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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Special Meeting of the Ames City Council 07/16/2013MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL AMES, IOWA JULY 16, 2013 The Ames City Council met in special session at 7:00 p.m. on the 16th day of July, 2013, in the City Council Chambers in City Hall, 515 Clark Avenue, pursuant to law with Mayor Ann Campbell presiding and the following Council Members pr esent: Da vis, Goodman, Larson , Orazem, Szopinski, and Wacha. Ex officio member Harvey was also present. SECOND PASSAGE OF ORDINANCE REZONING PROPERTY LOCATED AT 921-9TH STREET (FORMER ROOSEVELT ELEMENTARY) FROM GOVERNMENT/AIRPORT (S-GA) TO URBAN CORE RESIDENTIAL MEDIUM DENSITY (UCRM): Moved by Davis and seconded by Szopinski, to approve second passage of ordinance rezoning property located at 921-9th Street from Government/Airport to Urban Core Residential Medium Density. Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these Minutes. THIRD PASSAGE AND ADOPTION OF ORDINANCE NO. 4153 TO ALLOW CONVERSION OF A FORMER SCHOOL BUILDING TO AN APARTMENT DWELLING IN THE URBAN CORE RESIDENTIAL MEDIUM DENSITY ZONE (UCRM) AS A PERMITTED USE: Moved by Davis and seconded by Larson to approve third passage and adoption of Ordinance No. 4153 to allow conversion of a former school building to an apartment dwelling in the Urban Core Residential Medium Density Zone as a permitted use. Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these Minutes. THIRD PASSAGE AND ADOPTION OF ORDINANCE NO. 4154 TO ALLOW HIGHER RESIDENTIAL DENSITY IF SPECIFIED IN AN ADAPTIVE REUSE PLAN APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL: Moved by Wacha and seconded by Orazem to approve third passage and adoption of Ordinance No. 4154 to allow higher residential density if specified in an adaptive reuse plan approved by the City Council. Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these Minutes. MOTION APPROVING PERMIT TO SHOOT FIREWORKS FOR IOWA GAMES FROM THE SE INTERSECTION OF UNIVERSITY BLVD AND SE 16TH STREET ON JULY 20, 2013 AT APPROXIMATELY 9:15 P.M., SUBJECT TO APPROVAL FROM ISU RISK MANAGEMENT: Moved by Wacha and seconded by Davis to approve the permit to shoot fireworks for Iowa games from the southeast intersection of University Boulevard and SE 16th Street on July 20, 2013 at approximately 9:15 p.m., subject to approval from ISU Risk Management. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion carried unanimously. MOTION APPROVING TEMPORARY TRANSFER OF CLASS C LIQUOR LICENSE AND OUTDOOR SERVICE PRIVILEGE FOR BAR TO ZYLSTRA HARLEY DAVIDSON, 1930 E. 13TH STREET ON SATURDAY, JULY 27, SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, AND SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21: Moved by Davis and seconded by Goodman to approve the temporary transfer of Class C Liquor License and Outdoor Service Privilege for Bar to Zylstra Harley Davidson, 1930 E. 13th Street on Saturday, July 27, Saturday, August 10, and Saturday, September 21. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion carried unanimously. 2 City Manager Steve Schainker introduced Planning and Housing Director Kelly Diekmann and Parks and Recreation Director Keith Abraham to the group. JOINT MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL AND AMES COMMUNITY SCHOOL BOARD: Mayor Campbell introduced Ames Community School District (ACSD) Superintendent Tim Taylor. Dr. Taylor told the Council that for the last 20 months, the Board has been working very hard on facilities planning. He said under the leadership of the Board President, committees have been formed that consist of two to three Board members, including: real estate liquidation, facilities, budget, teaching and learning, and boundaries. Dr. Taylor noted that the boundaries were recently changed for the elementary schools. A map was shown of the new boundaries. Dr. Taylor said ACSD will be building three new elementary schools and renovating two elementary schools, so that by the 2016/17 school year, all elementary children will attend a new school. He reviewed that Edwards will be replaced by Miller Elementary, a new Meeker Elementary will be built on the current site, a new Fellows Elementary will be built on the Fellows site, and Mitchell Elementary and Sawyer Elementary will undergo remodels. The interior design of the Miller building was reviewed. He said a full-size gymnasium will be part of the design and will seat 200. He told the Council that the security will be better with offices at the main entrance, visitors being required to sign in or buzz to enter, and the ability to lock down all doors inside the building by flipping a switch. Mayor Campbell asked about the entrance for Parks and Recre ation pr ogram participants at night. Dr. Taylor said participants would enter through the main entrance and have access to the gymnasium and commons area, and the other doors will be locked down. Dr. Taylor highlighted the “activity center” design for groups to work on projects/ activities. Dr. Taylor reviewed projects that will be funded by the state penny funds, including a new competition pool. He said the pool will be located at the same site as the current municipal pool. Dr. Taylor showed a diagram of the proposed facility, and said the Board directed the architects to make sure that the building could appear seamless in the case the City wanted to add on to the facility by adding another pool to the site. Also to be funded with state funds is the proposed complex on the 24th Street site. Included in this space would be baseball, softball, cross country, and soccer or tennis, as well as a district office, vehicle storage, and maintenance facility. Dr. Taylor noted that for these two large projects, the architects have bee n enlisted only for the schematic design at this point. He mentioned other projects that are pending inc luding Dotson Drive improvements, fitness center, and the high school stadium renovation. Dr. Taylor said ACSD has paid off the middle school debt this month, which is 11 years early and frees up the entirety of the $3.4 million received annually from the statewide penny that the school district receives. Discussion ensued regarding the original debt. City Council Member Larson asked about the 24th Street diagram, which showed eight or nine residential lots. School Board Member Talbot said the Board heard presentations from four architects on Monday night, and prior to those, the only concept they had was from the master facilities plan. Mr. Talbot said one presentation showed no lots to sell, with cross country tracks in that area. He said it is uncertain if there will be lots sold. Mr. Larson said it was good to see those lots available within the school district . Mayor Campbell asked if the school district uses the ISU cross country facilities. Dr. Taylor said ACSD does use the ISU facility for meets, but for practice the students are currently running 3 on the streets. He said the ISU facilities would still be used. Council Member Goodman asked if the district has spoken with developers about the need for lots in the ACSD. Mayor Campbell said Council has a vested interest in as many lots within the school district as possible. Member Goodman recalled asking the Board at the last joint meeting if the district was interested in more single family homes. He said the needs being discussed are valuable, but lots in the district seem like a larger need. School Board Member Luke Deardorff said he talked with developers about various district proper ties, but the current needs of the district outweigh the need for single family lots. He said he agrees that lots are needed, but that neighbors of the 24th Street site are in favor of the proposed improvements, and believe the best use of the property to be what is proposed. School Board Member Talbot said many dollars can be saved per year by having those facilities located together. He also stressed the need for an administration building and a better maintenance facility. Mr. Talbot also discussed the desire of the Board for the cross country students to have a better place to practice, and a baseball field that will not flood. Council Member Goodman asked about revenue from property taxes. School Board Member Putz said the district’s revenue isn’t based on property, but based on additional students. Mayor Campbell said additional housing would house students. Mr. Putz said there is the potential of picking up some lots in residential areas. Mr. Deardorff said the Board will likely be recommending residential lots at the current Edwards site. Council Member Orazem asked how many potential lots the Edwards site could offer. Dr. Taylor said the site is ten acres and would be available in 2014. Mr. Putz said those decisions will most likely be made by future Boards. Dr. Taylor said he wishes there was another creative way to achieve the goals while keeping the 24th street site for development. Member Goodman suggested a Request for Proposals for that area. Mr. Orazem asked how many acres the site is. Dr. Taylor said the 24th Street site is about 24 acres. Member Orazem asked about the other property that was released in Somerset. Mr. Talbot said that was 12 acres. Board Member Espeset said there will be many opportunities for collaboration with the City regarding the 24th street site if it continues to develop as the Board is imagining it now. Mr. Goodman asked where the capacity is to serve additional students in the new buildings. Dr. Taylor said in the Miller building there will be about 150 st udents per section . He showed the three extra “bubble” classrooms that are available for additional st udents. Member Goodman asked if all buildings will have extra capacity. Mr. Putz said t here will be room for one additional section in each building. Council Member Szopinski asked about the lifespan of the proposed new buildings. Mr. Putz estimated 50 years. Dr. Taylor asked about the park equipment at the existing buildings. Mr. Schainker said as long as the public has access, the sites do not necessarily have to be City parks. He sa id if school doesn’t wish to give land for a City park at the current Edwards site, that equipment could be moved to the new Miller site. Council Member Larson asked about traffic related concerns near the new Miller site. He asked if the City is responsible for identifying any possible issues related to traffic. Mr. Schainker said City staff has said the school district is not subject to city ordinances, but that under Dr. Taylor’s leadership the schools have been taking projects through the City’s Development Review Committee. Mr. Schainker said city staff makes recommendations, of which the district can base their decisions. He said if the district refuses to take suggestions, issues could be touchy later if the school later sees the need there. Dr. Taylor said while working on the new Meeker 4 school, the district worked with Public Works on the stormwater detention area and traffic issues. He said that it was decided that the crosswalk would be moved to the corner. Mr. Larson said maintaining a spirit of cooperation is his concern, so that children are transported sa fely. Mr. Talbot discussed statutory spending, and said if a project is not linked to the initial project in the beginning, but develops later, it is questionable whether the district has the ability to spend funds. Mr. Goodman said having conversations early could help. Mr. Schainker said traffic engineering isn’t a precise science, but could change when si tuations change. Discussion ensued on the traffic near the middle school. It was agreed that the safety of children is a joint concern, and that traffic will be an ongoing item of business with all the construction planned. Mr. Larson said the Board should be aware of what their design team is taking for recommendations from the City, and which ones they are deciding against. Mr. Putz said the Board is working through issues that are not bounded by a code requirement or other requirement. Ms. Szopinski said she is curious as to how the Board is planning to deal with the potential sale of the Edwards and Crawford properties, as they are in core neighborhoods. Mr. Deardorff said the Board is soliciting community input for the Edwards site, and is planning to provide a recommendation based on the communications of the neighborhood groups. Mayor Campbell asked if the City will be included in those conversations, as the City doesn’t want to find itself in a similar situation as it is currently with the old middle school . Mr. Goodman referenced the pool diagram, and asked if the City would have to build out something that large, or if it could accommodate a smaller expansion if needed. Mr. Schainker said the sequencing is challenging, because the school is ready to proceed sooner, and the City Council and Parks and Recreation Commission have the opportunity to decide about a bond issue for the City portion. He said when the ACSD builds its pool, the City could use it temporarily, but since it will be a competitive pool, it may not be useful to the City for tot classes because of the pool depth. Mayor Campbell asked about timing. Dr. Taylor said an architect has been selected for the competitive portion of the project, and now the project will require a design committee, of which Keith Abraham will be asked to join. Mr. Orazem asked if Iowa State University has any interest in the project. Dr. Taylor said they are not sure. School Board Member Espeset said the competitive pool could be available for meets and other opportunities. Mr. Larson said he hoped parking other than high school parking would be created for the facility. Mr. Schainker told the group that the proposed park on the west side of town will not be moving forward, so those funds could be reassigned to an indoor aquatic facility or something else. He discussed the benefit of starting with the Parks and Recreation Commission and other public meetings. Mr. Schainker asked Mr. Abraham to share the ideas he has heard. Mr. Abraham said he recently met with League of Women Voters, and their concerns were about parking, the railroad tracks, and the school, so they were encouraging staff to look at other sites. Mr. Abraham also said other site options are very limited. Ms. Szpopinski asked about the cost for the facility. Mr. Abraham estimated $6-8 million. Council Member Davis said he really likes the idea of working with the ACSD on this project. Mr. Schainker said the synergy of a shared facility would be good, as well as the cost savings involved. Mr. Davis asked about incoming kindergarten enrollment. Dr. Taylor said the estimate is 372 kindergarten students. Discussion ensued regarding space needs and enrollment. Mr. Larson 5 said he was encouraged and surprised at the power of the penny tax that provides ACSD with $3.4 million per year. Ms. Szopinski asked if there has been a discussion on gymnasium equipment. Mr. Schainker said it was proposed that the City help ACSD upgrade its volleyball and basketba ll stand ards by pr oviding t hem funds to do so. He said an agreement has not yet been drafted, but that in return for those funds, the City would like access to the gymnasiums and equipment for recreation programs. Mr. Schainker said the fees involved for City use of the facilities still needs to be discussed. Dr. Taylor said they are close to having the rate determined, and hopes it will be satisfactory for both groups. Discussion ensued on how the schools wil l be centers of neighborhood activity, and will be designed for after hours acti vities. School Board Member Teresa Simpson said she will send an email to the City Council members as an invitation to attend the Liquidation Committee’s meetings. Dr. Taylor thanked the Mayor and Council for hosting the joint meeting. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 8:49 p.m. ___________________________________ ____________________________________ Diane R. Voss, City Clerk Ann H. Campbell, Mayor ___________________________________ Erin Thompson, Recording Secretary