Minutes 2/17/15

February 17, 2015

Minutes

p	Michael Livingston, Chair	a	Woody Dukes	p	Bruce Hoffman
p	Sarah Owens, Sect’y	e	Bob Hanna	e	Rebekah Engle
p	Erma Hoffman, Treasurer	a	Brock Campbell

p=present a=absent e=excused

Residents: Mark Wigg, David Dahle, Neal Kern

Organizations: Scott Bigham, ​First Christian Church​ (for Bob Hanna); City/County Representatives: Amy Dixon, Salem Community Development

Department, ​Planning Division​; Officer Jason Vanmeter, Salem Police Department;

Councilor Bennett, Salem City Council

Guests: Joe and Cindy Meduri

The regular meeting of the CanDo Board of Directors was called to order at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 17, 2015, at the First Christian Church at 685 Marion Street NE, Salem.

Michael Livingston was in the chair and Sarah Owens was secretary.

The agenda and the minutes of the January meeting were approved as amended by the Chair by unanimous consent.

Officer Vanmeter reported on the Downtown Enforcement team’s efforts to connect homeless residents with emergency services and the upgrade of the cameras in the Parkades from analog to digital.

Councilor Bennett responded to questions about Salem Keizer Education Foundation’s (SKEF) request​ to apply for a grant under the Capital Improvement Program by reiterating remarks he made at the February 9, 2015 meeting of the Urban Renewal Agency (beginning ~00:25:00), adding that the annual property tax on the Starkey-McCully building was a “minuscule” amount. He then reported that there would be a public hearing on the Street Light and Utility Fee ​Proposal​ on February 23 and explained in response to a question that the proposed additional charge to residents’ utility bills was a fee, not a tax, and was not part of a trend of cost-shifting services that formerly were included in the City’s budget, it was “just something that’s gone on for a number of years.” As an aside, he expressed concern about the equity of

“flat taxes”, saying they are “very tricky.” He reported that ​Budget Committee​ meetings would begin April 15 and continue for several successive Wednesdays, and invited residents to attend and share their concerns. He mentioned the effort to create a ​bike boulevard​ in downtown, the Council Goal Setting meeting to take place on February 18, and the many vacancies on the City’s boards and commissions. Finally, in answer to a question, he reported that a search committee for a new City Manager had been appointed, and would be attempting to find a candidate who would “repeat qualities” of the current City Manager Linda Norris, who is retiring in March, and is appreciated for, among other things, her steadiness, good financial sense, and diplomacy. He said he expected the committee would have difficulty finding a suitable replacement.

Interested citizen Mark Wigg offered brief remarks about his efforts to create a year-round farmer’s market at the north end of the transit mall, similar to Seattle’s ​Pike Place​, to include bike rental services and food carts.

City Planner Amy Dixon gave an overview of proposed amendments to ​SRC 900​ (Sign Code) that would permit signs currently allowed under Historic Landmarks Commission guidelines, but prohibited by the code, when the signs reproduce a historic feature of a building and constitute a “substantially contributing factor” of the building. The US Bank sign on the Ladd

& Bush Building (302 State Street) was cited as an example of a sign that would ​not be considered “substantially contributing.” If the community’s response to the proposal proves to be generally positive, proposed amendments will be drafted and circulated, and if all goes well, the legislative process completed some time in July.

Bruce Hoffman’s motion to support the proposed amendments to SRC 900 and Sarah Owens’s motion to demonstrate that support through a letter from the Chair to the Mayor and City Council on behalf of the Board both passed unanimously.

In closing, the Chair announced that CanDo had been awarded the grant from the Salem Park

Improvement Fund and would soon be applying for additional funding for the project from the Salem Parks Foundation, and the Treasurer announced that she had recently inspected the bike repair station at Riverfront Park and found it to be in good order despite regular use.

The meeting of the Board of Directors adjourned at 7:00 p.m.

Interested citizen Mark Wigg offered brief remarks about his efforts to create a year-round farmer’s market at the north end of the transit mall, similar to Seattle’s Pike Place, to include bike rental services and food carts.    

City Planner Amy Dixon gave an overview of proposed amendments to SRC 900 (Sign Code) that would permit signs currently allowed under Historic Landmarks Commission guidelines, but prohibited by the code, when the signs reproduce a historic feature of a building and constitute a “substantially contributing factor” of the building.  The US Bank sign on the Ladd & Bush Building (302 State Street) was cited as an example of a sign that would not be considered “substantially contributing.”  If the community’s response to the proposal proves to be generally positive, proposed amendments will be drafted and circulated, and if all goes well, the legislative process completed some time in July.    

Bruce Hoffman’s motion to support the proposed amendments to SRC 900 and Sarah Owens’s motion to demonstrate that support through a letter from the Chair to the Mayor and City Council on behalf of the Board both passed unanimously.

In closing, the Chair announced that CanDo had been awarded the grant from the Salem Park Improvement Fund and would soon be applying for additional funding for the project from the Salem Parks Foundation, and the Treasurer announced that she had recently inspected the bike repair station at Riverfront Park and found it to be in good order despite regular use.

The meeting of the Board of Directors adjourned at 7:00 p.m.