The Oskaloosa City Council met for their regularly scheduled meeting Monday night, but prior to that meeting, there was an intense study session regarding the updated project on the fire station improvements.
A pair of architects presented the changes to the council in the study session. The changes have been made due to the bids earlier this year far exceeding the estimates that were calculated while the project was being designed. The public voted to allow 3.195 million dollars to the city for the project.
As the presentation went on and several alternate plans were revealed, one of the more visible differences was the roof. The architects showed a single sloped roof as the primary option for the new station, saying it would save anywhere between 60 and 75 thousand dollars to do that design
versus the previously accepted gabled roof.
Council member Aaron Ver Steeg strongly believed it was too big of a change to make without going back to the voters. This sentiment was shared by council member Jason Van Zetten. The architects had a second design with the gabled roof intact, just smaller than the original. Another alternate cost cutting idea was eliminating a fourth bay for work space or a truck, but Fire Chief Mark Neff stated that the fire department could really use that space.
The discussion quickly turned to how much the project can change without going to the voters for any additional reaction. Ver Steeg and Van Zetten both said they received a lot of input from the public on the roof, so they anticipate it being a big deal to the citizens in general. City Manager Michael Schrock, Jr. and Mayor David Krutzfeldt explained that the public voted on the amount for the project, but did not stamp a specific design as the project that would be built, and Mayor Krutzfeldt articulated that the citizens need the council at some point to show leadership and make the project happen.
The timeline on the project is to apply for bids in early 2016, which would require a final design to be settled on in the next few weeks at the latest. The council eventually decided to add the topic to the October 19th meeting agenda with a public hearing, so members of the city can express their concerns over the project and allow the council to take the voters’ opinions in prior to giving the architects the go-ahead signal to complete the accepted design. That public hearing will be a part of the regularly scheduled meeting October 19th.
After the 65-minute study session, the council quickly began the regular meeting. The regular agenda moved quickly, with the major highlight being a presentation to the board regarding façade improvements as a part of a grant. Oskaloosa has some building that would qualify for a grant to improve the facings, especially on the north side of the square. The council unanimously accepted a resolution establishing the boundaries of the project area, and will move forward on a timeline that extends into 2017 for potential construction.
Also in the regular agenda, there will be manhole improvements made at the price of $30,000 to some manholes in the city that have already been inspected. There is going to be more inspection on other manholes throughout the city in the coming months as a part of the sanitary sewer collection system.
The next scheduled meeting of the Oskaloosa City Council is set for October 19th, with the meeting taking place in Council Chambers at City Hall in Oskaloosa. The meeting will be called to order at 6 PM.
