March 16, 2015 Minutes

The semi-monthly meeting of the City Council of Walcott, Iowa, was held on Monday, the 16th day of March, 2015, at Walcott City Hall. Mayor John Kostichek called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Council members present were: Tim Koehler, Virgil Wayne Latimer, Lisa Mengler, Jackie Puck, and Jacob Puck. Absent: None. City employees present: John Brockmann, Lisa Rickertsen, and Tom Schirman.

Audience. Verlyn & Josie Dietz, Jill Hernandez, Renae Christopher, Michael Christopher, John Friede, Kendall Mattson, Donna Housley, Randy Moeller, Jason Holdorf, and Joe Quick.

Approval of Agenda. Jackie Puck moved and Mengler seconded to approve the agenda. Motion carried.

Consent Agenda. Koehler moved and Jacob Puck seconded to approve the consent agenda including the invoices, minutes from March 2, 2015, and the February 2015 financial reports. Motion carried.

Main Street Enhancement Project.
Bridge Railings. Discussion was held on the bridge walkway railings and whether or not to leave the east bridge walkway railing as is or update to the new IDOT (Iowa Department of Transportation) standard railing if the west walkway is added. The cost to update the east side to the IDOT standard railing is approximately $13,000 – $14,000. Discussion was held that the west side walkway is a project alternate and must meet new IDOT standards. Council consensus was that both bridge railings should match. Mengler moved and Koehler seconded to proceed with having both bridge walkway railings meet the new IDOT standards. Motion carried. If the west side bridge walkway is not included in the project, the east side railing will remain as is. Discussion was held regarding the new sidewalks included in the project.
Lighting Options. Information was presented regarding two styles of light options from Alliant Energy and three styles from the project engineer. The options presented from Alliant were for HPS (high pressure sodium) lights since LED lights for decorative poles are not available from them at this time. Their poles do not come with electrical outlets, flag mounts or hanging basket mounts and it was unknown if Alliant would allow the City to add them. It was mentioned that the poles from Alliant Energy were not as attractive and are considerably taller than the options from the engineer. Mengler stated that the visual enhancement to the Main Street corridor was one of the main purposes of the project with inclusion of hanging baskets on the decorative poles. The options presented from the project engineer included LED lights, decorative pole bases, double hooked planter mounts, and flag pole holder mounts. A precast location for an electrical outlet can also be added. The poles from Alliant Energy would be installed by Alliant Energy at no cost and would be maintained by them for a monthly fee. Discussion was held on the installation cost differential, the difference in pole/light options, and the value of paying for the higher priced poles. Mengler moved and Jackie Puck seconded to include the Prairie fixture, an option presented by the project engineer, in the plans and specifications. Motion carried.
Contract Amendment. Discussion was held on the contract amendment from Missman for the engineering services for the structural services of the west bridge walkway expansion. The west bridge walkway was added as an alternate to the project after the initial engineering contract was approved. The amendment also included services for temporary construction easement acquisition. The total amendment is at an hourly rate, not to exceed $39,200. Following discussion, Koehler moved and Jackie Puck seconded to approve the contract amendment with Missman. Motion carried.

RAGBRAI Committee Report. Joe Quick reported on two possible themes for this year's RAGBRAI event. Discussion was held on having a similar route as 2011, which includes going around Victory Park, but this year wanting to go on E. Bryant Street, S. Grove Street and then Memorial Road. Concerns were expressed regarding the Post Office access and street conditions. Following further discussion, Jackie Puck moved and Koehler seconded to have the RAGBRAI Committee come up with the best route for the community and businesses. Motion carried.

Spring Clean-up. Mengler moved and Jackie Puck seconded to schedule spring clean-up day on Saturday, May 2nd from 2:5 p.m. Motion carried. This will be located at the Public Works building for Walcott residents only. No electronic, business, or household hazardous waste. Tires, appliances, and bulky items will be accepted at no charge.

Approval of Right-of-Way Application for Iowa Network Services. Jacob Puck moved and Latimer seconded to approve the application for Iowa Network Services. Motion carried. This is for a fiber optic conduit in the right-of-way on Blue Grass Road/70th Avenue.

Public Works Report. Brockmann reported on cleaning rocks from yards due to snow removal, issues with the used snow plow truck that was recently purchased and stated he started on the water leak at Wescott Park.

City Clerk's Report. Rickertsen stated a hearing request regarding a nuisance abatement has been received. The hearing was scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on April 6th.

Mayor's Report. Mayor Kostichek stated he was glad to see citizens attending the meeting and voicing their concerns. He thanked Joe Quick for co-chairing the RAGBRAI Committee.

Questions/Concerns. Audience members questioned the proposed police department vehicle purchase. Mayor Kostichek responded that the topic has not yet been brought to the council table for discussion. Jackie Puck related concerns from a resident that their neighbor was feeding stray cats and it was attracting wild life to the neighborhood. Puck questioned if it was against city ordinances or if it could be added to the code book.

Mengler moved and Jackie Puck seconded to adjourn at 7:04 p.m. Motion carried. All votes on motions were unanimous, unless noted.