1986-05-27 - Laserfiche WebLink

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I I I Council Meeting Minutes May 27, 1986 Council Business, continued Rutherford reviewed staff report concerning the requested changes to old downtown area street project by residents and St. John's Church. Brandt questioned the current width of Third Avenue between Eighth Street and Ninth Street; Rutherford reported it is twenty feet. Brandt asked for confirmation that none of the proposals would be to cut any deficiences; Rutherford stated the recommended proposal would be to leave it as it is, with no improvement. Gunderman asked about the Park and Recreation Department's perspective; Anderson stated there is some precedent for closing streets for park use in the face of much opposition and that staff had received no complaints once such streets had been closed. Gunderman asked if the closing of the street would make it possible to have a full-sized ball diamond; Anderson stated it would, plus there would be sufficient space for buffering by the diamond and St. John's. Schmidt asked what the timing of any development is for Veterans Park; Anderson stated that if a decision is not made very soon, the City will not have time to advertise for bids, get the plans and specifications drawn, contracts awarded, and construction (grading and seeding) done by this fall. Schmidt stated that as much as he would like to bring order and certainty to the neighbors regarding improvements on the park, still believes deferring construction and approval on the park plan at this time is best; and believes deferring a decision on the vacation of the street is also in order, although, given everything he has seen in the staff report, ultimately the deci- sion should be to vacate the street to maximize the total utili- zation of the park and for the benefit of the entire neighborhood. Believes tonight's decision should be to put everyone on notice that it may well be that the best decision is to vacate Third Avenue, but sees no reason to do that if the City is not going to go ahead and make a decision on the park within the next few weeks. Brandt also felt it would be premature to approve park plans at this point, not having enough direction as to the how the rest of the area is going to develop and not being totally comfortable with all of the things that are presently being proposed for what is a relatively small piece of property. Page Three Old Downtown Area Street Project: Addressed Changes as Requested by Residents and St. John's Church Report 86-121