Jimmy's Ward Report - Monday, December 22, 2008

Recycling Fees to Increase for City - The County is going to start charging us $30/ton for recycling where previously it had actually paid the City $10 for every ton brought to the recycling center. The City brings about 10 tons a month to the center so this will cost the City an extra $5,000 a year.



The reason for the increased cost is that because of the downturn in the economy there is less of a market for recycled products. The Council is concerned about where the recycled products are going and will investigate to make sure that the material is not being dumped in lieu of it being sold to a manufacturer.



The City is still committed to recycling but will look for possibly cheaper alternatives (to the recycling center) and ways to reduce the amount of recycling that is taken to the recycling facility. Recycling is still much less expensive than taking material to the dump ($50 per ton cost to the city) and obviously better for the environment.



Lack of Recycling Bins – The City has run out of recycling bins and will not be able to order more until the next fiscal year. It was pointed out that recycling materials can be put out in any useful bin or can on Fridays. You do not need to use the yellow recycling bins.



City Discusses Dissolution of Partnership with Landmark Atlantic – Landmark Atlantic wrote the Mayor and Council recommending that the City dissolve the partnership it has with the City. Landmark Atlantic\\\\\\\'s Dallas Evans wrote that as a result of the crippled economy, coupled with turbulence in the credit markets, they have not been able to assemble the properties on the North side of the 3200 block of Rhode Island Avenue.

The partnership agreement just has not worked out and the City will discuss taking the legal steps necessary to dissolve the agreement at its next work session. It became clear to everybody that the partnership was not working when the Bass property went on sale and Landmark was not able to bring any resources to the table to help in the purchase of the property and the City had to go alone in the purchase.

Even when the partnership is dissolved the Council hopes to work with Landmark as a developer who has a shared vision with the Council on how the downtown area should be developed.

New Problems With Facade Program - Representatives from the Gateway CDC told the Mayor and Council that there were new problems with finishing the facade program. This $250,000 program was to be used to install new signs and facades at a number of area business (Glut, Joe’s Movement Emporium, Island Style Ice-Cream, etc.).

Gateway was told by the County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) that because the money had not been spent by the end of 2007 it has to be returned to the EDC.



I find this incredible. I was on the Gateway Board for the last three years and met with the EDC a number of times and was never told that the money had to be spent by that date. In fact at a number of meetings we discussed our plans to finish the facade program and were encouraged by the County to move ahead as quickly as possible.



This program funded by HUD has been completely mismanaged by the EDC (and honestly by Gateway also). It taught me a lesson about reading the fine print in any memorandum of agreement.



The Mayor and Council want to see how money can be raised to finish this project, which would be very beneficial to the revitalization of our downtown area.



Another Shooting on Perry St. – There was another shooting on Perry St and 36th St. last Tuesday night. Neighbors had to hit the floor and parents have to fret about a stray bullet hitting a loved one. Nobody was hurt but we have to stop this kind of violence. It is not just the victim of the shootings that are in danger but the neighbors and the whole community. It is time for a town hall meeting to figure out how we can stop this violence in our community. I do not have answers but feel that we cannot just ignore what is going on in our City.



Liquor Store Committee Proposed – Councilman Briones has proposed the formation of a citizen committee that would meet with the liquor storeowners in our City to discuss how the liquor stores could change practices to meet some of the concerns of the residents and how to help with positive publicity to encourage residents to shop at area stores. This was only one result of the town meeting that was held last month. Since that meeting the two liquor stores downtown (Party Times and Chuck’s) have agreed not to sell to customers who are known as frequent violators of the public urination and public drinking ordinances. The police department has given each store a list of names and pictures of these repeat violators. This is a good first step. It would also be good if the stores could voluntarily limit the sale of single sales on a trial basis. The Committee is a good idea and I fully support it.



Fencing – The Council is moving toward building a fence on the alleyways on Rhode Island Ave. next to 34th St. near the bus stops. I feel this would be a good move so commuters and other residents would not have to worry about being accosted by people hiding in the alley way and also that people would not go into the alleys to urinate. The fence would have a key that would be available to the police and the neighbor businesses. The Mixed Use Town Center Committee will discuss the design of the fence in order to make sure that it fits the character of the downtown area.



Architectural Conservation Overlay Zone - I wrote in one of my previous reports that the city was asking that we be included in a new zoning area that would ensure that buildings were rehabilitated in a way which would keep with the character of the other houses in the neighborhood We recently found out that our inclusion in an Architectural Zone would mean that residents would have to get detailed site permits that would seriously delay the process of permitting and fixing up one’s house. The City has asked Councilman Campos’s office to amend the bill so that we can ensure that houses are rehabilitated in keeping with the City’s character but not to have the burden of long delays. We will let you know how this goes.



Dog Park – The Gazette reported that construction of the proposed dog park on Ager Road and Nicholson Street would start this spring. The park will cost $100,000. It will be a one-acre fenced-in park and will be free to the public. There will be a separate fenced-in area for smaller dogs. Park and Planning will maintain it but there will also be an advisory committee of volunteers to provide input on the park’s rules.



Development Studies – We heard good news that there was money in the County budget to help with development studies in our downtown area. These studies would deal with marketing, financing and parking issues in our City. These studies are critical for the further development of our city’s downtown area.



Recycling Over the Holiday Period – We have been told that public works will pick up recycling on Fridays December 26 and January 2nd. But if your recycling is not picked up on Friday (possibly because of low staffing on the post holiday Friday), it will definitely be picked up the following Monday.



On Vacation – Because of holiday plans, the next Council meeting will be the second Tuesday of the month (January 13th).



I hope everybody has a great holiday season. I am very much looking forward to 2009 and the inauguration of the new President. We have a serious crisis in our country but we have elected a President and Congress who will be working on proposals that hopefully will not only get us out of the economic recession but also work on critical issues like neighborhood revitalization and universal health care. Have a happy holiday season!!