Council Approves Site Plan For New Hotel
Oskaloosa’s newest police officer, James Arment has his badge pinned on him by his wife during Monday’s city council meeting. (Oskaloosa Police Department Photo)
Oskaloosa, Iowa – The Oskaloosa City Council met in regular session on Monday night, where the first order of business was to swear in Oskaloosa’s newest police officer James Arment.
Arment comes to the police force from the Mahaska County Sheriff’s Reserve, where he had served for the past 4 years and had spent the past 30 years behind the wheel of a tractor-trailer.
It was announced on Monday night, that a new 76-room Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott was being developed, and groundbreaking for the new hotel is expected to happen yet this year and is scheduled to be open within a year.
The site plan for the Fairfield Inn & Suites was presented to the Oskaloosa City Council. Oskaloosa Gateway Hotel LLC submitted the site plan which was prepared by Garden and Associates and will be located in the Gateway Commercial Park at the southwest corner of Highway 92 and Gateway drive.
The new Fairfield Inn will also include an 80 person meeting room.
The council approved the site plan on a 4-0 vote, with Drost and Burnett abstaining from the vote due to personal and employer involvement in the project.
“This is a tremendous investment in our community by those involved in the project,” said Oskaloosa City Manager Michael Schrock. “A community our size having this type of amenity is wonderful, and we should be very grateful. [We are] looking forward to a good partnership with this group.”
The council held a public hearing on the vacation and sale of a 16 foot by 237.5 section of the north-south alley adjacent to 1210 A Avenue East.
The council approved a resolution approving and authorizing execution of a development agreement between the City of Oskaloosa and developers Robert and Amber Burrell. The agreement outlines that the developer agrees to construct certain improvements as part of the development of 60 apartment units that are scheduled to be placed on B Avenue West behind the current Community 1st location.
The development agreement also outlines that the city will construct certain public improvements with an estimated price tag of $230,000.
The council awarded the B Avenue West paving project to TK Concrete in the amount of $158,640, and work should start around October 1st of 2018, and take approximately 25 working days to complete.
The next resolution was to require Gateway Church of the Nazarene to install a new sidewalk along A Avenue West to Gateway Drive. As part of the original site plan from 2009, the church would be responsible for the installation of sidewalk once other development necessitated the installation.
The council passed an ordinance amending the municipal code to restrict parking along K Avenue West.
The council approved an ordinance amending city code relating to water service connections in order to make the city code and the Oskaloosa Water Department mesh.
A work session is being planned to discuss recycling in the City of Oskaloosa on October 1st. Worksession times are typically 5 pm inside the city council chambers at Oskaloosa City Hall.
Also mentioned at the council meeting by Oskaloosa Mayor Dave Krutzfeldt was that Oskaloosa City Manager Michael Schrock was recognized as City Manager of the Year for Iowa at a conference at the Iowa League of Cities.
“It’s nice to get those things, but I’m pretty fortunate that we have [a] great staff here, and obviously if they weren’t doing a wonderful job, there would be no recognition. I don’t like getting those awards, I’m a behind the scene’s kind of guy,” said Schrock. “We have a great team, and it’s really about all of us working together more than just me as a city manager.”
The city council will meet in their next regular session on October 1, 2018, beginning at 6 pm in the council chambers of city hall.
