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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-NCI-2000 Neighborhood& Community Issues Committee Meeting Notes -May 15, 2000 A. Additions/Deletions to the Agenda D. Samms requested the addition about an item concerning the Explorer Scouts B. Public Comment John Simon, 220 Cleveland Avenue and Kathy Young, 618 Clinton Street addressed the Committee with their concerns about demolition undertaken by property owner William Lower. In addition they asserted that their neighborhood is subject to persistent zoning violations committed by W. Lower. They asked for Council assistance with this matter Francis Bilker,President of Ithaca's Gay and Lesbian Task Force addressed the Committee to urge their support of the proposed hate crimes legislation. Bonnie Blanding May, 407 Second Street, commented on legislation in Rochester dealing with excessive volume of radios in cars driving through neighborhoods. Her primary comments,however were to urge the Committee to begin work on a lock down law similar to the model adopted by the City of Binghamton. Fay Gougakis, 406 Utica Street, address the Committee with the following concerns: • insensitivity to the community of the library mural \./ • lack of response to complaints about a recent party on East Hill which appeared to be x in violation of the noise ordinance 0 employment status of Building Commissioner Kathleen Decker and why there has been no information concerning her suspension or termination C. Committee Response to Public Comment With the agreement Blumenthal violations to the zoning ordinance for commercial properties at the west end of Cleveland Avenue were referred to the Planning & Development Committee for action. D. Bias/Hate Crimes The Committee was in agreement about the need for such local legislation and expressed appreciation for the committee and community responsible for the proposal. In response to Committee discussion,M. McCarthy agreed to look into appropriate language to protect those who may be discriminated against because of their size. There was agreement that effort would be made to make any amendments in time for this month's Planning&Development Committee or, at the latest,the Human Resources Committee, in order to bring the legislation to Council vote at the June meeting. This action was proposed by P. Prior, seconded by T. Farrell and passed by unanimous vote of the Committee. over E. Lock-down and Nuisance Abatement Laws Resident B. Blanding May addressed the Committee with passion concerning the need for this legislation. There was some caution from other Committee members but firm support from the Mayor. After review of information prepared by K. Sokoni, S. Blumenthal asked for further analysis of outcomes especially with regard to court challenges. P. Prior also wanted to know how the law was used in other locations. T. Farrell's concern is that the city will be left with boarded up houses. According to K. Sokoni's research, this doesn't seem to have occurred in other locations. P. Prior and D. Samms were more concerned about the tenants who may be evicted-- especially if they are not the "problem" tenants. The Mayor was concerned about the Committee asking legal staff for more information than may be necessary. The outcome of discussion was an agreement to establish a subcommittee. The Mayor,P. Prior and B.B. May volunteered to participate. F. Winter Road Maintenance Options Information provided by R. Ferrel indicates that the issue of whether or not to abandon the no salt policy in the flats may be more of a policy decision than an economic decision. Discussion centered on a product called "Iceban Magic" that works by lowering the temperature at which ice forms. According to the literature,this product does not appear to have an adverse environmental impact. The Mayor and P. Prior both felt that increased use of sand may have a greater adverse impact--by creating a"dirtier" community and possibly increasing sedimentation. The Mayor reiterated that the bottom line this controversy is concern for public safety. U Committee members voted whether or not to continue with the proposal: yes -- S. Blumenthal,J. Glasstetter,P. Prior,J. Taylor no -- T. Farrell The Mayor suggested further investigation into the incidence of silicosis and solicitation of comment from the police and fire departments. D. Samms raised a related issue of the method for plowing which continually throws snow into resident's driveways. G. Subcommittee Formation-Bicycles and the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law After some Committee discussion, there was agreement on the action to create a subcommittee to look into whether state law re: bicycles provides sufficient protection for cyclists, especially children. There was agreement that the subcommittee should include a BPAC representative, a Committee representative, (J. Glasstetter), the city attorney(on a consultant basis), a member to represent interests of Ithaca's youth and a representative from the police department. Draft Snow Removal and Deicing of Streets Background Information It is vital to the interests of residents of neighborhoods, to local and regional businesses and to the traveling public that streets in Ithaca be kept dear in the winter. Under the provisions of a 1986 policy, the Department of Public Works (DPW) has applied a mix of sand and salt to all streets except in the downtown areas. The flat areas of the City have been treated with only sand except in severe icing conditions. Under severe icing conditions, salt usage has been allowed. Adherence to the 1986 policy has resulted in about 2000 tons of sand being applied to City streets each winter season which accumulates in the storm water sewer system. Labor, equipment and maintenance costs are high under the policy since sand does not clean streets as well as salt so streets must be plowed and sanded more frequently during any event and a dedicated crew must be assigned to clean the storm sewers of the annual sand deposits. Additionally, since the use of straight sand in the flat areas does not produce the same quality of results as the use of a salt/sand mixture, in recent winters members of the public have requested that the City review the 1986 policy with the goal of improving conditions for both drivers and pedestrians in the flat areas. A review of current options for snow removal and deicing indicates that product improvements since 1986 have resulted in a practical alternative to the use of the salt/sand mixture and the straight sand application currently in use. Therefore,the subcommittee proposes the following: .t. Whereas Common Council wishes to improve traveling conditions for all residents of the City; and, Whereas, Common Council wishes to improve the efficiency of the DPW;and, Whereas, new product development has increased options for snow removal and deicing;and, Whereas, current available materials would allow deicing of roads without increased corrosion at lower temperatures than materials previously available,thus improving deicing operations;and, Whereas, costs associated with the use of salt and additives would be nearly offset by savings of labor,equipment purchases and maintenance;now therefore be it Resolved, that Common Council directs the DPW to initiate use.of deicing salt with a processed grain wetting agent additive,and, be it further Resolved,that all materials'spreaders are to be calibrated to dispense at least 20%less material than previously used, and be it further Resolved that this policy will be reviewed in the Spring of 2001. Y Tim Logue Page 1 11/01/00 NEIGHBORHOOD & COMMUNITY ISSUES COMMITTEE MINUTES September 14, 2000 Present: Susan Blumenthal; Tracy Farrell; Patricia Pryor; and Jana Taylor, Chair Staff: Leslie Chatterton and Tim Logue Others Attending: Khandikile Sokoni 1. Meeting called to order at 7:35 2. Additions/Deletions - None 3. Public Comment Laurel Guy, Director of the Ithaca Festival, expressed her concern about alcohol allowed in Stewart and Cass Parks. As problems have arisen during past festivals, she would like the City to look into banning alcohol in those parks. She would be willing to participate as needed. Fay Gougakis, a Fall Creek resident, asked the Committee to please investigate a recent public service announcement about dog ownership that did not mention dog barking. Also, she expressed concern that ambulance and rescue drivers were not involved in planning for or comfortable with the mountable curbs proposed for the Wood and South Street diverters. 4. Committee Response Taylor will form a small group to investigate the extent and nature of the alcohol problem in the parks. The group might include Laurel Guy, the police, and a few others. It will try to report on its findings and appropriate responses by the next meeting. 5. Neighborhood Improvement Incentive Funding Requests Chatterton presented three applications for approval, all related to National Night Out, noting that Rachel Krauss had withdrawn her request. Pryor asked about how widely known the procedures were for applying for these funds. Chatterton stated that the program was advertised through the Community Police Office, the Planning Department, and, recently, through Audrey Cooper of Cooperative Extension. Farrell moved to approve the three applications, Pryor seconded, and all three were approved. 6. Neighborhood Assessment and Planning Chatterton introduced Logue, a new Planning Department employee and the new staff support to the Committee. In the Planning Department, he will split his responsibilities between Neighborhood Planning and Economic Development. Chatterton and Logue described a new program for neighborhood planning that is just starting to take shape. Headed up by Steve Ehrhardt, who has been appointed by the Mayor to be a resident leader, this participatory process will aim to identify neighborhood \\CITYRALLSERVER\VOL2\PLANNING\GROUPS\Neighborhood&Community Issues\Minutes\09_13_00.doc ` y Tim Logue Page 2 11/01/00 1 needs, develop a set of action plans, and link them to City and outside resources. This will be a big effort and should involve a wide range of folks, including residents, the Neighborhoods Council, and ward representatives. Time frame for first meetings could be 3 or 4 months and the whole process could take upwards of 2 years. 7. Neighborhood Traffic Calming Chatterton briefly discussed the overall process design and five pilot projects for traffic calming in the City. To date, the process has involved a number of local residents to determine sites and techniques for calming traffic. A detailed summary was provided in writing. With construction of pilot devices this fall or spring, depending on the weather, the next step is to get the word out in the neighborhoods. This may include going door to door, holding informal living room meetings, more formal neighborhood meetings, and larger ward meetings. An evaluation period will follow construction, including a balloting process, to determine if the devices need to be modified or removed. Blumenthal asked how we would inform the broader public, given that the diverters seemed to catch people by surprise. She suggested a midstream explanation about the City's traffic calming policy, perhaps through newspaper articles. Chatterton said that was already in the works. Taylor said that it needs to be made clear that the City is not talking about closing streets as part of this program. Pryor recommended that we educate the public about an open traffic system and why the five pilot sites were selected where they were. When Blumenthal asked whether other advisory groups had reviewed the plans, Chatterton stated that the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Council had been involved, but perhaps not as well as possible. S. Skateboard Park Safety Sokoni presented materials and discussed policies from the City of Cortland skatepark. Cortland publishes rules for usage, requires safety equipment, and employs on-site staff to enforce park policies. It also charges admission and locks the park up at night. Currently, the City of Ithaca has a sign recommending the use of safety equipment. Pryor stated that policies such as Cortland's would significantly change the planned concept of the park as a self-regulating park. Any revisitation of the concept should involve the Wood Street Park Oversight Committee and the youth who use the facility. She recommended an evaluation of how things have gone so far, what is working, and what is not. Blumenthal said she would talk with JoAnn Cornish, the City's Environmental and Landscape Planner. Pryor said she would check in with the Wood Street Park Oversight Committee. 9. Lockdown Law Subcommittee The subcommittee is still meeting to discuss what is appropriate for a lockdown and the logistics of gathering information. They plan to report their findings at the next meeting. 10.Bicycle Law Subcommittee Taylor reported (for Glasstetter) that the subcommittee is still meeting and will report next month. 11. Mayor's Report - None 12. On Taylor's motion and Farrell's second, the meeting was adjourned at 8:30. \\CITYHALLSERVER\VOL2\PLANNING\GROUPS\Neighborhood&Community Issues\Minutes\09_13_00.doc Pagel of 5 T NEIGHBORHOOD & COMMUNITY ISSUES COMMITTEE MINUTES December 13, 2000 Present: Susan Blumenthal; Alan Cohen, Mayor; Tracy Farrell; Patricia Pryor; Jana Taylor, Chair Staff: Tim Logue, Neighborhood Planner Others Attending: John Beach, Laurel Guy, Glen Sharshon, Khandikile Sokoni 1. Meeting called to order at 7:35 2. Minutes from September 13, 2000 were approved on a motion by Pryor, seconded by Farrell. 3. Additions/Deletions - Public Comment, Traffic Calming Update 4. Public Comment Fay Gougakis, a Fall Creek resident, asked the Committee for an update on the Lockdown Law. She expressed her concern that the Mayor's Housing Initiative was rushed through Council and that some Council members did not have enough time to review the related materials. Next, Ms. Gougakis stated her opposition to Cornell's University's possible purchase of the Town Hall. Instead, she felt that the proposed hotel project should buy the site in order to reduce the height of its building. Lastly, she mentioned that she felt that George W. Bush had stolen the presidential election. John Simon, 220 Cleveland Avenue, mentioned that his neighbors were still very excited about the proposed park and the capital improvement budget item that was approved by Common Council. He stated that the proposal put forward by the Mayor and Bill Lower has created tension and discord in the neighborhood, that its reporting had been confusing, and that it would not strengthen the neighborhood because it was only a side yard and because it was a third of the way into the neighborhood. The Common Council proposal, he felt, would better buffer and strengthen the neighborhood and would be significant to the African-American community. In his opinion, the Mayor's comments on the Casey Stevens show that the neighborhood was gentrifying were disrespectful He asked the Committee members, as Council members, to stand strong and do the right thing. 5. Committee Response Pryor responded to Ms. Gougakis's desire for an update on the Lockdown Law by stating that it would happen at this evening's meeting. QAPLANNING\GROUPS\Neighborhood&Community Issues\Minutes\12 13 OO.doc Page 2 of 5 Blumenthal stated that it wasn't that she wasn't notified about the Mayor's Housing Initiative, but rather that she hadn't received the related documents in �-/ time to review them before the Council meeting and therefore did not feel comfortable voting on the Initiative. The Mayor responded that updated materials had not been passed out, but were discussed at the Council meeting. Blumenthal responded that materials had been distributed to the Budget and Administration Committee, but she had not received them. The Mayor responded to Mr. Simon by saying that it was not in the neighborhood's best interest to have four houses torn down. He said that he saw a problem and was working to try to address it. Farrell mentioned that the item would be discussed at next week's Planning and Economic Development Committee and that she was hoping to hear public comment at that venue. 6. Neighborhood Improvement Incentive Funding Request One application was submitted for approval by Bonnie Blanding-May of the Northside Neighborhood Association for a neighborhood gathering. Farrell moved to approve the application, Pryor seconded, and it was approved unanimously. 7. Proposal to Prohibit Alcohol in All City Parks Since the last meeting, a subcommittee consisting of Taylor, Beach, Guy, Sharshon, Cohen, and Sokoni had met to discuss a proposal to amend the current ordinance prohibiting alcohol in City parks. Sokoni summarized the subcommittee's discussions and the draft amendments to the ordinance. As it stands, alcohol is prohibited in all City parks except Stewart and Cass Parks; the amendment would delete language to include those two parks in the prohibition. Beach presented statistics on DWI stops in, near, or related to Stewart and Cass Parks. Thirty six stops are on record for the past 12 years. The Mayor mentioned that this proposal would not do away with alcohol in the parks, but would instead require a permit for consumption. Pryor, Farrell and Blumenthal were concerned with the impact this would have on the rest of park users. For them, there was not a sense of the real magnitude of the problem. The statistics presented by Beach showed that very few of the total arrests were related to the park and that about half of the reported DWI arrests were for people in the parks after hours. There seemed to be consensus among them that since many of the problems associated with drinking in the parks were already illegal, including being in the parks after hours, underage drinking, and disorderly conduct, that the more appropriate response would be better enforcement. All three wanted more information about how the permit system would run (who would administer, availability and duration of permits, if groups could apply, etc.). Blumenthal mentioned that the Parks Commission was very concerned about this proposal and that since it was pretty controversial, it needed more time and discussion. Pryor also stated that she wanted to hear from a greater cross-section of city residents and park users on the issue. Sharshon agreed to bring more data on police reports. No action was taken. QAPLANNING\GROUPS\Neighborhood&Community Issues\Minutes\12 13 OO.doc Page 3 of 5 S. Proposal to add additional language to the City's new sidewalk policy This item was erroneously listed on the agenda to be in regards to the City's "de- icing" policy. The Mayor explained that he had been in discussions with the Fire Department about the possibility of requiring property owners to shovel out fire hydrants in addition to the current requirement that they shovel their sidewalks. This assistance from the general public would speed response times and be very helpful. Using the City's GIS, the Fire Department could conduct a targeted public education campaign for those people who own property adjacent to City hydrants. The County's Office of the Aging and the Finger Lakes Independence Center had also been included in the discussions to help identify those folks who might not be able to shovel their hydrants, including the elderly and disabled. The Fire Department would remain responsible for those hydrants. The proposal would also apply to the business owners in the central business district. He was bringing this item to the committee to gauge their support or opposition to it. Farrell felt this proposal was unduly burdensome to homeowners. She would prefer a call for volunteers. Pryor seconded her concerns. Blumenthal was concerned about the practicality of such a system and about how it would be enforced. She asked if people would be fined for non-compliance and if the building department would be responsible for citations. She also mentioned that 70% of property in the city was rented and that this would mean that landlords were responsible for hydrant clearance. She would rather support public service announcements and a call for volunteers. 9. Update on Neighborhood-Based Planning Logue updated the Committee on his and Leslie Chatterton's work to put together a program for neighborhood-based planning. He described a program that would use existing neighborhood associations, where available, to build more participation and work towards neighborhood vision statement and action plans. He said that he would prepare materials for next months meeting for further discussion. Blumenthal wanted to see the map of proposed neighborhood boundaries and asked what we were trying to encourage with this scale of planning. Pryor requested that the materials include a statement of purpose. She also asked how this program would relate to ward boundaries and representatives. 10. Update on Traffic Calming Logue also update the Committee on the Traffic Calming program. Currently, he and Leslie Chatterton are discussing the specific pilot projects with public services, such as Fire, Police, TCAT, Streets and Facilities, and the school district's Department of Transportation. They will report their conversations next week to the Board of Public Works (BPW), who will also discuss procedures for approving traffic calming proposals. As part of the approval process, Logue and Chatterton Q:\PLANNING\GROUPS\Neighborhood&Community Issues\Ivlinutes\12_I3_00.doc Page 4 of 5 are preparing to mail out a ballot/survey to better determine neighborhood opinion about the proposal. If supported by the neighborhood and approved by the BPW, traffic calming devices would be installed this summer for an experimental period of about 6 to 8 months. A second neighborhood vote would follow to judge whether the traffic calming devices should be modified, removed, or made permanent. Farrell mentioned that this program for traffic calming included no proposals for blocking streets. She felt that it was important to be clear that this program would not close streets or limit access. Pryor mentioned that three of the pilot projects were in here ward and that some residents had questions on how the ballots would be used to determine the future of traffic calming proposals. She also asked how people could express their opinion if they did not live within the boundaries of the vote. Lastly, she stated that many people do not have an adequate understanding of the proposals because they do not have specific design details. 11. Lockdown Law Subcommittee Pryor presented the recommendations of the Lockdown Law Subcommittee. Though the subcommittee was not prepared to recommend specific legislation, they had many recommendations for procedures to improve current enforcement of the exterior property maintenance ordinance. These recommendations included: a) Revising the Building Department's complaint tracking log b) Regular reports to Common Council and the public (similar to building permit reports) c) Regular review of complaint activity by the Neighborhood and Community Issues Committee, including information on the number and type of complaints d) An automatic check for a valid and current Certificate of Compliance (COC) whenever a complaint is filed against a property. e) A regular and publicly known inspection schedule, including inspections a day or two before garbage pick-up, with a provision for handling off-schedule complaints f) Giving Building Inspectors the ability to issue Exterior Property Maintenance (EPM) tickets g) Making changes in the computer-based tracking system for record keeping in the Building Department to improve tracking of COCs and EPM violations; record keeping should include disposition of tickets h) Increased fines, as per recommendations from the EPM committee Pryor stated that the subcommittee also looked at a Lockdown Law for criminal activity, but lacked information about the magnitude of the problem. It was difficult for the subcommittee to tell how a new law would help because the City already has a Drug Eviction Ordinance and because many criminal activities do not take place in perpetrator's homes. The subcommittee felt that the above recommendations should be reviewed about a year after implementation. The Mayor stated that although he does not share all of the subcommittee's opinions, especially in regards to drug convictions, he did appreciate all the work QAPLANNWG\GROUPS\Neighborhood&Community Issues\Minutes\12 13 OO.doc Page 5 of 5 and time they had put in on the issue. When Pryor stated that the subcommittee needed more information on cases of criminal activity where we have not been able to use the Drug Eviction Ordinance, the Mayor said he would do some research and report back. Blumenthal recommended that the subcommittee investigate how other cities have dealt with some of these recommendations, including the tracking and fine systems. She also mentioned that the Exterior Property Maintenance subcommittee would be reporting next week to the Planning and Economic Development Committee. 12. Bicycle/Transportation Subcommittee - No report 13. Mayor's Report - None 14. New Business Taylor announced that after two years in the position, she would like to step down from the Chair of the Neighborhood and Community Issues Committee for the year 2001. 15. On Taylor's motion and Farrell's second, the meeting was adjourned at 9:30. QAPLANNING\GROUPS\Neighborhood&Community Issues\Minutes\12 13 OO.doc