07 May SHCC Board Meeting Minutes May 7, 2014
Sugar House Community Council Board of Trustees Meeting
Meeting Minutes – May 7, 2014
Trustees Present: Sally Barraclough, Amy Barry, Robin Bastar, Laurie Bray, Deb Henry, Matt Kirkegaard, Joedy Lister, Larry Migliaccio, David Mulder, Jack Perry, Maggie Shaw, Judi Short, Carole Straughn, Rawlins Young
Trustees Excused Absent: Ed Dieringer, Topher Horman, Benny Keele, Scott Kisling, Christopher Thomas, Michael G Kavanagh
Trustees Absent:
Meeting called to order at 7:00 by Maggie Shaw, SHCC Chair
Approval of the April minutes. Amy moved to approve, Joedy seconded the motion. The minutes were approved without correction.
Secretary Report: Sally Barraclough
Topher Horman’s petition expired this month, however he could not attend tonight’s meeting so he will be presenting his petition for renewal next month. There are no other expiring petitions. There are several areas of Sugar House that are under represented or have no trustees on the Community Council. Those include Beacon Heights, Garfield, and Nibly all of which have no trustees on the council. There are also 11 vacant “at-large” positions. If you know of someone who would like to join the council please put them in touch with someone on the executive committee. Maggie received a resignation letter from Russ Callister who was an “at-large” trustee. He has volunteered to give any small group of trustees a tour of the Sugar House Crossings project. Contact him if you are interested.
Treasurers Report: Robin Bastar
Since January, we have had donations of $435.00. We’ve had an expense of $120.00 for internet. As of today we have a balance of $4,214.30. Judy made a motion that we pay for our booth at the 4th of July Festival. Maggie seconded the motion, which passed on the stipulation that we have enough volunteers to work the booth.
Chair Report: Maggie Shaw
Scott Kisling is resigning as vice-chair from the council. He has a new job, which requires him to be frequently out of town. He would like to retain his position as a trustee from the Country Club area. Maggie contacted Benny Keele who was the elections committee chair to confirm the name of the trustee with the next closest number of votes. Deb Henry will be replacing Scott as vice-chair. Maggie also announced that Matt Kirkegaard will be resigning his position. He is leaving to pursue community development charity work in Costa Rica and Brazil. He will be gone for a year but expressed an interest in coming back to the council upon his return.
Fire Department Report:
Absent
Police Report: Detective Scott Mourtgos
Compared to April 2013, robberies, larceny/theft, motor vehicle theft, and DUI’s were all down. There has been an 30% reduction in auto theft citywide which includes Sugar House. The auto theft detectives would again like to remind citizens not to leave “hidden keys” in their vehicles. Interviews with recently arrested auto thieves show this is a significant problem in SLC.
Update on the recent shooting: there were two victims, one male, one female. The shooting occurred at the male victims home. He had invited the female to his home and one of them was the shooter. The police are not looking for other victims or suspects.
Detective Mourtgos has been receiving a lot of texts and emails regarding drug activity near the skate park in Fairmont Park. In July of last year there were changes made to the police squad bike patrol. In the past, half were assigned to Pioneer Park and half to Sugar House. In July of 2013 they were all moved downtown. Due to the large volume of requests to bring them back to Sugar House, Detective Mourtgos has been trying to get the bike squad reinstated in SH. If you would like to help, please send an email to [email protected] outlining the problems you have witnessed in the SH area. Detective Mourtgos will make sure our comments get forwarded to the person who would be making the decision. Rawlins made the comment that with the number of new apartments becoming available in the next year, Sugar House Chamber of Commerce should get involved. Detective Mourtgos attended today’s meeting and said that the Commerce Chair was going to write a letter supporting a bike squad in SH. Sally noted that she saw a bike patrol in SH on Saturday. Detective Mourtgos clarified that three of their four shifts are spent near the downtown shelter. The other shift can be spent in other parts of the city. A member of the audience asked how many officers are on the squad. There are five officers and one sergeant per squad.
The “Cops for Kids” event was a huge success. This was the first time that one of the locations was the Sizzler in Sugar House, and we won the competition for the most money raised for the Justice Center. $2500 was raised in one evening.
An audience member expressed concern about the crime in Sugar House. He has lived in the area for 15 months and has had to call the police numerous times, including once for a trespasser sitting on his front step. Maggie requested that he send an email to Detective Mourtgos outlining his experiences so that they can be passed on to the people who make the decisions regarding police staffing in SH.
Another member of the audience asked about an elderly gentleman who was lost last week. He was found in good health near Westminster College.
Public Comments for Items not on the agenda:
A member of the audience requested that the SH Community Council also send a letter regarding more bike squad patrols for Sugar House. Maggie volunteered to write the letter.
Judi strongly encouraged all trustees to send emails to the police department reporting suspicious activity in our area every time we see something unusual happening.
Committee Reports:
Land Use and Zoning: Judi Short
The meeting in April was cancelled. Small neighborhood business owners will be on the agenda for the May 19th meeting.
Julianne Sabula from the SLC Transportation Department has asked for a letter of support from the SHCC for a federal grant.
The grant would be for:
- The streetcar extension from McClelland to Highland Dr and north to 21st South.
- Riparian corridor improvements and roadway runoff mitigation in Hidden Hollow.
- Pedestrian improvements through Hidden Hollow and Fairmont Park connecting to the S-Line.
- Mid-block crossings and HAWK lights.
- A road diet on Highland Dr.
All of these items have been included in other previously approved and endorsed documents including the Business District Master Plan, the Circulation Plan, and the recently completed Sugar House Vision Statement. Judi signed and returned the letter of support for the grant.
Julianne will be attending the next Land Use meeting to discuss the grant and the possible options for the pedestrian walkway. After the grant is submitted, the Transportation Dept will start work on the environmental impact statements.
Judi spoke with Russ Callister regarding the second phase of Sugar House Crossings. They are still in the planning process and will be making presentations to the Land Use Committee and the full SHCC at the appropriate time. An audience member asked about the south boundary of the property. Judi confirmed that it includes all the properties except the A-framed beer bar and the Leisure Living Warehouse.
Form based code is still being addressed by the SL City Council. The City Council would like to see a lower, buffer height for buildings being constructed near single family dwellings. There will be more public hearings on June 3rd. You can also write a letter or email to the council regarding this topic.
Parks and Open Space and Trails: Sally Barraclough
The committee did not meet. Sally reported that the Earth Day project in Hidden Hollow was successful. Children from Hawthorne School planted willow trees. Some of the original KOPE kids attended along with previous and current administrators and teachers from Hawthorne school, Wendy Fischer from Utah Open Lands, and Lynne Olson who was instrumental in the preservation of Hidden Hollow.
June 6th is the ribbon cutting for The Draw at Sugar House. The event will take place at 10:30 on the east side (park side) of The Draw.
Transportation: Deb Henry
The committee did not meet.
Arts and Cultural: Laurie Bray
On Friday May 9th at 11:00am, Westminster will be hosting an event to honor the 23 Winter Olympic athletes that attend Westminster College. There will be a luncheon and photo opportunities with the athletes.
The monthly Sugar House Art Walk will be Friday the 9th from 6-9pm. Artists will be featured at 12 different businesses in Sugar House. For information go to Facebook Sugar House Art Walk.
Laurie has been speaking with the RDA about creating a new time capsule to place on the Monument Plaza. It will be a collaborative effort with the SH Chamber of Commerce. She is asking that we email her with our ideas of what should be included in the capsule. One idea is to put in all the movies that have been made in Sugar House. There was a time capsule that was created in 2004 by the children of Hawthorne and Emerson grade schools that was recently opened at the library. Laurie does not know when the new time capsule will be opened.
Communications and Outreach Committee: Christopher Thomas
The committee did not meet. They are still in the process of moving our web host from Joomla to Word Press.
Community Groups and Projects:
SL Community Network:Judi Short
No report
Sugar House Chamber of Commerce: Analisa Holcombe
The Chamber report was presented by Laurie Bray. Developers came to the meeting to give updates on the various construction projects in Sugar House. Among them was Mark Isaac from Boulder Ventures. Boulder Ventures have decided against putting more retail stores on that block. They will be turning the old warehouse area into residential housing and the Leisure Living warehouse into high end residential housing with a parking and a swimming pool. There are no specific plans as of yet, and Judi pointed out that they are waiting for the streetcar alignment to be determined by the city before they proceed. Mark feels that the realignment of Sugarmont and Wilmington would not be good for pedestrian traffic. Judi said that we should express our concerns to Julianne Sabula from the SLC Transportation Dept. when she comes to our meeting next month. Joedy suggested that we direct developers to the SH Vision Statement for guidance. Judi said she would make sure Mark gets a copy of the statement. She also recommended that we get the statement on to a single of paper, complete with the links to other plans so that we can hand it out at the 4th of July booth.
Presentations:
Sugarmont Plaza: Mark Morris
The Friends of the S-Line are working with the city and community to provide a public plaza. Last year SL City allowed the community to use part of the parking lot bordering Sugarmont for a plaza. Amy and Mark were instrumental in organizing a painting party and subsequent free music events. There were approximately 300 people who attending the kickoff event last June.
This year the Farmer’s Market will be held on Sugarmont Plaza beginning with a mini market which starts May 16th from 4-8pm. The full market will be on Fridays starting in July.
A painting party for the plaza will be held this Saturday, May 10th from 8-11am. Volunteers are needed to paint the plaza in orange stripes.
Activities for the plaza this summer include the Farmers Market on Fridays, live music and food truck rally on Monday evenings, and snow cones daily from 12noon to 10pm starting on May 15th.
Maggie stated that we are considering holding SHCC meetings on the plaza during the summer provided it stays light long enough and if we can get an microphone sound system. Sally asked if the council has a banner that could be hung on the meeting night to announce who we are. Judi confirmed that there is a banner and Mark said he would have to figure out how to hang it. We are going to try to meet there in July, August and possibly September. There are shade umbrellas for the tables and the space can seat approximately 75 people.
Mark requested that if we know of any community group that would like to hold an event in Sugarmont Plaza to please contact him. If there are enough people, he can arrange food trucks.
A member of the audience asked who owns the property. Mark said that Salt Lake City redevelopment has owned the property for 2-3yrs and that they currently have no plans for development. For the summer, a porta pottie will be placed on the plaza as there are no public restrooms.
Advertising for events on the plaza include a Facebook page, community calendars, the Farmer’s Market Facebook page. Judi suggested that they advertise in Utah Stories.
It was suggested that outdoor movies could be shown on the plaza. While the cost may be too prohibitive there were several suggestions including documentaries and getting the U of U film department involved. Dolly Rauh suggested that the Sprague Library could partner with Sugarmont Plaza to host similar events on the library plaza at the same time.
Because the streetcar will eventually extend up Sugarmont with a stop near the plaza, the hope is to keep the plaza as a public space for the community in the future.
There was a question regarding the impact of the Phase II construction of SH Crossings on the plaza and Mark said the he doesn’t believe that project will be ready to start this summer.
Smart Trips: Sara Rose / Mark Morris
Smart trips is a city program that focuses on alternative forms of active transportation such as walking or biking. They focus on a different area of the city each year, and this year are working in Sugar House because of the S-Line. In conjunction with the “Walk Sugar House” project, Mark has been working with Smart Trips to post the walk/bike signs throughout Sugar House. The signs tell you how many minutes it takes to get to a destination on foot or by bike. On Saturday, May 10th the group will be working in the neighborhoods near the S-Line, distributing information. They have lots of giveaways to help promote the program.
Sally asked if they provide bikes and if not, is the city looking at Sugar House for the Green Bike program. Smart trips does not provide bikes and while Sugar House is high on the list for the Green Bike program, it is still probably several years away from being available here. Mark encouraged all of us to park our cars and enjoy walking Sugar House.
Monument Plaza Update: Ben Davis SLC RDA
They have started the removal and relocation of the trees and demolition is scheduled to start June 16th. They are in the bid process right now and after the contractor has been selected we will be given a better timeline for construction. Right now they are looking at a completion date of the end of September. The end date is still flexible depending on the contractor.
Lauri asked when they plan to close the street and was told that will happen on June 16th if that is the start date. Joedy asked about the budget for the project which is 2.3 million. The final plans were presented to the Chamber of Commerce this morning. Ben invited anyone who wants to see the plans to join him after the meeting to look at them. Judi asked Ben to bring the full plan to the SHCC next month.
A member of the audience asked about the impact of the construction on traffic in the area. Ben has asked Bill Knowles to assist them in getting the construction information out to the businesses and the surrounding neighborhood, as it is anticipated that there will be traffic issues.
Teddy asked if there are plans to repave Highland Dr. after all the construction is completed. They will not repave until Phase II of the S-Line project is done, which will be at least a couple of years from now.
Rawlins asked about the bus service during construction. UTA is involved with the location of temporary bus stops. The bus stops on 21st South, Highland Dr. on both the north and south sides will be closed during construction however there are stops one block to the west that will provide transfers. Construction will impact bus stops for 3-5 months.
Construction Update: Bill Knowles
Bill reported that most of the large construction projects will be wrapping up this summer which will open up the tight parking situation. There have been nearly 1000 construction workers parking in Sugar House during all the construction. Highland Dr is now open and they are just finishing the sidewalks.
There are two events scheduled for the opening of the Draw. The ribbon cutting is scheduled for June 6th at 10:30. There may be a second event for the whole trail on June 13th. Bill will get more information to us regarding the second event.
They will be working with the RDA and the future contractor for traffic control during the Monument Plaza construction. After it is done there should be no major projects for a year or two until the streetcar extension and the second phase of various projects commences.
Teddy asked if there have been any contractual agreements for merchants on the street level of the SH Crossings building. Wasatch Pub is going in on the northeast corner around mid June, Mellow Mushroom will be going in the southwest corner facing the pasao in Sept/Oct. The Rockwood building owners are making improvements to their building where it faces the pasao. There will be a sandwich shop on the south corner of that building.
An audience member expressed concern about traffic safety in the surrounding residential areas even after all the construction workers leave. Bill said that the apartments met their requirements for parking by residents. He does however feel that there will be more traffic congestion. There have been traffic studies done by the transportation department. He feels that options for traffic slowing will be looked at on an as needed basis. Amy said that last year the transportation department got some funds through the “Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper” fund to provide large traffic slowing planters on 8th East. They are evaluating if this has been effective in slowing traffic and that may be an option for our area. Judi invited the audience member to join the transportation committee of SHCC to have a voice on these issues. She also recommended that the neighborhood form a group to give feedback to the SLC Transportation Department.
Bicycle Boulevard: Michael Barry SLC Transportation
The city is developing a low stress bikeway on 600 East extending from South Temple to 2700 South to encourage the “interested but concerned” bike rider. Studies have shown that only a small percentage of riders will ride anywhere and anytime. About 60% of riders will only ride if the route is safe. Because of this, the city is looking to develop a network of routes allowing riders to choose a safe route to their destination.
SLC is looking at a street with low traffic volume so that cars and bikes can share the street, and 600 meets that criteria. The speed limit for cars on 600 East will be reduced from 25mph to 20mph, which is typical for a bicycle boulevard. This will help to reduce traffic to mostly local traffic only.
The challenge is mostly at the intersections. 300 South to 600 South also presents a challenge because of the high volume of traffic. From 400 South to 600 South they are proposing removing the parking and putting in buffered bike lanes in which bikes are next to the curb and there is a barrier or paint to separate them from the cars. At 300 South cars will have to turn right. At 800 South they are proposing refuge islands for bikes to be able to cross half the street at a time.
The bikeway will pass directly through Liberty Park. They will be changing signals at the south end of Liberty Park. There will be a full signal at 1300 South, and a change in some of the turning options for cars at that location. There will be right turn only diversions for cars at 900 South and 1300 South.
At 1700 South there will be a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) that is activated by the pedestrians or bike riders. There will be HAWK light at 2100 South but it may require a larger light for safety. They are still evaluating crossings at Wilmington and Simpson which may involve building diverters for the bicycles. The neighborhood residents will be consulted before diverters would be built.
- An audience member asked about the peak car traffic hours on 6th East and they are the typical morning and evening commute hours.
- Dave asked what percentage of traffic on 6th East is already bike traffic. He expressed concern that the boulevard is being built for a small percentage of riders. It is anticipated that once the street is safer, more people will use it for biking. Carole and Maggie both commented that they would ride more if they felt safe and are in favor of this project. Maggie asked for more buffered lanes.
- A member of the audience asked if the transportation department has solicited comments from the riders in the community maybe by leaving information at the bike shops. They have been to the community council meetings and are working to get the word out in the community.
- Becka Roolf who is the SLC Bike and Pedestrian Coordinator said that there is a bicycle advisory committee made up of 13 members who represent all types of riders from the hard core commuter to the casual biker. They solicit comments from throughout the city regarding bike issues.
- Matt wanted confirmation that the buffer zone in the 300 South to 600 South is not hardscape and will be a paint only buffer.
- Dave asked what the budget is for the project. The budget is $450,000.
- Deb asked if the street will be resurfaced. There is no money in the budget for resurfacing at this time.
- Teddy asked about the timeframe for the project. They are collecting feedback now and after making modifications to the plan based on the comments they receive, they will put it out for bids.
Spotlight on Business: Michael G Kavanagh
Trolley Wing Company has rescheduled for next month.
Community and City Presentations:
City Council Update: Lisa Adams District 7
Maggie presented the City Council Update in Lisa Adams absence.
- The rezone for Sugar House will have another public hearing at the formal meeting of the City Council on May 20th. No vote is scheduled in the short term.
- 4th of July Fireworks have their funding and will have a show again this year.
- The ribbon cutting for the Draw will be Friday June 6th @1030 in Sugar House Park.
Report from the Mayor’s Office: Shawn McDonough
Maggie presented for Shawn as she now only attends the meeting every other month.
- Cards have been mailed from the city regarding insurance for your sewer line. Judi said that the company covering the plan may not have the best reputation. Be sure to check the details of your homeowners insurance regarding sewer and water lines. A member of the audience thanked Maggie for bring this to everyone’s attention.
Library Events: Dolly Rauh
- The summer reading program kicks off on May 31st, 12:30-4:00pm at the main library. Grant Imamura will be the speaker. The reading program is for adults as well as all ages of children. There will be a free book given to each child and each adult who attends the kickoff.
- There will be a reading marathon again this year that allows you to work down fines for overdue books. There is information regarding the library programs/schedule on the back table.
Maggie reminded us that we are still looking for volunteers for the 4th of July SHCC table.
Meeting adjourned at 8:55pm
