HomeMy WebLinkAbout6/14/2021 - Meeting Minutes
MEETING MINUTES
SALT LAKE CITY AND COUNTY BUILDING CONSERVANCY AND USE COMMITTEE
ELECTRONIC MEETING HELD, MONDAY JUNE 14, 2021
COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT EX OFFICIO MEMBERS PRESENT
Jennifer Hale, Chairperson Jim Cleland, SLC Facilities
Rob Pett, Committee Member Jaysen Oldroyd, SLC Attorney’s Office
Barbara Murphy, Committee Member Joan Swain, SLC Facilities
John Kemp, Committee Member Riley Bird, SLC Facilities
Steve Cornell, Committee Member
COMMITTEE MEMBERS ABSENT
Mark Thimm, Vice Chairperson September 13, 2021
Anne Oliver, Committee Member
Sean Fyfe, SLC Engineering
Nelson
Jennifer Hale, Chairperson, welcomed everyone to the Monday June 14, 2021 meeting. Members in attendance: Jennifer
Hale, Chairperson; Rob Pett, Committee Member; Barbara Murphy, Committee Member; John Kemp, Committee
Member; Steve Cornell, Committee Member; Jim Cleland, SLC Facilities; Jaysen Oldroyd, SLC Attorney’s Office; Joan Swain,
SLC Facilities.
Agenda Item 1: Reading of the Electronic Meeting Letter – Jennifer Hale
As required by a recent amendment to the Open Public Meetings Act by the State Legislature, Jennifer Hale read a letter
addressed to the Salt Lake City and County Conservancy and Use Committee. The letter explains that conducting a
meeting at an anchor location presents a substantial risk to the health and safety of Committee Members and others
participating in a meeting, therefore, under the current state of emergency caused by the global pandemic that exists
related to the new strain of the coronavirus, SARS-COV-2 the meeting will be held on a MS Teams video meeting on June
14, 2021 and for future meetings notifications will be sent out as determined by the level of risk at the time.
Agenda Item 2: Review and Approval of Meeting Minutes for May 10, 2021
Jenny asked the Committee Members to review the minutes from the May 10th meeting and welcomed questions,
comments and/or changes to the minutes.
Rob Pett made a motion to approve the minutes.
John Kemp seconded the motion.
Jennifer Hale called for a vote and the Committee voted unanimously to approve the minutes from the May 10th
meeting as written.
Agenda Item 3: Code Blue Presentation – Riley Bird
Riley Bird, Operations Manager for Facilities, informed the committee that the City recently finished going through the
library parking structure and upgraded all the code blue devices from analog to digital there to improve safety and
security around the building. This created the desire to have something similar installed at Washington Square to be
used for public use. With the push of a button, the device would contact the security team at the City and County
Building to provide support and safety needs. The proposal was to place the device on the roundabout in front of the
building so that it would be able to access Wi-Fi from both the City and County Building, as well as Plaza 349 without
interfering with the established sprinkler system with guidance from IMS and Parks. The device is safety blue, under 10
ft tall, and is solar powered with an emergency button located on the front of the device. The piece is purchased and
ready to be installed, but the modern look and design do not correlate with the historic design and needs approval.
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Riley shared a screen shot of the suggested location on the east entrance “round-about” and pointed to a location just
west of the existing flagpole and near the green bench. Parks recommended this location as least intrusive to the water
and everything like that. It’s also a good central location where it will draw attention for those that need help or
assistance for them to quickly recognize, “Hey, there’s a place, I can get help.”
Questions, Answers, and Comments:
Q: Does it have to have the solar element? Is there a way to do it without it? I think that’s the most obtrusive part of it.
(JH)
A: It would involve a lot of trenching and would be costly. It can be done, but it would be costly - yes. (RB)
Q: Can it be tied to the electrical for the sprinklers? (RP)
C: Well, isn’t there lighting there already? (JH)
A: Yes, there is lighting there already. The good thing about the solar lighting is that it pushes the green initiative –
showing that the City’s interest in going green instead of adding power. The blue parking meters around the City and
County Building already have solar panels on them as well. So, there is a little precedence there with solar. (RB)
C: I looked in the Conservancy Use Design Guidelines and basically is just talks about furnishings, and artwork, and things
like that, and it really doesn’t have any guidelines on this, so that’s why I referred Riley to you guys on this project. (JC)
C: Well, certainly safety is a big issue, and this is very common on campuses and in parking structures throughout the
state. I think the need is probably there. (RP)
A: The one good thing about the solar – although it is the most obtrusive part of the installation – is it’s maneuverable –
if that doesn’t seem like the place where it works the best, it can be moved somewhere else without having to do a lot
of electrical work wherever it is put. It just needs to be able to collect solar energy. (JC)
Q: Right. Riley, why was this location preferred? (RP)
A: It’s a central location for people to notice the Code Blue device, it is more accessible and helpful than on one of the
corners. Also, there is the ability to hit both the City and County Building and the IMS building which would carry the Wi-
Fi, or the signal, to go back and hit the servers, so we could hit either location. That’s what IMS is telling me anyway. (RB)
Q: What does IMS stand for? (RP)
A: IMS is basically the Information Technology Group that handles the computers, the network, and the communications
portion of the city. (RB)
Q: I’m wondering if there’s a compromise – I have a problem with the location because it is so visible, which I
understand is what you want for something that is a safety feature, but it’s also kind of the visual to the building and I’m
wondering if it could be moved to the corner, across from the library rather than right in the center section which is kind
of the visual viewshed of the building. (BM)
A: I am presenting his information to this Committee at the request of other City personnel, so if the Committee wants
to make suggestions or recommendation, I can take it back up the line and see what the response is. (RB)
C: I can tell you what the feedback was on the control panel that’s by the handicap entrance – there are so many
buttons on it that people were confused, they didn’t know what meant, ‘Help, I need help, someone attacked me,’ or ‘I
can’t find my key – I can’t find my fob, can you fob me in,’ and they wanted to eliminate the confusion between the
control stand at the door and this Code Blue System. (JC)
Q: Well, that makes sense, but is there a way to move the Code Blue station more towards the street rather that right in
this center area? (BM)
Q: So more out here off the tongue of the round-about? (RB)
Q: But across the parking – closer to where the parking is. (BM)
Q: More east? (JC)
C: More towards the trees. (BM)
A: Yes, someplace where it’s just not in the center section. Anywhere over in that section on the north is better than in
the area where it’s proposed. (BM)
C: IMS would have to look to see how the path would need to be to be able to see Plaza 349 or if that’s still necessary.
Too far back here you lose this line of sight, but it probably works up here (gesturing to the right-hand side of the map).
Q: What do you guys think? (BM)
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A: Well, it’s shadier there, right? (JH)
C: Yes, you’re right, let me pull up Google Maps and we can get a better look. (RB)
Q: Riley, what is a scenario under which they see that it’s metered use? I mean, out of the City and County Building? At
the crosswalks? I mean, is this the only one that is proposed on?
A: Right now, this would just tie into those network of 22 that the library parking structure – so it would be the first one
that is there.
C: Sounds like there should be more. (RP)
C: If they want to fund it. You’re right there is quite a bit of shade. Let me pull up the Google Maps and share this other
screen with you. Looking here, you’re going to lose a lot of sunlight unless we can strategically place it somewhere here
versus out there, where it’s getting lots of sunlight.
C: I wonder if we just push it back to that ring instead - rather than the mid access in the ring. Then it’s still there and it’s
visible, but it’s not like on the main drag. (JH)
C: Yes, it looks like you would still get a lot of sun exposure there. (RB)
C: Keeping it off the central would make some sense. (RP)
C: I can take this back and propose this location, I’m fine with that. (RB)
C: Ok, so it must be a location that’s intuitive enough that if somebody is in trouble, they’re not like wandering through
the park trying to find it and need light because it’s solar… (BM)
Q: My question is what is the scenario – is it somebody coming from the City and County Building or from another place
and could they see it on the sidewalk –or if somebody is running away from somebody towards the street would they
see it?(RP)
A: It could be an event happening and someone needs help, or it could be any type of scenario where a person does not
feel secure or they’ve got a problem, they push the button. (RB)
C: I think Rob’s got a good point, if we’re just trying to put it someplace, I would put it towards the bottom of the screen
by the parking where there’s a big grassy area, to the left and down. Across from the building so you’ve got light and it’s
still visible, but it’s not in that visual view of the building, so you don’t have the big blue pole sort of in the middle that is
visible as you are walking or driving into the entrance. (BM)
C: That seems like it might be a little far off the beaten path for a someone to have to run clear down here to get help.
(RB)
Q: This is maybe making it muddy but, honestly, we’re kind of just taking a stab in the dark. Are there actual instances
where people have felt the need for this help?
A: The only thing that’s happened so far is confusion at the door. (JC)
Q: And it’s because it’s combined with a handicapped entrance? (JH)
A: Yes, they don’t realize it’s a handicap entrance until they get right up to it. They think that that’s an emergency
station. (JC)
Q: So, they call in an emergency? (JH)
A: Yes, people have tried to, and nobody picked up when they were calling? (JC)
Q: How many times has it happened? (JH)
A: Just once. (JC)
C: Just once? And that’s out of the way… (JH)
C: Yes. Right at the entrance is where the pedestal is for entering. I mean, right here would be better if it got good sun.
(RB)
C: That’s basically what I was trying to describe, is someplace over in that grassy area. (BM)
C: Would anyone see it though? I mean, they’re only effective if people visually see them and remember they’re there.
(JH)
C: Rob said something about being intuitive to where it is, you know, it needs to be in a place that makes sense to them.
(JC)
C: And I would say not close to the street because then you would get all the prank calls. You want it like inside. (JH)
Q: What if it replaced the ADA button? What if this was placed there and the ADA is much smaller. (RP)
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A: The ADA has an intercom, it has a light, it has card access for the door – it’s loaded with stuff on there and that’s part
of the problem. (JC)
C: Ok, got it. (RP)
C: I mean, is setting it off center far enough, like we were saying, right here? You’re not quite on center, but people that
are walking by, still walk by and know that there’s help available…when they’re walking by – I don’t know. (RB)
C: Well, I think that’s better than the central location. (JH)
C: I do too. I still wish it wasn’t in the middle of that planting. (BM)
C: And you want people to be able to get to it. No matter what time of the year. (RP)
C: Yes, that’s a good point, Rob, because in the winter, you would not want to walk across here. Where this would be
plowed. (RB)
Q: On the specs it looked like you could also order it in green, would that make a difference and is that a possibility?
(BM)
A: I would want to draw attention to it rather than hide it. If it’s a security piece you’d want to draw attention to it. (RB)
C: But it’s 12 feet tall so it seems like you’re going to see it – and it’s got, ‘EMERGENCY,’ written in white. (BM)
C: Yes, you’re going to have a hard time with the green color in the green park. That’s why I pulled up in those pictures,
the blue, in those other pictures. (RB)
C: Blue’s pretty standard for that feature. (JH)
C: Yes, and it matches the parking meters that are around the building that have the solar panels in them. (RB)
C: Once it’s placed, I assume it requires footings. (RP)
C: It does require a footing. It’s got quite a wind load. (RB)
Q: So, it’s not easily moved if you decide to move it? (RP)
A: Well you can move it, just you must bury the footing – just to hide the footing. There’s a blue one right there, you can
barely see it in the dark shadow for the parking along the outside.
Q: There’s already one on sight? (RP)
A: No, these are the blue parking meters that are similar, they have the solar and similar color blue. (RB)
Q: The emergency one needs to be that tall because it’s trying to communicate with the parking structure? Is that right?
(BM)
A: No, it’s, let me just go back to the specs, it’s just that’s how it comes. (RB)
C: Oh, so you can’t get like the parking meter size. (BM)
C: I’ll let you look at the specs – I don’t know if you still have the specs in front of you, so ten feet to the top of the cell so
the bottom of it, I’m not sure what the overall housing height is. (RB)
C: It’s 117 inches… (JC)
C: It' 117 inches, just under ten feet to the top of the cell and there’s 23 inches on a diagonal so you’re probably about
eight feet – eight and a half. (RB)
Q: Riley, I assume, that it needs to be located close to a walking surface because of the orientation of the buttons? (RP)
A: Yes, I would hate to have in the winter to have to track in the snow to get to it like you mentioned earlier. (RB)
C: That is the other advantage to having it here is there’s regular snow removal on the concrete on that circle. (JC)
C: Well, I agree with Jim, I think you’re the one that said it, that it’s better towards the outside rather than the inside of
the circle. (BM)
Q: Is there anything you would like me to show you? (RB)
Q: It’s just so big, I’m having a hard time, it’s like 5 feet by 2 and a half or two? (JH)
A: By two, on a diagonal. (RB)
C: Yes, it’s just so big. (JH)
C: Have you thought back to the drop off for the ballots that we made them fund a location across the street for? (BM)
C: I know, right? (JH)
C: We couldn’t get anywhere on that, Yes. (JC)
C: I mean, I’m all for showing like sustainability, but I’m just wondering if in this case, it’s not the place to do it. (JH)
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C: I mean, it does seem like it’s a balance, you know, and I don’t know – it just seems so big and it’s in that way that you
look towards the main entrance of the building – or the way most people enter the building now. (BM)
C: Whether it’s by the flagpole or pushed out towards the street, it’s kind of does the same thing. Towards the edge of
the planting by the drive would be better than locating it right in the middle. Then it looks like a parking element. I mean
you hate it to obstruct the view of the building… (RP)
C: I’m wondering if we could just check into seeing if it’s ok to move it out to that circle and then just what it would be
like to wire it. You know is it going to be doable? (JH)
Q: Hey, I’m sorry my internet connection was spotty, but is this meant for the folks that park in this area? Will they be
able to access this or is this for anyone using Washington Square or what’s the preferred audience here? (SC)
A: Anybody that’s in trouble inside the Washington Square can push that button that needs help. Anybody. Guy at night
walking through, citizen having problems in the parking lot with their car. Whatever they need to push that button for.
(RB)
Q: Are there more of these around the site or is this just, you know, a problem area that we need to add another one
here at this location. (SC)
A: We have 22 of them over across the street in the parking structure. This was suggested by others that we should add
this here for security. (RB)
Q: So, this would be the only one at Washington Square. Right? (SC)
A: Yes, sir. (RB)
C: I’m just wondering, would it be better to look at a corner location if this is going to be the only one? Not sure, maybe I
missed something, and I apologize if I did, but how come this is the location being compiled. (SC)
C: I agree with Steven, I don’t know why it couldn’t go towards the street, and be accessible from the street, from the
City and County Building site and potentially somebody that’s on library square. I mean, library square isn’t looking to
put one on their plaza, are they? (RP)
C: This is the only one I’ve been asked to get numbers on. (RB)
C: I mean, I think we’re not the experts on this, like, my assumption would be if it’s by the street, you’re going to get a
whole bunch of stuff, you know, pranks, umm… (JH)
C: I would agree, I think the homeless would use it quite a bit. (RB)
C: Yes, and I mean, the ones I’m familiar with are on campuses, you know, where it’s a whole interior system, where
mostly students are on and they’re walking. I’m not familiar with – oh, or parking garages – but I’m not, I just have not
seen them like along the street and that’s probably why, because you would just get a whole bunch of false alarms. (JH)
C: I would agree. Answering phone calls, it seems like someone would push that walking by. (RB)
Just for fun.
C: I would have done it as a kid, I’m sure. (RB)
C: I realize the need for this to be visible in the landscape, but I would argue that if it’s going to be this close to the
building in the locations you’re showing that it would be, you know, the, I think it’s the British Racing Green, like I know
that that’s not a preferable color choice, but, you know, as we get closer to the building that would be my suggestion on
this just because that would blend in better. I think it’s going to be visible just because there’s not a lot of tall trees and
canopy right there where you’re showing, so I think if someone were in the parking lot or someone were walking down
the sidewalk here, they would pretty readily see this piece of equipment, even if it’s not blue. The ones inside are going
to kind of gain a familiarity with it so it will kind of become something that is known. I don’t know. (SC)
C: Steve, we were talking about maybe just shifting it up to the north on that circle to kind of have it be there, but not
have it be right in the central access, I don’t know if that helps. (JH)
C: Well again, you know, I just think there’s not much in the circle that is competing for attention with this thing. I would
say that even if it were a green color, it would still stand out from everything else right there, you know? It’s going to be
something that’s very visible I think, regardless of the color. That’s just my opinion though. (SC)
C: Yes, the lettering I think is what makes it visible. (JH)
C: Yes, I agree with Steve, I mean, I think there’s a compromise, if we do this, there’s a compromise. Where it’s not the
best, you know, the Cadillac, for the safety thing and it’s not the best thing for the building and the park to incorporate
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this new, large feature in this prominent position. So, I think if it could be green, and you still have the white letters that
say, ‘EMERGENCY,’ I think people are going to see it. It’s big and prominent and tells you what it is. (BM)
C: It also has a light in it just in case you want to know, that’s blue. (RB)
Q: Does that change with the color of the pole or it’s just always blue? (BM)
A: I think that’s always blue. (RB)
C: Ok. (BM)
C: Oh boy, we got a whole new thing to discuss now. (SC)
C: Yes! (RB)
C: Does blue go with green? (JH)
C: So, this may be just a really stupid question, but I understand the confusion with it over by the ADA access, but is
there another kind of emergency system that could be installed there that’s smaller that can be separate enough that
it’s not confusing? (BM)
C: I think the advantage there is to have two, you know, to have two different sites because they could still get their way
to the door and push that one, someone will eventually answer the cell phone or whatever, but this one would also take
care of things that are going on out on the site. (JC)
C: My own personal thought, the one closest to the door, during an event is kind of put behind trucks and barricades and
all sorts of things where it’s not really accessible for, you know, those event goers, where this is going to be more out
amongst them so it’s more accessible in those type of situations from what I’ve seen in the past. I don’t know what
that’s worth, but that’s just what I’ve noticed. (RB)
Q: So going back to Jim’s thing about having it by the street and people kind of abusing it, is there a concern with that
with putting it in a prominent location like this when you have big events going on, or it just doesn’t really happen? (BM)
A: It very well could happen, but I just don’t think it would be a daily occurrence - like you would have out on the street.
(RB)
Q: Well, do we have a recommendation? (JH)
Q: Let me raise one last thing, if we move it to the outside corner, do we have a preference as to which of the four
locations we would want it? (BM)
A: I think you just got to stay in the sun a little bit so if we stay away from the deep shade, we should be ok. (RB)
C: Do the rest of you have a preference if they moved it towards that little piece of concrete that’s sticking out? I
imagine the shade – it just depends on the time of day. The trees are about the same on either side. (BM)
C: Yes, and I’m probably fine with it there if the color is not blue. (SC)
C: So, if we compromised and put it there, but got green for the color. (BM)
C: It would match the, I think it would match the light poles, wouldn’t its Jim? I think that was British Racing Green as
well. (SC)
C: That’s what we did with the one by the handicapped door. (JC)
Barbara Murphy made a recommendation to move the location to the north side of the circle, to the west of the
handicapped spot, that the color go from ‘Safety Blue’ to ‘British Racing Green,’ and the solar panel be removed and the
device be hard wired. Riley Bird will take the recommendation to the leadership and get quotes for what new costs
would be associated with the hard wire.
Agenda Item 4: Exterior Colored Lighting – Jim Cleland
Jim Cleland informed the committee that they have found LED lights that come in the primary colors – red, yellow, and
blue – and can be manipulated to show support and celebrate various holidays and events. They will have two lights
placed on the two walkways and some additionally mounted to the roof to have three tiers of lighting on all four sides of
the Washington Square Tower. The lights should be easy to use, inexpensive, and do the job well. The lights have been
mounted onto a board instead of installed directly on the building, but the ones on the roof will need to be installed
professionally so they’re not on there just yet.
Agenda Item 5: Summer Vacation Discussion – Joan Swain
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Joan Swain discussed if the meeting is to still be held for the months of July and August as in the past, they had cancelled
them to allow members to plan on a summer vacation. Rob Pett stated that with it being only one day that they could
easily adjust and that the chances of everyone taking the same week off is unlikely. Jennifer concurred and said if the
numbers weren’t there for any reason on future meetings that they would cancel.
Agenda Item 6: Annual Grounds Walk-Thru Discussion – Jim Cleland
Jennifer Hale requested that the walk-thru be done along with Urban Forestry and Parks. Jim Cleland stated they should
try to do the outdoor walk-thru in September and the interior be toured during the renovations in December or January.
Jenny Hale thanked all for attending.
Robert Pett made a motion to adjourn the meeting.
Barbara Murphy seconded the motion.
Jenny Hale called for a vote and the Committee voted unanimously to adjourn the meeting.
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