|
REGULAR MEETING March 25, 2019
<br /> given. That was presented by Pam Meyer, and,thanks to the Mayor's Office in helping coordinate
<br /> that. Those will be available as soon as the minutes are compiled for the public. Or,you can email
<br /> me.
<br /> PRIVILEGE OF THE FLOOR
<br /> Sharon Banicki, 3822 Ford Street, South Bend, IN, stated, I brought some pictures for you
<br /> (available in the City Clerk's Office). While I'm grateful I was chosen last year for my sidewalk
<br /> and curbs to be fixed, the sidewalk is already cracking and so are the curbs and I don't know what
<br /> can be done. They didn't do the whole sidewalk and I'm not sure why they didn't. There are also
<br /> pictures to show that I'm in the middle of a very long block and mine is the only one(1) done and
<br /> it sticks out like a sore thumb and it looks silly when you just pick and chose one (1) amongst the
<br /> others. I'm hoping something can be done to fix what's already coming apart.If it's already coming
<br /> apart in six (6) months, it's obviously not going to last long and I'm sure that's not what the City
<br /> intends. My next thing is this million-dollar boombox. I know you guys are going to say it's not a
<br /> million dollars, yet, but it will be. I was there in the 2017 budget when it was approved. It was
<br /> supposed to be a $600,000 expenditure motorhome vehicle. Aaron was going to talk to people in
<br /> Elkhart, a five(5) year lease. Granted, in 2018, I didn't attend every budget hearing. I was playing
<br /> with my grandbaby. Shame on me for picking family before budget. But, now it is up to $660,000
<br /> coming out of North Carolina.That doesn't even include the trips for transportation back and forth,
<br /> the time that's been spent on this boombox and everything else. I don't know how it blew up from
<br /> where it was to what it is now, but somebody needs to be held accountable for it and questions
<br /> need to be answered. Thank you.
<br /> Jason Banicki, 3822 Ford Street, South Bend, IN, stated, Mine is going to be fairly short and
<br /> simple. As I've been walked neighborhoods, I keep getting one(1) common complaint and that is
<br /> that the vacant lots have turned into dumping grounds. Neighbors call code, it gets cleaned up, and
<br /> then it's a dumping ground again. I don't know why this continues to happen, given that we have
<br /> a really nice hazardous waste program in South Bend where you can take these things and dump
<br /> them. It is actually kind of forward-thinking. So, I guess the challenge is how we get that message
<br /> out to people in the neighborhoods. How do we use our power to ask, look, why dump in an empty
<br /> lot, risk being fined and make the neighborhood look worse when you can go over there, dump
<br /> free of charge and everybody's better off? Thank you.
<br /> Bill Stranz, 1818 South Olive Street, South Bend, IN, stated, I'm from Bill's Auto Shop. I'm
<br /> having a little problem with the City Engineers and the Lawson Fisher Engineers. There is going
<br /> to be no parking when they get done redoing South Olive Street. That street is going to one (1)
<br /> lane each way. I've got a business out there. I've been out there for fifty-five (55) years. When
<br /> they get done, I won't have any parking in front of my business. I have very little parking other
<br /> than a fenced lot that is fifty (50) feet wide on the side of my shop, and a ten (10) feet wide
<br /> driveway on the south side of my shop. I'm trying to get some kind of parking, whether we move
<br /> the gate back that's in the front of the building,move it back and make a parking lot on the side. I
<br /> don't know what the City's recommendations are. If you need to have a paved parking lot or what.
<br /> I've been talking to Welsh and Kelly and they're getting together with me to get a price on paving.
<br /> They are talking about$19,000 to put a fence from the front to the back and side lot,roughly forty
<br /> (40)or fifty(50) feet back. They are just moving the front fence with the gate in it back in the side
<br /> lot. That is going to go back probably around forty(40)or fifty(50) feet but the price on the fence,
<br /> I've called three(3)fence companies this last week. One(1)of them told me it would be the middle
<br /> of April before they can even get out there and give me a quote on it. A guy came out today and
<br /> was supposed to get back with me, but they are looking at probably about $5,000 to move that
<br /> back. I also have an electric fence. I have a dog at the shop and I have an electric fence put in that's
<br /> got a wire across the front so that the dog can't go out the front door when we're working there.
<br /> The overhead door is in the front of the shop and we usually have that open to get air in there
<br /> during the summer time. A guy quoted me a figure of roughly four to five hundred dollars ($400 -
<br /> $500)but he hasn't sent me a written proposal yet. So, this is my problem. Also, in the meantime,
<br /> the Rideaway Jones from Fort Wayne comes up, and, now,this all started in January. I tried to get
<br /> together with them in January. The City Engineer couldn't make it out for the first (1S)
<br /> appointment because he had leg surgery or something, hip surgery, and he was afraid he might
<br /> 6
<br />
|