February 14, 2013 Minutes (City Commission Room)
|
MEMBERS PRESENT: |
|
Deron Belt, Linda Bush, James Minor, Julie Mitchell, Vern Norwood, Aimee Polson, Patrick Wilbur |
|
|
|
|
|
MEMBERS ABSENT: |
|
Eric Hethcoat, Quinn Miller, David Teixeira |
|
|
|
|
|
STAFF PRESENT: |
|
Danelle Dresslar, Margene Swarts, Tony Hoch, Brad Karr, |
|
|
|
Lynn Braddock Zollner, David Cronin |
|
PUBLIC PRESENT: |
|
Charles Branson, Anju Mishra |
Chair Polson called the meeting to order at 5:36 p.m.
1. Introductions.
Members and staff introduced themselves.
2. Approval of the January 24, 2013 Minutes.
Mitchell moved to approve the CDAC meeting minutes from
January 24, 2013. The motion was seconded by Minor and passed 5-0.
3. Presentation from David Cronin, Public Works Department.
David Cronin, City Engineer in the Public Works Department of the City of Lawrence, gave an overview of the pedestrian hybrid beacon project at the intersection of 10th Street and Connecticut Street. Neighbors in the area came to the Traffic Safety Commission in November 2012 and requested a pedestrian signal/crosswalk beacon at the intersection of 10th Street and Connecticut Street.
Cronin explained Connecticut Street is a collector street, with many vehicles travelling north-south at a higher rate of speed than a regular residential street. New York Elementary School is also just a block to the east of Connecticut Street. Traditionally, children walk to school in this neighborhood, including many from west of Connecticut Street. The intersection they cross most often is at 10th Street and Connecticut Street where it currently is a two-way stop on 10th Street. Children wanting to cross have to wait for a significant gap in traffic on Connecticut Street to be able to cross safely.
The scope of the project would be to install a pedestrian hybrid beacon, which is a beacon similar to what is in front of the Lawrence Arts Center. A pedestrian wanting to cross would push the button to activate the signal for cars to stop on Connecticut Street. The project would be done by the Public Works Department, including design and installation. The cost estimate is $48,000 for the whole project, of which $40,000 is for the signal/beacon equipment and pavement markings. Cronin stated that the Public Works Department has no other sidewalk projects for which they are applying this year.
Polson asked if this was to be a raised crosswalk like the one in front of the Lawrence Arts Center.
Cronin explained this would not be a raised crosswalk, but instead a painted crosswalk with signals.
Minor asked if the signal would have a voice announcement like the one in front of City Hall.
Cronin said they were not anticipating adding that feature.
Belt asked if this would be similar to the crosswalk at 11th Street and New York Street.
Cronin stated it would be like that, but this location would see significantly more pedestrian traffic.
Wilbur asked if there is an estimate on the amount of traffic at that intersection.
Cronin said that he did not have any traffic estimates to show them, but he had personally seen groups of children there in the mornings.
Mitchell indicated that she works at Allen Press, and people use that route to go downtown during their lunch hour.
Cronin said the project would be great for the students of New York Elementary School, but it would also be great for the neighborhood to aid people in travelling from the East Lawrence area to downtown.
Polson inquired about the timeline of the project.
Cronin responded when submitting the application for this project, they did not have a good grasp on how long the allocation process would take. If they were awarded funding for this project, they would immediately order the equipment, which would take about three months to receive. Cronin stated that he felt confident that they would have the project operational by August 2013.
4. Continued Discussion of 2013 Capital Improvement Allocations.
Charles Branson, Douglas County District Attorney, spoke about his interest in the pedestrian hybrid beacon project. He has lived in the 1000 Block of Rhode Island Street since 1998, and has seen the neighborhood population grow. He said the four-way stops at both 9th Street and Connecticut Street and 11th Street and Connecticut Street are challenging to cross because of the high traffic in that area, especially in the mornings. A traffic study was completed in November 2012, and based on the student count that was given, the intersection of 10th Street and Connecticut Street would qualify for a crossing guard. The Planning Commission recommended a beacon instead due to the expense of a crossing guard.
Branson stated the intersection of 10th Street and Connecticut Street is in New York Elementary School’s walkable area, and is also on the school’s evacuation route down 10th Street to the Lawrence Arts Center. He said he also sees not only children, but adults as well using 10th Street to get downtown from other areas in East Lawrence.
There were no questions for Branson.
Lynn Braddock Zollner, Historic Resources Administrator for the City of Lawrence spoke about the Breezedale monument restoration. She passed around a photo from 1912 showing the Breezedale monument, including the east monument which has suffered the most damage. She noted that you could see the bench and light fixtures that were once on the east side monument.
Zollner has been trying to acquire funding for 10 years to restore these monuments, and in that time they have continued to decay. She said the monument really is a gateway into not only Lawrence, but also the Breezedale neighborhood and Haskell Indian Nations University. The Public Works Department has stated that about 42,000 cars go through this intersection every day.
Zollner said people have offered to donate cleaning products if the City would clean the monuments, but that would not help the crumbling of the stone because of the mortar joints failing, and the amount of spalling and cracking in the stone.
Zollner addressed a question about funding that was brought up at the last meeting. She stated they applied for a Heritage Trust Fund grant, and just found out that they did not receive funding from that grant. They have also applied for a Transportation Enhancement grant, but will not find out until later if any funding will be awarded.
Zollner also addressed a past question as to whether or not the project could be done in phases. She said it could be completed in phases, such as removing the sculptures and doing the masonry work in one phase, then doing the sculptures and the metal lettering as the second phase.
Minor asked if the amount they are asking for would cover the full restoration of the project, or just one phase.
Zollner replied the amount requested would cover the entire restoration.
Polson asked about a breakdown of the amounts required for the project.
Zollner said the repair and repointing of the stone work is listed as $22,500, but before that they would need to spend the $5000 on the architect and engineering fees to make sure that they have a good plan in place to do this rehabilitation. They also need to remove the metal lettering and the sculptures before they try to clean and repair the masonry. Those items total $31,300.
Polson asked about splitting the project into an east side/west side repair.
Zollner said the cost would not be split exactly in half, since the east side is worse and therefore would require more work than the west side. She also stated that there are some economies of scale if both sides were to be done at the same time.
Minor asked how many masons have looked at the project.
Zollner replied that six masons in the last three years had examined the monuments.
Polson asked if they were to fund this project at $25,000, but the expenses only came to $20,000, would that $5,000 be rolled over for next year, or what would happen to that money.
Dresslar responded that the money would roll back into the grant.
Bush asked what would happen to the money if they fund the project, and then the Transportation Enhancement grant is also awarded.
Zollner stated they have applied for transportation grants three times in the past, and have been turned down every time. She said there is a lot of competition for that grant, and that is why they have decided to try this application, in hopes that the committee will look at the local impact of the project and how important it is to the City of Lawrence.
There were no more questions for Zollner.
Tony Hoch, Project Specialist in the Planning and Development Services Department, spoke about the Comprehensive Housing Rehabilitation program in the City of Lawrence. The program started around 1974 as a grant program. Now the Comp Rehab program is a loan program with a grant component to it, in that over 7 years of the life of the loan, the City will forgive up to 50% of the loan amount.
Hoch explained that 379 houses have been enrolled in the program since its beginning. There is currently $1,500,000 outstanding in loans to be paid back to the City of Lawrence under this program. The loan aspect of the project creates ownership in the property instead of entitlement, and people tend to take care of their property better, instead of just being given the funds.
Hoch showed before and after slides of various homes that have been repaired under the Comp Rehab program, and explained that often times this is the last resort for many people to be able to fix their property. Some people have waited for six years or more to get their project funded.
Hoch said for individuals over 62, no monthly payments on the loan are required. If the owner is under 62, they make monthly payments of $50 toward their portion of the loan.
Norwood asked about the loan forgiveness, and Hoch explained if the owner stayed in the house for 7 years, the City would forgive 50% of the loan amount.
Polson asked about the application process for the Comp Rehab program.
Hoch said they were getting ready to advertise for taking applications for the program, and they would do that for two months, depending on demand. They then rank the homes based on need, and work from the top down on the list. There are not any target areas in town right now, so everyone is evaluated on an as needed basis. He said there is a $25,000 limit on each project, so not everyone who is chosen for the program will get his project approved, if the work required is more than that amount. The owners can do some work themselves to reduce the amount needed, and then re-apply for the program.
Mitchell asked about the income requirements for the program.
Hoch stated the applicant had to be below 80% of median income, which was around $37,500 for one individual.
Minor asked if there was an age limit to the program.
Hoch said no, that would be discrimination based on age.
Norwood asked if an applicant could be too young.
Hoch replied that there is no minimum age limit either, as long as they are a homeowner and meet the income guidelines to qualify.
Norwood stated the City of Lawrence is doing a tremendous job on this program.
Minor stated that from the slides shown, it is clear that the program has potentially saved some of these homes.
There were no other questions for Hoch.
Dresslar reminded the CDAC that the Step Up to Better Housing strategy is the strategy by which they should be choosing their funding options. Historically the projects that they have done have all fallen into that template, where you have either housing or a neighborhood revitalization piece. She said this year there are some different types of applications, so as they are looking at those, they should be thinking about how it ties in to that strategy. The CDAC needs to make sure that they can explain how each project funded is meshing with Step Up to Better Housing.
Belt had questions about the Capital Improvement Allocations from the last meeting since he was not there. He wanted to know how the $30,000 for the Just Food of Douglas County’s refrigerated box truck fits into the housing strategy that Dresslar just mentioned.
Mitchell stated people who get help with their groceries can still afford to pay rent.
Belt stated although that was true, how does it help people get into houses?
Polson stated the Step Up to Better Housing strategy was broad.
Belt agreed, but stated in the past, the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence was not given funding for a bus.
Minor explained how the food truck would provide opportunities for food to be transported safely to Just Food’s facilities.
Belt asked Swarts if she could provide any input on how this relates historically to past funding projects.
Swarts reiterated what Dresslar said about the strategy. She said their charge on the CDAC is to look at all of the allocations and see if they meet the strategy, which in one word is housing. If they decide they want to do something else that is not housing, such as a vehicle for a food pantry, they need to have in their mind a good reason about why they did that. Swarts stated they are the advisory body, and they can make a recommendation, but when they take that to the City Commission, it needs to be acknowledged what they did and why they made that decision.
Mitchell asked if anything has been heard about the North Lawrence Improvement Association (NLIA) project for a bench and cover for the bus stop site at 3rd Street and Lyon Street.
Dresslar stated she had not heard from either NLIA, or the Oread Neighborhood Association (ONA) about their projects.
Belt asked if the bench and cover for the bus stop was the same project that was presented last year.
Dresslar said last year was the bus stop pad, which was fully funded, but this year it is for a bench and cover over the pad.
Belt asked Zollner if the Transportation Enhancement grant is not likely to be awarded, can she keep applying, and where else could the money possibly come from.
Zollner stated she is always looking for places for the money to come from. She would not give up on the Breezedale monuments, and she felt they are significant not only to the Breezedale neighborhood, but to the entire city.
Belt asked if she had any other projects that she was looking for funding on as well.
Zollner said there are others, but nothing as dire as this project. She is looking for funding for repairing a holding vault at Oak Hill Cemetery, and is working with the Parks and Recreation department to see if there is money in their budget for that repair. She stated monuments are tricky because they are not buildings, so they do not usually get the same fervor as buildings do when they are in need of repair.
Belt stated that he understood the importance of these gateway monuments to the City of Lawrence, but he could not justify at this moment how it is related to the housing strategy.
Polson stated she does not have any problem justifying in her mind that the Breezedale monument is related to the Step Up to Better Housing strategy, and she could see it being more justified than a truck or a bus.
Minor stated the Just Food applicants made a good pitch, but it does stray away from the objective of the board and the policies they have set. They do not want to set a precedent that will be used by future applicants to question why their organization was not granted funding as well.
Bush asked if the 42,000 cars a day went through the Breezedale monument gateway, or just passed the gateway.
Minor stated a reduced amount of traffic passed through the gateway, and that most traffic is going past east-west.
Belt asked Cronin how much of that traffic is the South Lawrence Trafficway (SLT) going to divert around that intersection.
Cronin said the opening day expectation for the SLT is 20,000 to 30,000 vehicles per day. He said there will be a slight decrease in traffic on 23rd Street after the opening of the SLT.
Mitchell moved to fully fund 13a, City of Lawrence (Public Works Division), Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon, in the amount of $40,000. Wilbur seconded the motion.
Polson asked Cronin what the $5000 sidewalk ramp was.
Cronin said it was to install an ADA compliant sidewalk ramp.
Mitchell asked if there were any plans to improve the rest of the sidewalks in that area.
Cronin said if there were funds left over after this allocation, they could use that to improve adjacent sidewalks along 10th Street.
The motion passed 7-0.
Belt moved to zero fund 9b, Just Food of Douglas County Refrigerated Box Truck. Norwood seconded the motion.
The motion passed 4-3.
Polson moved to partially fund 14a, City of Lawrence Planning & Development Services, Breezedale Monument Restoration, in the amount of $25,000. Wilbur seconded the motion.
The motion passed 6-1.
Polson asked if anything was received about ONA or NLIA’s applications.
Dresslar stated she had not heard from NLIA in several weeks about the City approval needed for their project, and it appears that the ONA project is not going to be able to be completed as proposed.
Cronin stated it was going to be $10,000 to replace the stairs, but now they cannot replace the stairs because they are not ADA compliant, and they cannot just replace the stairs with a very steep ramp, so it would take a significant sidewalk project including retaining walls to complete this project. He also stated there is a perfectly good sidewalk on the other side of the street that gets used more often that has no stairs, and is a flatter slope. Cronin said an alternative to replacing the stairs would be to provide a crossing to get to the other side of the street. ONA did not get back with him about pursuing that, or if there were other worthy projects in the neighborhood. He has not heard back from them in three weeks.
Norwood moved to zero fund 3c, North Lawrence Improvement Association, Bench and cover for bus stop site 3rd and Lyon, and 4d, Oread Neighborhood Association, Edgehill Road stairway & sidewalk repair. Mitchell seconded the motion.
The motion passed 7-0.
The CDAC discussed reaching a stopping point for the night, or to continue with allocations.
Dresslar stated the public hearing is usually the second meeting in April, so the CDAC would have three meetings left to finish the allocations.
Norwood moved to postpone further Capital Improvement discussions until the next meeting. Minor seconded the motion.
The motion passed 7-0.
6. Miscellaneous/Calendar.
The next meeting is February 28, 2013. Capital Improvements will be first on the agenda.
7. Public Comment.
Anju Mishra of Housing and Credit Counseling Inc came to express her gratitude to the CDAC for the funding to provide tenant and landlord counseling. She stated for the last two years they have only been doing over the phone counseling in Topeka, Lawrence and Manhattan. Starting in January 2013 they now have two counselors who work Mondays and Wednesdays at their Lawrence office at 2518 Ridge Court. The funding has allowed for this, and she is very grateful for their help.
8. Adjourn.
Wilbur moved to adjourn the February 14, 2013 meeting of the CDAC at 7:05 pm. Minor seconded the motion.
The motion passed 7-0.
Attendance Record
|
Members |
Jan 10 |
Jan 24 |
Feb 14 |
Feb 28 |
Mar 14 |
Mar 28 |
Apr 11 |
Apr 25 |
May |
Jun |
July |
Aug 8 |
Aug 22 |
Sept 12 |
Sept 26 |
Oct 10 |
Oct 24 |
Nov 14 |
Dec 14 |
|
Deron Belt |
+ |
E |
+ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Linda Bush |
E* |
+ |
+ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Eric Hethcoat |
+ |
+ |
E |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quinn Miller |
+ |
E |
E |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Julie Mitchell |
+ |
+ |
+ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vern Norwood |
+ |
E |
+ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aimee Polson |
+ |
+ |
+ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
David Teixeira |
+ |
E |
E |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Patrick Wilbur |
+ |
+ |
+ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
James Minor |
+ |
+ |
+ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
E Excused Absence
U Unexcused Absence
X Meeting Cancelled – Weather Conditions
- Meeting Cancelled – Committee Vote/No Business
* First meeting after appointment
** Last Meeting Prior to expired term