Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Special Meeting of the Ames City Council 05/16/1995OFFICIAL MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL AMES, IOWA MAY 16, 1995 The Ames City Council met in special session at 7:05 p.m. on the 16th day of May, 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, Parks, Wirth. Couns. Hoffman and Tedesco were absent. MEETING TIME FOR MAY 23, 1995 REGULAR MEETING: Motion by Parks, Second by Campbell, to set 6:30 p.m. as meeting time for Regular City Council Meeting of May 23, 1995, for presentation on Volunteer Center Disaster Response. Vote on Motion: 4-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. RECONSIDERATION OF HYLAND AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION: Motion by Campbell, Second by Parks, to reconsider the reconstruction of the area on Hyland Avenue from Oakland to Ontario, to provide a 37-ft. width, comprised of two lanes of traffic, and two bike lanes. Susan Haug, 1145 Oklahoma, said she was opposed to the proposed 37-ft. width, due to concerns that no allowance for on-street parking on Hyland would be limiting to the Unitarian Fellowship. She said it had been hoped the use of the building could be increased to include such uses as public concerts. Susan Franzen, 1216 Scott, said she was opposed to the proposed 37-ft. width. She said it had been stated that a reason for not providing on-street parking on Hyland for the use of the Fellowship was to avoid providing special treatment for one church. She said churches provide a community good, which was why there were tax-exempt. She said the Unitarian Fellowship's facility provides meeting places for several different groups that cannot find meeting places elsewhere, and that a 200-capacity auditorium has recently been built. She said however, when the new parking facility is built, only 60-70 parking spaces will be available. John Mason, 903 Hyland, said he was speaking on behalf of the Hyland Avenue Neighborhood Association. He said the residents have a proposed solution to meet everyone's requirements. He said everyone seems to agree that two lanes of traffic will be sufficient to meet the traffic needs for the next 15-20 years, and that any extension beyond the width of two lanes would have to be justified by a bikepath, a turning lane, or a parking lane. He said the residents propose that a 3-lane street would satisfy all concerns, but not the 3-lane street as proposed by Staff. He said while the residents agree that biking needs to be encouraged, they feel the on-street bikepath has been proposed as an experimental test of a concept and to avoid the loss of the $72,000 ISTEA grant. He asked if the intent was to use the Hyland area residents as "guinea pigs" in an experimental concept which, if successful, would result in 12 ft. of concrete being placed in front of other residences in Ames. He said one of the residents had been told Staff was seriously considering refusing the grant funds because archeological and environmental studies and other analyses would be required to obtain the funds. He said in addition, if the City accepted the funding, it would be required to maintain it as an on-street path for a minimum period of 20 years. He said if an on-street bikepath were constructed, it would have to be built to the standards of trucks, busses, and cars, but would be used exclusively by bikes for over twenty years. He said that seemed a waste of taxpayers' monies and resources. Mr. Mason said the residents proposed constructing an off-street 8-ft. bikepath on the east side of Hyland. He said such a path would not cross any driveways, and said many bikers prefer an off- street facility for safety reasons. He said an off-street path would be more environmentally friendly to the neighborhood and would prevent an additional 12-ft. of concrete from being built. He said if the City feels turning lanes are required at intersections of Pammel Drive, Oakland, and Ontario, the third lane would provide the turning lane. He said the residents take great exception to the proposed turning lane at Ross Road. He said if signalization occurs at Ontario, it will reduce a great deal of the west-turning traffic from Hyland onto Ross. He said the Ross area was largely built up now, and he didn't feel the area would see any great increase in the next 10-20 years. He said the residents' solution was to construct turning lanes at Pammel, Sheldon, and Ontario, but not at Ross. He said the eliminated turning lane at Ross Road would allow the proposed third lane to provide parking from Ross to the Clear Creek area on the east side of the road. He said in the residents' proposal, everybody would give a little but get what they want. He said the street could be built anywhere from 31 to 33-ft. He said he was against a 37-ft. width with an on-street bikepath, and a 37-ft. width with an off-street bikepath would be marginally acceptable. Heidi Wurtele, Oakland Avenue, said she was opposed to widening Hyland to 37 feet with two on- street bikepaths. She said many children ride the bikepath to school and an on-street bikepath was not safe for children. She said the traffic speeds are too high on Hyland to allow children to get across the street safely, and said the intersection at Pammel is very dangerous. She said they should be encouraging cars to go more slowly on Hyland, rather than trying to speed them up. Vote on Motion: 4-0. Motion declared carried 4-0. COMMENTS: Motion by Wirth, Second by Parks, to ask Staff respond to letters received from Heartland Inn and North American Homes, Inc. regarding the paving of South 16th Street. Coun. Parks noted the letters should include information regarding the role of the Iowa Department of Transportation in that situation. Vote on Motion: 4-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Motion by Wirth, Second by Parks, to refer to Staff the May 9, 1995 letter from Tom Hinders regarding paving of alley between Douglas and Kellogg and 8th and 9th Street and asked that it be placed on the next Council agenda. Vote on Motion: 4-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Motion by Campbell, Second by Brown, to authorize the City Manager to sign the informational letter distributed to Council this evening regarding the new minimum monthly fee for yard meters. Vote on Motion: 4-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m. Sandra L. Ryan, City Clerk Larry R. Curtis, Mayor