Greater Avenues Community Council Meeting Minutes

Discussed exhibit called Food Attacks by Bethany Hale. The City Creek Center architectural model was in the Library last week and left Dec. 7th. There is a lot of holiday music in the Library for entertaining. Please come check it out. There is also an Avenues Giving Tree now through 12/23 for people to make donations to Charity Organizations in need. Please come pick an ornament, purchase the item written thereon and return it to the Library by 12/23.

POLICE: Detective Evans presented a 3 month comparison of crime stats. They were all lower in Nov. than Oct. Crimes stats were ½ of what they were in summer. There was still a car prowl every 2 days in Nov. However, by population, we had a lower crime rate than anyone else in City. He said the Police Dept has a Home Security Check List. Call and get it. Take special care over holidays and not keep gifts showing in cars. Always put them in your trunk. There has been some graffiti by U of U Fraternities. There was one car jacking by use of a gun, where a man beside his car was approached and asked for cash. When he had none he was forced into his car, driven to ATM where the victim escaped. People must avoid getting into cars and becoming kidnapped victim. Simply refuse to get in. Give then whatever you have but don’t get in the car. There has also been a transient noticed around the Avenues – red-headed and scruffy and carrying a sharp stick as a weapon. It was suggested people lock doors. He has entered homes. Kids should also stay out of a abandoned buildings, as they are usually there.

QUESTION: People have noticed broken glass on the ground. Is that an indication that there are car prowls in area? Yes. Police are increasing surveillance in the areas that have reported more car prowls.

MAYOR”S OFFICE- Gwen Springmeyer: She encouraged people to stop by the Art Barn at Reservoir Park, as there is a Holiday Art Show with a number of gifts for sale.

Please also go to ice skating at the Gallivan Center. The New Years Eve First Night Celebration is only going to be one night on Sunday. At first they were considering two First Nights, one on Saturday. But it was cancelled. She also encouraged people to celebrate Martin Luther King Day. The City will have service. There was a World Leadership Program Competition. SLC took 3rd. place in the Authority Justice Program.

She also encouraged us to attend the Sundance Film Festival. Ticket availability will be announced soon.

LEGISLATURE: Ralph Becker: He described the last one-day session. He also discussed the 4th Congressional Seat and redistricting. Plans to redistrict had fallen through. It will not considered this session. Some pressure that the 4th seat represent Democratic Interests. They will have to wait and see how supportive the Demo Congress is, for an at-large seat. There is a possibility that it could be an Open Seat. He was reelected as the Democratic Leader of the House. He will run bills in 2007 in energy efficiency and water conservation. He would be sending out an issues card.

CITY COUNCIL - Eric Jergensen:

There is an opening on the Historic Landmarks Commission and the Human Rights Commission. He and Jill Remington Love are pleased with their work on this commission. He discussed also discussed the no-smoking ban in public parks, saying a broader ban was passed than what he had thought necessary. He thanked Ave residents for support on Rails and Roads. He also thanked for comments on City Creek –both calls and emails. It led to a good approach on the issues. Is design perfect? No. He hoped we could get there. Developer wants input. He has also received comments from those who live near the cemetery about noise and parties; call him and they will increase patrols. He will get Rick Graham on it. For the best response call his assistant Marge at 535-7600 to report any concerns. Concerning the snow removal he said City law mandates that sidewalks be clean within in 24 hours of a storm. If we don’t, we could have complaints issued and fines levied. He urged us to help elderly and disabled neighbors. He also asked us to pay attention to intersections and AVA ramps and expose fire hydrants when we shovel. H also thanked Steve Mecham for his tremendous job as GACC chair this past year and wished us all a happy holiday.

COMMUNITY GARDENS - Michael Hughes: We are trying to procure a Utah Dept of Health grant for $4000 to help with the community garden. The site for the Community Garden is behind Fire Station at M Street. We are looking for volunteer gardeners. Plots are available for families. It can be for fruits, vegetables and flowers. There will be more in newsletter. This Community Garden will be separate from the Demonstration Garden planned across the street.

HOUSING: Shane Carlson. They had a Party for the Housing Committee, held on Dec. 3nd. It was really fun and had about 25-30 people attend. The District In-fill Process Work Group has drafted a number of modifications to the In-Fill Process Ordinance Language. The next meeting is Dec. 11 at 7:00 pm.

HOUSE OF HOPE – Lisa Heaton: She described the Avenues Giving Tree in the Library, and explained that the non-profits benefits the House of Hope, Children’s Justice Center, and the Ronald McDonald House. She urged us to pick a tag, purchase a gift, and return it to Library. It is a great Project for Avenues residents and a great way to give back. The phone number and contact person for the places are on the Tree.

GACC Budget by John Sittner. He proposed a budget to be adopted for the following year. Changes are due to the increased cost in newsletter and size of partially due to 2 year wait-list for ads. The LDS Hospital printed it for 5 years for us for free. We appreciated their help. Printing now costs $30,000 for the year and the ads income about meets the expense. We will need an extra $1000 for supplies from ’06. Postage will be about the same. The Street Fair revenue not change dramatically. You can see the numbers on the website. The projected cost for an LDC projector for Avenues Presentations was noted. It will be stored in the Sweet Library.

QUESTION: Can we use GACC funds to clear sidewalks? RESPONSE: We hope the neighbors can volunteer to keep sidewalks clean. If there is a need, ask Michael Hughes and we can organize something. The Budget was accepted and voted in unanamously.

PRESENTATION: Historic Landmarks Chair Person David Fitzsimmons accompanied by Joel Patterson. They need more commissioners on Commission. They need a rep from the Avenues, Capitol Hill, and South Temple. Submit names to Michael Hughes. He will give it to the GACC Board, who will recommend the name to Mayor. The Mayor will send the name to the City Council, who will interview the candidate and approve or reject him or her. The Qualifications: live on property in Historic District. Their responsibilities are to hear cases on Preservation. They meet once a month. They receive a packet on the property to review before the meeting; they tour properties the day of hearing, and attend the hearing. If you can’t serve on Committee but have an interest, come to the hearings. It is for a 3 year term. You can serve up to 2 terms. You can also get your name to the Mayor’s representative Diana Karenburg at 535-7931. They will be interviewing Candidates this Wednesday. The Application materials are on line as well as on the GACC Website.

AVENUES TREE TRIMMING - Bill Rutherford, the City Arborist. He said a lot of our water saving efforts are contrary to good Tree Health. A video is available on DVD in the Lirbrary to help us know how to care for our trees. He said to ask for it by name: “Tree Health.” He answered questions about the power company trimming trees and about trimming trees and power lines. He emphasized not to do it your self. He also talked about the pros and cons of Directional Trimming verses Rounding Off. He was questioned about the sad looking trees in the Cemetery and said they had a beetle problem, but are doing a lot better now. He was asked about the problem of trees blocking views and those questions needed to be handled by Planning. He said they are having an Arbor Day celebration in conjunction with Hospice on the last Friday in April at the Rose Wagner Theater . He answered questions about the Landmark Trees on R Street that were removed. He said they had a serious problem with falling branches. They did a study in conjunction with Utah State University before deciding to remove the trees. Part of the consideration was the fact that a large number of school children waited for buses under the trees. SLC does a 1-1 replacement on trees which is better than the National average of 1-4. He was asked about a Christmas tree program like the one in Portland that loans out trees that City will use in parking strips. City doesn’t has staff for that but is open to idea if they had a volunteer.

Human Rights Commission - Patrick Leary and Raymond Gunn with GACC rep. Francesca. They had been meeting for 12 months. One of their main goals was to make people aware that the Human Rights Commission existed. City Council and Mayor’s Office created it to make a statement about what kind of City we are. They will review discrimination on existing policies and create a mechanism for feedback and complaint as well as for education. They were asked if they were going to deal strictly with the City on complaints, and they said they would have to see. They were asked if the Avenues were represented, and the answer was yes. Their meetings are open, held once a month, either the 1st or 2nd Monday from 5:45 to 7:15. They are in the process of creating a web page. You can look for information by searching for Human Rights on the SLC.gov Website. Its purpose is to advise the Mayor and City Council on the Human Condition and Quality of Life in the City.

Steve Mecham adjourned meeting and everyone enjoyed refreshments.