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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-IURA-2010-05-27Approved Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency 108 East Green Street Ithaca, New York 14850 (607) 274-6559 (607) 274-6558 (fax) MINUTES IURA MAY 27, 2010 Present: Carolyn Peterson (Chair), Sue Cummings, Doug Dylla, Tracy Farrell Staff: Nels Bohn, JoAnn Cornish, Sue Kittel, Alice Vargo, Phyllisa DeSarno Other: J.R. Clairborne, Liaison (9:30 a.m.) I. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 8:37 a.m. by Chairperson Peterson II. Additions to or deletions from the Agenda Dylla requested an update on the P&C Building; this item was added under VIII. C. III. Public Comment - None IV. Approval of Meeting Minutes  April 23, 2009 Minutes Motion by Farrell, seconded by Dylla to accept the minutes with corrections Approved Unanimously 4-0  September 24, 2009 Minutes Motion by Dylla, seconded by Peterson to accept minutes with corrections Approved Unanimously 4-0  March 25, 2010 Minutes Motion to accept the minutes as written by Farrell, seconded by Peterson Approved Unanimously 3-1 Dylla abstained V. Neighborhood Investment Committee A. HUD Entitlement Grant, Program Amendment to 2010 Action Plan to Fund the Ithaca Free Clinic Relocation There was a discussion on stats and percentages of clients living in the City/Town and outlying areas. The clinic will be encouraged to document the percentages of clients served from the town, city and other out-lying areas. Motion by Farrell, seconded by Cummings Amendment: Motion by Farrell, seconded by Cummings IURA 5/27/10 Page 2 of 8 HUD Entitlement Grant, Program Amendment to 2010 Action Plan to Fund the Ithaca Free Clinic Relocation Whereas, the Ithaca Health Alliance provides free healthcare services to area residents who do not otherwise have access to medical services, and Whereas, this free clinic has provided care to as many as 1,500 clients a year, and Whereas, the current location of the Ithaca Free Clinic offices no longer meet their needs due to the limited amount of physical space, lack of accessibility and poor layout for such an enterprise, and Whereas, the Ithaca Health Alliance has secured a new location for their clinic offices at 521-523 West Seneca Street, Ithaca, NY, and Whereas, the Ithaca Health Alliance has requested Community Development Block Grant funds to renovate the new location to meet their needs of their program, and Whereas, there is $20,476.60 in unallocated CDBG funds remaining in the 2010 Action Plan, and Whereas, the Neighborhoods Investment Committee reviewed this matter at their May 14, 2010 meeting and recommended the following, and Whereas, this award does not exceed the threshold of a substantial program amendment and may be implemented upon action of the IURA and notification of the Common Council, per the requirements of the City of Ithaca Citizen Participation Plan, now, therefore, be it Resolved, that the IURA hereby approves a program amendment to the 2010 Action Plan to fund the Ithaca Health Alliance $20,000.00 of 2010 CDBG Entitlement funds for the purpose of renovating the new program space for the Ithaca Free Clinic at 521-523 W. Seneca Street, subject to the following:  Receipt by the IURA of a cost estimate for the renovation prepared by Holt Architects or another similarly qualified building design professional detailing the entire projected cost for the necessary renovations,  Proof of availability of all necessary matching funds to ensure that the building is suitably renovated and can obtain a certificate of compliance. IURA 5/27/10 Page 3 of 8  Submission of reports and documentation demonstrating the use of the Free Clinic program services and benefiting at least 51% low- and moderate-income persons, as defined by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and  Provision of a signed lease for the premises of at least 5 years duration, and be it further Resolved, $467.60 of 2010 CDBG Entitlement funds shall be allocated as activity delivery costs to the IURA for staff and overhead costs directly involved in carrying out the project. Approved Unanimously 4-0 B. Lake Avenue Single Room Occupancy (SRO) (#2.4, 1996 year #2CDBG), Modify Loan Terms Under their 15 year contract the SRO has to report L/M/I, which they have been doing consistantly. The proposed resolution will free staff time from monitoring the on-going annual compliance for this program. The SRO has kept the sprinkler system updated and certified, and the property in good repair. Questions were raised if the contract could be rewritten, or a letter of agreement to owner to keep the property as L/M/I. It was a suggested that staff could monitor rents, but realized it would not be proof of income. Within the guidelines of the contract, if the owners changed from the SRO to regular apartments, they would need to pay back the IURA for the sprinkler system (around $10,000). Motion by Farrell, seconded by Dylla Lake Avenue Single Room Occupancy (SRO) (#2.4, 1996 year #2CDBG), Modify Loan Terms Whereas, as part of the second year increment of the three-year 1996 CDBG award, the IURA provided a deferred loan of $22,000 for installation of a sprinkler system at the 10-unit, single room occupancy (SRO) facility owned by Sandra L. Barr located at 104 Lake Avenue, and Whereas, the sprinkler system was successfully installed in 2002 thereby satisfying a fire safety code requirement for continued occupancy of the building as an SRO, and Whereas, the deferred loan was structured to amortize over a 15-year period and bears no principal or interest so long as at least 51% of the units are occupied by low- and moderate-income (LMI) households at affordable rents, and Whereas, the term of the loan began on September 5, 2002, the date of the final disbursement of loan funds, and Whereas, the SRO is currently occupied by 10 residents, a majority of which are documented as LMI persons, at rents of $375-$400 per month, and IURA 5/27/10 Page 4 of 8 Whereas, the project remains in compliance with all IURA requirements, and Whereas, IURA contract monitoring staff has raised a question whether the administrative effort required by staff to document on-going annual compliance of this agreement through 2017 would be better used to monitor projects with potential compliance issues, and Whereas, this project is stable in terms of beneficiaries and rents, and Whereas, IURA staff recommends reducing the term of the loan to seven years to terminate the loan on September 5, 2010, and Whereas, the IURA Neighborhood Investment Committee considered this matter at their May 14, 2010 meeting and recommended the following; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the IURA hereby authorizes the Chairperson to sign an amendment to the loan agreement for the Lake Avenue SRO project (#2.4, 1996 year #2 CDBG) to reduce the term of the loan from 15 years to seven years. Approved 3-1 (Cummings) C. Chairperson Report  Farrell gave a brief update on the RIBs progress. Bohn added that the Council has approved to support money being spent for the RIBs building. Kittel stated that RIBs also needs to build a storage shed.  Farrell also went over the guidelines for multiple funding objectives. These guidelines will be tried out for a year and work on the self- sufficiency plans for fundraising. VI. Governance Committee A. Create and Fill Contracts Monitor I Employment Position - Resolution Cummings reported that the Governance Committee unanimously endorsed hiring of Rene Funke as Contracts Monitor I. At the present time there is a rough outline for her regular summer hours. She will be attending training for CDBG. There is flexibility with a chance for expansion in hours. Cummings asked if Funke would attend the next meeting. Moved by Cummings, seconded by Farrell Create and Fill IURA Contracts Monitor I Employment Position Whereas, on March 25, 2010, the IURA authorized a job search to fill part-time, permanent Contracts Monitor I position at a salary rate to be determined based on qualifications, contingent upon final approval of the IURA, and Whereas, a job search was undertaken that resulted in three interviews conducted by the Contracts Monitor I search committee composed of Sue Kittel, Nels Bohn, and Wies Van Leuken, and IURA 5/27/10 Page 5 of 8   Whereas, the search committee unanimously selected Ms. René Funke as the preferred candidate to fill the job position and recommended that she be offered the job subject to satisfactory reference checks, and Whereas, the preferred candidate is highly qualified for the position and possesses professional experience developing systems for documenting compliance with contractual obligations, managing a HUD-funded rental security deposit assistance program, and building cooperative relationships with clients and funding agencies, and Whereas, reference checks yielded positive results, and   Whereas, on May 14, 2010, a job offer was made to the preferred candidate to fill the Contracts Monitor I position on a part-time, 25-hours per week basis at a salary of $28,367, contingent upon IURA approval, and Whereas, on May 15, 2010, the preferred candidate accepted the contingent job offer, and   Whereas, IURA staff certifies that IURA financial resources are sufficient to sustain the proposed hiring for the foreseeable future, and Whereas, the Governance Committee considered this matter at their May 21, 2010 meeting and recommended the following; now, therefore, be it   Resolved, that the IURA hereby creates the position of Contracts Monitor I as referenced in the attached job description, dated March 14, 2010, and be it further, Resolved, that the IURA hereby authorizes the hiring of Ms. René Funke to fill the IURA Contracts Monitor I position subject to the following terms:   Title: Contracts Monitor I Salary: $28,367 annually ($21.80/hour) Work Hours: 25 hours per week, based on a mutually satisfactory schedule Employment Status: Permanent, part-time, at-will employee Start Date: June 1, 2010 Working Conditions/Benefits: Governed by the IURA Human Resource Policies, including health insurance, sick leave, paid vacations and retirement benefits.          Approved Unanimously 4-0 B. 2010 Annual Election of IURA Officers - Resolution At the May 11, 20010 Governance, Cummings and Peterson each stated that they are willing to make themselves available for another term as officers, but did not think it appropriate to develop a committee recommendation as they compose a majority of IURA 5/27/10 Page 6 of 8 the committee quorum. The Committee unanimously agreed to forward this matter to the IURA meeting for nominations and action. Farrell moved, Dylla seconded. 2010 Annual Election of IURA Officers WHEREAS, officers of the IURA consist of a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and Secretary, and WHEREAS, Section 2 of Article III of the IURA By-Laws call for election of the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the IURA at each annual May meeting of the Agency, and WHEREAS, Section 2 of Article III of the IURA By-Laws further states that the Agency shall appoint an Executive Director who shall serve as Secretary to the Agency, and WHEREAS, by resolution dated May 22, 2008, the IURA appointed the Director of Planning & Development for the City of Ithaca, ex-officio, as the IURA Executive Director, and WHEREAS, an IURA member shall continue to hold office until their successor is appointed and qualified, and RESOLVED, that the IURA recommends to the Common Council to authorize expenditure of up to $5,000 from capital reserve account #24 – Energy Efficiency Improvements - to fund the Add Alternative to upgrade controls to include DCV sensors that will improve energy efficiency of the air conditioning system. WHEREAS, at their May 21, 2010 meeting, the Governance Committee recommended the annual election for Chairperson and Vice Chairperson be advanced to the full IURA meeting for nominations and election; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the IURA hereby elects Carolyn Peterson as Chairperson and Susan Cummings as Vice Chairperson of the IURA. Approved Unanimously 4-0 C. Review of IURA Financials for April, 2010  Cummings inquired about Diane’s financial position. Bohn stated that another mechanic was hired. Bohn also stated that he spoke with Bob Deemer and that he recommended lowering Diane’s payments. As soon as Diane brings in her financials, Bohn will meet with her. IURA 5/27/10 Page 7 of 8  State Theatre has made another payment and believes that they are up-to-date on their payments. We will find out if they are up-to-date when the report comes on June 8th for the ED meeting.  Audit Report - Thayer stated they are on track with the finances. Cummings asked Bohn to extend a thank you to Thayer.  Bohn reported that spend downs are at the lowest ever. He also spoke about the benefits and downfalls of an early application processing. Kittel also stated that early process of applications is not necessarily beneficial. Dylla spoke about a structured evaluation of early acceptance application process. Kittel left the meeting at 9:24 J.R. arrived at 9:30 a.m. D. Chairperson report  CHI - They are making good progress.  INHS - Bohn is working on an agreement with Mozzarella and Sicherman.  Mutual Housing is having problems finding information on how to proceed with INHS in buying MHI property. Gary Marsden is currently managing the property. VII. Economic Development Committee A. Chairperson report  Dylla went over the goals of the ED committee  ED has a new prospect for membership  There was a brief discussion on renting the Emerson building B. Other VIII. New/Old Business A. Chairperson Report B. Staff Report Bohn reported on the Section 3 Housing plan. Cummings described the plans for L/M income. Bohn also discussed the youth employment program. The ideal outcome for this program would be long-term funding. C. Other Phyllisa DeSarno updated the Agency on the P&C building. The owners have decided not to sell the building. There was a brief discussion about possible uses of this building. There was also a brief update on the Challenge building. D. Next meeting date: June 24, 2010 IX. Motion to Adjourn IURA 5/27/10 Page 8 of 8 The meeting was adjourned at 10:40 J:\Community Development\Admin Files\MINUTES\IURA\2010\5May\5-27-10 Minutes.doc