HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999-05-18 Transcription#2a Page 1
ITEM NO. 2a. MAYOR'S PROCLAMATIONS-PRIDE MONTH-JUNE.
Lehman/Second item is Mayor's Proclamations, Karen Kubby is going to read a
proclamation tonight.
Kubby/I shall do so with pride. (Reads proclamation). Now therefore, Ernest W.
Lehman, Mayor of the City of Iowa City Iowa does proclaim the month of June
1999 to be pride month in Iowa City and encourages all citizens to learn about and
take pride in our diversity and the people who contribute to it.
Marian Karr/Here to accept is Robin Butler.
Lehman/Item C is consider adoption of the.
Karr/Mr. Mayor.
Lehman/Whoops I'm sorry.
Robin Butler/That's all right, I just wanted to thank you very much on behalf of the Iowa
City area Gay, Lesbian, bisexual and trans gender pride committee and just to say
this is a symbolic gesture of the diversity and tolerance that we have here in Iowa
City and we're very proud of that and we have a very active gay, lesbian, bisexual
and trans gender community here. We're very proud to offer in June a variety of
events and we invite you to participate in them, anything from a book discussion
group to our big parade and rally on June 19. You will all be invited with written
invitations but I'd just like to personally extend an invitation now as well. Thank
you very much.
Lehman/Thank you.
Kubby/Robin, I know that there's a whole calendar of events, I mean every day
something is going on, if someone wanted to get a hold of a calendar how would
one do so?
Butler/You could contact myself or contact Lori Heig down at RAC. Thank you very
much.
Lehman/Thank you.
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ITEM NO. 3. CONSIDER ADOPTION OF THE CONSENT CALENDAR AS
PRESENTED OR AMENDED.
Norton/So moved.
Thornberry/Was there a second? Second.
Lehman/Moved by Norton, seconded by Thornberry. Discussion.
Thornberry/I thought there was something.
Lehman/I think there is Item 13(d). Joe Fowler could you tell us just a little bit about the
metered spaces that are we are putting on the street from Market to Church Street
and how that came about.
Kubby/Dean I forgot about that thanks.
Joe Fowler/Initially there was a request from council to look at the installation of parking
meters on North Clinton Street, we put together a proposal and today we were to
present that to council at an informal work session. I'm sorry I don't remember
the exact date.
Lehman/All fight.
Fowler/We received a phone call from the University of Iowa and at that time they called
and said would you ever consider installing parking meters on North Clinton
Street, that call was from Bob Brooks at the University. They followed that up
with a letter requesting that we install parking meters because the area has high
demand often exceeding the capacity of the University' s noah campus ramp and
other facilities that results in congestion's and clogs up portions of the noah end
of the Cleary walkway. So the concerns raised by the University, the concems
that we had heard repeatedly over the years for available parking in that area
mostly from visitors and the University people trying to get to the dorms and were
receiving parking tickets because there were no parking spaces available. Lead us
to come back with a recommendation and we did that in April after meeting with
the University and determining which areas should metered and which areas
shouldn't be metered and then talking with Doug Ripley when he actually put the
proposal to council I believe one of the things he did do which is different than in
most metered areas was he waived the no parking 2 AM to 6 AM so that residents
of the neighborhood would be able to park there all night. It would be the
daytime that would be the monitored hours.
Lehman/And basically this is state requested but certainly encouraged by the University.
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Fowler/Yes, I think it was an area that both the University and the city felt needed to be
addressed and it just worked out very good that we were both thinking the same
thing at the same time and both requests were made at the same time.
Lehman/OK. Other comments from council.
Kubby/Yea, one of the concerns I had was that it's an older area of town and a lot of the
multiunit homes that have multiple units and then don't have the current number
of required off street parking spaces and so people have to use the street to park
whether their parking there for a period of time or in and out to do their daily
business. And that some of those spaces are then lost for fishing rights to
residents in a certain way cause there just probably always going to be filled up
with people coming into the University versus residents and so one of my fears is
that that parking problem of those people will just go a little bit further east and
that just creates more congestion in that neighborhood for parking, more
competition for parking.
Fowler/Part of our discussions with the University was they felt a lot of cars that were
parking in this area really shouldn't be there, they should be in University of Iowa
storage lots that there were a lot of people that were living in dormitories that had
other parking available that were using the street because it was available so it
could put some people in University storage lots it will put some people into other
neighborhoods, or address the neighborhood.
Kubby/How was that assessed? Cause I mean I know that there's a lot of students who
are living there but there are also some non-students who wouldn't have access to
those (can't hear).
Fowler/Yea, I don't know that was an observation by the University so.
O'Donnell/But this is a way Joe we've had, if you drive by there in the winter time you
can see where cars have been there for weeks. And there's a lot of street storage
going on there so this will also alleviate that problem.
Fowler/Yes, we talked with Bud Stockman and that was one of the concerns of waiving
the no parking 2-6 and we decided that it was better to waive it for the residents.
He said that he's never been able to clean the streets in that area anyway and so it
has been a problem for years.
Kubby/Will there be some notification somehow through the what do they call them
RA's, resident assistants at the dorm so at least people would know you should be
parking in the long-term storage lots and this is going to be metered and here's
where you should be parking?
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Fowler/We've been meeting with the or one of the meetings that we had was that with
the head of residents services and she concurred with us. We'll talk to her and ask
her if there's any notification being sent or that they would they please.
Kubby/OK.
Champion/How long would the meters be?
Fowler/Two hours was the time limit that.
Champion/Joe could you just tell me how you handle people who feed meters, are there
rules about that or take complaints or?
Fowler/There is a city ordinance which.
Champion/Right.
Fowler/Says that repeating staying over the time limit is a violation. At the direction of
council we've pretty much ignored that except on a complaint basis.
Lehman/Other questions for Joe.
Kubby/Thank you Joe.
Lehman/Council comments? There's one other thing I want to point out in the consent
calendar although we're going to be discussing the transit proposal this evening,
the consent calendar sets a public hearing for June 15 on the proposed changes so
there will be another opportunity on the 15th to discuss that. Any other comment
on the consent calendar? Roll call. Motion carries. I think because we're going
to have the discussion of the transit routes for an hour at the first part of the
meeting that we will forego the public discussion portion until after we have the
transit, we will be talking about transit for no more than 60 minutes and to start
with I would like Joe Fowler to give us just a little bit of an update of where we
are and how we got there and why we're here.
Karr/Why Joe is coming to the mic could we have a motion to amend the agenda order
then?
O'Donnell/So moved.
Vanderhoef/Second.
Lehman/Moved by O'Donnell, seconded by Vanderhoef.
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Karr/All those in favor of shifting the order say aye.
(All council) All Ayes.
Lehman/We didn't re-shift here.
Thornberry/Re-shifted.
Karr/Well.
Thornberry/Re-shifted. We.
Norton/They gave them an option.
Thomberry/Was a withdrawal and then a shift.
Karr/Withdrew it and then nobody present.
Lehman/Whatever we did I'm sure Eleanor approved.
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ITEM NO. 5. PUBLIC DISCUSSION (PROPOSED TRANSIT ROUTE
CHANGES) [1 HOUR LIMIT].
Fowler/In August of 1996 council directed transit management to review the current
route structure and recommend changes that could increase ridership. Transit
ridership has declined over the years for a variety of factors, shifts in the
population, lower gas prices, higher fares. This is from the peak from 2.3 million
riders in 1983 to a low 1.2 million riders in 1997. That directive from council was
to recommend changes and these changes were to reflect no reduction in hours or
service rather a reallocation of service within Iowa City. Before the study was
under taken, council established guidelines. The first was to continue the blanket
coverage over the city during the peak ridership times. While the city is currently
not blanketed this directive is interpreted to mean continue the current service
levels between the hours of 6 AM and 9 AM and 3:30 PM and 6:30 PM. The
second directive was to concentrate off peak, night time and Saturday service and
areas that currently have high ridership or high ridership potential. The off peak
period is between 9:00 AIM and 3:30 PM. The night time is after 6:30 PM. The
third directive was that the system must operate within the budget approved by
council, no new operating expenses would be approved to implement additional
transit service. The review and study process involved many steps. Initial
meetings were held with JCCOG planning staff, they provided maps detailing
Iowa City's population density and Iowa City's income by area. In addition they
were involved in reviewing the current routing and potential changes were
discussed at that time. Second step involved a representative group of mass
transit operators. The drivers involved were Bill Peterson, Alice Swenka,
Whetherill Winder, Carl Nelson, John Eggenburg, and Scott Arelong and I'd like
to acknowledge their participation and thank them at this time. Nine sessions
were held over a period of several months. The initial concept for the current
proposals was developed in these meetings, combining some routes midday and
increasing service in other areas. In addition routes were reviewed to determine if
there were sufficient time to allow for drivers to complete the routes on time.
Timeliness is critical to the quality of transit service and the service must be
reliable to maintain the current ridership and to attract new riders. In these
sessions it was determined that using smaller buses and offering deviated services
were options that should be explored further. Deviated service has been discussed
for years. Deviated service allows a bus to leave a fixed route and take a person
closer to their drop-offpoint. At that time Iowa City did not have small buses in
the fleet. As a result Iowa City entered into negotiations with Johnson County for
the use of SEATS vehicles. A five-year contract was ~nalized and specified that
Iowa City could use SEATS vehicles for bus service when they were not being
used for para-transit service. In November, on November 4th 1998 a public input
session was held from 4-7 PM at the Civic Center. A preliminary set of route
maps was presented at this time. Four riders and several drivers were present at
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the meeting, the comments that were received at this meeting were to expand
service into the west side neighborhoods and make no reductions in current
service areas. After completing the public input session a final set of route maps
was developed by the transit management staff. The final routes were again
discussed with JCCOG, a written draft summary of the changes was prepared.
Prior to this being sent to council it was made available to all transit managers and
operators. There were some concerns raised at this point. Most were directed to
changes in the North Dodge route, the elimination of the Caroline and Kimball
segments, and the elimination of the Church and North Gilbert segment. The
Westwinds route which included dropping of the loop through Denbigh Drive,
and concerns were also raised about dropping Manville route midday and
combining the Rochester and Court Hill routes midday. As a result of the current
concerns that were raised by the operators, Denbigh loop was added back into the
Westwinds and actual rider counts were made in other areas. The ridership counts
in the other areas confirmed very little midday usage, after confirmation of low
midday ridership the proposed routes were presented to council. After two
presentations to council work sessions a public discussion was held at the public
library May 6, 1999. The session consisted of brief opening presentation,
explained the direction given by council and the steps have been followed to
direct the proposed routes. This was followed by a review of the routes by those
present. Maps of each area of the city were presented at separate tables around
the room and there was transit staff there to answer questions. The session ended
with the public providing input asking questions and making suggestions. In
addition each person at the meeting was given a written comment form that they
could return later after reviewing the proposed changes. The following is a
summary of public input from that meeting.
1. Continue the blanket coverage all day. Iowa City is not open until 10:00 AM,
the Old Capitol Mall and the library were specific examples that were given.
2. You can not get to City Park on a bus midday with the changes that are
proposed.
3. Drop the free shuttle and add the service to other areas of the city. Using
SEATS doubles the cost of transportation.
4. Systems houses need wheel chair lift equip buses at night.
5. Are the current off peak elderly and handicapped passes going to be good
during peak hours if these changes are made.
6. Longer walks at night are not safe.
7. Reverse the Westwinds route in the afternoon for a shorter ride to the Denbigh
area.
8. Concerns that there would not be sufficient capacity at night on smaller buses.
9. Access to HyVee on Highway 6 will not be convenient, Lakeside users will
have to walk several blocks each way to the store.
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And there were a couple positive comments about expanding bus service into the west
side neighborhoods. Following the public input the proposed night Lakeside
route was rerouted through the Grantwood neighborhood, this change was done to
reduce the walking distance to and from stops. In addition the proposed Saturday
shopper route would extend coverage from the area on the west side of Riverside
Drive down to Highway 6 and out through the Highway 6 area from Wal-Mart to
Bon-Aire. We believe that the proposed route changes follow the guidelines
established by council, service remains blanket during peak service hours and the
midday, night and Saturday service is concentrated in high usage areas. In
addition request for transit service to West High and west of Mormon Trek
Boulevard has been incorporated into the system.
Lehman/Any questions of Joe before we start the public discussion? Thank you Joe.
Fowler/Thank you.
Lehman/I'm going to ask that the public limit their comments to five minutes or less.
We will conclude this at 10 minutes after 8:00 which will be one hour after we've
started. I think as Joe indicated the study was done by transit at the direction of
council. The transit system in Iowa City has an annual cost of about $3.1 million
dollars. $2.3 million dollars of that is subsidized from tax dollars as the interest
of the council and I think most the people in Iowa City to serve as many people as
we possibly can with the funds we have available so anybody who would like to
speak please sign in, give us your name and limit your comments to five minutes
or less.
Irene E. Murphy/I have a prepared statement I will try to hurry up and read in five
minutes.
Lehman/Give us your name first please.
Irene E. Murphy/Irene E. Murphy. You have heard before and I'm sure you will hear it
again and again if it ain't broke don't fix it. Please don't mess with the bus
service we are currently accustomed to. Just who is to benefit from the city wide
appeasal of the system now in place? Overheard on a city bus since the input
meeting at the public library a passenger commented to the bus driver that she
thought it was a done deal that it would be railroaded it no matter how much
current riders protest this to much. If I remember fight March 30 when I put in an
appearance in here I believe that after I left and watched the rest of the council on
cable the subject was discussed of the city selling for development the unused
portion of land they had acquired in the peninsula for the water and sewage
construction. If the city is continually going to employ urban sprawl they should
plan to accommodate the people expected to occupy that space by expanding
services not cutting back what they already have robbing Peter to pay Paul.
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Idyllwild has been growing, the Norridge ????seed budget project was approved
and now prospects of the peninsula area developed. These will be served by
Manville Heights route after I started this earlier this morning I rode the North
Dodge bus in from Gilbert comer into the interchange avaiding myself to clarify
with conversation from the bus driver, ifI understood it rightly that it was
intended not to turn into the HyVee where there was has been a stop except for the
ACT and National Computer Service runs. What is going to happen with First
Avenue is extended and the Captain Irish Roadway are put in operation? Should
we anticipate another upsetting of the apple can and whatever future time that will
take place I have been dependent on public transit not having ever learned to drive
thereby not contributing to slavery to the car which seems to be encouraged by the
seemingness necessity of building parking ramps. I hope you will listen to our
please to save our bus service as it presently is. And I had a couple after thoughts
that I wrote down here and one of them was that about using the disabled and
elderly passes that one could ride if their eligible to ride free during the off peak
hours and if you don't have any service your not going to be able to have a bus
pass. And it's been announced that there's supposed to be a skateboard park near
Terrill Mill Park which is on the Manville Heights ride, how are they going to get
there? And whoever did the report from the transit had answered my question
about when that meeting was that was held on November 4 no one seems to have
ever heard about that meeting before.
Lehman/Thank you.
Kubby/Thanks Irene.
Lehman/You could be specific too about, obviously we've made some Joe has indicated
a bit some changes made because of public comment so I think it's important that
we be very specific about places that we don't go, places that we do go and times
and whatever because that would really help the transit folks.
Thornberry/Emie when she, when people have some questions I really feel that they
deserve an answer and as quickly as possible and Joe's here so if they have a
question about a couple of things and if there's an answer available could these
answers be given now? She had two of them, if the bus doesn't go into the
HyVee on North Dodge is at least there going to be a stop there at HyVee Joe or
not? There will be a, there will be a stop at HyVee, so you can get off and go to
the Noah Dodge HyVee. The second question that I wrote down skateboard park
location, I don't think that that's been formally given a location at this point and
so if that location is not down there that's son of a moot point but I don't think
that, personally I don't that the skateboard park belongs there but be that as it may
I don't think that that location has been decided yet so at least you'll be able to
get off at HyVee with that route change. Was there another question that you had
specifically?
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Champion/Yes, she had a question about the elderly pass and handicapped pass.
Lehman/I believe we're going to hear a lot of questions tonight and I think Mr. Logsden
and Mr. Fowler are here.
Norton/They can get them.
Lehman/There will be a public hearing on the 15th and rather than try to answer them as
they come up which I would love to do. That if we're going to limit the folks to
an hour then we'd best record the questions and have the answers for them at the
public hearing.
Thornberry/Well if there is an answer I think they deserve an answer as soon as possible
yea. If there that easy, I mean if there.
Caroline Oster/My name is Caroline Oster, I live at 1437 Oaklawn Avenue. My general
feeling about all of this is that I think it's great to improve transit facilities for
people in different areas that need better service but I don't like the idea of
eliminating or drastically reducing current service to other areas just in order to
give super good service to other groups such as, for example, those people who
live close to downtown and now get free free shuttle every 15 minutes while you
are considering cutting down or even eliminating service to some of us who live
farther out. I am served by the Noah Dodge bus and I use the Caroline Avenue
stop. Hardly a day goes by that I don't use the bus at least twice and sometimes
two round trips and occasionally three round trips, I'm a busy woman and I don't
drive. Now to get to this Caroline Avenue I walk three very long blocks to and
from. If I have to walk all the way down to Noah Dodge to catch the bus I'm
going to have to add two very long blocks to that which means that on the days
when I make my usual couple of trips downtown I'm a 67 year old woman and
I'm going to have to walk twenty blocks to use the bus twice a day. Two trips a
day, two round trips a day. I'm a pretty healthy old lady but I'm not that healthy.
I think the concept of eliminating this little it's not even really a circle, it's a
crescent, it goes up Prairie Du Chien to Caroline Avenue to Whiting Avenue
Court to Whiting Avenue and down Kimball Road. That sounds like a lot of
streets but you know I've timed this with the drivers and it takes less than 3
minutes from the time it currently leaves Noah Dodge and makes a fight turn onto
Prairie Du Chien and the time it goes around that little crescent and goes back to
North Dodge, less than three minutes. The bus currently goes out to NCS on two
runs a day and on those runs it still makes my crescent and it gets downtown on
time most of the time I don't think it runs terribly late because of that. Now if it
can do that twice a day now why can't it do it as many times as you feel like it's
necessary to go out to NCS? I don't know why you want to go to NCS every hour
but if you do that's fine with me as long it also makes my little crescent as it does
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now when it goes to NCS. I can go on forever but I think I won't I'm sure there
are other people that want to speak.
Lehman/Thank you.
Kubby/That will be a good question to have (can't hear).
Keith Ruff/I could go around.
Lehman/OK, could we hand him the mic please?
Ruff/OK. The only.
Lehman/With cord, your causing trouble with that.
Ruff/I
get down. The only grudge I have in concern is that using SEATS vans. I you
realize the way economic crunch but I would like a reason why vans would be
used and to see that SEATS riders get their rides before anybody else does. I
realize that the way in a crunch for money but because of all the hassle over
SEATS (can't hear) I don't want those riders to lose rides at night if possible. If
we can guarantee that the riders won't lose their rides I don't mind a SEATS van
be used in the place of the bus, I just want to make sure (can't hear) SEATS riders
get their rides first because of the hassle (can't hear) and the hassle to go. Thank
you.
Lehman/We' 11 have an answer for you on that.
George Mather/Thank you. I'd like to get rather specific on.
woman/Your name.
George Mather/Oh, George Mather, 606 Holt Avenue, sorry about that. I'd like to get a
little specific about some of this reallocation of resources business. Now all I
know I didn't get involved in this until the public heating at the library on May 8.
And at that time we were presented this proposal and the maps and so on and we
were encouraged, we were, they filled us in on the requests that came from
council and the limitations with it that go ahead and propose changes in routes
and schedules but within the current budget. This is a familiar administrative
technique that I've faced before and it involves a great thing oftradeoffs. If your
going to make a change here then you make a change there. If your going to
increase bus service here you got to take it away over here, but anyway the dollars
have got to balance out at the end OK, that's the rules of the game. So then you
start playing around with these things to see what you can come up with and at the
present time ~vhat we've got is the full service and the off peak in the peak hours,
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that is 30 minute headway's during the peak hours and then on the same routes
during the off peak hours we have one hour service OK. Now, we come to the
tradeoff business. We're going to make a great change and what what actually
happened and this is the story I got at the May 8 meeting. And we were shown a
colorful pie chart, this is ridership during off-peak hours and they had each route
had it's own little pie. And low and behold Manville Heights has the lowest
ridership of anybody. Not quite.
man in audience/Next to last.
Mather/Next to last all right sorry. Whose last? Never mind, never mind, anyway
anyway, the thing then comes all right what we'll do is reduce the service on
Manville and give it to the route who has the most the highest ridership because
there is the potential for increasing ridership. You get this, this is a cutey. We're
going to take off this block of time and driver and bus because it's not used very
much, that's true and we're going to give it to this route that uses it a lot. I don't
know how much I don't, I have no idea, but the idea is that by giving this route
which happens to be Towncrest, it could have been anybody I guess. We're
going to increase ridership because their going to get double the service right,
double the service and we'll increase ridership and of course it'll be more than
this over there, who knows what it's going to be. We're just playing with
numbers here, it's a case of statistical chicanery. Meanwhile the poor people who
have to use the Manville bus can use it before 9:00 and after 3:30 or 3:00 or
whatever it works out to be. That's 6 hours in between they don't get any service
what so ever, none, what so ever, if the library opens at 10 you've heard all that
and how many people come to the senior center for meals and all that stuff. OK,
no service for six hours. While over here in Towncrest they have double the
service because there is a potential for more ridership. Now really I'm glad to see
that ridership is declining, because that seems to be the whole thing is to keep
taking away service and raising rates and eventually it will disappear entirely. It
won't, there are an awful lot of people out there, not an awful lot, not nearly as
many as who drive cars, a small portion of people, who knows how many, will be
without. It's going to be an inconvenience, their going to have to use SEATS, ask
their neighbors for rides and that sort of thing, they'll get by, they don't need
transit, nobody needs transit. AH AH, you have come to where we're going to
end up.
Lehman/Yes, just a minute go ahead.
O'Donnell/Joe, how many use the Manville Heights bus during that six hour period, do
we have a breakdown of that?
Lehman/You'll have to come to the microphone.
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Chris O'Brien/During the midday starting at with the 8:45 trip there's 4 that ride the 8:45
trip, this is an average over a four month period, I should probably say that first.
Four during 8:45 trip, five during the 9:15 trip, four for 10:15, four for 11:15, five
at 12:15, six at 1:15 and then ten at 2:15. Those are the midday trips.
Lehman/Thank you.
woman/(can't hear).
Lehman/No.
man/People boarding the bus.
Fowler/This is people boarding the bus, I'm not.
Lehman/If your going to ask questions you have to ask them at the microphone,
otherwise we can't get in on the transcript.
Fowler/It was from September, October, November, December were the four months that
were taken.
Kubby/98.
Lehman/Last fall. OK.
Fowleft Correct.
Lehman/Go ahead.
Judy Pfohl/Hi, I'm Judy Pfohl, 2229 Abbey Lane. And the bus going in our area is
Plainview. And our neighborhood has sent out survey's to our area to see whether
there would be changes of use of the bus and our main concern has been the idea
of having the bus be able to do the extra loop to go up to West High. Apparently
on the east side for years they've had a bus that has been able to take the students
within the three mile area and get them up to the school. And we don't have
anything in our area that does that, including we don't have a bus that goes out
Rohret or any of that area. Not only does it add to the problem of younger kids
starting to get cars and trying to drive and the extra accidents over in that area but
we also are just getting more people trying to drop their kids off or whatever so
there's a lot of traffic at before and after school and we were very excited about
the route being able to be extended to West High. Right now the route relatively
close but if actually does the loop in front of the school. We have a lot of people
who have signed survey's and sent them back to our neighborhoods and we've
talked about this in the other neighborhoods when we've had our general
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neighborhood association meetings that it really would be helpful to have this
addition up to the school for the high school students so that section of it we're
very excited about. Thank you.
Lehman/Thank you Judy.
Betty Alfaro/My name is Betty Alfaro and since she was speaking about Rohret Road I
thought now would be a good time to come up. This really affects my son who is
in 9th grade at West High and we live out Rohret Road which from my house to
West High is 3.5 miles. And they say that it is a state law that anything within 3
miles they do not provide bus service for and 3 miles would require that he would
need to walk across four lanes of highway 218 and across two cornfields in order
to be from point A to point B. This is going to make a great story for his
grandchildren some day but right now it's a very big concern for me because it's
dangerous and it's something that is needed in that area. We do not have bus
service in that area, we do not have school bus or city bus at all out Rohret Road.
And it's a long scary walk for someone that age and I'm just am so glad that you
are at least even considering this because we have no options in my area for as a
working mother, it's difficult for transportation, not so much before school but
especially after school because I'm downtown until 5:00 and he gets out at 3:00 -
3:30 and needs a way home without having to walk 3 ½ miles, it's a long way,
there's nothing on Rohret Road as far as shelter to be able to duck in from cold,
wind, rain, and I think this is a very needed service and I thank you so much for
considering it.
Donna Davis/My name's Donna Davis, I live in Forest View Trailer Court, which is at
the north end of the Manville Heights route. And I use the bus during peak hours
mostly, but since my days off are Fridays and Saturdays, I also use it on those
days because I don't drive. My husband and I also use the bus in the evenings for
things like this or to go out with our friends. And you know this is really
reducing our options socially, we don't want to go out and have a few beers and
then drive home. I asked questions at the meeting on the 8th about the deviated
fixed route that will be servicing the our area at night and nobody seemed to know
exactly what it was going to do so I don't know how much that's going to affect
me. I also want to say that I think our bus drivers have just been wonderful about
keeping us informed about this. Thank you.
Thornberry/It's nice to hear something good about the bus drivers because we've heard
so many complaints about the bus drivers and I'm sure that there were good ones
out there and I appreciate the comment.
Delores Capps/I live with them, I ride with them everyday, my name is Delores Capps,
I'm better known as Dee throughout the University system. I've got 14 months
left to go and then I get to retire next year. And I hope and pray that I get to ride
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the system clear through, it's the only way I've ever gotten to work, cause I don't
drive, I've seen too much of what happens over there that comes in from other
people's driving inability's and believe me we get enough of it. I like I said have
been on Lakeside I've lived with these guys, I feel I know them all. As per
timing, I see a lot of problems in the sense that these people that live out at Oak
park for one have a, if they have an appointment at 10:30 and that bus goes at
10:00 their to get to their appointment by 10:30 they do not get there, half the
time they have to walk a distance so your looking at somebody that has an
appointment at 10:30, the bus at 10:00 does not serve them, cannot serve them to
get them there properly so they have to take a 9:00 run, a whole hour and a half
ahead. That's happened to me even at the University when I've off and had a
doctors appointment, beings I only get an hour run out there on Lakeside I have to
come in almost an hour early. Practically an hour and a half early sometimes and
like I said it would be just lovely if we could work it out that we could get some
of those buses and some of the kids that need the jobs to get themselves through
school if they could only drive again and get on the routes. And as far as like I
said I hope and pray that the new link on some of the routes that they've got will
be considerate to elderly people when you've got maybe 2 or 3 bags of groceries
and you've got arthritis in both hips or the knees and you've got to walk two
blocks to the bus stop and you see it go sailing by because they weren't observed
or they weren't in the proper stop to get them. It's sort of hard to wait another
two hours or an hour and a half because they've had to walk so. And a lot of them
in my area have to walk across the railroad tracks because of one of the runs being
changed otherwise they'll have to come clear downtown to get to the particular
grocery store otherwise they can walk two blocks in and go across the railroad
tracks and this is a fright to a lot of the people. In my area particularly which is
Lakeside run and a lot of the people are coming in from Lakeside as well as Bon
Are which has quite a few elderly people now and I'm getting in that division
myself and like I said I don't drive but I do have a lot of groceries to carry home
and instead of waiting I have reverted to cab which gets pretty expense when you
don't have it you just don't have it. But don't let them go, whatever you do those
guys are fabulous.
Norton/Sue, sue I'm not quite clear. Sue, or Doris, can I ask a question?
Lehman/Delores.
Norton/Do you, are you objecting is your well objection or some aspects of the changes
is virtuous do you, I can't quite tell.
Dee Capps/(can't hear) know because in sometimes when you stop and think of some of
the people that have had operations on their hips Dee or have had operations on
their knees they've had to wait for good, they've had to wait or walk about a good
2 V2 blocks, when you've got to carry groceries it's pretty pretty stinky. I'm in
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this mess myself quite often, but believe me there isn't a finer system in the state
and I've put that up to a lot of the people that I know that are transit from other
counties so you can't beat them, just stay with them.
Leann Mayhew/My name is Leann Mayhew. If you didn't have transit you wouldn't get
around the special Olympics. Why don't some of you guys and ride the bus and
give our drivers credit please.
Thornberry/I don't understand I didn't think, I didn't think we were cutting anything.
Champion/We're not.
Norton/We're not.
Thornberry/We're not cutting any hours, we're not cutting any drivers, we're not cutting
anything.
(Can't hear audience)
Thornberry/We're adding, we're adding, we were contemplating.
Lehman/Redistributing (can't hear).
Thornberry/And giving service areas where they are not now served and this is the only
it's a public hearing as to should we, should we give service to areas of that are
not now being served and cut back on service of areas that are not widely used.
That's our dilemma, but we're not hearing from people who haven't got the
service yet because their just not hear saying please give us the service, please
give us some bus service and we have had some letters and some calls and the
town is spreading and that's the only reason we're looking at this thing. We're
not cutting any drivers, we're not cutting any hours, we're not cutting anything,
it's going to be the same or more at least not any less.
Kubby/Well that's not actually true, there are.
Lehman/Well (can't hear) no no.
Kubby/People have said that their they will not be served any longer while their
currently being served with this proposal.
Thornberry/What I'm saying is we're not cutting any bus drivers, we're not cutting any
time.
(End of 99-53 Side 2)
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Lehman/Really important.
Ray Heffner/My name is Ray Heffner I live at 523 Templin Road which is on the
Manville Heights route. I appreciate the lady who spoke just a moment ago
saying that it would be lovely if she had more frequent service but should that be
at the expense of no service at all from 9:00 until 3:30 for significant riders low in
number but people who depend on the bus now I use it to go to the senior center, I
would use it when the construction has clarified things to go to the University
hospital. I could use the cambus which would mean walking another two blocks
but there are people who can't do that extra two blocks walk and they need to get
some people don't get a good meal a day except at the senior center. In the
middle of the day, that is not in the morning, that is not in peak hours, so I think it
is just plain wrong to take service away completely from some riders who depend
on it in order to extend the service and give better service to some other areas.
Thank you.
Katherine Kalan/Hi, I'm Katherine Kalan the person who spoke out of turn, I'm never
been to one of these so. First of all I have heard wonderful things about the bus
service before I moved here, it's one of the things I proud about being in this
town, it kind of goes with the character of Iowa City, we care about each other, we
care about the environment, we care about traffic congestion, we care about not
putting up parking lots when we can get away with it, or without it. So in general
I'm for expanding if we can. The one route that I'm specifically concerned about
is Manville Heights, it goes by the hospital, when Manville Heights doesn't run,
people who need to go the hospital for appointments miss that stop, they can't get
there. I've got three questions, I haven't heard anything about the benefits of
these changes or reductions, I'd like to hear about that sometime. I'm a little
concerned about some of your data here the ridership of Manville Heights being
so low, that was during construction when ridership should be low, you need to
maybe redo some of these during normal service and I'd also like to see some
research done comparing the ridership with the service. Ridership has gone done,
service has gone down. Did the ridership go down first or did the service go
down first? For a lot of people it's difficult to take a bus when they can drive, I
prefer to take the bus because I don't like to park. But there are a lot of people
that if it was more accessible they would be more apt to take the bus.
Champion/Well I think there certainly is a correlation between these two (can't hear).
Kalan/And I'd like to see that looked into a little more.
Lehman/Thamk you.
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Patsy Berhardt/Hi I'm Patsy Berhardt I live at Bon Are and the bus service is one of the
main reasons I came to Iowa City four or five years ago. I drove 60 and 70 miles
one way to work here in Iowa City one year I had an accident with ice and the
next year a deer wanted to ride with me without paying. I paid the cost, and so
reviewing aspects of what I wanted to do I decided to move after talking to
coworkers at the University and so forth. I appreciate the bus service, living at
Bon Are yes I can get there maybe five minutes earlier than taking the bus but I
don't have a considerate driver, driving, I don't have to worry about the other
drivers in the next lane. I don't have to worry about icy roads, I don't have to
worry about rain because there's a shelter now that they've got one at Bon Are.
I'm a very lucky person and so are the other residents that ride our bus. Another
thing I'm considering concerned about is not being having the availability to stop
off at HyVee for the elderly. The Goodwill store there that is mainly utilized I'm
sure by people with small children that don't have access to cars and if we deter
that bus route I'm afraid that the elderly and children will be not be able to go to
those areas especially like Delores says when you've got two big bags of
groceries and you have to wait an hour or two. I hope that you reconsider not
changing that bus route but in addition I do thank you for having this public
service and the courteous drivers that you do.
Lehman/Thank you.
Terri Byers/Hi, I'm Terri Byers and I live on Nevada Avenue, and I'm a Lakeside rider.
And I wrote most of you a letter which I hope you got. But I have four requests, I
don't envy you people at all in the decisions that you have to make in the next few
weeks. But I do have four requests to make of you. I am a transit rider, I don't
drive, I don't own a car, I'm totally dependent on transit for getting to work, for
my leisure activities, my social activities, my educational activities, I'm
dependent on the transit system. My four requests are: safety. Consider the
passengers who are currently riding or who will in the future, those kids that are
going to go to West High, those kids that are going to go to the elementary
schools, who are going to utilize the bus service. And we might want to consider
talking to the school district about a little money coming our way about that.
Thornberry/We'd love that.
Vanderhoef/Good idea.
Byers/Second request is the feasibility. We can have all the routes we want but if they
don't accommodate the people in the city what good are they? Their just empty
buses driving around our streets taking up gas. So before you make any decisions
about changing the routes please make sure that their feasible. The third request
is in need. We talk a lot about statistics but for every statistic that we have in
terms of bus ridership those are people and they may be elderly, they may be
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#5 Page 19
young mothers with little children, they may be people like me who middle aged
sort of but you know, but they have needs, they have a desire to use the system for
whatever reason and think about the statistics but think about the people behind
the statistics. Think about our population levels in various parts of the city and
make wise decisions about our transit system. And fourth request is about the
system itself, and I want to thank the transit system because they have
accommodated me personally in the last few days with changing the Lakeside
route to accommodate my night time schedule which I don't have to walk through
that park now and I'm really happy about that. I want to thank Mr. Logsden in
particular about that. But I'm lucky because they've accommodated me, other
people are going to lose service and they are going to have to take those long
night walks and in parts of towns. Iowa City's a great place but let's face it Iowa
City is a city and some areas of the city it is not safe to walk alone at night, the
last bus is run at 10:00 at night it's not a time to be out walking around. And my
fourth request beside thanking transit is also to thank our bus drivers. But to have
you people consider our bus drivers are great but their not gods and their asked to
do a lot with ADA requirements getting wheel chairs getting on those buses,
getting the routes on time, downtown to their designated locations, they work,
they really work and they do a good job and I'm glad that I have all the bus
drivers that I ride with I feel safe and secure and I know I'm going to get to where
I need to go but when you talk about deviated routes and you talk about ADA
requirements your putting pressure on drivers and I want you to really consider
that. Those are my four requests. I'll probably be back at the public hearing to
remind you of some of them but thank you very much.
Lehman/Thank you Terri.
Marlyn Mather/I'm Marlyn Mather, I live at 606 Holt Avenue, that's the Manville
Heights route so it's my ox that's being gored. I have a question for you, those of
us who have not the ability to drive for one reason or another, are not going to die
if you cut our service, we're going to have to find some way to take care of our
daily needs. Now will SEATS be amenable to taking on those of us who now
take the bus but who will not be able to to take our, to go to our dental
appointments, our doctors appointments, to buy groceries, to go to the senior
center, to go to the library? This is, I realize putting a large load on SEATS and
some of the people who ride with me will not be able to afford to pay that dollar
and a half each way. The city will either have to help them out with that or they
will have to find some other way to do this, it's it may be a very serious problem
for them. So please take this under advisement and also if you do go ahead with
this please notify these people who not all whom know how to get information
that they can get SEATS so that they will not feel stranded. Thank you.
Lehman/Thank you.
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Marsha Hueke/Hi, I'm Marsha Hueke at 418 Hawaii Court. I ride the mostly ride the
Plainview and Westwinds route and I take this on a daily basis and on the
weekends I ride it about 4 times a day cause I go clear out to Coralville and
volunteer and come back. And my biggest concern is your not fiddling with the
Plainview and I appreciate that very much my biggest concern is on the
Westwinds you've created this loop since they took away the Hawkeye Court
route and you've made the, tried to straighten it out in the new proposed route and
I still think if you just went back to the original Westwinds route you could save
some time on that route cause it does tend to mna little bit behind with all the left
turns and it has to wait a long time to pull out of Emerald Court to get onto
Benton and then it's got to loop around Denbigh and come back up Sunset and
back out and then on the night and weekend route you've decided to change it to
go out to Highway 1 and I don't know maybe it made logical sense in looking at it
but nobody gets on and off Highway 1 I think you'd be better served if you
continued the night route the way it is and try to pick up time it to go through
Abbey Lane and Plainview and Gryn down in that area and maybe do pick up
some more riders because they do drop off a lot of people on Mormon Trek and at
night that's dark and dangerous. So that's just something I'd like you to consider.
Thank you.
Lehman/Thank you.
Karen Long/I'm Karen Long and I don't personally ride the bus but I'm here on behalf of
my uncle who is 92 years old. This is the only transportation that he has, he can't
see very well, he has a hard time walking, he lives on the comer of Kimball
Avenue and Kimball Road and he could take the cab which he has to once in a
while but he does not have a lot of money. You have a lot of older people, people
growing older in Iowa City, your going to have to decide whether your going to
service these people because their no longer able to drive and I don't see where
regressing is a business like manner, maybe people won't appreciate this but if
you have to raise the price we need these services around Iowa City.
Jane Bergman/I'm Jane Bergman with SW Estates and we would just be really thrilled
and excited the thought of having bus service come out that way. Hear quite a bit
from the neighborhood out there about not having anything at all, of course their
comments are that they pay as much as everybody else as far as taxes and this
kind of things and don't have any service at all. Probably the biggest issue in
what I hear the most about are people with kids in high school, the freshman and
sophomore stage it's been a real straggle, we've been through it, it's really
miserable. There's just nothing at all available to get kids to school so, you know
you work with it the best you can but there really isn't an option so we'd be
thrilled to kd~ow that your even thinking about it. Thank you.
Lehman/Thank you.
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Joe Daringer/My name is Joe Daringer and I live at 2419 Lakeside Manor. I have two
questions, what is the ridership of the flee shuttle that's downtown? And also is
there any way of using utilizing the cambus service? The last time they had the
raise in the price of transit it was said that the Iowa City and Coralville could not
use utilize the cam bus service well Coralville is right now. First of June there
won't be any more the Coralville - First Avenue bus, it will be an Oakdale bus. I
work in Coralville and I have an Iowa City pass. I asked if I could board the
Oakdale bus to take me out to the corner of Perkins coffee shop and they said that
beings I don't live in Coralville I can't utilize that bus. I have to leave, I have an
8-4:30 job in Coralville OK, I have to leave at 20 to 7 and when I walk into my
apartment it's 20 to six. That's 11 hours that is just going to work and coming
home. Now that's 11 hours, and I only live in Iowa City and work in Coralville.
So I what I'm trying to say is when I hear their trying to cut service in Manville
Heights I think that there's something that can be done by getting the students out
to West or wherever their, every time I have to talk in front of I get very nervous.
So that's all thank you.
Lehman/Hey thank you.
Ron Logsden/I just wanted to answer one of your questions about the using of the
Oakdale bus, they I just talked to the manager of Cambus last week and they will
honor our passes now so if you have a problem with that let me know OK.
Lehman/Thank you.
Norton/That's nice.
Bob Simpson/I'll try to do this without, can you hear me, can everyone hear me OK?
Kubby/We need you on the mic.
Lehman/We need you on the mic for the recording.
Thornberry/I think if you just push the mic down.
Lehman/There you go.
Bob Simpson/Thank you very much, can everyone hear me now?
Lehman/Yes.
Bob Simpson/Good evening, how are you doing?
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Kubby/Good.
Bob Simpson/I know you've hard a session.
Lehman/Would you state your name first please.
Bob Simpson/Bob Simpson and I'm also a parenthetic chairman of the paratraseats para
transit advisory committee. But I'm not hear tonight to represent any group. I
first of all would like to take my hat off to the people who came up with this plan,
there very difficult indeed anyone whose dealing in any respect with
transportation understands that it's a terrific struggle. The, what I've heard here is
that there is a potential for undeserving people and that's something that no
governance wants to do. The theme I think that we all should bear in mind is
integrated services in transportation and that is something that all of us can work
toward. SEATS has been mentioned that that is one potential. Bionic bus is
another potential, another great potential it seems to me. And what we just heard
on the utilization of the Cambus system once again adds an additional element to
that. I think ladies and gentleman that it's in working together that we'll find
solutions to all of these problems and I certainly commit myself and I think I can
say on behalf of SEATS SEATS pledges itself to work together to bring a really
excellent let's say to improve an excellent transportation structure in Iowa City
and Johnson County. Thank you very much.
Lehman/You know that's a real great note to end on for this evening, the staff are great.
I want to thank you both for being very polite and very courteous understanding,
you know we have a bus system that we're very very proud of we want to keep it
a very good bus system, we want to serve as many people as we possibly can and
I'm sure that Joe you and Mr. Logsden will have some of the questions that were
raised tonight we'd like some answers to as well as the audience. Frankly we
looked at these plans a couple three weeks ago, really felt that until we heard from
you folks tonight and also on the 15th we don't know how these are going to
work. I think our folks who are very very good did their best to give us
something to look at. And that's just what we're doing. And we will continue
that at the public hearing on the 15th so thank you very much for coming and
we're going to take five minutes.
Norton/Ernie before I'd like to ask one question. Could gomebody explain jugt very
briefly what do you mean by a deviated fixed route? I think a lot of people do not
understand that. You can't do it quickly Ron?
Lehman/I would like to see most of these things well go ahead quickly then but I think
we also want more detail at the public hearing.
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Ron Logsden/The deviated fixed route service basically would mean a bus would be on a
fixed route which hasn't been set yet we plan on doing that through survey' s of
passengers find out where the need is and try to meet that need as much as
possible. And I got some of the confusion at this point we don't have a specific
line to show people what street it's going down because we think it's a little
premature to do that at this point but the concept is the bus would run on a fixed
route if someone lived more than three blocks off that fixed route, the bus would
deviate off that route to pick them up, they would have to call in advance or to
drop them off. It would resume back on that fixed route at the point it got off that
route, there would be certain time points along the route that the bus would be at
that point so people could catch it at those points. If they didn't live more than
three blocks off the route if a person with a disability lived less than three blocks
off the route the bus would also deviate off that route for them it would be curb to
curb service it would not be door to door service however but that's that's the
concept. I think the confusing part again is we don't have the lines drawn out yet.
Thornberry/So if someone, so if someone riding the North Dodge Street bus was on
there and they let the driver know that they would they needed the crescent, they
could do that?
Logsden/Yes. They can do that for drop off's obviously if their not on the bus yet they'd
have to call ahead for pick ups.
Lelunan/That's not a proposed deviated route is it?
Logsden/No.
Lehman/Noah Dodge?
Thornberry/Could be. Could be. Could be.
Logsden/It is at evening.
Lehman/It could be OK.
???woman/It could be for evening and Saturday.
Logsden/Yes.
Lehman/Those are the kind of things we need to address the next two weeks.
Norton/We'll hear.
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Thomberry/And I think one other thing we need to address Emie also is what we've
heard from a couple of people, several people and you've mentioned it also in the
past is the free bus.
Lehman/The shuttle.
Thornberry/The shuttle bus.
Lehman/OK.
Thornberry/Should it be free? And whose riding it and for how long and so on.
Norton/We've got a whole packet.
Lehman/We're going to take five minutes.
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ITEM NO. 6. PLANNING AND ZONING MATTERS.
d. Public hearing on a resolution adopting and incorporating the Northeast
District Plan into the Iowa City Comprehensive Plan.
Letu-nan/This is a continuation of a public hearing. Public hearing is open. If you'd like
to speak to this please sign in, state your name and limit your comments to five
minutes or less.
Judy Pfohl/Do you want me to sign in again?
Lehman/Pardon.
Pfohl/Do I sign in again?
Lehman/Just state your name again.
Judy Pfohl/Judy Pfohl, Ty'n Cae neighborhood and our neighborhood associations have
gotten together for quite a long time to go over the planning and looking at the
different districts and as groups we've talked about specific problems in each of
the areas but in general we've talked about it's even more frustrating to have had
plans that as neighborhoods we think are going to be there and then to go in and
have them piece meal taken apart and I think one of the concerns is if we're going
to go ahead with these comprehensive plans and decide about them and accept
them and all the effort that's put into it I think we need to stay to accept it as it is
and keep it and follow it and not start breaking them apart even before their totally
accepted so. Thanks.
Jerry Hansen/My name is Jerry Hansen and I live at 1237 Bums Avenue and I need a
few things clarified I guess. From what I understand of the builders association
letters that have been given to you that they ask that the association participate
after the process has already gone through. Am I correct on that?
Lehman/I think that.
Kubby/That's where they indicated.
Lehman/There have been process questions.
Hansen/OK, well I I definitely encourage them to participate in the process, but in the
process, not after the process. I think that would be disruptive rather than helpful.
In fact I would encourage all the builders of the you know the community here get
in touch with the neighborhood associations that their building you know within
the bounds of. And talk to us, I think the things that could get talked about early
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#6 Page 26
would be you know much better off than trying to fight each other later about
things. You know I don't see the problem in that. I would like to see this plan put
ttuTough as is. Not because I want to exclude anybody from making comments
afterward but because they were offered the opportunity on the front end and
chose not to participate. So I'd like to see this plan put through.
Thomberry/Mr. Hansen I attended a meeting with the home builders and staff as did Mr.
Letunan and Mr. O'Donnell and we let them know that exactly that that they
should have been involved in the process early on and they were either too busy
or didn't want to or for whatever reason they didn't and we said exactly that to
them that they should have been involved early on. Coming in at this late date is
not appropriate.
Hanserr Well I thank you for that, I.
Lehman/Well I think it's also important to note that even though that may not be
appropriate would be just as inappropriate for us not to at sometime prior to the
passing of this plan take into the account the concerns that anybody has whether it
be neighbors or the home builders or the folks in the Ty'n Cae Neighborhood
where it's clear across town. This is something that's going to be around for a
long long time and for us not to listen to the concerns of everybody would be
(can't hear).
Thornberry/Or anybody.
Champion/We are going to discuss endurance and how staff (can't hear) in our work
session before we pass this, there will be some discussion.
Lehman/It will be on the 14th.
Champion/On the 14th of June.
Thornberry/And your welcome to attend the work session when we discuss it too.
Hansen/OK.
Norton/There's one other interesting comment Jerry, interesting point some of these they
group wants to speak as a group, let's say the home builders association wants to
speak as a group and therefore it's easier to react to a proposal of coherent total
package than it is to make your input at the little workshops around the table
along you know as parallel to all the other citizens so there's some conflict there I
guess cause maybe they wanted to look at the whole package and then comment
on it but that's why they came later.
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Hansen/The logic would follow then that the association should do the same thing.
Norton/I agree with there that's exactly fight.
Hansen/Yet we're held to the little workshop groups.
Kubby/But it can work both ways.
Norton/(can't hear).
Kubby/Beautifully, the individuals can react and give input on the front end and
organizations can respond to the.
Norton/That's fight.
Kubby/Finished project in that unified voice and so it can be very helpful I think.
Norton/Indeed.
Hansen/Well I think regardless of what happens in this issue the fact that everyone is
going to be involved we're all going to be better for it so.
Lehman/I think that's exactly right.
Thornberry/We're not going back to the drawing board on this thing but we are going to
look at it very carefully and spend quite some time on it and I'm not sure if I agree
with the way it stands right now without some definite changes. Now what size
those changes are I'm not sure but I'm not satisfied with it at this point.
Hansen/Thank you.
Lehman/Thank you.
Larry Schnittjer/I'm Larry Schnittjer from MMS Consultants. I was going to wait until
your next meeting to discuss this but these past two commenters brought together
a point in mind that I think there's really been the real concem that we have as
designers, developers, whatever and that is the point perceives this plan as almost
cast in stone with some flexibility. And I think it's got too much detail to have
that kind of a feeling toward it, there's too much of it that has some significant
problems.
Lehman/Larry, at this point I think it's probably important how the council feels about
the flexibility.
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Schnittjer/Yea, but.
Lehman/Than it is the public's.
Schnittjer/When we come before the Planning & Zoning Commission and council with a
development that significantly is different than the plan we've got to fight to go
all the way from city staff on through the public input.
Lehman/I think that's a question that we're going to be addressing to on the 14th.
Schnittjer/OK.
Dennis Spencer/Good evening my name is Dennis Spencer, I'm President of Home
Builders Association this year as I've stated a couple times up here before. I had
just an observation I guess I used to work with an investor several years ago that
had an observation that is a pen approaches paper the level of activity increases
and I'd like to just alter that as a paper approaches you folks the level of activity
increases at least with our association and certainly with your city staff and thank
you for giving us the opportunity to do that with this particular issue. The Home
Builders Association appreciates the efforts of the Planning staff and hopes to
continue that relationship that we have with them. We also hope to be involved in
future planning efforts and hope that we might be able to resolve a few concerns
prior to the adoption of this plan. We would like to request a session with staff
and perhaps with you folks that to address some of the following issues that we've
kind of boiled down to. First of all before I get to those issues I'd just like to say
that regarding there was one paragraph in our letter that we sent to you and city
staff that had a statement in it that was probably the way we intended it was not
the way it was sounded when it read back. And that was regarding the language
of our letter which referred to an unspoken agreement, we really meant kind of the
way things have operated not necessarily an unspoken agreement. When I got the
reply from city staff it hit me fight in the head, I thought wow how did we put that
in there? But so we certainly didn't intend to imply that's there anything under
the table that were, we have any unspoken agreements we just meant to say that
the way things have generally operated in the past as far as development and we
present our developments to you or the developers do and you know there's kind
of things that we know that we're responsible for that kind of thing. So I just
wanted to point that out and apologize for that statement basically, that wasn't,
that certainly read differently than it was intended I assure you. I think further
more the city planners need to recognize the importance of the important role of
lending institutions as we pointed out in our letter. Although a project may appear
on many levels appealing if it has a new and improved elements that make it risky
for a lending institution this could make things difficult. We'd like to see some
language that would kind of address that. If the city decides to mandate new
elements that could be perceived as risky the association asks that the city be a
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partner in the process. The city should accept some of the associated risk and
cost. For example, sharing the cost of land development, maintenance of trails,
open and public spaces. And we'd like to see some of language that outlines that.
The Home Builders Association would encourage once again that you use the
peninsula project as a pilot for this type of thing to basically test the market
acceptability of the new urban design elements that are in the plan. Finally the
council should know that we that when we do come to you know whatever
compromises or solutions the new standards that are proposed any new standards
that are proposed will increase housing costs, that's basic, that's we feel that that's
a given. Affordable housing is an important issue to the Home Builders
Association of Iowa City. An additional development guidelines will increase
housing costs. Thank you very much for your time.
Lehman/Dennis you mentioned that you would like to meet with staff.
Champion/They met with staff.
Lehman/Pardon.
Champion/I thought they had a meeting with staff.
Lehman/Well we had one but that was before the letter (can't hear) and response to our
staff, I guess that is something that you folks can set up Karin. We're amenable,
I'm sure the meeting would be closed. I do think that we need to move along,
we've got the letter, you've gotten response from staff, I'm sure there are certain
things that have been at least partially resolved maybe some of them maybe more
than just partially. I think we also got a very, I thought a very comprehensive
comment from Larry Schnittjer, which also there was a response to and I guess I
would like to see it move along and there are obviously things that were not
answered in those questions and response that you would like to see and I would
like to see those things addressed so that we can move along with this. We would
like to discuss this on the 14th which gives us gosh about a month. I'd really like
to see some dialogue take place before that otherwise I don't not sure what we
have to talk about.
Norton/Well I think you're right Ernie, in other words I'd like to see what kind of
modifications if you wish the council can agree on or not agree on. In other
words what we do with this document because it isn't in final form at this point.
Lehman/Yea, and I think that's going to depend on sorts of things that you would like to
get be for that meeting so I guess I would encourage you and staff to schedule a
meeting and I think let council folks know, there may be some of us who would
like to be there and hear their comments.
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Spencer/Sure, yea, we would be happy to do that and basically the meeting that we
would propose would be simply to iron the rest of the points. We're not intending
to bring up any new issues that kind of thing.
Lehman/No, no, that's fine.
Spencer/Just to kind of clarify some of this stuff.
Lehman/I think it's terribly important, I think it's really important for us that we do this
correctly. It's going to be around for a long long time and I think we want to be
very sure it's correct and I also think that we're going to discuss this in any
comprehensive fashion on the 14th, this is going to require that you meet with our
staff folks sometime in the next week or 10 days so that we can get results of that
meeting and have an opportunity to digest it before the 14th.
Champion/Well I think it's.
Spencer/(Can't hear), I'm sorry.
Champion/I think it's important that you understand that we don't expect the developers
to develop land and not make a profit. But I also would hope that on the other
hand developers would look at what neighborhoods want and be willing to maybe
use their imaginations on how they can fit that into the big picture and still make a
good profit. But I don't understand what makes a development profit and what
doesn't, I'm not a contractor, I can't, I can hardly pound a nail in the wall, I can
do a picture hook OK. So I don't have any understanding of that concept.
Spencer/I'm not sure that that's required for understanding (can't hear).
Champion/OK, maybe I don't have to understand (can't hear).
Lehman/We'll set a meeting.
Champion/You know it really will be an interesting process I think.
SpenceffYes.
O'Donnell/But there are specific differences between the Home Builders and the
planning such as alleys, garages and are you planning to respond to our planning
department's letter, their latest letter?
Spencer/Well I think their letter is a response to us so do we respond back to them? I
think that's what the meeting is kind of for.
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Lehman/Sit down and talk about it.
Spencer/Yea, let's sit down and talk about it,
Norton/Discuss it.
Spencer/Discuss it. I think one thing I would point out the first ladies comment when
she came up here very, that says it all as far as our concerns about it because if
you adopt this that's going to be the perception of the neighborhood. And that's
going to be the perception of the people that buy into that. And that's exactly
what we're saying, that
Thornberry/Yea.
Spencer/You know that they should be able to rely on that and if that doesn't work at this
point this is the time to address it.
Norton/But that also means that if it's totally open ended nobody knows what' s wanted.
Kubby/That's right.
Lehman/It won't be that.
Norton/There must be some guidance or it's no good to anybody, in fact you guys will
be the first to say that, we don't know what you want, we're trying to say well
here's what we want, try to live with it, but I think we need to be reasonable in
those requests but I think it ought to be reasonably specific.
Spencer/OK.
Kubby/I think the thing that will be most helpful for me and I thought I kind of expected
that in our letter was specific language changes. I know that you've sighted pages
and had conceptual concepts but if if there can be specific language changes that
we could look at before the 14th so we could talk about them on the 14th, and not
just the home builders. But the neighborhood associations, the general public
people who participated in the whole process and anyone else who wants to jump
in. Specific language changes is the most constructive for me cause then I can say
I like this or I don't like this or.
Spence~ Sure.
Lehman/I think that's a really good point Karen.
Champion/That is.
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Spencer/Yea.
Lehman/We can talk forever philosophically it's specific that we're really talking about.
Kubby/Yea. Strike these sentences, add these.
Lehman/I think we're going to get down to that.
Spencer/It feels like we're getting down to that so.
Thornberry/What Mike said too was there is some specific things that and I don't know
if these are substantive changes that needs to even go back to P & Z when we
when we say gee maybe alley's aren't appropriate, is that a substantive change?
Norton/That's a big change.
Thornberry/That would have to go back to P & Z? I don't know.
Lehman/Well let's see what (can't hear).
Spencer/I think city staff addressed some of that language too.
Norton/(can't hear) on that point.
Lehman/OK.
Thornberry/Who makes the determination of whether it's substantive change?
Kubby/The lawyers.
(All laughing).
Norton/We do.
O'Donnell/We want to avoid that. Yea we do.
Ruth Baker/Hi my name's Ruth Baker and I live at 5 15 W. Benton Street and I just want
to support the neighborhood associations comments that there has been a lot of
work done in this and that I certainly hope and I think I'm hearing that I just want
to reconfirm this from the council that the planning department and the people
from MMS and Home Builders Association intend to meet and discuss the
specifics but then I would hope that there would be some input allowed from the
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neighborhood association and the people who worked so hard on this plan that
their views will certainly be reconsidered in this issue.
Thornberry/You bet.
Kubby/That's why it's important for that meeting to take place soon so that the
comments, hopefully specific language changes suggested by anyone will become
public record so people could speak to us at the next meeting cause I assume
we're going to continue the public heating because there may be language
changes that everyone has access to those changes so everyone can comment on
them.
Baker/Good, that's what I wanted to make certain. Thank you.
Kubby/Well just cause I said it doesn't mean it happens.
Lehman/Oh no.
Kubby/I'm hoping with you that that will happen, I wish that were the case.
Vanderhoef/And I have concems with us having our meeting on the 14th and then how
to get that out for the 15th.
Lehman/If we don't get through on the 15th we go to the next meeting. It's got to be do
it right.
Thornberry/It's gotta be done fight.
Lehman/So if we don't get through, we don't get through.
Vanderhoef/And that's what I needed to hear except these people needed to hear that
said.
Lehman/I don't think there's anything that says it has to be done in a week or two weeks
or a month or six weeks, we just have to do it tight.
Kubby/But we do have to not say.
Champion/Have a timeline.
Kubby/Yea, at some point I'm going to be trying to garner support for us to have some
closure.
Norton/I think that's right.
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O'Donnell/I want people comfortable with this plan. That includes the builders, the
neighborhood associations and we all are working together and I think we need
some continuity here but I want a comfort level.
Norton/Yea, that's an outcome devout me to be wished but it can't be guaranteed
somebody may be a little disappointed.
Thomberry/Well we should push for that.
Norton/Yea.
Lehman/We don't have a certain level discomfort by everybody it's not a very good
plan. That's called compromise.
Norton/There you go.
Lehman/Anyone else?
Champion/One big happy family.
Jim Spratt/Now we know why he's the mayor.
Lehman/I apologize.
Jim Spratt/That last remark. The Alpha and the Omega from either end of the podium
set the stage for it. I'm Jim Spratt, by the way and the I'd like to commend the
Mr. pronunciation is Schnittjer.
Thornberry/Schnittjer.
Jim Spratt/And also the Home Builders Association through Mr. Spencer for putting
some specifics before you and before the planning staff in terms of those letters.
And again I'm sorry some of that discussion didn't happen earlier on I'm glad Mr.
Spencer mentioned that he's sorry it didn't at least get in at the P & Z level and
I'm quite sure that anyone of us who comes up here to speak to you no matter
how briefly would like to be able to tell you that we have 338 behind us as clout
so pay attention and I can't say that, it's just me. But that didn't mean that the
association couldn't have reacted to this way back when and I don't have the
latest version but I had a feeling for it at the time this was going on and your right
if it's laid down totally rigidly and I think the concern rightfully so the builders is
the lady who spoke early on in this public hearing this evening would like it really
set but then.
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(End of 99-60 Side 1 )
Jim Spratt/That are honoring Mr. Spencer's conclusion of his final solution in his letter.
If the city adopts this detailed plan after holding a public hearing and a developer
subsequently proposes a development that matches the plan there should be
requirement for further delay' s or hearings, adoption of such a detailed plan
should serve as a "pre approval for any development that is consistent with the
plan". You can't do it, don't you dare do it.
Kubby/It's a state law though.
Spratt/Having a special election for seven new people.
Champion/What is about that?
Spratt/
I won't do you that favor Connie. And I'm sure that he realizes that that was a bit
of rhetoric. You can't have it that rigidly set, but something in between. And hats
off to the planning department for their comment in the response that they were
willing to add the sentence "although the design concepts described our preferred
conventional subdivision design which needs the planning principles, meets the
planning principles expressed in this plan will be considered acceptable." If
somebody from Orlando says he doesn't want to be able to see a garage that he
hasn't shoveled snow as we all have for many decades that should be realized and
any of you who heard the business of NPR how the air conditioning got to west
masses it was the movie theaters who couldn't close the doors to keep out the
noise so they had to have air conditioning or go out of business for 3 or 4 months
of the year and once they had air conditioning we all scraped our penny's and
nickels together to get down to the movies then we wanted to have some of that
too and eventually it came to the masses, us. And now that we have air
conditioning we don't need those lovely porches as much as we needed them
before, they may be aesthetically pleasing but then is it that pleasing to the
pocketbook vs. having the garage that you can drive into as was mentioned here
though the mother coming from HyVee with her kids and coming through the
snow and wants to go right into the house. All of these things are playing into
this, and consequently it's good to hear that people are talking because other wise
it's going to give attomey's an awful lot of business and a lot of headlines and
you don't need it. Thanks.
Lehman/Thank you.
Thornberry/To be fair I don't think the plan calls for exclusively having garages that are
not attached to the houses.
Spratt/No, no, no, that' s my point, I didn't see the rigidity of the plan.
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Thornberry/Right.
Spratt/That the builders are seeing. Maybe their seeing a later version or maybe subrosa
some messages are being passed back and forth between the builders and the
planners which somehow you have to bring to the surface and let's deal with it
folks and if they are there let's talk about them.
Thornberry/I think the concept of this plan is exemplar, I think it's just great, I like the, I
like the concept of the plan, not that there isn't some tweaking necessary but I
like the tweak. Yea so that's what the 14th is for, but I think it's all in all, overall
I think it's a nice looking good looking.
Dianne Kaufman/My name is Dianne Kaufman. I attended all those meetings, I may
have missed one the ones that the citizens went to and the home builders didn't'
make it to. And they were the best citizen participation meeting that I've ever
been to. I was just proud to be a citizen, people brought their best creative intense
thinking. These, everybody cared about the outcome, spent hours and I don't
know if the people who did the most work ever made it to city council, Bennett
Brown, did he ever do his presentation here? He did OK good. Dave
Forkenbrack, people who did stellar thinking about this issue and came up with
solutions to difficult problems that a room full of people who really all kind of
different kind of agenda's came to some real common agreements about. And the
biggest issues that came out in that meeting were our concerns about First
Avenue. Most of the homeowners will flat accept all of this except one, there
were 13 groups initially who met within this little subgroup, or the larger group.
Only one group agreed that First Avenue agreed that First Avenue should be
extended, the rest of the people there were absolutely opposed to it for a multitude
of reasons, and I'm not sure that that message got brought forth to you folks
because I know the city staff was in favor of extending First Avenue and they
their plan varied from the citizen plan so there was a citizen plan which was a
citizen plan and there's a city staff plan and the main parts that were different were
the extension of First Avenue, citizen's big NO on that one. And also how
Hickory Hill was going to be treated. It was a big concern of people at the
meetings that the vista's on Hickory Hill be preserved, meaning that the building
that goes on does not violate the sort of clear view in the one part of the park that
still exists, and I just wanted to reiterate those two points in case they hadn't been
brought to you because that was the heart of the citizen's concerns among a mear
of another. But the planning of how the housing in the neighborhood
construction's I think that was something that we were interested in and the city
staff took and ran with and had some great ideas but I really hope you hear those
two pieces as part of your further discussions. The other point I would like to
make as I thought about as we had this discussion about development. And
building homes, and living in neighborhoods that will be here, I live in a
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#6 Page 37
neighborhood that's on the first page of the first plat book so it's this
neighborhood has been platted 150 years ago so you know we live with these
decisions and I know your thinking about that, we're going to be living with the
decision in this part of town for a long long time so I'm glad your taking the time
to consider it carefully and to think about it. But our home building process is
we're like building for the past, we how much are we thinking about energy
efficiency, will we even have gasoline in 30 years? Will we have electricity in the
same way that we do 50 years from now? Are we building houses for the future
so that our children can essentially use them the way we're using the houses that
were built by our grandparents? And I'm not hearing that kind of thought enter
into discussion and maybe it's time to have you know to invite the homeowners to
meet with the rest of us folks and to have a real discussion about the future
development of the city at that level of the kind of houses that need to get built,
the kind of community that' s going to actually be sustainable truly when if all the
scientists are wrong you know, maybe we won't have this problem but even if
their tight to some degree it's going to be an issue. Availability of gas, oil, natural
gas, even water. So I would hope that you would take this point and say let's get
these builders to talk to the rest of the people, the developers to make it to a
meeting with the citizens, maybe you can start, maybe you all could have a
conference, the future, the future of building in Iowa City and the real future and
not just you know pretending like it's going to be the same way forever, cause it's
not. So that's my two bits on this. Thank you.
Lehman/Thank you.
Kevin Hochstedler/Hi, my name's Kevin Hochstedler and I'm a member of the board of
directors for the Home Builder's Association and first of all I'd like to apologize
for not being involved in the meetings, the Southeast District Plan passed and we
didn't even realize anything really happened. And it wasn't until some issues
were raised in the Northeast Plan and we appreciate as home builders that you are
listening to our concerns. Ernie raised some very real issues here, the decisions
that you as a council make will affect that area for the next 10 years and how that
develops so we appreciate you listening to our issues here. Thank you.
Lehman/Thank you. There isn't further discussion I would entertain a motion to
continue the heating to the 15th of June.
Thomberry/So moved.
Kubby/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Thornberry, seconded by Kubby. All in favor.
Karr/Can we have a motion to.
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Lehman/The hearing will be continued to, I think there's an important point about and
we heard several people discuss the input or the process. It's terribly terribly
important ifI decide to build a house that I talk to a carpenter and not just my
neighbor, and I think it's really important that neighbors have the input with the
staff and with the builders so that there are problems that each of those folks see
the other folks don't see. And it's during that process of decision that the
neighbors talked about that they needed the input from the developers, from the
builders, from the property owners to say yea this really won't work but this will.
And we're going to get that done, I mean it's a little longer process that would
have been much more helpful both for the neighbors I think and for the staffif we
all had been together, and I think we all are and I think we're going to get there.
It's just going to take us a little longer.
Kubby/Well we have seven more district plans right, we can practice this (can't hear) it
takes practice to change this kind of input from back end loaded to front end
loaded and it.
Lehman/Your fight and we're going to be doing, your right.
Kubby/We've got some time.
O'Donnell/But you know an interesting question was brought up about efficiency and
heating specifications and is it more expensive to heat the two story house than it
is a single story house? I mean I think it would be wonderful to return to the
golden days of (can't hear) with front porches and rear alley's and detached
garages but I think we've built away from that because a single story is more
practical. I think the builders, I just think we have to get the builders included in
this, I mean it's where the money's invested.
Thornberry/I'm wondering, I'm wondering, I'm wondering how the Southeast District
Plan might have evolved any differently had the homeowners been involved in
that, it would have been interesting to see how they would have come up with any
changes on the Southeast District Plan before it was done. But they now are
involved in the Northeast District Plan and like Karen said there are many more to
go and I'm sure that they will be involved a lot of sooner.
Lehman/You can bet on it.
Thornberry/In the future.
Kubby/I can move that we accept.
Schnittjer/May I address that one?
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Thornberry/Yea.
Schnittjer/The South District Plan does not show nearly the detail that the Noaheast area
does, it does not show street patterns and development concepts, and I'm more
comfortable with that because it gives a lot more flexibility in what may or may
not work in that area.
Lehman/Probably far less input from the neighborhood as well I would assume.
Kubby/I (can't hear) no. a lot of people.
Schnittjer/Yea, they didn't have the sensitivity that this area has.
Lehman/Right, I think that' s right.
Schnittjer/There was a lot of discussion with the Southeast area neighborhood and I've
been to follow-up meetings with that and they still have some concerns about
where this plan is going but.
Thornberry/So basically what your saying, you looked at the Southeast District Plan and
it's finality and said stop (can't hear) and that's probably what, I don't want to put
words in your mouth but that's probably why you weren't involved early on in the
Northeast District Plan is that correct?
man in audience/(can't hear).
Thornberry/OK.
Norton/You got a different topography and so it's very different you know context,
somewhat more complicated in the Northeast.
Thornberry/Well like he said there's it's a lot more detailed than the Southeast District
Plan.
Kubby/I'd like to move that we accept correspondence on the second.
Vanderhoef/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Kubby, seconded by Vanderhoef to accept correspondence. All in
favor. Motion passes for correspondence to be received.
Vanderhoef/You missed it, it as all right.
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Lehman/OK, never mind.
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ITEM 6h. CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CITY CODE
SUBSECTIONS 14-5H, SITE PLAN REVIEW, AND 14-68,
PERFORMANCE STANDARDS, REGARDING LIGHTING STANDARDS.
(SECOND CONSIDERATION)
Thomberry/I move that the rule requiring that ordinances must be considered and voted
on for passage of two council meetings prior to the meeting at which it's to be
finally passed be suspended. That the second consideration be and both be
waived and that the ordinance be voted on for final passage.
Vanderhoef/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Thornberry, seconded by Vanderhoef. Discussion.
Kubby/Why are we collapsing this?
Thornberry/For the.
Kubby/The lighting.
Thornberry/The lighting for the.
Kubby/Why are we collapsing it?
man/(can't hear).
Thomberry/To put into, before anything else gets done Karen that you've been had a
problem with as far as lighting is concerned and far as getting the light off of
property etc. etc. and there's another one coming up shortly.
Kubby/What's that?
Thornberry/The one for the schools. That will I think want to be put under the city
ordinance.
Kubby/What are you talking about?
Norton/Oh, I don't think so.
Champion/That's a long discussion, I wouldn't (can't hear) tonight, good heavens.
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Norton/Oh no, I don't think so. I don't, this is strictly concemed with commercial and
residential and multifamily, I don't think it's concerned with recreational
especially (can't hear) matters are they not? Lighting and those situations.
Thornberry/We can talk about it.
Norton/Yea we can but I mean I don't think their going to come under this ordinance I
don't know what the pressure to move this one along. I don't know whether
(can't hear).
Dilkes/That wouldn't, this ordinance wouldn't apply to.
Champion/No way.
Thornberry/To the schools at this time.
Vanderhoef/No not for the schools.
O'Donnell/But this has been brought up and seconded.
Norton/Yep.
Kubby/This is discussion so I'm asking a question.
Lehman/That's right, whether or not we want to expedite this.
Kubby/It's discussion.
Vanderhoef/For me it's in the building season and I think at this point in time with
anything that it coming into our planning department right now I'd like any new
plans be put under this ordinance so.
Lehman/And this would take effect 30 days after we pass it is that correct?
Dilkes/No, upon publication.
Kubby/Oh, about 10 days.
Lehman/Oh 10 days other words if we were to pass it tonight it (can't hear) 10 days
(can't hear).
Norton/Ernie is this if we're going to amend this to include the word horizontal as I kind
of hoped.
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Lehman/I thought we decided last night that we were not going to (can't hear).
Champion/It's not important.
Lehman/Industry standards.
Thornberry/That's correct.
Kubby/That would be the next discussion.
Thornberry/And that is horizontal or yea it is horizontal.
Vanderhoef/Yea.
Thornberry/Industry standard is horizontal isn't it?
Norton/No.
Lehman/Well the question is is there more discussion as to whether or not we should
expedite this?
O'Donnell/Yep.
Lehman/Roll call. Motion fails. Is there a motion for second consideration?
Norton/I don't see any reason to move forward.
Thornberry/Oh, I move that the ordinance be finally adopted as.
Lehman/No.
Kubby/Second.
Thongberry/Yea I do.
Lehman/Second consideration.
Kubby/You have to have.
Lehman/The expedited, the expedited failed.
Thornberry/I move that the ordinance be given second consideration.
Kubby/Second.
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Lehman/Moved by Thornberry,
Vanderhoef/It failed?
Lehman/Seconded by Kubby. Discussion. Roll call.
Kubby/Well wait, Dee did you find out anything? You have to have six votes to
expedite. Is that what your question?
Lehman/Right.
Norton/Yea, yea. Did we find anything about the you don't think the word horizontal is,
I want to make sure we don't need the word horizontal, you think industry
standard is well enough understood that the meter doesn't have to be held at a
certain plain.
Karin Franklin/As far as we're concerned we don't need the word horizontal.
Norton/As far as I'm concerned I'd prefer to have it in there but I'll defer.
Franklin/That's your choice.
Kubby/Did you find out, you were going to do.
Norton/My investigations suggested that it does indeed make a big difference if you
handle it vertically but then it would depend on you orient the meter and so you
would get into further complications depending on how you rotate the meter so.
Thornberry/I think that's what we were given last night.
Norton/My friends in business say well after all the eye is vertical and that's what it
seems, and I'm assured that the ordinance because it says no direct light, in other
words the ordinance is very specific in calling out that you can't have direct light
on you know falling on the, no light show, what does it say in so many words, let
me be clear, "that no direct light fall beyond the property line" so that's pretty
clear and I think that one really says it so I'm not going to worry about the
horizontal I think the ordinance will take care of it.
Thornberry/Thank you.
Norton/Especially if we get into trouble I'll say I told you so.
Lehman/All right.
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Thomberry/We will be waving.
Lehman/Roll call.
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ITEM NO. 7. AMENDMENTS TO THE FY99 OPERATING BUDGET.
(1). Public hearing.
Lehman/Public hearing is open. Don if you would explain in ten words or less, briefly
what we're doing, I realize this is a perfunct sort of thing required by state law but
I do think the public is entitled to know what we're doing.
Don Yucuis/Well I think that's that summarizes it right there, we're required to do this
and we're required to have budget authority to spend what we want to spend, if
we don't have the budget authority and the budget is contested we have to present
our case to the state so what we do is if on page one of the big blue document
right here it we have to make sure that all of our expenses based on the
expenditure categories of community protection, human development, home and
community environment policy and administration our actual expenses are within
budget in those categories and what this document does is detail's everything that
we've done as far as amendments go. And it is required, that's not 10 words or
less but it is required by the state.
Lehman/Thank you. All fight. Other discussion. Public hearing is closed.
Thomberry/Moved adoption of resolution.
Norton/Seconded.
Lehman/Moved by Thomberry, seconded by Norton. Any discussion council.
Vanderhoef/It's just a note that is written right here in the plan that I think everybody
should realize that even when we make these adjustments there are no new tax
levies put out to the citizens, isn't changing your tax bill.
Lehman/That's true.
Kubby/Yea.
Lehman/Roll call. Motion carries.
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ITEM NO. 8. PLANS, SPECIFICATIONS, FORM OF CONTRACT AND
ESTIMATE OF COST FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF CONCESSION/
RESTROOM BUILDINGS AT THE IOWA CITY KICKERS SOCCER
PARK, ESTABLISHING AMOUNT OF BID SECURITY TO
ACCOMPANY EACH BID, DIRECTING CITY CLERK TO PUBLISH
ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS, AND FIXING TIME AND PLACE FOR
RECEIPT OF BIDS.
Lehman/This is an estimated cost of $350,000 with the Kickers contributing $160,000
toward the funding of this project. Public hearing is open. Public hearing is
closed.
Thornberry/Move adoption of the resolution.
O'Dmmell/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Thornberry, seconded by O'Donnell. Discussion. Roll call.
Norton/Before we leave this, will the completion of these will we then be in a position to
start hosting some.
Kubby/Toumaments.
Norton/Outside groups now, I trust that will be the.
Lehman/I don't.
Thornberry/I don't think so.
Lehman/I don't know.
Thornberry/I think they said that this was the this was the they needed concession before
they could do that.
Norton/In keeping that this is really a big asset to the community in terms of being able
to host a popular soccer tournaments and things like that maybe the road paving
will be next, or surfacing but this will certainly a key step.
Lehman/Well and the Kickers have really provided a tremendous a lot of funding for the
total project.
Thornberry/You bet they have.
Norton/OK.
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Vanderhoef/It is this is a wonderful public private partnership in all the best forms.
Thornberry/I think the.
Vanderhoef/I appreciate.
Lehman/They fund it, we own it.
Thornberry/I think the key Dee.
Vanderhoef/We helped fund it. It isn't totally free to the city.
Thornberry/I think the key Dee on hosting any tournaments was the availability of
restrooms.
Norton/Yea.
Vanderhoef/That and getting the grass in good enough condition to withstand the use, the
hard use that a tournament.
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ITEM
9. PLANS, SPECIFICATIONS, FORM OF CONTRACT, AND ESTIMATE
OF COST FOR CONSTRUCTION OF THE IOWA CITY CIVIC CENTER
THIRD FLOOR ADDITION AND FIRST FLOOR RENOVATIONS
PROJECT, ESTABLISHING AMOUNT OF BID SECURITY TO
ACCOMPANY EACH BID, DIRECTING CITY CLERK TO PUBLISH
ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS, AND FIXING TIME AND PLACE FOR
RECEIPT OF BIDS.
Lehman/Public hearing is open. This is an estimated cost of $1,390,000. Public hearing
is closed.
Norton/Move adoption of resolution.
Thomberry/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Norton, seconded by Thornberry. Discussion.
Thornberry/This is going to bring into the Civic Center some areas of the city that are
currently be leased in other parts of town. And I think they should all be in one
roof, under one roof, or a one-stop shop.
Lehman/I also believe that part of this is funded by HUD, certain portions of that will be
used for the Iowa City Housing Authority. This is also a scaled down version of a
bid we received earlier, or a scaled down project of a bid we received earlier that
we felt was too expensive.
Vanderhoef/And this is a project that that I wished we were going ahead with the other
part that we were completing the space that we already have in this building rather
than building more space and leaving the other unfinished so.
Lehman/But the other space is Police Department space and this is office space.
Vanderhoef/I understand that.
Lehman/That we need for folks who.
Vanderhoef/Yea, I understand that.
Lehman/Roll call.
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ITEM NO. 10. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING A 28E
AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF IOWA CITY, IOWA, THE
EAST CENTRAL IOWA COUNCIL ON GOVERNMENTS, AND THE
IOWA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION REGARDING A
MEMORANDUM OF EQUIPMENT TRANSFER FOR PARATRANSIT
VEHICLES.
Norton/Move adoption of the resolution.
O'Donnell/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Norton, seconded by O'Donnell. Discussion.
Kubby/At first I had some real reservations about this, about why would we want this
financial responsibility to replace these vehicles when they need to be replaced
and why not lease these vehicles from Johnson County if we need them for the
deviated route and the answer is because the funding for these vehicles come from
a pot of money that is for rural transportation it would not allow us to lease the
vehicles for urban transportation where their not needed by the SEATS program.
They have more vehicles, they have the number of vehicles they need for peak
time service but when we would need them for the deviated routes would be not at
their peak time service and those vehicles are just sitting there so it's a good
efficient use of those vehicles and the only way to do it is if the city owns them
and then leases them back to the county, seems very convoluted but it's the only
way we can get to that point of efficiency if sharing those vehicles instead of
having them sitting there idle so to speak.
Lehman/Dee you were involved in this from day 1 so if you have any comments for
council please?
Vanderhoef/Right. Well this it's at the federal level for the monies and because we have
a transit system we do not qualify for the same bidding process that the county has
and in the ECICOG which is our seven county regional planning area they choose
not to try and bid things for a transit city versus their county which they were set
up to do and it was creating considerable problem because Cedar Rapids is doing
their own bidding and bidding in the city part of the federal funding not in the
rural part and we have to do the same so it worked out really well for us we have
our own procurement department here so we will be buying our own vehicles as
they are replaced along with the federal guidelines.
Norton/Now will we have federal assistance when we come to have to replace because
I've noticed some of these vehicles are fairly well along.
Vanderhoef/Yes we will.
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Norton/Like me.
Vanderhoef/However we have to bid it under the city portion of the federal monies
instead of under the rural.
Norton/But we will take that responsibility of replacement?
Vanderhoef/We take that responsibility (can't hear).
Kubby/But we're going to get it either way, either we do it on the front end and lease it
back to the county with those monies involved or the county does it and the city
gets (can't hear) costs past through the lease.
Vanderhoef/The county can't do it Karen because we have a.
Kubby/Right.
Vanderhoef/A city so there isn't any choice on it, we have to do.
Kubby/Right, I understand that.
Vanderhoef/From the city part.
Kubby/But I'm saying in terms of the overall dollars it's all going to wash out.
Champion/Right.
Kubby/Hopefully.
Vanderhoef/The thing that is different though is that we now because the city is bidding
on it we will be competing with other cities for those monies, we won't be
competing with counties for those monies.
Kubby/Yea.
Norton/Yea.
Vanderhoef/So.
Letwnan/Ifthere's no question about it let's do roll call and see how many.
Champion/Yea, fight, let's just.
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O'Donnell/Let's just do it.
Lehman/Roll call.
Norton/You h~ow we're just trying to understand.
Kubby/I thimk it's important to talk about it because there's always seemingly some
changes or some discussion about SEATS and people who ride SEATS get very
nervous about it and so I think it's important to explain what it is that we're doing
when they hear SEATS with the city they get nervous and I.
O'Donnell/Well they shouldn't.
Vanderhoef/And this is the law.
Kubby/And in this case I don't think they should be.
Vanderhoef/This is just the law that requires us to do it this way.
Lehman/Roll call. Item passes.
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ITEM 12. CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE REPEALING SECTION 1-9-2 OF THE
CITY CODE ENTITLED "LIMITATION ON CAMPAIGN
CONTRIBUTIONS." (SECOND CONSIDERATION)
Karr/Staff requests expedited action.
Lehman/OK.
Thornberry/Who does?
Lehman/Staff wants expedited action.
Vanderhoef/I move that the rule requiring the ordinances must be considered and voted
on for passage at two council meetings prior to the meeting at which it is to be
finally passed be suspended that the second consideration and vote waived and
that the ordinance be voted on for final passage at this time.
Norton/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Vanderhoef, seconded by Norton. Discussion.
Kubby/And I assume this is being requested because people might be getting campaigns
together and begin raising money so it needs to happen soon.
Norton/You ought to know.
Lehman/Roll call. Motion carries.
Vanderhoef/I move that the ordinance be finally adopted at this time.
Norton/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Vanderhoef, seconded by Norton. Discussion. I think we all kind of
indicated last time that we're not especially enthused with this but it is a matter of
law and we are inclined to go along with it.
Kubby/Right, and that we hope to be able to find some defensible way to create some
limits and when those criteria are outlined through court decisions that we'll be
asking the city attorney to bring something to us.
Lehman/Roll call. Motion carries.
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ITEM NO. 14. CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE AMENDING TITLE 3, "CITY
FINANCES, TAXATION AND FEES," CHAPTER 4, "SCHEDULE OF
FEES, RATES, CHARGES, BONDS, FINES AND PENALTIES" OF THE
CITY CODE, TO INCREASE WATER SERVICE CHARGES AND FEES
IN IOWA CITY, IOWA. (SECOND CONSIDERATION)
Lehman/This is second consideration and is for an increase of water rates by 15 percent
effective on or after August 1.
Vanderhoef/Move second consideration.
Lehman/Moved by Vanderhoef.
Norton/Second.
Lehman/Seconded by Norton. Discussion. These are rates that have been frankly in the
mill for a long time, these are not unplanned or sudden or just I mean these have
been planned by this council and previous councils. Roll call.
Champion/They weren't planned by this council.
Lehman/We did last year. Although last year was pretty was much smaller.
Champion/Right.
Lehman/But it was also in accordance with a larger plan that had been in effect for a
while.
Champion/Well I'm not going to support it.
Lehman/Roll call. Motion carries.
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ITEM NO. 16. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION APPROVING DISTRIBUTION OF
THE "PROGRAM FOR IMPROVING NEIGHBORHOODS" (PIN)
GRANT FUNDS.
Lehman/This is a amount of $25,000 we've received a recommendation do we have a
motion?
Thornberry/Move adoption of resolution.
Kubby/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Thornberry, seconded by Kubby. Discussion.
Kubby/Thank you for waiting so we could see your (can't hear).
Judy Pfohl/Hello I'm Judy Pfohl. On behalf of the neighborhood council of Iowa City
I'd like to thank you for the opportunity for all of us to speak here tonight we're
pleased to present the information about our grants. The NCIC neighborhood
council is composed of members from different neighborhoods and meet monthly
to discuss common issues and ideas. The PIN grants that have been awarded by
the city previously have been $25,000 per year for neighborhood improvement
projects. The grant process that we handle is the neighborhood comes up with an
idea, the ideas are submitted in a grant form, a standard format, then the grants are
reviewed at the NCIC meeting and at a follow-up meeting then we're able to
answer questions and issues that might have been presented in previous meetings.
The grants are then ranked according to the specific criteria which the
neighborhood council has come up with. This year we had more than the $25,000
being requested, in fact we had over $39,000 requested but some neighborhoods
agreed to help cut their requests to ensure funding for everybody. The grants
actually have helped foster this atmosphere of cooperation and sharing within the
different neighborhoods. We're excited to present our wide variety of grants for
the fiscal year of 1999 where the neighborhoods have worked very hard to
prepare. This is the chance now for the council to authorize the resolution
approving the NCIC recommendations, we will each give a short description of
the recommended PIN grants and we're going to be starting with the Wetherby
Park Pavilion, then the West High walkway, the Kiwanis Park wildflowers, the
alley resurfacing, then Benton Street Parkside walk and consulting. Followed by
your chance to authorize our resolution. We'll start with Wetherby Park.
Don Anciaux/OK my name is Don Anciaux Jr. I live at 2119 Russell Drive, the
Wetherby Friends and Neighborhood Association and the Pepperwood
Association is presenting a joint request for $10,000 and the PIN Grant monies
from the city council, city council for the Wetherby Park Pavilion. You guys just
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turn on the lights far enough so I can't see. So I'm going to wing it instead of
reading so. Anyway our process for coming up with this project consisted of a
letter going out to all members of the Grantwood or excuse me we used to be in
the Grantwood, of the Wetherby and the Pepperwood Place neighborhood
association. Twenty-two people showed up for the first meeting, they set basic
goals and objectives for the park, they also went over some expend!tures of funds
through the park department development funds and it was decided that the park
shelter needed a lot of attention and we've had after a first meeting that they set
the goals. They had a second meeting where they presented a conceptual plan and
the conceptual plan is this. It's a pav, renovate the pavilion with a Cupola and
gingerbread to motif to simulate a turn of the century park shelter. Also the
restrooms would be rotated, and the storage area would be rotated, this would
provide a better view of the playground to increase safety of kids when parents are
there watching. This would also improve the restrooms, the water facilities and
the picnic facilities. We are in an area of affordable, we have the Broadway
neighborhood association, Broadway neighborhood apartments, we also have a lot
of apartments in our area, this would facilitate people who live in apartments or
maybe the house is to small to have a group gathering, a family reunion or
something like that. This, our neighborhoods Pepperwood notice I said them first
once and Wetherby would benefit from this and that it would be an attraction to
provide a nice place to come for senior citizens, low income housing, the
accessibility is fine for handicapped and it also would promote the presence of
responsible adults in the parks to oversee things. Wetherby Friends and neighbors
and Pepperwood Place have a track record of although we're the newest
association have a track record of getting things done and we would get this
project done. Thank you.
Champion/It's very nice (can't hear).
Judy Pfohl/Jan Bergman had to leave so I'm going to present the West High Walkway
and I have some handouts for you. OK. The West High Walkway is a
continuation of a grant that we had received last year. Last year we were able to
have a bike and walking trail added onto the Willow creek extension that's going
past the Fareway area connect up through West High School and we were able to
asphalt up through the hill part of it where the main erosion was. This year we
requested to be able to extend and if you look on the drawing, the yellow dotted
line is the area that we wanted to extend the asphalt on instead of having it just be
the rock. The area that's green is the proposed section that the school district,
we're working with them about them extending the sidewalk across that one area.
So it' s sort of a joint project. The, I have some pictures here of the last, if your
interested, otherwise I'll be handing those in before we do the presentation of the
grants that we received last year. We're very excited about the addition of the
trail, this was one of the areas that had requested $5,000 to just go ahead and
finish that whole sidewalk area and in coordination with the other neighborhoods
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did reduce it down to just cover that one section so. And Jan's still going to be
working with the school district to try and get the rest of that sidewalk section
done.
Norton/You don't have a commitment from them yet?
Pfohl/We have a soft commitment that they would like to see it done and their looking at
building funds for it and we also have F.I.R.S.T. has talked with us again about
being able to help us at some point.
Lehman/May I suggest to you that the school is encouraging the city perhaps in the
dimming of some lights located on the east side of town, you might perhaps on
the west side help participate in a trail.
Pfohl/They have been very cooperative on the other pans of it. Thank you. The other
area that is the grant that our neighborhood put in was for the Kiwanis Park
wildflowers, and again this was another grant that we reduced, we had originally
requested more and figured that Kiwanis Park is finally going in that we have
trucks going there, their moving dirt, we're very excited about it, and by the time
they get everything moved around and get the tree.
(End of 99-60 Side 2)
Judy Pfohl/Spring and being able to put them in next spring. And starting off with a
small amount and we'll probably come back with another PIN grant request the
year after to add on to that and hopefully we'll get a good batch of wildflowers
started so people will get excited about the natural area of it too. Those are the
first two grants and then we have alley resurfacing and Benton Street.
Lorraine Bowans/OK, I'm Lorraine Bowans from Longfellow neighborhood. And this is
our second year we've requested the alley resurfacing funds, last year we started
out with $1,250 dollars, and we came within about a dollar of that amount so we
budgeted pretty well. This year we did, or last year we did I believe seven alleys,
great neighborhood participation, we had a block leader, with each alley they
reported to me, we had to have permission from all adjacent property owners.
And everyone was real excited about it, it was a neighborhood project. I already
have three alley's lined up for this year so hopefully we get money. It worked out
very well, the city crews were wonderful to work with, they were very helpful, we
had to delay our second rock because of the storm, everyone was very patient.
And it worked out well so I guess we're just asking for additional funding. We
asked for $1,000 but we cut it back to $700 and we'd kind of like to just keep an
ongoing thing to keep the maintenance of our alley's in good shape. Thank you.
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Ruth Baker/I'm Ruth Baker from the Miller Orchard neighborhood. And you haven't
seen me here before asking for any PIN grant money because we didn't have a
park to put anything into so this is a first for us and we're very appreciative. We
have requested $5,000 of the grant money for a sidewalk from Miller Street to the
entrance of the park and I don't, I'm not sure you need to see this but that would
mean this is the two acres of park land that we're hoping will be acquired.
Lehman/Where will the sidewalks go?
Champion/Yea, where will the sidewalk go?
Baker/And the sidewalk would be from Miller Avenue here to the park.
Lehman/It won't be fight along Benton Street or will it?
Baker/That is what we've been told is the proposal.
Lehman/Right along the street?
Baker/Yea.
Norton/Right along Benton.
O'Donnell/There is a sidewalk from Miller going the other way?
Lehman/Yes.
Norton/Yes.
O'Donnell/So this would just be a continuation of.
Baker/On across Benton you mean?
O'Donnell/Yes.
Baker/Yes.
Norton/No, north, he means east on the same side of the street.
Champion/Can I ask a question?
Lehman/That's fight.
Vanderhoef/On the south side of the street?
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Lehman/There is.
O'Donnell/Yes.
Baked Here.
Vanderhoef/Down below.
Baker/You mean along this strip?
Kubby/No.
Norton/No.
Kubby/Isn't that along Benton Street?
O'Donnell/Along Benton going back toward Riverside.
Lehman/Miller going east.
Vanderhoef/Going east.
Baker/Oh yes yes yes, down here yes. There is and.
O'Donnell/So it's just a continuation.
Baker/This is a continuation but it's just going into the park.
Champion/I just want to ask a question.
Baker/Sure.
Champion/I don't object to your sidewalk (can't hear) but that seems to me that the
sidewalk along Benton Street is really our responsibility and money should be
used for wildflowers or real neighborhood improvements. I mean is that people
who live by parks do they pay for sidewalks that go by the park
man/No.
Champion/With PIN money before, I doubt it.
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Lehman/Connie this doesn't go by the park, it goes to the park and I think that it would
depend we would have to wait until development occurs and then have the
property owner do that and if we have the property either we put the sidewalk in.
Champion/Oh this is not, this is not, this is not on city property then their?
Lehman/No.
Baker/No.
Champion/Oh, I'm sorry OK.
Norton/Won't the sidewalk be on city property you're talking about?
Baker/No.
Lehman/Well (can't hear).
Atkins/The sidewalk will be in the public right of way it fronts private property.
Champion/OK, I'm sorry I thought it was city property.
Norton/But was my question is will the sidewalk be compatible with the eventual
redoing that we're in the whatever future may be of Benton Street?
Atkins/I think the sidewalk will be in the public right of way and it's going to be a long
time before we do Benton Street.
Lehman/A couple years.
Norton/OK.
Lehman/You've got to get (can't hear).
Norton/That far out.
Arkins/And I think if your going to have a park you really really don't have much of a
choice, I think it's wise.
Kubby/It would be a way to get there.
Champion/Oh, I agree I think we need a sidewalk I was just questioning who should pay
for it, but I thought it was going to be on the actually on city property.
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Norton/Well you are fight Connie this is kind of a special situation yea.
Vanderhoef/But we're doing at Wetherby we're doing a park project in doing the shelter.
Champion/Oh well, (can't hear) shelter and and a sidewalk, I'm sorry.
Vanderhoef/But it still improvement to public property is my.
Champion/It's different, a sidewalk is really a necessity.
Norton/Who (can't hear) sidewalk?
O'Donnell/(can't hear).
Champion/Oh yea but it's a you know, you know what I mean.
O'Donnell/I know.
Lehman/I think it's great it's worthless having a park that you can't get to.
Baker/Isn't it OK.
Champion/That's fight.
Baker/And the other pro, the other grant application we have for is the $5,000 for a
consulting fee for park planning which we're looking forward to working with in
doing that planning. I wanted you to know that we also had submitted a request
for park equipment, we were so excited about trying to get in there and do
something that and then we realized that this probably premature and most likely
the funds would not be able to be utilized before the end of the fiscal 2000 year.
Champion/Right.
Baker/Withdrew that application.
Atkins/And Ruth I would remind you that when the time comes the Parks and Recreation
Director always has a lump sum of money in his budget for various.
woman/(can't hear).
Atkins/Trueblood.
Champion/That's his name.
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Baked Yea, OK.
Kubby/Dee does anyone in the neighborhood have Karen Hradek's address? Does
anyone in the neighborhood have Karen's Hradek's address? She was someone
who has worked on the neighborhood association from real early on and moved
away, I think the Madison area.
Atkins/Yes she did.
Kubby/I just think it would be great to send her a postcard saying neighborhood getting a
park, we're going to develop it, we got a sidewalk to it and she would be very
pleased.
Baked OK, there's probably some people there that have been much longer than I even
have.
Kubby/HRADEK.
Vanderhoef/I think maybe Terry Trueblood has that.
Kubby/I might have it too.
Vanderhoef/Cause Karen came back and we sent her an invitation to come back when we
dedicated the park.
Kubby/The three Karen's.
Vanderhoef/Yea, the three Karen thing, yes.
Baker/Well I appreciate that suggestion I think it's a good one and I know that if she
worked hard on this she would certainly appreciate hearing. Thank you.
Champion/Thank you.
Pfohl/I would like to thank you again allowing us to present our grants, again these
grants represent ideas that neighborhoods have for improving their
neighborhoods, based on input from everybody in the neighborhood, usually by
survey' s. The PIN grants are cost effective use of funds for both the city and the
neighbors as we leverage other resources, volunteer labor, equipment, and
knowledge. We hope you'll continue supporting PIN grant funding as it has made
so many worthwhile projects occur such as the lead testing, that has been done
previously. And these projects would not have been done except for the PIN
grants so thank you.
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Champion/Thank you.
Lehman/Thank you.
Vanderhoef/Thank you. And thanks to all the neighbors.
Kubby/It is really.
Vanderhoef/Whose worked on the committees to get these projects put together and
brought to us, it's a good program.
Kubby/And it's really amazing how the different associations cause it could be set up
that there was a lot of competition but it's really beautiful to hear that you've
really come together to cooperate to make sure every neighborhood gets some of
their things do and it's a great spirit.
Lehman/Other council discussion. Roll call. Motion carries.
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ITEM NO. 17. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION AWARDING CONTRACT AND
AUTHORIZING MAYOR TO SIGN AND CITY CLERK TO ATTEST
CONTRACT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE IOWA CITY STREET AND
WATER FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT -DIVISION 1: FOSTER
ROAD IMPROVEMENTS AND DIVISION 2: WATER FACILITY SITE
DEVELOPMENT - PHASE II IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT.
Lehman/We received four bids, the engineer's estimate was $6,353,000, the low
bid from Langman Construction Co. of Rock Island was $4,946,238. It's being
recommended by Public Works that this be accepted.
Thornberry/Move adoption of resolution.
Vanderhoef/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Thornberry, seconded by Vanderhoef. Discussion.
Thomberry/Well this project will be funded by GO bonds, and General
Obligation Bonds, Water Revenue Bond proceeds and Road Use Tax Funds, so
it's split three ways.
Lehman/Right portions of this are associated with the water plant and will come out of
water revenues. And this is also considerably under the engineer's estimate which
is not something we see regularly, it probably will be absolutely necessary for the
development of the city's peninsula property so it's nice to see it come in
underbid.
Norton/And it's important to note other properties in that general region.
Lehman/Absolutely (can't hear) fight.
Norton/Several of them.
Kubby/As well as a company we've with before and they do employ member' s of the
teamster's local laborers local and machinists machine operators local.
Lehman/However, that is not a criteria for getting the bid.
O'Donnell/(can't hear).
Lehman/Any other discussion? Roll call.
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ITEM NO. 18. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION APPROVING, AUTHORIZING
AND DIRECTING THE MAYOR TO EXECUTE AND THE CITY CLERK
TO ATTEST AN AGREEMENT BY AND BETWEEN THE CITY OF
IOWA CITY AND HOWARD R. GREEN COMPANY CONSULTING
ENGINEERS TO PROVIDE ENGINEERING CONSULTANT SERVICES
FOR THE IOWA CITY STREET AND WATER FACILITY
IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT - DIVISION 1: FOSTER ROAD
IMPROVEMENTS AND DIVISION 2: WATER FACILITY SITE
DEVELOPMENT - PHASE II IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT.
Lehman/This is to oversee the construction of the previous item.
Thomberry/Move adoption of resolution.
Norton/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Norton. Discussion.
Kubby/I have some questions, when we were talking about this last night we were kind
of gulping at this $485,000 dollar cost and I'm sure that I misunderstood
something so I want to clarify it. We were told that you know we have for these
big projects, we've been hiring our own in house inspectors.
Atkins/Right.
Kubby/Cause it's cheaper, there's quicker communication, if we had our full compliment
of inspectors we wouldn't need to be doing this at all?
Atkins/No we would need to be doing that work but we would be charging it against the
project at a rough estimate of about half the cost.
Lehman/If we had our own person?
Atkins/If we had our own people.
Vanderhoef/Half.
Atkins/And we do not.
Kubby/But it's more than one person?
Atkins/Yes.
Kubby/OK, so (can't hear) say even if we paid them at your level of salary.
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Atkins/
Kubby/
No, no, no.
It would be a quarter of what this is.
Atkins/No, it's, remember these projects often take 18 months to 2 years you may have 2
people assigned to the thing and so your payroll is normally a two year payroll.
Kubby/All fight so here' s an instance where the people kind of complained that the
public sector costs more to do jobs, and we're saying we could do it for half the
cost of the private sector.
Atkins/Well we've demonstrated that.
Kubby/Yea.
Atkins/I mean.
Lehman/The sewer project way under.
Kubby/Yea, I mean it's just good reminder that. So why don't we hire.
Atkins/We can't get people, we have recruited, Chuck can answer we did have one
internal setback and that our senior inspector has resigned and we have relied on
Tim for many years to oversee these projects and secure folks and you know this
is sort of the bottom line is that the employment market affects us just as much as
everyone else and these are skilled positions.
Kubby/Yea, and losing Tim is a big.
Atkins/It's a big setback, I mean we're happy for Tim, he's.
Kubby/It's a big setback (can't hear) very good.
Atkins/It was disappointment losing Tim.
Thornberry/Rick and Chuck are sitting out there apparently not much to do, maybe, and
their on salary so they don't get overtime so.
(All laughing)
Lehman/OK. Do you know what life's like?
Norton/Well I mean particularly when you get a resignation this time of year, it's tough.
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Atkins/Oh yea, yea.
Norton/And I think it's (can't hear).
Kubby/The same could be said about anyone of us up here Dean though, we're on salary,
and we're sitting up here.
Lehman/I'm employed and I have to go to work tomorrow, is there anymore discussion?
Thornberry/I'd take this but I couldn't take the cut in pay.
Lehman/Roll call. Motion carries.
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ITEM NO. 19. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION AWARDING CONTRACT AND
AUTHORIZING MAYOR TO SIGN AND CITY CLERK TO ATTEST
CONTRACT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE IOWA RIVER DAM
RENOVATION.
Lehman/The engineer's estimate was $1.5 million approximately, the lowest bid came in
at $1 point almost 9 million dollars, we have been asked to defer this to the June
15 meeting, this is a project that is a cooperative sort of project with the City of
Coralville and we need to discuss that with them I believe.
Dilkes/Actually we'd ask that you defer it indefinitely which would give us some
flexibility.
Lehman/And that's (can't hear) what I said Eleanor you just thought I said June 15.
Thornberry/I'll move to.
Lehman/Defer indefinitely.
Thornberry/Defer indefinitely.
Norton/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Thomberry, seconded by Norton.
Thornberry/Why don't we just vote it down?
Lehman/No.
Eleanor/The.
Lehman/We kind of want to do it yet.
Dilkes/The reason that we're recommending deferral staff was recommend is
recommending against award of the project but we have a 28(E) agreement with
Coralville that sets forth certain obligations and we just want to make sure that
we've got, had sufficient conversations with them.
Thomberry/All right.
Lel-nnan/All in favor of deferral. All ayes. Motion carries.
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ITEM NO. 20. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING FUNDING FOR
THE RENOVATION OF THE AIRPORT TERMINAL BUILDING.
Lehman/The engineer's estimate for that renovation was $675,000 dollars the low bid
was Selzer Werderitsch Construction Company in Iowa City was $536,600 which
again is significantly below the engineer's estimate.
Thornberry/Move adoption of resolution.
Lehman/Moved by pilot Thornberry.
O'Donnell/Second.
Lehman/Seconded by (can't hear) O'Donnell. Discussion.
Kubby/Well I will be voting no on this.
Thornberry/Even with the lower bid?
Kubby/Even with this low of bid, this I feel a high level of frustration about this project.
The community is going to be fronting over time millions of dollars 90 percent of
which will get reimbursed from the federal government but that's still is upwards
of a million dollars or more that we will be spending at the airport. And when
we've done other community projects that have had that kind of investment, for
example the Scanlon Gym, there was private fundraising that happened to help
that project along. The soccer fields, the Kickers have been kicking in hundreds
of thousands of dollars. When we were talking about the potential expansion of
the senior center they were talking about getting it together and doing some
private fundraising. This terminal building is one of those items that will not be
eligible for reimbursement in that 90/10 split with the federal government. And I
can't understand why we don't request and demand that the airport commission
talk about doing any private fundraising here.
Thomberry/OK.
Kubby/The whole rationale for having a general aviation airport in our community partly
is economic development that it's just something the community needs to be able
to compete. And if the development, if the economic development community,
the business community believes that this is so, then they would be interested in
helping to support this entrance into the city which it is, I buy that and I think
there should be some private investment here especially because very few people
directly benefit, there may be trickle down stuff which I may or may not believe
in but and ripple effects in the community. But so are there with the gym and the
soccer fields and the senior center and so I just think we need to challenge there
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for commissions to find some percentage of private funding for this part of the
airport master plan that is not eligible for federal funding reimbursement.
Thornberry/This is a, this is a renovation to a over a, a 50 year old building that is a city-
owned building that built like I said 50 years ago and very very little has been
done with this building in the last 50 years and this, this engineer's estimate of
$675,000 and the actual bid of $536,600 is a far cry from building another trail for
example, of which we spent many many many more thousands of dollars for trails
than we which also were not funded by the users and this is been a long time
coming and had it been kept up in the interim perhaps this renovation wouldn't
have been necessary but since it's been let go and not any monies or very very
little money has been spent on it in all that time that I think this is a pittance
compared to what we have spent on trails, again which have not been funded by
the users so, that's why I will support it.
Norton/I want to chip in here, I think it's a bit of a close call here but I see this as an
investment the building has been let go very seriously and it is kind of an eyesore
to anybody coming in and thinking of investing or moving to this community or
investing substantially in it so I'm looking at it as an investment that may pay
dividends in terms of economic development. But I also acknowledge the fact
that we could stand more help so it's a close call but I'm going to support it.
Kubby/When we talk about an investment to an entrance of half a million dollars. They
can't even keep up our infor. you know help with the information booth on
Dubuque Street you know. So a half a million dollars, what kind of bank for your
buck are you going to get for half a million dollars with that entrance?
Lehman/This council approved $4 million dollars to enhance the entrance on Highway 6
in our capitol improvement program for which we did no contribution from
anybody because we think it's important to the community.
Kubby/Well we do most things without contributions but many things need to get
contributions.
Lehman/Well aware of that, I'm just saying that that is this council approved that sort of
money, this airport is, the building is a shambles frankly and I think if I were the
FAA and I'm willing to spend $10 million dollars in the city of Iowa City that I'd
don't think that it's too much to expect them to at least bring their building to be a
habitable attractive sort of facility.
Champion/I think the other thing that we're really forgetting is all of us contribute to the
maintenance of every facility in Iowa City. So to say that nobody's contributing I
guess I disagree with you, I think we're all contributing.
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Kubby/I'm saying the private, but there are no private dollars here and if this was
something like Highway 6 that bene~ted many many people in the community
who shop there, who live there, who work there, who use that as a transportation
corridor. Very few individuals and actually not that many businesses in Iowa City
use the airport directly.
O'Donnell/Well I think, I think the airport is a viable part of the community. And this
building has been let go, we're going to use this building for public space and this
is something that needs to be done, and it should have been done a long time ago
so I'm going to support it.
Lehman/Let's have a roll call and see if it'll fly.
Champion/Well it is also, it has stability, actually it has some historical (can't hear) so in
50 years people are going to thank us for restoring this building. I agree with that
one.
Kubby/But that' s if there were private dollars involved too.
Champion/Oh Karen, we're not, (can't hear) we know how you feel we're going to vote
for it.
Lehman/OK Eleanor we're waiting. Motion carries, Kubby voting no.
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ITEM NO. 21. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION OF INTENT TO CONVEY 2774
IRVING AVENUE AND SETTING A PUBLIC HEARING FOR JUNE 15,
1999.
Kubby/Move adoption of the resolution.
Lehman/Moved by Kubby, seconded by.
Kubby/Thornberry.
Thornberry/No.
Lehman/No Norton.
Kubby/I'm sorry.
Lehman/I think this doesn't require a resolution of intent, is that a roll call?
Arkins/Yea.
Lehman/OK do we have any discussion.
Norton/This is not a public hearing right?
Lehman/Right, and that it's also a resolution intent to convey. Roll call.
Thornberry/Now wait.
Lehman/I'm sorry.
Thornberry/What did you say?
Lehman/The resolution of intent to convey, a partial under our tenant to ownership
program.
Thornberry/The housing authority is in the process of purchasing a freestanding town
house. And their going to turn around and sell it?
Lehman/That's correct.
Vanderhoef/This is just like the one we did what two weeks ago.
Lehman/I think the funds on the sale of the previous property.
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Vanderhoef/And we're doing three of these, there's three of these that are turning over
those dollars that we received back from selling.
Thornberry/Their going on the tax role.
Vanderhoef/Part of our.
Thornberry/Coming off the tax roles and going right back on?
O'Donnell/it's going to be on the tax role.
Thornberry/Right, but I mean we're buying it and then turning around and selling it, is
that the case?
Vanderhoef/Yes, yes, yes.
Champion/All right.
Thornberry/Why don't they buy direct? Why do we have to be the middle man?
Kubby/Because the money we, because the money that we get from the sale of the
houses that we owned originally have to be used to reinvest in affordable housing
and this is how we're choosing to reinvest that money to do that quick turnaround.
Champion/Good for you (can't hear).
Lehman/Maggie could I ask you a question please? Why is it that we're buying the
whole property instead of just funding the 20 percent or whatever that we're going
to be loaning them?
Maggie Grosvenor/We buy it and then we turn, that's the way the transaction has to
occur.
Lehman/OK, but actually what we're really doing is investing like the 20 percent?
Grosvenor/Correct, correct. A silent second mortgage.
Lehman/And you could have been a reverse order where a bank could have bought it and
they could (can't hear).
Grosvenor/I'm not sure of the legalities of it you know, how you would maneuver that,
but you buy the whole thing and then we then they secure the loan for what they
can afford.
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Lehman/The bottom line is were we are providing the down payment money for the.
Grosvenor/Basically right.
Lehman/All right.
Thornberry/But we can't, we can't just give them, we can't give them the 20 percent
down like we're like we're doing this way, we're buying it and turning around
and selling it and giving them 20 percent yes?
Grosvenor/Not giving them it's a silent second, they have to pay it back.
Thornberry/A silent second, why can't we silent second them, give them money as a
silent second to to a mortgage company for them to buy that?
Grosvenor/I have no idea. Eleanor?
Lehman/Could we?
Dilkes/You could, I mean you could structure a program legally that way I just don't
think that's the way this particular program is structured as I understand it.
Champion/Well I don't really want to restructure it at 10:00 tonight.
Lehman/No, no, no.
Grosvenor/It's the way the whole program was set up, you buy the house.
Thornberry/I just don't understand why we have to buy it and then turn around and sell it
why are we, why do we have to do that as opposed to giving them a silent second,
20 percent.
Lehman/Could you find out and give us, drop us a little note?
Grosvenor/Sure, sure.
(All talking).
Thornberry/I just really hate to have the City of Iowa City be in the real estate business.
Grosvenor/OK.
Lehman/Although I don't think (can't hear).
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Grosvenor/It's going to happen the same day, it's just it's a paper work thing, we don't
own the property yet.
Norton/We're only in there very briefly yea.
Grosvenor/We do not own this property, it's going to happen the same day.
Lehman/We are.
Grosvenor/We're going to buy it from you know the builder and then we're going to you
know.
Kubby/All in one, all in a round table.
Grosvenor/Exactly.
Kubby/There's no reason to look into rewrite, spending staff time to rewrite it, if that's
the way it's going.
Grosvenor/No, and you know sometimes there's a delay because your waiting on
financing but this particular house is going to, we're waiting for it to be complete
so, they already have their financing in tact.
Thomberry/You can only buy and sell so many cars a year before you need a dealers
license, I just you know.
Lehman/Dee.
Norton/We're already in a public audience already Dean.
Lehman/Roll call. Motion carries six yes's and one yes-no.
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ITEM NO. 22. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION AMENDING THE BUDGETED
POSITIONS IN THE ASSISTED HOUSING DIVISION OF THE
HOUSING AND INSPECTION SERVICES DEPARTMENT BY
INCREASING THE HOURS OF THE HOUSING INSPECTOR AND
DECREASING THE HOURS OF THE MAINTENANCE WORKER II.
Thomberry/Move adoption of the resolution.
Vanderhoef/Second.
Lehn~an/Moved by Thornberry, seconded by Vanderhoef. Discussion.
Vanderhoef/I just have one.
Thornberry/No, I understand this.
Lehman/Does anybody understand this?
Thornberry/Yea, I understand this.
Lehman/Fine.
Vanderhoef/OK. Just to clarify we are not laying off anyone.
Lehman/No. OK.
Atkins/It' s a reassigmnent.
Thornberry/How was my hesitation?
Vanderhoef/A reassignment of time.
Lehman/OK. Roll call.
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ITEM NO. 23. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING
CLASSIFICATION/COMPENSATION PLANS FOR CONFIDENTIAL/
ADMINISTRATIVE EMPLOYEES AND EXECUTIVE EMPLOYEES
FOR FY00 AND FY01.
Thornberry/This one I don't.
Vanderhoef/Move adoption of the resolution.
O'Donnell/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Vanderhoef, seconded by O'Donnell. Discussion.
Thornberry/I do have it. No I don't.
Norton/Some things are not on here I guess are they not in this category, for example, a
certain people of the library but not others fight, for example librarians not on
here?
Atkins/There are.
Norton/Is there a different category there?
Atkins/Yea, what we do is we take the AFSCME contract and a percentage adjustments
and whatever that contract is we apply it to the administrative/confidential and
executive employees. Now certain library employees in the AFSCME bargaining
unit.
Lehman/They wouldn't qualify.
Atkins/So they would not (can't hear) be on here.
Norton/Couldn't qualify with this.
Lehman/Oh, yea, this is the equalizer stuff.
Thornberry/Is this a, is that a guideline for those that are not in any plan?
Atkins/No, what we have done you know traditionally is that we take that AFSCME
contract and substantially apply those adjustments through that contract to this
group of employees.
Norton/These people are not under a labor under a.
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Atkins/No, they are not, they do not have effective bargaining agreement.
Norton/Not in a bargaining unit in other words, OK, but these are what affect of that unit
applied to these fees?
Atkins/Yes, that's correct.
Thornberry/Well what I'm asking is that a guideline for people who are not in this plan,
in the AFSCME plan? Is that a guideline?
Atkins/I still don't know what you mean by a guideline Dean, help me out.
Thornberry/Like say for example the AFSCME cut bargaining unit negotiated a 3 ½
percent increase.
Atkins/3 and 3 are here, and that's what we applied.
Thornberry/Pardon.
Atkins/And it's 3 and 3 were applied to these folks also.
Lehman/The same thing.
Atkins/It's the same thing.
Norton/This is the guideline, those are the guidelines.
Thornberry/That is a guideline.
Lehman/It's a rule of thumb.
Kubby/It's traditional (can't hear).
(All talking)
Norton/(cant hear) guidelines of these people who are not in a bargaining unit.
Lehman/That's right.
Atkins/It's a pay plan amendment to the same percentage as the pay plan amendment
provided in the AFSCME contract. Now not all the same benefits.
Champion/I don't have any problems with that.
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Letunan/No.
Thornberry/Yea, right.
Atkins/Understand all that it's just the pay plan.
Thornberry/Yea, OK.
Lehman/Other discussion?
Norton/And the steps are all automatic with time right?
Atkins/No, not on administrative/confidential executive they arc not automatic.
Norton/Is there a merit component?
Atkins/Yes there is.
Norton/OK.
Atkins/All step increases under this plan is associated with merit, it's not automatic. We
have to in the administration of this pay plan the employee goes through an
evaluation process and can be granted under our labor contracts, it's generally if
you deny it then you have to explain it.
Norton/And generally under the contracts it's automatic but here these are not?
Atkins/I don't like the term automatic, but it's as close to automatic as.
Norton/How often does it happen when it does?
Atkins/More often than I think.
Norton/But there is a merit component here explicitly?
Atkins/Yes. Yes.
Lehman/Further discussion. Roll call. Motion carries.
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ITEM NO. 24. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO
SIGN AND THE CITY CLERK TO ATTEST AN AGREEMENT
AMENDING AN AGREEMENT TO REPRESENT THE CITY OF IOWA
CITY AND BELL LAW OFFICE, ET AL.
Kubby/Move adoption of resolution.
Norton/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Kubby, seconded by Norton. This I believe if I'm not mistaken
Eleanor is to represent us in a case regarding hospitalization insurance?
Dilkes/This is just a small amendment to that agreement as you recall the previous
agreement said that the attorney's would advance the cost of litigation and
wouldn't seek reimbursement for those even if we did not prevail. We determined
that that's an unethical provision under the Iowa Ethics Rules for Lawyers so that
provision is coming out, but the estimate for expenses is only about $3,000 for the
city so it wouldn't change my recommendation.
Kubby/Seems like a small (can't hear).
Norton/How do we figure our share of those expenses?
Dilkes/Attorney's who are representing all the various entities governmental entities took
a look, estimated their costs and split them up among various clients. It's an
estimate of cost.
Thornberry/That's already been determined?
Dilkes/They will incur certain costs in prosecuting this litigation such as travel expenses,
deposition costs, copying costs, telephone costs.
Thornberry/You mean the percentages have already been determined for each?
Norton/But they fall equally on every unit, every agency that's a member?
Dilkes/Every governmental entity yes.
Norton/However, whatever their size may be.
Lehman/Well I wouldn't (can't hear).
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Dilkes/I'm not certain of that.
Thornberry/It's by size.
Dilkes/I'm not certain of that.
(All talking).
Lehman/For $3,000 this is not a monster.
Norton/No, 1 understand that but you'd assume that some municipalities have a bigger
stake.
Lehman/Absolutely I would think we would pay a per rada share, we won't know that.
Dilkes/I suspect that that's the way, I did not deal with it personally so I can't answer
that.
Lehman/Roll call.
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ITEM NO. 25. PUBLIC DISCUSSION. (IF NECESSARY) (ITEMS NOT ON THE
AGENDA).
Lehman/Anything that didn't get discussed before I don't think we that's appropriate
right now, anybody want public discussion?
Norton/There's someone.
Lehman/Yes, we have someone, hey.
Norton/Liven it up
Lehman/10:06.
Kevin Boffeli/My name is Kevin Boffeli. Hi Mike.
O'Donnell/Hi Kevin.
Boffeli/Please, I work for Iowa City Library. Do not take the park away from Holiday
Inn, the parking lights from Holiday Inn, don't take that away so have more
money for the Iowa City people for the bus driver and help out the lack of people.
Thornberry/OK.
Champion/OK. Thm~s.
Lehman/Thanks Kevin.
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ITEM NO. 26. COUNCIL APPOINTMENTS.
Lehman/Police Citizens Review Board, we have one vacancy for which we have not
received an application, we will readvertise I believe that is 30 days is that not
correct? So if anyone who is interested in that position would care to apply we
certainly need the application.
Kubby/So what meeting, that wouldn't be the June 15 meeting?
Karr/June 29.
Lehman/June 29 yea.
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ITEM NO. 28. CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION
1). O'Donnell/I never have a problem starting. We have a SEATS Advisory tomorrow
at 1:00 at the public library, Dee Norton and myself. We're going to be
discussing "no show policy". So I encourage anybody that's interested show up
and see what goes on.
Thornberry/What if you don't show?
O'Donnell/Dee and I will be there.
Norton/He'll do it probably.
2). O'Donnell/Also the weather's getting nice at night and the bicycles are coming out at
night and I don't know for the life of me know why somebody would wear black
and ride a bicycle at night.
Champion/At night, oh I know it.
O'Donnell/I mean we've had this discussion with a couple council members and it's just
a matter of safety, wear white and get a light on the bicycle.
Champion/Well those wonderful reflectors on your feet when your behind a are
wonderful.
Lehman/Wear white get a light, I like that Mike.
Champion/Wear white, get a light.
O'Donnell/It could be a new slogan.
Lehman/Wear white for Mike.
O'Donnell/Wear white for Mike.
Norton/Isn't there, isn't there a formal requirement that they wear some kind of
reflective?
Lehman/Reflective are a requirement.
Champion/You have to have a reflector on the rear of the bike.
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O'Donnell/And they have to have a headlight.
Lehman/Yes.
O'Donnell/But it's truly becoming a safety factor especially on some of the streets that
aren't lit as well as they should be.
Champion/Or rainy and dark it's terrible.
3). O'Donnell/And I had four deer Friday night eat the Hostas out of my yard.
Champion/Well I had four of them.
Lehman/Did you get pictures of them?
O'Donnell/No I'm upset with these deer. No, I didn't.
Lehman/OK.
4). Champion/I just want to tell people who are sending me E-mail I've I've a little bit
of trouble.
Kubby/Connie's confession.
Champion/So I tried to respond to you. And I think a couple people just get their own
letter back. And I one person I typed over the message I got and that got sent
typed over. So I'm working on it, I can get to it and read it, I appreciate but I'm
not really too proficient at answering and responding to it and even deleting it so I
think right now I have 98 messages. So just be patient I'll get it done.
O'Donnell/Don't you have a phone?
Chan~pion/A phone, I don't have time I'm so busy with my E-mail.
5). Kubby/I have a few things. The Women's Resource and Action Center is continuing
their social change training program and the next one is happening on May 25 it's
on and it's on Building Coalitions and that will be happening at the Kirkwood
Room at the Iowa Memorial Union, if you are interested in registering or if you
want to come and you need child care you need to call Rac at 335-1486 and it
should be a good program.
6).
Kubby/Last week well last month the library was closed down for a day or two to put
in a new computer system. That is Y2K compliant that is a new card catalog as
well as a whole bunch of other stuff. So I thought well I use the library a lot I'd
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better go and get trained and so I went to one of the training sessions at the library
and their still those training sessions going on, whether you've ever used a
computer or not they will train you from scratch that you know, this is a mouse,
this is how you put your hand on the mouse, this is how you click the mouse, any,
yea. And it was really great because this new system allows you to really do
some searches in a very concentrated and efficient way and it lets you go to the
web, onto publishers of like the kinds of books that your interested in or other
kinds of materials and so the training was very good and I hope this is a good
service for library patrons. So I suppose you can just call the library and see when
the other training's are available. And it was in ICM room and I hadn't been in
there yet so that was exciting to see that investment being used for internal
training as well as inter-city training.
7).
Kubby/Someone caught me at The Cottage the other day, I was just kind of absorbed
in some newsletter and someone said you know I'm leaving town and usually
when people say that to me they want to drop off their toxic' s at my house and
this time it had nothing to do with household hazardous waste. But they wanted
to mention some ironies in town, and one of them they talked to me about was
around some of our schools, our school speed zones, for example around
Roosevelt they said in one area it's 20 MPH and on another street it's 25. And
why is there that difference in the school area? So that was, and there's one on
Horace Mann that's like that too.
Lehman/State law does not allow I think, 25 on Dodge Street because that's a state
highway.
Atkins/Horace Mann is a state highway.
Lehman/And local streets you can go 20, I believe that's correct.
Kubby/But what about on Benton because it's an arterial?
Lehman/I think it's 20.
Atkins/Or or it could be a portion of that is University Heights.
Lehman/Your probably right.
Norton/Benton Street is 20.
Atkins/Ernest Horn is in University Heights.
Champion/Yea, Horn is in University Heights.
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Atkins/Karen I'll drive them and we'll figure it out.
Lehman/I drive by it. (can't hear).
Kubby/The Dodge Street I understand.
Lehman/But I don't understand the other one.
Atkins/But that one I don't understand we'll have to look into it.
Vanderhoef/Their arterial because Rochester is 20 also up by Regina.
Kubby/Yea, right. OK. So if we could check that out.
8). And lastly I wondered if anybody had any update about if the school district has made
any determination of the lights at City High and shielding and what kind of
shielding or.
Atkins/Last I heard was that they were going to do more readings and they have sent a
letter to Terry requesting a 50/50 sharing for the shields, that's what I know right
now. So I don't think you can do the shields until they do the readings and I don't
know when their going to do the readings and what their going to do with that
information once they have it.
Kubby/OK, so their hoping that additional readings will help them determine which kind
of shield?
Atkins/Karen I couldn't tell you what the reason is.
Kubby/I have a problem going 50/50 because it's when I go back to discussion years ago
about the West High traffic light where we tried to get some shared costs there.
Which were much higher costs than $900 dollars even if they go with the most
expensive shield. And our response from the school district was well this is your
facility, and we were kind of saying well the only reason we need it is because of
West High traffic and so let's share it and that didn't happen. And so I guess I
want to throw that argument back to the school district and say $900 dollars isn't
that much money to balance the needs of the needs of the community and the
school district and the tennis team to have practice time at the tennis courts and
have night time practice with the neighbors wanting less intrusion into their
property with lights. And it's their facility, I think they should pay for it. Now if
the only way is, I hate to say this out loud because then they'll do it that way, but
if the only way to get it done is for us to punch in $450 dollars I say let's do it but
I think it is the school's district fiscal responsibility to take care of it.
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Thornberry/A year or two ago Karen we I believe paid for some lights on a baseball field
for the University so that the citizens, the citizens of Iowa City could use that
facility, it's the University ground, it's the University facility, we put the lights on
it and we paid for the lights a 100 percent and one of the reasons for lighting the
City High courts is all the residents of Iowa City can use those courts. And I
think it was a good move and it was half paid for by the school and half paid for
by the city as I understand.
Lehman/No.
Vanderhoef/No.
Kubby/We already put in 10 grand so I think we've put in a good contribution.
Thomberry/And well the private contributors did too, but it was also for the rest of us to
be able to play there in the evenings when some of us get off work and others can
play anytime but. Those that would rather play at night would have availability of
doing so because it is lighted and I think it was a good move and if it needs to be
dimmed somewhat I don't see any problem with paying $400 dollars to dim the
lights for the facility.
O'Donnell/I don't either and we all attended that meeting about the lights and I think the
neighbors and the school board and the school district and everybody there I think
there was kind of a spirit of cooperation from them and I think their going to work
it out but I certainly wouldn't have any trouble at all willing to pay for half of that
project.
Lehman/Well.
Kubby/Could we just make sure that we do good follow-up a call every once in a while
so that we get updated when they make a decision?
Norton/Yea, if we're going to be asked to pay I would like to have something, some say
so about the kind of shields because I didn't, I.
O'Donnell/I don't think we need to get that (can't hear).
Norton/But contrary to that discussion that I thought there was a difficulty of
acknowledging that there was a problem. The neighbors that went there left there
kind of disappointed.
Thornberry/I don't think all the neighbors left there disappointed Dee, I think there were
two of them basically that had a problem and a vast majority of them did not have
a problem at all.
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Norton/Many of them that lived there had a problem.
Thornberry/I mean I was at the same meeting you were at and I would say 95 percent of
the people at that meeting did not have a problem with it.
Norton/Those were not people who were living in that neighborhood.
Kubby/I agree with the perception and the whether it was but there was a lack of verbal
validation that people felt there was a problem, I agree with that. But if we could
just get updated so that we know when a decision is made, we know what that
decision is and what the time frame is for some change.
Atkins/(can't hear). We'll get back to you.
Lehman/I agree with Karen, I think this should be pursued. I don't think we, the fact that
we don't hear from them, I think those folks are members of the community and I.
Atkins/We'll check in a couple of days.
Lehman/Think we have a certain responsibility I'd like to see them follow through on it.
Champion/I think we ought to be a little careful that we don't try to be the (can't hear). I
think we should be patient, wait for them to contact us (can't hear). And that
we're talking about totally different government entities here, oh, I don't have my
microphone on (can't hear). And I thought I was done talking. And totally no,
totally different needs and meeting the needs of totally different people and I think
we ought to just let them do it now. They said their going to follow through with
it, let them do it, I don't think we need to be checking on them, their not kids.
Kubby/Except that we made the assumption that their might be some communication
with the neighbors and that didn't happen and so I don't want us to assume that
their will be communication with us.
Champion/Well I'd assume there won't be Karen and that's what your assuming, leave
them alone, let them do their job.
Kubby/No, well then I will make a call to say when you have made a decision please
notify us.
Champion/Well say's is yours, notify you, I'm not asking you to make that phone call
for me.
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O'Donnell/I'm very comfortable the way that meeting went and I think their moving in
the right direction. I really don't feel like interfering anymore.
Lehman/I think we will hear from them, we already have.
Kubby/Follow-up is not interference from my perspective.
Lehman/But we have heard from them I think at least preliminarily (can't hear).
Atkins/You have a letter requesting 50/50.
Thornberry/I think we probably will be notified (can't hear).
Champion/Right.
Lehman/All fight, anything else Karen?
Kubby/No thank you.
Lehman/Dean did you have anything?
Thornberry/I did.
Lehman/OK.
9). Thornberry/Received a letter of the utility service notice of account change and I was
wondering how many calls they get when they get this letter it says at the bottom
if you have questions regarding this action please call customer service. I don't
understand this thing. (can't hear). Somebody left, one of my tenants and I get
this letter saying that the water or the proper, the people have left the location and
it goes on to say that there is no authorization for service to be to be transferred
and so it automatically reverts to the name as owner/manager/agent, affected on
the transfer date.
Lehman/Right.
Thornberry/OK, then it says we'd like to advise you that a lien may be placed upon the
property if any account holder property owners fail to pay for water, sanitary.
Don't threaten me, I'll pay the thing, just, I haven't even gotten a bill, just, don't
you know you don't have to send threatening letters to people.
Atkins/I think that' s meant as information Dean because a lot of people take those and
just toss them.
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Thornberry/Well I didn't toss it I.
Atkins/Well I assume you didn't.
Thornberry/There's a lien to be placed upon my property you know and you know.
Lehman/(can't hear).
Thornberry/And I thought gees, just send me a bill and I'll pay it it's not that big a deal,
but anyway, I think it's pretty harsh.
lo).
Thornberry/I'd like to congratulate all of the seniors both high school and college
for the completion of their formal studies and if further formal education is not in
the cards welcome to the real world. And if you are going to be going on getting
more education, congratulations, but school is almost out and there are a lot of
people that got a well deserved diploma.
ll).
Thornberry/The voters have identified indicated their interested in acquiring
another cable system in Iowa City. Where are we in welcoming McLeod to our
school, or to our city?
Dale Helling/I think we're ready to welcome them whenever their ready to come in. I
sent you a report a few weeks ago and with a response from McLeod. And
nothing has really changed since then I think they.
(End of 99-61 Side 1)
Helling/Their position on a couple of issues I think it did at least bring the issues to
which they may want some modification from the original agreement. And the
time frames we expect to be meeting with them are probably in the next month,
that's at least what was indicated at the last meeting. The we will try to work out
those issues and then determine whether or not a new referendum is needed and I
think for right now my understanding from them is that they would like us to try
to get that accomplished by this August so that you could authorize that for the
November ballot if one is needed. But we'll have to wait and see whether that's
all put together then. It's really up to them, we're ready to move ahead.
Norton/Are the terms of the the agreement the terms that you've been outlining I mean is
there going to be a need for us to review those terms and decide what what is a
proper negotiating or bless what is a negotiating posture?
Helling/Yes, I mean ultimately you would have to approve the agreement. I mean what
we need to do is staff first is try to identify where you know what the parameters
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are and any modifications that they might be looking for and then get back to you
and you'll get a recommendation from the Telecommunications Commission as
well.
Thornberry/I bring this up only because it was a vote of the people and they
overwhelmingly wanted another competitor in here and nothing has you know
come about so, keep us updated.
Helling/Will do.
12). Thornberry/I received a card and I don't remember if it was in the water bill or
exactly where it was but it had to do with you don't have to be a senior to eat at
the senior center and you could eat everybody could eat at the senior center and
they were wanting people to come and eat at the senior center for what was it 3 or
4 dollars.
Norton/$3.25 (can't hear).
Thornberry/$3.25. I don't understand what their doing, if their saying haven't go (can't
hear).
Champion/Overcrowd the kitchen even more.
Thornberry/They don't have enough space for all of the (can't hear) and.
(All talking).
Champion/The space is for them to eat is.
Thornberry/They're just fixing them.
Norton/They can serve, there' s plenty of places to eat.
Thornberry/They're inviting everybody in town to come and eat at the senior center for 3
or 4.
Lehman/They want people to know what they do there and the quality of food that they
serve I think it's kind of an advertisement sort of thing, make people aware of
(can't hear) of what they do.
Champion/Let's go eat there.
Lehn~an/I don't think it's an ongoing thing, I think it's a one a one, isn't it a one day
deal?
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Thornberry/No, it's any day.
Kubby/Yea, I've eaten.
Thornberry/Is it every any day?
Kubby/No, and I don't know if it's a matter of their funding the funding stream that they
can't limit it even though it's open. I'm sorry. I don't know that it's a question
of their funding stream that it doesn't allow them to limit by age although it's
called senior dining it's focused on that. I don't know that's a question to ask.
Norton/We'll have a chance to do that tomorrow, or Friday, Friday I guess we meet
again.
Lehman/OK.
13). Thornberry/Just a couple of quick things, I've asked before but I'll ask it again,
please if we have it could we send a letter to the state requesting that they paint
the turn lanes on two-way left turn intersections.
Atkins/I think we did that but.
Thornberry/The comer of Riverside Drive South, South Riverside Drive and Highway 6
East is.
Norton/Yea, terrible.
Thornberry/You know it's, I'm hearing a lot of horns, I'm seeing people mn off the road
to the right.
Atkins/OK.
Thornberry/It's'pretty important. And if they can't do it I'm sure you know, Emie and
Dee will Norton will pitch in.
Norton/Absolutely.
Thornberry/And pay for it to have done.
Lehman/You direct traffic.
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14). Thornberry/And the last thing is there's a street light at the end of my street, end of
Oakes Drive. The street light is out. Now when people see a street light out do
they call the city or do they call the utility service?
Atkins/Call us, it's just as easy to call us and we'll take care of it.
Thornberry/Cause half of them I believe are.
Atkins/More than half are.
Thornberry/Are the city's responsibility, and the other half are through the.
Atkins/Just call the streets, give us the address and we'll take care of it.
Thornberry/You have an (can't hear). What if a street light doesn't have an address?
Lehman/(can't hear).
Norton/Got a location.
Atkins/Usually it's in front of some kind of property though.
Thornberry/OK.
Atkins/They're easy to pick out at night.
Thornberry/Yes, they are, their real easy to pick out at night when it's still dark but. But
people would call the city then?
Atkins/Yes.
Thornberry/The street's department.
Atkins/Just call streets and we'll give us approximate location and we'll take care of it.
Thornberry/All I have.
15). Vanderhoef/Talking about painting the stripes, have we had a review of how our
new paint lasted on our striping?
Atkins/You know Dee I think you asked me that and I thought Chuck did something for
me and I may not have distributed it to you, I remember you asking that.
Champion/We're not done painting yet are we?
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Atkins/Oh, no.
Vanderhoef/No but I'm just curious how it lasted over this first winter.
Atkins/I recall it did.
Champion/If it's still there it lasted better than last year.
Lehman/Very well, no no I think very well. The streets that I'm familiar with did.
Atkins/I'll get you an update on that but I'm pretty sure those that were painted with that
epoxy.
Norton/When does our painting start?
Vanderhoef/I wasn't real clear which ones got the epoxy paint and that that was.
Atkins/That's what you want to know.
Vanderhoef/What was my question because I saw some some streets that I thought that
might have had it that didn't wear well and so putting it together is important.
Arkins/Usually Dee we start after school's out. It's just traffic is less.
Norton/OK cause there there are many of them as Dean says that are pretty bad shape.
Lehman/Well we've done a fair amount of painting the last two weeks.
Vanderhoef/Oh yea.
Atkins/We've been (can't hear).
Norton/Painting on it yea.
Vanderhoef/Rochester and First Avenue have all been restripped, which is good, they
needed it. That's all.
Lehman/Dee.
16). Norton/Yea, I just have a couple of I'll mention some of us were out at Saddlebrook
Saturday morning for the opening of their club house and quite impressive facility
that'll be available for meetings of those people out there. I don't know whether
others or not but it certainly is a big boom for the people who live there and most
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of the people that were present were enthusiastic residents of Saddlebrook it's
very impressive set up.
17). Norton/Mike mentioned that we have a SEATS Advisory meeting tomorrow and I
want to add to that on the Advisory committee considers various documents but
we have some other negotiations we're doing with SEATS that respect to
information the council would like to have about last years activity. And we're
working with them to and our staff is doing so to try to get together information
that will help the council review their last year's activity performance operations.
18).
Norton/Connie and I meet again on Friday with the subcommittee talking with the
county representatives about the Senior Center and we made some, we had a good
meeting on the 7th, I think we cleared the air on a number of issues and were as
Jonathan said a good a good exchange and I think we're gaining on the various
views about the different views about the Senior Center and it's future and how
that's going to play out. We'll let you know as soon as we have something
firmer.
19). Norton/And I guess there's a deer meeting coming up isn't there the 261h of May?
Atkins/Sounds about right.
Norton/Deer meeting, I hope their focusing in on a plan for next year, we're not going to
be inventing the wheel I hope.
Atkins/My understanding (can't hear).
Champion/Well I hope the people who stopped the deer hum last year are happy with
what's going on now with people shooting deer injuring them which is so terrible
I can not believe it.
Lehman/Deer Committee indicated at the last meeting that I was, Mike and I were there
and you were there Dean.
Thornberry/Yea.
Lehman/That they have see no particular changes or approach from last year feel that
that's, their going to continue doing studying or whatever but they think the
recommendation maybe very similar (can't hear).
Norton/The technology hasn't changed in significant ways, right.
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Kubby/The only the people who are responsible for shooting the deer and the people
who are shooting the deer illegally in town. That that is who is responsible for
shooting deer.
Champion/Well I agree (can't hear).
20). Norton/OK, and the last thing are does anybody know is the Park and Recreation
coming up with a reconunendation about skateboard pretty soon, the season is on
us and.
Atkins/I asked.
Norton/I hope their.
Atkins/After your conversation last night Terry's gone for a couple days I asked him to
take that matter to the commission making the assumption you wanted to hear
from them where you wanted that located.
21). Norton/And my final thing is does is there any need for the city to reiterate or
reassure the public about our Y2K preparation you know I keep hearing all these
change trips, practically Star Wars visions about the Y2K and I want and I don't
know whether it's time for the city to remind people that we're, the city's got a
grip on this issue.
Champion/You know Dee, people who don't, people who don't want to (can't hear)
prepare are not believe it no matter how many times you (can't hear).
Norton/Well I I just keep hearing that it's wise to keep people well informed about our
progress.
Vanderhoef/There was something.
Atkins/We're pressing ahead.
Vanderhoef/There was something in the in the newsletter that came out with the water
bills.
Norton/Yes, there was one with the water bill, I 'm just saying periodically you need to
let them know.
Vanderhoef/I appreciate that one and keep up the information.
Kubby/The community group whose meeting on Y2K issues fairly regularly and there
are city staff, Kevin O'Malley is attending those meetings as our compliance
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officer. And so for the people who are kind of coming together to talk about it,
which doesn't necessarily mean the general community is up to speed on and
hopefully it will spread from there as well.
22). Norton/OK. And somebody's looking into the status of the welcome center on north
Dubuque I take it?
Atkins/From last night, yes (can't hear) for you on that.
Norton/It's the season for that too.
Atkins/Yes.
O'Donnell/Ride your bike down and pick it up.
Norton/All right.
O'Donnell/But wear white.
Norton/I will.
Lehman/Get a light on bike.
23). Lehman/Only two things, I really appreciate folks are being very patient and very
considerate of the work that' s going on downtown, I think the merchants have,
and the customers are and the contractor's doing a tremendous job. I think the
guy really I mean he's been working on Saturday's Sunday's and really trying to
make it as inconvenience as small as possible.
24). Lehman/The other thing is on Memorial Day which is coming up before our next
meeting there will be services at Oakland Cemetery and also there will be services
at Memorial Garden, check the paper, it'll be a great holiday, and I'll see yes.
Norton/There's also a ceremony out at the Corps of Engineers.
Lehman/But there's also one at.
Norton/The veteran's trial and I think Dean will represent us, I'm going to be out of town
I'm afraid but.
Lehman/There's one at the Iowa Avenue Bridge I think at 8:00 or 8:30 or 9:00, so there
are a number of different services on Memorial Day and certainly the public is
encouraged.
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Norton/And come look at the progress on the Summit Street bridge, it's moving fight
along.
Champion/I've had several neighbors stop in to say what they like best about the bridge
was not having it there.
Thornberry/You could open it.
Champion/It would (can't hear) any further.
Lehman/Steve do you have anything?
Thornberry/Well they could open ahead of schedule.
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29a. REPORT ITEMS FROM THE CITY MANAGER AND CITY ATTORNEY.
Atkins/Just to remind Saturday, 3:00 Scanlon Gym if you can make it.
Lehman/Oh, absolutely, Scanlon Gym grand opening, Saturday 3:00. Eleanor.
b. City Attorney
Dilkes/Just one thing there was a question asked last night about a comment in the Parks
& Rec. Commission minutes about a trail connection that was not made quote
legally binding. We took a look at that and there is a trail easement for that
section that they're talking about so we did get the easement, they are not required
to build it, in other words they're not required to construct.
Lehman/Right.
Dilkes/That portion of it, but we do have the easement.
Lehman/OK.
Vanderhoef/Could you clarify that with parks (can't hear).
Lehman/Moved by Thornberry, seconded by O'Donnell to adjourn, all in favor.
Adjourned thank you.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of May 18, 1999.