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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/15/1960'FEB 1.5 1960 CITY STAFF PRESENT - Administrative Officer Miller, City Attorney Houser, City Engineer Romero, Water Superintendent Thompson, Police Chief Schofield, Fire Chief Schlobohm and City Clerk Fitzpatrick Minutes for the special called meeting and regular meeting of February 1, 1960, were approved as presented. Approval of Claims against the city for the month of February, 1960, were approved on motion of Kenneth W. Jones, seconded by J. Barry Smith, subject to the final approval of the Administrative Officer. COMMUNICATIONS 1. Report of the County Boundary Commission on the matter of the annexation of the Industrial Tract to the City of San Luis Obispo. Mr. Harold Kiaerbye presented a petition for annexation of the property approved by the County Boundary Commission to the City of San Luis Obispo. Mr. Romero, City Engineer, presented a copy of the approved map of the annexation for the City Council's information. The City Council discussed the annexation and the -boundary as presented. ` RESOLUTION N0. 633 (1960 Series), "A Resolution Giving Notice of Proposed Annexation to City of San Luis Obispo of Uninhabited Territory Herein and Designated 'Industrial Annexation,' and Giving Notice of Time and Place for Hearing of Protests Thereto" was passed and adopted on motion of Gerald W. Shipsey, seconded by J. Barry Smith on the following roll call vote: AYES: Kenneth W. Jones, Donald Q. Miller, Gerald W.-Shipsey, J. Barry Smith, Fred M. Waters NOES: None ABSENT: None ' 2. Discussion of sale of surplus pumping equipment in connection with the Dalidio water lease. Mr. Miller, Administrative Officer, reported to the Council that under the provisions of the lease for the Dalidio wells, that the City has been notified that 30 days after termination they must remove any property still existing, or lose same. Therefore, Mr. Thompson, Water Superin- tendent, was instructed to get quotations for removal of said pumps from the Dalidio property.. The following quotations were received: Paulsons Wrecking & Salvage Westside Auto'Wreckine: Item 1 $82.50 - $72.00 Item 2 62.00 22.00 ORDINANCE NO. 152 (1960;Series), "An Ordinance Selling Personal Property to Paulson's Wrecking and Salvage" was introduced and passed to print on motion of J. Barry Smith, seconded by Gerald W. Shipsey, on the following roll call vote: AYES: Kenneth W. Jones, Donald Q. Miller, Gerald W. Shipsey, J. Barry Smith, Fred M. Waters NOES: None ABSENT: None 3. City Administrative Officer requested authority to call for informal bids on exit lights and panic bolts, etc. Administrative Officer Miller reported that these items, panic bolts and exit lights, were approved at the last budget along with the improvements to the Planning Director's office and the City Attorney's office, but that based on estimates at this time, the funds will be .short for instal- lation of these items and Mr. Miller wished to make the Council aware that additional funds would be needed to complete the installation. t Lb I 1yb91 Authority was granted to call for bids on motion of J. ..Barry Smith, seconded by Donald Q. Miller on the following roll call vote: AYES: Kenneth W. Jones, Donald Q. Miller, Gerald W. Shipsey, J. Barry Smith, Fred M. Waters NOES: None ABSENT: None 6 0 T The City Council discussed the over -all problems involved in the construc- tion-of the Whale Rock Dam, particularly the matter of.the increase in costs in construction of the dam and various means of reviewing change or- ders, etc. Mayor Waters suggested that possibly the City Council should employ an outside engineer to review the work on the dam to see if any economies could be achieved so as to keep the dam construction within the limits of funds available. The Council discussed the matter of a personal inspection of the dam with members of the city staff in order to get a first hand look at the situation at Whale Rock. PUBLIC HEARING - 8 PM At this time the Mayor opened thepublic hearing as advertised on the appeal from the decision of the Planning Commission, denying the request for re- zoning from R -2 to M of three parcels of land on the east side of Broad St. owned by George Hodgins, Martin Polin and Donald Q. Miller. The City Clerk read the.letter from the Planning Commission denying the request to rezone from R -2 to M. The City Clerk also read the minutes of the Planning Commission - meeting of January 1, 1960,• at which time the rezoning.was denied. Acting Planning Director, David F. Romero, presented a sketch map of the 1 area in question, showing the present zoning on Broad Street and requested changes. Mr. Hodgins appeared before the Council for a change in zoning so that he can realize something from his property. Mr. Hodgins further stated that he would be willing to donate any land necessary for future street widening on Broad Street. Maftin Polin appeared before the Council stating that he had attempted to make use of the land in the R -2 and had been unable to do so and he urged that the Council change the zoning to M. He also stated he would be willing to donate the necessary land for street widening, if necessary. 4. Bulletin from the League of California Cities regarding the federal census of April 1, 1960, was received and filed. 5. Communication from Patricia J. Clark, Librarian, regarding gift of money from the Soroptimist Club to- purchase childrens' books. The City Council accepted the gift to the City on behalf of the library and requested that a letter be prepared thanking the Soroptimist Club for their thoughtfullness. 6. RESOLUTION NO. 634 (1960 Series), "A Resolution Increasing the'1959 -60 Budget" (increase street material & supplies by $10,000 and Library Trust Fund by $500) was passed and adopted on motion of Gerald W. Shipsey, secon- ded by J. Barry Smith on the following roll call vote: AYES: Kenneth W. Jones, Donald Q.-Miller, Gerald W. Shipsey, ^': J. Barry Smith and Fred M. Waters < NOES: None ABSENT: None 7. Report of Councilman Kenneth W. Jones and Administrative Officer Richard D. Miller before the California State Water Commission regarding application for loan under the Davis - Grunsky Act was received and filed. The City Council discussed the over -all problems involved in the construc- tion-of the Whale Rock Dam, particularly the matter of.the increase in costs in construction of the dam and various means of reviewing change or- ders, etc. Mayor Waters suggested that possibly the City Council should employ an outside engineer to review the work on the dam to see if any economies could be achieved so as to keep the dam construction within the limits of funds available. The Council discussed the matter of a personal inspection of the dam with members of the city staff in order to get a first hand look at the situation at Whale Rock. PUBLIC HEARING - 8 PM At this time the Mayor opened thepublic hearing as advertised on the appeal from the decision of the Planning Commission, denying the request for re- zoning from R -2 to M of three parcels of land on the east side of Broad St. owned by George Hodgins, Martin Polin and Donald Q. Miller. The City Clerk read the.letter from the Planning Commission denying the request to rezone from R -2 to M. The City Clerk also read the minutes of the Planning Commission - meeting of January 1, 1960,• at which time the rezoning.was denied. Acting Planning Director, David F. Romero, presented a sketch map of the 1 area in question, showing the present zoning on Broad Street and requested changes. Mr. Hodgins appeared before the Council for a change in zoning so that he can realize something from his property. Mr. Hodgins further stated that he would be willing to donate any land necessary for future street widening on Broad Street. Maftin Polin appeared before the Council stating that he had attempted to make use of the land in the R -2 and had been unable to do so and he urged that the Council change the zoning to M. He also stated he would be willing to donate the necessary land for street widening, if necessary. 308 _ fBB 15 113U All three petitioners stated they would gladly accept the S classification on the M zone for the front portions of their respective properties. ORDINANCE NO. 153 (1960 Series), !'An Ordinance Rezoning Property on Broad from R -2 to -Ms and M" (George Hodgins) was introduced and passed to print on motion of J. Barry Smith, seconded by Donald Q. Miller on the following roll call vote: AYES: Kenneth W. Jones, Donald Q. Miller, Gerald W. Shipsey, J. Barry Smith, Fred M. Waters NOES: None ABSENT: None Councilman Donald Q. Miller left the meeting at this time. ORDINANCE NO. 154 (1960 Series), "An Ordinance Rezoning Property on Broad from R -2 to MS and M" (Martin Polin) was introduced and passed to print on motion of J. Barry Smith, seconded by Gerald W.•Shipsey on the following roll call vote: AYES: Kenneth W. Jones, Gerald W. Shipsey, J. Barry Smith, Fred M. Waters NOES: None ABSENT: Donald Q. Miller ORDINANCE NO. 155 (1960 Series), "An Ordinance Rezoning Property on Broad from R -2 to MS and M'' (Donald Q. Miller) was introduced and passed to print on motion of J. Barry Smith, seconded by Kenneth W. Jones on the following roll call vote: AYES: Kenneth W. Jones, Gerald W. Shipsey, J. Barry Smith, Fred M. Waters NOES: None ABSENT: Donald Q. Miller Councilman Miller took his seat.at this time. ' The Mayor declined a recess at 8:50 PM The meeting reconvened at 9:00 PM 8. Communication ;from Lindero Investment Company.requesting acceptance by the City of Tract 138. Mr. Romero, City Engineer, recommended to the Council that they accept the off -site improvements for Tract 138. Final adoption held over to the next meeting per Council policy. 9. Communication from the Civil Air Patrol asking that the City donate the used Police and Fire Department radios for their use. Communication received and filed as there are no radios surplus at.this time or anticipated-in the future. 10. The following salary step increases were approved on motion of Kenneth W. Jones, seconded by Donald Q. Miller to be effective March,l, 1960: REMA J. -BRIER - Stenographer - from step 2, $280 to step 3, $295 per month. 1 JAMES W. NORTON - Police Officer - from step 1, $268 to step 2, $390 per month. 11. Communication from the FeatherRiver Project. Association requesting partici- pation and financial assistance by the City of San Luis-Obispo -- referred to Administrative Officer Miller to see what fees have been charged other cities for supporting this program. 12. City Attorney Houser briefed for the Council a mutual aid agreement between the City of San Luis Obispo and the California Men's Colony for fire pro- i 6.V t V iJ VV " .tection. Fire Chief Schlobohm recommended that the agreement be approved.. On motion of Gerald W. Shipsey, seconded by Donald Q. Miller, the Mayor was authorized to sign the agreement. Motion carried. 13. City Engineer Romero presented a report on all known zoning violations in the city plus nonconforming uses, including garages and carports, setbacks, fences, hedges, hedges and fences in the sidewalk area, trailers, contrac- tors' yards and miscellaneous violations. Mr. Kinney, Building Inspector, presented a report regarding the following violations: t a. 1029 Walnut Street - operation of a junkyard b. Contractor's.yard at the end of Swazey Street c. Contractor's yard at 1616 Sydney Street d. Operation of a wrecking yard at 1000 Orcutt Road The City Council discussed both reports and referred Item 1, 1029 Walnut Street and Item 4, 1000 Orcutt Road in Mr. Kinney's report to the City Attorney for action. The rest.of the report was held over for further study by the City Council. 14. Councilman Smith reported to the City Council on his and Councilman Ship - sey's meeting with the City School Board regarding Mitchell Park. Coun- cilman Smith stated the school board wished the city to keep Mitchell Park and would like to work out a future trade with the school board and city for a school site or sites with the city receiving the deed to Mit- chell Park. Received and filed. 15. Report of the Public Works Department for the month of January,' 1960, was received and.filed. 16. City Engineer Romero presented the following report regarding excess sewer. capacity for Laguna Lake area: "Submitted herewith is a study prepared by Paul Adamson'concernitg prob- able" costs to provide excess capacity in a sewer trunk line and pumping system which will be constructed to serve Laguna Park Homes. Since the Council had indicated at a previous meeting that it did not agreewith my = recommendation to provide excess capacity to serve an ultimate population of 20,000 above French Road, the present study is based on an ultimate population of 52000 people above French'Road and considers only the cost ofproviding facilities up to French Road. "I wish to point out that, in any event, the subdivider is perfectly willing to provide capacity needed for his own development. We are dis- cussing only the prospect of providing capacity to serve other properties (including the city property) above French Road. In addition, the $35,000 advanced for excess capacity would be only a loan, since the city would be reimbursed as otherproperties develop. If the excess capacity is not pro- vided, iC is quite likely that no other subdivider above French Road could afford the parallel sewer facilities needed to serve his development. For `example, if the city wished to develop a recreational area on the east side of the lake with an equivalent sewer flow of 50 people per day, city .cost for excess capacity would be about $350, whereas city cost for an additional 6" sewer line, lift'station and force main to the plant will be in the neighborhood of $25,000 if the excess capacity is not provided at this time. It is my opinion that, if for no otherreason than to save city 'development cost on their own property, the city should provide for excess sewer line capacity at this time. "The subdivider has proposed to.locate the lift station at the lower limit of his first unit. As Mr. Adamson pointed out in his report, this will hot serve the ultimate needs of the area as well as a lift station located at the freeway. The location proposed by the subdivider would be consider- -.ably-'l'ess costly for him at this time (and for the city at this time if excess capacity is provided), however over the long period this location - would have higher power costs, and greater maintenance cost and time. FEB 15 196U t: "Since the subdivider's engineer cannot complete his design without,-these policy decisions, I respectfully request that the Council make the following policy decisions as soon as possible:. "1. Will the city require and pay for excess.capacity in the major sewer facilities from the sewer plant to French Rd. 112. If the excess capacity is provided, will the subdivider's engineer or a private engineer design the facilities. 113. Will the lift station location suggested by the subdivider's engineer be permitted or must the lift station be con- _. structed as recommended in the Adamson study." The City Council discussed the recommendations of Mr. Romero.and.Paul Adam son regarding sewer development in.the Laguna Lake area and contributicn by the City, if any. It was the consensus of the Council that the City hire an outside.engineer to design the pump station and trunk facilities to be paid by the..City and subdivider. Also, that the lift station be located at the site most ad- vantageous to the City. On motion of J. Barry Smith, seconded by Kenneth W. Jones, the recommenda- tions of Mr. Romero, as presented in his report, were approved. System to be designed on the basis of 5,000 population. OLD BUSINESS 1. TRAFFIC COMMITTEE REPORT: 060 -2 =3C. At the request of the City Council the Traffic Committee has taken a look at the traffic condition on the Murray Street bridge near Santa Rosa Street, We feel that withthe existing red zone on the north side of the bridge and the red zone on the curb return to the south;. there is enough room for turning movements without adding an additional red zone on the south side of Murray. Furthermore, we have contacted the of Architecture on the matter, and they feel that a red zone would make it more.difficult for the many visitors to their office although they, of course, recognize that the city has a right to install such parking restric- tions as are needed for the safe and convenient flow of.traffic." Held over on motion of Donald Q. Miller, seconded by Gerald W. Shipsey. 2. The following is a report by the City Engineer or drainage problem reported by Zenon Talbot, 1551 Palm Street: "The following is a report of the history and possible solution of the drainage problem at the Talbot residence at 1551 Palm Street. "This office has spent considerable time and study at the site, including survey of the creek channel, design of grades and cross section of a drain- age structure through the property. In addition, the office has met with Mr. Talbot a number of times at tie site. "We have on file a number of standard reinforced box culvert designs for varying conditions of loading. We make these mailable to any property owner who desires them. However, we do not design otherbox culverts to fit_a particular situation (since the design is quite complicated and would-be 1 time consuming). We feel if the property owner wishes to utilize an unusual structure he should submit a design by a registered civil engineer. In Mr. Talbot's case, we made available to him the lightest (and therefore the cheapest) box culvert in the Portland Cement Association Manual and informed him.that we would do all engineering and inspection for this par ticular box culvert, or any other standard-design which we.had.in stock, free of charge. Mr. Talbot decided that this particular structure was too ex- pensive, therefore he constructed a structure of timber, primarily of 2" stock, without city inspection. An inspection of the size at this time readily shows that the structure was very lightly constructed with inade- quate supports and inadequate bracing. Therefore, with the first heavy rain it naturally washed out. Had the structure been of reinforced concrete it would undoubtedly have lasted indefinitely. F6B 311 "The Street Department has spent considerable time at this location and, at Mr. Talbot's request, four men spent an entire day (October 17, 1958) cleaning out the creek channel behind the Labor Temple. An inspection of the site readily shows that the obstruction in the creek is not at the Labor Temple location but at the Talbot residence where.it was confined by Mr. Talbot's .small timber structure. "I believe the Public Works Department has done everything they can for Mr. Talbot, short of actually constructing the drainage structure. The problem is one which is inherent at any location where a house is built on a bank of an inadequate drainage channel. The final andwer to Mr. ' Talbot's problem is the construction of a reinforced concrete box culvert for which we have calculations and design in my office. "It has been past policy that each property owner should take care of his ownc-drainage, however, if the Council wishes to initiate a new policy (rea- lizing, of course, that ;this must be applied uniformly throughout the . City) this office will proceed with the installation of a reinforced con- crete box." Mr. Charles Buck, Attorney, appeared before the City Council on behalf of �] Zenon Talbot, stating that the report by Mr. Romero was inaccurate and did not present the facts is they actually existed. Mr. Buck then sketched a small plat of the property on the blackboard showing the creek under Mr. 'tJ Talbot's house and showing where he believed the additional water was run- ning off some properties that normally do not use this creek for dainage. Mr. Buck asked what the City was going to do to alleviate this problem which was not the responsibility of Mr. Talbot. Mr. Talbot then presented.photos to the Council of the drainage caused by the high water in February and asked that the City take some action to re- lieve this problem. Mr. Talbot further asked the City to clean out the area blow his property so as to allow flood waters to pass through and relieve the problem at his house. The City Council discussed the problem and ordered the mtter held over until all the members of the Council.had had an opportunity to check the situa- tion. 3. The City Engineer presented the following report on the complaint of.Gordon Hines, 612 Stanford Drive, regarding rain - carried debris and mud in front of his property: "The drainage problem in, front of the Hines' residence on Stanford Drive is caused by two things; first, a small amount of drainage is collected on the slopes behind the houses on the opposite side of the street and runs through the curb face by means of inadequate drainage structure. This rear lot drainage and this drainage struc- ture::were added as an afterthought during construction of the sub- division and, since curbs were already installed, the structure could not be made of adequate size and grade.without removing large portions of-the curb and gutter. This creates a conflicting drain- age movement at this location and allows mud to be deposited. "The second problem is caused by the fact that the street grade flattens in front of Mr. Hines' house. I questioned Mr. Porter and Mr. Flagg at the time the plans came in and requested that a steeper grade be placed here, however Mr. Flagg pointed out that this grade, all pad elevations and plot plans had already been approved by the FHA and that this change would involve considerable delay to the project. Since the cost and delay would appear ex- 1 cessive, I agreed to permit the present grade, informing Mr. Porter that in the future all grades were to be at least 1% where phy- sically possible. The Flagg properties at the end of Stanford Drive have remained unimproved,and the driveway to the Flagg house is constructed in such a way that drainage waters are diverted down Stanford Drive. Since the grade is quite steep these waters can carry a considerable, amount of mud, which is deposited in front of the Hines' residence since the silt - carrying capacity of the water is lowered by the.flat grade. FEB 15 196'1 "I have discussed this problem with Mr. Hines before and informed him-that-the deposit of mud in front of his house will be only temporary since when Mr. Flagg develops Westmont Avenue, drainage waters will be diverted to the creek and when all properties at the end of StanfordDrive and all slopes be- hind the houses across the street are planted, very little mud will be brought down. "Some time ago Mr. Hines questioned me as to why I had not in- sisted that drainage structures be constructed in front of his house on the original plans. I informed him that we did not make a policy of requiring drainage structures unless they were needed since this would create more costs for the subdivider and, in turn, raise the cost of housing in San Luis Obispo. "In conclusion, it is my opinion that the drainage problem in- front of Mr. Hines' residence is not serious at this time, is only a temporary problem, and does not justify any expendfure of city funds. It is possible to solve the problem by -the con struction of drop inlets on either side of Stanford Drive with a pipe out to the creek behind Mr. Hines' house. Total cost would be about $2,000. However, I do not feel an expenditure of city funds is justified in this case. If Mr. Hines and his neighbors were willing to pay for pipe and installation, we would provide design, survey and inspection services without cost to him. "In the meantime I will see if some revision ofthe Flagg driveway can be made to alleviate the situation." This matter was held over for further study. 4. The City Engineer presented the following report on the complaint of Gerald Snodgrass, 641 Caudill Street,'regarding drainage problem on his property. "Approximately six years ago Fred Umbaugh constructed a residence at 631 Caudill Street next to what is now the Snodgrass residence. At that time Mr. Umbaugh desired to fill in the gully alongside his house and inquired of the Building Department as to the-proper size pipe. Although Mr. Kinney does not remember his conversation with Mr. Umbaugh, it was common practice at that time to permit anyone to extend a culvert so long as it was the same size-as that under the street. There is a 24" concrete culvert onthe north side of Caudill and a 21" concrete culvert on the south side. Mr. Umbaugh extended the 21" pipe and filled in the gully. "As properties have continued to develop, run -off has increased and the 21" pipe has proven to be inadequate. To aggravate the situa- tion, the property owners, during the last several years, have ex- tended the 21" pipe by the addition of an 18" pipe without -the knowl- edge or permission of this office. This 18" pipe contains approxi- mately one -half the capacity of the 24" under the street and approxi- mately one - fourth [he` apacity of the 36" concrete pipe needed to handle a.ten -year storm. "Mr. Snodgrass';problem is aggravated by the fact that he has constructed a very low wall to protect the crawl space under his house rather than one of standard height, thus when water builds up to any significant degree his floor furnace is flooded. In addition, a proper headwall has not been constructed to.allow• the wholly inadequate 18" pipe to build up a surcharge and utilize its full capacity. "The problem can be remedied on a temporary basis by replacing the 18" pipe with the 21" concrete pipe, construction of an adquate headwall, a trash rack to protect the entrance of the pipe, and a higher, protective wall around the crawl hole under Mr.. Snodgrass' house. With the exception of the trash rack, I believe all of this is the property owner's responsibility. "Several years ago this office studied the prospect of a drainage easement district for this entire area but could find very little interest among the residents in the neighborhood and dropped the project. I believe.the general drainage problem can be solved by 1 1 ViOu 3�3 large expenditures of city funds or a drainage assessment district, which the Council would undoubtedly have to force over the wishes of the majority of the residents in this area. "Solution of the drainage problems of this area would cost $75,000 on a cash basis and approximately $100,000 under an assessment district. We have now completed a fairly complete study of this area and can present this to the council this _evening if they so desire. In any event, I believe that a fixed sum should be set aside annually for both contract street work and contract drainage work, so some of the more critical areas ' could be given some help." Mr.- Snodgrass appeared before the City Council stating that he would like to place an adequate culvert under his property at his expense but would like the pipe below his property to be enlarged so that proper drainage would result with no fear of flooding his property. Mr. Romero, City Engineer, presented a sketch of the necessary drainage and sizes for proper development of a drainage of this entire area. The City Council suggested that Mr. Romero.meet with Mr. Snodgrass and the adjoining property owners and try to work out a solution to this flood- ing problem. 5. ORDINANCE NO. 151 (1960 Series), "An Ordinance Conveying Certain Property to Otis M. Stansbury" was finally-passed on motion of Gerald W. Shipsey, seconded by Kenneth W. Jones, on the following roll call vote: AYES: Kenneth W. Jones, Donald Q. Miller, Gerald W. Shipsey, J. Barry Smith, Fred M. Waters NOES: None ABSENT: None 6. Communication from C. A. Maino requesting permission to purchase a parcel of city -owned property north of the bridge at San Luis Creek and Higuera Street - referred to the Planning Commission- -held over. 7. Mr. Romero, City Engineer, presented his recommendation onplant mix drive- ways as follows: "It appears to me that we can set no one policy to apply to all plant mix driveways within the city right -of -way since there are certain circumstances which may make a concrete driveway unnecessary or even undesirable. "Firstly, I believe all new driveway construction in con- junction with curb, gutter and sidewalk should be of concrete. There will be very little problem in this case. "Secondly, where there is curb and gutter already in place, I believe we should invoke the streets and highways code, if necessary,to require that all existing plant mix driveways be. constructed of concrete and to city standards. "The third circumstance would apply to existing plant mix driveways in areas where there is no curb and gutter. I feel our position would be weak were we to attempt to require that all plant mix driveways in these rural areas of the city be reconstructed of concrete at this time. It appears to Eke that our best approach would be to consider these noncon- forming and permit maintenance but no betterment. When curb and gutter is finally constructed we would, at that time, re- quire a standard improvement." On motion of J. Barry Smith, seconded by Gerald W. Shipsey, Items 1 and 3 were approved by the City Council as future policy regarding driveway construction in the City. Item 2 was not included as a policy matter. e f tb 1 5 Iyo'J M4 8. Recommendation from the Planning Commission for amendments to the zoning ordinance establishing various off = street parking requirements. 'The recom mendation of-the Planning Commission was referred to a joint Planning Com- mission -City Council committee to make recommendations to the Council. (The City Council to be represented on the committee by Councilman Smith and Miller and two members to be appointed by Chairman Carpenter of the Planning Commission. 9. Communication from Mel Sebastian requesting abandonment by the City of that portion of Church Street between Nipomo and High Street adjacent to Lots 5 and 6, referred to the Planning Commission, was held over. - 10. Sydney Street Improvement District Formation. Council committee (Jones & Shipsey) recommended that`the original proposal to the property owners abutting Sydney Street between Johnson and Flora to contribute $1.00 per foot for paving, providing that the deposit-of the McAllen Heights Develop ment be retained and city forces contribute labor and equipment in'- paving the 24 ft. center strip. Mr: Diel appeared before the Council and objected-to any change in the grade on Sydney Street so that his property would not be too far above the street. Further, he stated that the letter from his attorney had specified no change in street grade. City Engineer Romero reported that they would attempt_in their planning not to make any substantial change in the grade of Sydney Street; but that a•cut would be necessary before intersecting Johnson Avenue due to the normal topography at this point. On motion of Gerald-W. Shipsey.-seconded byJ. Barry Smith, the City Engineer was instructed to complete his engineering plans and to present to the property owners agreements to be signed to go along with the proposal for improving of this street, and when all the property owners have signed, to proceed with the improvement. Motion carried. Councilman Miller moved that a circulatory water system for the McAllen Tract be placed on Sydney Street at the time of the street improvement. Motion died.for lack of a second. ADDENDA 1. Mr. Romero, City Engineer, presented a letter for the City Council's infor mation notifying RaySkinner, developer of Tract 169, Laguna Park Homes, that he was proceeding at his own risk in earth moving as the final map and construction plans have not been approved by the Council. 2. City Engineer Romero requested authority of the Council to advertise for bids for reconstruction of Grand Avenue from Palm Street to Loomis Street. This is to be a gas tax improvement project. On• motion of Kenneth W. Jones, seconded by Donald Q. Miller, authority was granted for advertising for bids. 3. Communication from Ray Skinner, developer of Tract 169, requesting a meeting between the City and himself regarding development of the Laguna Lake area in a manner beneficial to the community and to his subdivision. On motion of J. Barry Smith, seconded by Kenneth W. Jones, the Mayor and Councilman Shipsey were authorized to set up a meeting to discuss the matter with the developer. 4. Mr. Houser, City Attorney, reported-for the Council's 2nfotmation that the Council had received $5,000 as a settlement on the condemnation-,of the property for the Veterans War Memorial Building on Palm Street and Grand Avenue. 3. Mr. Houser, City Attorney, reported to the City Council that the surveyor had completed his plats of the proposed parking lots in the parking district and had requested that the City Council proceed with the condemnation ofthe property for acquisition by the City. 1 1 1