Sweet Library
December 3, 2003

Welcome and opening of meeting by 2003 Chair Wynn Johnson at 7:00 pm. Treats were shared as a festive touch for the month of December. This is the last meeting of 2003 and we will celebrate at 9 pm.

We will follow the Agenda. Committee reports will be first.

Police: Matt Evans will be new partner for police work in Avenues. Stats were handed out. Nov had increase an in burglaries and car strips/prowls went up 2. Gang related incidents have been 0 for almost a year. Ag assaults went from 0 to 2, sex crimes1 to 2, drive bys 0. One lady left drink unattended and lost consciousness until next morning-- another woman had similar experience with a man she met through the internet. Most burglaries were in garages through doors left open. Question: any update on the man who attempted to kidnap the children on 9th Ave. No more information about that. Any identity theft happening? Not specific to this area. Could do a presentation about this sometime.

City Council: Eric Jergensen - We have finished off biting issues with the council. A couple of new initiatives we are working on with the council. Nuisance ordinance –one exists in the city and deals with noise and crime in apts. Thinking of expanding it to what city can do if there is a nuisance problem. Watching neighborhood slowly disintegrate. Minimum expected level of housing to be established. Would love to have your input and experience with your neighbors and with yourselves. Want to be able to move quickly if there is a problem. Going to investigate speed of response of police after a request as well. If we own property and live in a neighborhood we ought to be able to have some say in what happens in that neighborhood. Traffic calming methods and tools are still requested. Moratorium has been lifted. Now we are looking at other options to calm traffic. If you are having problems and know places where there are problems, please phone Eric. Will take 5 years to get others kinds of traffic calming done. Do we have any info as to whether what we are doing has worked? Finally getting statistical data we can use. 2nd Ave has been redone with speed bumps and crosswalks etc. Has reduced traffic and speed and have received no negative comments. Will begin on 11th Ave next. Are 18-wheelers allowed in city creek canyon? Should not be there. Some holes exist in concrete on B Street between 1st Ave and South Temple that is very dangerous. Not very many wrong way signs and we see cars at least once a week going the wrong way. As you walk city creek please carry a plastic bag and pick up garbage as you walk. More trash cans will be placed along that road. Used to have cub scouts do that once a year. Gap store is leaving downtown –heard there are other stores going to follow that pattern? They have not enjoyed the construction downtown is one problem. Are working to keep downtown alive. Call Eric at 532 4844 at home. 535 7600 at council office.

Legislative report: P Julander and R Becker are here to report. This is the quiet before the storm –formulating responses to what they predict will happen in the legislature. Working on transportation issues especially on Columbus and 3rd-5th north. Capitol preservation board wants to partially close off Columbus Street. That is being analyzed by UDOT and should have some responses in January. If you have ideas to help us work through that please let Eric or me know. Capitol community council was enthusiastic at prospect to reducing traffic coming from Victory road. Julander has no report except for request to file 7 bills. We have a new governor and she has enjoyed working with her on several occasions. Think session will be different working with her. She is reaching out a lot more. Planning a special meeting with all of the house and senate democrats. Is reaching across party lines. Had a chance to work with new Lt Gov as well. Do either of you have a major legislative initiative. Fight between draper city and others about water treatment plant. 2 other areas –currently no requirement for a public hearing for a new bill for the legislature. No process for involving the public. Should require a public hearing on a bill. Writing gift ban bill again –annual event. Working on bill to extend GI bill to veterans. In our state our children had a breakfast program except for last 2 years –that money has been voted down. 51 schools meet federal eligibility because we have an enormous group who go to school without breakfast. No money from state put in for those schools. It’s all federally sustained. Legislature begins 3rd Monday in January. Goes to 3rd week of March. We welcome hearing from constituents. Include comment you are a constituent in district.

School board: Doug - no child left behind is taking up an inordinate amount of time in our sessions. Looking to fight for education bills this legislative season.

Mayor’s Office: Gwen Springmeyer - You are lucky to have participation of council members and legislature. Use 535 6338 to call Gwen at the mayor’s office. This Friday is a gallery stroll. Support for artists in community is being put into action. Will be 6-9 pm. Web site is Ourcommunityconnection.com\stroll. Should be fun –please join us. Another event, is during the Olympics we had peace polls which have been relocated to peace gardens in Jordan park. Ceremony is coming and will be memorable occasion. Mayor’s office is getting a new chief of staff. Sam Gubaras is taking that position. Coming on board on 15. David leaves in January.

Tom Rogan - Mary Rogan is here to take a minute in memory of Tom. Expressed gratitude and care and prayers over last 2 months. Thank you all for that. Terry Borman is an angel. Sat @ 10 am celebration and display. 366 4200 to call Terry to coordinate. Renovation of Presbyterian church is excellent. Incredible facilities are amazing. Fliers here if anyone is interested. Great resource in our community. Motion from Phil Carroll: in honor of Tom Rogan we make a donation of $2500 to Mary to assist in expenses. Any discussion. Motion Passes.

Avenues welcome program – want to extend our caring sense of community with suggestions from you – welcome baskets or boxes. Community map at local stores that would list bus routes, businesses, etc. in the area. Other ideas as well? We would love to hear them. Phone Peter at 381 2814 to share ideas. Have a party here 4 times a year. Fire dept happy to give home inspections. Emergency preparedness (CERT) stuff is available from Judith to neighbors. Hopefully we will get it going next year.

Expansion of LDS hosp parking permit areas – Gordon Haight from SLC Transportation Division says requests want to expand areas hosp has. Looking to expand curbside restrictions. In 2007 hosp will be done in Murray. Have gotten almost uniform support of expansion from residents. Hosp is concerned about handicapped visitors and patients having a long way to travel to hosp. Parking is from 7 am to 6 pm with weekends and holidays exempted. Guest passes will be available. What is causing it to be a problem? Don’t know exactly what the impetus is to push this forward. Hospital will volunteer to come and present a few minutes to give their point of view. Comments that residents resent having to pay to park in front of their own home. Permit lasts 1 year, costs $12, go in and buy 1st time and then can be mailed for any others. Guest passes are free. Resident/property owners are eligible. When does this go into effect—the New Year. Who is driving this? Request is given, Public hearing, recommendation is made, etc etc. Why doesn’t hospital pay this since it is in the one impacting the neighborhood? We have 3 years until hospital moves. Already a trickling effect of hospital moving out. LDS will really be downsized significantly. Discussion cut off for lack of time.

Neighborhood/Mobile watch – Kevin Joyner here - need to revitalize this program because it really helps to have people watching. Keep your eyes open since you know your neighborhood people and you can tell if something is going on that is unusual. Dispatch will ask you specific things that are listed on handout given. Checklist for starting a neighborhood watch program available. Don’t have to have a huge one. Smaller one will work even better. Most important part in this program amounts to being a nosy neighbor and knowing the comings and goings of your neighbors. If you know who they are and their names you are doing your job. It’s not getting in the middle of people’s business. It’s if you know their cars and when one is strange that is there. Only stupid call is the one that is not made. Keep calling even if you think you have no response. It’s about being outside and being active in our neighborhoods. We’ve become a backyard neighborhood. Pay attention out front.

We are in dire need of mobile watch participants. Do extensive background checks on people who want to help. Go out and patrol in your own vehicle to look for troublemakers. Have a radio etc provided by police. Phone anything in –don’t do anything yourself. Not a vigilante type of circumstance. Very effective program. Not a heavy commitment.

Living planet aquarium – Joyce Anderson – raising funds to build a world class aquarium in downtown SLC. Give you an update. Will be built on a site on 3rd west between 3rd and 4th south. Mattress place will come down when we are ready to build. Stipulations have been given. Need to raise $40 million. Boyer donated $10,000 at north end to have marine animals up there for preview exhibit. Touch tanks to hold sea stars and hermit crabs, horseshoe crabs, living fossils. Shark tank, giant pacific octopus. Also have Atlantic lobster at 15 lbs 75-100 years old. Seahorse and jellyfish exhibit. For 4 years have been conducting educational outreach programs in last 4 years. See live animals that live in wetlands and rainforests. Brought some for us to see—Snake--Boa Constrictor and tarantella from Chile. Millipedes are not poisonous & Giant cockroaches. SL community college on Redwood Road houses animals right now. Sharks eels, sea turtles etc will be included. Amazon rain forest exhibit for land animals. Native Utah animals and plants also have a display. City has donated property directly west of Rio Grande. Will you rotate exhibits? We will have rotating exhibits, yes. Looking for volunteers to teach at elementary schools or feed or whatever. If you would like to volunteer, check out www.thelivingplanet.com. Or fill out form.

House of Hope – Lisa Heaton if you don’t know where we are we like it that way. Our attitude is to keep very private what troubles are. We are beggars and borrowers –totally non-profit organization. Accept all donations of new and used items. South temple and I street is where they accept donations. Looking for all their children to have Christmas. Brochures available by donuts.

Children’s justice center – Kristen Stoll – work on corner of B and 11th. Been here since 1991 to help children who are victims of abuse. Now 15 of these centers statewide. Main thing here, is children come there to be interviewed and talk about things that have happened to them. Meet officers in plain clothes. Only 3 work in the house. Help children and families for referrals for med exams and therapy. Hotline for sexual and physical abuse. Review all child abuse cases. Do a lot of training in the public and police officers. Receive funding in public and private sources and are having trouble paying utilities. Need cash contributions and new teddy bears. Need volunteers for painting or flower planting etc. See more than 1300 children a year for interviews.

Kathy Defoya from Ronald McDonald house – home away from home for families who have to come here for medical help but don’t live here. Have 29 rooms at house on South Temple. Running 97% capacity this year. Have turned away more than 100 people this year. Second house is at 130 South 800 East. Has 16 apartments in it. Can stay as long as one year here. 1st house has private bedroom and common other facilities. 5 days is average stay here. Started in 1978. Need to raise money. Need $900,000 every year. Provide dinners and entertainment every night. Don’t get any state or fed funding. Try to have Christmas for everybody who stays there. Have a wish list for household or food items needed. Please put notice in newsletter. Only have a paid staff of 4. Love to give tours.

CERT refresher course Feb 21 9-4:30 for update. $15.00 cost. Judith Locke

Bicycling in city – did a documentary about the bike lane. Biking does seem to calm traffic. Are not as many safe bicycle paths as it seems like--not marked Allison at 364-6965.

Please help to make college students welcome to neighborhood. There are quite a few of us and we can participate in community if you will take advantage of us. Doing this for a class.

Wayne Green’s home was displayed in Utah Homes and Gardens magazine or Utah Design

Constantly get complements on how we treat guests and each other. Thanks from Wynn for year and everybody applauded him.

Adjourned at 9:55 pm