City to review storm water solutions
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By Jeff Snyder
MOUNT AYR, Iowa — Two issues were the primary focus during the Mount Ayr City Council meeting Monday night at City Hall.
First was the waste water systems improvements for which bids have been received and notated. The second area of focus was the issuance of a Capital Fund Grant from HUD (Housing and Urban Development) for three properties located in Mount Ayr. The three are 202 S. Polk St., 300 W. Walnut St. A&B and 601 N. Pierce A&B.
Grants for these properties cleared HUD requirements paving the way for funding to be applied for the rehabilitation of these properties. The funding for the waste water management projects have mostly been secured already and will enable the work to commence once final engineering assessments have been completed and subsequent council approval.
The council approved Resolution 2026-33/34 for bids as presented by Garden & Associates Engineering. Austin Smith, P.E., L.S.I. one of the engineers at Garden made the presentation regarding the costing of the water and sewer projects outlining the bids and how they were derived.
During the discussion City Administrator Brent Wise turned his attention to an issue that has caused considerable problems for area residents in the past month. Extraordinary rain fall events have given rise to a number of trouble spots located throughout the city.
Storm water runoff control has left numerous businesses and homeowners with costly claims for damage due to flooding. While these rain events have been outside the realms of normal, Wise noted that these events are becoming more common place over the past few years.
Some of the issues are likely a result of the unusual topography on which Mount Ayr is constructed. Others are possibly tied to the city’s aging infrastructure which is currently under review with these newest water and sewer projects pending completion.
Wise brought up to the short staffed council the possibility of revisiting the downtown square projects that have been in the planning stages for several years. This extensive project would involve removing the brick from the square and redoing the base before relaying the brick to preserve the original look of the square. Wise mentioned that perhaps while Garden & Associates are undertaking the current water and sewer projects that they could consider an expanded engineering survey that would include mitigation suggestions on the recent water run off challenges. Redirecting any monies for the square project would require council approval and a new engineering survey to help determine the breadth and scope of the additional work.
Questions arose regarding the funding for a new survey, but Wise assured the council that funding for these types of unforeseen expenses are already included in the city’s overall budgets. The Council will revisit this contingency at the next regular council session.
In other council business, the council approved final amendments for the proposed one way traffic request submitted for the new Country Cottage Bakery taking shape on the town square. The one way designation will allow for a drive-thru window station to be offered to the public once the bakery is ready for business and fully operational. Other house keeping issues included an approval for a liquor license renewal for Rumors Bar and Grill.
Wise also informed the council that a list of bills was unavailable at the time of the meeting due to the city’s systems administration partner G-Works having to re-boot their systems. Bills will be generated for the next regularly scheduled council session.
