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REGULAR MEETING JULY 25, 2011 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />one is to take down the existing growing house that was built in the 1920’s it is no longer <br />functionable, it is actually unsafe to really be in there to do any pollination because of the <br />condition of some of the ninety year old plus frame that is holding some of the glass in <br />there and the heating system is antiquated and not properly functioning and certainly not <br />efficient enough to be using. He stated that what they propose to do with the 1.2 million <br />dollars is to invest in the infrastructure of the conservatories that were so graciously <br />donated almost 50 years ago by the families mentioned earlier who lived in South Bend. <br />He stated that they feel as a department and city entity that they owe it to the community <br />and to these generous families to maintain the facilities and upgrade them so that they can <br />provide the same type of enjoyment and use that they have provided for the last 50 years. <br />He stated that they know without doing the upgrade at the conservatories that it will <br />ultimately end up being closed. He stated that if they don’t do something right away, <br />they will be in the same situation as the growing house is in right now. He asked the <br />Council for their favorable consideration. <br /> <br />Councilmember Henry Davis asked who the city consults with on the conditions of the <br />various facilities that the city owned. <br /> <br />Mr. St. Clair advised that on the conservatory they worked with Kil Architecture and <br />Tom Keller Engineering. <br /> <br />Councilmember Oliver Davis asked if they inspected all the buildings that were <br />mentioned in Mr. St. Clair’s presentation. <br /> <br />Mr. St. Clair stated that they have used other architecture and engineering firms on other <br />facilities. <br /> <br />Councilmember White asked what the timeline of this project if this bill is passed. <br /> <br />Mr. St. Clair stated that the timeline is the most critical piece of this bill. He stated that if <br />this bill is approved this evening it takes a certain amount of time to get it through the <br />Park Board in terms of the bids that are required to do the work. He stated that they <br />would certainly like to get the heating portion, being that they have to demolish the <br />existing growing house to get access to the heating system and have a new system in <br />place before the weather gets too cold this winter. So right now they are at a critical time <br />as far as the time line goes to try to have the heating system in before it gets too cold. <br /> <br />This being the time heretofore set for the Public Hearing on the above, bill, proponents <br />and opponents were given the opportunity to be heard. <br /> <br />The following individuals spoke in favor of the bill: <br /> <br />Jennifer Feeney, Kil Architecture, 1126 Lincolnway East, South Bend, Indiana, gave a <br />brief overview of the project. She stated that they are proposing to remove the existing <br />growing greenhouses and provide a new connection to the conservatories with a new <br />vestibule and new entry, a new driveway and parking. She stated that there currently is <br />not a lot of off-street parking. She stated that they would like to make a connection to the <br />unity gardens, kids’ kingdom, the park and the zoo. The proposed addition is 50 x 32 feet <br />and includes handicapped accessible restrooms, a potting room and mechanical support <br />for the entire facility. She stated that in order to get the mechanical systems to work <br />correctly the existing greenhouses have to come down in order to run the mechanical <br />systems through that area. She stated that a grant for the electrical upgrades have already <br />been secured for the project and they will help facilitate new lighting and power <br />throughout the building for the numerous events that have been coming up. She stated <br />that they have had a large increase in the number of people coming through the building <br />and that they are scheduling more and more events at the conservatory. She stated that <br />there are currently computer servers from the University of Notre Dame that are on site <br />that provide supplemental heat to the building. At this time, they don’t necessarily have a <br />commitment from the University of Notre Dame to continue this partnership and are <br />currently looking into building a larger server system at the conservatory. She stated that <br />it is still a possibility that they might be able to do at a future time. She stated that at the <br /> 3 <br /> <br />