05-27-08 Common Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

REGULAR MEETING MAY 27, 2008 Mr. Sexton advised that the purpose of the alley vacation is to allow the Women’s Care Center to expand their facility and the alley space is needed for that expansion. Mr. Sexton stated that they have had meetings with the nearby property owners and had resolved access and water runoff concerns that they had. Mr. Sexton noted that Councilmember Puzzello attended the on-site meetings with representatives from St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, the Women’s Care Center, the neighbors and the design firm, where turn-radius concerns were accommodated. He asked the Council for their favorable consideration. Mr. Mark Lablang, Architect, James Childs Architects, stated that on February 18, 2008 and February 22, 2008, stated that an actual on-site review of turning radius and access to the garages along the alley in question were made. At that time, two proposals were reviewed with the potential impact. The proposed remedy would retain 18’ feet of the existing pavement from the alley going west and along truncate at a forty-five degrees the southern end of that 18’ strip for access into an existing garage which is directly adjacent to the east property of the Family and Children’s Center. As the situation is today, access to the extension of that alley way was not aware of and thought that the alley was already vacated. The design bid and actually awarded and not brought to anyone’s attention until November of 2007 when the contractor actually mobilized onto the site. Councilmember White questioned the water runoff from the project. Mr. Sexton stated that the civil engineering of the storm water retention on the entire addition and parking lot is actually improved by the recommendation to keep that 18’ strip. First, there is an area of pavement that is being removed and green space is being put in with grass and landscaping. This area currently allows for water to run off the asphalt, with the addition they will allow for that water to be absorbed into the soft areas of landscaping. Secondly, there are several structures that are included in the area between the homeowner and the addition, that will take in any rain water that runs off over the soft area and move it towards the south and into an existing storm water device. Councilmember Puzzello questioned the accessibility to the residents of the area especially in the winter months. There is a slight incline down into the current alley, and since alleys are not plowed, this is where the concern of getting down that incline when the weather gets inclement. Mr. Sexton replied that allowing the extra 18’ of access would make turning and getting up and down the incline much more accessible. This being the time heretofore set for the Public Hearing on the above bill, proponents and opponents were given an opportunity to be heard. Mr. Bobby Williams, Women’s Care Center, 907 E. LaSalle, South Bend, Indiana, spoke in favor of this bill. Mr. Williams stated that for over 24 years the Women’s Care Center has been helping young women and children in Michiana with counseling, mentoring and with tangible assistances, cribs, car seats, diapers, formula, baby cloths, maternity cloths, etc. The Center was opened in 1984, in a small blue house on St. Louis Blvd., serving three hundred (300) women a year. Mr. Williams stated that the Care Center has grown to over sixty neighborhood center serving over nine thousand (9,000) women each year in Northern Indiana. He stated that over one-third 1/3 of all babies born in St. Joseph County, start with the Women’s Care Center. The downtown center at the Corner of Notre Dame Avenue and LaSalle Avenue is their most vital location. He noted that last year at that location over 5,000 times a young mother came through the doors looking for hope and looking for help and the Women’s Care Center was there to compassionately love and serve her. It should be noted that all the services at the Women’s Care Center are free of charge. Mr. Williams stated that the reasons that this expansion is needed is that it has come to their attention by the Indiana Department of Health, that the City of South Bend has the third worst rate in the entire state, second only to Gary, Indiana and Michigan City Indiana, of women receiving first trimester prenatal care. Specifically 36% of pregnant women do not receive first trimester prenatal care here in South Bend; this also includes 48% of African American mothers here in South Bend that do not 5