November pool vote off the table for city
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At its meeting Monday, August 1, the Mount Ayr city council learned a wrench has been thrown into its plan to set a bond referendum in November to help finance construction of a new pool in Judge Lewis Park.
The city’s bond attorney Michael Maloney has informed city administrator Brent Wise of an obscure Iowa state law that prohibits schools or cities from offering November referendums in even numbered years.
The passage of a bond referendum constitutes a pivotal piece in planning for a new pool.
In response to the development, the council set a special meeting with Maloney and county supervisors for Wednesday, August 3 to discuss options for moving forward with the project.
In a related note, Wise reported the final day for pool operation will be Saturday, August 6. The following day has been set aside as “Doggy Day,” when pet owners may bring their dogs to the pool to swim.
Other business
In other business the council:
• heard a report from Wise that a new dwelling on Dunning Avenue has been erected nine feet too close to the street in violation of city building codes. A proposed deck in front of the dwelling would result in the structure’s footprint being 23 feet too close.
Wise said the city’s attorneys will deliver options to the city’s board of adjustment later this week. A date for a hearing on the matter is yet to be set.
• approved allowing the city’s airport commission to seek bids for new lights and hanger rehabilitation at the municipal airport.
The Iowa Department of Transportation has approved two grants for the projects as part of the FY 2022 General Aviation Vertical Infrastructure Program.
The grants award 75 percent of the costs of each project, in this case up to $70,087 for the lighting project and $26,856 for the hangar project.
• approved one-time land use permission to run a pipe along the east side of S. Cleveland Street (the golf course road) to allow pumping of water into a pond used by the Mount Ayr Golf Course and Country Club to water greens and fairways. Due to recent dry conditions, the pond is running low.
The project calls for running a line from a pond belonging to Carl Jerome located approximately two miles south and east of the golf course to a tube under the Cleveland roadway near the new ASCS building. The water would then be allowed to flow through the tube and down the ditch into the pond on property owned by Ben Graham.
County supervisors have already approved the line to cross 240th Street south of the golf course.
• approved a renewal of the city’s 10-year Urban Revitalization Plan.
• approved renewals of tobacco-related sales permits for Hy-Vee and Dollar General.
• approved allowing parking at the swimming pool parking lot for those traveling on an upcoming bus trip sponsored by the Senior Citizens Center.
