Meeting Minutes October 7, 2015

23 Oct Meeting Minutes October 7, 2015

Sugar House Community Council Board of Trustees Minutes

Meeting Minutes- October 7, 2015

Trustees Present: Sally Barraclough, Amy Barry, Robin Bastar, Laurie Bray, Landon Clark, Tina Escobar-Taft, Topher Horman, Sue Ann Jones, Michael G Kavanagh, Benny Keele, Steve Kirkegard, Susan Koelliker, Joedy Lister, Larry Migliaccio, Maggie Shaw, Judi Short, Carole Straughn, Christopher Thomas, Rawlins Young, Bryce Williams

Trustees Excused Absent: Teddy Anderson, Stacey Carroll, Deborah Henry, Natalie Watkins

Trustee Absent:  David Mulder, Lucy Hawes

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 by Amy Barry, SHCC Chair

Approval of the September minutes: Joedy moved to approve, Bryce seconded and the motion passed unanimously.

Secretary Report: Sally Barraclough

There were no trustee petitions that had expired.  Maggie Shaw’s petition expires in December and Christopher Thomas’s petition expires in January.  There were no new trustee petitions to consider.

Sally will be distributing updated pages for the Trustee Directory and will make directories for the seven trustees who do not have one.  The new directories will reflect the results of tonight’s election.  Joedy made a request that the directory be made available electronically.  The Executive Council will make a decision regarding that request.

Sally thanked the trustees for their hard work, energy, and support during her two year tenure as secretary.

Treasurer Report: Robin Bastar

There were no changes in the account for the month. Robin stated that this will be his last month as a trustee on the SHCC.  Amy thanked Robin for his service on the council, especially his tenure as treasurer.

Chair Announcements:  Amy Barry

• Election of officers:  Balloting officially began at 7:03.  Benny distributed ballots to the trustees.
• Candidate forum for the Mayoral and City Council District 6 Races:  The forum will be held at Clayton Middle School on October 21st.  There will be a meet and greet from 6:00 to 6:45.  During that time anyone can submit a written question for the candidates.  Those will be collected and organized by topic by members from the League of Women Voters who are sponsoring the event.  The debate starts at 7:00, and will be moderated by Jennifer Napier-Pearce.
• Public Hearing for the Forest Dale Fire Station:  On Oct 20th the SL City Council will be addressing a rezone of the south portion of the Forest Dale parking lot for the possible construction of a new Fire Station #3.  They will be taking public comments.  Comments can also be sent in writing to www.council.comments@slcgov.com.
• Tour of the Shallow Ponds and Algae Related Issues:  A member of the community has contacted Amy about the possibility of having a tour conducted by someone from the scientific community to talk about the shallow pond water and toxic algae issue.  If trustees and members of the audience are interested in such a tour they need to contact Amy.  Sue Ann commented that the Highland High School biology classes have been testing the Sugar House Pond as part of their class curriculum.

Community Announcements:

Fire Station #3:  Captain Bob Silverthorne

This month the fire department observes Fire Prevention Week.  This is a week long effort to educate the public on how to prevent fires that dates back to 1922.  It is the longest running public health and safety observance on record.  The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 began on Oct 8th.  Nationally, Fire Prevention Week is always held in October during the week in which Oct 9th falls.  This year the observation runs from Sunday, Oct 4th through Saturday, Oct 10th. This year’s theme put out by the National Fire Protection Association is “Hear the Beep, Where you Sleep” which focuses on having functioning smoke detectors near every bedroom.  The rule of thumb is when clocks are changed to accommodate daylight savings time, it’s a good reminder to change the batteries in smoke detectors.  The fire department also wants to remind people not to “rob your smoke detector” to get a needed battery.  Keep plenty of batteries on hand, because functioning smoke detectors save lives.

Station #3 participated in the Firefighter Chili Cook Off that was held at South Towne Mall.  This is an annual event that is a fund raiser for the Burn Camp for children who have been victims of fire.  This year’s event raised over $10,000.  The Salt Lake City Fire Department did not win any of the prizes, but Capt Silverthorne said they will be working on it for next year.

There was a recruiting expo in September that was for those interested in a job with the Fire Department.  Participants were provided the opportunity to see what it’s like to be a fire fighter for a day.  Medical calls make up 80% of the calls to the fire department.

Salt Lake City is a sponsoring agency for FEMA’s Utah Task Force One.  Capt Silverthorne is one of the team members who respond to large disasters.  Four SLC team members were recently in Hilldale helping with the search and rescue efforts for flood victims.  All of the Task Force Members returned safely.

The Fire Dept recently participated in a piece that was featured on FOX 13 regarding swift water rescue.  The swift water team is located at Fire Station #7 in Rose Park and they are deployed any time this type of rescue is necessary.

In observance of Sept 11 (9/11) the Fire Department had a day of remembrance.

During September, Fire Station #3 Sugar House had 193 calls bringing the total to 1730 calls year-to-date. For any other information about the Fire Department go to www.slcfire.com.

• An audience member who lives in the Forest Dale area asked if the Fire Department has heard any negative comments from the public regarding moving the station.  Capt Silverthorne has not personally heard any negative comments.  The Fire Department is mostly concerned about response times and how quickly they can get to the right location.  Unlike businesses, they are having trouble with addresses of private homes not being easily identifiable, which makes it difficult to find the location.

Police Department:  Detective Lowe

The Police Department has been using Comp Stat Principals to determine where to put their resources.  These are statistics taken from the number of phone calls for service received from specific areas and  helps them identify problem area locations.  Recently, District #7 -District #5 border areas have seen a spike in burglaries. There 32 incidents last month compared to 15 in the same month last year and 24 in August.   Because of this increase, the department is putting extra resources in that area. Examples of extra resources would be more patrol officers watching for speeding, and canine officers conducting evening training.  This provides an increased presence in the area, in addition to their regular officers.

For our areas, Detective Lowe strongly encouraged those present to get involved with the Neighborhood Watch Program. Detective Wilkeen will work with residents of a neighborhood to suggest ways to make homes less of a target for thieves. The watch groups help neighbors connect with one another in order to be able to watch out for each other, and report suspicious activity within the neighborhood.  He will also provide two street signs for the neighborhood.  Detective Lowe also recommended the Next Door App which allows a small region of neighbors to stay appraised of crimes in their neighborhood.  Recent statistics taken from burglaries showed that 57% of those crimes happened on a Wednesday at 10:00am.

As a reminder, as the weather gets colder do not leave cars idling to warm up.  The number of stolen cars spikes in the winter for just this reason. It is a crime of opportunity. Honda cars from the 1990’s are particularly targeted. A steering wheel locking device such as “The Club” can be a helpful deterrent. Do not leave keys in the ignition or the glove box.  Leaving cars idling is also bad for the environment.

• Micheal G asked why Wednesday at 10:00am is a uniquely high time for burglaries.  Detective Lowe does not know why but that’s what the statistics show.
• An audience member asked if “The Club” is real effective because it doesn’t seem to be advertised much.  The police department doesn’t recommend products, but Detective Lowe feels personally that it is effective.
• Sally commented that earlier in the evening she had to confront four skateboarders who were skating on the Monument Plaza.  She pointed out that the area is posted “no skating”, and they left.  She noted that the sign is quite small and asked about having larger signs posted.  Detective Lowe will follow up on how the signage size is determined.  He also stated that, while he doesn’t want anyone to put themselves in harm’s way, these types of calls to the police are low priority and it may take citizens saying something to deter the activity.  Laurie noted that the RDA is who determined the sizes of the signs that are on the Monument Plaza.

The HOST Officers along with the Bike Patrol have been working very hard with the area homeless population. There have been several arrests of people who are camping in the area.  Two individuals who were arrested at Hidden Hollow had felony warrants.  The department is actively working to clean up some areas including under the I-80 overpass.

Tina has started a Neighborhood Watch in her area and challenged the other trustees to start them in their neighborhoods.

• Topher noted that having the playground in Fairmont Park closed all year for repairs has greatly decreased the number of families visiting the park.  He wandered what that has done to the crime statistics for the park.  Detective Lowe will have to check those stats, but he said the bike patrol may also be having an impact on the crime stats.

Public Comments For Items Not On The Agenda:

A member of the audience announced that Sugar House Streetcar Corridor Rezone proposal is on the City Council agenda but is part of a larger 42 megabits document.  The rezone proposal alone can be found on his website www.georgechapman.net.  He feels that while the proposal is still up for revision, they did take the tennis courts by the Boys and Girls Club out of the rezone for now.

Presentations:

Citizen’s Academy: Deputy Chief Fred Ross

Deputy Ross started with the Department 20 yrs ago in Sugar House and stated that it was great to be back in this area of Salt Lake City.

The Citizen’s Academy allows ordinary citizens the opportunity to spend time with police officers, taking part in true activities which allows participants to see what officers face on the job every day. The Academy also makes it easier for the public to understand how incidents are prioritized and why the officers do the things they do.

Deputy Ross congratulated Tina for starting a Neighborhood Watch group for her area.  She stated that as she solicited signatures for her petition, it was the main thing that her neighborhood asked her to do.  Deputy Ross said that it is very important to remember “See something, say something”.  The department placed some yard signs in our area last week that said “Stop car prowls – Start a Neighborhood Watch”.  Those were placed in our area because we have been hit particularly hard with car prowls.  Contact Detective Lowe for more signs.  He encouraged everyone to call SLC Police if they see something that doesn’t seem normal for the neighborhood.  He feels there is no reason for Sugar House to be hit hard with crime because the citizens are so involved in the community.

Deputy Ross also strongly encouraged everyone to sign up for Citizen’s Academy.  Contact Detective Lowe for more information.

Fairmont Park Playground: Bruce Brown, SLC Engineering  Lee Bollwinkel, Parks Program Manager SLC Parks and Public Lands

Bruce presented some color renderings that showed what the new playground will look like. There was an aerial rendering that showed the orientation to other features in the park.  The equipment will include a large net climbing structure, a spinning apparatus, and a main climbing/slide structure.

The construction contracts have just been signed. The contractor still has to order the new equipment before they can start, so the project should start in mid November.  Demolition will start prior to mid November.

• Amy asked when the project is expected to be finished.  The contractor has two different park projects and a 60 day deadline.  The Fairmont project has priority and is expected to be completed by mid to end of December.
• Judi asked if they were able to use any of the old equipment.  Lee stated that some pieces would be saved to use somewhere else, but as a whole, no.

Lee went on the explain that there was a committee within the city that looked at equipment from various vendors.  One of the goals was to create a playground that would be unique in Salt Lake City.  He feels that this playground will be very popular and, while the delay has been unfortunate, it will be a playground that the kids will love.  If anyone has concerns during the construction phase, contact Bruce at SLC
Engineering.

• Joedy  asked what type of material will be used under the playground equipment.  It is an engineered wood fiber that is ADA compliant.  This is a material they are using in all the city park play areas.  They tried the rubber matting but determined it was too hard to maintain over time, and are in the process of removing it from the parks.
• An audience member asked Lee to explain why the playground has been fenced off for over a year.  Lee stated that they were in the process of obtaining funding for new equipment when a child got hurt.  It was determined that the playground should be closed until the equipment could be replaced. The same audience member thanked the department for the beautiful new equipment that will be installed.
• Another audience member wanted to make Bruce and Lee aware that although the playground is fenced off, kids are climbing the fence anyway to play on the equipment.  He feels this creates an even more dangerous situation for the kids.
• Larry asked if there will be any seating provided for the area.  They will be retaining the existing benches and adding one additional bench.
• Amy asked for the name of the contractor.  Kevin Allen is the contractor for the project. He has worked on other projects for the city in the past.
• Topher wanted to make note that the summer free lunch program was greatly impacted by the long closure of the playground.  He wanted to know if that program will be returning to the area next summer.  It will be returning.
• Amy confirmed that Bruce can be contacted by email.  www.Bruce.Brown@slcgov.com.
• Michael G. asked who he should contact regarding needed repairs to the skate park in Fairmont Park.  Lee Bollwinkle asked Michael G to call him at (801) 972-7841.  He said they rely on the citizens to inform them of needed repairs because the crews can’t be in all the parks everyday.
• Judi asked if he got the information that there are lights that are out at the skate park.  He will follow up on the lights.
• Topher thanked them for the work that is being done on the soccer fields.  He noted that the refugee soccer league has some of the best players in the state.  He also asked what they were doing to eliminate the mole problem.  Lee said they have trouble with gofers and moles throughout the park system.  The parks department employees use traps to decrease the population of rodents.

Lee said that in addition to the Fairmont soccer fields there are fields at Sunnyside park and the Regional Athletic Complex just opened up 3-4 wks ago.  There will be 16 soccer fields, which will enable the city to host large soccer events.  League play will most likely move to this new area.  They used a special grass seed and they are waiting for it to germinate and take hold.  Play will likely begin on these new fields late summer or early fall 2016.

• Steve asked about the location of the new soccer fields.  2200 North off of I-215.
• An audience member and Amy thanked Lee for all the work at attention that is finally coming to Fairmont park.  The more people use the park, the safer the park will be.

SLC Parking Ordinance: Cris Jones, SLC Transportation

There is a proposal to change the parking ordinance for the CB (Commercial Business) and CN (Commercial Neighborhood) zones.  The ordinance is currently 1/2 space per residential unit and the proposal is to increase that to 1 space minimum per residential unit.  This ordinance change has come about because of some new property developments that have had a negative impact on parking.

They are currently conducting surveys and data analysis to determine the parking issues in both Sugar House and downtown. They are looking at whether there is an actual shortage of parking spaces, or whether there is a perception that parking spaces in Sugar House are difficult to find.  Last winter the businesses were concerned that the lack of parking spaces was having a negative impact on their businesses.

• Amy asked about the time frame for the compilation of the surveys and data analysis.  Cris stated that there is a draft copy of the “Existing Conditions Report”.  There will be a final report available in the spring.
• Amy asked who they have talked to and when the public engagement process will begin.  There are two different efforts that are currently in process. The change from 1/2 space to 1 space per residential unit  is ready to go to the city council in the near future. There will be opportunity for public comment on this ordinance change. The long term recommendations from the survey and data analysis will not be ready for public comment and city council ordinance changes until the fall of 2016.  Ordinance changes are just one of the things that are done to better manage and improve parking.  There will be additional recommendations in the final report.  Surveyed groups included the Sugar House Chamber of Commerce, Westminster College, the Downtown Alliance, SLC Council members, the Planning Commission, and business owners from downtown.  They have also met individually with Amy, SHCC Chair.

Of the surveyed individuals who are parking in Sugar House, they found that it doesn’t take people that long to find a parking space but their confidence that they are allowed to be in that space is low.  The time spent in a space averages about 30 minutes.  People are parking, staying a short time, then moving their car or leaving the area quickly.  One proposed change to the ordinance would be to limit the number of spaces that are allocated for the dedicated use of a new development.  For example, maybe 10-20% of the spaces could be reserved for customers of the development and the rest would be open parking, shared with surrounding businesses.

• Amy asked if there is an example of where this is being used somewhere else in the country.  Shared parking is pretty common outside of Utah.

As more of our large surface lots are converted to high density developments, the challenge is to make sure there is still plenty of parking available.  If it is paid parking, prices should be consistent without price gouging. Heavy handed pricing structures are poor policy that hurt businesses and the reputation of Sugar House and the surrounding community.

Audience members made the following comments:

• The limited amount of free public parking in Sugar House is restricting people’s ability to visit public facilities such as the library and Hidden Hollow. Cris agreed that there are no publicly owned lots in Sugar House, so the city will have to rely on private owners to allow public parking or the city will have to find funds to purchase land for public parking.
• Confirmed that there will still be time to make public comment on the recommendations of the report.  They are taking comments regarding parking experiences for the existing conditions portion of the report.  www.Cris.Jones@slcgov.com
• Clarification that the property owners NOT the business owners or the city hired Diamond Parking to issue tickets.  Complaints should go not only to Cris but also to the private property owners.
• Is it possible to standardize the parking signage for all the private parking lots?  Yes if they form a partnership like has been done downtown through the Downtown Alliance.  They have agreed to use the universal large “P” to designate parking areas.

Carole asked if the city has any legal means to enforce a fair parking fee being charged by developers who received RDA money for their project.  Cris stated that the city has very little leverage after the loan is repaid, if there wasn’t something specific in the contract between the RDA and the developer.  Unfortunately that was not done on past projects, but there is nothing to say it couldn’t be done on future projects.  Carole feels that if the developer benefits from a RDA loan provided by the tax payers then the public should also benefit from the RDA loan.

Amy thanked Cris for being particularly interested in the parking situation in Sugar House and including this area in their survey analysis.  Cris said that other areas of the city are looking at Sugar House and  watching what happens here. It is an opportunity to make good changes and be an example of what may eventually be used in other parts of SLC.

At 8:00pm Amy officially closed the voting for SHCC officers.  Benny and the rest of the election committee gathered the ballots and were excused to go count them.  Results were reported later in the meeting.

UTA and Prop #1:  Joey Alsop and Christopher Chestnut, Senior Manager of Service Planning

Christopher Chestnut started the presentation by familiarizing the audience with Proposition #1 which will be on the fall ballot.  The proposition was developed from the Utah Legislative HB 362 which was introduced by Representative Johnny Anderson from the west area of Salt Lake.  There were two parts to the bill.  The first was fuel tax reform which passed the legislature and was signed by the governor.  It will go into effect in January 2016.

The second part, called the local option sales tax, would allow individual counties to place the option on the ballot to be voted on by the citizens of those counties. All of the counties along the Wasatch Front opted to put it on the ballot as Proposition #1.    If passed, it will raise sales tax by 1/4 cent with the money earmarked for transportation.  40% will go to the individual cities and unincorporated-area service districts for their transit needs, 40% will go to UTA or other transit agencies, and the remaining 20% will go to the individual counties. Some of the counties use a transit agency other than UTA. In counties that don’t use UTA or another transit agency, that 40% will also go to the county.

• Tina asked if the 20% for the counties goes in their general fund or to transportation.  It must be used for transportation.

The UTA Board of Trustees passed a resolution regarding the expenditure of these funds.  The Board of Trustee members are appointed by various user groups of UTA and the governor.  The resolution provides the framework for improving service (mostly bus service), improving bus stops, and coordinating mobility management services which provides service for low income, disabled, and elderly transit users.

In regards to improving service, they intend to expand frequency, extend hours, provide more weekend service, and provide “first and last mile” solutions.  First and last mile solutions include things like bike sharing programs, and bike trails in communities that want them.

In addition to improving bus stop shelters and coordinating their mobility management services, they will also be improving facilities and purchasing equipment.  New equipment would include more vehicles to accommodate the expanded services and facilities to store those vehicles.

The money will NOT be used for:

• Mountain Accord for trains to go up the canyons
• Building new streetcar lines
• To build extensions off of any existing rail lines (TRAX, S-Line, Front Runner)
•  Executive bonuses/pay
•  New parking structures near existing rail lines

The resolution was passed unanimously by the UTA Board of Trustees on August 26, 2015.  The resolution is on the UTA Website.

• Judi asked if the information regarding Prop #1 is on the ballot.  Susan said there is an insert listing websites for more information.
• An audience member stated that HB 362 states that the proposition rules do not apply to any fund accounts that the city or county may have set up prior to passage of the proposition.  So while UTA will not use funds to build new rail lines, the city can.

UTA has been maintaining a customer comment data bank for 10 yrs.  The comments have fallen into three main categories.  #1 More bus service (frequency, expanded hours, weekend service)  #2 More/new routes.  #3 Overcrowded buses.

They intend to hold public meetings to give community members the opportunity to have input on expenditures at the community level.  Joey Alsop presented some ideas of things that have been suggested thus far.

1. Expanded Frequency – All routes will have a frequency of 30 min or less.
2. Extended Service Hours – Span of Service (5am to 12am) No local route will end before 9pm.
3. More Weekend Service –
4. Service to the Non-traditional Community

If Proposition #1 passes in both Davis County and SL County, UTA is proposing a new bus route that would run from 500 S. in Bountiful down Redwood Road, through Rose Park, all the way into downtown.

Routes that are currently 30 min routes will have expanded hrs running from 5am to 9pm.  Routes that run on a shorter frequency will run from 5am to 12am. For example currently Route 223 which runs from Holladay through Millcreek, Sugar House, Yale Crest, and up to the University is has a 2 hr frequency.  That route would change to a 30 min frequency.

• Larry asked if fares would change.  With this plan, they have not discussed fare reductions.  SLC currently has the Hive Pass which reduces fares.

Christopher Chestnut asked Cris Jones from SLC Transportation if these ideas are consistent with the city’s new transit master plan. Cris stated that the master plan focuses less on existing routes and more on key corridors where there is currently a lack of public transportation.  The Master Plan is a 20 yr plan and they are focusing on areas that in the future might warrant investment in new routes.  Some may be shorter term policy changes but they are definitely looking long term also.

UTA is also looking at extending the route on 13th South to go east of the ballpark.  2700 South may get a new route that goes east and terminates at the University.

• Susan Koelliker asked UTA what they are doing to cut costs, as apposed to asking for this tax increase.  There have been cuts in executive pay.  They are also working on efficiency challenges, thereby allowing UTA to reinvest those savings back into the system. 85% of revenues from ridership goes toward service and maintenance. The annual financial report for UTA can be found on their website, www.rideUTA.com.
• Christopher asked if they look at a matrix such as dollars per rider spent when they make decisions about various routes.  They look at ridership and also investment per rider which is how much they would be subsidizing riders to provide the service.  The formula is: how much they spend to provide the service, subtract the fares that they gain from the route, then divide it by the number of riders. They use many matrix including passengers per hour, passengers per mile, and propensity of ridership etc.  They also have a federal obligation to provide equitable service to lower income riders and minorities.

Committee Reports

Land Use and Zoning: Judi Short

The Planning Commission approved the rezone for Westminster College of the 5 parcels located on 13th East from Westminster St. north.  Westminster will now be able to use the houses for institutional uses, not just campus housing.  Westminster also named Steve Morgan as their new President.  He has been part of the administration for 34 yrs.

On Oct 20th the City Council will hold a public hearing about moving Fire Station #3 to the Forest Dale location.  Public comments can also be sent to the council at www.council.comments@slcgov.com.

At last night’s City Council meeting they discussed the Streetcar Zoning issue.  Erin Mendenhall, reported to Judi that Lisa Adams did a nice job expressing our desires regarding this zoning change. A report from SHCC LUZ was sent to both Planning and the City Council.  The Council forwarded their recommendations to Planning and they are hoping to have a report from Planning by December 1st.

Last week the Planning Commission had accessory dwellings on their agenda but they tabled the discussion because several community councils including ours felt they had not had enough time to review the proposal.  Several years ago, they approved accessory dwelling units whereby homeowners could have a second dwelling unit ie: basement, cottage, or above a garage, as long as the owner lives in either the main home or the accessory dwelling.  It was approved for the corridor around the rail lines. Since that time no building permits have been approved, so the feeling is it was too restrictive.  They are now proposing that every lot in the city be approved for accessory dwellings.  Judi and others are going to meet with the staff person who is working on this zone change because some lots in Salt Lake are too small for accessory dwellings. Judi feels they need to maintain the alleyways to provide access to the accessory dwellings in areas where the lots are large enough to support a second living unit.

Other current LUZ issues include:

• The Fire Station public hearing.  The council will vote on the Fire Station on Nov 10th.
• The flag lot located at 3101S 900E was approved by the Planning Commission.
• The Mecham and the Bolder Ventures second phases located south on the Granite Block are moving forward.  They will be reporting to the LUZ Committee sometime in the future.

Parks, Open Space, and Trails: Sally Barraclough

This committee did not meet in September. No Report

Transportation: Deb Henry

Deb was excused absent. No Report

Arts and Cultural: Laurie Bray

No Report

Historic Signs:  Joedy Lister

The committee recently met with Anthony Riederer from SLC Planning who will be working with the committee to put together a proposal designating some signs throughout the city as historic landmarks.   for Lisa Adams to present to the City Council. This is the very beginning of this process so it will be a while before anything is ready to present to the City Council.

• Amy asked what things are being asked for in the proposal.  The historic sign conversation began when it became apparent that owners are not allowed to take signs down for repair and have them reinstalled. By designating certain signs as historic landmarks, it changes the way they can be repaired and reactivated. This proposal would be used citywide, but the goal of the committee is to get the signs in Sugar House of historical significance reactivated.  Amy reminded the committee that she has a sign in her garage that she saved from going to the landfill, but does not want to store indefinitely so she is happy to see this effort moving forward.

Spotlight on Business:  Michael G. Kavanagh

Adjusting Sails Dirtworks Pottery Studio/Art Gallery

Jeff Clement will reschedule at a later date.

SLC Council Update: Charlie Luke District #6

Amy thanked Charlie for attending tonight’s meeting in Lisa Adams’s absence.  This was his second community council meeting for the evening.

At last night’s City Council meeting they discussed the Streetcar Rezone as it would pertain to the area of 2100 South, 700 East on all four corners. Lisa spoke regarding the need to listen to residents and restrict the height of future building projects, and to provide a buffer between existing structures and newer, taller buildings.

They started by looking at a 65ft maximum height with an additional 10ft (one more story) if the developer provided some affordable housing units in the development.  That motion was supported by Lisa, Charlie, and James Rogers but it failed.  The next proposal was 75ft maximum with an allowance of an additional 35ft for providing affordable housing for a total of 105ft.  Charlie, and James voted against this height.  Lisa supported it only because if a building is taller than 75ft, the building materials change to steel construction which is much more expensive.  The thought is, that due to the extra cost, it is unlikely that a developer will want to build the extra 35ft. In effect in this area, the likely height of new construction will be 75ft.  This area along the S-Line is called “the core”.

In areas near residential homes the allowed height will drop substantially.  Judi reminded Charlie that we recommended no more than 35ft heights next to residential homes.  Charlie is supportive of the no more than 35ft height next to private single family homes.  He strongly feels that while higher density housing is fine in some areas, we need to protect single family homes so that people do not move out of the area.

Amy asked Charlie to comment on the discussion that took place regarding social clubs near residential areas, specifically the Karumba in Sugar House.  The city planner stated that it’s a law enforcement issue and used Dick and Dixies as an example of a neighborhood social club that doesn’t have any problems with the neighbors.   Amy pointed out that A) Dick and Dixies is not near any single family homes and B) Karumba is a dance club with very loud music. Salt Lake Valley Health does not monitor the loudness in the bass, so the noise level is not enforced.  She feels the City Council needs to address these as different types of social clubs.   Charlie said that the biggest challenge with the liqueur laws is that they are state laws and can only be changed by the state legislature. The city is not allowed to even restrict the hours of business. Charlie was not in favor of liqueur establishments located near residential homes, not because it’s an alcohol issue, but a crowd and noise issue.

• Larry asked if Charlie is endorsing a candidate for mayor.  Charlie is staying neutral on this topic because he is friends with all the candidates.
• Joedy asked if the construction on the 21st East storm drains is related to the storm drain break that happened on 17th South and Foothill Drive.  According to Charlie, the repairs were already scheduled, but the break caused public utilities to make the 21st East storm drains a priority.  Next year they will be working on 22nd East just north of 27th South.
• Amy thanked Charlie for his advocacy for the citizen sponsored CIP applications.The process was handled a little different this year.  The Council looked at the applications and how they fit with the City Council goals.  He is not in favor of that process which puts the goals of the Council ahead of the community.  Because of that, he pulled the only 3 citizen sponsored applications and moved them to the top of the list for approval.  The CIP applications that were approved were finalized last night. The Fairmont Park pond improvements and the Sugar House bathroom funding were approved.

Mayors Office Update:  Shawn McDonough

The new airport design has been released.  They listened to the public’s desire to have more art features within the design.  To that end, they have designed a canyon feature that appears to move and change colors as passengers walk through the area.  The design has been posted on You Tube at www.youtube.com/SLCTVMedia.

In 2003 there was a 15.3 million bond voted on by the public for a regional athletic field.  The fields are located at 1900 West 2200 North and are open for viewing.

The mayor recently launched a new program to get kids out in nature.  It’s called SLC Kids Explore and it’s a challenge for the kids in the community to get outdoors 30min a day for 30 days.  The program is found on www.goseekdiscover.com.  Kids can go on the website and write about, and post pictures of their outdoor activities. Bill Rutherford who is a retired forester for the city did a brochure that describes all the trees on the City and County Building block.  One of the challenges on the website is for kids to identify the trees.

Open city hall is still gathering input for the city wide master transit plan.  There is still time to have input on this 20yr plan.

• Amy asked about the extra leaf cans.  Cans can be ordered from the sustainability area on the city website. www.slcgov.com. The cans are free of charge but are available on a first come first serve basis.

Election Results:  Benny Keele

The candidates running for vice chair positions all received the same number of votes.  Amy made an executive decision that the order of chairs would be based on a number draw.  Numbers were chosen between 1 and 50.  Benny announced that the Amy will continue as Chair, Maggie chose the closest number and will be 1st Vice Chair, followed by Judi as 2nd Vice Chair, and Steve as 3rd Vice Chair.  Larry will be Treasurer, and Bryce will be Secretary.

Benny reminded us that these are all volunteer unpaid positions and that the officers dedicate a lot of time to these positions despite being busy with jobs and family.  He thanked all who were willing to serve.  He also thanked all the officers who served last year in their various capacities.

Library Updates:  Dolly Rauh

There are flyers in the back regarding the Library’s involvement with the Music and Memory Coalition.  The Library has been providing free screenings of the documentary called Alive Inside – The Story of Music and Memory.  It has been shown in recent studies that the right music can restore autobiographical memory.  The library is helping in this effort by collecting old iPods that will used to help the elderly with music and memory.  There is a drop off box upstairs for iPods.

Dolly also reminded the audience that the library has several new data bases that are available to the public.  The first called Knowledge City provides 8000 tutorials on various subjects such as software programs, safety compliance programs, and business leadership skills. Another data base program is Bean Stack which has librarians making reading recommendations for kids.  This program will help parents and grandparents assist their children with reading selections.  Both programs are on the library website.

The Creative Lab has opened at the main library.  It contains a 3D printer, music and video creation stations, 3D modeling, and a digital conversion station.  The hours of the lab are on the library website along with email and phone contact numbers to answer questions.

Meeting Adjourned at 9:04