Oskaloosa City Council Approve ‘Avenue of Flags’

Oskaloosa City Hall

by Charlie Comfort

Oskaloosa, Iowa – The Oskaloosa City Council met in regular session Monday evening with Mayor Dave Krutzfeldt presiding. The biggest item up for discussion was that of the reconsideration of the approval of an encroachment agreement with the Oskaloosa Optimist Club for purposes of their avenue of flags project. At the March 19th City Council Meeting, the council voted 5-2 not to approve the agreement. According to City Council information, since the March 19th meeting two Council members, who voted against the encroachment agreement, had requested that the item be reconsidered.

Council members Tom Walling and Aaron VerSteeg both voiced opposition to the agreement. Both reiterated that they were not against the project itself, but that they were against the placement of the flags. Council member VerSteeg said that he believed that the flags should be placed on private property behind the sidewalk.

Both VerSteeg and Walling cited concerns that with the approval of the encroachment agreement, this may open the door to many other requests. It was noted by City Attorney Dave Dixon that the City would not be obligated to grant all requests to encroach the right of way and that the City Council would review them case by case.

Council members Joe Caligiuri and Scottie Moore, both of whom voted against the project at the March 19th meeting, voiced support for the agreement. Moore noted that if things were not working out that the agreement could always be terminated by either the City or the Optimist Club. In the end, the Council voted 4-2 to approve the Encroachment Agreement. Council members Joe Caligiuri, Tom Jimenez, Scottie Moore, and Doug Yates voted in favor of the agreement. Council Members Aaron VerSteeg and Tom Walling both voted against the agreement. Council member Jason Van Zetten, who voted against the agreement at the March 19th meeting, was not present at Monday’s meeting.

In other action, the City Council:

· Unanimously voted to reappoint Brian Booy to the Planning and Zoning Commission for a term that ends April 30, 2017.

· Heard the 2011 annual YMCA report from YMCA Director Dawn Collins.

· Unanimously approved a request from the Mahaska County Ruritan’s Club for approval of the 2012 Farmer’s Market.

· Unanimously approved a resolution approving the plans, specifications, form of contract, and estimate costs for the North Green Street paving project.

· Unanimously approved a resolution awarding the North Green Street paving project contract to Cornerstone Construction in the amount of $979,960.40.

· Unanimously approved a resolution for preliminary approval of plans, specifications, form of contract, and estimated costs for the Highway 432 Pavement Rehabilitation Project. They also authorized the city to seek bids for the project.

· Unanimously approved Amendment number 1 to the Professional Services Agreement with Garden & Associates for engineering services for the North Green Street paving project in the amount of $28,000.

· Unanimously approved change order number 1 for the North 7th and J Ave East Sanitary Sewer Improvement Project to Synergy Contracting in the amount of $6,000.

The next meeting of the Oskaloosa City Council will be on May 7th, at 6:30 pm in the City Council Chambers.