‘Complete Streets’ Policy Passes City Council

Oskaloosa City Hall

Oskaloosa, Iowa – The Oskaloosa City Council met on Monday night, with the Complete Streets initiative a major focus for those in attendance.

With the opening of the meeting, the community spoke about their support for Complete Streets. Mark Willett, Assistant General Manager for Clow Valve in Oskaloosa, explained that, on behalf of Clow Valve and its 300 plus employees, “I struggle a little bit with what the problem is [in] moving forward with Complete Streets. I understand some of the concerns I heard during the last meeting.”

Willett said that Complete Streets is important for Oskaloosa in order to gain the Blue Zones designation. “Which I think is important for our community.”

Oskaloosa resident Jay Guild also spoke to the council about Complete Streets. Guild says he is an avid runner, and also enjoys bicycling. He sees this initiative as a way to help protect pedestrians and cyclists, but to also be a more welcoming community.

Guild said that he has watched votes from the city council be split in regard to pedestrian safety. “When I look at this, I see this as a way of ensuring the safety of pedestrians, bicyclists” and allowing people recreation within the city, “without fear of things like this happening.” said Guild, who pointed towards an injury received while running one morning when a driver didn’t see him.

The most recent vote on Complete Streets, on January 5, 2015, resulted in a 3-3 vote over the measure. On January 8th, 2015, a work session with a committee from the city council met with city staff to add language to the policy that any project deemed to be part of Complete Streets shall be reviewed by the city council or their designee’s at the conceptual stages of design.

The new policy passed on a 7-0 vote from the council.

The other measure on the agenda, with some community interest, was to once again lease the parking lot northwest of Hy-Vee, or directly south of Arnold Motor Supply, to Hy-Vee at a rate of $500 per-month for use of a green house.

The council opted not to lease the lot to Hy-Vee at this time, in the event that Hardees decides to build upon its proposed location just east of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Other entities within Penn Central Mall have easement rights to the parking lots as well, and would also need to be in agreement for the lease of the lot.

Other options would be shared with Hy-Vee in regard to setting up a greenhouse.