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Home My WebLink About~Master - Regular Meeting of the Ames City Council 06/25/1996OFFICIAL MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL AMES, IOWA JUNE 25, 1996 The Ames City Council met in regular session at 7:00 p.m. on the 25th day of June, 1996, in the City Council Chambers in City Hall, 515 Clark Avenue, pursuant to law with Mayor Larry R. Curtis presiding and the following Council members present: Campbell, Hoffman, Quirmbach, Tedesco, and Wirth. Coun. Parks was absent. CALL TO ORDER: 7:00 p.m. CONSENT AGENDA: Motion by Tedesco, Second by Hoffman, to approve the following items on the Consent Agenda: Motion to approve payment of claims Motion to approve Official Minutes of the Regular Meeting of June 11 and the Special Meeting of June 20, 1996 Motion to approve renewal of the following beer and liquor licenses: a. Class C Liquor - Tip Top Lounge, 201 East Lincoln Way b. Class C Liquor - Memorial Union, Iowa State University c. Class E Beer - Grand Avenue Service, 1228 Grand Avenue RESOLUTION NO. 96-271 adopting 1996-97 Pay Plan RESOLUTION NO. 96-272 approving contract for Employee Assistance Program RESOLUTION NO. 96-273 approving appointment of Ele Nore Tallman to Human Relations Commission RESOLUTION NO. 96-274 approving contracts with human services agencies for FY 1996-97 funding RESOLUTION NO. 96-275 approving annual contracts with arts agencies for FY 1996-97 funding RESOLUTION NO. 96-276 approving mini-grant contracts with arts agencies for FY 1996-97 funding RESOLUTION NO. 96-277 approving preliminary plans & specifications for RDF Bin Weather Enclosure and Concrete Foundation Cap; setting August 2, 1996 as bid due date and August 13, 1996 as date of hearing and award of contract RESOLUTION NO. 96-278 approving preliminary plans & specifications for Parking Lot Z Reconstruction; setting July 17, 1996 as bid due date and July 23, 1996 as date of hearing and award of contract RESOLUTION NO. 96-279 approving change order to extend project completion date for Lime Sludge Disposal Project RESOLUTION NO. 96-280 approving change order for South Duff Avenue Turn Lanes at South 16th Street and Chestnut Street RESOLUTION NO. 96-281 waiving formal bidding requirements and authorizing purchase of software maintenance from HTE RESOLUTION NO. 96-282 accepting completion of Unit #7 and #8 Chimney Repair Project RESOLUTION NO. 96-283 accepting completion of supplemental contract for 1995 Water Program No. 1 RESOLUTION NO. 96-284 accepting completion of 1995/96 Seal Coat Resurfacing Program RESOLUTION NO. 96-285 accepting completion of Bloomington Road Paving Project, Hoover to Grand Avenue Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Resolutions declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these minutes. PUBLIC FORUM: No one appeared to speak at this time. REQUEST FOR OUTDOOR SERVICE AREA PERMIT FOR THE DEAN'S LIST: Motion by Tedesco, Second by Quirmbach, to approve request with stipulation that the business provide extra staffing in the outdoor area to preclude any potential problems. John Laugerman, one of the owners of The Dean's List, said the establishment does not plan to have live music in the area. He said small stereo speakers would be used outdoors, and the sound would be kept within the permitted noise limits. He said the management would work with Police personnel on that issue. Vote on Motion: 5-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. TEMPORARY BEER PERMIT FOR WALLABY'S FOR AMES JAYCEES' JULY 4TH ACTIVITIES: Motion by Hoffman, Second by Tedesco, to approve request for 5-day Class B beer permit for Wallaby's for the Ames Jaycees' 4th of July activities in Brookside Park. Vote on Motion: 5-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. UPDATE FROM AMES HERITAGE ASSOCIATION HRDP GRANT APPLICATION AND LONG-RANGE PLANS: Kathy Svec, Peggy Baer, and Nick Howell, representing the Ames Heritage Association, reviewed the group's efforts to obtain a Historical Resources Development Program grant from the State's Resource Enhancement and Protection Program. Motion by Hoffman, Second by Wirth, to approve request from Ames Heritage Association for carryover of FY 95/96 funds. Vote on Motion: 5-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. REPORT ON STREETLIGHT SHIELD EXPERIMENT: Electric Deptartment Director Merlin Hove reviewed a history of streetlights standards in the community. Electrical Engineer Jacob Chacko displayed diagrams and samples of the six styles of light fixtures available. He reviewed results of a survey taken of residents on Burnett between 16th and 20th Streets after an experiment with Hubbell skycaps in that area. Motion by Tedesco, Second by Campbell, to continue with current street lighting policy to install cutoff HPS fixtures on arterial and collector streets and to retrofit Hubbell skycaps on suburbanaire fixtures when requested by the customer, with actual cost of such retrofits to be billed to the customer. Ed Engle, 3912 Brookdale Circle, said he has requested and received two Hubbell skycaps in front of his home, but has not yet been billed for them. He said the shields have more evenly distributed light in his neighborhood, and said his neighbors have indicated they like the new lights. He said he would be willing to pay for retrofitting other lights in his area, if the costs were lowered. He said to him, it didn't seem the additional labor costs for installation of the skycaps were justified. He said he felt his neighbors would be willing to share in the costs of retrofitting all the lights in the neighborhood, but not at the price he was originally quoted from Staff. He said he felt developers should be more accountable for the lights they put in. Dave Oesper, 1208 Wilson Avenue, displayed a suburbanaire light fixture which he said was used in most of the existing areas of the City. He said there is 45% more light on the ground when the Hubbell skycap is used. He said he felt the Hubbell shields represented a compromise between full cutoff lighting and lighting which created a great deal of uplighting. He asked the Council to consider requiring cutoff fixtures in all new installations and on arterial and collector streets, and to retrofit Hubbell skycaps on suburbanaire fixtures when requested. He said the shields could be added easily when the bulbs were changed or other maintenance work was done, with zero additional labor costs. He said he would encourage citizens to request the shields. Mr. Oesper said people are very uninformed about lighting and education has to take place. He said most people equate good lighting with glare. He said good lighting should allow one to see what's being illuminated, not the source of illumination itself. He said the Hubbell skycap results in less glare, and more "good" lighting. Royce Bitzer, 3603 Woodland Street, discussed the experimental installation of the shields on Burnett, and the survey results. He said there may be a perception that because the light bulb itself cannot be seen, there is less light. He said a Skycap retrofit program should not be ruled out on the basis of the survey, and said he felt human perception had played a role in the feeling that there was less light. He suggested a photometric study be conducted to see if the light is really reduced, and suggested observers might also rate the visibility of test items. Jack Troeger, 1009 16th Street, said he had requested Hubbell skycaps in his area, and as an astronomer, he was able to observe the change in neighborhood sky when the shields were installed. He said the sky outside his backyard was noticeably darker after installation of the shields. He said a waste of light was a waste of energy. He said he agreed lights were needed for security and safety, but said the light should shine downward. He said the light pollution from Ames has grown worse every year, but with the Hubbell skycaps and other cutoff models, the amount of light pollution in Ames could be lowered. He said Ames could be one of the first cities in the country to adopt this approach. The Council members discussed the option of altering the current policy on street lighting. Coun. Hoffman called for the question. Vote on Motion to end debate: 4-1. Voting Aye: Campbell, Hoffman, Tedesco, Wirth. Voting Nay: Quirmbach. Motion declared carried 4-1. Vote on Main Motion: 1-4. Voting Aye: Tedesco. Voting Nay: Campbell, Hoffman, Quirmbach, Wirth. Motion declared failed 1-4. Motion by Quirmbach, Second by Hoffman, to modify current street lighting policy to require the installation of cutoff style fixtures in all new installations, to continue with the current street lighting policy to install cutoff HPS fixtures on arterial and collector streets, and to retrofit Hubbell skycaps on suburbanaire fixtures when requested by the customer, at no cost to the customer. Vote on Motion: 4-1. Voting Aye: Campbell, Hoffman, Quirmbach, Wirth. Voting Nay: Tedesco. Motion declared carried 4-1. SUBSTATION POWER TRANSFORMERS: Motion by Campbell, Second by Hoffman, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 96-286 accepting bids and awarding contract to Kuhlman Electric Corporation of Versailles, Kentucky, in amount of $515,460.00 plus applicable sales taxes and $850.00 per day for excess field engineering services. Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these minutes. REPORT ON POLICE OFFICER IN SCHOOLS PROGRAM: Police Chief Dennis Ballantine, Detective Corporal Shelli Hayes, and Officer Bob Selby updated the Council Members on the Police Officer in the Schools Program. HEARING ON PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO ZONING REGULATIONS TO PERMIT PLACES OF WORSHIP IN CONCENTRATED COMMERCIAL ZONING DISTRICT: Mayor Curtis declared the public hearing open. Michael Heffron, Chair of the Building Committee, St. John's Episcopal Church, said they presently have an old building which needs major repair and needs to be expanded to meet their current needs. He urged the Council to approve the ordinance. There being no one present wishing to testify further, the public hearing was declared closed. Motion by Tedesco, Second by Hoffman, to pass on first reading an ordinance amending the City's Zoning Regulations to add "Places of Worship" as a permitted use in Concentrated- Commercial zoning districts. Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Motion by Tedesco, Second by Wirth, to suspend the rules required for adoption of an ordinance. Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Motion by Hoffman, Second by Wirth, to pass on second and third readings and adopt ORDINANCE NO. 3390 amending the City's Zoning Regulations to add "Places of Worship" as a permitted use in Concentrated-Commercial zoning districts. Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Ordinance declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these minutes. HEARING ON CONVEYANCE OF PROPERTY LOCATED AT OUTLOT Y, COUNTRY GABLES, 5TH SUBDIVISION: Mayor Curtis declared the public hearing open. There being no one present wishing to testify, the public hearing was declared closed. Motion by Tedesco, Second by Hoffman, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 96-287 approving conveyance of property located at Outlot Y, Country Gables, 5th Subdivision, and authorizing Mayor to sign quit claim deed. Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these minutes. PRESENTATION ON NON-MOTORIZED DIRT BIKE COURSE: Parks and Recreation Director Nancy Carroll reviewed the Staff Report on plans to organize a volunteer initiative to construct a dual track non-motorized dirt bike course in the northern half of Greenbriar Park. Motion by Quirmbach, Second by Hoffman, to request that the Parks and Recreation Commission look into the possibility of the City adopting an ordinance requiring bicycle helmets for participants on this course. Vote on Motion: 2-3. Voting Aye: Hoffman, Quirmbach. Voting Nay: Campbell, Tedesco, Wirth. Motion declared failed 2-3. RENAMING OF SOUTH DAKOTA PARK: Motion by Wirth, Second by Tedesco, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 96-288 approving renaming South Dakota Park to Christopher Gartner Park. Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these minutes. P-C PLAN FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO AT 622 DOUGLAS: Motion by Wirth, Second by Quirmbach, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 96-289 approving Planned-Commercial Plan to allow construction of a porch, a building addition, and a parking lot for a photography studio at 622 Douglas Avenue, with stipulations as recommended by the Planning & Zoning Commission. Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these minutes. ALTERNATE DATE FOR PUBLIC HEARING ON ESTABLISHMENT OF URBAN REVITALIZATION AREA NO. 6: Planning & Housing Director Brian O'Connell reviewed the Staff Report which discussed the need for rescheduling the public hearing originally set by Resolution 96-270 adopted by the Council on June 20, 1996. City Clerk Sandra Ryan explained that the 30-day publication requirement meant the public hearing on the designation of Urban Revitalization Area No. 6 and the adoption of an urban revitalization plan for that area must take place at a date no sooner than July 29, 1996. Motion by Wirth, Second by Hoffman, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 96-290 amending Resolution No. 96-270 to set 5:00 p.m. on July 30, 1996, as date and time of public hearing on designation of Urban Revitalization Area No. 6 and adoption of urban revitalization plan for that area. Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these minutes. 1995 PAVING PROGRAM NO. 1, DIVISION III, SE 16TH STREET PAVING: Motion by Tedesco, Second by Campbell, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 96-291 accepting completion of project, ordering final payment, determining amount to be assessed, and ordering final plat and schedule. Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these minutes. Motion by Tedesco, Second by Campbell, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 96-292 adopting final assessment schedule; amending, confirming, and levying assessments. Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these minutes. PARKING PROHIBITIONS ON WHITE OAK DRIVE: Motion by Hoffman, Second by Wirth, to direct City Attorney to prepare ordinance designating parking prohibitions on White Oak Drive. Vote on Motion: 5-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. AWARD OF CONTRACT FOR LIME HANDLING SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS: Motion by Tedesco, Second by Hoffman, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 96-293 awarding contract to Weidner Construction Company of Marshalltown, Iowa in amount of $159,500.00 for Lime Handling System Improvements. Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these minutes. ORDINANCE AMENDING MUNICIPAL CODE TO ALLOW FREE LONG-TERM PARKING, EXCEPTING 2 A.M. TO 4 A.M., IN LOT WEST OF GARDEN CAFE AT MAIN STREET STATION: Motion by Tedesco, Second by Campbell, to pass on second reading an ordinance amending the Municipal Code to allow free long-term parking, excepting 2 a.m. to 4 a.m., in parking lot west of Garden Cafe at Main Street Station. Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Motion by Hoffman, Second by Wirth, to suspend the rules required for adoption of an ordinance. Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Motion by Wirth, Second by Hoffman, to pass on third reading and adopt ORDINANCE NO. 3391 amending the Municipal Code to allow free long-term parking, excepting 2 a.m. to 4 a.m., in parking lot west of Garden Cafe at Main Street Station. Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Ordinance declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these minutes. ORDINANCE TO ADD DEMOLITION MORATORIUM OVERLAY DISTRICT TO ZONING REGULATIONS: Motion by Campbell, Second by Hoffman, to pass on third reading and adopt ORDINANCE NO. 3386 amending the Municipal Code for the purpose of adding a demolition moratorium overlay district to the Zoning Regulations. Roll Call Vote: 4-1. Voting Aye: Campbell, Hoffman, Quirmbach, Wirth. Voting Nay: Tedesco. Absent: Parks. Ordinance declared adopted 4-1 and hereby made a portion of these minutes. ORDINANCE AMENDING ZONING MAP TO APPLY DEMOLITION OVERLAY ZONE TO AREA GENERALLY DESCRIBED AS THE "CENTRAL AMES" AREA: Motion by Wirth, Second by Hoffman, to pass on third reading and adopt ORDINANCE NO. 3387 amending the official zoning map to apply a demolition overlay zone to the area generally described as the "Central Ames" area. Roll Call Vote: 4-1. Voting Aye: Campbell, Hoffman, Quirmbach, Wirth. Voting Nay: Tedesco. Absent: Parks. Ordinance declared adopted 4-1 and hereby made a portion of these minutes. ORDINANCE PROHIBITING POSSESSION OF ALCOHOLIC LIQUOR, WINE, OR BEER UNDER LEGAL AGE: Motion by Wirth, Second by Tedesco, to pass on third reading and adopt ORDINANCE NO. 3388 prohibiting possession of alcoholic liquor, wine, or beer under legal age. Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Ordinance declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these minutes. ORDINANCE CHANGE TO CLARIFY PARKING RESTRICTIONS AND DESIGNATE PARKING PROHIBITIONS ON PEARSON AVENUE AND GREELEY AVENUE: Motion by Tedesco, Second by Campbell, to pass on third reading and adopt ORDINANCE NO. 3389 amending Municipal Code to clarify parking restrictions on Pearson Avenue and Greeley Avenue, and to designate parking prohibitions between driveways at 311 and 317 Pearson Avenue. Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Ordinance declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these minutes. COMMENTS AND FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS: Coun. Quirmbach said he was pleased to see the memorandum from Risk Manager Scott Johnson regarding City health insurance rates not being increased. Motion by Hoffman, Second by Wirth, to direct the City Manager and Staff to explore the possibility of establishing a countywide housing authority. Vote on Motion: 5-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Coun. Hoffman noted The Des Moines Register had recently reported on Police in Sioux City establishing a bicycle safety awareness program by handing out tickets good for free ice cream to bicycle riders wearing helmets. She said the article contained other ideas to promote bicycle safety, and suggested Staff refer the article to the Ames/ISU Bicycle Committee for possible implementation. Motion by Hoffman, Second by Wirth, to set 11:30 a.m. on June 27, 1996 as date and time of special meeting to consider authorization of a change order on demolition of the flood-damaged Arcadia Lodge, and to consider approval of a development agreement for Suncrest Subdivision. Vote on Motion: 5-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Coun. Campbell noted the Council had received a letter from Chamber Executive Director David Maahs requesting a joint meeting with the Council for a forum with the Local Issues Council and Government Affairs Council. There was discussion that with summer vacation schedules, it might be best to schedule such a meeting in the fall. Mayor Curtis said he would convey that message to the Chamber of Commerce. Coun. Campbell noted the Conference Board MiniBoard would meet at noon on Thursday, June 27, 1996. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 9:25 p.m. Sandra L. Ryan, City Clerk Larry R. Curtis, Mayor