City Council

MINUTES OF THE LAFAYETTE COMMON COUNCIL July 7, 2014 REGULAR MEETING The Common Council of the City of Lafayette, Indiana met in regular session on Monday July 7, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers, 20 North 6th Street, Lafayette, Indiana. President Campbell called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. The Pledge of Allegiance was given to the flag of our Country. The following members were present: Present: Heide, Klinker, Reynolds, Campbell, Brown, Weast-Williamson, Ahlersmeyer, and Meyer. Absent: Downing City Clerk Cindy Murray and Assistant City Attorney Jacque Chosnek were present. The City Clerk stated that there was a quorum present. Councilman Campbell moved to recess for a public hearing on The Clerk read Ordinance 2014-11 (An Ordinance to Vacate an Alleyway in the City of Lafayette, Indiana-Eric Coleman, Petitioner) Western Boundary of 928 Holloway, Councilman Klinker seconded. No public comment was heard. Councilman Campbell moved to reconvene the regular meeting, Councilman Brown seconded. The motion passed by unanimous voice vote. Councilman Klinker moved to approve the minutes of the June 2, 2014 Council Meeting, Councilman Brown seconded. The motion passed by unanimous voice votes. There are no Claims, Petitions or Communications The Clerk stated the following reports are available in the City Clerk’s Office: Clerk’s Office Monthly-May and June Fleet Maintenance Department Monthly-May Water Works Department Monthly-May Water Pollution Control Department Monthly-May Ordinances for Second Reading The Clerk read Ordinance Amended 2014-11 (An Ordinance to Vacate and Alley in the City of Lafayette, Indiana- Eric Coleman, Petitioner) Western boundary of 928 Holloway, by title only on second and final reading. Councilman Campbell moved for passage, Councilwoman Weast –Williamson seconded. Kurt, Laker, Attorney for the Petitioner spoke regarding the Ordinance. Ordinance 2014-11 passed 7-0 on a roll call vote on second and final reading. Ordinances for First Reading The Clerk read Ordinance 2014-15 (An Ordinance to Amend the Zoning Ordinance of Tippecanoe County-UZO Amendment # 82) by title only on first and final reading. Councilwoman Weast-Williamson moved for passage, Councilwoman Ahlersmeyer seconded. Jacque Chosnek, Deputy Attorney spoke regarding the Ordinance. Ordinance 2014-15 passed 7-0 on a roll call vote on first and final reading. The Clerk read Ordinance 2014-16 (An Ordinance to Amend the Zoning Ordinance of Tippecanoe County, Indiana to Rezone Certain Real Estate from R3 to MRU, Indiana University Health , Petitioner-1500 Salem St) by title only on first and final reading. Councilwoman Ahlersmeyer moved for passage, Councilman Brown seconded. Jacque Chosnek, Deputy Attorney spoke regarding the Ordinance. Ordinance 2014-16 passed 7-0 on a roll call vote on first and final reading. There are no Resolutions. There were no Reports of Standing Committees. There were no Reports of Special Committees. There was no Report by the Mayor: Miscellaneous or New Business: 2014 Compliance of Statement of Benefits for Tax Abatement President Meyer stated the Council will need to review the companies as listed on the Memo from the Redevelopment Commission and then vote on them individually by voice vote. Dennis Carson, Economic Director gave a report on each of the following businesses and Industries and all were found to be in substantial compliance by the Lafayette City Council by individual unanimous voice vote. *Nanshan-Real Estate *Nanshan-Personal Property *Caterpillar-Personal Property *Heartland Automotive-Personal Property Claudine Laufman, Park Superintendent gave the following Department Update: 7.7.14 City Council-Parks & Recreation Department Report The Parks and Recreation Department manages over 20 properties and nearly 700 acres of land and includes the following:  Three family aquatic centers  One regional park (Columbian Park)  Seven community parks  Nine neighborhood parks  Linear park trail system  Series of parks along the Wabash River  Community recreation center  Zoo As a Department, we have 32 full-time employees, several part-time year round staff persons, and rely on an additional 200 seasonal employees to accommodate the busy summer season. Over the past few months many noticeable changes have occurred within our department including changes in leadership, organizational structure, and organizational culture. As we look to the future, we anticipate additional changes as well. These changes will occur not only with our physical facilities, but also with our staff in the way of professional development, training, and organizational ownership. Project Updates  Loeb Locker Room: Construction completed  Loeb Stadium Structural Repairs & Electrical Room Waterproofing: Repairs completed  Subaru South Tipp Park: Infrastructure installed; concrete installation has started  Sterling Heights: Still in park planning stages with an anticipated 2015 construction start   McAllister Park/former Municipal Golf Course: Partnering with WREC and have selected firm to conduct re-use study for Golf Course  Columbian Park Train Depot with model train display is completed  Zoo: Replaced caging inside Animal House also renovated an existing room into a veterinary services room Personnel Updates:  Restructured the Aquatics division and streamlined management; emphasis on lifeguards  Added full-time position to Parks Administrative Office that provides support services  Restructuring the Maintenance division to blend two work separate work teams together  Professional development: Various staff members have engaged in several opportunities this year including attendance at IPRA’s annual conference. Another development opportunity that is especially interesting is the Zoo Staff on-going participation in a global academy series of webinars and online training through the San Diego Zoo Impact Numbers for 2013:  A total of 4664 Daily fitness passes were sold at McAllister Recreation Center  1524 employees and/or their family members utilized the fitness area at McAllister  On average, 166 kids attended summer camp at McAllister each day  Through the coordination of our Urban Forestry team: 359 Trees were planted in the community last year and 1,193 City trees were pruned  Over 6,800 annual flowers, accent plants and perennial plants were planted in our Parks and other City locations  Over 37,000 individuals of all ages participated in the Zoo’s educational programs  25,802 riders rode the Columbian Park Express train ride  Volunteers logged 16,863 hours at the Zoo in 2013 Programs:  The Park Department continues to provide and facilitate a variety of programs for a variety of audiences. Just a sampling of these offerings include the following: Adopt-A-Spots, roller hockey, basketball, disc golf, baseball, softball, Zumba fitness, dance, art, swim lessons, Junior Counselor & Junior Zookeeper teen programs, and yoga, among others.  Expansion of the Park Department’s Volunteer Program. The Volunteer Program at the Zoo is highly successful and will be used a model for the entire Department. We would like to expand our volunteer opportunities beyond the Zoo and the youth sports programs at McAllister. Our vision is to integrate volunteerism into all aspects of our facilities and departments with an emphasis on engagement with the educational resources in our community. One recent volunteer partnership that has been cultivated is between the Parks Department and the YMCA Trailblazers group. These pre-teen and teen participants in Camp Straight Arrow are being led by former Mayor’s Youth Council participant Mason Fisher. Approximately 15 kids are meeting Park Staff every Thursday through the summer to “beautify” our park facilities. Area of focus has been Munger Park where we removed several trailer loads of weeds and “volunteer” saplings. The kids receive a courtesy pass to one of our amenities for their hardwork each week.  Programs that we have implemented this year include the Art in the Park series which features a variety of music and artistic demonstrations on a regular basis at Memorial Island in Columbian Park for the th summer. Our next event will be this coming Wednesday, July 9 . In addition, we have also implemented  another new family event on Memorial Island called “Final Fridays”. This event takes place on the final Friday of each month during the summer and features art education, kids’ crafts and a movie. Concessions from Tropicanoe Cove are also available during Final Fridays. A new fitness series , “Walking Towards Wellness”, has also been initiated. This 12 week series features a brief wellness-related talk from a guest speaker and a staff-guided walk along a designated trail once weekly. Current enrollment is 57 individuals and continues to grow. This week’s walk will take place at Murdock Park this Thursday at 6:30pm. Public & Private Partnerships:  The Parks Department continues to embrace numerous public and private partnerships both for short-term and long-term goals. From the Lafayette Parks Foundation to Friends of the Zoo to Tree Lafayette, dozens of organizations have partnered with our Department to ensure its success and commitment to improving the quality of life for all residents of Greater Lafayette. We look forward to continuing these partnerships in the future to provide many more fun and recreational opportunities in our community. There were no Reports by Council: Public Comment: Tom Pierce, 1138 N 14th St. has a group of Monon Neighborhood members, that are looking for old pictures of the north end neighborhood and Monon shop area. Lloyd Wells, 1717 Rawlings Dr. expressed concern regarding the railroad tracks being too high on Kossuth Street between Earl and Sagamore. Councilman Campbell moved to adjourn, Councilman Klinker seconded. Meeting was adjourned at 7:30 PM Minutes prepared by Cindy Murray, City Clerk Complete audio of meeting available in the City Clerk’s office or at www.lafayette.in.gov