Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-04-16 Bd Comm minutes MINUTES FINAL/APPROVED IOWA CITY AIRPORT COMMISSION THURSDAY JANUARY 117 2001 -5:45 P.M. IOWA CITY AIRPORT TERMINAL MEMBERS PRESENT: Rick Mascari, Howard Horan, Mark Anderson, Alan Ellis STAFF PRESENT: Sue Dulek, Ron O'Neil CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Mascari called the meeting to order at 5:45 p.m. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The minutes of the December 14, 2000, Commission meeting were approved as submitted. AUTHORIZATION OF EXPENDITURES: Anderson asked if Midwest Janitorial should be paid because of their sporadic service. Mascari said if they provided the service, they should be paid. ElJis suggested sending them a letter, expressing dissatisfaction with their service. O'Neil said he had already contacted the regional manager and discussed the issue with him. Anderson made a motion to approve the bills. Ellis seconded the motion and the bills were approved 3 - 0. O'Neil said there may a bill next month from Larew for replacing the frozen water line in the mens restreom. He said there would also be a final bill from Seizer Werderitsch for Building K and the retainage for the project. The Commission should accept the project before the retainage is paid. PUBLIC DISCUSSION - ITEMS NOT ON AGENDA: No items were presented. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION/ACTION: a. Qwest lease- Dulek has reviewed the agreement with Qwest. If the Commission is interested in leasing them some property, the fair market value will need to be determined. O'Neil has contacted Southgate Development. They earlier had expressed interest ir~ the same parcel, but are no longer interested. The Commission said they would be interested in leasing the property if a fair market value could be determined. Ellis suggested contacting the FAA to see if there were any reservations to having this type of equipment close to the RPZ. O'Neil said the property in question is outside the RPZ for Runway 24. He will contact the FAA to see if there is any frequency interference problem. Mascari said the fees should reassessed every five years. Dulek said this could be a problem because Qwest wanted to pay a single lump sum fee. b. Building H lease- Gordon said he was uncertain on what Gordon Aviation will be doing for the next two years and he wanted to have a month to month lease. Mascari asked Gordon if he thought the Commission should try to market the hangar? Gordon said he is trying to make his arrangement work long term, even though the lease is month to month. He is trying to get tenants for the next two years. He said he has other projects that will take much of his time over the next two years and he will not have a lot of time to devote to Gordon Aircraft. He would like to have the hangar in back in two years, unless the Commission finds another long- term tenant. He has someone that owns a limo company that would like to sublease from him. The Commission discussed the limo and shuttle service and decided they would not be in favor of approving a sublease for a non-aviation service. Anderson made a motion to approve the lease for Building H on a month to month basis. Ellis seconded the motion and it passed 4 - 0, with Ruyle being absent. The Commission said they would not approve a sublease for the shuttle car service. c. FBO (Fixed Base Operator) lease- The Commission discussed what space ICFS might want to rent. O'Neil told the Commission that although there were some connections between the two leases, the FBO lease and the lease for Building F were separate and that ICFS committed to the Building F lease until the building is paid for, unless it is leased by a different FBO. Mascari said the only way to know for certain what the value of the space at the Airport is worth is to go out for bids. O'Neil said the Commission decided at the last meeting to attempt to negotiate with ICFS before advertising for FBO services. He suggested a subcommittee meeting with ICFS within the next two weeks to determine ICFS's commitment. Q'Neil said the Commission needs to determine if ICFS can afford to be at the Airpod and ICFS needs to decide if they want to be at the Airport for at least the next 10 years. Mascari asked O'Neil to schedule a meeting with the owners of ICFS. d. North Commercial area- Mascari said he sent a letter to the Mayor, requesting a NCA subcommittee meeting and he has not received a response. There was also a letter in the packet from City Attorney Dilkes, suggesting the Commission retain outside council to assist with the NCA. Mascari said because the Commission is part of the City, he does not think there is a need for an attorney other than the City attorney. Dulek said that the Commission is somewhat autonomous and there may be differences between the Council and the Commission on how certain things should be done in the NCA. O'Neil said that if the City Attorney's office is suggesting having an outside attorney review the leases and agreements for the NCA, it would be good advice. There will be an agreement with a marketing firm and with the potential tenants to review. Anderson made a motion to schedule interviews with the two firms that have expressed interest in marketing the NCA. Ellis seconded the motion and the motion passed 4 - 0, with Ruyle being absent. The Commission also directed O'Neil to contact Dennis Mitchell to see if he would be interested in representing the Commission in NCA issues. Mascari suggested calling the Science Center to see if they were still interested in leasing property in the NCA. The Commission agreed that Mascari should contact Jim Larew to see if he is interested in the NCA and to see whether the Science Center is still interested in moving the United hangar. Mascari said he is on the NCA subcommittee and his Commission term is over in February. Since he is not going to reapply for the Commission, someone else will need to be appointed to the subcommittee. e. Fly Iowa 2001 - Anderson said the next meeting is scheduled for January 18, 2001. He said the committee is growing and he expects several new faces at the meeting. Ann Anderson has agreed to organize the Saturday night hangar dance. Mascari said he had pledged a contribution of $1000, but because of some other personal expenses, he will have to withdraw his pledge. Anderson said he would be attending a meeting of the Aviation Promotion Committee in February. f. Terminal Building Telephone booth- Mascari said he would still like to see some use be made of the telephone booth in the Terminal Building. O'Neil said he contacted a company and it would cost about $250-$300 to hook up the phone to the ASOS. The rotary dial pay phone may not be compatible with current phone lines, If the Commission wants the ASOS in the phone booth, they may need to purchase a new phone. Horan made a motion to connect the old pay phone to the ASOS, if it can be done for a total one-time cost of $300 or less. Anderson seconded the motion and it passed 4 - 0, with Ruyle being absent. CHAIRPERSON'S REPORT: Mascari said he was contacted by a couple of Council members who want the Terminal conference room open to any public group. O'Neil said there is a Commission policy in place and the Commission would have to revise their policy if they wanted to change the availability of the room, The Commission originally required City staff to be at any meetings because the building is shared with Iowa City Flying Service and ICFS or staff is responsible for locking the building. The policy is similar to that for the meeting rooms at the Civic Center and at the Library. The room is not available after normal business hours. The majority of the Commission was not interested in changing the policy at this time. Mascari said that while Anderson was in Tulsa with ICFS's rental plane, there were other pilots who wanted to rent aircraft and there were none available. Mascari said he thought the Commission should consider independent contractors for individual aviation services, instead of or in addition to, a full service FBO. Mascari said he would discuss the Airport budget with the Council on January 23 at 6:30 p.m. Since his term is completed in February and he will not be reapplying, he said he would thank the Council for working with him and the Commission over the last six years. Mascari reviewed the subcommittee assignments and project schedules. COMMISSION MEMBERS' REPORTS: Anderson said he thought installing an ILS should be on the list of items for discussion. O'Neil said it is included in the Master Plan but at this time, the FAA has told Iowa City it does not qualify for an ILS. A full ILS would cost about $1,000,000 and annual maintenance costs are between $ 60,000-$80,000. If the FAA does not participate, O'Neil said it would be a large expense to cover locally. A parallel taxiway is also a requirement for an ILS. That would be an additional $1.6 million. Anderson asked about the keypad lock for the bathroom in hangar #32 in Building G. O'Neil said he would get information from the cleaning service for additional cleaning service costs. Anderson will get information about the cost for the keypad lock. O'Neil said the company he talked to said it would cost about $1200 - $1800 to have a lock installed, depending on if the door needed to be replaced or not. Horan said he is looking forward to Spring when the landscaping outside the window of the mens bathroom in the Terminal Building will grow enough to block the window. O'Neil said he would look into the cost of putting some type of blinds on the window. Horan said he occasionally comes to the Airport on the weekends to check to see if everything is all right. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT: Dulek wrote a letter to Wal~Mart to about the potential hazard to the Airport from the ducks and geese that are attracted to Wal-Mart's water detention pond. She has not received a response. O'Neil said Mascari would present the FY2002 budget to the Council on January 23. The FAA Central Region Conference is May 1 & 2, 2001 in Kansas City. State Aviation Day at the Capital in Des Moines is February 8, 2001. This is an oppodunity to meet with state legislators about aviation issues. ICFS is ending their month to month lease of Building D on February 1, 2001. As was discussed at a previous Commission meeting, Airport operations will be moved into the south end of the building. O'Neil said the bids for the fuel tanks will be due February 22, 2001. Blum, from H.R. Green, said the deadline for installation will be June 29, 2001. This will give ICFS time to remove their tanks before their clean up insurance expires on September 1, 2001. SET NEXT MEETING: The next regular Airport Commission meeting is scheduled for February 8, 2001 ,at 5:45 p.m. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 7:55 p.m. Rick Mascari, Chairperson MINUTES FINAL/APPROVED IOWA CITY AIRPORT COMMISSION THURSDAY AUGUST 9~ 2001 - 5:45 P.M. IOWA CITY AIRPORT TERMINAL MEMBERS PRESENT: Rick Mascari, Howard Horan, Mark Anderson, Alan Ellis, John Ruyle STAFF PRESENT: Sue Dulek, Ron O'Neil CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Mascari called the meeting to order at 5:45 p.m. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The minutes of the July 19, 2001, Commission meeting were approved as submitted. AUTHORIZATION OF EXPENDITURES: Ruyle made a motion to approve the bills. Ellis seconded the motion and the bills were approved 4 - 0. PUBLIC DISCUSSION - ITEMS NOT ON AGENDA: No items were presented. PUBLIC HEARING - National Guard lease - The public hearing was opened at 5:47 p.m. There were no comments from the public. The public hearing was closed at 5:47 p.m. PUBLIC HEARING - Hangar #35 lease - The public hearing was opened at 5:48 p.m. There were no comments from the public. The public hearing was closed at 5:48 p.m. PUBLIC HEARING - IOW Aero lease - The public hearing was opened at 5:49 p.m. There were no comments from the public. The public hearing was closed at 5:49 p.m. PUBLIC HEARING - Jet Air lease - The public hearing was opened at 5:50 p.m. There were no comments from the public. The public hearing was closed at 5:50 p.m. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION/ACTION: a. Aviation Commerce Park- 1. Iowa Commercial Realty - Tracy Overton presented a list of potential protective covenants for the ACP. He said the Commission should start out by examining the zoning for the area and then building on that for any other restrictions they would like to include. He said the Commission should add to the list he presented and then have an attorney draft a document. Dulek said covenants are sometimes recorded. She would draft the covenants after the Commission gave her their ideas. Mascari reminded the Commission that Chuck Hawkins, from the FAA, cautioned against allowing a long line of buildings parallel to the proposed ILS or other precision approach. He said it might deflect the signal. Other uses discussed by the Commission included businesses that may want to include a communications tower or those that had other transmission equipment. Horan and Ellis will meet with Overton and finalize a list. Dulek said they should meet with other City staff, such as someone from the Planning or Building Departments. Ellis said the Commission members should give their ideas to Horan or him. 2. Lot #11 lease- Overton said he and O'Neil have been meeting with the potential tenant for Lot #11. He said if the Commission is in agreement on the terms, he would recommend Dulek prepare a lease. Dulek said she has general lease almost completed. She said the Council must approve the finance agreement and the final plat before the Commission can move forward. The Commission discussed the proposal from Rob Nickels. Mascari said he thought the smaller lots were going to generate $ 20,000 to $25,000 annually. The proposal was for substantially less than that. The main reason the offer is less is because of the easements on the property. The tenant is offering less than market value for the part of the lot encumbered by easements. Overton said he calculated the proposed lease rate in comparison to a sale rate and the lease offer would be comparable to a sale rate of $ 4.00 per square foot. He said property around the area is selling for $ 3.00 to $ 4.50 per square foot. Overton said the tenant would like to move forward as soon as possible in order to begin construction this year. He is evaluating other options in the event the Commission can not meet his schedule. He would like to start site prep work if the Commission is in general agreement to his terms. He knows it would be at his own risk to do any site work. Mascari said he is concerned about the development not making a profit for the Airport. He said that at the rate proposed by the tenant, if carried out to the rest of the development, would produce just a little more income than is needed to pay the infrastructure loan. He said the value of the property as calculated by Overton is less than that from the Cook appraisal. Ellis said there is more competition now than when Cook appraised the property. He said that if the current rate calculated by Overton is correct, the Commission should move forward and rent the lot. Mascari said he would like to talk to Casey Cook again. He said he would like to see if the situation has changed enough to change the value of the property. O'Neil will contact Cook and schedule a meeting. Overton said if the Commission does not like the offer, they should counter-offer and see if the tenant is still interested. Mascari said he could not support the offer until he talked to Cook. He suggested waiting until meeting with Cook before a counter-offer is made. Mascari would like a written report from Cook. O'Neil said this is a busy time of year for Cook and he doesn't know how soon he will get a response. Ovedon presented a draft of some promotional material he was going to use. He wanted to have a sign installed near the Riverside Drive entrance. The Commission reviewed the material and told Overton to proceed. 3. Other issues- Mascari said he thought the Commission should discuss the finance agreement with the Council. Mascad explained the repayment schedule. He said that all revenue generated would go back to repaying the bond until the properly generates enough to get back to the payment schedule. Ellis suggested a couple of language changes. The Commission agreed and O'Neil will discuss the changes with the City Attorney's office. b. Building K- final acceptance - O'Neil said the project to keep water out of the hangar has been completed. Ellis said he was not comfortable accepting the building until he could see how the new drainage system works during the winter. O'Neil said the alterations installed by Seizer Werderitsch Associates were a possible solution to resolve the water problem suggested by the City Engineer. SWA was informed that if this did not work, it would still be SWA's problem. Horan made a motion for a resolution to accept Building K. Anderson seconded the motion and at roll call vote, the motion passed 3 - 1, with Ellis voting no and Ruyle being absent. c. Fuel site-final acceptance- O'Neil said the project is not completed enough to accept the project. This will be on the agenda at the next meeting. Blum said the Iowa Department of Agriculture needs to certify the pump. Double Check stills needs to install the card swipe for the self-fueling station. Written instructions will need to be posted at the self-fueling station before it can be activated. d. FBO services- 1. IOW Aero - Mascari said he and O'Neil had met with IOW to discuss the lease. He said that a lease sent to IOW was a draft and IOW had responded with some suggestions. Mascari reviewed the differences in the Commission's draft and the suggestions from IOW. Mascari said IOW would like to readjust the hours that a line crew is available. Ron Duffe, from IOW, said having a lineman on duty 12 hours a day when not much fuel is sold results in a loss for them. Duffe said IOW would contribute $15,000 if a self-serve Jet A fuel station were installed. He said he thought that would increase fuel sales. Duffe said he would also like to initiate an overnight parking fee that would be waved if the pilot bought fuel. Duffe said he would like to lease all of the space in the Terminal Building and sublease to Jet Air. He said he has discussed that arrangement with Jet Air and he said he would be able to make that work. IOW and the Commission discussed shorter hours for the FBO. If that can be arranged, an arrangement would need to be in place to have the Terminal Building open during regular business hours and during weekends. Blum, from H.R. Green, will check to see what would be involved in installing a remote Jet A fuel station. Mascari and Ruyle will meet with IOW Aero and negotiate the lease. This will be an agenda item at the next meeting. 2. Jet Air- Mascari said he has not met with Jet Air. O'Neil said the Commission will need to decide if they are going to have a separate lease with Jet Air or if Jet Air will sublease from IOW. Mascari said he would prefer two separate leases. O'Neil will send a draft lease to Jet Air and Mascari and Ruyle will meet with Jet Air to negotiate a lease. e. Hangar # 35 lease- The University of Iowa Engineering Department has requested to sublease part of the hangar from Dennis Gordon. Gordon would like to change his lease from a month to month lease to a five-year lease. The University has not confirmed their sublease with Gordon. Gordon would like the Commission to defer this item to the next meeting. He said he is waiting to hear from the University to confirm they want to sublease. f. Iowa National Guard lease- O'Neil said the Guard leases approximately 28,000 square feet of ground for vehicle storage. The new lease would be for three years, with a three-year option. O'Neil suggested a 2% per year increase in the rent. The rest of the terms stay the same as in the last lease. Anderson made a motion for a resolution to approve the lease for the Iowa National Guard. Ellis seconded the motion and at roll call vote it was approved, 4 - 0, with Ruyle being absent. g. Fly Iowa 2001 - Anderson reported on the progress of the Fly Iowa planning committee. Anderson said he only had concerns about two things, enough funding and enough volunteers. There have been some last minute costs. Anderson said the budget is about $29,000. He said it depends on how the Coke sales go. Part of the pop sales will be donated to Fly Iowa. The Committee may need to hire people to direct traffic. O'Neil has hired someone for security from 10:00 p.m. Saturday to 6:00 a.m. on Sunday. Publicity was discussed, including appearing on the Dotty Ray Show and with Roy Justice. Posters were posted and have been mailed to airports in Iowa. O'Neil said he has talked to the tenants in Buildings J and K about moving their aircraft out before the venders set up. He has talked to most of the tenants and will remind them again that if they want their aircraft out, they will have to move them out before Saturday night. CHAIRPERSON'S REPORT: Mascari stated that he thought Anderson has done a great job on Fly Iowa. Anderson said he thought the whole Fly Iowa 2001 committee has done a great job. Mascari said he and O'Neil met with Ron and Deb Duffe concerning the FBO lease. He said he is confident that a lease would be negotiated. COMMISSION MEMBERS' REPORTS: Ellis would like to see the payback schedule for Building F changed from 20 years to 30 years. Mascari said he discussed extending the schedule, but did not express any specific time frame. Ellis asked if there was a waiting list for t-hangars. ©'Nell said there is a waiting list but there are two or three hangars that will be available soon. Ellis said the Commission should still pursue trying to have a Iocalizer installed. Mascari said there are some remote airports that are getting transponder approaches. He would like to see if that is still possible for Iowa City. Blum said most transponders are only certified accurate up to 300 feet. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT: ©'Neil said the Commission needs to move forward with selecting a consultant for the obstruction removal project. He said the IDOT does not require the same selection process that the FAA requires. This will be on the agenda for the next meeting. O'Neil said he received a phone call from Lee Utt, from the FAA, discussing Phase 1 of the Runway 7 e~tension project. Relocating Dane Road will be the first phase of the project. The Iowa City Flying Service fuel tanks were removed on July 24, 2001. Part of the negotiated deal with ICFS when the Commission let them out of their lease was that they would pay to have their tanks removed, as long as they were removed before August 27. The money was escrowed by ICFS's attorney. O'Neil said there is federal legislation that may earmark CIP funds for Iowa City. This would be for land acquisition. SET NEXT MEETING: The next regular Airport Commission meeting is scheduled for September 13, 2001 ,at 5:45 p.m. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 8:53 p.m. Rick Mascari, Chairperson MINUTES FINAL/APPROVED IOWA CITY BOARD OF APPEALS MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2002, 4:30 P.M. IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY MEETING ROOM A, 123 S. LINN ST. MEMBERS PRESENT: Tim Fehr, Gary Haman, Anna Buss, Wayne Maas, John Roffman STAFF PRESENT: Tim Hermes (Sr. Building Inspector), Pat Hansen (Electrical Inspector), Roger Jensen (Fire Marshall), Sue Dulek (Asst. City Attorney - absent from meeting from 5:20 P.M. to 6:30 P.M.), and Jann Ream (Code Enforcement Asst. acting as minute taker) OTHERS PRESENT: Robert Fontanini (Blackhawk Sprinklers), Bill Schares, Kelly Mitchell, Tom Vrban (Vrban Fire Protection), Traci uffman (Aquarius Sprinkler Company) RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: None CALL TO ORDER: Chairman Roffman called the meeting to order at 4:35 P.M. CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES: Minutes from the February 4,2002 meeting were reviewed. MOTION: Haman moved to approve the minutes. Buss seconded. Motion passed unopposed. Continued discussion and possible recommendation to Council reqardinq maintenance and installer licensinq of fire alarm and sprinkler systems contractors. Hermes reviewed discussion from previous meetings. He stated that a meeting between Andy Rocca (Fire Chief), Roger Jensen (Fire Marshall), Doug Boothroy (Director -Housing and Inspection Services) and himself determined that the inspections should and would be done through the Fire Department. The licensing and permitting for fire and sprinkler systems would be done through Housing and Inspection Services since that department has the software in place. Roffman opened public discussion. Bob Fontanini asked if union contractors would be exempted from the NICET requirements since they had gone through a 5 year apprenticeship program. Maas replied that then they should have no problem getting their NICET certification. Fontanini then asked that since the State of Iowa was pursuing a similar path, would the City still continue with this licensing. He was told that the State plan was not going to be passed this session. Vrban asked for clarification on who could actually design sprinkler systems since the City was recommending a NICET level III requirement for design. Hermes stated that the Board could still approve a designer who could demonstrate expertise or who was tested by another equivalent testing agency. Maas recommended that the Board be given more objective guidelines for approval of designers so there could be no suggestion of favoritism. Hansen concurred. Hermes brought up the issue that if plans for sprinkler and fire alarm systems will be required to be submitted by licensed individuals then the plans should be submitted with the plans for the building permit. Current procedures only require the fire alarm and sprinkler plans before the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy. Discussion occurred concerning various internal procedures and requirements for designing and bidding sprinkler and fire alarm designs. Roffman asked how reliable bids could be obtained without having code compliant drawings up front. Vrban stated that the installer doing the bids currently bids on a code compliant system no matter what the drawings show. Hansen stated that by requiring a certain level of design, certification and inspections, the quality of installations will improve across the board and create a level playing field for all the contractors; not only for the original installation but also for later maintenance inspections. Fontanini stated that the sprinkler contractors are in favor of having a licensing system in place. Roffman stated that the City has proposed a phased system that would give contractors time to get their employees certified. Jensen stated that the proposed system did not address the apprenticeship program requiring that there would be a NICET certified supervisor on each job which would allow non certified to do actual work while they were working for their certification. Hennes pointed out that it was addressed in that the program would work much like the current electrical licensing program. Maas asked for verification that the managing employee would have to actually be on the job site while the work was being done and for the inspection. Hennes thought that it had been discussed in previous meetings that the NICET level person did not actually have to be on the job. Hansen thought it was important that there be a reasonable ratio between the number of apprentices and the NICET certified job manager and that that person should physically be on the job site. The consensus on the Board and among the present installers was that there should be certified person on the job site. The inspection process and the proposed tag system was discussed. A contractor would purchase a number of tags which the NICET certified person would sign upon the completion of a new installation or a required maintenance inspection and install on the control box. Discussion occurred on whether the maintenance inspection reports should automatically be copied to the City as well as the building owner. Discussion occurred about how the tags would be dispersed. Would tags be sold to the actual licensed NICET person or to the contracting company? Vrban asked was how the fee structure was going be set up. Roffman stated that he also was looking for more clarification. Hennes stated that they thought it should reflect how the electrical and plumbing fees were set up. Roffman wondered if the fees should pay for a certain percentage of the costs of administering the program. Vrban expressed concern that if the City was going require a NICET level III on the design end then the City should have a similarly certified person reviewing the plans. Buss asked that if the State of Iowa passed a requirement for licensing of fire alarm and sprinkler installers would the City still pursue their own system. Hennes stated that the question was still too open ended on the State level to make any decisions on that question. Also, even if the State passed a requirement, the State had no mechanism for enforcement so the City would have to pass something locally no matter what. Public discussion ended at 6:00 P.M. The Board discussed on how the City inspections would be staffed. Jensen stated that the most likely scenario would be a firefighter doing inspections. Buss asked Jensen again why the fire department did not charge commercial businesses for fire inspections. Buss asked why the Board was addressing the question of licensing - what problems have occurred. Buss expressed concern that if the City continued to layer on regulations then people would take their business elsewhere. Jensen assured Buss that this problem was being addressed on a national, state and municipal level across the country - no one would be exempt from installing code compliant safe systems. Discussion occurred concerning the required maintenance inspections and how the City would keep track of those inspections and if the building owners should be notified when the inspections are due. Hennes stated that the building owners should be aware of the requirements of the code which even now requires at least yearly maintenance inspections of fire alarm and sprinkler systems. And instituting a notification system for something the building owners should already be aware of and responsible for would be staff intensive and costly. Hennes felt that the City should not become property managers. Roffman asked for more clarification on how the tag system will be implemented, how owners would be notified of maintenance inspections, how design drawings would be submitted and how fees would be assessed. He asked that a final draft be supported at the April meeting and recommendation for Council by May. Discussion reqardin¢l adoption of the 2000 International Residential Code. Roffman asked for comments. He stated that the amendments looked fairly straightforward but if anyone had any concerns, state them and they would be discussed at the next meeting. Haman stated that the code update class requirement for plumbers was not included and should be. Haman also expressed concerns about the wording about the gas pipe installer license. Maas expressed concerns about the definition of habitable space. Haman stated the previous plumbing amendments should not just be brought over because they are outdated. Hermes said that each amendment section should be addressed separately to allow input from the appropriate parties which would occur at subsequent meetings. Other Business: Next meeting was scheduled for April 1 in the lobby conference room of the Civic Center. ADJOURNMENT: Haman moved to adjourn the meeting. Buss seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 7:10 P.M. John Roffman, Board of Appeals Chair Date MINUTES FINAL/APPROVED IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING THURSDAY, February 28, 2002 5:00 PM Members Present: Linda Dellsperger, Shaner Magalh~es, Lisa Parker, Pat Schnack, Jesse Singerman, Tom Surer, David VanDusseldorp Staff Present: Maeve Clark, Susan Craig, Debb Green, Heidi Lauritzen Kara Logsden, Martha Lubaroff, Liz Nichols, Members Absent: Linda Prybil, Jim Swaim Others: Joel Miller, Construction Manager, Elizabeth Borchers Amanda Nash, Lindsey Ignace, UI students CALL TO ORDER: President Parker called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. PUBLIC DISCUSSION APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The minutes of the regular meeting of January 24, 2002 were approved as amended after a motion by Dellsperger and a second by Singerman. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Buildin,q Proiect: Miller distributed a progress report on the demolition project. He will bring a similar report to each Board meeting. There is an empty fuel oil tank under the property that needs to be removed. Miller has been in contact with Shive-Hattery and the Department of Natural Resources regarding the removal and disposal. A savings will occur by keeping the existing basement wall instead of demolishing it and putting the new wall inside it. This will cause some reconfiguration in the alley. At the first of the month, subcontractors will begin driving nails into the soil in preparation for the foundation. Drilling rigs will be brought in to dig dirt out and pour concrete. Miller is pleased with the cooperation he has experienced so far in his working relationship with the contractors. One of the Trustees asked about the gap in the gates on the Linn Street side. Miller responded that action is planned to block those openings so people cannot squeeze through. The Police have been patrolling the area frequently. Parkinq Update Parker's memo requesting short-term parking in the Dubuque Street ramp was included in last Friday's Council's packet. Craig thought that the Mayor would get back to Parker; she will follow up. NEW BUSINESS Policy Review: Unattended Children policy. This is a regularly scheduled review and at this time staff did not recommend any changes. No Board action was taken. ICPL Board Meeting February 28, 2002 Policy Review: Hours of Service: This is a regularly scheduled policy review. Craig inserted a general informational paragraph at the beginning. She spoke to the Board about recent newspaper articles concerning the City's FY03 budget. The City Manager will be asked to make additional cuts. The over-all bottom line will not change but they want to improve their cash reserve position. City Manager is considering a 25% cut in the temporary personnel budget, which will affect some City depadments more than others, but overall has a large impact on us. We requested additional money in that line item in order to empty additional book drops, and beef up the Circulation Department to plan for potential inefficiencies we may have to deal with in transitional phase of the project in the new building. Since we requested more it is not a 20% cut to what we have this year but more like a 15% cut. We allocate approximately 700 hours of temporary hours per week, and we would have to cut about 100 hours. Dellsperger asked about the equity of an across-the-board cut that mostly affects three City departments. Atkins was giving departmental directors a "heads up" and wants to know by next Wednesday how this will affect operations. Craig said that the Board has the option of cutting other items if they so choose. This discussion then led back to the hours Craig is proposing in the calendar. She said cuts will not affect the hours we are normally open however she may recommend cutting some of the minor holidays that we remain open like Veteran's Day, President's Day, Day after Thanksgiving. It was suggested that perhaps we need to look at what it costs us to be open per hour, and maybe remain open on those holidays with reduced hours. Craig's plan is to look at putting together small cuts to economize. In response to a question, Craig said that the minor holidays are not necessarily higher use days because of school not being in session, but they are active days for families and children's activities. Overall, as a day of business at the library, it's no busier. It was decided to postpone deciding on the calendar until more is known about the budget. Craig was directed to question cuts, which affect some departments, substantially more than others. Craig explained that what caused the problem in Iowa City was the rollback in taxes to almost 50%. This rollback is based on a formula by State law intended to protect residential and agricultural property from high taxes and is set by formula. Singerman asked what input Craig would want from the Board. Trustees felt that hours and staying open is important. VanDusseldorp spoke in favor of not reducing hours. Craig will come up with a number of options to present to the Board and approving the policy and calendar will be delayed until next month. When asked, Craig said that what she would fight would be any cuts to the collection budget. Computer and AV equipment could be reduced and additional book drops could be cut because we will not have the staff to empty them. Consider allocation for a memorial to Larry Eckholt Over $8,000 has been contributed to the memorial fund in his name. There has been some discussion of dedicating the major art piece in the new building to his memory. After some review of the Board's commitment to allocating discretionary gift funds to match staff donations, Suter moved that the Board contribute $1,000 towards a memorial. Singerman seconded. Motion passed unanimously. STAFF REPQRTS Departmental Reports for month of February: Technical Service, Systems, Children's Parker asked for questions. Magalh~es commented on the new feature that allows electronic claiming of missing issues of sedals. This new feature allows staff to electronically determine issues ICPL Board Meeting February 28, 2002 that were expected and not received. This report is transmitted to the vendor for claiming. Black said they are beginning to see results in time reduction and improvement in response rates for filling in missing issues. Parker commented on the versatility of the Innovative system. She appreciated the new features that make use of the catalog easier for patrons and staff. A question was asked about our old computers? New high-end machines are placed where they are most needed and replace others on down the line. Computers that have reached the end of the cycle go to Sharpless Auction. The high numbers of children attending programs was noted. Green pointed out that they had good media coverage in January and February. State funding: Craig reported that we will not receive as much funding from the State and that Open Access will most likely get cut. Development Office Report: A question came up about whether or not the Spelling Bee will be discontinued, as a consequence of the move. This was planned as the last year because it was thought the meeting room and cable-casting would not be available in February 2003, but they will be. It is a popular event and likely will continue. Inservice Day report was included in the packet. News articles telling of the $40,000 grant from the National Library of Medicine report were included. The goal is to improve the health of Iowa City and Johnson County residents by providing access to consumer health resources here in the Library and at14 sites throughout the community. Quack Alert: Internet Health literacy for teens is scheduled at the Library for four sessions during a school day off. PRESIDENT'S REPORT Parker reported that she had been contacted by a citizen about serving on a committee to work on finding resources during the day, for the homeless. The group will begin to meet and explore options. Parker will keep us posted. ANNOUNCEMENT FROM MEMBERS Art Committee's work commissioning a new art piece is moving forward. Two hundred requests have been sent in response to the Request for Proposals. It has been posted on the Internet and we have gotten responses from all over including Europe. The proposals are due back in April. The Committee has been overwhelmed with the response. The review process is in the hands of the Art Committee. The Library has received requests from individuals who want to donate art to the new building. Every piece is being evaluated on its own merits. Jay and Blossom Shaw want to donate a piece of their son Eric's work, and a committee has scheduled a visit to see it. COMMITTEE REPORTS Appoint nominating committee: Linda Dellsperger, Jesse Singerman and Dave VanDusseldorp will serve on the nominating committee with Dellsperger as the chair. ICPL Board Meeting February 28, 2002 DISBURSEMENTS Since the disbursements were not in every Board packet, they will be reviewed next month. SET AGENDA ORDER FOR MARCH MEETING Approve calendar ADJOURNMENT: 6:02 pm MINUTES ~ IOWA CITY TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION FINAL/APPROVED MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2002 CITY CABLE TV OFFICE, 10 S. LINN ST.-TOWER PLACE PARKING FACILITY MEMBERS PRESENT: Betty McKray, Jim Pusack, Terry Smith, Kembrew McLeod MEMBERS ABSENT: Cathy Weingeist STAFF PRESENT: Drew Shaffer, Mike Brau, Bob Hardy, Andy Matthews, Dale Helling OTHERS PRESENT: Kara Logsden, Kevin Hoyland, Phil Phillips, Rene Paine, Randy Brown RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL it was moved by Pusack, seconded by McLeod, to recommend to the City Council that no action be taken to change the definition of gross revenues subject to franchise fees to exclude non-subscriber revenue given the current legal situation. The motion passed unanimously. SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION Shaffer reported that he received 118 complaints. Logsden reported that progress continues on the new library building. The library channel is producing a series of programs on the building construction. Shaffer said that he was notified this morning that the ICCSD would be given their own channel on channel 98. Brown said that 98 will be an additional education channel and that Kirkwood will be on channel 11 full-time. Shaffer reported the City met with Mediacom representative Jon Koebrick to discuss the cable TV problems in Iowa City. The City is using channel 4 to better inform the public and reduce confusion about the changes made by Mediacom. Shaft'er requested the phone management data from Mediacom for the past quarter. _Paine distributed a memo regarding the refinancing of their building mortgage. The better rate results in a savings of about $125 per month. The $10,000 additional side loan will be paid off in March. PATV has about $11,000 in a building fund that was set up 5~6 months ago. PATV's mortgage payment is about $100 more that the rent received from the Everett Conner Center. Shaffer reported that Mediacom sent a letter to the Mayor citing a change in a FCC ruling that permits companies to collect franchise fees from non-subscriber revenue, such as advertising, directly from subscribers. Mediacom suggested in the letter that the definition of gross revenues be adjusted to eliminate non-subscriber revenue from the definition of gross revenues. Shaffer noted the article in the meeting packet about a law suit that will be filed by Miller & Van Eaton challenging the ruling.. Brown said that Mediacom has begun to pass through non-subscriber revenue fees this month. APPROVAL OF MINIUTES Pusack moved and Weingeist seconded a motion to approve the January 2002 minutes. The motion passed unanimously. ANNOUNCEMENTS OF COMMISSIONERS It was decided to distribute hard copies of meeting packets rather than electronic versions via the Internet. SHORT PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS None. CONSUMER ISSUES Shaffer reported that he received 118 complaints. Of those complaints, 6 were about not receiving phone calls back from the company, 17 about the rate increase, 8 about the lack of notification regarding the premium channels moving to the digital tiers, 6 about inadequate notification regarding the channel line-up changes, 6 about confusing materials distributed by the company, 26 about the company's phones always being busy, 3 cable TV technical problems, 5 billing problems, 2 telemarketer-related complaints, 5 wanting competition, 2 that they were getting fewer channels and paying more money, 5 that the cable modem service was more unstable than prior to the transfer to Mediacomonline, 3 about poor service, 2 about being transferred while on the phone several times but not getting talked to anyone, 3 about being told that they must subscribe to the digital tier to receive premium channels, 2 about receiving their bills too late to pay on time, I about the channel line-up not being changed when the company said they were going to be changed, 1 about the cable modem downstream cap being 4 times slower than the @Home cap, 2 that the 800 number for cable modem technical assistance being of no help, 1 that cable modem technical support provided different answers to their problems, 1 that the materials provided by the company regarding cable modem configuration settings were only for the PC and not Macintosh, 1 that the cable modem service did not provide access to their email account when they were away from home, 1 about the local cable modem technical support staff being unable to assist them and referring them to the 800 number who were also unable to assist them and referred them back the local staff, 2 that that the local customer service representatives were inadequately informed about the changes the company was instigating, 2 about getting a refund for cable modem service outages, 2 about not being able to tape on the digital and analog tiers at the same time, 1 about wanting the weather channel on the broadcast basic tier rather than being moved to family cable, 1 that subscribers should not be billed in advance of the service, and one wanting competition for cable modems. Pusack said that the attitude of the some of the customer service representatives was not productive. McLeod said several people mentioned to him that they could not reach the company by phone due to the line always being busy. Pusack said that he was told by one customer service representatives that in regards to cable modem outages that the best thing he (Pusack) could do would be to call the Des Moines Mediacom office and complain. He said there was an area-wide problem and the best way to get it fixed was for everyone to call there. Directing people to call Des Moines and clog up their lines is not likely the best solution. A better solution would be to have a recorded message that would inform callers that there is a problem. Brown said that Mediacom anticipated that 20% of subscribers would call needing assistance with the cable modem changes. Thirty additional personnel were allocated from Florida for over-flow technical support. All in all it worked pretty well. The service came up and worked, but there was a router failure on Saturday. On Sunday special accommodations were made to get all subscribers back online. Pusack said that he emailed a question regarding some of the services provided but has not received a reply a week later. Brown said that the phone traffic is starling to subside. Mediacom was unable to meet FCC Customer Service Standards for answering phones for a couple weeks due to the large volume. McLeod said that TiVo does not have current data for Mediacom channel line-ups. Brown said that TiVo needs to be updated by Mediacom. The information TiVo has been getting has been from TV Guide. There are many companies like TiVo. Mediacom sends them the information when they find out where to send it. MEDIACOM REPORT Brown said that given the short amount of time that Mediacom had to make a change to their own cable modem service that things went fairly well. There are a few bugs that need to be worked out, but generally the auto-configuring software provided consumers worked well. Shaffer noted that there were two errors in the notices Mediacom placed in the papers. LEGAL REPORT Matthews said he had nothing new to report. LIBRARY REPORT Logsden reported that progress continues on the new library building. The library channel is producing a series of programs on the building construction. New programs will be produced each month. During the construction the Iowa Communications Network Room and Meeting Room A will not be operational for video feeds. ECC REPORT Hoyland asked about the channel change that provided a channel to the Iowa City Community School District. The first he heard of it was today. He contacted Mark Mueller and they have been trying to set up a message to be run on channel 11 over the next couple of days to inform the public. Shaffer said that he was notified this morning that the ICCSD would be given their own channel on channel 98. Brown said that 98 will be an additional education channel and that Kirkwood will be on channel 11 full-time. Channel 5 will be the Coralville government channel in Coralville only. Brown offered to provide 300 spots for cross channel promotion for the access channels. McKray said that the City Council might wish to contact high level Mediacom officials to express disappointment in the information provided and the preparations made by Mediacom for the channel line-up changes. PATV REPORT Paine reported that a series of special workshops will be given to students from the alternative high school. The Board of Directors will hold a retreat on March 3. A PSA is playing on various channels promoting PATV's channel position change. A grand opening celebration wilt be held April 5 from 3-7 p.m. SENIOR CENTER REPORT No representative was present. CITY CHANNEL REPORT Hardy reported that programming requests are down slightly and as a result more time has been able to be put towards improving studio shoots, including the ability to import phone calls, satellite feeds, the web, InfoVision, and other video sources, Channel 5 is ready to begin carrying InfoVision full- time. A bulletin board system has been developed to play between programs on channel 4. Channel 4'S program schedule has been tightened up and now runs in 8 hour blocks. The City Channel recently provided a satellite feed for the library staff training. The Community Television Service also has seen a slight decline in programming requests. An updated brochure promoting the CTS ks being developed. Pusack asked about the ability of the City Channel to cablecast more live City meetings and events such as the planning and zoning commission and the informal City Council meetings. Pusack suggested that an item be added to the agenda to discuss this item in the future. Staff could make an estimate of the cost to cover meetings and some of the considerations. Perhaps the Commission could remind the City Council that there is more programming capacity now and they may wish to review that option. Helling said that coverage of commission meetings would be up to the individual commissions. The City Council has been discussed and it is an issue of the preference of the Council. The issue does come up regularly. The cost issue is only one consideration that comes into play for the informal Council meetings. Hardy said that the City Channel frequently makes invitations to commissions for coverage. The City Channel is reactive to requests rather than being proactive and covering those meetings. It is generally up to the commissions. Paine noted that the informal City Council meetings and some of the Planning and Zoning Commission meetings are being taped by members of the community and played on PATV. Shaffer reported the City met with Mediacom representative Jon Koebrick to discuss the problems in Iowa City. The City is using channel 4 to better inform the public and reduce confusion about the changes made by Mediacom. Shaffer requested the phone management data from Mediacom for the 1st quarter of 2002. Brown inquired if such data could be presented at the end of April 2002. Shaffer responded positively. PATV BUIDLDING UPDATE Paine distributed a memo regarding the refinancing of their building mortgage. The better rate results in a savings of about $125 per month. The $10,000 additional side loan will be paid off in March. PATV has about $11,000 in a building fund that was set up 5-6 months ago. PATV's mortgage payment is about $100 more that the rent received from the Everett Conner Center. TRIENNIAL REVIEW DISCUSSION Smith moved and Pusack seconded to table this item until next meeting. The motion passed unanimously. NON-SUBSCRIBER REVENUE FRANCHISE FEES Shaffer reported that Mediacom sent a letter to the mayor citing a change in a FCC ruling that permits companies to collect franchise fees from non-subscriber revenue, such as advertising, directly from subscribers. Mediacom suggested in the letter that the definition of gross revenues be adjusted to eliminate non-subscriber revenue from the definition of gross revenues. Shaffer noted the article in the meeting packet about a law suit that will be filed by rvliller & Van Eaton challenging the ruling. The City Council has sent this issue to the Commission for guidance. Matthews said that the City runs a refund risk if the money is collected and the issue is subsequently decided differently. Shaffer said that there is some discrepancy between City estimates and Mediacom estimates on how much the fee is. Mediacom estimates about $0.14 per subscriber per month and the City estimates about $0.21. The City's figure is a estimate because the cable company has not provided a consistent break out of revenue streams for some time. Smith noted that these funds have been collected in the past but have not been passed through to subscribers but now will be. Failure to take any action means that cable subscriber bills will go up between $0.14 and $0.21. Helling said there is a risk to the cable company. It's not illegal to collected it, but it's an issue of who pays. If the City elects not to charge the subscriber at this time, i.e. to forgo that amount of the franchise fee, and at a later date a law suit rules in the City's favor, those franchise fees may never be seen. Brown said that Mediacom has begun to pass through non-subscriber revenue fees this month. Helling said the issue is not if the fee can be collected, rather if the cable company can pass it through to the subscribers. Shaffer suggested that the City wait until court case is decided before taking any action. Pusack said that he's not interested in changing the gross revenue language. Smith said that from a utility perspective that he is accustomed to franchise fees and passing those fees to customers. There is a fundamental decision cities make when assessing franchise fees that they will be passed on to the subscribers. It is a revenue source for the City and it is borne by the subscribers. The City should continue to collect the fee. Pusack moved and McLeod seconded a motion that given the current legal situation surrounding franchise fees on non-subscriber revenue that the Commission recommend to the City Council that no action be taken on this issue at this time. The motion passed unanimously. ADJOURNMENT McLeod moved and Pusack seconded a motion to adjourn. The motion passed unanimously. Adjournment was at 7:02 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Wm. Drew Shaffer Cable TV Administrator MINUTES FINAL/APPROVED PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MARCH 13, 2002 MEMBERS PRESENT: Kevin Boyd, Craig Gustaveson, Matt Pacha Nancy Ostrognai, Rex Pruess, A1 Stroh, John Westefeld MEMBERS ABSENT: Toni Cilek, Doug Ginsberg GUESTS: Amy Bouska, Karen Dawes STAFF PRESENT: Terry Trueblood FORMAL ACTION TAKEN Moved by Bovd~ seconded by Stroh~ to approve the February 13~ 2002 minutes as written. Unanimous. Moved by Boyd~ seconded by Ostrognai~ to support the initiative of the Concerned Citizens for Sand Prairie Preservation to preserve the sand prairie along South Gilbert Street near Napoleon Park~ and to express the commission's willingness to recommend acceptance of the land as city property. Unanimous. FY02 & FY03 BUDGET REDUCTIONS Trueblood reported the City's general fund budget has to be reduced by approximately one-half million dollars, and the City Council instructed the City Manager to determine where the reductions should occur. The City Manager requested that all City departments prepare a document setting out a 25 percent reduction in temporary employees and the impact it would cause, and to prioritize capital outlay items for FY02 and FY03. This document was sent out in the commission's packet. This reduction to the Parks and Recreation budget for temporary employees amounts to over $300,000. The City Manager is recommending a $50,300 reduction in the Parks and Recreation Department's FY03 budget for temporary employees. The proposed reductions are as follows: Reduce the temporary employee budget for the Recreation Division Ball diamond maintenance - $ 8,000 Close Recreation Center Pool Sundays - $ 6,300 Close Mercer Pool for three weeks each August - $ 6,000* Forestry Division - $ 8,000* Central Business District - $ 8,000* Parks Division (Trail Ranger Program) - $ 7,000' Cemetery Division - $ 4,000 Miscellaneous accounts to equal - $ 3,000 *(These items have since been amended). With respect to closing the Mercer Park Aquatic Center for three weeks each August to perform a variety of maintenance tasks, Pruess asked if it would only be for FY02 and FY03; Trueblood indicated the change could continue through FY05, but this is an area where staff will propose alternative reductions so the pool won't have to be closed. Parks and Recreation comnmssion March 13, 2002 Page 2 of 4 The items recommended to be postponed in the FY02 and FY03 capital outlay budgets are: Cemetery Division software and accessories (FY03) $18,330 Miscellaneous FY03 accounts (staff's choice) $50,000 Park and Recreation Master Plan (FY02) $40,000 Parks Division portable radios (FY02) $ 1,650 Forestry Division truck upgrade and chain saw replacement (FY02) $ 3,650 Central Business District tree/shrub replacement (FY02) $ 6,500 Cemetery Division software (FY02) $ 3,085 Miscellaneous FY02 accounts $ 6,877 Westefeld asked if these proposed reductions were set in stone. Tmeblood stated when the reductions were discussed at the department manager meeting, the City Manager wanted staff to convey to the commission that he recognized several boards and commissions would have liked to had some input, but due to the time frame it was not possible. The proposed reductions are subject to change, with the final decision to be made by the City Council. Westefeld referred to the Summer Playground program, noting it was proposed to be eliminated in the original reduction. He noted this free drop-in program reaches low-income families who do not have many opportunities for summer programs, and he would not want it eliminated. Trueblood indicated this program is not slated for elimination at this time. Pruess asked how the City Manager reached the decision on which items to reduce and asked if staff had input. Trueblood noted due to the time frame, the City Manager made the decision, but indicated that staff is free to make other suggestions if they do not agree with his proposed reductions. Stroh felt at this level of detail, staff' would know best ~vhat to reduce. He noted volunteer programs are being developed at the University of lo,va, such as cleaning ditches. This is a pretty straightforward work program where everybody understands what the duties are. The City may be able to identity various duties that could be performed by volunteers. He suggested that Oakdale inmates could possibly help with cleaning the downtown area. As far as the master plan, the City may be able to utilize Urban Planning students from the University of Iowa to complete it as a semester project. As far as volunteers, Trueblood noted the Adopt a Park Program where volunteers help to keep various parks clean, but do not perform duties such as mowing the grass or trimming the trees. The volunteers help the appearance of the park, but this does not reduce the level of maintenance needed to any great extent. With respect to the ball diamonds, Gustaveson felt Babe Ruth should help maintain them or contribute funds towards it. With respect to the do~vntown area, Gustaveson felt the Downtown Association should be contacted to help with maintenance; fraternities and sororities could clean the flowcrbeds, and people needing to perform community service could also help with maintenance. Trueblood noted staff utilizes community service regularly, although most are used in a more controlled atmosphere such as the Recreation Center. Boyd stated the people who cause the mess in the downtown area on the weekends should clean it instead of spending the night in jail; Gustaveson agreed. Trueblood noted the City has used inmates to hang Christmas lights downtown and to help clean up City Park after the '98 wind storm, and are willing to utilize them whenever feasible. Westefeld asked if the various groups, such as Babe Ruth and Girls Softball contributed to the upkeep of the ball diamonds. Trueblood stated they have contributed funding and volunteers for special projects only. The Iowa City Kickers donated $300,000 towards the construction of the soccer complex; Girls Softball contributed between $50,000 to $100,000 and donated labor towards the construction of the Napoleon Park softball complex; and Babe Ruth contributed $7,500 towards their pledge of $10,000 to erect a new building Parks and Recreation comrmssion March 13, 2002 Page 3 of 4 at the Mercer Park softball complex. Trueblood noted these groups are affiliate groups, where the City provides the facilities and the groups provide the program for youth. The groups are also given the concession business to help them raise money for their organization. SAND PRAIRIE PRESERVATION Amy Bouska and Karen Dawes addressed the commission with respect to the Concerned Citizens for Sand Prairie Preservation group's goal of preserving the sand prairie located on the property along South Gilbert Slreet near Napoleon Park. A copy of an aerial map depicting the approximate boundaries of this area was distributed. Bouska indicated they are only interested in the sand prairie, property that encompasses approximately one-half of the proposed Napoleon Heights development. Bouska stated they met with the Department of Natural Resources to discuss making the property a state preserve and they are interested. The property would qualify as an archaeological site due to the known Indian mound, a historical site.., the McCollister house and due to the original sand prairie area. One of the requirements is that a plant inventory must be done. Bouska stated they are working with Southgate Development, and their asking price for the property is $12,000/acre. They are also interested in a conservation easement that would reduce the number of acres. Bouska stated the worse case scenario would be that the property would cost approximately $720,000 for the sand prairie area. She noted 20 acres are still owned by the family, who is considering it as a possible donation. The problem is that the family consists of seven members, five of whom are willing to consider a donation. With respect to funding, Bouska stated they are in the process of forming a non-profit organization and are looking at grants. Bouska asked if their group was able to obtain the property, if the Parks and Recreation Department would be willing to accept it as open space for the city. Pmess noted the long-term plan to obtain the lake area in the South District Plan and felt this property would tie into the plan. Karen Dawes noted part of the funding would need to go towards restoring the sand prairie. Dawes felt it would be nice to incorporate the area with the city trail system, and the remaining area maintained as a nature park. Bouska stated the trail should be located in the least intrusive area; Pmess noted the trail would likely run along the sewer line. Stroh asked if the City recognized the importance of this area during the South District Plan process; Bouska noted the plan's recommendation is open space. Bouska stated the group is being proactive and would ideally like to obtain the property via purchase, conservation easement or a covenant with the future homeowner's association. Southgate Development is willing to work with a conservation easement. Boyd asked what the minimum amount of land is needed to preserve the habitat. Bouska stated they need to complete a plant inventory to give them a better sense of what is there and did not have the data at this time to answer the question. Gustaveson asked if the group obtained the property if it would be donated to the City; Bouska indicated that was a possibility if the City is interested. Dawes noted acquisition of this property requires maintaining the prairie. Bouska stated the area currently needs some work and they hope to get funding to do so. After the area has been restored, it would require occasional burning, tree removal, and low maintenance. Gustaveson asked if the area was declared a state preserve, how that would differ from being a city park. Bouska stated there might be a possibility for a partnership, noting a state preserve provides protection and more funding. Trueblood noted if the commission eventually recommends acceptance of the land, the final decision rest with the City Council. Stroh felt the group's goal was great and supported it. Westefeld noted he also supported it, noting it would be a unique park different from others in the community and would fulfill a particular need and situation. Boyd also supported the group's efforts and asked if the cornrff~ssion should go on record so the City Parks and Recreation Commission March 13, 2002 Page 4 of 4 Council is aware of the commission's stance. Trueblood stated from a staff perspective, there was not a problem with the commission going on record to support the group's efforts to preserve this land. He indicated if it should come to pass that the land comes under the City's jurisdiction, it would likely have to be land banked until funding could become obtained for any furore improvements. Dawes noted this might be true unless some sort of partnership is established with the State. Gustaveson stated the ama would be preserved, but it may be 15 years or more before anything could be done with it. Bouska stated if the group's goal to obtain funding was accomplished, the group's work would not end there. Moved by Boyd, seconded by Ostrognai~ to support the initiative of the Concerned Citizens for Sand Prairie Preservation to preserve the sand prairie along South Gilbert Street near Napoleon Park, and to express the commission's willingness to recommend acceptance of the land as city property. Unanimous. Bouska asked what the next step in the process should be. Tmeblood stated one of their next steps should be to go before the City Council to inform them of their goal. Boyd noted they should also ask the City Council if the group acquires the land, if the City would accept it. Bouska noted one of the funding possibilities would be a REAP grant, which needs the support of the City. Trueblood noted it would also require a resolution of the City Council and letter of support from the commission. COMMISSION TIME Ostrognai suggested working with the library to offer activities for teenagers. Trueblood noted the Recreation Division has tried a variety of activities for teenagers, noting they are the most difficult group to program for simply because this age group wants to "do their own thing." Activities have included basketball leagues, dances, lock-ins, and special event programs. DIRECTOR'S REPORT Trueblood reported on the following: Non-Voting UI Students on Commissions. A proposal to include University of Iowa students on some boards and commissions as ex officio members will be discussed by the City Council. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 6:25 p.m. MINUTES E PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION MARCH 21,2002 FINAL/APPROVED EMMA J. HARAVAT HALL - CIVIC CENTER MEMBERS PRESENT: Benjamin Chair, Ann Freerks, Don Anciaux, Ann Bovbjerg, Dean Shannon, Beth Koppes MEMBERS ABSENT: Jerry Hansen STAFF PRESENT: Bob Miklo, John Yapp, Mitch Behr OTHERS PRESENT: Larry Schnittjer RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: Recommended approval, by a vote of 6-0, SUB02-00004, an application submitted by Jerry and Clarene Halverson for a preliminary plat of Lacina Meadows, an 80.13-acre, 23-1ot residential subdivision located in Fringe Area C west of Dane Road and north of Osage Street SW. CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Bovbjerg called the meeting to order at 7:32 pm. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA: There was none. ANNOUNCEMENT OF VACANCIES ON CITY BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS: Bovbjerg said a listing of current vacancies on the various Boards and Commissions was posted in the outer lobby. DEVELOPMENT ITEM: SUB02-00004, discussion of an application submitted by Jerry and Clarene Halverson for a preliminary plat of Lacina Meadows, an 80.13-acre, 23-1ot residential subdivision located in Fringe Area C west of Dane Road and north of Osage Street SW. (45-day limitation period: 3/31/02) Yapp presented the staff report. This property is currently zoned County Suburban Residential, RS, and is located in Fringe Area C outside of the City's growth boundary. The proposed subdivision would consist of 23-lots of at least one-acre in size each. Sixteen lots would have access off of Lacina Drive, a new street; three lots would front on Naples Avenue, and four lots would have access off Osage Street which would share two access points. Yapp said a revised plat had been received which showed Lacina Drive as a 6-inch stone base and a chipseal surface, which meets City Rural Design Standards. Yapp said a letter of acceptance had also been received from the Hills Fire District, and a dry hydrant will be placed near the pond at the request of the Hills Fire Department, as indicated on the revised plat. Yapp said staff recommended approval of SUB02-0000,~, a preliminary plat of Lacina Meadows, an 80.13 acre, 23-1ot residential subdivision located in Fringe Area C west of Dane Road and north of Osage Street. Public discussion was opened. Larry Schnittier, 1917 S. Gilbert Street, said a dry fire hydrant did not have water pressure until activated. The dry fire hydrant would have a vertical pipe near the pond and a horizontal pipe under the pond. When activated, the hydrant would draw water out of the pond through suction. The pond would be a permanent feature of the subdivision. Public discussion was closed. Motion: Anciaux recommended SUB02-00004, an application submitted by Jerry and Clarene Halverson for a preliminary plat of Lacina Meadows, an 80.13-acre, 23-1ot residential subdivision located in Fringe Area C west of Dane Road and north of Osage Street SW be approved. Shannon seconded the motion. Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes March 21,2002 Page 2 The motion passed on a vote of 6-0. CONSIDERATION OF THE MARCH 7, 2002 MEETING MINUTES: MOTION: Koppes made a motion to approve the meeting minutes. Anciaux seconded the motion. The motion passed on a vote of 6-0. OTHER: In response to a request by the Commission, Miklo had revised the Planning and Zoning Procedures for Public Discussion document to include requesting persons who planned to speak during public discussion time utilize the name/address label for the sign-in sheet and that they sit in the front row near the podium. ADJOURNMENT: Anciaux made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:42 pm. Chair seconded the motion. The motion passed on a vote of 6-0. Jerry Hansen, Secretary Minutes submitted by Candy Barnhill t: s ha r ec~pcd~rnin ut esOp&zip&z03-21-02 doc