The Garden City Telegram
NEW E-Edition!
Subscription
Required
Add Your Comment | Read (0) Comments
Panel to oversee progress on plan
Published 3/17/2010 in Local News
By SHAJIA AHMAD
Garden City commissioners moved ahead Tuesday with the creation of an implementation committee they hope will oversee progress of the city's recently-adopted comprehensive plan.
The 2020 comprehensive plan — a vision for the city generated heavily by citizen input over the last year — outlines five broad, desired outcomes, including the revitalization of downtown, an enhanced quality of life, economic development, the improvement of parks and recreation, and the beautification of the community's gateways as recommendations for areas of focus for the city's growth over the next decade.
Commissioners unanimously voted Tuesday to authorize that the implementation committee should consist of 14 members, comprised of a Planning Commission member, five citizens appointed for each of the five major goals of the plan, and representatives from other various city advisory boards.
City planning officials have said the new comprehensive plan tackles community issues like housing, transportation, neighborhood districts and land-use by taking into account multiple scenarios of growth in the city over the next 10 years. In addition, the "ever-evolving" document outlines a future development plan that encourages the growth of "pedestrian connections," like trails and sidewalks, and the mixing of residential and commercial uses of property that would "reinvigorate the 'garden' in Garden City, officials have said.
According to Planning and Community Development Director Kaleb Kentner, the committee would be a recommending body to both the city's Planning Commission, which often makes zoning decisions, and the City Commission, to provide direction on such things as the best use of city-owned facilities and properties, and advocate for projects by providing regular feedback on how city officials are doing in accomplishing the comprehensive plan's goals.
The plan does not undo existing zoning regulations or prioritize the city's capital improvement projects, but outlines a "vision for the city's future," officials have said.
City officials said they would first survey the team of citizens who have taken part in the formation of the new comprehensive plan, to gauge their interest on serving on the new board.
In other business, commissioners took the following action or discussed the following items during their Tuesday public meeting:
* Commissioners unanimously authorized the city manager to execute a contract not to exceed $15,000 with a qualified engineer to conduct a hydrologic study of the drainage basin using geographic data collected by city and county staff. Local officials anticipate an engineering study to cost about $30,000. The other half would be paid for by the county, a move county commissioners approved Monday.
A lawsuit filed last fall by the city, county and three residents against the Federal Emergency Management Agency's efforts to place two drainage ditches in newly-defined flood plains was dismissed by a judge in February.
City officials said Tuesday they're hopeful an invitation by Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., to FEMA Regional Administrator Beth A. Freeman to tour Garden City and see its "unique" situation will lead to cooperation between local and FEMA officials as they embark on a post-lawsuit discussion of new flood plain parameters in the city and county, which still remain undetermined, according to City Manager Matt Allen.
Allen said Tuesday that he believes using the funds for conducting a study is highly likely but not certain, depending on FEMA's next move, which neither city nor county officials said they could anticipate.
In the absence of a FEMA official accepting a visit and local information collected about the nature of the ditches, a hydrologic study would provide much of the information necessary to prove "that the mis-characterized floodplain 'approximated' by FEMA subcontractors reaches far beyond what is realistic or scientific and, in fact, remains within the confines of the ditch," according to Allen.
* City commissioners discussed possibly changing the city's fireworks regulations around the Fourth of July, due to what they feel is a gap between the city's sale and discharge codes and "reality."
Each year, city commissioners waive a local ordinance that prohibits the sale and use of fireworks within city limits to allow the discharge of non-aerial fireworks from 10 a.m. to midnight July 3 through 5. However, the same commissioners recognized that residents often shoot off fireworks, including prohibited aerial ones, during the week leading up to and following July 4.
Garden City Fire Chief Allen Shelton said Tuesday that enforcing the discharge of aerial fireworks or prohibiting residents from using them outside of the city's designated time slot is both difficult to enforce and has not been a high priority because fireworks haven't caused serious injuries or fires in recent years. In addition, the use of aerial fireworks is difficult to enforce because though their sale is banned in Finney County, they are sold in neighboring counties such as Kearny, the fire chief added.
Shelton said he would like to see the city's regulations come into conformity with the state's looser regulations, to allow the discharge of fireworks from March 27 through July 5, possibly even allowing the discharge of aerial fireworks.
City commissioners took no action Tuesday, but said they plan to continue discussing the matter with interested parties, including residents and owners of fireworks stands.
Found 0 comment(s)!