Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Regular Meeting of the Ames City Council 04/25/1995OFFICIAL MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL AMES, IOWA APRIL 25, 1995 The Ames City Council met in regular session at 7:00 p.m. on the 25th day of April, 1995, in the City Council Chambers in City Hall, 515 Clark Avenue, pursuant to law with Mayor Larry Curtis presiding and the following Council Members present: Brown, Campbell, Hoffman, Parks, Tedesco, and Wirth. PROCLAMATION FOR NATIONAL DAY OF COMMITMENT TO ELIMINATE RACISM: Mayor Curtis read a proclamation designating April 25, 1995 as National Day of Commitment to Eliminate Racism within the City of Ames, Iowa. Judy Dolphin was present to accept the proclamation on behalf of the YWCA of Ames/ISU. CONSENT AGENDA: Motion by Hoffman, Second by Wirth, to approve the following items on the Consent Agenda, removing Item #9 for separate consideration: Motion to approve payment of claims Motion to approve Official Minutes of the special meeting of April 7, 1995 and of the regular meeting of April 11, 1995 and Clerk's Notes of same Motion to approve renewal of the following beer and liquor licenses: a. Class C Beer - Dell Oil Ltd., 508 South Duff b. Class C Liquor - Thumbs, Ltd., 2816 West Street c. Class C Beer - C.I. Country Corner, 2400 Elwood Drive d. Special Class C Liquor - Great Plains Sauce and Dough Company, 129 Main Street RESOLUTION NO. 95-162 approving appointment of Sharon Boston to fill vacancy on Beautification Commission RESOLUTION NO. 95-163 approving appointment of Adriene Koett-Cronn to fill unexpired term on Ames/ISU Bicycle Committee RESOLUTION NO. 95-164 adopting new and revised fees for City of Ames RESOLUTION NO. 95-165 amending 94-95 Human Services contract with CAPE RESOLUTION NO. 95-166 approving amendment to Travel & Transport Travel Management Services Agreement (Removed for separate consideration; see action at the end of this section) RESOLUTION NO. 95-167 accepting bids and awarding contract to Davey Tree Expert Company of Kent, Ohio for hourly rates and unit prices as bid for 1995-97 Line Clearance Program RESOLUTION NO. 95-168 approving plans and specifications for the Minnesota Bridge Pedestrian Walkway Project; setting June 7, 1995 as bid due date and June 13, 1995 as date of hearing and award of contract RESOLUTION NO. 95-169 accepting bids and awarding contract to Contractor's Machinery, Inc. of Ankeny, Iowa, for direct purchase amount of $89,938.00 for articulated wheelloader for Equipment Services Department RESOLUTION NO. 95-170 approving contract and bond in amount of $46,726.00 for South Duff Sanitary Sewer Project RESOLUTION NO. 95-171 approving contract and bond in amount of $77,730.00 for 1994-95 Slurry Surface Treatment Program RESOLUTION NO. 95-172 approving contract and bond in amount of $99,045.74 for 24th & Grand 13.8 kV Line Relocation Project RESOLUTION NO. 95-173 approving contract and bond in amount of $36,585.40 for WPC Non-Potable Water System Modification Project RESOLUTION NO. 95-174 approving completion of Water Treatment Plant Improvements Project RESOLUTION NO. 95-175 approving farm lease with ISU for Moore Memorial Park Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolutions declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these minutes. SEPARATE CONSIDERATION: TRAVEL & TRANSPORT MANAGEMENT SERVICES AGREEMENT: Motion by Tedesco, Second by Campbell, to table consideration of the Travel & Transport Management Services agreement to the May 9, 1995 Council meeting, and to direct Staff to provide Council with a copy of the contract. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. PUBLIC FORUM: No one appeared to speak at this time. SELECTION OF PAVING WIDTH FOR HYLAND AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT: Public Works Director Paul Wiegand summarized the paving width alternatives as contained in the Staff Report. Motion by Parks, Second by Campbell, to select the following paving widths for the Hyland Avenue Reconstruction Project: Alternative 2 for the Southern Section (45'width with 2 traffic lanes, 2 parking lanes, no bike lane); Alternative 2-A for the Middle Section (45' width, 2 traffic lanes, one parking lane, 2 on-street bike lanes); and Alternative 3-B for the Northern Section (45' width, 2 traffic lanes, 1 parking lane, 2 on-street bike lanes). Mayor Curtis noted that although this was not a public hearing, there were a number of individuals in the audience wishing to speak on this issue. James Prescott, 2810 Ross Road, referred to an undated 15-page memorandum submitted to the Council from Diane Debinski, James Pritchard, and himself. He said this was the fourth time in 20 years he'd been before Council on this issue. He said he'd heard for many years that Hyland was going to become congested, but it never happened. He said the road should not be widened on the basis of congestion that isn't there. He said there was currently an average spacing of 293 yards per trip between vehicles. He said had the Council gone ahead with the proposed widening project in 1988, many overestimation errors would have been made. He said traffic volumes were going down, not up. He said the community was a network of roads, and using single road volumes would lead to overestimation errors. He said not many bikers use the road at present. He said the neighbors do not support widening the road, and would like the west lane kept as it is. James Pritchard, 1207 N. Hyland, said for the past 3 months, Staff has advocated a 37' street with turning lanes at intersections, rather than a 45' wide 4-lane street. He said the new proposal was put before the neighbors just 5 days ago, and it confused them at the last moment. He said it was unfair to the Council and to the neighborhood to ask that a decision be made on this issue tonight. He said the only people who want the road widened are City Staff. He said the taxpayers would rather see their tax money spent on some other project. He asked the Council to repave the road in its existing alignment and configuration. When questioned by Coun. Brown, he said he understood the road needed to be reconstructed, but felt it should be done at its present width. He asked why that alternative was not presented. He said he found it hard to believe $45,000 would be the only cost differential between reconstructing a 31' road and a 45' road. Diane Debinski, 1207 Hyland Avenue, summarized the points included in the undated memo sent to Council from James Pritchard, Jim Prescott, and herself. She said no one questioned whether the road needs to be redone, but they are questioning the widening. She said on the average, there were approximately 3 football fields between vehicles over the entire road an entire day. She said the error in the Staff's calculation of the City growth rate would result in an overestimation error, and that the real number show a growth rate of 0.3% or 0.1%. She said to reach 10,000 vehicles per day by the year 2003, one would have to assume a 6.3% compounded growth rate. She discussed the decrease in accidents in the area since 1989. She said there was no need for a turning lane at Hyland/Ross or at Sheldon/Oakland. She said she questioned how pedestrians were to cross the wider roads. She said there was talk about a future beltway, which would take traffic away from Hyland, and said North Dakota is currently under-utilized. She said the City could not save money by building something that was unnecessary. John Mason, 703 N. Hyland, said he too had been confused by the change in Staff's recommendation. He said at the last meeting, the Council had asked for the cost estimates for rebuilding the street as it currently is, and didn't believe that had been done. He reviewed rough cost analyses of the various alternatives presented this evening, noting they were for pavement costs only. He arrived at a real cost over 20 years of $537,000 to repave the road as it currently exists (Oakland to Ontario) and a real cost of $940,741 for Alternative 2 (Oakland to Ontario.) He said the total cost of a 45' road would exceed $1 million. He said only two lanes of traffic were needed, and anything over that involved buying a parking lane or a bikepath. He said the cost of an extra lane would be $367,000 in pavement costs; and $546,000 for two extra lanes. He said if something wasn't needed, it didn't have to be bought. Bernie Gerstein, 1003 Jarrett Circle, said he bicycled in the area and was concerned about the safety of an on-street bikepath. He urged the Council to put an off-street bikepath on the east side to avoid driveway entrances and exits. He said he felt reconstruction and widening were separate issues. He said a 32' street with a 9' parking lane plus a bikepath on the east side would satisfy legalities. He said a higher growth rate was not optimistic to him, and he didn't feel more was necessarily better. Karen Van Deusen, 2805 Ontario, said she was President of the Unitarian Universal Fellowship, and was present on that group's behalf. She said she appreciated the difficult decision the Council was facing. She said she thought the parking lane was being added to accommodate the Fellowship, and said it was not necessary to do so. She said the group didn't need a parking lane, but only wanted to be able to park on the bikepath at certain times. She said it was unreasonable to widen the street to 45' to accommodate them. She said she had discussed the matter with bikers in the area who seemed satisfied with the present width and allowing church members to park on the bikelane at certain times. She said that seemed to be the best compromise. Joe Rippetoe, 419 Pearson Avenue, said at the CIP hearing, there was no testimony urging the widening of Hyland. He said much was being made of the ISTEA grant for the on-street bikepaths, and Council should not allow that grant's availability to influence their decision. He said it was important to remember they were not talking about designing a new street, but about replacing a street. Klaus Ruedenberg, 2834 Ross Road, said he walks along Hyland every day and it is very lightly traveled. He said it is obviously Staff's desire to turn the road into a major artery, although there is no need for it. Tom Clark, 1319 Carroll, said he was a member of the Unitarian Fellowship, the Sierra Club, and Friends of Central Iowa Biking. He said speaking as an individual, he thought the Fellowship should be allowed to park on the bikepath on Sunday mornings. He said if reconstruction must happen, he would support Alternative 2-A for the middle segment, and 2-A or 3-B for the Northern section. He said he would not support an off-street west bikepath due to safety concerns. He said an east side alternative should be considered, as it would be the safest alternative for bikers and would allow them to better appreciate Pammel Woods. He said he felt that alternative was not pursued in order to avoid a political controversy with ISU. Don Erbach, 742 Arizona, said he was present representing the Ames/ISU Bike Committee. He said while the Committee has not yet had a chance to review the Staff Report, in general they support on- street bikepaths for safety reasons. He said a transition from on-street to off-street paths presents a safety issue as well. Vote on Motion: 3-3. Voting Aye: Brown, Campbell, Parks. Voting Nay: Hoffman, Tedesco, Wirth. Mayor Curtis voted aye to break the tie. The motion was declared carried 4-3. Mayor Curtis noted approval of plans and specifications for the proposed project would require adoption of a resolution at a future meeting. NEW LIQUOR LICENSE FOR JOHNNY ORR'S SPORTS BAR & GRILLE: Motion by Hoffman, Second by Campbell, to approve new Class C Liquor license for Johnny Orr's Sports Bar & Grille, 1206 South Duff Avenue. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. HOME SHOW BANNER REQUEST: Motion by Hoffman, Second by Parks, to approve request from Homebuilders Association for Home Show '95 banners on Main Street from May 1-May 21, 1995. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. CONVEYANCE OF ALLEY PROPERTY ON 9TH AND 10TH STREETS: Motion by Wirth, Second by Tedesco, to adopt RESOLUTION NOs. 95-176a and 176b proposing conveyance of land and setting May 9, 1995 as date of public hearing. Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolutions declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these minutes. ORDINANCE REVISING WATER AND SEWER RATES AND ADDING SECTION REGARDING ACCESS OF METERING DEVICES: Motion by Parks, Second by Wirth, to pass on second reading an ordinance revising water and sewer rates and charges; adding section regarding access of metering devices. Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. HEARING ON CONVEYANCE OF LAND TO DICK KRIEG ENTERPRISES, INC.: Mayor Curtis declared the public hearing open. There being no one present wishing to testify, the public hearing was declared closed. Motion by Hoffman, Second by Campbell, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 95-177 approving sale and conveyance of land located in Pullman Subdivision to Dick Krieg Enterprises, Inc. Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these minutes. LEASE WITH CHILDREN SERVICES OF CENTRAL IOWA: Motion by Wirth, Second by Campbell, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 95-178 approving lease with Children Services of Central Iowa for property located at 623 9th Street. Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these minutes. AGREEMENT FOR CONDUCTING SPECIAL CENSUS: Motion by Parks, Second by Brown to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 95-179 approving agreement with U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Census for conducting a special census. Coun. Brown left the meeting at 9:25 p.m. Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these minutes. HAZARDOUS MATERIAL RESPONSE CAPABILITY: Assistant City Manager Bob Kindred reviewed how Staff has been working with the Story County Emergency Management Commission evaluating a proposal from the City of Des Moines to provide HazMat response capabilities to Story County. Fire Chief Mike Childs reviewed the four service levels as contained in the Staff Report. Motion by Tedesco, Second by Parks, to direct the Mayor to contact the Mayor of Des Moines to discuss the possibility of the Mayor and members of the EMC to meet with the Des Moines City Council to discuss a contract. Vote on Motion: 5-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Motion by Tedesco, Second by Parks, to table action on a resolution indicating support for the Emergency Management Commission HazMat agreement with Des Moines, and the request that Story County Board of Supervisors commit County-wide levy as indemnification funding source for Des Moines HazMat agreement. Vote on Motion: 5-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. BENTWOOD SUBDIVISION PARKLAND: Motion by Hoffman, Second by Parks, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 95-180 accepting $100,000 from Helen Daley Smith with accompanying stipulations. Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these minutes. Motion by Hoffman, Second by Parks, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 95-181 approving Park Master Plan. Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these minutes. HISTORIC PRESERVATION DISTRICTS: Motion by Wirth, Second by Hoffman, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 95-182 authorizing submittal of application for Certified Local Government (CLG) status. Phillip Poorman, 1815 Northwestern, said he was a member of the Historic Preservation Commission. He said the items for CLG status were unanimously approved by the Commission. He said he did not feel there would be a problem with the neighbors doing such things as conducting the surveys. Mr. Poorman reviewed the advantages of grant activities available with CLG status. He said additional staff time might be involved in preparing the grants. Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these minutes. Planner Anderson noted there was a discrepancy between the goals approved by the Historic Preservation Commission and Staff's recommendation. He said the Commission wished to see the preparation of a long-range historic preservation plan as a goal, while Staff felt many of the elements that would go into such a plan have already been accomplished. He said Staff was recommending citizen education as an alternate goal. Mr. Poorman said the Commission felt education was important, but felt it was more important to adopt a long-range preservation plan similar to the LUPP process. He said if a consultant was required to prepare such a plan, the issue would return to Council for approval. Motion by Parks, Second by Campbell, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 95-183 adopting an Historic Preservation Plan as recommended by City Staff. Roll Call Vote: 4-1. Voting Aye: Campbell, Hoffman, Parks, Tedesco. Voting Nay: Wirth. Absent: Brown. Resolution declared adopted 4-1, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these minutes. DOWNTOWN DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT PLAN: Motion by Campbell, Second by Tedesco, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 95-184 approving Request for Proposals for consulting services for the Downtown District Development Plan. Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these minutes. Motion by Parks, Second by Tedesco, to approve the revised list of consultants to receive the RFP. Vote on Motion: 5-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. P-C PLAN AMENDMENT FOR 803 24TH STREET: Motion by Hoffman, Second by Campbell, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 95-185 approving P-C Plan amendment to install a sign at 803 24th Street (Furman Corp.) Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these minutes. CHANGE ORDER FOR DEMOLITION OF FLOOD DAMAGED STRUCTURES CONTRACT: Motion by Parks, Second by Campbell, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 95-186 approving a change order in the amount of $7,700.00 for removal of area streets in conjunction with Demolition of Flood Damaged Structures contract. Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these minutes. Coun. Campbell left the meeting at 10:30 p.m. SIDEWALK INFILL REPORT FOR 13TH STREET, MEADOWLANE, AND DUFF: Motion by Wirth, Second by Tedesco, to set May 23, 1995 as date of informational public hearing on sidewalk installations. Vote on Motion: 4-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. 10TH STREET/DOUGLAS AVENUE CLOSURE: City Attorney John Klaus noted this issue involved merely closing the street, not vacating the right of way. He said therefore, no formal public hearing was required. Coun. Campbell returned at 10:35 p.m. Motion by Parks, Second by Hoffman, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 95-187 closing Douglas Avenue north of 10th Street. Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these minutes. SOUTH 16TH STREET WIDENING PROJECT: Motion by Parks, Second by Wirth, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 95-188 authorizing Staff to issue a purchase order in the amount of $20,000 for the South 16th Street Widening Project. Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these minutes. UTILITY EASEMENT, LOT 70, BENTWOOD SUBDIVISION: Motion by Campbell, Second by Wirth, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 95-189 approving partial vacation of utility easement, Lot 70, Bentwood Subdivision. Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these minutes. COMMENTS: Coun. Wirth commended Staff on an excellent job over the VEISHEA weekend and also for President Clinton's visit. Coun. Tedesco agreed and commended the ISU students as well. Couns. Hoffman and Campbell concurred. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 10:40 p.m. Sandra L. Ryan, City Clerk Larry R. Curtis, Mayor