2008-06-16 - Laserfiche WebLink

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8 Mr. Taliaferro said a lot of jockeying has to happen now with fire trucks, though he said opening up the side streets to fire trucks will help. Dr. Brown said he would like to hear more about a solution to keep the existing lighting and the rationale for new fountains. Dr. Brown asked about the drinking fountains that were in the kiosks. Mr. Tolbert said fountains were a major feature of the original design and desire for more was expressed during the public process. Mr. Tolbert said there is only one kiosk remaining and the drinking fountain in it has not worked for years. He said the proposal is to have three drinking fountains. Responding to a question from Dr. Brown, Mr. Shinstock said that 125,000 square feet of bricks is needed, approximately 370,000 bricks. Mr. Taliaferro said he supports getting the work done as quickly as we can. Responding to a question from Mr. Taliaferro, Mr. Tolbert said that the WIFI is proposed to be an add alternate and is something the mall merchants want. Mr. Taliaferro said he agrees with spending $50,000 for WIFI the length of the mall. Mr. Huja asked about the cost for the bollards for the cafes, and Mr. Tolbert said he does not have a figure, but it is expected that the cost will be recouped in rents, adding that café rents are expected to increase. Mr. Norris asked about the rationale for the newspaper box display area, and Mr. Tolbert said that is a battle that has been fought for years. He said the intent is to make them look better. He asked Council for guidance about whether the recommendations are on the right track. He said things will need to be ordered by August. Mr. Norris asked about extending the side streets. nd Mr. Tolbert said 2 Street is ready to go. He said more work needs to be done on thth 4 Street and 5 Street South. He said Council has said it did not want to do any more than that, but there is a lot of interest in the community in doing side streets. th Ms. Edwards asked if the matter will come back to Council after the June 30 public meeting, and Mr. Tolbert said it can if Council wants. Dr. Brown asked where the BAR is regarding the bricks. Mr. Tolbert said they prefer the 4” x 12” bricks, but they are not opposed to recommending that we go forward with the other size. He said they want to maintain the original integrity of the design. Mr. Huja said he shares the speakers’ concerns, and wants a simple, clean design. He said the design proposed will change the mall. He said he would like to see more rehabilitation, more reuse and restoration. He said he would stick to the current design and improve the electrical system. He said he would keep the mall footprint as it is, and said we do not need more space at Water Street. He said he prefers the 4” x 12” bricks, and said we may be able to reuse 75% of the existing bricks, and feels that is worth exploring. He agreed to using granite and having more planters at the side streets. He said if the lights are raised it will change the character to more vehicular rather than pedestrian. He said he would to achieve the goal of allowing access from the side streets for fire trucks which would save $1 million. He expressed concern about removing trees, and said they are not always diseased. He said he would only cut down one or two trees. He said the scale of trees is important. He said he is not sure it is worth the expense to have the bollards for cafes, and feels that would also change the character of the mall. He said there is no need for more fountains, especially not the big one in front of the Omni. He said art will just clutter the mall, and we do not need a playground. He said it would be useful to have consolidated newspaper boxes, but he said it did not work on the