August 12, 2009 – Meeting Minutes
Posted by hchristmas on November 22nd, 2009 filed in Meeting MinutesLiberty Wells Community Council Meeting
August 12, 2009 Minutes, recorded by holly christmas
7PM – Call to order and quorum
A quorum was present
Present: DeWitt Smith, Steve Hunt, holly christmas, Charles Robbins, Joe DeGooyer, Shawn Porter, Don Roylance, Jim Fisher, Wayne Howcroft, Marilyn Oblad
Absent, excused: Devin Howells, Jeff Bair
Review of minutes from July 2009, recorded by holly christmas
Minutes approved
Introduction of guests, new members and liaisons to LWCC
New member, Cathy Pollak
Old Business
Officers’ Reports
Chairman, DeWitt Smith
Salt Lake City Community Network:
Goals:
Strengthen voice of community so that no group has to go it alone on issues with broader scope.
Create a band of Community Councils to present concerns to City.
Currently being formed, DeWitt has met with group a few times so far.
Life on State:
Project to revamp State Street throughout the valley, affecting multiple cities and communities.
http://www.lifeonstate.org
Upcoming Meeting with Mayor Ralph Becker:
DeWitt asked for question submissions for his upcoming meeting with the Mayor.
Treasurer, Steve Hunt
~$10 in CC account
Secretary, holly christmas
Received mailing addresses on Aug. 10. Will be working to combine the multiple lists and clean up data.
Committee Report: Safety: Mobile Watch, Drug Activity
Mobile Watch is ‘alive and well’. A couple of gang houses have popped up recently.
SLC Mobile Watch participants do not get out of the car, they relay information to police.
Committee Report: Social Events: 1st Encampment Park Celebration
Betty Eatchel reported that the celebration was a success, although not quite as many people attended as in previous years. Over 125 people participated on the hike (one 90-year old gentleman hiked in full uniform) and over 250 people were served breakfast.
Committee Report: Facilities: Streetlights, Ron Heaps Park
Jim Fisher made 2 motions:
1. To suspend the rules to allow for an immediate vote on Motion 2
2. To request that Chair Smith ask council member Jill Remington Love and Mayor Becker to allow LWCC to make a direct application for Economic Stimulus funding to be used entirely within the LWCC boundaries for the repair of streets, street lights, curb and gutter and sidewalk replacement. In the event that direct application is not allowed, request that the city work with Liberty Wells to apply for funding for projects LWCC would like to have accomplished.
Both motions passed
Committee Report: Grants and Funding: CDBG grants in progress
Jim Fisher has 2 CDBG forms ready and one in progress, will need some quotes. Applications sent in now go for 2010-2011 funds.
Form 1: $75,000 for curb and gutter repairs.
Form 2: $55,400 for Emergency Preparedness
Form 3: Historic Overlay; 90% finished
Other Old Business: Committee Chairmanships
DeWitt would like to continue to develop committee structure. Committees are where the work gets done – please sign up!
Other Old Business: Discussion
Clark’s Automotive on 1700 S 500 E has a new owner. The service station had some problems recently with zoning violations. They were selling cars, but were not zoned to do so.
Life on State: Shawn Porter has been attending the Life on State workshops, charrettes and presentations. The Planning Center is heading this project and is seeking input from residents and businesses. The Life on State website: http://lifeonstate.org has more information on meetings as well as a survey for input.
New Business
Service Recognition
Shawn McDonough presented Jim Fisher with an award for service recognition from Mayor Becker and his office staff.
Mayor’s Office Report: Shawn McDonough
Hot Topics: Public Safety Building, One-on-One meetings with the Mayor, Mayor’s chat at Piñon Café, Public Comment on proposed Non-Discrimination Ordinance, Tuesday Evening Farmers Market
Chris Herrmann asked if the mayor & council will be touring communities again like they did last year. Shawn did not believe they would be; the chats and one-on-one meetings are being used to become acquainted with citizens.
Marilyn Oblad volunteered to go to the Mayor’s breakfast in DeWitt’s place this month as he would be unable to attend.
City Council District 5 Report: Jill Remington Love
No updates.
Police Department Report: Det. Tom Potter
Eleven arrests have been made in the neighborhood since the last LWCC meeting due to information given to Det. Potter in the previous month’s meeting. He encourages people to call him with problems.
Since calls have gone up exponentially n the last few years, but personnel has not, calls are prioritized by severity.
Program: Salt Lake City Urban Forestry
Bill Rutherford from the Salt Lake City Urban Forestry presented on the division’s programs and challenges.
Division has 4 arborists, maintain 110 square miles of forest in the city.
The Division has been in business since 1923 and has 5 chief tasks:
1. Plant new trees
2. Remove dead, dying or structural unstable trees
3. Prune existing trees for health and safety
4. Intervene for insects and diseases that threaten the health of the forest
5. React to storm damage 24/7
Biggest threat to trees in the city is lack of water. Trees should be given 5 – 10 gallons of water per inch of trunk diameter about every 2 weeks. Deep root watering is preferred as it helps water get to roots. It is best to train trees when they are round for deep root watering. Big, old trees do not lie change, make sure you have a plan for watering them before you xeriscape your park strip.
Maples in the valley are on the decline, early intervention can save the tree. Unfortunately, many times the signs are not noticed until it is too late.
A recent survey showed that trees are declining faster than ever. From 1990 – 2000, around 450 trees were removed annually. Since 2000 almost 800 trees are having to be removed per year.
Trees are doing best where they have the most room: more water available to them and less radiation from streets and sidewalks. Because of this, Salt Lake City will now plant trees in front yards, not just park strips
Charles Robbins asked about recommended trees. The Division has a list of good utah trees provided by Utah State University on their web site.
Don Roylance asked if their web site was going to be updated soon. Bill didn’t think so, due to limited staff and resources.
Chris Herrmann asked about renowned trees. There is a Heritage Tree List on the Utah State Forestry web site.
If you have a city-maintained tree in your park strip or yard and it needs to be removed, you will also have to request a replacement if you want one.
The form for tree request is online – http://www.slcgov.com/PublicServices/Forestry, or you can call their office at 801.972.7818.
Announcements and Reminders
Meeting location may be changing in the near future. SLCC is remodeling.
Next Meeting: September 9, 2009
Adjournment
