GACC NOVEMBER, 1999
Meeting Minutes

Greater Avenues Community Council Meeting held at the Sweet Library, November 3rd at 7:00 p.m.

Minutes taken by Jaynie Brown, RBrown7151@aol.com.

7:00: Welcome by John Sittner
Richard Leonard will be taking over the Chair and the Board meetings, beginning in January.  Board meetings will be the second Wednesday of the month in the Sweet Library at 7:30 p.m.

If you have a business, please contribute to the Avenues by buying space in our Newsletter.  It is $50 a block.

REPORTS:

POLICE:

7 Burglaries in the Avenues this past month, which is down from 8 last month.  There were 37 car prowls.  People break into cars because of the things they see in the car.  Keep everything out of sight in your car.  There were no assaults.   There were only 4 auto thefts in the Avenues.  One robbery - A 13-year-old trick-or-treater had his candy stolen.

HOSPITAL:

The Committee met yesterday where we addressed the helicopter and noise complaints.  Most complaints involved Air Bannock from Idaho, not following their flight path.  They are taking action with them.  Last month, they had to land 5 helicopters on the streets when their elevators went out.  They are trying to work with us on noise. If you have any complaints about noise, please call 408-1272 and leave name, date, time and complaint.

JCC (Jewish Community Center):  They have new construction beginning.  They are having an open meeting Sunday at 4:00 at the Center.  They want to walk through the development process and take comments.  The Architecture Boards are here in the Library for you to see.  The Center is open to all members of the Community.  It will be a tremendous resource for the Avenues, and they hope that you will feel welcome to join.   They want it to be an asset to the community.  You can have positive input in the process by attending the Open meeting.

No report from Smiths.  Remodeling is on hold.

SCHOOL BOARD

Karen Derrick, Facility Rental Policy: Community Councils can use our schools for free for their meetings.  On 16th November we will be at MeadowLark school to discuss issues.  We will have a "late-start" study session for High Schoolers.  Please ask the Legislature to give funds for an Applied Technology Center in the Salt Lake Valley.  We graduate 7,000 kids a year who do not go on to college.  They need a technology center to learn skills.  The Legislature spent 36 million elsewhere in the State for Technology Centers and only 1 million in this valley.  We have 40% of the kids in the State here.

MEMORY GROVE:

The City formed a Steering Committee with a wide number of interests represented.  We are trying to put together a plan to re-build Memory grove.  We have selected a landscape architect to help us.  We will be doing a ceremonial planting Nov. 6 from 9 to 11.  We have several thousand tulip bulbs to add some color to the barren areas.  In the spring we will be doing a lot more, and have full plans to keep the vision of the area.

CITY COUNCIL:

Tom Rogan: I have three things to discuss: 1)The tennis courts at 11th Avenue will be worked on beginning soon.  The repairs will continue in the spring. 2) Elections from yesterday: Keep in mind those who were not elected - that they worked really hard, and let us be grateful for those who sought to serve and were not elected.  I have spoken with those who were elected and we are beginning to build new working relationships.  3) Tonight's election: Thanks to all of you who have served.  We want to especially thank John Sittner.  My name for him is "Citizen John."  He has served the City and the Avenues so well, and he is a wonderful person with wonderful heart.

LEGISLATURE:

The house on G Street was going to be torn down and put in a parking lot.  Now they are talking about providing $100,000 to move the house into a historic district (Avenues or East central area) to be able to have low interest loans.  We have not agreed to that, but they are waiting to hear from us.  They will not restore the building because of code restrictions, but they are interested in preserving the house.  We will continue to talk with them.  They are willing to move the house and dig a new foundation and offer some grants.  We have only a couple of months to do something. We need volunteers from this Council to go with us on site to talk about alternatives.  John Sittner will have to pick a Committee.

METH LAB INFORMATION:

Pat Knell: Utah is the #6 per capita in the nation for use of Meth lab.  We have a portable lab and we can come to any group, or school to explain the dangers and how to notice if one is going up in your area.  Call to schedule programs to come your way, call 799-3357.  Meth destroys your brain cells.  Chemicals used are very dangerous. If you suspect a lab, call our drug hot line, #799-DRUG.  Notice if there are any signs of labs in your areas.  If you see windows are darkened, chemicals going inside, people smoking outside in winter, please call. If their house goes up in flames, yours will too.

Y2K:

Abbi Samuels: I am a software developer, one of several million who caused the Y2K problems. Basically because of space problems, the year 1900 was coded 00.  Therefore, the computers could read 2000 to be 1900.  A single line of code that was mis-written caused a great deal of trouble for ATT.  I'm here to encourage you to get together with your neighbors and pool your ideas for resources in case there is a Y2K problem in the City.  I have a list of inventories to hand out where 10 family groups in a neighborhood could get together and decide who has what and how you could share if you had a time of need, as well as what problems you might have (i.e.: what medical problems exist, and how neighbors can help each other.)  We have only 60 days to get prepared.

JOHN:  Let's think about what our neighbors need if they had troubles, in case of any type of emergency.  Abbi has folders to hand out to interested groups or persons.

BY-LAWS:

The By-laws do not allow the Nominating Committee to nominate any current Board members for any election.  So since they cannot re-nominate them there would not be the "Institutional Memory" needed to make a good transition.  A Motion was made to strike the statement from the By-laws.  It was seconded.  A vote was taken.  It passed.

ELECTIONS:

Phil Carroll, nominating Chair: To vote, you need to be a property owner, a resident, or hold a business license in the Avenues.

Those nominated for Chair-elect are Tom DeVroom and Larry Rigby.

For Secretary we have Jaynie Brown and ____.

For Treasurer we have John Sittner.

For the Districts: #1 Tom DeVroom, Jim Jenkin, Jane Stromquist. #2 Wayne Green, Judith Locke, Anne Tillson, #3 Winn Johnson, Richard Smiley, #4 Jim Bach, #5 Phil Carroll, Maureen Maus, #6 Thella Mae Christensen, R.D. Coleman, Suzanne Maloney, #7 Ron Holbrook, #8 John Sittner, #9 Larry Rigby.

We will take nominations from the floor; you can nominate yourself or someone else, as long as they are in attendance.  Chair-elect?  None.  Secretary?  None.  Treasurer?  Michael Martin was nominated to run for Treasurer.

Nominations were made for the following to be Board Members: Kelly Quick, David Otterstrom, Terry Gorman, and Nuchanaad Martin.

The four people who are running against each other made comments: Tom DeVroom and Larry Rigby for Chair-elect and John Sittner and Michael Martin for Treasurer.

VOTE was taken: The results will be given at the end of the meeting.

TRAFFIC CALMING: Mary Moody: Traffic Calming has been a serious concern for a long time.  The curb extensions heightened our attention to it.  We would like to get some feedback as to how you feel about the traffic situation in the Avenues.  Do you feel it is a big enough problem that we should address it seriously?  If so, I would like this group to give Endorsement to the idea that traffic in the Avenues is a problem, and that we will look at it in a constructive way.

A motion was made and seconded that we accept as a group that traffic is a problem in the Avenues, and that we will do something about it.  Vote.  It passed with no opposition.

QUESTION: What were the results of the questionnaires that were handed out to the neighbors on B and I Street.

On B Street we got back 37% of the questionnaires.  85% were opposed.  On "I" Street we got back 83% of the questionnaires and 71% were opposed. Enforcement, speed bumps, and stop signs were suggested.  We will see more enforcement from the Police Department.

DOGS OFF-LEASH AREA IN LINDSAY GARDENS:

Rick Graham and Val Pope: A year ago we set up, due to your Community Council's recommendation, an off-leash area in Lindsay Gardens.  I am in the opinion we should make it permanent.  It has not been an ideal situation.  But it appears to be a situation we can manage and that it has value to dog owners.  We will continue to monitor it, as will animal control.  But we think it provides a real service to Dog owners.  It is better than it is worse.

QUESTION:  What are some of the things that make it not ideal?

RESPONSE:  Too many people walk their dogs there without keeping them on a leash.  We have had a 3-Phase enforcement policy.  They were: 1 - giving kind and gentle vocal warnings.  2- giving a written warning.  3- giving citations.  Enforcement will be stepped up everywhere and we have instructed our officers to no longer give verbal warnings.

CONCERN:  The grass is getting poor because of the lack of flat areas.  What do you intend to do about it?

CONCERN:  They need to water the lawn again.  It is the watering and the maintenance.  We will be putting up a fence on the northern boundary because we have kids shooting off there with the bikes.

CONCERN: If it becomes a permanent area, are they going to do something about lighting?

RESPONSE: We do not have plans to go in and add a light. We will entertain the idea of a 50-50 community sharing support basis. There is one additional light that used to work last year, but it went out.

RESPONSE: We will check that out.

QUESTIONS: Do you have any data about the usage.  (I have seen as many as 16 dogs there in the evenings, and it is used extensively.)

CONCERN: Is the Dog-waste being picked up like it should?

RESPONSE: We will see that it gets picked up.

MOTION FOR A VOTE: Approve the area as a permanent area, as long as the area with the stipulations that it not be expanded and that the enforcement be continued.  Seconded.  Vote taken.  The motion carried. A Motion was made to approve the area, with no stipulations.  Seconded. The motion carried.

Result Of The Elections:  We had 240 ballots.  The new Chair elect is Larry Rigby.  Jaynie Brown is the Secretary.  John Sittner is the Treasurer.  The Board with the new four additions was accepted.