future Benton Street improvements. Moraski asked how many members were in the Neighborhood Association. Marcia Klingaman said that the immediate household neighborhood mailing list is 260. Moraski asked about the neighborhood's support of the project. Baker said she thought the park was high on the neighborhood's list of priorities. Mark Cannon, Ann Cole, Tracy Adams and Carlan Vail, who are all neighbors, introduced themselves and said they wanted a neighborhood park. Stewart asked if they explored any other funding sources. Klingaman said the Parks and Recreation Department said they would pay for half of the property purchase price, and if the Neighborhood Association did not receive CDBG funding Parks and Recreation would try to help by budgeting for some improvements to the park. Stewart said that the land could be purchased with $65,000 of CDBG funds, depending on the City's property appraisal. He asked if anyone had asked the property owner to donate this piece of land. The neighbors said they had asked, and the property owner told them no. Elliott asked what kind of park the neighbors were envisioning. Rew said they have discussed a small park with some playground equipment, picnic tables, benches and a park shelter. Baker said they would leave it as a natural setting and not remove the trees. Klingaman noted the project priority list on p. 71 of the application. Moraski asked if they had Board minutes or a signature sheet to see who participates in the Neighborhood Association meetings. Baker said they did not have meeting minutes. Klingaman said the Neighborhood Association structure is flexible, but she thought the interest in the park purchase has been there historically. Cole said they tried to purchase land for a neighborhood park 10 years ago, and she thought there was just as much energy for the project now as there was then. OLD BUSINESS (con't): Long said they had a conference call with Fannie Mae last week trying to work out acceptable guidelines for the First Home Downpayment Assistance Program. He said that Fannie Mae would not accept the program for the secondary market because it did not have a term limit for the participants. He said they agreed on a scenario where a person would pay 5% interest for five or 10 years, the interest payments would stop after that period of time and they would pay off the loan when the house was sold. House said he thought there would still be annual payments to the City. Stewart said the loan would be a maximum of $3,000 at 5% interest, which would be $150 in interest per year. He said the City could collect the interest annually or set the term for the interest and have the total amount of interest and principal due when the house is sold. He said he would like to defer everything to the end because the people they are trying to serve cannot afford to pay much and it would be the City's responsibility to collect and account for the annual interest payments. House said one of the purposes of charging interest was to bring some funds back to the City. Moraski discussed the value of money over time. House said he would like to see the program set up however it will be accepted by the most places that do loans so people could use it and the project's objectives would be met. Stewart said he changed his mind and would rather charge the interest annually than at the end. Long said they would make an administrative change to the program and amend the guidelines to reflect 5% interest with annual payments for 10 years with full payment of the principal when the house is sold or rented. The Commission members reached a consensus on the interest payments and term. Housing and Community Development Commission February 17, 1999 Page 12 NEW BUSINESS: There was none. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Gadson moved to adjourn the meeting. Stewart seconded the motion. The motion carried by a vote of 8-0, and the meeting was adjourned at 10 p.m. Minutes submitted by Traci Wagner. ppdcdbg\hcdc2-17.doc MINUTES HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION SENIOR CENTER - LOWER LEVEL CLASSROOM THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1999 - 6 P.M. MEMBERS PRESENT: Bob Elliott, Denira Gadson, Rick House, Jayne Moraski, Lucia-Mai Page, Kathleen Renquist, Gretchen Schmuch, Bill Stewart MEMBERS ABSENT: Dan Coleman STAFFPRESENT: Maurice Head, Steve Long, Steve Nasby, Linda Severson, Maggie Grosvenor OTHERS PRESENT: Linda Miller, Jason Edwards, Jon Ortlieb, Bob Jackson, Theresa Kopatich, David Schuldt, David Sears, AI Axeen, Diane Hagarty, Joan Black, Chuck Coulter, Judy Gerlitz, Lynn Detweiler CALLTO ORDER: Chairperson Schmuch called the meeting to order at'6:10 p.m. PUBLIC/MEMBER DISCUSSION OF ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA: Schmuch said that Theresa Kopatich, who was scheduled to present two funding requests, might not be able to attend the meeting because she was involved in an accident. She asked Commission members how they would like to deal with those two funding requests. Renquist said the Commission could discuss the two applications and give Kopatich a list of questions if they had any. Stewart asked if Kopatich could present the requests at the Commission's March 4 meeting. The Commission decided they would discuss the requests at tonight's meeting and if they felt it necessary they would call Kopatich and ask her to present at the March 4 meeting. Long passed out the Fair Market Rent table. REVIEW OF FY00 APPLICATIONS FOR CDBG/HOME FUNDING: Community Corrections Improvement Association - Youth Leadership Program (p.98) Linda Miller, Jon Ortlieb, and Jason Edwards introduced the program and gave some background on it. Edwards said that the program is based on a seven-year curriculum and is geared toward high-benefit students based on their character development and potential leadership skills. He said the program includes a seven-week summer program that meets four times per week. He said the selection criteria for students to participate in the program is as follows, that they have a sizeable amount of unstructured or unsupervised time, display leadership abilities, are able to influence their peers either positively or negatively, and their ability to finish the program. He said that school counselors are given the criteria and select students from fifth grade classes to be participants in the program. He said that the program has a partnership with the University of Iowa Athletic Department, so University student-athletes are chosen as counselors to present the summer curriculum. Edwards said the program also includes an after-school program to try to give the participants some structured time after school. He said that has more of a recreational focus, but participants are required to do community service work once a month, and mentoring and tutoring are also involved. Ortlieb said there are 130 youth between 61h-9th grades that are participating in the program. He explained some of their activities, and said that the student-athletes who serve as counselors during the summer have the option to volunteer their time in the after-school program during the school year. Housing and Community Development Commission February 18, 1999 Page 2 Gadson asked about the program's retention rate and if they stayed in contact with participants after they were done with high school and the program. Miller said the program has a 78% retention rate, which is very good because the program is voluntary on the part of the kids participating. Edwards said that the participants from the program's first year are currently in 9th grade, so they have not sent a group through high school yet. Gadson asked if the program worked with the University's academic programs in the summers that are geared toward underrepresented youth. Ortlieb said they work with the Student Services Department in the Athletic Department, which also helps to teach life skills. He said the third tier of the program's curriculum, which takes a group through high school, could focus on vocational schools, community colleges or a university setting. He said the program would have access to information on financial aid, filling out entrance applications, etc. Schmuch noted the program budget and asked why they were asking for that amount of funding. Miller said the figure of $21,782 was an error, and said that was the cost of the summer program last year. She said the amount of donations they received in 1998 was listed in the application. She said that she thought the program's transportation component was a necessary one to make sure that the participants get to and from the program activities safely. Schmuch asked how they defined low-to-moderate income level in the economic breakdown section. Miller said they used the criteria from the City Planning Staff. She said that 80% of median income and below is what they define as low-to-moderate income level. She noted that the years are grouped together, and said that they could provide more of a breakdown when they enter in files from the first two years of the program. She said she would get that breakdown to staff by March 4. Mid-Eastern Iowa Community Mental Health Center (p. 23) Bob Jackson said the mental health center has been operating for 30 years. He listed the range of services that are provided and said they served over 2,000 households last year. He noted that they often served more than one person per household, so the number of individuals served is probably closer to 3,000. He said the Center received funding from the Commission last year to do their 505 property, and now they need funding for exterior work, such as roof replacement, eave repairs, painting and storm window replacement on the 507 East College Street property. Stewart asked about the two numbers in the painting bid. Jackson said that the contractor worked with the 505 paint job, and said that they had to comply with the Davis-Bacon regulations. Jackson said he also thought the numbers were different because the exterior paint could be lead-based. He said that they are currently seeking other painting bids; he just included this one because he wanted to show the Commission a basis for the center's funding request. Long noted that HUD and the State Department of Health are both promoting the abatement of removal of lead-based paint. Jackson said he realized that the Commission wanted applicants to prioritize their funding requests, and stated that the roof replacement and eave repair was a top priority and the painting would be the next priority. He noted that the windows replaced at the 505 property have helped with that building's heating and cooling costs. Renquist asked if they could find out if the paint was lead-based before the March 4 meeting. Long said staff could get the process started. Successful Living - SRO Rehabilitation (p. 272) Kopatich said they would like to rehab the kitchen at their 716 N. Dubuque Street building. She passed around pictures of the current kitchen and a letter signed by the residents saying that Housing and Community Development Commission February 18, 1999 Page 3 they would like the improvements to the kitchen be made. She said they would like to add individual locks to some of the cabinets, provide more refrigerator and freezer space, have more common cabinet space and improve the lighting in the kitchen. She passed out bids for the refrigerator and the floor covering. She noted that the floor covering bid is $900 less than they originally anticipated, so their request could be decreased by that much. She said they are also applying for about $5,000 that would cover damage expenses over and above what a normal damage deposit would cover. She said that while they do not have many cases like this, they have had some in the form of broken doors and windows, and said that one tenant removed the ceiling tiles because they thought there were cameras above the ceiling tile. She said this money could help cover those expenses, unless the tenant is still living in the house and then they would be held responsible for the damages. She said while they don't have the total figures back, she estimated that in 1998 they were about $2,000 over what a normal damage deposit would cover. She said that when a tenant first moves in, they are allowed to make payments on the deposit, so if there are damages and the full deposit is not yet paid, Successful Living loses out. She also cited the increase from operating nine units to now operating 30 units adds to the damages because there are more units that could be damaged. She said Successful Living is requesting about $9,000 for the kitchen rehab and $5,000 for the deposit fund. She explained the single room occupancy (SRO) concept to the Commission, and said it is their goal to provide clean, affordable and safe housing. Head asked about the halon system in the kitchen. Kopatich said the property used to be a fraternity house before they purchased it, and the fraternity had a huge stove that they cooked meals on. She said Successful Living has a smaller stove and the halon system does not have to be there for the property to meet code. Gadson asked if Successful Living had attempted to receive funding from another source. Kopatich said that Detweiler Construction cuts their prices because tenants offer to help with the work. She said that Successful Living cannot afford to keep their rents low and do the remodel job. She gave some background on the program and explained the connection between Successful Living, D&K Properties and the Emergency Housing Project. She passed out a projected program budget for 1999. Nasby asked if she could bring in a balance sheet for the program. Kopatich said yes. Successful Living - Support Services (p. 138) Kopatich said that they would like to increase the number of staff hours with the funding request for $15,000. She said they have a constant waiting list of potential tenants, and the current tenants have requested more assistance with cooking and socialization. She noted that Successful Living funded 50% of their endeavors themselves last year and said they hope to increase that to 70% this year though service contracts from other agencies. She presented two years worth of statistics on tenants. She said that out of their 70 tenants, 55 were men and 15 were women, and all are below 30% of median income. She said they have found the tenants are staying in the program longer and their outcomes are about 50% successful. She read a letter from a former tenant regarding the program. Elliott suggested that Kopatich keep track of in-kind benefits for future funding requests. Renquist asked Nasby where the kitchen rehab requests would fall in CITY STEPS. Nasby said they are a public facility, which is a low priority, but the service provided is a high priority. He likened it to the Free Medical Clinic funding request a few years ago. He said the building/renovation request was a low priority, but the service was a higher priority. Free Lunch Program - Kitchen Rehabilitation (i3. 46) Housing and Community Development Commission February 18, 1999 Page 4 Schuldt said they would like to replace outdated kitchen appliances and rehab the kitchen where the lunches are prepared and served. He said they serve approximately 100-130 free lunches per day, and have 35 different volunteer groups that take turns cooking the lunches. He said they would like to get a new stove, new flooring, new paint for the walls and replace a cupboard. He said approximately 30,000 lunches per year are served from the kitchen. He passed around a statement from the repair person who had been coming to repair the stove. He said the Wesley campus ministry uses the kitchen about 30 times per year, so the majority of the use is by the Free Lunch Program. Elliott asked if the new stove would be gas or electric. Schuldt said electric. Long asked if the program had a budget. Schuldt said the program budget is between $10,000-$12,000. He noted that money is used to cook 30,000 lunches and they rely primarily on volunteer help. He said that this year they are part of the United Way and received $3,000, and are requesting $4,000 from United Way next year. Schmuch asked if they anticipated losing the space anytime soon. Schuldt said no. Salvation Army (p. 86) David Sears gave some background on the organization, and said they need to find a new place to be housed because their lease expires at the end of June. He said they want to move in and renovate as they go. He said their priorities for the project are public washrooms first and evening meal service second. He said the plumbing and electrical work is for the professional kitchen equipment. He said that the Salvation Army is planning to bring in two portable kitchens to ensure that the evening meal service is not interrupted as they serve 45-75 evening meals 7 days per week. He noted that they have to use disposable dishes because they do not have dishwashing capacity in their current facility. Sears said they are trying to use the existing plumbing in designing the kitchen. He passed around pictures of the facility the would like to move into, which is the former Woodburn Electronics Building. Stewart asked if the apartments above the building could be leased. Sears said they are currently leased. He said eventually they would like to get the apartments rezoned as transitional housing to have them available in emergency situations. He said they would also like to build space for the day shelter and community service area. Elliott asked how many showers there would be and how much Sears thought they would be used. Sears said they are planning to have one shower, two washers and two dryers in the laundry facility to help simplify the plumbing. Gadson asked if the restroom facilities would be unisex. Sears said yes, they would have security code or key to get in to ensure privacy. Gadson asked about the hours of operation. Sears said during business hours, but they are hoping that with a fundraising campaign and with not having to pay rent they can expand their services in the future. He said that the rent in their current facility is $3,200 per month and would have increased to $3,500 if they had not found another place. He said they also have to operate four furnaces and three air conditioners to heat and cool the current building. He said it was not uncommon to spend $1,000 in the summer for cooling. He said they have tried to develop a detailed budget for the appliances and items they need, and they are basically just hoping to get the best price. He said that if they have any cost overruns, they will take them on themselves. Severson asked how the Salvation Army compliments the Emergency Housing Project services. Sears said that EHP shuts down during the day, so their tenants could come to the Salvation Army for a place to get out of the heat during the summer and out of the cold in the winter. He said they have a telephone and two computers for people to use. Renquist asked how everything went with the deer meet. Sears said they received over 700 pounds in 5-pound packs, which is great for mass feedings and large families, but not great for smaller families. Housing and Community Development Commission February 18, 1999 Page 5 HACAP - Transitional Supportive Housing Program (p. 215) Axeen said they are requesting funds to purchase two four-plexes on Muscatine Avenue. He said the total cost would be $380,000, and that HACAP has received half of that in the form of a grant from HUD. He noted that the total HUD grant included half of the purchase price and another $251,000 to provide support services and to cover the program's operational costs. He said those living in the buildings would have to meet HUD's definition of homeless. He said HACAP also runs the Headstart program, and because of their family composition they are really plugged into childcare. He said the tenants pay 30% of their income for rent, so this program does not generate enough money to cover the capital costs. He noted that two transitional housing tenants in Johnson Country recently made the move to home ownership. Stewart asked if this was the same proposal that Axeen had submitted last year. Axeen said yes, but they asked for more money last year because they had not received the HUD grant. Schmuch asked if the two four-plexes were empty. Axeen said they are public housing units and currently have tenants in them. He said those tenants have the option to stay in those units as long as they want, as well as becoming part of the program. He said that some of the program participants could qualify for certificates or vouchers, but they would not be required to have either of those to be in the program. He said the support services would include weekly visits from a counselor and the use of other agencies, such as Workforce Development. Schmuch noted the long waiting list for the program, and asked if Iowa City residents would get priority for these two buildings. Axeen said the people on the waiting list are scored on a point system. He said the waiting list includes all six counties; the waiting list for Iowa City is about 15-20. He said the Housing Authority made payments on the other transitional housing units in lieu of taxes, and they would also do so for these two buildings. Renquist asked why HACAP was buying the public housing units. Axeen said because the City eventually wants to get out of public housing, and explained why. Mayor's Youth Employment Program- Job Training (p. 117) Diane Hagarty said they were applying for a $25,000 grant for employment training. She said there are plenty of jobs available in the area, and their program is designed to help people get the skills they need to get and keep a job. She said they .currently have a 30-hour employment training program, but have trimmed it down to an eight-hour required course because they feel that 30 hours is too much to expect low-income people to attend. She said the eight-hour course would cover such topics as how to create a resume, how to fill out a job application, what to expect in a job interview, how to dress and groom, attitudes, communication skills and conflict resolution. She said after the program the participants would be assigned to work one-on-one with a vocational specialist. She said that a participant may have to take the 30-hour training course before they go out on a job if their needs are severe. She said they would do interest inventory surveys to try to determine what each person's skills and deficiencies were, and identify any barriers, such as lack of childcare, lack of transportation, etc. She said once a participant gets a job, the program would provide follow-up services, working closely with the employer and the participant to get through any problems. She said the participants would be age 16 or older with no maximum age requirement and they must all be low income. She said the funding request says that 50 people will complete the training course and their individualized plans, and 45 will become employed. She said they may have to serve 100 people to meet those goals because people may attend the training and not return for the assistance and job placement. Schmuch asked how they would recruit people for the program. Hagarty said that people would be recruited strictly on income, so they will recruit through all the other human service agencies. Housing and Community Development Commission February 18, 1999 Page 6 Moraski asked Hagarty to define fringe benefits. Hagarty said payroll taxes, such as FICA, workers compensation and unemployment, and health, life and dental insurance. She said all their employees are full-time and receive full-time benefits. Elliott asked Hagarty to indicate where the other funds come from. Hagarty said they are receiving a grant from Youth Homes that targets low-income people age 16 and older, and a Sex Equity grant to expose women to nontraditional female jobs. She listed the other in-kind donations and volunteer help. Head asked if the school districts had any funding set aside for this type of program. Hagarty said she understood that the school district's school-to-work funds were primarily used to subsidize teachers who worked at a business in the summer to get a better idea of what an employer was looking for and who took those concepts back to the classroom. She said they receive an in- school grant for participants that have not received their GED or diploma. Mid-America Housing Partnership - Homebuyer Counseling (p. 128) Joan Blackman presented some background about the organization. She said they have been doing the Homebuyer Education Program for about four years and have trained about 580 homebuyers through the program. She said they have built and sold about 23 units of housing during that time, and before anyone could purchase those units they were required to take the Homebuyer Education class. She presented more information about the program. Renquist asked how this service compared to other programs available in the community. Blackman said this is something they specialize in, and in addition to that, they follow though with one-on-one counseling and are very customer-oriented. She said some realtors put on similar programs in order to sell houses, but this program is trying to help people become homeowners. Schmuch asked if Blackman had considered the Iowa City market and how it might be different with the student population and who the program would be targeted at. Blackman said she thought the student population presented a unique opportunity, and it would be good to start talking with them about managing their money and handling debt. Moraski asked where the program got its clients. Blackman said they advertise through various community agencies, realtors, bankers and workplaces, but usually about three weeks one of the classes starts there are about 35-40 people pre-registered that heard about the class by word-of-mouth. Gadson asked when the next class would start. Blackman said they have a tentative schedule in the proposal. She said they teach two types of classes, one comprehensive six-hour course on a Saturday and one eight-hour course taught in four two-hour sessions. She said for people at 80% of median income or below, there is no cost for the class, but they do charge a fee if people are above those income criteria. Elliott asked if there would be an Iowa City or Johnson County residence requirement for the class. Blackman said they could set that perimeter. Renquist asked how they would identify people in the different income groups. Blackman said she surveys participants at the beginning of the class, but they could do some screening before enrolling participants. House noted that he had not seen the Mid-America Housing Partnership on the list of HUD-approved counseling services. Blackman said they have been preliminarily approved by HUD, and she could verify that for the Commission if necessary. She said that homebuyers get the benefit of a reduction in the FHA insurance premium by taking the class, and she said they are on the Fannie Mae Housing Counseling list. Old Brick - Accessibility Rehab (p. 75) Chuck Coulter said Old Brick is the second-oldest building in Iowa City, and gave some other background on the building. He said the building is divided into three areas, the lower level, which is used for the campus ministry; the auditorium, which is rented out for a wide variety of functions; and the offices, which are leased to non-profit corporations at a low market rent. He said the Old Brick Board just hired a part-time program director to do some programming for the Housing and Community Development Commission February 18, 1999 Page 7 auditorium. He said they would like to provide a facility that is a community center for a wide variety of community functions. He said they suspect that the total renovation cost for the building would be around $1 million. He said their first priority is to protect Old Brick as a historic structure and the second priority is to upgrade and revitalize the auditorium, and an important part of that is to make the building accessible. He the grades are too difficult for ramping, so they would like to install an elevator where the west wing joins onto the rear portion of the building that would serve both the auditorium and the second story offices. Stewart asked what assurance the Commission would have that the building would not be sold in the near future. Coulter there is a 50-year restrictive covenant that began in 1977, with the University, the Old Brick Association and the State Historical Society all having rights of first refusal. He said there is a covenant about making the building available to the community as an active gathering place. Elliott asked what percentage of the building would be used for religious activities. Coulter said the offices for the campus ministry programs are in the lower level, and there are two religious services in the auditorium on Sundays and a few other services during the week. Stewart asked if more than 50% of the activities would be non-religious in nature. Coulter said yes. He said they have filed grant applications with the State Historical Society, the Episcopal Church United Thank Offering Group and the National Trust for Historic Preservation for funds, and they are continuing to file grant applications where there are funds available. He said they are also considering doing some community fundraising. Coulter said the part-time program director was recently hired to do more intentional program for arts, education and more desirable events. He said he was not sure how that person would go about targeting particular groups to use the facility. Renquist asked what "more desirable groups" meant. Coulter said since revenue was necessary to keep the building going, the best rentals were weekend fraternity parties. He said they were concerned because people were telling them that Old Brick was getting a reputation as the "party place", so they changed their party policy and have not had a fraternity party since. Page asked if they are able to get the elevator, would the space sometimes be donated for functions. Coulter said it is often made available at no cost or at a reduced rate now, and that would continue. City of Iowa City - Affordable Housing Funding Pool (p. 143) Nasby said this proposal was pitched to the Commission last year. He said the $150,000 loan requested would allow for two additional funding rounds, one in June and one in September. He said the funds would be loaned out for gap financing with a maximum 10-year amortization period and an interest rate between 3-5%. He said this money would be matched by the City general fund. He noted that the program guidelines are on p. 150 of the application. He said the maximum assistance amount would be about 15%, which would serve about 25 units and give a subsidy of about $12,000 per unit. He said the guidelines call for at least a payment in lieu of taxes by the funded projects. He noted the project timetable on p. 147 for 1999. Stewart asked how this program leveraged human resources. Nasby said he was not sure if staff could do that, but he said a project that applies could have volunteers. Gadson asked what was meant by "diversified neighborhoods." Nasby said both housing types and income levels are a preference, but not a requirement. Schmuch asked if the project's timeline could be changed to make a more open window for applications. Nasby said the timeline could be changed to be more flexible if the Commission wanted to do that. Commission members discussed potential times and timelines for the applications. Moraski said there could be guidelines set so they have some consistency in allocating funds in emergency situations and telling applicants to wait for the funding cycle. Nasby said the applicant would have to demonstrate to the Commission why they could not wait for the regular funding cycle. Housing and Community Development Commission February 18, 1999 Page 8 City of Iowa City- Affordable Housing Design Competition (p. 151) Head said the proposal is for architects, designers, builders and developers to compete for a lot that the City would provide, by designing a house that is appealing and affordable. He said the competition would be a two-phase process. He said a selection committee would evaluate the entries and identify the ones with the best attributes based on the criteria they would develop for the competition. He said the funding request of $25,000 would be for the lot purchase, and if there is extra money, they could purchase the designs from runner-ups. He said the second phase of the competition would be for the winner to actually build the house. He said a homeowner in the 50-80% of median income would benefit, and the project would leverage a lot of money. He said they plan to attach a 15-year affordability period to the project. He said they would select the lot before the competition so the designs could be based on the lot. Elliott asked if there would be any other cost incentives for the competitors. Head said the cost savings would be determined by the technologies used in the building, the layout and design and how the systems are put together in the house. Nasby said the City could probably assist with finding a homebuyer. Moraski asked if this competition had been tested in other areas and how successful was it. Head said he thought it had been done and was successful in some other communities, such as Chicago. Stewart said it would be a benefit to show builders and developers that by being innovative they could make money on a lower priced house. Gadson asked if this would be an annual competition or a one-shot deal. Head said they would like it to be successful the first year, and then see what happens. Elliott asked if Head had talked with architects and builders in the community to see if there was any interest in the competition. Head said there has been some general discussions in the last few years. EIliott asked if word on the competition would go out to everyone or just to recognized professionals. Head said the word would go out beyond Johnson County, and that the selection committee would select the best designs. He said part of the criteria for the competition would be that the competitor would have to build the project. Stewart and EIliott said they were not sure it should be limited that way. Page said the prize is the lot so they would have to be able to build the design. Head said the competition guidelines would be designed by the selection committee. Long reminded Commission members that their draft ranking sheets were due to City Planning Staff on Monday. Nasby suggested any Commission members with questions about conflicts of interest should call the City Attorney. OLD BUSINESS: There was none. NEW BUSINESS: There was none. ADJOURNMENT: MOTION: Stewart moved to adjourn the meeting. Moraski seconded the motion. The motion carried by a vote of 8-0, and the meeting was adjourned at 9:25 p.m. Minutes submitted by Traci Wagner. ppdcdbg~lnins\hcdc2-18. doc MINUTES HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION THURSDAY, MARCH 4. 1999 - 6.30 P M. SENIOR CENTER - LOWER LEVEL CLASSROOM MEMBERS PRESENT: Dan Coleman, Bob Elliott, Denira Gadson, Rick House, Jayne Moraski, Lucia Mai-Page, Kathleen Renquist, Gretchen Schmuch, Bill Stewart MEMBERS ABSENT: None STAFF PRESENT: Maurice Head, Steve Nasby, Marcia Klingaman, Pam Barnes, Dave Schoon OTHERS PRESENT: Teresa Kopatich, Rober~ Burns, AI Axeen, Maryann Dennis, Jean Mann, Sheme Panther, Judy Gerlick, Ginny Rew, Danielle Thompson, Bob Jackson CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Schmuch called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. CONSIDERATION OF THE MINUTES FROM THE FEBRUARY 17, 1999, MEETING: MOTION: Stewart moved to approve the February 17, 1999, meeting minutes as submitted. Elliott seconded the motion. The motion carried by a vote of 9-0. CONSIDERATION OF THE MINUTES FROM THE FEBRUARY 18, 1999, MEETING: MOTION: Stewart moved to approve the February 18, 1999, meeting minutes as submitted. Elliott seconded the motion. The motion carried by a vote of 9-0. PUBLIC/MEMBER DISCUSSION OF ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA: Nasby said that Grosvenor sent over some quick facts from the Housing Authority, and he passed out copies. DISCUSSION OF FY00 CDBG/HOME APPLICATIONS: Schmuch said when looking at both the averages and medians there is only one project that falls below the 60-point minimum. Coleman said he thought they should discuss all the projects because this was a preliminary ranking. City of Iowa City -- Downtown Evaluation Study Nasby handed out correspondence regarding this funding request. Stewart said he thought the project was interesting, but he gave it a low ranking in the scope of the other funding requests they received. Elliott said he gave it a high enough ranking, but noted the other priorities for housing, food and necessities and the fact that he would like to see the downtown merchants clean up the sidewalks and streets before they get funding. Coleman said he was only able to find a CITY STEPS priority of 3 for this project, and asked if anyone else gave it a higher mark. Moraski said she did because she thought it fit under Planning. Schmuch said while the argument is that the project would target low-income persons, and it might be a low-income area for rental housing, she thought it was 'hard to argue that a downtown survey would primarily target low-income persons. Stewart said he agreed. Housing and Community Development March 4, 1999 Page 2 Coleman asked if anyone gave the project points for Leveraging Resources. Renquist said she gave it 2 points under Human Resources with a question mark that maybe the Chamber of Commerce might help. She said she also gave the project 2 points under Taxes because if the downtown remains viable, the tax base would be increased. Coleman asked if the idea for that meant that the project itself would pay taxes. Moraski said that was questioned, so the project may not but it could support something that would. EIliott said he gave nothing for a short-term evaluation, but noted that this project could have a long-term impact on the future of downtown Iowa City. Coleman asked what other Commission members had for the CITY STEPS objective met by this request. Renquist said Technical Assistance under Planning. Moraski asked Schoon if he thought this study would continue without this funding. Schoon said they would approach the City Council for the funds. He said they have not been able to identify any funding source in the community to contribute a substantial amount to this project. Page asked if the downtown businesses would contribute funds since this study would be benefiting them. Schoon said they would look at providing the funds for implementing the program, costs for business recruitment and retention, but this request is just for providing planning information to do that. He said this is just a beginning of the process. Gadson asked if they had received support from the Chamber of Commerce for this project. Schoon noted the two letters of support from the Downtown Association and the Northside Market Place. Gadson asked if these groups were not willing to financially support the study. Schoon said they have limited budgets right now, and they are working on projects focusing on customer retention, so it is difficult for them to come up with the additional funds for the study. Coleman asked where the CITY STEPS objective was. Stewart noted that this is the third- lowest ranked project, and asked if members wanted to spend a lot of time on it. Schmuch said she thought they could be flexible in how they understand the CITY STEPS objectives. Moraski said #3 under Needs and Priorities, asked if it meant the spirit of the document. Successful Living, Inc.- SRO Rehabilitation Nasby handed out Successful Living's balance sheet as requested. Schmuch noted that the organization is losing money providing the service. She said she gave it the highest ranking. Stewart noted the request was $14,395.30. Schmuch said one reason she ranked the project so highly was part of the project's history had D&K Properties stepping in to fill the gap. She noted the number of private dollars that have gone into the project, and how few public dollars have, so she had it leveraging a lot. Elliott said he thought the priorities were there policy-wise. Schmuch asked about the con that said the "emergency set aside may not be eligible for funds." Head said that does not quite fit into the regulations because it is asking for funds for a future possible event, not going for a specific thing that would be addressed. He said it is something that may be addressed based on the fact that they have had damage in the past, and had not anticipated that damage so they did not have a reserve to cover it. He said the funding would go for a reserve for a future event that the Commission does not know would happen. Elliott said one reason he was interested in partial funding for this project was because there were about three or four agencies that made presentations to the Commission that had funds set aside for employment training, and he thought it was duplication to fund several agencies to all do employment training. Coleman said he did not find evidence of efforts to secure other funding for this project, and he was not sure that they demonstrated that this level of public subsidy was necessary for this project. Kopatich said the balance sheet shows the private funds used by the project, and stated that those have diminished and are not available for this project. Page asked about volunteers Housing and Community Development March 4, 1999 Page 3 for Leveraging Human Resources. Kopatich said volunteer help would be used for some of the rehab and the cleanup with the kitchen remodeling. She said volunteer help for the project in general includes church groups that facilitate a bible study and churches that make donations. She said that since the group they work with is so high-risk they don't have volunteers coming in to do the one-on-one work that the trained counselors do. Iowa City IHA Senior Housing I - Rental Housing Schmuch asked how the budgeting, the public subsidy and the rents for the Riverview Place project that was just funded compare to this request. Head said generally, the Riverview Place project had more private dollars in the project and less public dollars, although he did not know the exact percentages. He said he thought this project had a higher level of public subsidy. Nasby said the HOME assisted units would be at Fair Market Rent, and both projects are capped at that rent. He said that 24 of Riverview's 36 units were HOME assisted, and the remaining 12 would be subject to the tax credit capped limits. He said the Commission funded $150,000 for the 24 HOME assisted units in the Riverview project. Moraski asked if the Fair Market Rent was the contract rent or 30% of the tenant's income that they paid in. Nasby said it was HUD's rent standard. He said if the tenant has Section 8 assistance they would pay 30% of their rent, if they don't they would pay the Fair Market Rent regardless of their income. He said the rent is not based on the tenants' incomes. Coleman asked about the con "slow to meet program requirements for Saratoga Springs." Head said Saratoga Springs is a project that has since been completed, but went longer than the schedule in their agreement. He said a partnership agreement between HUD and the developer's attorney took a long time, and the Davis-Bacon portion of bidding the project out took some more time. He said their project timeline was extended a couple of times to try to get the project completed. Moraski said that she had seen this company's work all over the state of Iowa, and said they are capable even though they may have been slow on one project. Stewart asked if the Commission could afford to do both projects to the detriment of the other applicants in the project. Page said asked if they fully fund one phase, could the other phase wait and reapply later. Schmuch said that Burns said he would like to get the Phase III funding so he has it when applying for the other funding, but that it was nice for the Commission to see that he already had the other funds and zoning issues in place for Phase I. She said she did not think that not funding Phase III right now would jeopardize the entire project. Burns said the reason they applied for Phase III funding now was to get the horse ahead of the cart, and have the local support driving the project to be funded by the Iowa Finance Authority and IDED. He said they would have a stronger application to the Iowa Finance Authority and IDED if they already had the local money. He said the tax credits for Phase III would be awarded in March 2000. Burns said the two delays for the Saratoga Springs project resulted from the Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship, which is a nonprofit organization, and his business, which is a for-profit organization, plowing new ground with a venture by a for-profit and nonprofit, and that caused some delays. He said they also had to publicly bid the construction portion project. Elliott said he ranked Phase I and III virtually the same, but if they fund both of those that would commit one-third of the total funds to what he considered one project, and he did not think that was appropriate. Stewart said it would be over 40%. He said he agreed, and thought they should fund the first phase, but that they should not give over 40% of the funding for one project. Schmuch asked Burns if he received firm commitments for the other funding included in the Phase I budget. Burns said the State HOME funds are not committed because they are contingent on the local funds, but all the others are committed. Nasby asked what would happen Housing and Community Development March 4, 1999 Page 4 to the project if the State HOME funds were not awarded. Burns said the state has not made all their funding commitments, and told him they were waiting to see what the City would do. Moraski noted that the project would be infill on land that is not that great to begin with, and it has the zoning already approved. Schmuch asked if the 1% loan was comparable with Riverview Place. Nasby said Riverview's was a 1% loan, but their repayment terms of 18 years was much shorter than the proposed 30 years in this project. Iowa City IHA Senior Housing III - Rental Housing Members felt they had discussed Phase Ill enough during the Phase I discussion. Hawkeye Area Community Action Program - Acquisition Coleman asked if the HUD Continuum of Care Award was contingent on local funding. Head said that has already been approved, and it is for one-half of the acquisition and rehab costs, and the local funding would be the match for that. Coleman asked if it would be an option to purchase just one of the two buildings if partial funding was awarded. Head said he thought the HUD approved grant was for both buildings. Schmuch asked what the rent would be in the apartments. Axeen said 30% of the tenanrs income, so if they have no income they don't pay rent. He said that was also not a Section 8 project, so it would not be producing revenue. He noted that tenants are limited to staying in the apartments for up to two years, but the services may be provided for a longer period of time. Stewart said he thought the project seemed like a terrific subsidy, and asked if it was the most efficient way to help the homeless. Axeen said for the City it is because HUD funds the operations and support on renewable three-year grants. He said the long-term payback would be greater. Moraski asked Axeen to state HACAP's ability to carry this project out. Axeen said they have 10 scattered site supportive housing units in Johnson County, and they have 18 other units in Broadway that were purchased by the City and participate in a certificate-based program. He said they have units in Washington and Benton Counties, and Cedar Rapids is probably their biggest market with 60 units in one site and another 48 scattered site units. He said most of the housing stock that MAHP has was given to them by HACAP. Coleman asked where the money paid to the City for the units would go. Head said he thought that money would go to the Housing Authority to perform additional affordable housing projects and services. Elliott asked how many facilities like this for homeless people would be a duplex as opposed to a less expensive type of facility. Head said the City does not have a lot of housing stock like this. Axeen said these buildings are particularly attractive to them because they are two bedroom units, and that would fill their biggest need in this area for small families. He said Emergency Housing Project serves single people. Elliott said this would be expensive housing, but there is not really anything else like it in Iowa City. Page asked if there was a job search timeline for people who are not bringing in an income. Axeen said they generally see some positive results from job searches within 30 days or so of moving in. He said to maintain the housing, tenants have to be working at least 20 hours per week or going to school for at least 12 hours. Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship -Acquisition & Rehab Coleman asked if the project leveraged Human Resources, such as volunteers, other than the volunteer board. Dennis said if they received the HOME funds, any part of the rehab would have to be competitively bid. She said they utilize a lot of volunteers and inkind work/donations with the rest of their units and administrative duties. Moraski said she worked with a Housing Housing and Community Development March 4, 1999 Page 5 Authority for a number of years, and is a big proponent of scattered site projects, so this project appeals to her on that level. Elderly Services Agency- Small Repair Program Nasby presented the repeat client information from ESA as requested. Mann said they cannot use volunteers for the Small Repair Program because licensed contractors are required, but they do use volunteers to paint houses, put down floors, etc., that do not require a license to do. She said the Mechanical Contractors Union voluntarily comes in and checks/repairs furnaces every other year. She said the repeat clients are tricky because ESA is trying to serve the poorest and oldest clients who want to remain in their homes. She said when a client returns for services, she decides if the person has a genuine need and if so they repair or fix the problem. Schmuch said she ranked this program quite highly, and said she often refers hospital clients and patients to the program, and they are quite happy with it. Elliott said he liked the idea of keeping as many people in their homes as possible for a number of reasons. Coldren Retirement Residence - Rehab Renquist said she thought the request was straightforward. Coleman asked if replacing the boiler was connected or disconnected from the rest of the project. Schmuch said she thought replacing the boiler was the most immediate need. Panther said the boiler is the most pressing problem, and in order to get the money for the other things they need this money as match. She said even if they don't get the funding for the other things, they would still like to replace the boiler. City of Iowa City - Housing Rehabilitation Program The Commission did not have any questions or comments about this funding request. City of Iowa City - Affordable House Design Competition (lot acquisition) Moraski asked about the long-term benefit that this would have to the community, and said she would like to see a housing design for more than one unit for the amount of money going into the project. She said she was also concerned about local builders' interest in doing one house for $110,000, and she was not sure that the incentives were there for a builder to compete for one lot that they may or may not be able to make money on. Renquist asked what incentive there would be for someone to create a design, enter it in the competition and have the City take ownership of it. Coleman said if the builder did not want to own the building, they would not want to own the plans. Head said the builders would get the lot if they win the competition. Coleman said he thought this competition would be conducted in a manner that would give some good public relations to the winner, which seemed like an incentive. Gadson said she liked the idea because it is a creative way to try to stimulate ideas on housing and development. Moraski said if that was the case, she thought the competitors would be people who were not part of the current development community, which is fine, but if they are not part could they have someone come and build the house for them. Stewart noted that the builder would have to build the house to get the lot. Elliott asked if there would be a winner. Head said they hope to create a committee of local architects, planning department staff and others that would select a winner with the best affordable housing design. He said if there is additional money left over from the lot purchase, they would like to have prize money for the second or third best designs. He said that way they could have two or three designs, and one would actually be built. Elliott asked what would happen if the winner designs a house that is no different from any other single-family house in Housing and Community Development March 4, 1999 Page 6 Iowa City. Head said there are some criteria that the design would have to meet. He said he thought there were developers in town that would be interested in having an opportunity to show what they can do creatively in terms of affordable housing design. Elliott suggested that there be communication stating that nontraditional competitors, meaning people outside the building and architectural circles, know about the competition. Moraski asked why the City could not get the lot from the peninsula development. Head said the peninsula development is two or three years away, but the designs could possibly be used in there if it meets the peninsula's development standards. City of Iowa City- Affordable Housing Funding Pool Moraski said she liked the idea, but wanted to know how it was different from just having an extra contingency fund. She said she had a hard time with holding over money that may not get spent. Head said there are currently two application periods for the project, but Schmuch suggested at the last meeting to leave the application period open the entire year, except for a "black-out" period during the allocation process. He said that way a developer that would have a project out of sync with the funding allocation timeline could come in and use the funds as gap financing for up to 15% of the project. He said the funding would be paid back, so they would have a revolving fund to help developers in the community. He said if they find that there are no takers for the project, the money would simply go back into the pot. Coleman said he thought the fact that the City would commit some of their own funds for affordable housing is something that needs to be taken advantage of. He said given the two cons of "receiving limited applications in the first round" and "the program is new and unproven," they may want to slow down the pace of funding for it from what has been proposed. Successful Living, Inc. - Transitional Housing Support Services Elliott said he thought this project duplicated employment training services offered elsewhere in the community. Moraski asked Kopatich to discuss that. Kopatich said many agencies deal with employment issues, but they all have different clientele. She said with Successful Living, when a client comes to them looking for or to maintain employment, they try to hook them up with something available in the community. She said if they cannot do that, they try to provide that through their own services, such as a person that acts as a mediator between the employee and employer. Elliott said that would help, but with the Workforce Development Center, the Chamber of Commerce Human Resources Committee and the Southeast Iowa Human Resources Association there are so many similarities, and he thought it would benefit the agencies to sit down, consider the similarities to try to avoid service duplication and zero in to what is unique to the agency's clientele. Coleman said he did not understand the con identified by staff for this project. Schmuch said she thought that "other barriers" meant that people get categorized either in a disability or mentally ill funding scheme, and if they need ongoing support outside of Successful Living they do not fit into the category for ongoing assistance. Nasby said he thought Linda Severson was talking about looking for future funding, and that this is basically the only funding that has been identified for that group because the clients do not have an identified barrier, such as physical disability, substance abuse or mental illness. Kopatich said Successful Living's goal is to be as independent as possible from needing financial assistance, so as they grow as an agency they explore ways to fill their financial gaps. She said many people they serve are not eligible for other funding, and right now there is no other place to go for that funding. Coleman said he thought it might be to the Commission's advantage to review the organizations that have applied for funds for three consecutive years, Housing and Community Development March 4, 1999 Page 7 to see how have the agencies have been doing, does the Commission want to fund them again, is there is a message the Commission wants to send to those agency directors, etc. Nasby said the public service organizations have to submit a request for a new or extended service if they are applying for funds each year. Schmuch said she thought that was a good thing to revisit, but sometimes the agencies go to the Commission for funding because they fill what the agency needs. Mid America Housing Partnership - Homebuyers Counseling EIliott said of the $12,000 budgeted, a little over $9,000 would go for salaries and administrative costs. He said he thought the Iowa City Homebuilders would benefit from having someone assist with homebuyer counseling, and he would like to see them pay for part of it. Stewart said this project was low on his priority list. Head said the requested amount is $6,473, and the program has the other half of the funds committed from the Housing Authority. Elliott noted that is still coming from government funding source, and he would like to see some private funding committed for this project. Head said he thought the idea was to get funding to get the program started, and then work with banks to get the program privately funded by the second year of its existence. Elliott said he thought the object of the program was very worthwhile and necessary. Gadson said she thought that having the backing of the Housing Authority makes this project viable. Moraski said she thought the City had come up with some good projects in the past, but they haven't always been able to generate interest in them, but this project will create awareness through the Housing Authority. Mayors Youth Employment Program - Job Training The Commission asked staff to contact Diane Hagarty to answer the question about who is targeted for this project and why they cannot be served by other available job training sources. Moraski said the con listed is "vague on recruitment of participants," and said she would like a response from Hagarty about that. Gadson said she gave the project one of the highest rankings, but said the proposal language on pp. 117 and 118 was a bit disturbing for her. She said the word "struggle" gave a negative assumption, and noted the language on p. 118. Page said she also ranked the project high because in her line of work she sees a lot of people come and go who know how to work the system, and she wished that she could have some of her employees go through this type of program. Coleman said the idea that the participant will struggle to keep their job after they complete the program sort of shows how the program views their own success with clients. Elliott said they might be reiterating what they have dealt with in the past. Gadson said they could be reiterating what they feel could be advantageous in receiving funds for this program. DVIP - Furniture Project Elliott noted that some clients come from other communities and counties, so some funding should also come from there. Renquist said she liked this project, and that they work hard with substantial benefits to Johnson County. She would like to see the Johnson County Board of Supervisors looking into some type of funding for this project. She said the Commission has funded this project year after year, although it is a viable and worthwhile project. Schmuch noted that last year's Furniture Project application listed about 20 other funding sources they had approached, and they did not receive much money. Stewart said he thought they got a lot of bang for their buck with this project. Elliott and Renquist agreed. Renquist said she would like to see the project receive additional funding from other sources so they could get more help. Housing and Community Development March 4, 1999 Page 8 Community Corrections Improvement Association - Youth Leadership Nasby passed out correspondence from CCIA regarding numbers and percentages of participants in the different income categories. Schmuch said this project focuses on children who seem to be leaders and making it positive leadership experiences. Salvation Army - Facility Improvements Elliott noted that it seemed that there were portions of the project that had a higher priority than others, and partial funding could accommodate that prioritization. Schmuch said the Commission asked for a prioritized budget, and she was not sure if that was the way it was written. Nasby said the request on p. 93 is what they are requesting funds for. Gadson said Sears noted that the public restrooms, kitchen equipment and the lounge space were priorities for the project. Staff said they would get that information clarified from David Sears. Schmuch noted that any church-and-state issues have been worked out with the applications, so they would not be an issue. Old Brick - Accessibility Schmuch said she was not sure how to consider the income categories of all the people that Old Brick serves. Judy Gerlick, President of the Old Brick Board, said they rent office space at a reduced rent to organizations that provide human services. She said the Episcopal ministries have an Agape Caf~ that serves about 50 people per week, and they could serve more if they could access the building easier. She said traditionally they have said that the ministries use 30% of the building and the rest is used by other groups, so they have only requested 70% of the project total from CDBG funds. She said they have applied elsewhere for the other $30,000. Elliott said he was torn because he saw the entire facility as more historic preservation than anything else. Gerlick said they are looking at the people who use the building and how to get them up to the second floor. She said historic preservation makes that more difficult because they have to make the accessibility renovations in the interior. Stewart said he thought it was difficult to say that putting people in an elevator should have precedence over giving homeless people a place to stay, and while those are two different things they have to be considered because the funds are so scarce. Gerlick said they are hoping that elevator will help Old Brick serve more persons with disabilities. Coleman asked where the Agape Caf~ was located. Gerlick said on the second floor in the big auditorium. Coleman asked if that was already accessible. Gerlick said no, that is the level they are trying to access. Elliott asked if there was accessibility to the building from the sidewalk. Gerlick said one wing is accessible, so getting people in the building to an elevator would not be a problem. Miller-Orchard Neighborhood - Parkland Acquisition and Development Schmuch noted that a handout with letters of support and a newspaper article were already passed out. Nasby passed out a petition from the neighborhood with 157 signatures for the project. Moraski asked how the City typically acquired park land, and why that could not apply in this infill situation. Nasby said the City gets a fee in lieu of or property in a new subdivision. He said most of the rest of the town was platted with parks a long time ago. He said because this neighborhood is infill, he said that getting anything in lieu of development would be a long shot. Moraski said there is some vacant land there that could be developed, and when that happens the park land could be required. Nasby said that is one way to get another piece of park land, but noted that the neighborhood had a net deficit of 7.36 acres and that additional piece would not wipe out that deficit. Housing and Community Development March 4, 1999 Page 9 Rew noted that the Buss's own two acres of property near this site, and if the land is acquired they would donate that land, which would double the park land space. She noted that they would not donate the land if this particular site is not purchased. Schmuch asked if there was anything in writing regarding that commitment. Rew said the letter stating that commitment was included with the other letters of support. She said there is an urgency to this project because they may not be able to return next year to reapply if the land is no longer available for sale. Renquist said it was specifically mentioned in on p. 86 in CITY STEPS that there was a need for park land in this area. Elliott asked where the nearest park is for this neighborhood. Nasby said Willow Creek Park near Mormon Trek Boulevard. Stewart asked if the nearby school grounds were accessible and available to the area. Rew said yes, but she recently spoke to the Roosevelt Elementary School principal who said they have had problems with people coming in and ruining their basketball rims and other equipment. A neighbor said neighborhood kids are not allowed to use the school playground during the after-school program, and by the time that is finished it is usually dark outside. Rew said while the entire request is for $215,000, the pressing need is for $65,000 to purchase the land. Moraski noted the concern about the safety and accessibility of the park since Benton Street has so much traffic. Coleman asked if anyone interpreted this as a project that helped people gain self-sufficiency. Some Commission members said no. Coleman said he was having trouble understanding how someone reached a total of 80 points for the project. Schmuch said she gave some self-sufficiency points, interpreting the category broadly as peace of mind, a sense of neighborhood and a place to go. Renquist said she have two points for that category, and Gadson said she gave it three points. Coleman said he gave it five points for meeting the goals and objectives, and three points from the table. In response to a question, Nasby said a neighborhood facility would receive a medium score. Elliott said he gave the project a 50, but said he understood the project's interest and need, and if the Commission could feed the hungry, house the homeless and train the unemployed to be employed on a reasonable level he would be in favor of at least purchasing the property, but he thought the other things should come first. Renquist said she would support the project if they could at least fund the property purchase. Schmuch said she gave points for Leveraging Human Resources. She noted that they came up with 157 signatures in support of the project in a short period of time. Renquist read the petition statement aloud. Hannah's Blessing Day Care Center - Facility Acquisition Nasby handed out a budget amendment for acquisition of another facility. Moraski asked about the Center's capacity to undertake the project. Coleman said he gave this project a middle- range score. He said he did not see any leveraging of resources, demonstration of effort to seek private funds or that the level of public subsidy is needed for this project. Thompson said they will be seeking the Early Head Start Program funding from DHS, and said there are other funding and volunteer sources they plan to utilize. She said they are planning to seek match funding from private banks. Elliott asked if the parents' payment to have their child in the program was based on their income level. Thompson said yes, and the Early Head Start program funds would help defray some of the costs. Elliott asked if this Center was nonprofit. Thompson said yes. Schmuch asked about zoning and parking. Thompson said the property is located in an RS-5 zone, and they have an application submitted for a special exception for this proposed use. She said one parking space is required by the City for every six children, there are four spaces in the driveway and at least three in front of the property. She noted that they are still looking for Housing and Community Development March 4, 1999 Page 10 properties that would not have zoning problems and that would meet all of DHS's requirements. Moraski asked if the proposed property was close to the DHS requirements. Thompson said they have not had it inspected and there are a few things that they need to do, but it is very close. Free Lunch Program - Kitchen Improvements Schmuch said she thought the funding request was pretty straightforward. Evert Conner Center - Downtown Accessibility Improvements Moraski said this project would be funded because businesses do not comply with the current accessibility law. She said she had a hard time giving money for things that businesses are supposed to do anyway. Coleman said he thought the guide part of the project made sense, and maybe they could do an assessment on the needs for the accessibility improvements and return next year for more funding with something more concrete. Schmuch asked staff's opinion on the agency's capacity to follow through with projects. Nasby said the City would be doing most of the administrative work with the businesses regarding the door opener rehabs. He said the Conner Center would identify the businesses that needed the rehabs. Elliott said this project would provide necessary assistance to persons with disabilities. Moraski said she saw the project's importance, but she still had reservations about funding the rehab. Coleman said that the only way the businesses will be forced to comply with ADA regulations is if they are sued, and noted that the Conner Center or another agency could propose a legal fund to the Commission that would allow pursuit of ADA claims against noncomplying businesses. Moraski said if the Conner Center's guide was made more public they might be able to shame businesses into getting their act together. Renquist suggested printing the guide as a special segment in the Iowa City Press Citizen. Community Mental Health Center- Facility Rehab Elliott noted the priorities of the project made during the presentation, and said that partial funding could take care of the major priorities. Coleman said he thought the CMHC was doing a good job on their other two building projects, and said the need is definitely there for this building. Institute for Social and Economic Development - Microenterprise Training Schmuch said the other microenterprise request withdrew its application because it found funding elsewhere, but it was asking for about $13,000 less to serve as many people. She noted that ISED has received funding from the Commission the past few years. Renquist noted that the Commission got scolded by the Council last year for not funding ISED. Commission members discussed the different funding categories and how fluid each one was. Moraski noted that ISED is requesting funds for the same program as the other microenterprise request that withdrew, and asked staff to ask ISED and have them explain why they are offering the program for less subsidy than the request that was withdrawn. Nasby said the ranking sheets are due March 11. OLD BUSINESS: Nasby noted the budget amendment for Riverview Place passed through the City Council. He also noted a letter from Liz Swenson was included in the packet. Housing and Community Development March 4, 1999 Page 11 NEW BUSINESS: There was none. ADJOURNMENT: MOTION: Moraski moved to adjourn the meeting. Gadson seconded the motion. The motion carried by a vote of 9-0, and meeting was adjourned at 8:55 p.m. Minutes submitted by Traci Wagner. ppdcdbg\mins\hcdc3-4. doc MINUTES IOWA CITY AIRPORT COMMISSION THURSDAY FEBRUARY 11, 1999- 5:45 P.M. 1OWA CITY TRANSIT FACILITY MEMBERS PRESENT: Pat Foster, Rick Mascari, Howard Horan, Mark Anderson, Tom Bender STAFF PRESENT: Dennis Mitchell, Ron O'Neil CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Horan called the meeting to order at 5:45 p.m. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The minutes of the January, 14, 1999, Commission meeting were approved as submitted. AUTHORIZATION OF EXPENDITURES: Mascari made a motion to approve the bills. Anderson seconded the motion and the bills were approved 5 - 0. PUBLIC DISCUSSION - ITEMS NOT ON AGENDA: Jim Larew, representing the Iowa City Science Center, presented information to the Commission. He said the Science Center would like to locate on seven acres in the North Commercial area (NCA). Larew said three years ago, the City Manager contacted the Science Center about locating at the Airport. Larew explained some of the history of the past three years in the relationship of the Science Center and the Airport. Larew said it was his understanding that the Commission and City Council had come to an agreement to install the infrastructure for the NCA in 1999, and that the Science Center would somehow be located in that area. Larew said there are two issues to be resolved. The first issue is whether current zoning would allow the Science Center to be located in the NCA. He said a ZIP committee met and said the anticipated use would be allowed. Larew said he realized an airspace study would have to be conducted by the FAA to make sure the Science Center was compatible with airport uses. The second issue is to determine "fair market value" for the property. Kevin Munson provided a conceptual drawing of what the Science Center would look like. There would be a theater, exhibit space and a large main atrium that would center on the end of Runway 17/35. Larew said he would like to start construction sometime in the next year. He wanted a commitment from the Commission so he could start fundraising and negotiate with the theater company. Mascari suggested discussing the North Commercial area agenda item at this time because it involved the Science Center. Bender provided the latest drawing by MMS, showing the proposed road for the NCA. He said an easement would be retained along the southern boundary of the NCA to allow for a taxiway if an aviation use leased any of the lots south of the main road. The storm water drainage area would be along the west and south edges of the property. The road was moved about 100 feet to the south, providing for somewhat larger lots along the north area. Bender said he did not think a private developer would be interested in developing the NCA if the property is leased. The developer would not have anything to sell to recover his infrastructttre investment. Bender suggested the Commission and Science Center discuss the development with the City Council. If the Council is supportive of the Science Center, they may be willing to put the road in far enough for the Science Center to build. The Science Center may be a good attraction to the area. Mascari said he would not be in favor of the Science Center locating on the lot directly north of Runway 17. He said he would like to relocate the threshold for RW 17 back to its original location. This would eliminate several of the lots in the NCA. Horan said the Master Plan calls for the eventual closure of RW 17/35. He did not think reducing the size of the NCA was in the best interest of trying to reach the Commission's goal of making the Airport self-sufficient. Mascari said he would like to try to find a way to become self- sufficient and keep RW 17 open. If the Council is not interested in the project at this time, Mascari said he thought the Commission should explore the possibility of leasing the area to a private developer. Foster said he thought the Science Center should be located on Lot 1, which is the closest lot to Riverside Drive. O'Neil suggested the Commission and Science Center schedule a meeting with the City Council to see if there is support to put in enough infrastructure to allow the Science Center to build. Anderson said the lot where the Science Center would want to locate is the same area that Iowa Jet wanted to locate. He said that an attempt should be made to contact Iowa Jet to let them know there is another party interested in the area they wanted to lease. If the Council will provide the infrastructure, the Commission would give the Science Center a five-year lease for a low annual fee. The Commission would not give the Science Center a long- term lease at a fixed low fee. At some time, the Science Center would have to pay a fair market value lease. There would have to be an agreement on how long the Commission would hold the property for the Science Center. If, after a specific amount of time, funding could not be raised to build the Science Center, the land would become available to other prospective developers. Anderson said that before any agreemen~ is signed with any developer, minimum standards need to be written to standardize development in the NCA. Bender will contact MMS to change Lot 1 to contain 7 acres to be large enough for the Science Center. A time will be scheduled with the City Council and the Science Center to see what support there is to put in the road as far as it takes to accommodate the Science Center. The Commission will set a time limit for the Science Center to begin construction. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION/ACTION: ACSG Project: O'Neil circulated a handout explaining the progress of several of the parcels in the land acquisition project. All of the tenants are moved and the mobile units de e® are gone from Terrace Hill. The only remaining action on Terrace Hill is to auction the Fitzgarrald house. That will be done this summer. Most of the appraisals have been completed for the Iowa City Mobile Home Park. Some of the relocation packages have been offered and the tenants will be moved as soon as possible. O'Neil said there should be an announcement at any time that Iowa City will receive a grant of $ 520,271.00 to apply to the land acquisition program. The FAA can not release the money until a congressional announcement is made. Gordon Aircraft - Business Agreement: As discussed at the last meeting, the business agreement with Gordon expires in February 1999. Foster made a motion to renew the business agreement to run concurrent with the HLM lease. This would expire in December 2000. Bender seconded the motion and it was passed, 5 - 0. Hangar lease - #33: Jim Miller would like to get out of his hangar lease. He would like to move his plane to the HLM hangar. John Ruyle is next on the waiting list for corporate hangars. He would like to assume the lease for hangar # 33. The lease expires in February 2001. Horan made a motion for a resolution to release Jim Miller from the lease and to lease hangar #33 to John Ruyle. Bender seconded the motion and it was passed 5 - 0. Iowa City Flying Service lease: O 'Nell said there is a letter in the packet from Gordon Peterson, one of the owners of Iowa City Flying Service, offering to invest money in the old shop maintenance building, in exchange for no rent. After the SW FBO hangar is built, ICFS had intended to rent the United hangar and the shop on a month to month basis. There are three years remaining on the ICFS lease. Peterson suggested an investment of $ 40,000 in exchange for a 10-year lease. ICFS would be responsible for maintenance during the lease period. O 'Neil asked whether the Commission was willing to negotiate an agreement with ICFS to replace the roof in exchange for future rent. The consensus from the Commission was not to negotiate a lease in exchange for a new roof. O'Neil said he would try to get costs to replace the roof. The Commission can decide whether they will ask Council for funding or chance not having a watertight building to rent. Airport Terminal Renovation: O'Neil provided the latest design for the layout of the Airport Terminal. He said that HLM would be ready with the plans and specifications for the Terminal Building for the March 11m meeting. Horan said he had talked to Mayor Lehman concerning the elevator for the second floor. Lehman indicated he thought the Council would like to see the elevator bid as an altemate. O'Neil said that when he met with members from the Historic Preservation Commission, they brought up the fact that the Commission may be able to get around the ADA requirements if the building was registered as a historic building O'Neil said he thought that if the second floor was used as a public meeting room, the intent of the ADA requirements should be followed. Foster made a motion to set a public hearing for the Terminal Building plans and specifications on March 11~, 1999, at 5:45 p.m. Mascari seconded the motion and it passed 5 - 0. A meeting will be scheduled for March 22~a to meet with the Council. After the meeting with the Council, the project will be ready to go out to bid. f. Noah Commercial area: This was discussed with the Science Center discussion. Southwest FBO hangar: Some of the concrete parking on the north side of the building has been poured. The building is scheduled to be delivered in the next two weeks. The foundation is completed and the building can be constructed as soon as the material arrives. SERTOMA - breakfast application: SERTOMA has submitted an application to use Airport property for their annual breakfast on August 29'h, 1999. The application is the same as last year. Mascari made a motion to approve the application. Bender seconded the motion and it passed 5 - 0. CHAIRPERSON'S REPORT: Heran said he has been in contact with the Historic Preservation Commission and has reminded them that preservation is important, but that the Commission's main concem is to make the Airport Terminal functional for the public and their tenants. He said he thought both goals could be accomplished. COMMISSION MEMBERS' REPORTS: Anderson said he would like to try to get a grant to get the beacon tower painted. O 'Neil said the State grant application will be on the agenda for next month and can be addressed at that time. O 'Neil said the line for the lighted wind tee was cut when the foundation for the FBO hangar was put in and they are working on getting it back on line. It may have to be rewired when the new building is wired. Mascari asked about the light by the fuel farm. O'Neil said that is the responsibility of ICFS and he will inform them that there is concem on the part of the Commission to have it fixed. Mascari said he was very pleased with the new airport entrance sign. 0 'Neil said he has received many positive comments about the sign. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT: O'Neil said the piping for the Airport Terminal heating system is leaking. Because the heat pipes are in the floor, it is impossible to locate the leaks. This system will be replaced with a forced-air system when the building is renovated. O 'Neil said he hopes it will not get too much worse before the heating season is over. The new system will be in place before next fall. The Central Region FAA Conference is April 28'h and 29m. Several Commission members had expressed interest in going. O'Neil said plans would need to be finalized by the next Commission meeting so he can send in the registrations. The owner of the old Hilgenberg building on South Gilbert Street has made a request to mow and maintain the Airport property around his building. Mitchell, Foster and O'Neil will write a land lease for the Commission to consider at their next meeting. The State AIP grant application is due April 1, 1999. This will be an agenda item at the March meeting. SET NEXT MEETING: The next regular Airport Commission meeting is scheduled for March 11, 1999, at 5:45 p.m. at the Airport Terminal building. ADJOURNMENT: Howard Horan, Chairperson MINUTES IOWA CITY TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1999 - 5:30 PM CIVIC CENTER LOBBY CONFERENCE ROOM MEMBERS PRESENT: Cordell Jeppsen, Cathy Weingeist, Jim Pusack MEMBERS ABSENT: Steve Hoch, Betty McKray STAFF PRESENT: Drew ShatTer, Dale Helling, Bob Hardy, Andy Matthews, Keri Stokstad, Mike Brau OTHERS PRESENT: Beth Fisher, Rene Paine, Miriam Bennett, Denis Martel, Kara Logsden, Terry Smith, Mary Jo Langhorne, Warren Paris, Arlene Heck, Kevin Rice, Randy Snyder RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL None. SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION Matthews reported that representatives from the City and McLeod met to discuss items in their franchise agreement that McLeod would like changed. McLeod has put forward a proposal that the City is now in the process of reviewing. The PATV Board held a visioning meeting at which PATV's Performance Guidelines were the focus. Additional meetings focusing on long-term vision for PATV are planned. Paine reported a grant was received from the Hospital Schools to conduct workshops targeted towards individuals with disabilities. Only eight of ninety applications received funding. In response to requests, School Board meetings are now replayed on Sunday afternoon in addition to the regular schedule. The Board meetings are also being sent to North Liberty for playback. Heck reported the cable modern service @Home has been launched. Jeppsen said the Commission would like to see a formula that would trigger a reduction in the number of homes served by a node or an upgrade of the @Home network. Shaffer noted that there was a letter sent to Coralville included in the meeting packet regarding the City of Coralville and Coralville providing financial assistance for the overhead costs of the government channel. A meeting was held with Gina McGee of the University of Iowa Division of Sponsored Programs regarding grants. The City has planned a meeting dealing with public right-of-way issues and the development of a telecommunications ordinance. The issue was brought to the forefront, in part, due to the City being approached by an entity requesting use of the City's public right-of-way. Hardy reported the Community Television Group (CTG) has been reviewing the guidelines governing the allocation of pass-through funds previously committed by the ICTC to enhancing the access channels. It is hoped that a proposal can be forward to the Commission for their next meeting. APPROVAL OF MINUTES It was moved by Pusack and seconded Weingeist to approve the January 25, 1999 minutes. The motion passed unanimously. ANNOUNCEMENTS OF COMMISSIONERS None, SHORT PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS None. LEGAL REPORT Matthews reported that representatives from the City and McLeod met to discuss items in their franchise agreement that they would like changed. McLeod has put forward a proposal that the City is now in the process of reviewing. Further meetings on the matter are needed. PATV REPORT Paine reported PATV held a producers meeting to discuss membership fees and other means of raising money. The meeting was quite productive and additional meetings will be held to discuss how PATV might diversify their revenue stream. The PATV Board held a visioning meeting at which PATV's Performance Guidelines were the focus. Additional meetings focusing on long-term vision for PATV are planned. Paine reported a grant was received from Hospital Schools to conduct workshops targeted towards individuals with disabilities. Only eight of ninety applications received funding. The grant was for $950. The workshops will be held in April. LIBRARY REPORT Fisher reported activities at channel 10 are running smoothly. The library will hold a story-telling program on Sunday, February 28 titled "The Depths of Winter" featuring Drew Gibson. On Sunday, March 7 the library will cablecast a live program called "Trees, Native Plants, and Garden Seeds" sponsored by the Johnson County Soil Conservation District and the Johnson County chapter of the Wild Ones. On March 28, the library will host a spelling bee as a fundraiser. Funds generated will go towards enhancing the library's consumer health collection. ECC REPORT Langhorne reported that the ECC Board met. Kirkwood plans to receive a satellite downlink from the U.S. Department of Education that will be of interest to Iowa City Community School District Teachers. Kirkwood is also interested in acquiring videos from trade groups or professional organizations that deal with career education. The Iowa City Community School District School Board meetings are now replayed on Sunday afternoon in addition to the regular schedule. The Board meetings are also being sent to North Liberty for playback. SENIOR CENTER REPORT There was no Senior Center representative present. TCI REPORT Heck reported the cable modem service @Home has been officially launched. A press release has been sent and mailers to households will be sent soon. Preliminary testing has been completed and the service is working well. Heck said the installation charge is $150 and the monthly fee is $39.95. Manel said there would be no installation charge if consumers had their own DOCSIS compatible modem, but they are not yet available. Heck said that customer service support is handled by @Home in Denver. A demonstration will be available at TCI's local office in the near future. Pusack said he has had conversations with @Home subscribers in other communities who said performance was below that advertised. Many consumers will be reluctant to risk a $150 installation fee if the level of service can not be demonstrated. Weingeist asked if there will be any price adjustments for service bundled with cable TV. Heck said that might occur in the future but is not currently planned. Heck said @Home caches the most popular web sites. Ifa user goes outside the @Home network, they are subject to the speed available on the Internet at that time. Heck has asked @Home if they will guarantee a certain level of service, but they have not indicated at this time there are any guarantees regarding transmission speeds. Jeppsen said the Commission would like to see some formula that would trigger a reduction in the number of homes served by a node or an upgrade of the @Home network. MCLEOD REPORT Rice said he and Snyder met with Helling and Matthews by phone (and Shaffer in person) two weeks ago. Rice said they have begun negotiations with the City on the areas of disagreement. CITY CABLE TV OFFICE REPORT Hardy reported requests for services from the Community Television Service (CTS) are up due, in part, to requests for programs about the local option sales tax. Hardy conferred with the City Legal Department regarding restrictions the government channel and the CTS have regarding advocating on behalf of ballot issues. State law dictates that public money can not be used to advocate for a particular position on ballot issues. Forums or informational programs are permitted. The government channel has had an opportunity to put more work towards longer-term project videos such as the Napoleon Park documentary. Shaffer noted the letter sent to Coralville included in the meeting packet regarding the City of Coralville providing financial assistance for the overhead costs of the government channel. A response has not yet been received. A meeting was held with Gina McGee of the University of Iowa Division of Sponsored Programs regarding grants. The City has planned a meeting dealing with public right-of-way issues. The issue was brought to the forefront, in part, due to the City being approached by an entity requesting use of the public right-of-way. Shaffer will promote the Commission's interest in public advocacy, referral, and education at that meeting. CTG THREE-YEAR FUNDING PLAN Hardy reported the Community Television Group (CTG) has been reviewing the guidelines governing the allocation of pass.through funds committed to enhancing the access channels. It is hoped that a proposal can be forwarded to the Commission for their next meeting. Some of those funds have been allocated for an outreach program for all the access channels. As part of that effort, a mailing stuffer will be included in the March water bills. MCLEOD UPDATE Issues related to McLeod were covered previously in the meeting. SPECIAL AWARD Shaffer presented a certificate to Commission Chair Cordell Jeppsen in appreciation for his long and extraordinary service to the Commission over the past six years. Jeppsen said he has enjoyed his service on the Commission and has been impressed with the number of people with whom the Commission has had dealings that have a genuine concern and commitment to improving the quality of life in Iowa City. Jeppsen said that over the years he has had the opportunity to work with a number of good people and appreciated the opportunity. ADJOURNMENT It was moved by Weingeist, seconded by Pusack to adjourn. unanimously. Adjournment was at 6:02 p.m. The motion passed Respectfully submitted, Cable TV Administrator MINUTES IOWA CITY BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 1999 - 5:00 P.M. CIVIC CENTER COUNCIL CHAMBERS MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT: STAFF PRESENT: Susan Bender, T.J. Brandt, Kate Corcoran, Michael Paul Lowell Brandt COUNCIL (LISA SINGLE SIDED) Dennis Mitchell, Melody Rockwell OTHERS PRESENT: Mary Chval CALL TO ORDFR: Bender called the meeting to order at 5:02 p.m. ROLl CAI L: Susan Bender, T.J. Brandt, Michael Paul present; Kate Corcoran arrived at 5:15 p.m. CONSIDFR THF FFBRUARY 10. 1999 BOARD MINUTFS: MOTION: Brandt moved to approve the February 10, 1999 Board of Adjustment minutes without change. Paul seconded the motion. The motion carried by a vote of 3-0. SPECIAL FXCEPTION ITFM: FXC99-0003. Public hearing on an application submitted by Youth Homes, Inc. for a special exception to permit an expansion of a group care facility, that is, the construction of a classroom addition, for property located in the Intensive Commercial (C1-1) zone at 1916 Waterfront Drive. Rockwell said in 1993, the Board of Adjustment found that the establishment of the Youth Homes facility at 1916 Waterfront Ddve would be an appropriate use of the property. In 1993, the Board observed that the commercial area in question is not one that experiences heavy traffic loads or relies on high visibility. The Board felt that by limiting the special exception to Youth Homes, Inc., there should be little or no negative impact on neighboring properties. Rockwell said allowing a classroom addition to the Youth Homes facility in 1999 should not alter the 1993 findings of the Board. She said the number of clients served is not being increased, so the intensity of the use will not be increased if the classroom addition is permitted. Regarding the general standards for granting special exceptions, Rockwell said Youth Homes, Inc. provides counseling and rehabilitation services for troubled youths and their families, and this contributes positively to the public welfare of the community. She said the classroom addition will aid the agency in providing its services to its clientele. Rockwell noted that the Youth Homes group care facility has operated at the 1916 Waterfront Drive site for the past five years with little to no apparent negative impact on neighboring properties. She said the classroom addition should only improve the effect of the Youth Homes operation on neighboring properties by offering more usable indoor space for its residents. She said the facility remains well under the maximum occupancy permitted for this site. Rockwell said the classroom addition will not increase the parking requirement for the Youth Homes facility. She said the parking that has been provided on the site exceeds the requirement for the group home facility. The maximum occupancy of the facility will remain at 24 youths and the maximum number of staff will be 15, creating a parking requirement of 27 parking spaces. Youth Homes has provided 38 parking spaces on the site. Rockwell stated that staff recommends that FXC99-0003 be approved. Iowa City Board of Adjustment Minutes March 10, 1999 Page 2 Public Hearing Opened Mary Chval, 1916 Waterfront Drive, stated that she was in attendance to answer any questions the Board may have. She said she is in favor of the special exception because the facility will have more usable indoor space and the staff will not have to set up tables at class time. There will be a separation of personal living space from classroom space. Public Hearing Closed MOTION: Brandt moved to approve EXC99-0003, a special exception to permit the expansion of a group care facility, specifically to allow the construction of a 28-foot by 40-foot classroom addition to the Youth Homes facility located in the C1-1 zone at 1 916 Waterfront Drive. Corcoran seconded the motion. T.J. Brandt said he would vote in favor of the special exception, because the addition will not increase traffic flow or have a negative impact on the surrounding neighborhood. He said the facility is in a good location, and will not increase the occupancy level. He said the classroom will meet the needs of the Youth Homes clientele and their families. He added that he is definitely in favor of separating residential space from school/classroom space. Paul stated that he agreed and would vote in favor of the special exception, because the classroom will not negatively affect neighboring properties, the parking is adequate, and this is an appropriate use for the site. Corcoran stated that she would also vote in favor of the special exception, because the parking provided is in excess of what is required, the usage is appropriate, and the occupancy levels and usage of the site will not increase. She said having the classroom will better serve the residents while not having a negative effect on the neighboring properties. Bender stated that she concurs with the rest of the Board. She said the classroom will not impede or negatively impact neighboring properties. She noted there would be no change in vehicular ingress and egress on the property. She said the proposed expansion is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan goal to provide support for families in the community. She thought it made sense to separate the living areas from the classroom space. Disposition: On a vote of 4-0, the Board approved EXC99-0003. OTHER: Rockwell explained that there is a new absence policy currently under consideration by the City Council and asked members for their thoughts. Corcoran stated that the policy seems like overkill, especially the idea of giving a member a warning for missing one meeting. She said she could easily see missing three meetings per year for legitimate reasons. She said the entire process and procedures would need to be spelled out, including what constitutes cause for removal. The policy should allow for legitimate absences (vacation, illness, death in the family, work emergency). She reiterated that the proposed policy seems like overkill. She said removal of a Board member shouldn't be automatic, punitive, arbitrary or capricious. Bender said absences have never been an issue with this group. She noted that the Board would have to change its bylaws or it would be in direct conflict with the new policy. She said Iowa City Board of Adjustment Minutes March 10, 1999 Page 3 she understands that the City needs to protect itself; however, if this is implemented, more work would fall on City staff, as well as on the City Council. Paul said that he preferred the Board's procedural rules language of "three unexplained absences" and believed that Council should continue to leave this up to each individual board and commission. He said he objected to the idea of a volunteer Board member having to go through a public hearing or face removal. He said the City would be treating them under the proposed policy as though they warrant a criminal trial. Brandt said that he would like to see each step of the proposed procedure spelled out. For example, would there be a way to appeal? All members agreed that the Board would prefer to retain control of its policy. Brandt and other members agreed that if such a policy is absolutely necessary to maintain consistency among city boards and commissions, and to remove dead wood so that quorums can be achieved and business conducted, the City needs to spell out its procedures. The City needs to allow for legitimate absences in order not to discourage current and potential volunteers from serving. BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT INFORMATION: 1. Memorandum from Dennis Mitchell on a Board of Adjustment Court Case The Iowa Supreme Court recently issued a decision in the case of United States Cellular Corp. v. Board of Adjustment of City of Des Mojnes. Mitchell's memo stated that this case underscores the importance of articulating findings of fact. The Iowa Supreme Court held that the District Court ruled appropriately in ordering the Des Moines Board of Adjustment to issue a special permit to U.S. Cellular, because the Board acted in bad faith and/or with malice. Mitchell said if the Des Moines Board of Adjustment had done a better job of articulating its reasons at the hearing for denying the application, its decision may not have been reversed by the courts. The Board failed to state how the application did not meet the standards set forth in the City ordinances in effect at the time of the application, or even how the application did not comply with a pending ordinance. Mitchell encouraged the Board to continue to do a good job of articulating findings of fact and praised Rockwell and other staff for the support and training they provide to the Board. Mitchell indicated the Des Moines Board of Adjustment may not have been aware of the importance of making findings of fact and fully articulating reasons for its decision. ADJOURN: MOTION: Corcoran moved to adjourn the meeting. Brandt seconded the motion. The motion was carried by a vote of 4-0. The meeting was adjourned at 5:35 p.m. Susan Bender, Chairperson Melody R , S~cretary Minutes submitted by Wendy Larive. ~f:}dadmn/r~n/'o~a031099 doc ZOMIA CITY BOARD OF ADZUS TA4ENT t~EETIN6 WEDNESDA Y, A4A~CH IO, 1999 - 5:00 P. IM. Civic Center Council Chambers 5Z6N IN SHEET C~t~v67,,i Address Photle Z I0. I3. 14. 16 17. MINUTES IOWA CITY CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION CIVIC CENTER, LOBBY CONFERENCE ROOM MARCH 12, 1999 MEMBERS PRESENT: Lyra Dickerson, Sue Dulek, Mike Kennedy STAFF PRESENT: Sylvia Mejia, Machele Wiebel, R.J. Winkelhake OTHERS PRESENT: None. RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY MANAGER AND STAFF: None. RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL: Commissioners recommended that Council accept the certified list for the position of Police Officer. SUMMARY OF RELEVANT DISCUSSION: Chairperson Kennedy called the meeting to order at 8:35 AM. The first order of business was the certified list for the position of Police Officer. Mejia reported 93 applications for Police Officer were received. 60 applicants took the written test, 49 applicants participated in the physical agility test, and 41 applicants were interviewed, resulting in a certified list of 16. Kennedy moved and Dickerson seconded a motion to approve the certified list for Police Officer. Motion carried unanimously. Mejia clarified that the Absence Policy for Board and Commission Members doesn't apply to the Civil Service Commissioners because they don't meet regularly, but rather on an as-needed basis. If the Commission would start meeting frequently on a regular basis it could become an issue, but was not a source of concern at this time. Old Business: None. New Business: None. Dulek moved and Dickerson seconded the motion to adjourn. Motion passed unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 8:40 AM. MINUTES IOWA CITY PUBLIE LI~ BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEET.~ F~."':.ARY 2.5."~' 1999 THURSDAY,- 5~j~0 ..:P.;!:~. ..... ~EF":!~i::iiiiiiiiiiii!~iii!E ..... Members Pres~:t.: .... EE::::i~tOn Barclay, Linda Dellsperger, Stephen Greenleaf, Mary McMurray, ~'~k Martin, Lisa Parker, Jesse Singerman, Anne Spencer, Jim Swaim, S~a;f Present: Barbara Black, Maeve Clark, Susan Craig, Larry Eckholt, Debb Green, Heidi Lauritzen, Kara Logsden, Martha Lubaroff, Liz Nichols, Others: Ga:y Sanders C..~....LL TO ORDER.: President Singerman called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. PUBLIC DISCUSSION: Sanders attended the meeting to suggest some possible themes for the upcoming election in March. Singerman thanked him for his thoughtful comments and reminded him that the campaign was not an appropriate matter to be discussed at a Board of Trustees meeting. His suggestions will be passed along to the proper committee. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Minutes of the regular meeting of January 28, 1999 were approved unanimously after a motion. Parker/Greenleaf UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. Calendar for Strategic Planning As recommended by the Board, Craig revised the planning schedule to reflect a later starting date. A deadline for summer 99 is necessary for budget planning. Craig thanked the Board for recommending her not go ahead with her previous calendar since it involved starting very soon and things are very busy right now. Singerman expressed the opinion that the planning process did not seem go as smoothly with only three board members; could we have more? Craig said we could have four without it being considered an open meeting. Craig has an individual who has worked for the Library before in mind to hire as a consultant and will contact her. NEW BUSINESS A. Hours of Service for FY00: Policy Review: The policy needed updating in order to reflect Sundays opened all year around. The calendar reflects closing at six instead of nine on the city holidays on which the library is open; Veteran's Day, Martin Luther King Day and President's Day. It is expensive to pay staff on holidays and those evenings tend to be very slow. This was a suggestion from a staff member. A question regarding the community's use of the meeting rooms on those days was raised. Programs that would last only one hour after closing could be booked. The date most ICPL BOARD OF TRUSTEES FEBRUARY 25, 1999 PAGE 2 in question was Martin Luther King Day. Black stated that we hadn't been successful in the past planning programs for Martin Luther King Day since the University actively plans programs. If there was a community event that needed to be in the room later, an exception could be made and the library could be open that evening. Trustees asked for an explanation as to why the recommendation was to close at 5:00 instead of 4:00 on Christmas and New Years Eve. Some staff were inconvenienced by having to use vacation or some other type of leave and expressed a preference for working eight hours and not using leave. There were not any fewer people in during the 4-5 hour. A motion was made to adopt policy and calendar. Greenleaf/Dellsperger All in favor. B. Close Library during computer system transition Things are moving along as scheduled. It is anticipated that training and conversion will take place on the planned dates. Dellsperger asked about the conversion and how long it would take; perhaps it could be accomplished over a weekend? Craig responded that, typically, automation vendors will not schedule a conversion on the weekend. The consultant felt that it is a much smoother process when you are closed. Singerman suggested that it could not be done without closing but if closing results in better training and less confusion for the public it is worth it. The consensus is that the library should close for two days, most likely April 20 and 21. A question came up regarding the Foundation Board's use of the meeting room during that time. It seems easier to change the Foundation Board meeting than to keep the meeting room open. Swaim moved that the Board close the library for two days. Martin seconded. We will publicize the conversion once the dates are confirmed. The vote was eight to one with Dellsperger voting nay. STAFF REPORTS A. New online catalog demo Black demonstrated the new catalog. Board response was very positive. Swaim asked how we would limit time on the computers. Craig said that a plan to determine placement and what might be available on them was being developed. People who have home Internet access will be encouraged to use the catalog at home. We will plan for notifying patrons who chose to use the new service of sending overdue notices and reserves via E-mail. They will get the message quicker and we will save postage. The system will allow book renewals via the phone connection 24 hours a day. B. CONNECT@icpl.org and reading promotions during May. Open House May 16. The PR Committee is planning an Open House for May 16 with training and celebrations to promote all the new connections. Classes will be provided throughout the month and activities will be planned. An emphasis on balancing reading printed material and technology capabilities will be featured through the month. C. Updates on sales tax forums ICPL BOARD OF TRUSTEES FEBRUARY 25, 1999 PAGE 3 Parker reported on the sales tax forum recently held in Coralville. The mayors of the involved cities took part and were very positive, An informational forum is being sponsored by the League on March 10 at ICPU Forums are also planned by the opposition groups. The Press Citizen is sponsoring a forum on March 25 to feature a pro and con view. There are many neighborhood association forums being scheduled. Singerman reported that she recently spoke at one in the Longfellow School district. She sensed that people want to be informed. D. Development Office Report The report is included in the packet. Eckholt reported that we have seven teams to date for the Spelling Bee. He is still negotiating with some vendors involved in the Titanic event. He feels that the final profits will be close to the hoped for $10,000. E. Miscellaneous readings. Libraries stand to gain funding with the new Governor in the State House. Craig reported that the City manager had written a lengthy letter of rebuttal in response to the Press Citizen's negative article on the water and sewer projects. Any who wanted a copy should let her know. The library donated 105 old meeting room chairs to non profit organizations in need. AFSCME contract. Negotiations have been completed and the Board will vote on ratification at the March meeting. F. Clark distributed a Kiosk report. PRESIDENT'S REPORT Singerman spoke about the article that appeared in the Press Citizen concerning the library not being a satellite voting site. Trustees received a copy of the letter Craig wrote to Tom Slockett in response. Singerman wants the Board to respond to this decision and some of his statements as quoted by the Press Citizen. She feels that Slockett should be reminded of the mission of the library and that there is no conflict of interest. She felt the Board should respond with a press release in the form of a letter describing the library's mission. Swaim had a different view. He appreciated the point of view that would be presented in such a letter but the explicit language of the ballot could look like a conflict of interest. Swaim's point is that if we react strongly it reinforces Slockett's view. Trustees discussed this issue and agreed this is an opportunity to explain to people what the library is. It is Slockett's decision to make. However, it is the responsibility of the Board to counteract his comments and his characterization of the library. All agreed that Singerman, Parker and Barclay should work together to write Slockett a letter from the Board. Nominating Committee: The Board's new procedure is to appoint the committee in February and hold an election in April. Swaim, Spencer and Singerman will serve as the committee. ICPL BOARD OF TRUSTEES FEBRUARY 25, 1999 PAGE 4 ANNOUNCEMENT FROM MEMBERS A reminder to attend the Business Fair came from Parker. Board members were also reminded to begin recruiting for the Board. We have three members going off the Board in June. Spencer stressed the need to recruit from the county. A good representative from the rural area who is a strong library supporter is needed. DISBURSEMENTS VISA expenditures for January 1999 were reviewed. Disbursements for January 1999 were approved unanimously after a motion by Parker/Martin. SET AGENDA ORDER FOR MARCH MEETING Talk about Connect@lCPL and the new automated system. ADJOURNMENT: Singerman adjourned the meeting at 6:25 p.m. Minutes taken and transcribed by Martha Lubaroff MINUTES PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MARCH 10, 1999 MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT: STAFF PRESENT: GUESTS: Craig Gustaveson, Judith Klink, Bruce Maurer, Matt Pacha, Rex Pruess, Allen Stroh, Kathy Wallace, Ross Wilburn Barbara Endel Terry Trueblood, Mike Moran, Cindy Coffin, Molly Berkanpas, Maria Goody Tony Malkusak FORMAL ACTION TAKEN Moved by Wilburn, seconded by Maurer, to apDrove the January 13, 1999 minutes as written. Unanimous. Moved bv Wilburn, seconded by Stroh, that the Country ClubEstates- First Addition open space requirement be calculated for this phase, but reserved for use in another phase of the development, expressin~ the commission's desire for dedication of land. Unanimous. INTRODUCTIONS Cindy Coffin introduced Molly Berkanpas and Maria Goody, University of Iowa Department of Sports, Health, Leisure and Physical Studies students, who are performing their internship in the S.P.I. program. CIP BUDGET UPDATE Trueblood updated the commission on the tentative schedule for the department's CIP projects completed by the CIP committee. The commission's prioritization of the CIP projects was provided to the City Council. The City Council determined that some projects had to be scaled back or delayed in order to reduce the City's indebtedness as it relates to G.O. Bonds. None of the department's CIP projects were eliminated, but some were delayed. A memo setting out each project, the scheduled year, cost and status was previously mailed to the commission. Gustaveson felt that in the future it would be important for the commission to receive staff's recommendations regarding projects and priorities to be considered during the commission's prioritization process. Trueblood noted the commission usually has asked for staff's recommendations in the past. Pacha indicated some of the CIP projects are recommended by staff, although staff Parks and Recreation Commission March 10, 1999 Page 2 priorities were not specifically requested this time. Stroh stated the commission should prioritize the CIP projects every year, bringing forward the previous year's priority listing to review. WILLOW CREEK TRAIL PLAN A map of the Willow Creek Trail plan was displayed to acclimate the commission. Trueblood reported Phase I was completed last year between Highway 218 and Mormon Trek, just south of West High School. Phase II includes widening the sidewalks along Mormon Trek Boulevard and Benton Street to eight feet wide, constructing a ten- foot wide trail through Willow Creek Park and adjacent to Kiwanis Park, extending to Willow Creek Drive, and reconstructing the existing trails within Willow Creek Park. An existing four-foot wide sidewalk off Cae Drive, which goes between two houses, may not be widened as much as the other park trails. It had been suggested that the sidewalk over to Teg Drive be widened. The City's Engineering staff indicated it would be too expensive to do so at this time due to existing stormwater outlets along the street. It may be possible in the future if work needs to be done on Teg Drive. The tentative schedule is for bids to be let this June, with construction to be completed by October. The City has applied for an 80% grant, with the estimated total cost being approximately $400,000. Trueblood stated money has been donated for a Hospice Memorial to construct the first "trailside rest area" along the Willow Creek trail. Also, at the request of area residents a pedestrian bridge will be installed downstream from Kiwanis Park, extending the West Side Drive sidewalk to connect with it. Pruess asked if the project included putting in curb cuts at the intersection of Benton Street and Mormon Trek Boulevard. He also reiterated his request that he would like to see wider sidewalks along Benton Street, the entire distance between Mormon Trek and Teg Drive, to alleviate the safety issue of merging traffic with bicycles. Trueblood will follow-up. COUNTRY CLUB ESTATES-FIRST ADDITION Trueblood reported the neighborhood open space requirement for this phase of the Country Club Estates Subdivision is .23 acres. At this point, there is no area to effectively take to satisfy the requirement. The Planning staff recommends that the open space requirement be noted in the legal papers, but reserved for use in another phase of the development. Klink was in favor of this recommendation, noting she was glad this option was available so the commission did not have to make a decision on piecemeal Parks and Recreation Commission March 10, 1999 Page 3 developments. Trueblood stated that technically this option is not addressed in the ordinance, so the developer could contest it. Pruess asked the total acreage of this subdivision; Pacha noted the staff report indicated 111.16 acres. Moved by Wilburn, seconded bv Stroh, that the Country Club Estates- First Addition open space requirement be calculated for this phase, but reserved for use in another Dhase of the develoDment, expressin~ the commission's desire for dedication of land. Unanimous. RIVERFRONT & NATURAL AREAS COMMISSION REPORT Pacha noted the action taken by the Riverfront and Natural Areas Commission at its meeting of January 20, 1999 where they recommended accepting the commission's request to remove their RNAC seat; Trueblood noted it goes to the City Council for approval. PARKS & RECREATION FOUNDATION REPORT Trueblood reported construction of the Scanlon Gymnasium is progressing nicely. Staff contacted the Scanlon family to determine when in May or June they might be able to attend a grand opening/dedication ceremony. They have indicated the latter part of May on a weekend would work best for them. Foundation members will meet to discuss and finalize the plans for same. COMMISSION TIME Klink stated she was very pleased that the Benton Street Park seems to be moving toward final culmination, noting the Press-Citizen has been very supportive in publishing articles and an editorial. The commission has gone on record as supporting an interlocking system of trails, parks, and schoolgrounds, to encourage safe walking, biking and easily accessible recreational opportunities for all neighborhoods of the city. She noted Karin Franklin's comment that it is difficult to establish a park in an established neighborhood, which the commission has also been concerned with. Klink noted the potential acquisition of the Braverman property of two acres would help to satisfy the seven acre deficit in the Miller/Orchard and Weeber/Harlocke neighborhood areas, but encouraged the commission to think further about satisfying the rest of the deficit. Some time ago the commission considered the Jensen property on Harlocke Street. It is a four acre tract bounded on the west by Harlocke Street, the south by Ruppert's property, on the east by Benton Manor and on the north by the parking lot of the Colonial Terrace Apartments. She thought the property had previously been appraised Parks and Recreation Commission March 10, 1999 Page 4 at $30,000 per acre. The property provides 1.5 acres of "useable" open, flat space for traditional park uses, but also provides 2.5 acres of deep wooded ravines which offer needed greenspace in this heavily populated area. She noted another possibility is the Buss property. Previously, the Busses indicated that depending on how the Ruppert property is developed they might be willing to donate part of their property for a small park area (they have made it clear that they will not do so if this "counts" as satisfying part of the deficit). Klink noted the rest of the deficit for parkland could be made up in land purchased for a trail system that would interlink the parcels; she pointed out areas on a map. Pruess felt it was a great idea, adding he would like to extend the trail to the south to get connectivity to the Cub Foods/Walmart area. Klink asked that this matter be placed on next month's agenda for further discussion. Wilburn stated he would like to push community service, noting he had nine months left on his term with the commission. He noted recent newspaper articles setting out various projects underway - Benton Street Park, Scanlon Gymnasium, Riverside Theatre's Festival Stage, and trails. He stated that sometimes the average person does not see anything happening within the city, and serving on a commission or committee gives a person a real sense of movement and input into community life. Wallace noted she valued Pruess's knowledge about trails which was very helpful to her. She also indicated recently Dottie Ray interviewed Ron Clark with the Riverside Theatre who indicated his appreciation to Terry for his assistance with the City Park stage project. Stroh observed if the CDBG grant was approved to purchase the Braverman property it would be the first time CDBG funds are used to purchase parkland, and the commission should consider the possibility of obtaining CDBG grants in the future. Gustaveson noted a recent Letter to the Editor in the Press-Citizen expressing gratitude to John Balmer (Little Hawks Club) for the City High tennis court lights. He also referred to the commission's January discussion of the Northeast District Plan with respect to not putting in a small parking lot on the east side of Hickory Hill Park. He stated he would like the commission to reconsider its position. Currently, there is parking allowed on one side of First Avenue, but if it is extended on-street parking will probably be eliminated. It will then be impossible to find a place to park for people who want to enter Hickory Hill Park at its east entrance. Stroh clarified the commission's stance that they did not want to use parkland for a parking lot or parkland funds, but would not object to the City purchasing additional land for a parking lot from some other funding source. Stroh noted the land Parks and Recreation Commission March 10, 1999 Page 5 that is parkland in this area is not suitable for developing a parking lot. Gustaveson noted there is presently a 100 foot buffer between the park and First Avenue. Pruess asked about the density in the area, noting if parking was not allowed on First Avenue and if a parking lot was constructed he did not want to see the parking lot full all the time with vehicles of non-park users and not being available for park users. Klink noted there was plenty of parking on Hickory Trail; Gustaveson noted there are mostly duplexes in this immediate area which seem to have plenty of off-street parking. Trueblood stated if a parking lot is constructed, park security would patrol it in the evening and would issue parking tickets if necessary. CHAIR'S REPORT Pacha noted that the trail bridge and abutments are in south of the Highway Six Bypass. He encouraged members to read the February edition of the Park and Recreation Journal which included an article on leisure pool development, noting the CIP budget includes a proposal for development of a leisure pool. DIRECTOR'S REPORT Trueblood reported on the following: PROPOSED ABSENCE POLICY FOR CITY BOARDS/COMMISSIONS. A memo setting out the City Council Rules Committee's proposal to establish a city-wide Board and Commission Absence Policy was distributed. The commission is asked to review it and to submit their written comments by April 30. This item will be placed on next month's agenda. Maurer stated the commission may already have its own policy; staff will review the commission's bylaws. UPCOMING PROJECTS. Park Maintenance Buildinq: The McComas-Lacina, and the building October. contract has been awarded to should be completed by mid- Kiwanis Park. Bids are scheduled to be let on April 20, with work beginning approximately May 10. Some of the work will be completed in-house. Court Hill Park. The north section between Court and Friendship will be torn up during the month of June for a sewer project. City Hiqh Tennis Court Lights. Staff has been invited to attend a meeting with school personnel to discuss neighborhood concerns. Parks and Recreation Commission March 10, 1999 Page 6 Scanlon Gymnasium. Staff has been given a written proposal by the School District's Athletic Director for school usage of the gym. They would like to use the gym weekdays from 3:30-6 p.m. and ten Saturday mornings during a six month period (August 23-February 24). The commission indicated they would like to be involved with this decision-making process, and requested that staff outline its program plans for the gym and to develop a general statement re school usage to be discussed at next month's meeting. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 6:15 p.m. POLICE CITIZENS REVIEW BOARD MINUTES - March 9, 1999 Lobby Conference Room CALL TO ORDER Chair L. Cohen called the meeting to order at 7:03 P.M. ATTENDANCE CONSENT CALENDAR Board members present: L. Cohen, P. Farrant, M. Raymond and J. Watson. Board member absent: P, Hoffey. Staff present: Legal Counsel D. Russell, Interim Legal Counsel Catherine Pugh, and Administrative Assistant S. Bauer. Motion by J. Watson and seconded by P. Farrant to adopt the Consent Calendar, as amended: The minutes of March 2, 1999, page 2, first bullet is amended to read "..., the Board could refer to how many previous complaints were sustained against a particular officer .... Motion carried, 4/0, Hoffey absent. RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL · Receive PCRB Public Report #98-19 SOP and ORDINANCE CHANGES Motion by M. Raymond and seconded by P. Farrant to accept correspondence dated 3/5/99 from E. Dilkes to D. Russell. Motion carried, 4/0, Hoffey absent. The letter addresses both concerns the Board expressed at the last meeting: 1. The City Attorney has provided SOP language to Section V to allow the Board to receive names of officers in the event it decides, in an appropriate circumstance, to sustain a complaint and to also name the officer. 2. The guidelines for release of a name in a sustained complaint will be addressed at a later date. The Board has the authority to release names but no guidelines. In the event the Board would choose to release a name, it presently would have to devise some system for making that decision, on a case-by-case basis, in cooperation with the City Attorney. Board members inquired about the Hawk Eye case referred to in Ms. Dilkes' letter. Russell stated this case is an Iowa Supreme Court decision about balancing by the court between the public's right to know and the rights of a police officer. This case will be the basis for discussions regarding guidelines in release of names. Russell will provide a copy of this case in the next board packet. Motion by M. Raymond and seconded by P. Farrant to approve the March 5, 1999 draft of the Standard Operating Procedures revisions. Motion carried, 4/0, Hoffey absent. Russell will report the Board's support of these revisions to Ms. Dilkes. COMMUNITY FORUM The Board has not yet heard from the City Attorney concerning its draft of the complaint form information sheet. The draft letter addressed to Chief Winkelhake about the Broadway forum was reviewed. After discussion, staff was directed to forward the letter as amended to the Chief. Chair directed that a draft notice of the forum be available at the next meeting (March 30, 1999). SEARCH FOR NEW LEGAL COUNSEL S. Bauer reported that the President of the Johnson County Bar Association reported he did not have an updated membership list and advised the yellow pages would be more accurate. After discussion, Board members agreed not to send the advertisement for new legal counsel individually to Johnson County attorneys. The Board requested that ads be placed in: · Classifieds · City Website · Placement offices at the University of Iowa and Drake Law Schools · The President of the Johnson County Bar Association and the Linn County' Bar Association · Other legally required sites A thirty-day timeframe was suggested for advertising. D. Russell distributed a draft of a job description for PCRB legal counsel to be used in advertising for the position. Other suggestions included: Noted that the applicant should be a licensed attorney M. Raymond suggested that attendance at all meetings be included in the description. · Reference be made that the independent legal counsel reports to the Board. Staff was directed to move forward with drafting and placing the ad and receiving applications and inquiries. Motion by M. Raymond and seconded by P. Farrant expressing the Board's appreciation and thanks to D. Russell for his faithful service on the Board's behalf and extending best wishes to him in his new endeavor, Motion carried, 4/0, Hoffey absent. ANNUAL REPORT PLANNING Staff noted the next annual report is due in August; a reminder will be sent to all boards and commissions in June. L. Cohen and P. Farrant were appointed as a subcommittee to work on the annual report, with the assistance of staff. The Board agreed to use the same process as was followed for their first annual report. This agenda matter will appear as an ongoing agenda item until the annual report is completed. POLICE DEPARTMENT INVESTIGATIVE INTERVIEWS As a procedural matter, Legal Counsel noted there has been periodic discussion about the nature of police 4 interviews of witnesses as part of the investigation of complaints made to the Board. He advised the Board to be aware that this is an area that balances between executive and public session. Board concerns with police department reports are appropriate for public meetings, but the content of specific reports are appropriate for executive session. He also reminded Board members that there were some pieces of information from complaint investigations where none of the members had recused him or herself because of a conflict, and there were some reports where a board member had recused for a conflict. Whether in public or in executive session, all Board members may not be able to participate. Russell further recommended that if a specific piece of a complaint investigation is to be discussed in executive session, the agenda should reflect "Executive Session, Police Department Investigative Interviews," which would make it understood that what was being discussed was confidential information relating to that topic in executive session. J. Watson expressed the Board's concern about some of the Police Department investigative interview methods, and the Board's intention to address this in a fair and constructive manner. Watson suggested a board subcommittee be appointed to summarize the most important "generic" concerns regarding these investigative interviews. At a later time the Board could discuss these issues with the Chief, together with the more specific examples. The subcommittee can report back to the full Board in executive or public session, as the Chair feels most appropriate for agenda purposes. After discussion, Chair appointed M. Raymond and P. Hoffey as the subcommittee. "Police Department Investigative Interviews" will be an ongoing agenda item as the subcommittee reports back to the Board. MEETING SCHEDULE Special Meeting March 30, 1999 - PCRB Priority- Setting Meeting Regular Meeting April 13, 1999, 7:00 P.M. · Special Meeting April 27, 1999, 7:00 P.M. · Community Forum at Broadway Neighborhood Center, April 28, 1999, 7:00 P.M. Chair recommended to the Board that the PCRB hold meetings on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month rather than on a weekly basis. After discussion, the Board agreed. This would allow: · All packet information and enclosures shall be due by the Thursday prior to the next Tuesday meeting; · The Chair's direction that all documents requiring her review and/or signature be available on the Thursday afternoon prior to the next Tuesday Board meeting; · Preference by Chair that there be no packet deliveries. Packets will be mailed on the Friday before a Tuesday meeting, allowing Board members the weekend to review agenda items; · Distribution of documents at meetings (that are relevant to an agenda item) are the responsibility of the person presenting. Board members were asked to bring suggestions to the priority-setting meeting on March 30, 1999. Interim Counsel Catherine Pugh will serve as facilitator for the discussion. PUBLIC DISCUSSION None BOARD INFORMATION M. Raymond - distributed two newspaper articles from the New York 77rues. Ms. Raymond also noted her E-mail address change, which is listed in iowa City Board and Commissions incorrectly. (The correct address is raymond@uiowa.edu) 6 STAFF INFORMATION Doug Russell - distributed an article from the ICON. Mr. Russell also recommended that a Board member attend the City Council meetings when the PCRB SOPs are an agenda item. Chair stated she will attend the informal and formal meetings on March 19 and March 30. S. Bauer - distributed an article from the Cedar Rapids Gazette EXECUTIVE SESSION Motion by J. Watson and seconded by M. Raymond to adjourn into Executive Session based on Section 21.5(a) of the Code of Iowa to review or discuss records which are required or authorized by state or federal law to be kept confidential or to be kept confidential as a condition for that government body's possession or continued receipt of federal funds, and 22.7(11) personal information in confidential personnel records of public bodies including but not limited to cities, boards of supervisors and school districts, and 22.7(5) police officer investigative reports, except where disclosure is authorized elsewhere in the Code. Motion carried, 4/0, Hoffey absent. Open session adjourned at 8:13 P.M. Regular meeting resumed at 9:08 P.M. Vice Chair Watson noted that Chair Cohen, citing a conflict of interest, recused herself during executive session prior to the discussion on PCRB Complaint//98- 19. Motion by P. Farrant and seconded by M. Raymond approving PCRB Public Report//98-19 and directing staff to forward it to City Council. Motion carried, 3/0, Cohen and Hoffey absent. ADJOURNMENT Motion for adjournment by P. Farrant and seconded by M. Raymond. Motion carried, 3/0, Cohen and Hoffey absent. Meeting adjourned at 9:04 P.M. PCRB PUBLIC REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL ~'~_*! ~_' ~=. '~ ~ ~* ~' ~!' .~.~ ~j ~ ~ ~_ ~ ~ i~i~ ~.~ ~~'~Z~'~ '~','~ '. ~. *'~ '~. '~:~ ~ '~ ~.~*~;~ ~' '~ '~ '~ ~"'~'~' '~ This is the Repo~ of the Police Citizens Review Board's (the "Board") review of the investigation of Complaint PCRB ~9~19 (the "Complaint"). BOARD'S RESffiNSIBILI~ Under the City Code of the City of Iowa City, Section 8-8-7 B, the Board's job is to review the Police Chief's Repo~ ("Report") of his investigation of a complaint. The City Code requires the Board to apply a 'reasonable basis" standard of review to the Repo~ and to "give deference" to the Report "because of the Police Chief's...professional expe~ise." Section 8-8-7 B(2). While the City Code directs the Board to make "findings of fact," it also requires that the Board recommend that the Police Chief reverse or modify his findings only if those findings are "unsupported by substantial evidence," are "unreasonable, arbitrary or capricious," or are "contrary to a Police Department policy or practice or any Federal, State or local law." Sections 8-8-7B(2)a, b, and c. BOARD'S PROCEDURE On November 16, 1998, this Complaint was received at the office of the City Cle~. As required by Section 8-8-5 of the City Code, the Complaint was referred to the Police Chief for investigation. The Chief requested an extension of time to January 13, 1999 to complete his repo~. The Board granted that e~ension on December 15, 1998. The Chief completed his Repo~ and submi~ed it to the Board on January 13, 1999. The Board voted to review the Complaint in accordance with ~ction 8-8- 7B. 1 (d) and (e), which means that it chose to request additional information from the Police Department and to conduct its own investigation. The Board requested additional information and received and reviewed transcripts of interviews with witnesses and one of t~ two officers present at the scene, 2 as well as a videotape of some of the events that are the subject of the Complaint. In order to secure the time necessary to obtain these additional materials, the Board requested an extension of 30 days from the City Council for its consideration of the Report. That extension was granted by the City Council on February 9. The Board met on December 8, 1998, January 19, 26, 1999, February 16, 23, 1999, and March 2 and 9, 1999 to consider the Report. Because of a conflict of interest, one member of the Board did not participate in any Board review, discussion or decision of this Complaint. FINDINGS OF FACT The complainant, a 20-year-old female, was in an Iowa City bar. She had an alcoholic drink in her hand, although she was not of legal age to possess alcohol. A police officer came up to her and asked if she had a stamp on her hand indicating that she was legally of the age to possess alcohol. She said she did not. There is a disagreement about whether the officer told the complainant that she was under arrest at that point or not, but it is undisputed that the officer turned away from her for a moment. The complainant decided to try and get lost in the crowd and began moving away from the officer. When the officer turned back to her and saw the complainant was trying to move away, the officer grasped her firmly and propelled her out the door of the bar. Once outside, the officer placed the complainant over a trash receptacle, handcuffed her, and placed her under arrest. The complainant was charged with possession of alcohol while under the legal age, public intoxication, and obstruction of officers. When taken to the jail, she was given a post-arrest breath test and was found to have a blood alcohol concentration of. 18. In her Complaint and in her subsequent interview with the investigating officers, the complainant asserted that the officer used excessive force in removing her from the bar, that it was inappropriate to charge her with obstruction of officers, and that she did not like the manner in which she was treated by the officer. The Chief restated these allegations as described below. The investigation conducted by the police investigators included interviews with the complainant, numerous civilian witnesses to the events, the officer involved, and another officer who was in the bar at the time of the incident. CONCLUSIONS Allega, tion 1. The complainant claims that the officer used excessive force when arresting her. There is considerable difference of opinion about how much physical force was used and whether the complainant lost her footing while being removed from the bar. It appears, however, that the officer grabbed her by the left upper arm, grasped her right shoulder firmly with his own arm, and walked her briskly out of the bar. While this was a forceful manner of removing the complainant from the crowded bar, that approach was not inappropriate in view of the officer's reasonable belief that the complainant was trying to elude him and avoid arrest for a violation of law. Accordingly, the conclusion in the Chief's Report that the force used by the officer was not excessive is supported by substantial evidence and is not unreasonable, arbitrary or capricious. This allegation is NOT SUSTAINED. Allegation 2. The complainant argues that the charge for obstruction of officers was not warranted. Whether the complainant is guilty of this offense is a matter that will be resolved judicially. But the Chief's conclusion that, based on the complainant's apparent attempt to elude the officer at the scene, the officer had probable cause to charge her with obstruction of officers is supported by substantial evidence and is not unreasonable, arbitrary or capricious. Allegation 2 of the Complaint is NOT SUSTAINED. 4 Allegation 3. The Chief interprets the Complaint and subsequent interview with the complainant as an objection to the brusque manner and attitude of the officer towards the complainant and the staff of the bar. We do not read the Complaint as objecting to anything other than the officer's treatment of the complainant. The Police Chief's conclusion that the officer's treatment of the complainant, while "frank and businesslike," "steady," and "brisk," was acceptable, is supported by substantial evidence and is not unreasonable, arbitrary or capricious. Accordingly, allegation 3 is NOT SUSTAINED. DATED: March 9, 1999 MINUTES PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 1999 - 7:30 P.M. CIVIC CENTER COUNCIL CHAMBERS PRELIMINARY Subject to Approval MEMBERS PRESENT: Ann Bovbjerg, Benjamin Chair, Pam Ehrhardt, Marilyn Schintler, Dean Shannon, Lea Supple MEMBERS ABSENT: Dick Gibson STAFF PRESENT: Scott Kugler, John Yapp, Anne Schulte OTHERS PRESENT: Mike Speer, Pat Harney RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: Recommended approval, by a vote of 6-0, of SUB98-0027, a final plat of Country Club Estates First Addition, a 10.4 acre, 20-lot residential subdivision located at the west terminus of Phoenix Drive, subject to approval of legal papers and construction drawings prior to City Council consideration of the final plat. CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Supple called the meeting to order at 7:38 p.m. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA: There was none. ANNOUNCEMENT OF VACANCIES ON CITY BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS: Supple encouraged those present at the meeting to volunteer to serve on a City board or commission. She said it is an opportunity to provide input into the progress of the City and an opportunity for the City to take advantage of the expertise of its citizens and for those citizens to gain expertise in the process. DEVELOPMENT ITEM: SUB98-0027. Public discussion of an application submitted by S & J Development for a final plat of Country Club Estates First Addition, a 10.4 acre, 20-lot residential subdivision located at the west terminus of Phoenix Drive. Kugler said this is an application for final plat approval. He said the Commission recommended approval of the preliminary plat in August of 1998. Kugler said the preliminary plat was held up at the City Council level due to an access issue with an adjacent property owner that has since been resolved. He said that at its March 2, 1999 meeting, the City Council approved the preliminary plat for 20 residential lots and two outlots. Kugler said the final plat is in conformance with the City's subdivision regulations. He added that legal papers and construction drawings will need to be approved by staff before City Council Consideration of the final plat. Kugler said the subdivision will involve the construction o1: three new City streets, two of which will be collector streets, one being Phoenix Drive as it extends onto the property from the adjacent Southwest Estates and one being a future extension, possibly down to Rohret Road, called Lakeshore Drive. He stated that it is City policy to pay for the oversizing of these streets. Kugler said Phoenix Drive is and will continue to be a collector street, but it is unclear at this Planning and Zoning Commission March 4, 1999 Page 2 time whether Lakeshore Drive will end up being a collector street, as the plan for the overall 111-acre property has not yet been approved. He said that the City will pay for the oversizing costs at this point, but if it turns out for some reason that Lakeshore Drive is no longer needed as a collector street, the City would expect that payment to be credited toward another collector street within the development. Kugler said the City has some concerns about the overall property developing from the north to the south, given that the only access to the north portion of the property is from Phoenix Drive through an existing subdivision. He said staff has some concerns about the property being subdivided to a great extent without direct access to Rohret Road, although that should not impact this plat at all with the addition of only 20 lots. Kugler noted that future platting may be restricted until an access to .Rohret Road is provided, and staff suggests that as future rezonings for this property occur, a Conditional Zoning Agreement be used to address that issue. Kugler said that sanitary sewer and water are available for this phase of the development. He said the lot with the proposed club, including a swimming pool and tennis courts, will be allowed to drain into the existing sanitary sewer line that runs through Southwest Estates. Kugler said the long-range plan is for that to be rerouted to the north, and the legal papers should include a provision to ensure that happens when the north area of the property is developed and the Willow Creek trunk sewer is upgraded. In terms of neighborhood open space, Kugler said this development requires the dedication of .23 acres. He said there is a possibility of reserving that land for use in another phase of the development. Kugler said that is possible, provided the applicant agrees to obligate the rest of the property in that manner. He said that would need to be accommodated in the legal papers. Kugler said the other option would be for the applicant to pay a fee to satisfy the requirement at this time, which could then be used to purchase back land within the development for future open space in other portions of the property. Kugler said staff recommends that this plat be approved subject to legal papers and construction drawings being approved prior to City Council consideration of the final plat. Schintler asked about the pool and the club. Kugler said last year, the applicant received a special exception to locate a club here. He said that was approved by the Board of Adjustment and is incorporated in the plat as the area shown by Outlot A. He said the Board of Adjustment did attach some conditions to the approval of that facility at that location, one of which was a limitation on membership of this club to homeowners' association residents within Country Club Estates. Kugler said the club is mainly meant to be a neighborhood facility. Bovbjerg said Phoenix Drive coming up to Lakeshore swoops up in the lower corner at a strange angle and asked if the overhead drawing were accurate for that corner. Kugler reviewed the full-sized plat and said it appears that the intersection is a 90 degree intersection, but there is a slight bend farther east in Phoenix Drive that makes it appear to be less than 90 degrees. Ehrhardt asked if it were unlikely that Phoenix Drive, since it is a collector, would ever hook up with Slothower Road. Kugler said staff did not yet know what would happen with Slothower, but if it were developed, the City would probably want an offset somewhere rather than a direct connection. He said staff has begun to look at a concept plan for the overall property and will need to deal with what will happen with Slothower Road as well as how the entire property is developed. Kugler said that will determine what happens with Phoenix Drive. Ehrhardt asked if the developer is well aware that the City wants to see the entire area planned. Kugler replied that staff has passed that recommendation on to the developer a number of times. Planning and Zoning Commission March 4.1999 Page 3 Public discussion: Mike Speer said he represented S & J Development and was available to answer any questions. He said the intention is to break ground immediately on the club facility in order to have the pool and bathhouse open for this swimming season. Speer said a lot of people in the existing Southwest Estates neighborhood have asked to be able to use the club facilities, so he is considering asking the Board of Adjustment to allow an amendment to the special exception to accommodate current residents in the vicinity. Ehrhardt asked if there would be a road to the club facility by summer. Speer said the applicant was planning for that, and in order to operate the facility, the road has to be in place for emergency vehicle access. Public discussion closed. MOTION: Chait moved to approve SUB98-0027, a final plat of Country Club Estates First Addition, a 10.4 acre, 20-lot residential subdivision located at the west terminus of Phoenix Drive, subject to approval of legal papers and construction drawings prior to City Council consideration of the final plat. Shannon seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 6-0. ANNEXATION/REZONING ITEM: ANN99-0001/REZ99-0003. Public discussion of an application submitted by the Knights of Columbus for an annexation and rezoning from County Planned Commercial (CP-1) to Rural Residential (RR-1) zone for 5.55 acres of property located at 4776 SE American Legion Road. Shannon said he would leave the room for this hearing because he belongs to the Knights of Columbus and would have a conflict of interest with regard to this item. Yapp said the Knights of Columbus have applied to annex approximately 5~ acres of property at the intersection of Taft Avenue and American Legion Road. He said the Comprehensive Plan states that voluntary annexations, such as this, should be viewed positively when: 1) the area falls within the adopted long-range planning boundary, 2) the area proposed for annexation will fulfill an identified need without imposing an undue financial burden, or 3) the control of development on the property is in the City's best interests. Yapp stated that this property does fall within the City's long-range planning boundary. Regarding the identified need, he said while a private club may not be an identified need for the City as a whole, it is an identified need for the Knights of Columbus. and this development would not impose an undue financial burden on the City, as the City would not be required to extend any infrastructure to serve the development. Yapp said the development could tie into existing water and sewer lines along Barrington Road to the west. Regarding control of development, Yapp said staff believes it is in the City's best interests to control development at what will in the future be an arterial street intersection. Regarding traffic issues, Yapp said the Knights of Columbus currently have approval from Johnson County to construct a facility on this property, and it is currently zoned Planned Commercial. He said that annexing the property and zoning it to Rural Residential would not result in an increase in the traffic impact. He said because this is going from a commercial zoning, which has the potential for more traffic, to a residential zoning, the potential traffic impacts may be lessened. Yapp said staff recommends approval of the annexation. Planning and Zoning Commission March 4, 1999 Page 4 Regarding the requested rezoning ol~ the property to Rural Residential, Yapp said the Comprehensive Plan encourages the integration of civic and institutional uses into neighborhoods. He said the Rural Residential zone allows uses, such as club facilities, religious institutions, and eider and family group homes, as special exceptions in the Rural Residential zone. Yapp said the Board of Adjustment would need to review and approve a site plan prior to such uses going into the neighborhood. He said the permitted uses in this zone are for farming or for single-family large lot residential development, which would be compatible with the surrounding agricultural area and the single-family residential area to the west. Yapp said the property has a row of evergreens along the west and north boundaries that staff recommends be preserved, which is also the intent of the Knights of Columbus. Yapp said this condition will be incorporated into the conditions for approval. Regarding access points, Yapp said there is currently one drive onto American Legion Road. He said the drive is 30 feet wide, which is more than enough for this type of facility. Yapp said it appears that access to Barrington Road would not be possible because the Windsor Ridge Neighborhood Association owns an intervening strip of ground along the east side of Barrington Road and because the recommendation calls for the evergreens to be preserved along that boundary. Yapp said to accommodate the future reconstruction of American Legion Road and Taft Avenue and the addition of sidewalks, staff is proposing that one condition be the dedication of 45 feet of right-of-way on the north side of American Legion Road and on the west side of Taft Avenue. He said to accommodate a future water and sewer main extension, staff would also recommend requiring an easement along American Legion Road. Bovbjerg asked if the access driveway to this property will be far enough away from Barrington Road to avoid any problems. Yapp said the driveway is about 100 feet away from Barrington Road, which allows for enough separation. Schintler said there are several rows of trees on the north boundary of the property. Yapp said there are two rows of trees on the north boundary of this property and several rows of trees belonging to the property owner to the north. Schintler said she would like to see a row of trees on the east side of the property as a noise buffer. Yapp said the Board of Adjustment would review landscapi.ng issues at the time of the site plan. He said the special exception approval process follows the same public input process as the Planning and Zoning Commission meetings follow. Ehrhardt asked if the Knights of Columbus was a public civic organization or a private club. Yapp said he believed it was a private club. Supple said she understood that public utilities are available at the west side of the lot, and the applicant intends to build on the west side ot' the lot. Yapp confirmed this. Supple asked if public utilities could be extended to the east side of the lot. Yapp said the utilities could be extended to the east if the Knights of Columbus wish to pay for that, but the City has no plans to extend further to the east and would not be obligated to, even if the Knights of Columbus decide not to build here. Public discussion: Pat Harney, 2771 Highway 1 N.E., said he is the current President of the Building Association for the Knights of Columbus. He said Yapp covered the details pertaining to the property. Harney said the organization plans to build on the west end of the lot, hopefully within the next Planning and Zoning Commission March 4, 1999 Page 5 two years. He said the Knights of Columbus will be putting up a temporary building to use for storage space until the permanent club building is constructed. Harney confirmed that there are two rows of trees on the northeast corner of the lot. He said the Knights of Columbus intends to maintain the trees for a visual and sound barrier. Harney said there will be a baseball diamond on the east side of the lot near Taft Avenue, with the area between the diamond and the building to be used for outdoor recreation. He said the facility is planned as a family center for the community. Ehrhardt asked if non-members of the Knights of Columbus will be able to use the facility. Harney confirmed this, saying the building will be available for rental for weddings, dances, etc. Supple asked if a wedding reception at the facility would be noisy for the people who live in Windsor Ridge. Harney said the building will be designed to hold events indoors, and there will not be open doors where the noise will be transmitted to the outside. He said the dance floor will be inside and will be closed off. Public discussion closed. MOTION: Bovbjerg moved to defer ANN99-0001/REZ99-0003, an application submitted by Knights of Columbus for an annexation and rezoning from County Planned Commercial (CP-1) to Rural Residential (RR-1) zone for 5.55 acres of property located at 4776 SE American Legion Road. Ehrhardt seconded the motion. Supple said it is the Commission's policy to hold two hearings on rezonings so that all interested parties are aware of the application and have an opportunity to speak. The motion carried on a vote of 5-0. CODE AMENDMENT ITEM: Public discussion of a proposed amendment to Section 14-5H, Site Plan Review, and 14-6S, PerFormance Standards, regarding lighting standards. Yapp said he wanted to briefly discuss lights in public zones, which was not discussed at the Commission's informal meeting. Yapp said City High School recently installed tennis court lights on 50-foot poles adjacent to the rear yards of some residential properties. He said the lights are pretty bright and since their installation, one of the neighbors has asked the City Council to consider regulating public institutions with some zoning regulations. Yapp said currently the City has no zoning control over any public institution. He said that issue is on the Commission's pending list to look at in the future. Bovbjerg asked if there were a chance the school district would compromise in this situation. Yapp said a number of the neighbors submitted a petition to the school district to review its lighting plan and possibly put shields on the lights. Supple asked if the school board is an autonomous board. Yapp said it is autonomous. He said there is some precedent in other states for a City to regulate the impact that other public institutions have on private property. Yapp said the City does not regulate whatever is happening within the school district property that is not affecting other properties. Supple said such regulations are not proposed in this Code amendment. Yapp agreed and said he had wanted to make clear that this amendment would not affect the tennis court lights or any other lights on public property. Ehrhardt asked about the lighting standards for a downtown apartment building where the light is lighting the fa~:ade, i.e. architectural lighting, or if an exterior stairway is lighted on the top floor where it is more than 25 feet high. Yapp said an exterior stairwell would not fall under the regulations as long as all that was being lighted was the interior of the stairwell. He said for Planning and Zoning Commission March 4, 1999 Page 6 architectural lighting, if the light is under 2,000 lumens or about 150 watts, it would not be required to have shielding. Yapp said that allows for those kinds of architectural lights and landscaping lights, as long as they are limited in intensity. He said that the way the ordinance is written, an architectural light on a building wall could not be higher than 25 feet high, which is roughly the second story of a building. He added that the downtown zones are the only ones in which there could be a building higher than 35 feet. In commercial zones, not within 300 feet of a residential zone, lights could be mounted up to 35 feet in height. Public discussion. There was none. Public discussion closed. Supple said it at the Commission's informal meeting, it was the stated preference of the Commission to defer this item. MOTION: Bovbjerg moved to defer consideration of the proposed amendment to Section 14-5H, Site Plan Review, and 14-6S, Performance Standards, regarding lighting standards. Chait seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 6-0. CONSIDERATION OF THE FEBRUARY 18, 1999 PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION MINUTES: MOTION: Chait moved to approve the minutes of the February 18, 1999 meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission, as written. Ehrhardt seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 6-0. PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION INFORMATION: Bovbjerg thanked Commission members for the azalea bush sent to her as well as the phone calls and cards of support. She also said she appreciated the explanation provided by Melody Rockwell and staff regarding the Milder property. Bovbjerg discussed a March 4 editorial in the Press-Citizen that presented rhetorical questions about why the City Council decided not to look at the Lake Calvin property. She said that all of those questions have been answered in the Commission's minutes from this and past years. Bovbjerg said this editorial was not helpful to the reading public, does not tell them what happened, and does not tell them the facts of the case nor the history of the case. She said this is not a good piece of journalism. Bovbjerg said the whole process that the neighbors, the developers, and the Commission went through is not cited in the article at all. Chait said that if the article does not accurately reflect the record, it would be reasonable for the Commission to respond and to respond soon. Bovbjerg said the article does not reflect the record inaccurately, it simply does not reflect the record. She said it asks questions, e.g. about affordable housing, that have already been answered. Chait suggested that the Commission respond as a body to get out the correct information. Bovbjerg suggested that the Chair of the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Mayor or a representative of the City Council draft a response and agreed that it should be done quickly. Planning and Zoning Commission March 4, 1999 Page 7 Chair said the entire Commission has a responsibility, and he did not think the responsibility should be only on the Chair to respond. The consensus of the Commission was to send a response to the article to the Press-Citizen. Chair said it is important to get this sent in a timely manner. He said the Commission could run the letter through legal channels, but should take the responsibility and get it done. Bovbjerg said this item was on the City Council agenda and was then pulled from that agenda, which was what triggered the article. She suggested sending a letter to the editor who wrote the opinion piece inviting him to meet with the Commission. Chair said the Commission reviewed this item and made a recommendation, and the applicant then took it to the City Council. He said the City Council then decided that there was not anything substantially different in terms of information available than what the Commission had, and based on that, the City Council was okay with the Commission's recommendation to deny. Bovbjerg said by not acting, the City Council in essence took an action, so that she thought the City Council should either be a part of the response or be apprised of it, as should legal counsel. Chait agreed that the Commission's attorney should be notified, but said that the Commission should take the action to respond in a timely manner. Supple asked what kind of format Commission members would like to see the response be in - a letter to the editor, published or unpublished, or perhaps a guest opinion. Chait said he would like to see the response in the paper so that the reading public will see the opinion. He said he did not want a dialogue about what the job of the editor is. Chait said he would prefer to see a guest opinion. Supple said it might be appropriate to have a guest opinion only alluding to the editor's opinion and focusing on the work and goals of the Planning and Zoning Commission, the process an application goes through, as well as the neighborhood participation involved. She said the response could include the fact that from time to time there may be an article in the Press- Citizen that condemns the Commission or the City Council on a land use issue; however, the procedure is complicated and thorough and involves great input, including a lot of staff time and a lot of time from the applicant. Supple said her concern is that the response would not be timely enough; she said that a response to the editorial should go in the mail on Friday. Chait suggested the response focus on the facts at hand and state that the questions cited in the previous editorial have already been answered in the public record. Bovbjerg agreed that a letter sent out immediately could say just those things. Commission members agreed to stay after the meeting to work on a response to the editorial in order to run it by Sarah Holecek, legal counsel to the Planning and Zoning Commission, before sending it to the Press-Citizen. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 8:47 p.m. Dean Shannon, Secretary Minutes submitted by Anne Schulte ppdadmm\mins\p&z3-4.doc IOWA CITY PLANNING AND ZONING COMkIISSION MEETING SIGN IN SHEET 2. 3. 4. 5. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16 17. 18. 19. THURSDA Y, MARCH 4, 1999 - 7..30 P.M. CIVIC CENTER COUNCIL CHAMBERS Name Address ,2/5 03-30-99 4b(12) MINUTES RIVERFRONT AND NATURAL AREAS COMMISSION WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1999 - 5:30 P.M. IOWA CITY CIVIC CENTER - LOBBY CONFERENCE ROOM MEMBERS PRESENT: Russell Bennett, Cortney Daniels, Jeff Gillitzer, Mark Graham, Gretchen' Grimm, Joe Kral, Lynn Rose, Larry Wilson MEMBERS ABSENT: David Thayer, Dan Mascal ALTERNATE: Henry Herwig for David Thayer STAFF PRESENT: Brad Neumann, Rick Fosse OTHERS PRESENT: Wayne Peterson, Leann Waletzko CALL TO ORDER: Rose called the meeting to order at 5:35 p.m. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA: Graham asked if there are any City commissions that address issues of water quality, or if that is the responsibility of the RNAC. For example, compliance issues under the Clean Water Act regarding storm water management and pollution control. Fosse stated that there is no commission that deals with this and that it is part of Public Works. He explained there are two aspects to storm water runoff: 1 ) quantity (which is regulated by Iowa City) and 2) quality (which is set to be state-regulated). He added that meeting the new regulations will be expensive for cities in the near future. Graham suggested that because there are no commissions dealing with this, the RNAC could review compliance issues and make recommendations to City Council. Rose agreed and noted that there are several issues surrounding whether compliance standards should be changed or created for cities both above and below 100,000 people. She said there are many open questions on how to quantify and track compliance under the Clean Water Act. Fosse agreed and said that this is something the City will need to review. He said Iowa City will need to identify sanitary sewers that may be running off into the storm sewer system. He also noted that runoff from industries is already under federal regulation in all larger cities. CONSIDERATION OF THE MINUTES OF THE JANUARY 20. 1999 MEETING: MOTION: Daniels moved to approve the January 20, 1999 meeting 'minutes as submitted. Grimm seconded the motion. The motion carried by a vote of 9-0. COMMISSION DISCUSSION: Discuss the Development of the Iowa City Creek Maintenance Program Wayne Peterson, Rick Fosse, and LeAnn Waletzko were in attendance to discuss this issue. The RNAC has been charged with developing and promoting this program. Neumann explained that he met with Peterson from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Fosse from Public Works, and representatives from the RNAC, the NRCS, the Iowa City Neighborhood Services Planning Division, and the Iowa City Housing and Inspection Services Department in order to determine a direction and strategy for the program. Neumann said they discussed how to spend the $15,000 through Public Works, how to do an inventory of the creeks, how to manage tree removal etc. The group ultimately decided that the Commission needs to create a vision for the creeks and obtain public input. As part of public input, the Commission could have public speakers educate property owners who have creeks running through their property on the goals of the program and how the program can help. Riverfront and Natural Areas Commission February 17, 1999 Page 2 Fosse explained that this program has evolved because people have experienced difficulties with creeks or riverbanks over the years. When the creek or river is on private property, the City does not have the authority to deal with it. Fifteen thousand dollars in assistance is now budgeted for improvements to the creek bank that property owners could not reasonably be expected to do on their own. He said the Public Works department originally tried to do an inventory of Ralston Creek in order to find the areas with the most problems. This proved difficult because it was time consuming and permission was needed from each property owner in order to gain access to various portions of the creek. As an alternative, they developed the grant program. However, no applications have been received. This may be because they have either not publicized the program adequately, or property owners do not desire to do the work themselves. Fosse said that although there has not been a lot of interest, the City realizes that the need is out there. Wilson said that during the pre-planning meetings, the Commission talked about streams as resources. The resource (stream) needs to convey water; however, the resource also needs to perform other functions, such as save trees. Wilson said they need to have mechanisms to accomplish a balance. Fosse agreed that the Public Works Department and the Commission need to work together in order to find ways to meet the distinct needs of the drainage ways. He believes there am solutions that will convey water and control erosion, He commented that one solution currently being studied is the use of willow planrings. He said studies have determined this not to be a good solution for an urban environment. The plantings slowed the water downstream but raised the water profile upstream. Wilson noted that another risk of willow plantings is the danger of introducing a new species and changing the environment. Fosse said he believes the purpose of the Creek Maintenance Program is to keep water flowing while diminishing bank erosion. He said Wilson had mentioned that they should inventory, evaluate, and prioritize streams in order to be more holistic in their approach. Looking at the entire stream corridor as routes to the river will help to prevent problems. Peterson presented slides of some techniques being used in the rural areas to prevent erosion. He explained that one of the more common ways to deal with flat banks devoid of vegetation is riprap. He said although it can be effective, it is expensive and not always aesthetically pleasing. He showed slides of the willow post method, which creates drag and reduces velocity along the stream banks. Peterson said he did not believe this would be a good alternative in an urban setting because it may not be effective in the long term and is not the most natural approach. Peterson showed a third method using a dffle pool that may be most effective for preventing erosion (downcutting) in low to medium flow rivers. Rocks are placed in one area as a dam to create a riffle that spills into a pool. A weir is then placed downstream from the pool. This provides a babbling brook effect and allows some aeration. Riprap is used only in the small area surrounding the riffle pool. He said they (the NRCS) are planning to apply for an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant in order to create a demonstration riffle pool in possibly both a rural setting and an urban setting. As a side note, Peterson mentioned that them is also a national move towards buffer systems (setbacks from the stream) in the urban areas. Wilson commented that he views the streams and rivers as part of the City's heritage and believes they should tr~ to bring the streams back to where they were, yet still make sure they convey water. For example, pictures show that tree growth may be much denser today than it was years ago. Therefore, some clearing of trees may be beneficial. Neumann asked Peterson when the EPA grant would be available. Peterson said it will unfortunately be a lengthy process with award expected in October 2000 at the earliest. Neumann said this means the Riverfront and Natural Areas Commission February 17, 1999 Page 3 RNAC would need to use up this year's $15,000 and would not be able to put it towards matching the EPA grant. Fosse stated that he believes the Riffle Pool holds promise for Iowa City because they have one creek that is aggrading. Wilson added that there might be students of urban and regional planning who would be willing to do the work. Neumann handed out a map of the Northeast District Plan with the stream corridors highlighted. He asked about a planned area where Captain Irish Parkway dams up a creek and creates a pond. Fosse said this will help the City stop the rate of sedimentation upstream that has been difficult to control. As commissioners reviewed the map, Neumann said he thought the planners paid close attention to the amount of development that is planned to occur in the area and how it will affect the areas downstream. Fosse said he would like to research what types of plants grow well and with strong root systems in areas of low light. He said there are some areas with dense tree growth that the City may never have a chance to open up. He added that they need to be selective in order to make sure that the wrong species is not introduced. Neumann handed out additional maps, including the Southeast District Plan. He said the Commission should work on a vision for the Creek Maintenance Program while the NRCS reviews grant sources and looks into creating an inventory of the creeks. He said we may not be able to do a walking survey because it may cause them to trespass onto private property. Daniels asked if the Commission could use the City grant to creme a demonstration riffle pool. Neumann explained that the funds would not come close to covering the cost. Wilson suggested that because the City grant needs to be used up this year, the Commission should use the funds for simply cleaning up debris. He said the money could be used for tree removal and other things where there is no question whether it should be done. He said this may also allow them to gain access to the area for the inventory. Fosse said that they would actually recommend that the owner take care of any problems and the City would reimburse the cost. This would reduce liability issues. Wilson said if they choose to go this route, the Commission would like to have someone review what they are doing to make sure that it's within the spirit of the program. Daniels asked how they could make the use of the funds more comprehensive. Tree removal would help some owners; however, a demonstration riffle pool would be educational for everyone. Wilson said that the Commission had previously discussed rolling over the money in order to give the Commission more time. If this were not possible, they thought the more obvious clean-up needs would make the best use of the funds. Neumann said the $15,000 would not pay for an effective inventory study of the creeks. This is why the City is working with the NRCS. Fosse suggested that the Commission focus on cleaning up creeks this year and do a match for the riffle pool EPA funds next year. In the mean time, the Commission needs to remain open to any requests received from the public. Rose asked Peterson if he expected the EPA funds to be available at an upward trend at the local level in future years. He said he would expect upward trends. She also asked if he believed the potential existed for matching grants to be available for local communities to do water quality work. Fosse said he expected this. Wilson asked if it would be possible to do a mini-demonstration of what they plan to do with the dffle pool at a local park. There could also be a simple demonstration of the kinds of things property owners can do to maintain their creeks. Bennett stated that he thought there would be an advantage to working on some Riverfront and Natural Areas Commission February 17, 1999 Page 4 restoration efforts in public areas. The work could form links with the neighborhoods that are also doing similar work. Daniels asked how the public or the Commission gets involved with these types of projects besides watching them happen. Bennett said that once a project is completed, there would be an opportunity for the Commission to involve the press and gain some recognition for what the Commission is attempting to do. Danieis said the Commission has not had a lot of luck gaining press attention and needs to be effective in making the public aware of this if they are not able to get coverage from the press. Graham suggested that the Commission get the neighborhood associations involved. Fosse suggested that the Mayor's Youth Employment Program could also help with any work in public areas. Danieis said that this would help with publicity. Wilson said that he was disappointed that they would be unable to do a meaningful inventory of the creeks. Rose asked how the Ralston Creek clean-up was managed. Wilson said the neighborhood was involved and they received permission from the neighborhoods. Fosse noted that people are not as receptive to surveys or inventories when a federal agency is involved. Bennett wondered if they would fall under the Corps of Engineers jurisdiction if they stayed within the creek. Wilson suggested that they attend neighborhood association meetings and ask their permission to look at the creeks along pdvate property. Neumann said they would still need to ask permission from individual property owners. He said he will ask the City attorneys what the Commission may be able to do. Rose asked Fosse to bring a list of areas along the creek in the public domain where there are problems to the next meeting. In order to continue brainstorming for the Commission's vision, an informal meeting was scheduled for March 4 at 5:45 p.m. Neumann said he would send a memo outlining the details. Discuss RNAC Representation on the Parks and Recreation Commission Rose said that they discussed making a change to their bylaws at the last meeting because of a request from the Parks and Recreation Commission that there no longer be a Parks and Recreation representative on the RNAC. She said members had also stated that they believe it is important for the RNAC to be involved with Parks and Recreation. Grimm asked why the Parks and Recreation Commission no longer wishes to have a representative on the RNAC. Neumann said that they have had difficulty getting volunteers because a member would essentially be on both Commissions. Gillitzer suggested that members of the RNAC attend the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting on a rotating basis. Neumann asked if the Commission wished to send a member to the meetings or if they wished to have representation as well. Gillitzer noted that if they have representation, one member would have to attend each Parks and Rec meeting. Bennett said he thought they did not necessarily believe it necessary to vote, but rather have input and find out what's going on with the Parks and Recreation Commission. Neumann noted that it will be up to the Parks and Recreation Commission whether they would allow someone who's in attendance but not a member to speak. Herwig asked if the Commission could have someone attend as a liaison rather than a member. Rose clarified that this could be a role between a voting member and a visitor. MOTION: Daniels moved that the Commission write a letter to the Parks and Recreation Commission requesting that an RNAC member be allowed to serve as an official representative on the Parks and Recreation Commission. Bennett seconded the motion. Motion carried by a vote of 9-0. Riverfront and Natural Areas Commission February 17, 1999 Page 5 Daniels stated that she would draft the letter. The Commission agreed to hold the number of members at 10, as stated at the last meeting. Gillitzer said he noticed in the Parks and Recreation Commission minutes that the Parks and Rec Commission is in the process of making a request to City Council for a naturalist position. He said he would like to know if there is any overlap with this position and the RNAC. Neumann said he would get more details. COMMISSION ACTION: Appoint a Special Events Committee (Arbor Day, River Month) Rose asked if there were any events other than those listed above that the RNAC should be discussing. Neumann said he would find out if the Ralston Creek Clean-Up would be held again this year. Wilson said that FIRST is interested in the RNAC joining them in creating an opening ceremony for the River Trail next September. They wish to know what role the RNAC would like. Rose said this would be a potential future special event. Rose asked if the RNAC wished to hold an event on Arbor Day. Daniels said that last year's event was good except for the rain. The Commission did not feel that there would be enough time for an organized event similar to last years. Rose said the event would not have to happen on Arbor Day. Wilson asked if the Commission could do a joint effort with Tree City in order to allow the Commission more time and suggested the possibility of a simple tree planting. Daniels said the Commission had a tree giveaway and planting one year and involved speakers in a program on heritage trees another year. However, those events involved more time. Rose asked if the Commission wished to have an Arbor Day Committee (or an event involving trees). None of the commissioners could say for certain that they would have time to lead the committee. Because of the RNAC's time constraints, Daniels, Grimm, Gillitzer, and Graham agreed to be on a special events committee that will determine which events the RNAC may want to focus on this year. COMMISSION REPORTS: Report from the JCCOG Regional Trails and Bicycling Committee (RTBC) Rose stated that the RTBC representative (Mascal)was not in attendance. Daniels and other commissioners said they noticed that he has missed several meetings. Neumann stated that he could call Mascal, let him know that he has missed more meetings than those allowed according to the bylaws, and ask if he plans to continue to attend. If not, the Commission would be interested in re-appointing. Rose stated that she would prefer to contact Mascal to find out his situation. Bennett asked if someone else may go to the JCCOG RTBC. Rose appointed Daniels to attend future RTBC meetings. Parks and Recreation Commission No report. OTHER BUSINESS: Neumann distributed several handouts that the RNAC had requested, including: a description of a featured speaker who will be in Iowa City on March 2. 1999, information about a lecture at the University titled "Environmental Justice For All," a copy of the Iowa City Comprehensive Plan, a copy of the Riverfront and Natural Areas Commission February 17, 1999 Page 6 Sensitive Areas map, a copy of Iowa City's South District Plan, information about deer management. a copy of the topographic maps of Iowa City, and copies of zoning maps with streams outlined. ADJOURNMENT: MOTION: Herwig moved to adjourn the meeting. Daniels seconded the motion. Motion carried by a vote of 9-0. The meeting was adjourned at 7:35 p.m. Minutes submitted by Wendy Larive. plxladminVninsVnac217.doc MINUTES SENIOR CENTER COMMISSION TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1999 MEMBERS PRESENT Bebe Ballantyne, Jay Honohan, William Kelly, Terd Miller, Allan Monsanto, Deborah Schoenfelder, and M. Kathryn Wallace. MEMBERS ABSENT Joanne Hora and Larry Pugh. STAFFPRESENT Michelle Buhman, Linda Kopping, and Susan Rogusky. GUESTS PRESENT Dennis Mitchell, Jonathan Jordahl, Jim and Virginia Aliaire. CALL TO ORDER Miller called the meeting to order at 3:05. MINUTES Motion: To approve January minutes as distributed. The motion carried on a vote of 7-0. Kelly/Wallace. PUBLIC DISCUSSION None. SENIOR CENTER EXPANSIOIN - Miller, Honohan; Monsanto The February 8, 1999 presentation of the Senior Center Commission to the City Council was reviewed. Commissioners then discussed vadous ways in which additional Senior Center space in the Iowa Avenue Parking Fadlity could be financed. Estimated cost of the proposed expansion is $1,158,000. Honohan recommended a fund raising effort be undertaken by the Senior Center Commission to pay for a portion of this expansion. Motion: To seek funds from the City Council and Board of Supervisors to hire a fund raising consultant to help .raise funds for the construction and finishing of Senior Center space in the Iowa Avenue Parking ramp. HonohanlMonsanto Commission discussion. Amended motion: To seek funds from the City Council and Board of Supervisors to hire a fundraising consultant. The consultant would do a feasibility study analyzing the potential success of a Senior Center Commission fundraising effort supporting the construction and finishing of Senior Center space in the Iowa Avenue parking facility. Motion carded on a vote of 7-0. Honohan/Monsanto Commissioners discussed the need for a skywalk connecting the parking facility and the Senior Center. Motion: Request the City Council add a sky walk from the Iowa Avenue Parking facility to the Senior Center, independent of acquiring space in the facility. HonohanlKelly Commission discussion. MINUTES SENIOR CENTER COMMISSION TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1999 2 Amended Motion: Request the City Council include a skywalk connecting the Iowa Avenue parking facility to the Senior Center in the final design of the parking facility. This request is not contingent upon the Center acquiring additional space in the ramp. Additionally, handicapped parking should be available adjacent to the skywalk entrance. The motion carried on a vote of 7-0. HonohanlKelly. 28E Agreement - Mitchell Mitchell answered questions from Commissioners regarding the 28E Agreement. Time lines for amending and changing the 28E Agreement were discussed. Motion: To reexamine and review all of the issues in the 28E Agreement and work cooperatively with City Council and Board of Supervisors to try to meet the needs of the participants. Wallace/Monsanto. Amended Motion: To form a committee comprised of representatives from the City Council, Board of Supervisors, and Senior Center Commission to review and modify the current 28E Agreement in order to better meet the needs of all participants. Motion carded on a vote of 7-0. Wallace/Monsanto. SENOR DINING SPACE ISSUES: Open discussion Commissioners discussed the possibility of Senior Dining, or local catedng service, preparing food at another location and using the Senior Center as a food distribution site. At the present time, approximately three-fourths of the meals prepared in the Senior Center are catered to other locations. Commissioners expressed concern over the tension between the Senior Center and the Senior Dining program. Kelly said he had spoken with Hedtage Area Agency on Aging about Senior Dining space needs and was told that Senior Dining needed space for storage of trays and office space for kitchen staff. Motion: To form a committee to explore the issues between the Senior Center and Senior Dining program and bring a recommendation back to the Commission. KellylHonohan. Motion carded on a vote of 7-0. Wallace, Honohan, and Kelly will be on the committee. ROOM USE POLICY- Kopping Commissioners discussed the current room use policies. Motion: After due consideration of this issue, due to the limitations of this facility the Commission recommends no change in room use policy at this time. Honohan/Ballantyne. The motion carried on a vote of 7-0. SENIOR CENTER UPDATE Operations - Kopping The furniture replacement project is underway. The consultant agreement for the sprinkler system and ceiling tiles has been signed. There is a six-month time line for that project. Kopping addressed reasoning behind Maintenance having office space. MINUTES SENIOR CENTER COMMISSION TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16,1999 3 Pro.qrams March events were reviewed. Volunteers - Rogusky An update of volunteer programs and opportunities was given. COUNCIL OF ELDERS -Aliaire The Council of Elders has six vacancies and is looking for new members. COMMISSION VISITS City Council - Honohan A report of the City Council meeting was given. Board of Supervisors - Miller No report was given. COMMISSION DISCUSSION Commissioners discussed options for a goal setting session to be held on a Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in March or Apdl. Motion: To adjoum. Motion was carded on a vote of 7-0. Wallace/Monsanto. The meeting adjoumed at 5:00.