HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/02/18 Minutes - Regular MeetingMINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL
REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY OF DIAMOND BAR
OCTOBER 2, 2018
CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Low called the Regular City Council meeting to
order at 6:30 p.m. in the South Coast Air Quality Management Dist rict[Govern me nt
Center Auditorium, 21865 Copley Drive, Diamond Bar, CA.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE:
INVOCATION:
ROLL CALL:
MILow led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Shaykh Nomaan Baig, Institute of Knowledge,
provided the Invocation.
Council Members Lin, Lyons, Tye, Mayor Pro Tem
Herrera and Mayor Low
Staff Present: Dan Fox, City Manager; David DeBerry City Attorney, Ryan
McLean, Assistant City Manager, David Liu, Public Works Director; Greg Gubman,
Community Development Director; Ryan Wright, Parks & Recreation Manager; Dianna
Honeywell, Finance Director; Anthony Santos, Assistant to the City Manager; Amy
Haug, Human Resources/Risk Manager; Dannette Allen, Management Analyst; Cecilia
Arellano, Public Information Coordinator; and, Tommye Cribbins, City Clerk.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA: As Presented.
1. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATES, PROCLAMATIONS:
1.1 MILow and Council Members presented Certificates of Recognition to the
Porter Family for opening their homes during an evacuation at Diamond
Bar High School. The Gehringer family was unable to attend.
NEW BUSINESS OF THE MONTH:
1.2 MILow and Council Members presented a Certificate Plaque to Tancca
Tea House, 1123 Grand Avenue as New Business of the Month. Owners
were unable to be present.
2. CITY MANAGER REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: None.
3. PUBLIC COMMENTS:
Allen Wilson inquired about the Brown Act for three City Councilmembers to be
at the same event and whether the public would be able to comment on Item 8.1.
.teff Lowe, owner, Alchemy Theater, asked if his small community theater group
could be located at 249 S. Diamond Bar Boulevard.
MILow suggested Mr. Lowe meet with City staff to discuss his objectives.
OCTOBER 2, 2018 PAGE 2 CITY COUNCIL
CI
5.
CILin said he loved theater and was very happy that Mr. Lowe was making this
proposal
RESPONSE TO PUBLIC COMMENTS:
CM/Fox indicated that accepting public comments on Item 8.1 would be at the
pleasure of the Council.
SCHEDULE OF FUTURE EVENTS:
5.1 Diamond Bar Restaurant Week — October 5th through 211t with 23
restaurants participating. Check out www.dbrestaurantweek.com for all of
the latest participants and their restaurant week specials.
5.2 Planning Commission Meeting — October 9, 2018 — 6:30 p.m., Windmill
Community Room, 21810 Copley Drive.
5.3 Traffic and Transportation Commission Meeting — October 11, 2018 — 6:30
p.m., Windmill Community Room, 21810 Copley Drive.
5.4 City Council Meeting — October 16, 2018 — 6:30 p.m., ACMDIGovernment
Center Auditorium, 21865 Copley Drive.
5.5 Halloween Party (Fall Fun FestivaI/Barktoberfest) -- October 27, 2018 --
9:00 a.m. to 12;00 noon — Pantera Park, 738 Pantera Drive_
5.6 America Recycles Day — November 3, 2018 — 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.,
AQMDIGovernment Center, 21865 Copley Drive.
6. CONSENT CALENDAR: C/Lyons moved, MPTIHerrera seconded, to
approve the Consent Calendar with C/Lyons pulling Item 6.4 for separate action.
Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote:
AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: Lin, Lyons, Tye, MPT/Herrera, MILow
NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None
ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None
6.1 APPROVED CITY COUNCIL MINUTES:
6.1 a REGULAR MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 18, 2018 - as presented.
6.2 RATIFIED CHECK REGISTER DATED SEPTEMBER 13, 2018
THROUGH SEPTEMBER 26, 2018 TOTALING $1,457,180.98.
63 APPROVED TREASURER'S STATEMENT FOR AUGUST 2018.
OCTOBER 2, 2018 PAGE 3 CITY COUNCIL
6.5 APPROVED DESIGN AND PLANS AND AWARD OF
AGREEMENT TO MICON CONSTRUCTION,
PLAYGROUND SURFACING REPLACEMEN
CONSTRUCTION
INC. FOR THE
T AND ADA
IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT AT STARSHINE PARK - CDBG PROJECT
NO. 60186617.
A) APPROPRIATED $16,341 OF CDBG FUND RESERVES TO THE
FISCAL YEAR 2018-19 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PROGRAM (CIP)
BUDGET FOR THE PLAYGROUND SURFACING REPLACEMENT
AND ADA IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT AT STARSHINE PARK;
B) ADOPTED RESOLUTION NO. 2018-40 APPROVING THE DESIGN
AND PLANS, AND ESTABLISHING A PROJECT PAYMENT
ACCOUNT, FOR THE PLAYGROUND SURFACING REPLACEMENT
AND ADA IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT AT STARSHINE PARK;
C) REJECTED THE ALTERNATE BID SCHEDULE AND ALTERNATE
BID ITEMS (#13-21) IN THE AMOUNT OF $16,992; AND,
D) APPROVED AND AUTHORIZED THE MAYOR TO SIGN, A
CONSTRUCTION AGREEMENT WITH MICON CONSTRUCTION,
INC. IN THE AMOUNT OF $127,936 APPROVING THE BASE BID
SCHEDULE, PLUS A CONTINGENCY AMOUNT OF $7,590, FOR
CONTRACT CHANGE ORDERS TO BE APPROVED BY THE CITY
MANAGER, FOR A TOTAL AUTHORIZATION AMOUNT OF
$135,526.
MATTERS WITHDRAWN FROM CONSENT CALENDAR:
6.4 FIRST AMENDMENT TO AGREEMENT FOR CITY REQUESTED
ENHANCEMENTS DURING CONSTRUCTION OF NEW RAMPS AT
LEMON AVENUE AND STATE ROUTE 60 BY AND BETWEEN THE
CITY OF DIAMOND BAR AND THE ALAMEDA CORRIDOR -EAST
CONSTRUCTION AUTHORITY.
A) APPROPRIATE $60,000 OF MEASURE ME FUND RESERVES AND
$45,000 OF MEASURE R FUND RESERVES TO THE FISCAL YEAR
2018-19 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (CIP) BUDGET FOR
THE LEMON AVENUE INTERCHANGE AT THE STATE ROUTE 60
FREEWAY PROJECT;
B) APPROVE THE TRANSFER OF $20,000 OF MEASURE ME FUND
SAVINGS FROM PROJECT #26016 (GROUNDWATER DRAINAGE
IMPROVEMENTS - PHASE 1) TO PROJECT #23316 (LEMON
AVENUE INTERCHANGE AT SR 60) IN THE FISCAL YEAR 2018-19
CIP BUDGET; AND,
OCTOBER 2, 2018 PAGE 4 CITY COUNCIL
C) APPROVE AND AUTHORIZE THE MAYOR TO SIGN, THE FIRST
AMENDMENT TO THE AGREEMENT WITH THE SAN GABRIEL
VALLEY COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS TO INCREASE THE NOT -
TO -EXCEED AMOUNT TO $165,000.
C/Lyons asked for reassurance that future groundwater drainage projects would
continue to be funded.
CM/Fox stated that that was correct. The savings staff proposes to transfer to
this project is a result of the amount saved from two recent storm drain projects
that came in under budget. The additional projects in the CIP are separate line
items and will continue to be funded.
CILin asked why $165,000 was being appropriated when the amendment is for
$125,000.
CM/Fox responded that the total contract is for $165,000 and the amendment
adds $125,000 for the paving. The current $40,000 contract for the Lemon
Avenue Interchange project is for a variety of landscape enhancements, traffic
signal modifications, traffic signage and striping under the City's responsibility.
The contract is being amended from $40,000 to $165,000 for a net increase of
$125,000.
CILin asked if the 1 Y acres of land that was vacated on the McDonald's site for
the on and off ramps would be deeded back to the City of Diamond Bar once the
ramps are closed.
CM/Fox responded that staff has indicated an interest in having "first right -of -
refusal" over that property if and when the State goes through the vacation
process.
CILin felt the property would be a perfect location for a public arts display.
C/Lyons moved, MPT/Herrera seconded, to approve Item 6.4 as stated. Motion
carried by the following Roll Call vote:
AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: Lin, Lyons, Tye, MPT/Herrera, MILow
NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None
ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None
7. PULIC HEARINGS: NONE.
8. COUNCIL CONSIDERATION:
8.1 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STATUS REPORT.
OCTOBER 2, 2018 PAGE 5 CITY COUNCIL
CM/Fox said that in response to MPT/Herrera's request staff is providing
and update on the new development and existing programs and
businesses in the City. There has been a lot of interest in the new Sprouts
Center (former Kmart site) which in the past year has opened Sprouts,
Coffee Bean Tea Leaf, Chipotle and Ross with The Habit Burger Grill
being under construction with an opening estimated close to the end of
2018/early 2019. The Charles Company, owner of the center, has been
actively marketing the property to fill remaining vacancies and continues to
have interest in acquiring a variety of businesses including banks, nal
salons, restaurants and other retailers. Staff continues to work with the
Charles Company on a regular basis and hopes to, in the very near future,
share good news with respect to additional tenants. McDonald's is
located in the Center but under separate ownership and recently made a
major investment in the rehabilitation of their store and remodeling of the
fapade and drive-through lane at Diamond Bar Boulevard and Gentle
Springs Drive.
The Walnut Pool site located on Golden Springs Drive near the Caltrans
facility and the SR57160 overpass was remodeled last year and is in the
process of leasing a new 8500 square foot office complex. There has
been a lot of interest in Big Lots; however, CM/Fox believes the owner has
some unrealistic expectations on price. Staff has presented him with a
number of national retail tenants who have not been able to reach
agreement on business terms. They are currently looking to remodel the
building to be split up into smaller commercial spaces they feel would
garner them more suitable rents that would meet their financial business
model.
The Hampton Inn Suites is moving forward with their entitlements,
currently in- the environmental review and traffic analysis stage, for the
Brea Canyon Road trailer storage site. The project is for 109 hotel rooms
which ,will serve as a significant investment in that portion of the
community and clean up some unsightly conditions. There are
approximately 48,000 square feet of professional office and medical space
and about 9,500 square feet of retail and restaurant uses that will be
bundled on the site with the hotel. This project should be moving through
the Planning Commission and City Council process in early 2019.
In the Gateway Corporate Center, the Holiday Inn just spent $12 million on
renovating their hotel which was a private investment in the community.
The new DB Grill and Lounge, the restaurant inside the hotel, is open. In
addition, they are restaurant week participants. This serves as another
indication that there is a real investment/reinvestment in Diamond Bar
which is encouraged.
Niagara Water will be moving their headquarters from Ontario to Diamond
Bar into a 30,000 square foot office building purchased in the Corporate
OCTOBER 2, 2018 PAGE 6 CITY COUNCIL
Center. It is anticipated they will begin Tenant Improvements this fall and
be ready to occupy the site in early 2019 with approximately 700
employees. This supports the notion that the City is able to market itself
as a corporate center/daytime destination with current large employers
such as AQMD, Niagara, Allstate and other businesses.
Some of the current programs include: A City Council Economic
Development Committee consisting of Councilmembers Lyons and
Herrera meets quarterly with staff to provide updates and to discuss
different programs and initiatives that are -ultimately brought to the City
Council as deemed appropriate. Restaurant Week which kicks off this
Friday, October 5th and runs through October 21st is probably the City's
most visible program and a great way to celebrate and bring the
community together. Last year the City began partnering with SCORE, a
non-profit business resource organization of thousands of volunteer
business counselors who are former CEO's of Fortune 500 companies
who volunteer their time to teach people how to run a business and
mentor aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners. The City hosts
workshops at the Diamond Bar Center and have one-on-one mentoring
sessions at no cost that are hosted at City Hall by appointment.
The General Plan Update will include a new Economic Development
Element which is not a requirement by the State but something the City
chose to create because of the importance of economic development in
the community. This element will respond to public interest in creating a
town center and will include town center areas and focuses and include
policies that will encourage that type of growth and vision for the future as
well as, policies for new and existing businesses.
Other organizations and resources include continuing participation with
the Regional Chamber of Commerce to sponsor and support local and
regional events including Restaurant Week as well as, the San Gabriel
Economic Partnership who advocate for industry and business as well as,
offer support for things such as the SR57160 Confluence Project and
advocate for funding at the state, local and federal level. When this
infrastructure is completed, it will help to attract new businesses and
residents who want to be in this area. Diamond Bar actively participates in
the International Council of Shopping Centers to market its available sites
and facilitate communications between property owners and potential
tenants. ;
In addition, the City takes advantage of a variety of other professional
resources and services related to financial and others who perform
analysis of projects including Keyser Marston Associates. Kosmot
Companies has helped and continues to help the City secure hotel sites,
infrastructure financing options and other real estate services. HdL
Company provides the City's property tax estimates, sales tax estimates
OCTOBER 2, 2018 PAGE 7 CITY COUNCIL
and has been instrumental on the retail side of securing some of the more
recent transactions including Smart & Final, Waba Grill, Sprouts, Ross,
Chipotle and everything having to do with the Charles Company. HdL has
also helped the City prepare an Economic Development Action Plan that
was approved by the City Council last October which provides the
roadmap where the City identified seven different areas of the community,'
each with a separate market and demographics.
MPT/Herrera thanked CM/Fox for his very comprehensive overview of all
of the different things Diamond Bar has been doing over the past many
years, particularly at the ICSC where staff and Council Members take
brochures about each shopping center to show the schematics of the
center and where the vacancies are and how many square feet of space is
available which are handed out to businesses that residents would like to
have come to Diamond Bar. MPT/Herrera asked CM/Fox who makes the
final decision about whether a business comes or does not come to this
City?
CM/Fox said that ultimately, it is a business decision between the property
owner and the prospective tenant. Diamond Bar staff and Council can
facilitate the communications, impress potential tenants with the City's
demographics and point them to different amenities throughout the
community, but ultimately, if the owner and prospective tenant are unable
to agree on the basic business terms, there is not much more the City can
do.
CITye said that a member of the public commented that there are so many
empty store fronts and "we're not addressing them" and really, nothing
could be further from the truth. Walmart made the decision to come to
Diamond Bar (an international corporation); Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf
has been around for 50 years, was started in Los Angeles and they made
the decision to come to Diamond Bar; Chipotle saves residents the trouble
of driving to City of Industry or Walnut because they came to Diamond Bar
— and those decisions are being made for good reason. He wonders how
many people remember a time when the Council led a campaign to
persuade Trader Joes to come to Diamond Bar and locate in what is now
the Super H Mart property. They delivered 11,000 post cards to Trader
Joes to convince them that this is the right place. They liked the
demographics, they liked the traffic count, but didn't like the location and
chose to go elsewhere. There are a lot of moving parts, but he does not
believe it is fair to say that we are not addressing them. We're helping the
folks that own the former Big Lots, we are with the ICSC and doing
everything we can. Again, we're not the realtor or property owner and
we're not really trying to say "come rent from us", we're saying "this is
what is available". He believes that when the City turned around Vons
leaving, Hagan occupying overnight, Hagan leaving after a few months
and fortunately, landing Smart & Final Extra, whether
OCTOBER 2, 2018 PAGE 8 CITY COUNCIL
one likes that format or not, Diamond Bar is fortunate to have that
storefront occupied and producing sales tax revenue for the City. He
thinks overall, the City is doing everything it can do in every possible
arena.
C/Lyons thanked CM/Fox for the very comprehensive update and there
are good things working and there are good things signed. And she
imagines that a lot of people were unaware that Diamond Bar was getting
a Hampton Inn & Suites which was something that was signed fairly
recently. And it seems to her that there is something else on that property
that may not yet be signed.
CM/Fox said that staff is unaware of anything other than what has been
mentioned including a separate retail building, a restaurant building and a
medical and professional office building that will be part of that
development.
MPT/Herrera said that some people get frustrated with the vacancies and
there have been some businesses that are attracted to a different location
who talk with the property owner and determine, that because of the high
rent being asked, they back out. Is there anything that the City can do to
impose a lower rent?
CM/Fox responded that there really is nothing that the City can do to affect
the rents. Rent control for commercial uses is actually prohibited under
state law. There is not really anything from a legislative standpoint that the
City can do to manage or control the amount of rent the market will bear.
MILow opened the item for public comment.
Bob Velker, stated that although he praised the City Council for the action
plan he felt that the report didn't have a date on it. He feels that the reports
was lacking in data, substance, direction and is very superficial. He hopes
there is more to it than this.
CILin asked Mr. Velker what "document" he referred to.
Mr. Velker stated that it was the report that was attached to the agenda for
tonight's meeting.
With no further public comments made, MILow closed public comments.
CM/Fox explained that the attachment in the agenda packet is the three-
year development action plan that was reviewed at two study sessions by
the City Council in June and October 2017. It is intended to be a high-
level document to maintain flexibility and to be able to be responsive to
changes in the market and changes in property conditions. Overall, it sets
OCTOBER 2, 2018 PAGE 9 CITY COUNCIL
the commitment to work toward economic development and what the City
can do and what the City cannot do with respect to these opportunity
areas as they come and go over time. The actual information that is
passed out to perspective tenants is contained in separate documents.
Further, this document is intended to be an interactive process which can
be updated and the City can be flexible moving forward and conditions
change.
MILow said that the document has the various areas divided into inter -
regions within the City and within each of the areas there are overall
objectives as well as, specific tasks that relate to the particular focus areas
which seems to her to be a very organized way of handling it. The
subcommittee meets quarterly so that the Council and staff is keeping a
close watch on this and measuring the pulse of the economic viability of
these areas. As members of the City Council, nothing happens without
money as everyone knows, and the economic development brings in the
tax dollars that fund the City's programs, roadway improvements, public
safety and even this meeting tonight. One can be sure that the City
Council has economic development as one of its top, top priorities
together with traffic and public safety. She appreciates the comments this
evening and she thanked CM/Fox for his excellent report.
CILin said that despite what has been said this evening he believes the
staff of this City has done a very good job in growing economic
development. He remembers 17 years ago when he first moved to
Diamond Bar the Super H Mart site was completely blighted and even the
four corners at Diamond Bar Boulevard and Grand Avenue was fairly
blighted. And in 17 years these areas have been transported into very
viable economic centers for the City of Diamond Bar. The facts speak for
themselves and there is no doubt that economic development is an
ongoing activity. It is not something one sets a goal that can be attained
by a certain date and then quits. It is an ongoing pursuit and he applauds
staff's efforts and without the City Council, nothing moves forward.
MPT/Herrera said how much she appreciated their constant efforts in this
area and in particular to CM/Fox and his staff for putting together this
report which shows that the City is doing a great deal in every way and in
every year to enhance economic development.
9. COUNCIL SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS AND MEETING ATTENDANCE
REPORTSICOUNCIL MEMBER COMMENTS:
C/Tye said that "silly season" refers to the way people behave before an election,
not that "they" are silly. He is sorry if he offended anyone with that comment, but
- it does get to what we saw with the senate judiciary committee and the way
adults are behaving and the way the mailboxes are full everyday of what he
OCTOBER 2, 201 8 - PAGE 10 CITY COUNCIL
thinks are at the very least half-truths. Folks posting inaccurate information or
misconstruing the facts or implying by innuendo with no chance for anyone to
deal with it will be over in 36 days. He encouraged people to vote and exercise
their right to do so. It was wonderful to have the Porter family here tonight and to
honor them for the action they took. It is very encouraging that a teenager
stepped up while mom wasn't home and it shows she raised her kids well. At a
recent meeting Mary Lou Vargas and David Hernandez were honored for what
they did — stopping their cars at a busy intersection to help someone in need.
People in this community know how to take care of each other and the City is
grateful for them making this community a better place. His dad told him many
years ago there are two things you can be sure of with the Dodgers and the
Rams — they will break your heart every year. So with the Dodgers heading
toward the World Series let's hope they bring the trophy back to Los Angeles
after 30 years.
MPT/Herrera spoke about the funeral mass was held for Monsignor Jim
Loughnane who passed away on September 17th and thanked the
Walnut/Diamond Bar Sheriff's Station personnel for the tremendous job they did
in helping with crowd and traffic control. There were a lot of cars and over 1,000
people attended the mass at St. Denis Church and, the Sheriff's Department was
a wonderful and helpful presence.
CILin echoed CITye's comments about the Porker family and the Gehringer
family. This is what defines humanity and Diamond Bar. He asked CAIDeBerry
to address Mr. Wilson's question about three Council Members being at the
same event whether it violates the Brown Act.
CAIDeBerry said he believed the question was should three Counci[members
avoid being seen in the same place at any cost and the answer to that is "no." In
this and other cities the full contingency of Council Members often attend the
same community events such as Concerts in the Park, 4th of July, and various
fundraising events for different foundations and, there is something in the
Constitution called Freedom of Association and the Brown Act is a very limited
restriction on people's rights to associate and it says "a quorum of the Council (3)
cannot meet at the same place and time to discuss City business" and never in
his 23 years as a City Attorney has he advised the City Council never to be in the
same place at any cost. He just advises them not to discuss City business
unless it is in a noticed meeting when three or more are present.
C/Lyons reported that last Friday she attended the San Gabriel Valley Legislative
Power Luncheon where all four speakers were female and they all informed the
audience members on a number of legislative issues. One of the speakers was
our very own M/Low who spoke very knowledgably about things in Diamond Bar
including traffic. M1Low did a great job in representing the City and we are very
proud to have her. Tomorrow night starts the beginning of the Read Together
Diamond Bar activities at the library with a screening at 5:30 of the film Lion. She
OCTOBER 2, 2018 PAGE 11 CITY COUNCIL
and many others read the book over the summer. The book was originally titled
A Long Way Home and it was updated to Lion. The book is excellent and the
movie screening tomorrow is free and she hopes everyone will join her at the
library at 5:30. On Sunday she will be at the Diamond Bar Multi -Cultural Festival
at Peterson Park from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Restaurant Week starts this
Friday
MILow thanked C/Lyons for her compliment about the Legislative luncheon. It
was a pleasure to be part of a speaking engagement along with Congresswoman
Napolitano, Supervisor Hahn and State Senator Chang and what was nice about
that was their affirmance and their commitment, each one of them, to helping the
City with the SR57160 Confluence project. They all said they were behind the
City and that they were working hard to secure the funding for the project. And
importantly, they understand how terrible that freeway intersection is and we vow
to get that done. She thanked staff for their participation in the event as well.
Last week she, Lin and Lyons attended the Evergreen Seniors Association to join
them in celebrating the Harvest Moon Festival. This group has over 1000
members who really know how to party. They were celebrating birthday and
moon festival with good food, singing and dancing. Be sure to check out the
event next year which is open to everyone and is a lot of fun. A special thanks to
Mr. Chi, their Chairman and founder for the special recognition. She has noticed
that on trash pickup days there are certain people who have gone around the
neighborhoods and taking recyclables from various trash cans which is against
the law. We have Anti -Scavenging Ordinances so if you see people doing this,
please feel free to call the Sheriff's Department to report them. The reason the
City has these ordinances is because when people are scavenging into trash
bins and looking for recyclables it becomes an act of theft because once the
homeowner puts the recycling into the bin and puts it on the sidewalk the
recyclables belong to the trash hauler. Also, the City has various goals for
recyclables it must meet and when they are being pulled out it could put the City
in jeopardy and it creates health hazards and public safety issues, potential of
identity theft, etc. Please drive safely in and about the schools, especially during
morning arrival and afternoon exit. Bad behavior is dangerous behavior. Please
drive safely. She thanked staff for another great month of work which is much
appreciated.
ADJOURNMENT: With no further business to conduct, IItllLow adjourned the
Regular City Council Meeting at 7:41 p��m.
TO MYE CRIBBINS, CITY CLERK
The foregoing minute are hereby approved this 16tiday of actober , 2018.
RUTH M. LOW, MAYOR