Greater Avenues Community Council Meeting Minutes

POLICE - Car prowls are down this month from 48 to 35; auto thefts are down 12 to 10; 1 robbery. We were concerned about University bound traffic around Wasatch School. Police have heard complaints. They will monitor it and will have a speed board there.

LIBRARY - We have a gorgeous new Library. We hope you will come and enjoy it. One comment on public parking (a part that was clear from the beginning) and that is, that in building a $12 million parking facility, we would need to charge for parking. This was in part so that it would not turn into a "park and ride" lot for people going to the University, and in part to fund the parking structure. We have tried to make it comparable with the street parking meters. Parking for the first half-hour is free. Then it is 75 cents for each half-hour after that. We are sorry that it inconveniences some who find the parking fees expensive; we encourage them to take the bus or Trax.

CERT - Judith Locke: The CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) program is working very hard to train the neighbors in our Greater Avenues neighborhood to become trained, aware, and useful in case of an emergency. Classes are taught by SLC Fire Dept. Usually CERT Training is a7 week course held at night. But a new Fast Track course, 3 weeks long, will be given. It will be held on Saturdays for 3 weeks from 8 am until 4:00 p.m. The dates of the Fast Track class are: March 15th, March 22nd and April 3rd. It will be held at the SLC fire department office at 2398 N. West Temple. It will teach us subjects like how to prepare home in case of an emergency, how to tell if treatment is needed urgently for injured, plus hundreds of other things. In case of a major disaster, it may be 24 to 72 hours before we could see a police or fireman, and we might need to be prepared on our own. Please call me if you want to take the class. Email me at: judithl@weider.com.

SALT LAKE CITY COUNCIL - Eric Jergensen: It looks like we are going to get part of our budget problem resolved tonight when $2.4 million of Salt Lake money which was held-up by the Legislature will be given back to its rightful residents. We are hoping that House Bill 271 will come up tonight and be voted on and passed. My number is 532-4844. Call me if you have any questions.

QUESTIONS: What is the City doing on the FAA flight plans that they are planning to have over our Avenues neighborhood? ANSWER: I discussed the issue with Rob Bishop and Jim Matheson in Congress. What they will be doing will be running planes through each of the 4 corridors over the next few months to see if people will complain. Please RESPOND when you hear the aircraft. The City is working this issue vis-à-vis the Airport Authority. Call Congressman Bishop and Matteson with your complaints: Tell them NOT ALLOW THE EAST - WEST corridor over the Avenues. Our next public hearing on the FAA Corridor is March 18th at Marriott City Center Hotel. (Check with the City on this, as I couldn't quite get the dates, times as I was taking minutes, there were differences of opinion as to when it would be held.) The City is very active and involved in this process. (The other east-west corridor is over the Olympus area.) QUESTION: Can we know ahead of time when the test will be? ANSWER: I have asked and don't know. At your next meeting, pass a GACC resolution against this corridor, for the more people who complain the better. COMMENT:

SCHOOL BOARD - Doug Nelson: The subject for discussion at the last School Board meeting was how much the School Board listens to the parents. Many Board Members did not think they had to be more open. Go to the website exhibit 7-A and see what the current thinking was. Hopefully it will be re-worded, which may be friendlier than the current wording. Examples: Not allowed to criticize or defame District employees. Not allow repetition of the same topic.

Also, as to the building additions to Wasatch and Ensign schools - they could use more space, especially Ensign as they are being asked to take several classrooms full of special needs kids. The plans currently drawn up are very good. We cut down the size of the Wasatch addition after public comment. The big problem is traffic and dropping off kids off at Ensign; they can only be dropped off on one side of the building, not 3 or 4 sides, as is the case at Wasatch and Lowell. They agreed to get a traffic expert to study the problem. Most construction will be done during the summer.

FLORIDATION - Bob Spurling, engineer with City water. There have been several changes since my last visit there. First, for an update: We had a vote in the county to fluoridate all water in the County. So by October 2003 all waters have to be fluoridated. We have 17 well sites and 3 treatment plans. We have to construct a building to house the fluoridation equipment. One of our well sites is on the island on Memory Grove. We were going to build a 12x24 building at that site. After the GACC Community Council meeting, we had a few discussions and you expressed your ideas. Most of you were not happy with that. Fortunately we came up with another site. The City owns a small building, Audinger Hall, which people suggested we use. So we are going to use that building -- not the building per se, but use the little annex on that building. We are going to put our equipment in that annex. So it was a good effort, the neighbors really came up with good ideas and we had a good dialogue. Water Dept. Parks Dept and your City Councilman Eric Jergensen were all involved, and we changed our plans after meeting with you. We are really happy that we could accommodate the neighbors. ERIC JERGENSEN: Show a picture of Audinger Hall. See that beautiful little door? We are going to keep that little door just as it is, and we are going to put access doors on the side of the building. This is a great example of what can happen when neighbors work with the City. BOB: Since we don't have to build a building, we will also save money.

INCREASES IN WATER FEES - Review - this is suggested for water conservation. There will be an "Inclined Block System" of charging for water usage. If you use a certain amount of water, you get charged one rate. If you use more, you pay more. It will be in a block rate. There are three "Blocks" of rate usage: Residential Block: Based on median use of water for an average SLC home, which is 72 cents per cubic foot if the use is 0-900; From 900-2900 the charge is $1.10. From 2900 - up, the charged if $130. The present rate is currently 61 cents during the winter; during summer the rate is 92 cents. There will also be Commercial Blocks and Agricultural Blocks of water usage. QUESTION: What if you have a big yard? ANSWER: The new system will not take in account if you have a big sized lot or a little lot - you get charged for the amount you use. . The average summer use in the city is 2900 feet per month. That is a lot of water. Why are we doing this? We really don't have plenty of water. With the growth that is coming, even if we had adequate snowfall we would be short on water. We live in the desert. We want to decrease the amount of water we use so that we can have enough water for the next 15 years. The capitol savings will allow water rates to stay relatively stable. In the county people are charge 1.5 times the amount we charge for City use.

The Jordan water district has a number of ideas on how to irrigate your lawn only twice a week that is more effective than watering everyday. We will get you some information on that.

SOUTH TEMPLE RECONSTRUCTION: We know our asphalt patches are bad, but right now we are in the process of putting in fiber optics, sewer lines, storm drains, etc. All the businesses are still open. Backer's Bakery is still a phenomenon. From the Cathedral to 700 East will be one way until October. We will have the road done this year. COMPLAINT about light timing. RESPONSE: UDOT does the lights timing, but they cannot keep track of all the different things that we are doing with the utilities. The light poles will be gorgeous when they are finished. QUESTIONS: What about damage to tires from the holes? RESPONSE: The contractor is paying for damaged tires. Everyone needs to Go Slow.

QUESTION: The sandstone in the Park on State Street and 2nd Ave is just crumbling. Are you using that kind of sandstone? RESPONSE: We are putting all the old sandstone on one side of the street and we are getting new sandstone for the other side of the street, higher density. We are putting more pedestrian friendly lighting at the crosswalk.

Phone number with questions: 535-7235 Pat Peterson. Website: Southtempleconstruction.com

COMMUNITY CLEAN UP - Phil Carroll: Memory Grove Clean up is the most successful community based project in the City. It will be held again on June 14th (Saturday) from 8 until 12. At noon we will have a lunch for all the volunteers. We may have some other clean-up areas. I want to take a vote for the GACC to co-sponsor this vote. Moved by RD Coleman, seconded by Dick Smiley. Vote Passed.

CITY PLAZA PRESINTATION -- David Nimkin, (with Rich Graham, Josh Ewing, Ed Rutan- City Attorney. Over the course of the past few months we have heard so much divisive debate and the "great divide" (as the Salt Lake Tribune called it) in our community become enlarged. So we have a proposal to help assuage this problem that we would like to present to you. We hope we will have time to answer your questions and hear your concerns. We are taping this, as we are with every one of our presentations to the transcripts will be on our websites.

Why the challenge we are facing on Main Street Plaza? The incompatibility found by the 10th Circuit Court on keeping an easement and still having manner and language restrictions. The Church would not have approved the transaction if they were not able to restrict some behavior on the land. In April 1999 the City sold the land for $8+ million. In November 1999 the ACLU filed a suit. Mayor Anderson took office in January 2000. The Court ruled that it was constitutionally impossible to keep the easement and the restrictions. The Court suggested, among other things that we have Time, Place, and Manner Restrictions or give up the easement. The cost of this problem to the Community has been one of the more divisive issues in the last 10 years. It has cost the City several hundreds of thousands of dollars in litigation. This also distracts us from other community and City government issues that need attention. It is very clear that we needed a compromise. We needed to find some resolution.

After the 10th Circuit Court ruled, the mayor convened several real-property experts and ethical experts to find a solution. The first proposal was to define the easement and imposing time, place, and manner restrictions. Define easement on the east side of the property. It would have identified gathering areas on the north and south of the area and granted time, place, and manner restrictions of when demonstrations could take place. The Church did not support this proposal and the ACLU did not support it either and said that they would sue if they were imposed. With the shrillness of the discord in the city, the threat of possible suits, and the Mayor wanting to find a solution to provide the key elements in the original agreements, he next examined giving up the easement. The current proposal included 1) extinguishing the easement. 2) Reverter clause, ? . 3) The City and the Church would share the cost of the litigation. So the question was, "What could the City get in return in giving up the easement?" (The answer was shown in aerial photos and discussion of the proposed land exchange.)

The Sorensen Center is a center that helps the under-privileged people on the west side. It provides many services to these people. It is bursting at its seams. For some time we have been talking about the problems and expansion opportunities. The Church held the land just south of the Center. Jim Sorenson owns land nearby; both parcels of land would be given to the city to help expand the Center. This area that it would serve has 40% higher percentage of single mothers, 20% more children under the age of 17 in that area, with just 22% of the city population. 1700 more children could be served if it were expanded. 8100 patients are currently served at the IHC health center, which is busting at its seams. The Mayor heads the Alliance for Unity, a group that was created to deal with discord in the City. They embraced this idea with a passion and members have pledged 5 million dollars to the process. Jim Sorenson has pledged his land and a million dollars. The Unity Center would be built on the land belonging to the Church. The Church would also be a financial participant through the Alliance for Unity.

The Programming and services in this center are open for discussion. Health Clinic, dental, and mental health services, have all been suggested. U of U could (or has?) formed a Neighborhood self-help organization to help the west side through faculty and students. Business help, from faculty and clinic; early infant and children programs could expand. Youth programs at the Sorensen Center are also bursting at the seams. It could be expanded. The west side does not have a fitness center like we have at Steiner. It could also be there. It also needs an English language facility. They also need technology education. (Intel has classes there, but not enough space.) We are getting feedback on the possibility of a Senior Citizens center or a library. Over the summer we are making a comprehensive business plan and getting long-term financial partners. We plan on this opening in 2005. It is ambitious but we feel it is reasonable.

QUESTIONS: What will happen to public access? ANSWER: The private property owner will have full jurisdiction and can govern what happens there. QUESTION: Is it a fair trade? ANSWER: We will be getting land and 5 million dollars and still will be able to keep our 24-hour thoroughfare access (through a good-faith agreement with the Church). QUESTION: Are we selling away our free speech rights? ANSWER: When the exchange was made in the sale there were no first amendments rights granted, so we are not giving away something that we originally had. QUESTION: Some have questions of possible litigation if the exchange were made? (Ed, the attorney for the City, will answer those questions.) Free speech amendment concern - If a suit were brought it would impact fund-raising and it could result in the unraveling of the proposal.

TIMETABLE: The City Council will hold hearings in April - May 2003. If it is voted on, then the Mayor will extinguish the easement. Hopefully, this will offer a large number of people a real opportunity to have a center that will bless their lives. We will hold more public hearings on March 27th - an Open House at 6:00 at the Public Library. You can see many public comments made at City Community Councils on slcgov.com website.

CITIZENS WERE THEN ALLOWED TO SPEAK: Too many public comments to record them all; they are available on the City website.

It was 9:15 and the Library needed to close, so a MOTION was made to have a vote by Phil Carroll. VOTE was held, with three options to choose from: (number voting in parenthesis)

1) The GACC takes no position - (6)

2) The First Mayor's Proposal - Define easement, Time Place and Mannerism - (13)

3) Accept the Proposal of land exchange made tonight - (63)

Meeting was adjourned at 9:25.