District 4 Advisory Board

District IV Advisory Board Meeting Minutes July 01, 2013 www.wichita.gov The District IV Advisory Board Meeting was held at the 6:30 p.m. at the Lionel Alford Branch Library, 3447 S Meridian. Ten (10) DAB members, eleven (11) staff and thirteen (13) citizens were present. Members Present Staff Present Councilmember Blubaugh Kelli Geier, City Manager’s Office Don McManamey Karen Sublett, City Clerk John Whitmer 3 police staff June Bailey 3 fire staff Nancy Wilhite Neil Strahl, Planning Jim Underwood Cynthia Berner Harris, Director of Libraries Craig Gabel Ofonime Sampson, Library Michael Pochek Benny Boman Matt Goolsby Peggy Bennett Order of Business Call To Order Councilmember Blubaugh called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. The July 1, 2013 agenda was approved as submitted. (Whitmer/Bailey: 8-0)* The June 3, 2013 meeting minutes were approved as submitted. (Bailey/Whitmer: 8-0)* *Goolsby and Pochek were not present at this time PUBLIC AGENDA The public agenda allows members of the public to present issues not on the agenda to the District Advisory Board. Each presentation is limited to five minutes unless extended by the Board. 1. Scheduled Items No items were submitted. 2. Off-Agenda Items No items were submitted.  STAFF PRESENTATIONS Public Safety Reports 3. Community Police Report Police staff reported the following: Auto larcenies are still increasing so please do not leave valuables in your car The Southwest Neighborhood Association Cleanup is July 27 from 8:00 am until noon. The cleanup will only cover the area from Kellogg-McLean-McCormick-Meridian. There will be two drop off sites at McCormick School, 855 S Martinson and West High School, 820 S Osage. 28 and 29 beat There have been a lot of larcenies on these beats and they are occurring everywhere. There were 2 robberies on 29 beat - both suspects have been arrested Do not be afraid to call in a suspicious character McManamey asked if your name becomes public record when you report a suspicious character. Officers stated that the name of the person calling in the suspicious character does not become public record and if you want to make sure that you remain anonymous let the dispatcher know that you would like the officer responding to call you instead of coming to your house. 4. Fire Report Fire staff reported the following: District 4 June fire calls o 7 incidental o 4 accidental o 1 unknown 682 calls just today A reminder that fireworks cannot shoot more than six feet up or six feet out. Any illegal fireworks will be confiscated and a possible citation may be written. The noise ordinance is in effect from midnight until 6:00 a.m. You cannot shoot fireworks after July 5. Anyone with non-emergency fireworks issues should call the non-emergency hotline at 290-1011. Action Taken: Received and filed.  NEW BUSINESS 5. Central Library Presentation Cynthia Berner Harris, Director of Libraries, presented this item to the Board. The 2006-2021 Wichita Public Library System Master Plan was adopted by the Library Board of Directors on August 15, 2006 and endorsed by the City Council on September 12, 2006. On November 6, 2007, the City Council adopted a $30,000,000 bonding resolution, initiated the Capital Improvement Project (CIP) for a new Central Library and authorized negotiation to acquire property once a site was selected. On June 3, 2008, the City Council approved a Real Estate Purchase Contract and Lease Agreement to acquire property at 711 West 2nd Street as the location for the new Central Library. A contract with HBM Architects for building programming was approved by the City Council on April 21, 2009. A supplemental contract with the same firm to test the feasibility of modifying the building program into a phased construction project was approved by City Council on May 15, 2012. The modified building program was approved by the Library Board of Directors on April 16, 2013 and presented to the City Council during a workshop on April 23, 2013. The adopted 2011-2020 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) includes a project to construct a new Central Library. During a 2010 City Council workshop on the original building program, the idea of phased construction was suggested. The recommendation was made again in 2011 after an Expansion Study of the existing Central Library confirmed that the needs of the Library cannot be met by the current facility. There were also requests to better understand libraries of the future, including what services will be offered and what spaces will be needed. A white paper provided to City Council members in 2012 noted that the libraries of the future will offer a variety of services relating to lifelong learning. Libraries will remain community technology centers, providing public computing services and training as well as high speed Internet access for people using their own laptops, tablets and smart phones. Libraries will continue to emphasize service to youth with larger areas for infants and children and new spaces for teens, all of which will integrate books, media, technology and programs. Libraries will be interactive learning centers where residents can research topics of interest as well as creating new content inspired by library collections and resources. Libraries will evolve into anchors for community life as preferred third places of informal gathering and social interaction. The modified building program, developed with significant amounts of community engagement, implements the phased construction strategy and provides spaces required of libraries of the future. The building program incorporates new, forward thinking strategies and trends for library service to reduce space requirements while minimizing operating costs. The building described by this program embraces a variety of anticipated future needs by planning multiple integrated options for expansion. This planned flexibility provides highly cost effective targeted expansion with minimal disruption of library service. Cost control has been an important part of the building program modification. Adjustments from the original building program should reduce the increase in building operating costs from those of the current Central Library by more than 50%. The next step in the project process is to identify an architectural firm and its consultants to comprise a building design team to continue the project through schematic design, design development and creation of construction documents. A request for qualifications (RFQ) will be used to select the building design team. The City will retain HBM as its library consultant throughout the design phase and the preparation of construction documents to help ensure that the intent and efficiencies identified in the building program are realized by the building design. The adopted 2011-2020 CIP includes $18,000,000 in 2014 and $12,000,000 in 2015 for this project. Gabel asked if Public Works factored the potential energy cost savings with the new library? Berner replied that they did factor this cost by looking at usage between the library and Century II along with a few other factors. She added that because the current library is so energy inefficient, public works has to start heat and cooling several weeks prior than they would have to for Century II each season. Gabel also asked if the library staff cuts were only central library staff or if it included other library branches. Berner responded that it included all library branches. Whitmer asked how much is being requested for this project. Berner replied that the amount requested for this project is $30 million, but it may be less than this once we are able to complete a building design. It was also noted that the further this project is delayed, the more expensive it will be due to inflation of material and labor costs. It was calculated that the library would cost about $101/person/year, but Underwood pointed out that the new facility would continue to meet the community’s needs for 50 years or more. Underwood commented that he likes that the new library design will have doors out towards McLean giving easy access to patrons who use the transit system. Underwood then asked what will happen to the old library building if the new one is built. Berner said that the City Council will have to decide the future use of that building. Underwood also asked if the new building will be energy efficient? Berner responded that the new building would certainly be energy efficient at some level in order to be good stewards of money and cost efficient. Whitmer asked how it was estimated that we will get $4 for every $1 invested in the library. Berner replied that this figure is from a model developed by a Maine library. This model looks at the number of items borrowed without customers having to pay, questions answered without a fee and programs attended. Therefore this figure does not reflect an amount of revenue generated, but rather return on investment. Gabel remarked that it is hard to calculate return on investment and that we should look at building by West High to give students a premier learning environment with access to valuable educational materials. The parking could also be shared. McManamey asked if West High was vacated. He was told it was not. It is Southeast High that is vacated and it is ten miles away from the current library. Gabel added that with the construction of the new airport terminal the City’s debt service is continuing to grow which makes it hard to continue to provide basic core City services. He further commented that if we are going to build the new library we need to wait until 2020. One citizen present stated that the arena and airport serve middle and upper class citizens, but the library serves everyone. Gabel also said that the property the library will be built on is the last piece of property along the river that could have been privately developed. Berner stated that a central location and centralized services are important to library patrons and the property selected for the new library to be built is one of the only spaces large enough in the downtown area to accommodate the new building. McManamey said that he does not feel that a library is the best use of the proposed site, but that it is a better alternative than the present site. Boman stated that he is unsure of the importance of the central library with the advance of technology and asked what makes the central library different from branch libraries? Berner stated that the central library has specialized and more extensive collections than that of the branch libraries, including microform. She added that you may be able to get current material on the internet, but not older materials due to copyright laws. Ed Koon, 235 S Nevada, said that he served on the library board when this issue came before the Board. He said that the decision to build a new library was not an easy or quick decision, but feels that this is the best option to best serve the community. It provides central access to library services to everyone. Furthermore, Koon said that the revised building plan is a good one because it starts on a smaller scale and can expand as needed. He stated that we need to put our money where our priorities are. Josh Blick, 2035 S Everett, asked how many visitors the central library had verses all of the other branches combined. Berner said that the total number of patrons for all library branches combined is slightly higher than the central library. Blick stated that visiting the central library with his family was a concern due to the drug and prostitution activity he has heard is taking place there and asked how this will change with the new library. A citizen present also said that she had read an article in the Wichita Eagle regarding problems with the homeless camping out at the library. Berner responded that they have had these issues to contend with at the current library. The broken up building layout allows for such activities to go unmonitored and unnoticed at times. The new library design will be very open and help to eliminate these unwanted activities and allow staff to more effectively and efficiently monitor these things. Blick also asked if the new Library would need a retention pond as is required of private construction? Berner stated that according to our storm water engineer the new library would not be required to provide detention, since the Arkansas River has the excess flood capacity. However the library will be required to provide water quality (WQ) treatment to remove trash and sediment from the storm water runoff prior to entering the river. The method and means of WQ treatment can vary and likely will not be noticeable to the public. John Newland, asked what the cost differential between a new library and remodeling the old one would be. Berner stated that a new library is currently estimated to cost $30 million and a remodel of the current library would be about $22.6 million. Newland also asked what the land value is of the proposed site of the new library. Berner said that the land was purchased in 2008 and that she is not sure of the purchase price. Newland also asked how much parking the current library has and new library would have. Berner replied that the current library has about 28 parking spaces and the new one is estimated to probably have about 3 parking spaces per 1,000 square feet which would be about 300 parking spaces. Josh Blick, 2035 S Everett, also inquired if southeast Wichita has a library branch. Berner replied that Linwood Branch library is in that area. Bailey asked if there were any other public meetings on this discussion. Berner stated that this issue will be heard at the District Advisory Board 1 and 3 meetings in the coming week and at the City Council meeting next Tuesday, July 9. Gabel stated that he would like a new library, but that it is not reasonable at this time. Goolsby said that he is also in favor of a new library, but the cost is too high and asked why it will cost so much to build. Berner commented that libraries have different structural needs to hold all of the materials that it houses which contributes to the significant construction cost. Pochek added that libraries are a valuable resource, but that we need to consider our debt service and also see exactly how much this will cost once we have a building design completed. Sharon Ailslieger, Vice President of the League of Women Voters, stated that the League of Women Voters studied and researched this issue before supporting a new library. She further commented that not everything will be able to be digitized and that we will still need libraries in the future and need to consider what we will leave our future generations. Wilhite and Bailey stated that libraries add to the quality of life of a community and that we owe it to future citizens to leave them a nice facility such as the one proposed. Bennett said that she is completely in support of a new library. Whitmer suggested that this decision be put to a public vote and let the citizens decide. Action Taken: Provided feedback. 6. CUP2013 – 00019 Neil Strahl, Planning, presented a City CUP Major Amendment to permit Recreation and Entertainment, Outdoor in LC Limited Commercial ("LC") DP 71, generally located north of Kellogg and east of I-235. The applicant was also present to answer questions. The Board made the following comments: (Mr. Strahl’s responses are in italics) • Why are these changes being requested now? Right now there is a 48 hour per month time limit for these events. With the changes, the event time could be extended, attracting more and larger events and citizen traffic. • Include additional lighting requirements to meet those required by law enforcement. • The staff report indicates that there are no speakers or amplifiers allowed, but the events planned for this area will probably use them. • Consider putting temporary signage up indicating that there are no vehicle sales allowed.  • Requested clarification on who would be responsible for the parking analysis. The applicant. • Requested clarification that based upon the food and beverage stipulations stated in the report that an event such as a summer long concert series would not be allowed. An event such as a summer concert series would still not be permitted under these new changes. • Requested correction of some typing errors and other inconsistencies in the staff report prior to MAPC presentation to make sure both the City and applicant are protected under these new guidelines. Staff will revise the report with these suggestions before being presented to MAPC. Action Taken: (Whitmer/Gabel) recommend approval of the request with the conditions listed in the staff report and with the understanding that the issues in the staff report mentioned above be resolved before this request is presented to MAPC . Motion passed 8-0-2 (Pochek/Goolsby.) OLD BUSINESS 7. No items were submitted. BOARD AGENDA 8. Board Updates and Issues CM Blubaugh explained that he may have a scheduling conflict for the August 5 DAB meeting and that it may be rescheduled. He will let the Board know in a couple of weeks. 9. Adjournment With no further business, the meeting adjourned at 8:40 p.m.