Draft minutes for May 12, 2009
Voting Members Present:
Alice Roe, Chair
Mark Homan, Rincon Heights
Peter Van Peenen, North University
Frank Soltys, Sam Hughes
J. Lisa Jones, Jefferson Park
Rick Champlin, Iron Horse
John Patterson, West University
Roger Carrillo, Ward 6
Jaime Gutierrez, OCR
Miguel Ortega, Ward 3
Voting Members Absent:
Steve Brigham, UMC
Guests:
David Heineking, PTS
Anthony Daykin, UAPD
Johanne Jensen, Greek Life
Chrissy Lieberman, ASUA
Sarah Evans, UA Community Relations
Mark Novak, Campus Planning
Ed Galda, Campus Planning
Julia Rosen, Risk Management
Kharsima Montes De Oca, CSIL
Sarah Casares, DOS
Meeting called to order at 7 p.m. by
Minutes were approved with this correction: Lisa noted that Jefferson Park is concerned about animals being dumped in the UA area. Also included is a statement she read during the Call to the Audience.
Presentation: Campus Plan Update
There is a community meeting tomorrow between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to recap the campus plan update so far. Meetings to-date will have taken place in December, January, March and May. There will be a draft plan in early June that goes to Steering Committee members and the plan goes to ABOR in August. There are three themes: Sustainability, Edges (Campus and Community; includes greenway and community partnerships) and Thinking Expansively (includes Modern Streetcar and UA presence downtown and more). The draft will be posted online at www.cfp.arizona.edu. Follow the link to the plan update.
The on-campus housing goal is to house the entire freshman class and graduate and faculty/staff housing would be nearby.
The Modern Streetcar route may go under Warren instead of Cherry. Advantages include avoiding utilities under Cherry and the intersection traffic at Speedway/Cherry. Development opportunities have been identified at several points along the streetcar route.
They are looking at solar panels on parking lot roofs to shade cars and collect power. Rooftops will also collect rainwater.
Different precincts in the plan were described and discussed. Needs change over time and it is important to remember that this is a plan and it may change. Because it includes a 20-year build out period nothing is guaranteed.
There is an area identified outside the boundary north of campus identified as a University Partner Zone (UPZ). Any development outside the boundary would be subject to special UPZ requirements and would be a flexible process where developers work with the City and UA.
If Greek Organizations are interested in moving their houses to campus, CFP is the best department to talk with about finding a location. The problem is they sometimes cannot afford it.
Discussion followed.
Election for CCRC Chair :
Alice Roe was unanimously voted as Chair for another term.
Neighborhood-City-UA reports
NUNA: Interest in new buildings that may be built in NU. Looking forward to Bulky Brush pickup.
IHNA: Still working on 4th Avenue tunnel project. They are moving the community garden to a new location. BICAS is building a fence for the garden.
WUNA: There is a proposal to build a 7-story building behind 714 N. Euclid Ave. It would be a small, tower-like building
Thanks to Johanne Jensen for responding to Kappa Alpha complaints. Is there a moratorium on building new fraternities in the neighborhoods? (Johanne will check on this).
The traffic diverters installed on 6th Ave and 2nd Ave. will be made permanent.
There will be an ice cream social next month.
They put in 67 trees last month and will put in more in the fall.
RHNA: A neighborhood planting was completed on April 18 (9th Street). UA students and WMG were helpful. They will begin 10th Street in the fall. Work on the pocket park has begun and will include water harvesting features.
They are meeting with Dr. Shelton on April 25.
The building at 7th and Warren is still suffering and the UA should maintain the homes it purchases so they contribute to the neighborhood.
There are problems with the UMC helicopter going between Cherry and Vine. (Ward 3 is also getting calls of complaint about the helicopter).
JPNA: Still working on the Bylaws.
The four traffic circles are still bare and it will be awhile until they are planted.
There is a continuing concern about mini-dorms.
SHNA: The Himmel pool free swim is Friday, July 31. The City is cutting services including park pools. They are opening one week late and closing two weeks early.
BENA: The hazardous waste collection was successful.
They had a presentation from Andrew Quigley from Environmental Services that was excellent.
Ward 6: Park Services have been cut because of budget issues. If Parks and Rec could adjust fees it would help keep pools open. It is a complicated process. Roger said it is his last meeting and he is moving to California.
Ward 3: The budget questions involve asking what the city should be responsible for funding. Karin is still concerned about the cost of bus fares.
Nina, Karin and the Mayor will thank Mortar Board, the UA and neighborhood reps at the council meeting next week.
There was a great event last Saturday: the Historic Miracle Mile tour.
OCR: The UA budget for this year has gotten worse and the final decisions on next year’s budget have yet to be made.
Thanks to Frank Soltys for participating at the Arboretum docent event.
Someone in RH is stealing rocks from the water harvesting basins at the UA sites.
FDC: The residence hall project at Euclid/6th Street begins on May 18 and the Highland/6th Street project in August.
A sewer line project affects traffic on 6th Street for up to four weeks, 24 hours a day beginning on May 26. UA will be working on 6th Street and Pima County on Cherry Ave. This will temporarily affect the haul route to the Rec Center project. It will be routed from Highland to 7th Street temporarily.
PTS: They will be working with the City on Tyndall Ave. Eventually the street between 6th and University will be reconstructed.
Off-Campus Housing: Please keep an eye out for at-risk students living in the neighborhoods who may be under stress. There are counseling services available to them.
DOS: They have had the most active year ever and are still processing incidents. They are streamlining to make sure students get the best possible services. ADVOCATS, a student group, are working to get the word out about responsible pet ownership.
Greek Life: There will be a new fraternity leasing the Kappa Alpha property next year, Tau Kappa Epsilon. Pi Kappa Alpha will also be leasing.
Percent night at the restaurants during Greek Week raised about $2000.
ASUA: Chrissy expressed thanks for the opportunity to talk through the process during the concert planning. This helps them become better stewards of the relationships with the neighborhoods.
Risk Management: Julia Rosen talked about the sound analysis that was done for the concert. Ear plugs were made available and they deployed to the neighborhoods to measure the sound levels in Sam Hughes. Levels were far below those needed to cause hearing loss, but the sound was very clear. 5th Street, east of the stadium acted as a tunnel for sound conduction.
UMC: For the month of April, UMC received 111 medical helicopter flights, compared to 145 last month and 146 a year ago. There were five observed violations of the no-fly zone this month. All five were attributed to high wind speeds at the time. We also had a problem with one particular service landing on the pad without prior notification. The flight manager for the service was contacted and will re-educate his staff on appropriate procedures. We had no other problems and no complaints concerning helicopter operations for this month. If there are any questions or concerns about a specific helicopter flight, please contact Harry Kirlin through UMC Security at 694-6533.
Steve could not attend but he sent a full written report which was passed around and is on file.
Future Agenda Items
TBD
Announcements
None
Call to the Audience
J. Lisa Jones strongly encouraged the U of A Administration to become much more pro-active in educating students about the need for responsibility in caring for animals they adopt. Suggested message: “If you’re thinking of adopting an animal ~
Alternatives to adoption for animal companionship:
Ø Fostering animals in need;
Ø Dog walking @ Pima Animal Care, or the So. AZ Humane Society;
Ø Volunteering at animal shelters;
Necessary education for those who do adopt:
· Spaying & Neutering
· Immunizations
· Licensing
· The amount time & energy it takes for humane animal care.
There needs to be much more effective ways of reaching students. Just one idea would be having flyers which could be included in Orientation material, put in dorms, libraries, the Student Union, et al..
There is a tremendous need for conscientiousness-raising about the heartbreaking plight of these animals who are adopted, then irresponsibly abandoned -- something that happens year in and year out as students move on. Abandoning animals is cruel. These animals often thirsty, hungry, hit by cars & left to die, or are picked up by Pima Animal Care where their destiny is an ugly, fearful experience, or often death. Note: Abusing animals is a felony in the State of Arizona. (See: ARS13-2910 Cruelty to Animals; Interference with Working or Service Animal; Classification; Definitions.)
Students must learn to take responsibility for their actions, especially if their actions impact negatively on vulnerable, innocent beings.
Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 9:25 p.m.
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