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TOPIC: South Bend Common Council Committee Meetings
7/24/17 County City Building 3:30 pm Councilpersons Present: All PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE: John Voorde Chairperson * Bill 41-17 Frank Zinerello Alley Vacation * Bar owner of Frank's wants to close the alley and make outdoor seating * Neighbors stated the following: People are peeing on their property, noise, constant police calls, fights, people passed out, condoms, needles, trash * Neighbors had to build fences at their own expense * Neighbors need access to the alley for their garages * Chapin Park Neighborhood Association identified this as a problem area * Gavin Ferlic recommend "Unfavorable" and all voted in agreement to that NOTE: In these instances, every time the Citizens are only given a couple days notice which means they do not have adequate time to get off work and organize other neighbors to come to defend their neighborhood from unwanted changes. Also, Citizens have noted they only seem to notify people within about 150' or so instead of 3 full city blocks, and with noise and nuisance, it affects a wider area. SUGGESTION: Change the requirements to full 30 Days in advance notice and to a 3 block area. This short notice and short distance puts BUSINESS ahead of long time residents who should come first. PERSONNEL & FINANCE COMMITTEE: Karen L. White Chairperson * Bill 42-17 Use of $5M of Regional Cities Funds Grant for Howard Park * This part of the "Blue Ways" initiative * Jo Broden brought up $5M from Pokagon Band noting this would be $10M Total for Howard Park * For more information on the plans: Riverfrontparksandtrails .com * Recommended at "Favorable" and all voted in agreement to that Bill 44-17 Housing Study Appropriation * Originally $100K and now $70K is being recommended * Money will come out of the Operating Fund (Not TIF) * James Mueller of Community Investment answered questions * He noted the downtown study moved more $ to downtown from Westside * Jo Broden asked about the 2014 Zimmerman study and how this ties in * There was a meeting in June with the "100 Houses for 500 Families" group in June * Target areas in the Westside corridor were discussed * Consultant being used is from NEW JERSEY * Mention was made that ALL Areas of the City need to be evaluated since there are also concerns about needs on the Southeast Side * Oliver Davis expressed the need to consider income levels in the study * Jo Broden expressed the need to repurpose existing buildings * Regina Preston-Williams expressed concerns about Gentrification and to do "Development without Displacement" * Voting was 2 For, 2 Against and Tim Scott broke the tie with a "Favorable" SUGGESTIONS: * Use Consultants from OUR Region that understand our culture, business, weather and to keep $ spent in our Region * Add in Environmental concerns such as sewers, water and utility use into the study * Require new builders to incorporate solar, low flow water and other eco-friendly aspects * Adhere to strict Zoning that requires they be "Owner Occupied" since too many rentals diminishes a neighborhood UTILITIES COMMITTEE: David Varner Chairperson * Bill 17-40 Solarize South Bend - (See previous post for details on this program) * Voted "Favorable" on this Resolution Light Up South Bend - Presentation by Eric Horvath, Executive Director of Public Works * Approximately 70 new lights are being put up by the City every year * They have a joint program with AEP * Citizens can request Alley and Residential lighting * Jo Broden mentioned neighbors can go in together to get Alley lighting and be billed by AEP monthly * Maps were passed out to the Council Members. * Oliver Davis noted on Pairie Avenue near the Fire Station it is too dark. * There is still a lamp post program by the City, but 3 of the choices are NOT eco-friendly. Mr. Horvath stated design was more important. SUGGESTIONS: * Lights need to be "Dark Sky" Friendly * Light wavelength needs to be out of the range that causes people to not sleep * More energy efficient lights need to be used * Take into account the nocternal animals/wildlife that need to co-exist with us * Set in motion replacing older lighting that is not eco-friendly * If you find this important, please contact Mr. Eric Horvath in the Public Works Office NOTE: In many cases, meetings, agendas and support materials are barely posted online before the meetings which means Citizens are not able to respond. Transparency needs to be TIMELY. Like these informative posts? Please like/share Michiana Observer #MichianaObserver
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TOPIC: SOLARIZE South Bend
Getting Solar for your home before the discounts disappear July 19, 2017, 6:30 pm, Near Northwest Neighborhood Center Council Persons Present: Tim Scott Sustainability Director: Therese Dorau NOTE: This is NOT a City based program SolSmart is part of the Department of Energy Solarize South Bend is a community-driven initiative to make it more affordable and easier to go solar. Website: www.SolarizeNI.org Contact: Leah Thill 574-287-1829 x801 [email protected] The purpose of the program is to mobilize citizens to install solar by combining efforts. They work on getting a discount up front, research the installers, help people understand the process. Solar 101 with Vick Meyers: * There was orginally Solar on the White House with President Carter, but President Regan removed it. * You can put Solar panels on the roof, ground mount them and even create a pergola with them. * Solar comes off the panels as DC (Direct Current) and it needs a converter to make it AC (Alternating Current) * A kW is 1,000 Watts * 3 335 Watt panels will produce 1 kW when unshaded or ~1,250kWh/Yr * Northern Indiana sun gets about 1,550 kWh/m2/year, which is a lot more than Germany * Germany gets 7% or more from Solar * Pricein Q3 2016 is $2.98/watt (SEIA) Reasons to go Solar: * Lower utility bills * Return on Investment * Increases home resale value * Reduces carbon footprint * Personal Values * Improve local air quality * Support the local economy * Energy costs are rising * Panels are rated to last over 25 years * Net Metering and Federal Tax Credits are scheduled to phase out, so installing now will make yours grandfathered in * Installing now means you get Net Metering for 30 years * Tax Credits are 30% until 2019 and go to 0 by 2022 Financing Solar: * Home equity line of credit - no closing fees, payment of interest only, tax deductible * Home Improvement Loan * If Indiana adopts RPS, we will be able to sell our Solar Credits to others - SREC Solar Renewable Energy Credits Size of Installation: * Average Indiana Residential Uses ~ 11,000 kW in a year * Average Cost for Solar is ~ $12,500 (like a car cost) but it appreciates instead of depreciating * ROI ~ 8.8% with payback at 11.4 years * If you have a smaller area for panels, you can get higher density panels * Good to add on "Optimizers" so if one panel goes down or is shaded, the other panels still keep working at 100% * Some have IoT so the notify the installer by internet if a panel is having a problem * If your system is tied to the Grid and the power goes down, you will lose power unless you have battery storage * There are already 2 battery storage units similar to the Tesla one that will be coming out Manufacturers Available: * Mitubishi - High Density Panels * Sonali Solar - Lower Cost * Mission Solar - Made in the USA Steps to Take Advantage of this Program: * Contact Leah T. Hill (info at top) * Attend one of the four information sessions * Submit an Information form and Participant Survey * Complete a Letter of Intent (non-binding) * Agree on System Details * Schedule a site visit with the vendor * Complete the Survey * Receive and review the quote * Sign Contract * Go Solar! Approved Installer: Solar Energy Systems LLC 1952 W. Market Street, Nappanee, IN 46550 574-773-0546 #MichianaObserver  TOPIC: Coal Line Trail
7/13/17 Meeting at the Near Northwest Neighborhood Center 5:00 pm Council Persons Present: Tim Scott, Jo Broden and Regina Williams-Preston * Project will be 80% Federal Funding - No mention was made how other 20% will be funded Estimated cost is $3.5M * The Railway used for taking coal to Notre Dame was abandoned in 2012 * The rail bridge will be rehabilitated to be 14' wide with fencing on either side * Plans are currently 50-60% complete * Official Public Hearing will be in September and people can issue an official response * Construction on Phase 1 is slated for 2020, Phase 2 in 2021 * There will be land acquisition that will require purchasing land from homeowners along the back of their properties * The Trail will begin on Lincolnway and end up going along Angela to Michigan Street and connect with the East Race * On Portage there will be a split Trail * There will be a speed bump installed on Woodward Avenue to slow traffic * Phase 1 - Lincolnway to Vassar to Portage to Woodward to Angela * Phase 2 - Rail Bridge to cross the Brothers of Notre Dame along Angela to Michigan Street * There will be Nodes that include pavillions and bike racks. One of the Nodes will tie into Riverside Trail. * A bike repair station is also possible * Lights along the Trail are suppose to be "Dark Sky" non-blue LED lights * Trees will be taked out in the heavily wooded area on either side * No mow grass and native plantings will be used per Daniel Liggett * Currently they think asphalt will be the best material for it. Suggestions: * Use Permeable Concrete which will last longer, solve needed water drainage, let the land breathe, less likely to buckle with tree roots, asphalt has a short life and we already can't keep up with the asphalt roads we have * Position the pavillions so the are optimally positioned for Solar panels * Solar could power WiFi, charging stations, lights under the roof, security cameras, dedicated security phone * Signage along the trail could house security cameras and WiFi panic buttons every so many feet * Visit other Trails like the Pumpkin Vine Trail in Goshen which has been operating for decades to see what worked and didn't work. They used crushed stone for their trail. * Carefully evaluate the nocternal wildlife in that area since it is heavily wooded and put least amount of lighting possible in it * Carefully evaluate any "Heritage Trees" and work around them. Notre Dame area has some hundred+ year old trees and has a tree location app - tie in with their arborist and tree marking and education program * Put in more features that are ADA friendly like picnic tables that can accomodate wheel chairs, etc. * Put in flower planters like those downtown * Evaluate parking for those that drive there first * For input contact Matthew Moyers at Parks 574-235-7499 * For more information see www. CoalLineTrail .com #BikeTrail #CoalLineTrail #MichianaObserver Topic: Why is the Emergency Dispatch having 10,000 calls go unanswered?
7/12/17 Meeting at the County-City Building 5:30 pm Council Persons Present: Tim Scott, Jo Broden, Karen White, John Voorde * Staffing Issues - There are currently 64 Dispatchers and 3 Administrators. After evaluating calls and overtime costs, it is being recommended 14 new people be added to the staff. * There will always be some overtime because Distpatchers work 6 days and then have 3 off. * Dispatchers are spread so thin that taking lunch and breaks is difficult. *Safety is put at risk when a Dispatcher ends up covering 3 closed channels and 911 at the same time. Closed channels are those the public doesn't hear for police, fire and medical. * To cover the volume of calls, they want the number of employees to go to 78. Staffing was at 81 before all the cuts were made. * Staffing is not easy since less than 2% of the population has the skillset necessary to be a Dispatcher and training is often 6 to 9 months. They also want to add simulation training to make the Dispatchers better prepared for the job and do cross-training. * According to the "Industry Staffing Calculator" 99 employees would be appropriate. * Due to changes in the law, 4 Call Centers were forced to merge. When this happened it meant funding comes from both the South Bend, Mishawaka and St. Joseph County. * Why doesn't 911 answer on the first ring? It first has to go through the MSAG - Master Street Address Guide for the first two rings. A Dispatcher first hears the call on the THIRD RING and is expected to answer within 10 seconds. * There have been numerous technical difficulties in combining the four Call Centers. One of them is how they entered addresses. Some would enter it with one abbreviation and others a different one. These are now having to be made the same. * Because of staffing shortages, Overtime is expected to be around $739,414.97. Current budgeted Overtime is set at $160,000. * There will be a new radio tower buildout in the Notre Dame area. * GIS has now gone to just one CAD system for addresses. There were originally 344,000 errors and it has been reduced to 6,000 errors. They are expecting to reduce this even further. * Some errors are also due to multiple phone vendors. Each reports numbers and locations a bit differently. * When a call is "abandoned", the Call Center does call them back to follow-up on the issue. Part of the measurement is how many call backs they have to make. * To calculate acceptable call durations and delays, they use the Erlang-C Calculator at http://www.erlang.com/calculator/erlc/ * St. Joseph County, Population 268,411 (2015), 461 miles to cover, gets 507,120 calls with 229,471 calls for service. For more clarification, please contact one of the Council Persons in attendance at the meeting. For more meetings or articles #MichianaObserver @Michiana Observer TOPIC: Why is the Emergency Dispatch having 10,000 calls go unanswered?
7/12/17 Meeting at the County-City Building 5:30 pm Council Persons Present: Tim Scott, Jo Broden, Karen White, John Voorde * Staffing Issues - There are currently 64 Dispatchers and 3 Administrators. After evaluating calls and overtime costs, it is being recommended 14 new people be added to the staff. * There will always be some overtime because Distpatchers work 6 days and then have 3 off. * Dispatchers are spread so thin that taking lunch and breaks is difficult. *Safety is put at risk when a Dispatcher ends up covering 3 closed channels and 911 at the same time. Closed channels are those the public doesn't hear for police, fire and medical. * To cover the volume of calls, they want the number of employees to go to 78. Staffing was at 81 before all the cuts were made. * Staffing is not easy since less than 2% of the population has the skillset necessary to be a Dispatcher and training is often 6 to 9 months. They also want to add simulation training to make the Dispatchers better prepared for the job and do cross-training. * According to the "Industry Staffing Calculator" 99 employees would be appropriate. * Due to changes in the law, 4 Call Centers were forced to merge. When this happened it meant funding comes from both the South Bend, Mishawaka and St. Joseph County. * Why doesn't 911 answer on the first ring? It first has to go through the MSAG - Master Street Address Guide for the first two rings. A Dispatcher first hears the call on the THIRD RING and is expected to answer within 10 seconds. * There have been numerous technical difficulties in combining the four Call Centers. One of them is how they entered addresses. Some would enter it with one abbreviation and others a different one. These are now having to be made the same. * Because of staffing shortages, Overtime is expected to be around $739,414.97. Current budgeted Overtime is set at $160,000. * There will be a new radio tower buildout in the Notre Dame area. * GIS has now gone to just one CAD system for addresses. There were originally 344,000 errors and it has been reduced to 6,000 errors. They are expecting to reduce this even further. * Some errors are also due to multiple phone vendors. Each reports numbers and locations a bit differently. * When a call is "abandoned", the Call Center does call them back to follow-up on the issue. Part of the measurement is how many call backs they have to make. * To calculate acceptable call durations and delays, they use the Erlang-C Calculator at http://www.erlang.com/calculator/erlc/ * St. Joseph County, Population 268,411 (2015), 461 miles to cover, gets 507,120 calls with 229,471 calls for service. For more clarification, please contact one of the Council Persons in attendance at the meeting. #MichianaObserver Welcome to Michiana Observer where government information is given from the Citizen viewpoint. Those contributing try to be as accurate as possible. If you find discrepancies, please advise us and give your source. Thanks for visiting! #MichianaObserver
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