Council Once Again Visits Sidewalk Issue

Oskaloosa City Hall

Oskaloosa City Hall

Oskaloosa, Iowa – The consideration of voluntary annexation of the area surrounding the Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter and the waste water treatment plant on the northeast side of Oskaloosa was passed.

The purpose of the annexation was to facilitate an 80/20 grant from the Iowa DOT for reconstruction of the bridge on 235th Street. The bridge spans over Spring Creek, and during a 2014 inspection was found to be in poor condition, with a remaining life of 2 years.

The estimated cost for replacement of the bridge is $804,200.00. The City of Oskaloosa would need to pay nearly $180,000.00 over fiscal years 2016-17.

During their Monday meeting, the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors supported the City of Oskaloosa and the annexation plan of the 25.2 acres.

After the public hearing, the measure passed.

The conversation regarding sidewalks extending west out of Oskaloosa towards the development area near Wal-Mart and the Gateway Church of the Nazarene was discussed at the May 4 meeting, and Garden & Associates was tasked with providing the initial estimated costs for installing sidewalks to that area.

Costs for the sidewalks on both sides of Highway 92 would total $912,650.00. The individual sides are: the north side cost would be $509,500.00 and the south side would run $405,150.00.

Staff recommends the city council receive the information and direct staff to include route and cost estimate in the recently adopted Oskaloosa Active Transportation Plan. Staff recommends this portion of sidewalk work be included as a“priority two” projects.”

“This adds it to the plan. [Oskaloosa Active Transportation Plan] No more money spent,” said Council-member Scottie Moore.

Council member Doug Yates said that the money on any project, projects like this one, would have to be approved on a project by project basis. “We’re not committing to spending any money at this point.”

Council member Jason Van Zetten expressed his concern that the sidewalk plans were being buried with the existing plan. “So this just gets buried in that plan that we’re never going to do anyway.”

Van Zetten said he wants to know who is going to pay for the transportation plan. “You made my people in 4th Ward lay sidewalks over there. I hope the City doesn’t back out and say, well because we’re gonna have to fill the bill for a half-a-milliion-bucks, that’s different for us.”

No further action was taken by the council on the routes other than to include them in the Oskaloosa Active Transportation Plan.

The Plan is a document that outlines priorities for the City of Oskaloosa in maintaining and developing alternative transportation routes within the City.

Also discussed was the deal that could have seen Hardees return to Oskaloosa. After negations between the various parties involved; Hardees has decided not to build. The council will place an item on the next meeting agenda to discuss the purchase of the former Hardees location, and to also move ahead with turning the lot where Hardees would have built into green space.

According to Oskaloosa City Manager Michael Shrock, that move would open up the door for easier development of the space in the future.

Posted by on May 19 2015. Filed under Local News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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