Oskaloosa City Council Discusses Joint Airport Study
Oskaloosa City Council for December 5, 2011
Oskaloosa, Iowa- The Oskaloosa City Council met in regular session Monday with Mayor Dave Krutzfeldt presiding. The main issue of the evening was of whether or not to direct the Mayor to execute a contract with Snyder & Associates for professional services related to joint justification report in an amount not to exceed $21,233. During the public comment part of the meeting, former Council Member Jimmy Carter spoke to the Council regarding the issue. “I was really surprised that there’s been virtually no coverage about this topic being on the agenda tonight. I thought that maybe there would be something somewhere that that people would you know be sparked a little bit about the possibility of moving ahead again with a regional airport complex, which we voted on,” Carter said in the beginning of his comments.
Carter also read off the ballot language of the 2005 ballot issue for the Council. “The voters of Oskaloosa read that language, went to the polls, and 4:1 not to merge, not to close, not to give any control to anyone else.” Carter also spoke about farmland that would possibly be purchased for the airport if one were to be built. “Farming is a business,” Carter said. “Condemning their farmland, putting it under concrete is not to their best benefit. I hope that you remember they have a deed of concern but no vote. They can’t vote on the issue. Never did quite understand how you could take somebody’s farm for a city airport, combined regional airport, and they don’t get to vote on it.”
In his finishing his statement, Carter said that the issue would come to a public vote again. “This issue will be brought up again to vote on. I assure you of that. This coming November, it’ll be on ballot again and hopefully the people will be as vocal as they was the last time and tell you, our elected representatives, we want to keep our airport where it’s at.”
During the discussion of the item, City Manager Michael Schrock indicated that this was merely a study and that no site selection process was underway or being considered. “No site has been selected. No site has been discussed. FAA does not want us to even talk about that because we’d have to go through the site selection process.” Schrock indicated that the proposed study would take 8 weeks. Schrock also indicated that the City of Pella would be considering the same study at their meeting Tuesday evening. The issue was approved unanimously.
Also on the agenda Monday evening was a request from Mahaska Community Development Group to authorize the Mayor to sign a letter requesting an extension for the CBDG Community Child Care/Learning Center Contract. Beth Danowsky presented to the group on the contract extension. Currently the group is working on a building design for the Child Care Center. According to the project timeline, construction on the facility is expected to begin in June of 2012. The Council approved the request unanimously.
The next meeting of the Oskaloosa City Council will be on December 19th in the City Council Chambers.
