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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BPW-1991-10-30BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE October 30, 1991 NOTES Present: Commissioners Berg, Brandford, Cox, Reeves, Rusoff, Tripp, Berg; Mayor Nichols; Council Liaison Blanchard; Acting Supt. Gray, Asst. Supt. Ferrel, Asst. Supt. Shimer; Asst. City Attorney Kennedy. Others Present: Guy Gerard, Resident George Sheldon, New Market Commissioner Reeves chaired the meeting, which was called to order at 4:32 p.m. The following were additions to the Agenda: None The following items were deferred to a future agenda: None Tabled Items: None 1. New Market request for forgiveness of payment of metered parking spaces. George Sheldon presented the fact that free parking is offered on Saturdays in Ithaca and that the New Market should be given the same consideration, or, at least a reduction in the fee of $40.00 per week for 51 weeks his present contract calls for. He stated that the New Market constituted a benefit for the City of Ithaca and this should be taken into consideration regarding the payment of fees for parking. Attorney Kennedy cautioned that the extension of free parking to the New Market could be viewed as the giving away of space to a commercial enterprise and, therefore, as an illegal gift. There was a discussion concerning the number of spaces actually needed by the Market and Mr. Sheldon stated that he would probably require between 8 to 10 meters per week on the new contract. His original request had been for 21. He indicated that he would bag only the meters actually needed. Mayor Nichols suggested that a reduced fee of $20.00 per week might be acceptable with the promise of the use of the minimum number of spaces needed. BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE October 30, 1991 Commissioner Berg requested to clearly there is a public benefit fz original fee, or $2.00 per meter, sE at all unjust as the parking spaces and were actually being reserved for Market. The majority of the Board Commissioner Reeves will place this k t go on record stating that ,om the Market, but that the gems very reasonable and not were in a prime Ithaca area the exclusive use of the New voiced similar feelings and matter on the Agenda next wee CL which time it will be voted on. 2. Sciencenter request for Parking on First Street Extension. Superintendent Gray presented a diagram of the proposed Sciencenter and parking facilities and indicated that he was not quite sure what exactly the Center would need, and if its needs could be fulfilled. He explained the necessity for access to the Center from two City streets in the event of, for example, a fire or other disaster, as well as the fact that all of the City's sewers converge underneath the property and meet at a junction for which the City needs easy access at all times for repairs. Also, the erection of the parking facility may devalue the surrounding property and create a problem when and if the City should decide to sell the same. Commissioner Blanchard reported that she has had several meetings with the Committee for the Sciencenter. She said that they were very aware of the prospective problems and were not looking for any permanent acquisition of the property, but suggested the possibility of a temporary, possibly one year revocable lease. Superintendent Gray raised the question of whether or not they could get a building permit with any kind of a revocable license on the parking area. It was suggested that even a one year revocable license might cause problems and maybe a 60 day license would be more practical. There was also brought up the question of sharing the parking spaces with the Senior Citizens Center. Mayor Nichols asked if anyone was in attendance from the Sciencenter and if not, why not. He stated that he felt that the issues raised and the questions asked should be dealt with only if there was a representative present from the Center itself. He suggested that this matter be postponed to the next meeting. In the meantime, he suggested that the Committee contact the Executive Director of the Sciencenter, Charles Trautmann, and request that he be present at that meeting to give input and answer questions; and this matter will be placed on the Agenda for the November 13, 1991 meeting. Public Hearing - 5:30 p.m. Page - 2 BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE October 30, 1991 Petition was received regarding changing the name of Cleveland Avenue to Wheat Street. Commissioner Reeves introduced the members of the Board of Public Works and staff to audience. Commissioner Blanchard informed the meeting that she and Bob Romanowski had done a house -to -house survey of Cleveland Avenue regarding the name change and leaving notices regarding this evening's meeting. Out of 27 households on the street only 14 were available for comment - 2 were in favor of change, 2 had no opinion, and 10 were opposed to change. Commissioner Reeves now opened up the discussion to the audience. A short history of the street was given, and the reasoning behind the name change was questioned at this time, as well as exactly who was requesting it. A copy of the petition was circulated among the audience. Most of the residents present were senior citizens who expressed the opinion that the name change would cause serious problems to them. The major concerns of the residents including costs incurred in the change of pertinent documents such as deeds, etc., the possible loss or delay of important mailings due to change of addresses, etc. They also indicated a belief that a great many of those who wanted the name changed were not even property owners or residents on Cleveland Avenue, and, therefore, it was none of their concern. It was suggested that a historical "Wheat Street" plaque be erected rather than actually changing the name, which suggestion most residents in attendance agreed with. The discussion turned to an argument about the more pressing problems of safety and cleanliness of the neighborhood vs. the superficial changing of the name. It was the concensus that the neighborhood "clean -up" should be the first order of business, and a meeting of the residents was suggested to discuss the problems. Commissioner Reeves reminded the audience that this was a meeting regarding only the change of the name and asked if there was anyone else who wished to be heard on that issue. As there were no further comments or questions from the audience, Commissioner Reeves closed the discussion. Page - 3 BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE October 30, 1991 Staff Updates: Deferred From Acting Supt. of Public Works: From Asst. City Atty.: Notes by Elaine Mecus Administrative Secretary Page - 4