Interesting article about the Sheriff's Department from the Ames Tribune. Since that is who we contract our police services with, I thought it would be of interest to post here.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE
Monday, December 27, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
Garbage and snow plowing
Just a reminder that garbage pickup will be on its normal Fridays, on Dec 24, and Dec 31.
Also when we have snow forcasted, make sure you get your cars off the street until they are plowed, to avoid parking tickets. You should have received a mailing outlining this.
There is also a run down of the snow ordinance on the city's website. CLICK HERE to see it.
Also when we have snow forcasted, make sure you get your cars off the street until they are plowed, to avoid parking tickets. You should have received a mailing outlining this.
There is also a run down of the snow ordinance on the city's website. CLICK HERE to see it.
Dec 13 council meeting
Only one council meeting in December. We had a couple issues of note that we talked about.
1st was the new streets of Bryan and Arthur. They are not going to open this winter. It appears there were a couple of problems with the construction. None horrible, but they are worthy of correction.
A couple of the storm water intakes have issues. I think 2 are built too high, leaving a rather large opening. One is severely tilted as well. Another issue is that a manhole cutout did not get the concrete poured around it correctly, leaving a gap. Another section of the street has a bit of a dip in it, which could lead to standing water. These are not going to get corrected this winter, so the street opening will have to wait. We still owe $50,000 on the project, and our engineer reports that the corrections will not cost that much, so we hope the contractor will be motivated to come repair the issues.
The next issue revolves around our water and wastewater treatment. Since our previous w/ww superintendent retired, we have contracted with a licensed operator to sign off on our water and wastewater reports with the DNR. While the person we hired, Nathan Hovick, is tending to all the day to day things in the city, he did not have his license for signing off on those yet (and neither did any of the applications we got for the position).
Nathan just got his wastewater certification, so we were able to cut $600 a month off our contracted rate. So that is good.
That leaves the water, and we had one or two different routes before us, that could save the city some money. Our Streets Dept head, Harold Hovick, has just received his water certification. That is good for the city in the long term, as we will have two people available to sign reports. We also can stop paying the contractor for signing off on the reports, so that will save us some money. However, in the interim, until Nathan gets his license, if we use Harold, I think it is the opinion of the majority of the council, that Harold is worthy of some extra compensation to serve as water superintendent. That has not yet been decided, but I'm guessing that may happen.
We also have the opportunity to get Nathan up to get his license more quickly, saving us contracted fees. Before Nathan can apply for his license, he needs to have 3 years on the job. However, if he has his associates degree, he can apply in 18 months. Nathan needs 23 or so more credit hours to finish his degree at DMACC. So the city council has agreed to do a tuition reimbursement for Nathan to finish his degree. This will allow Nathan to get his license about 18 months sooner, saving around $18000 in contracted fees, in exchange for about $4000 in costs.
The downside could be something similar to when Roland had its own police department, and we sent officers to the academy, and then they bolted for higher paying jobs as soon as they had their degree. I hope that is not the case here, and even if it is, as long as Nathan hangs around 5 months after getting his license, we will still be money ahead.
It is nice to see our city employees furthering their education, and gaining certifications. Both Harold and Nathan are doing it in the water/wastewater area, and Deneen has done so in the clerk area.
There really wasn't much more on the docket. We had a potluck Christmas party with the city employees, and members of RADC, and a bit of a going away party for former council member Erin Varley. Next council meeting is Jan 10.
1st was the new streets of Bryan and Arthur. They are not going to open this winter. It appears there were a couple of problems with the construction. None horrible, but they are worthy of correction.
A couple of the storm water intakes have issues. I think 2 are built too high, leaving a rather large opening. One is severely tilted as well. Another issue is that a manhole cutout did not get the concrete poured around it correctly, leaving a gap. Another section of the street has a bit of a dip in it, which could lead to standing water. These are not going to get corrected this winter, so the street opening will have to wait. We still owe $50,000 on the project, and our engineer reports that the corrections will not cost that much, so we hope the contractor will be motivated to come repair the issues.
The next issue revolves around our water and wastewater treatment. Since our previous w/ww superintendent retired, we have contracted with a licensed operator to sign off on our water and wastewater reports with the DNR. While the person we hired, Nathan Hovick, is tending to all the day to day things in the city, he did not have his license for signing off on those yet (and neither did any of the applications we got for the position).
Nathan just got his wastewater certification, so we were able to cut $600 a month off our contracted rate. So that is good.
That leaves the water, and we had one or two different routes before us, that could save the city some money. Our Streets Dept head, Harold Hovick, has just received his water certification. That is good for the city in the long term, as we will have two people available to sign reports. We also can stop paying the contractor for signing off on the reports, so that will save us some money. However, in the interim, until Nathan gets his license, if we use Harold, I think it is the opinion of the majority of the council, that Harold is worthy of some extra compensation to serve as water superintendent. That has not yet been decided, but I'm guessing that may happen.
We also have the opportunity to get Nathan up to get his license more quickly, saving us contracted fees. Before Nathan can apply for his license, he needs to have 3 years on the job. However, if he has his associates degree, he can apply in 18 months. Nathan needs 23 or so more credit hours to finish his degree at DMACC. So the city council has agreed to do a tuition reimbursement for Nathan to finish his degree. This will allow Nathan to get his license about 18 months sooner, saving around $18000 in contracted fees, in exchange for about $4000 in costs.
The downside could be something similar to when Roland had its own police department, and we sent officers to the academy, and then they bolted for higher paying jobs as soon as they had their degree. I hope that is not the case here, and even if it is, as long as Nathan hangs around 5 months after getting his license, we will still be money ahead.
It is nice to see our city employees furthering their education, and gaining certifications. Both Harold and Nathan are doing it in the water/wastewater area, and Deneen has done so in the clerk area.
There really wasn't much more on the docket. We had a potluck Christmas party with the city employees, and members of RADC, and a bit of a going away party for former council member Erin Varley. Next council meeting is Jan 10.
Census Part 2
Well, it appears we will have to wait a bit longer to find out Roland's population. While they have released the state populations, it is going to be next year before the release the populations for specific cities.
I appreciate the 4 guesses that have been made so far on my blog post. The guess of 2 million may only apply if mosquitoes were counted in August.
I appreciate the 4 guesses that have been made so far on my blog post. The guess of 2 million may only apply if mosquitoes were counted in August.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Census
It is my understanding from media reports that the 2010 Census data will be released next week. I have no inside info on what it will show for Roland. But for my blog readers, I thought I would make a predicition, and offer y'all the chance to do the same.
So if you care to take a guess on Roland's population, leave it on the comment to this post. For the person making the closest guess, I will name a day in your honor. Of course, unofficially. Kinda like getting the key to the city. And if you don't want to leave your real name, I will name the day in honor of your fake internet name.
So here goes. I think we are going to slip a little bit, but not much. As a reminder, in 2000 we were at 1324. So the Mayor's guess is.....
1302
What say you?
So if you care to take a guess on Roland's population, leave it on the comment to this post. For the person making the closest guess, I will name a day in your honor. Of course, unofficially. Kinda like getting the key to the city. And if you don't want to leave your real name, I will name the day in honor of your fake internet name.
So here goes. I think we are going to slip a little bit, but not much. As a reminder, in 2000 we were at 1324. So the Mayor's guess is.....
1302
What say you?
Friday, December 10, 2010
Mayor/Dog Catcher
Tonite about 5:30, I got a call on my cell, from my son at home, who said I was supposed to call Casey's about a dog that kept walking into the store.
Ok.
So I called Casey's and found out that apparently there was a black lab that would wait for somebody to open the door, and he would try to sneak in. Nobody at Casey's knew whose dog it was, so some customer had the bright idea that they should call the mayor.
I'm not mad, more amused than anything. As I was in Ogden at the time. So I called our Streets guy Harold, and he offered to leave home and try to corral the dog. If he didn't know who owned the dog, the dog was going to end up in doggie jail for the weekend.
Harold never called me back, so I don't don't know the outcome. But I have a lot of takeaways from this.
1. We have smart dogs in Roland.
2. Often you hear the phrase about politicians, "I wouldn't elect that guy to Dog Catcher." Hey, I got elected to Mayor, and if that ever goes away, I still have a shot at Dog Catcher.
3. On a more serious note, this is an example of the good stuff that our city employees do that doeesn't always get noticed. Harold was home on a Friday evening, but immediately left to help on this issue. It is nice to have employees with that kind of dedication to be a troubleshooter for problems in town.
4. I really love living in a small town in Iowa. I don't know if I have gotten a mayor call in a couple months, and when I do, it is about a dog trying to sneak in a convenience store. If that is the worst problem I get pestered about, we've got a great town.
And in honor of the call....
Ok.
So I called Casey's and found out that apparently there was a black lab that would wait for somebody to open the door, and he would try to sneak in. Nobody at Casey's knew whose dog it was, so some customer had the bright idea that they should call the mayor.
I'm not mad, more amused than anything. As I was in Ogden at the time. So I called our Streets guy Harold, and he offered to leave home and try to corral the dog. If he didn't know who owned the dog, the dog was going to end up in doggie jail for the weekend.
Harold never called me back, so I don't don't know the outcome. But I have a lot of takeaways from this.
1. We have smart dogs in Roland.
2. Often you hear the phrase about politicians, "I wouldn't elect that guy to Dog Catcher." Hey, I got elected to Mayor, and if that ever goes away, I still have a shot at Dog Catcher.
3. On a more serious note, this is an example of the good stuff that our city employees do that doeesn't always get noticed. Harold was home on a Friday evening, but immediately left to help on this issue. It is nice to have employees with that kind of dedication to be a troubleshooter for problems in town.
4. I really love living in a small town in Iowa. I don't know if I have gotten a mayor call in a couple months, and when I do, it is about a dog trying to sneak in a convenience store. If that is the worst problem I get pestered about, we've got a great town.
And in honor of the call....
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
What's goin' on in Roland?
Things have slowed down in Roland. I guess I don't know much that is going on. Our only council meeting of December will be next Monday.
If you don't want to go out and about this weekend (at least out of town that is), there is an opportunity to help out at the Roland-Story Booster Club Basketball Tournament this weekend. There will be boys and girls teams from grades 4-8 playing in Roland. This is the big money maker for the booster club. You can help by working in the concession stand, working admissions, running the scoreboard and scorebook, and clean up detail.
The help is needed on Saturday or Sunday. It is a good chance to hang out with some people. It is not too hard of work. I will be working the scoreboard and doing postgame clean-up. If you would like to assist, contact Paul Clark at paulclark@usa.com.
Speaking of Paul Clark, just a reminder that you can listen to his broadcasts of Roland-Story sports at NorsemenNetwork.com. I am his sidekick for all the football games. I'll join him for a few basketball games, and I will fly solo for some of them as well while Paul is off doing other things. It is a nice thing to have if you don't feel like taking a road trip to go cheer on the Norse, or even if you don't feel like heading over to Story City some night.
If you don't want to go out and about this weekend (at least out of town that is), there is an opportunity to help out at the Roland-Story Booster Club Basketball Tournament this weekend. There will be boys and girls teams from grades 4-8 playing in Roland. This is the big money maker for the booster club. You can help by working in the concession stand, working admissions, running the scoreboard and scorebook, and clean up detail.
The help is needed on Saturday or Sunday. It is a good chance to hang out with some people. It is not too hard of work. I will be working the scoreboard and doing postgame clean-up. If you would like to assist, contact Paul Clark at paulclark@usa.com.
Speaking of Paul Clark, just a reminder that you can listen to his broadcasts of Roland-Story sports at NorsemenNetwork.com. I am his sidekick for all the football games. I'll join him for a few basketball games, and I will fly solo for some of them as well while Paul is off doing other things. It is a nice thing to have if you don't feel like taking a road trip to go cheer on the Norse, or even if you don't feel like heading over to Story City some night.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Odds and ends
The new street is getting closer to completion. It has been basically done, but it needed the fill put along the outside of the curbs, and concrete poured around manholes. They have done so this week. The contract says they were to be done by the end of the year, so I'm guessing they may have been focusing on other work.
There are two retirement parties in the county, if you happen to know these people. Long time County Supervisor Jane Halliburton chose not to run for re-election and is done after 20 some years I think.
And Lori Morrissey, the County Emergency Services Director is retiring at the end of the year.
If you happen to know them from any dealings with the county, just a note that they will both be having retirement parties at the courthouse on December 28. From 2-4 for Jane's, and 2-5 for Lori's. Lori's I know will be in the EOC in the basement of the courthouse in Nevada.
On another note, you will soon be getting a reminder in the mail regarding the duties of homeowners and motorists during snow season. Since we may be getting snow on Friday night, just a reminder that you need your car off the street until your street is plowed. If not, you could get a parking ticket. You don't want that, and frankly, I don't want parking tickets written if we don't need to. So help the plow guys, and keep your cars off unplowed streets.
There are two retirement parties in the county, if you happen to know these people. Long time County Supervisor Jane Halliburton chose not to run for re-election and is done after 20 some years I think.
And Lori Morrissey, the County Emergency Services Director is retiring at the end of the year.
If you happen to know them from any dealings with the county, just a note that they will both be having retirement parties at the courthouse on December 28. From 2-4 for Jane's, and 2-5 for Lori's. Lori's I know will be in the EOC in the basement of the courthouse in Nevada.
On another note, you will soon be getting a reminder in the mail regarding the duties of homeowners and motorists during snow season. Since we may be getting snow on Friday night, just a reminder that you need your car off the street until your street is plowed. If not, you could get a parking ticket. You don't want that, and frankly, I don't want parking tickets written if we don't need to. So help the plow guys, and keep your cars off unplowed streets.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Nov 22 council meeting
I missed the council meeting on the 22nd. Didn't miss much apparently, as it was reported to me that it took 20 minutes. Wasn't a lot on the docket, so I expected a short meeting.
The main things that came from the meeting were to approve the contract for the ditch cleaning on North Cottonwood, and ground reshaping in Britson Park. Both will hopefully help redirect heavy rainwater away from some houses.
The council approved my appointement of Jennifer Sikes to the Library Board, to replace Kristi Anderson, who has moved outside the city limits.
Also, the council approved the elimination of the December 27 council meeting, so we will only have one council meeting in December. We typically do that, as things usually slow down somewhat in December. We give approval to Deneen to pay the usual and customary bills, such as electric bills, and then officially approve them later.
On another note, our Water/Wastewater Superintendent Nathan Hovick passed his Wastewater Grade I license test from the DNR. That licensing is necessary for operation of our sewer plant.
With the retirement of our previous operator, the city has been operating its sewer plant with a contracted licensed operator. That need will go away as Nathan advances in his licensing for water and wastewater. So good job by Nathan for passing on his first attempt.
The main things that came from the meeting were to approve the contract for the ditch cleaning on North Cottonwood, and ground reshaping in Britson Park. Both will hopefully help redirect heavy rainwater away from some houses.
The council approved my appointement of Jennifer Sikes to the Library Board, to replace Kristi Anderson, who has moved outside the city limits.
Also, the council approved the elimination of the December 27 council meeting, so we will only have one council meeting in December. We typically do that, as things usually slow down somewhat in December. We give approval to Deneen to pay the usual and customary bills, such as electric bills, and then officially approve them later.
On another note, our Water/Wastewater Superintendent Nathan Hovick passed his Wastewater Grade I license test from the DNR. That licensing is necessary for operation of our sewer plant.
With the retirement of our previous operator, the city has been operating its sewer plant with a contracted licensed operator. That need will go away as Nathan advances in his licensing for water and wastewater. So good job by Nathan for passing on his first attempt.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Congrats to Deneen
Just wanted to pass along an email I got regarding our City Clerk, Deneen Frost. I've had the opportunity to work with Deneen while Mayor or City Council member for the last 11 years, and I know she treats her job and her clerk duties very seriously. Contining Education is a part of that, and I'm glad to see that she works to continue learning, which helps our city, with the various city issues that come up.
So again, congrats to Deneen!
Roger Fritz
Mayor
Dear Roger Fritz,
Deneen M. Frost, MMC of City of Roland, has earned the designation of Master Municipal Clerk (MMC), which is awarded by the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC), Inc.
IIMC grants the MMC designation only to those municipal clerks who complete demanding education requirements; and who have a record of significant contributions to their local government, their community and state.
The International Institute of Municipal Clerks, founded in 1947, has 10,300 members throughout the United States, Canada and 15 other countries, and the mission of this global non-profit corporation is to enhance the education opportunities and professional development of its diverse membership.
In light of the speed and drastic nature of change these days, lifelong learning is not only desirable, it is necessary for all in local government to keep pace with growing demands and changing needs of the citizens we serve. Your City can take immense pride in Deneen’s educational accomplishments and achievement of this milestone.
On behalf of the IIMC Board of Directors, I am honored to endorse the conferring of MMC to Deneen M. Frost, MMC of City of Roland. We share your pride in this achievement and we applaud your support of the role Deneen plays in your city.
Sincerely,
Sharon Cassler, MMC
IIMC President
Sent by: Emily Maggard
Verification Specialist
IIMC Education Department
So again, congrats to Deneen!
Roger Fritz
Mayor
Dear Roger Fritz,
Deneen M. Frost, MMC of City of Roland, has earned the designation of Master Municipal Clerk (MMC), which is awarded by the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC), Inc.
IIMC grants the MMC designation only to those municipal clerks who complete demanding education requirements; and who have a record of significant contributions to their local government, their community and state.
The International Institute of Municipal Clerks, founded in 1947, has 10,300 members throughout the United States, Canada and 15 other countries, and the mission of this global non-profit corporation is to enhance the education opportunities and professional development of its diverse membership.
In light of the speed and drastic nature of change these days, lifelong learning is not only desirable, it is necessary for all in local government to keep pace with growing demands and changing needs of the citizens we serve. Your City can take immense pride in Deneen’s educational accomplishments and achievement of this milestone.
On behalf of the IIMC Board of Directors, I am honored to endorse the conferring of MMC to Deneen M. Frost, MMC of City of Roland. We share your pride in this achievement and we applaud your support of the role Deneen plays in your city.
Sincerely,
Sharon Cassler, MMC
IIMC President
Sent by: Emily Maggard
Verification Specialist
IIMC Education Department
Garbage pickup
Just a reminder that due to the Thanksgiving holiday, garbage pick up will be Saturday, November 27th this week.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Lock the cars
Just when I made a post a couple below about crime free Roland, I have to report some car break-ins. Well, not really break-ins, because some folks left their doors unlocked overnight, and got stuff swiped, nothing was broken as far as I know.
So if you have any tips on the culprits, please contact the Sheriff's Department. And I know it is good ol' safe Roland, but if you have any valuables in your car, 'tis probably a good idea to lock your car overnight.
So if you have any tips on the culprits, please contact the Sheriff's Department. And I know it is good ol' safe Roland, but if you have any valuables in your car, 'tis probably a good idea to lock your car overnight.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
What else the mayor does
As the Mayor of Roland, I am on the Story County 911 board. I attended our quarterly meeting last week. One of the big topics is we are starting the process for a new communications system in Story County. Currently our police, fire, and EMS, use a system that uses radio equipment from the early 1980s.
Kinda funny, because when I see pictures of it, it was equipment I worked on in my previous job in West Virginia 14 years ago. And that stuff in West Virginia was not necessarily cutting edge at the time. It was made by Motorola, and they no longer make the equipment, so our vendor, to maintain it, buys parts off Ebay and equivalent sites to replace bad parts.
We will have some amount of funding stream for it, with the 911 surcharge on your phone bill. But in any case, it will be pricy. We are still a couple years off, but that is something we will need to be doing in the future.
So going back to what else I do as a mayor, being on boards like that is what a mayor has to do, and attend meetings down in Nevada. I have the 911 Board, the Emergency Management Board, meetings with other towns that contract with the Sheriff for police protection, and then just the general Story County Mayors Association.
So since I mentioned 911, just for fun, here is a video with some strange 911 calls.
Kinda funny, because when I see pictures of it, it was equipment I worked on in my previous job in West Virginia 14 years ago. And that stuff in West Virginia was not necessarily cutting edge at the time. It was made by Motorola, and they no longer make the equipment, so our vendor, to maintain it, buys parts off Ebay and equivalent sites to replace bad parts.
We will have some amount of funding stream for it, with the 911 surcharge on your phone bill. But in any case, it will be pricy. We are still a couple years off, but that is something we will need to be doing in the future.
So going back to what else I do as a mayor, being on boards like that is what a mayor has to do, and attend meetings down in Nevada. I have the 911 Board, the Emergency Management Board, meetings with other towns that contract with the Sheriff for police protection, and then just the general Story County Mayors Association.
So since I mentioned 911, just for fun, here is a video with some strange 911 calls.
Advice from other elected officials
I get a magazine from the Iowa League of Cities, which Roland is a member of that organization. At their annual conference, they had elected officials (namely mayors and city council persons) write on a card with advice and tips to other elected officials. The magazine had an article with a bunch of the tips collected. Some are some pretty good advice. Some are a bit quirky. And some are good for anybody, not just elected officials. Thought I'd share some here.
The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas.
It is best to return emails and calls to persons you may not like, they still may respect you.
At some point you will have to pick between thinking about the next election or thinking about the next generation.
Seek out opposing opinions.
Once the vote is taken around the table, the issue is over.
Move on.
Support employees and treat the city staff with respect.
It's so simple to be wise in public life. Just think of something stupid to say and then don't say it.
You don't have to attend every argument you're invited to.
No surprises!
When someone hassles or attacks you during a council meeting, just smile, wait 5 days and then let the air out of two tires on their vehicle.
Sometimes it is not necessary to explain your vote. Your allies don't need it and your enemies won't believe it.
Make sure the city plow doesn't come down your street first.
Always read your council packet before the meeting.
Because something has always been done that way is not a good reason to keep doing it.
Chronic complainers are not the voice of the people.
You're not going to make everyone happy. Get over it.
Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criicize them, you're a mile away, and you have their shoes.
Often the public feels they don't know what is going on at city hall;work to communicate your decisions and information to the public.
Return all of your calls.
Ethical behavior is not an option.
Pick your battles, then come with armor.
Be careful not to make a decision based on one person or a very small group of people, you're a voice for all citizens.
Do you have advice for our city council (and mayor!)?. Post it here!
The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas.
It is best to return emails and calls to persons you may not like, they still may respect you.
At some point you will have to pick between thinking about the next election or thinking about the next generation.
Seek out opposing opinions.
Once the vote is taken around the table, the issue is over.
Move on.
Support employees and treat the city staff with respect.
It's so simple to be wise in public life. Just think of something stupid to say and then don't say it.
You don't have to attend every argument you're invited to.
No surprises!
When someone hassles or attacks you during a council meeting, just smile, wait 5 days and then let the air out of two tires on their vehicle.
Sometimes it is not necessary to explain your vote. Your allies don't need it and your enemies won't believe it.
Make sure the city plow doesn't come down your street first.
Always read your council packet before the meeting.
Because something has always been done that way is not a good reason to keep doing it.
Chronic complainers are not the voice of the people.
You're not going to make everyone happy. Get over it.
Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criicize them, you're a mile away, and you have their shoes.
Often the public feels they don't know what is going on at city hall;work to communicate your decisions and information to the public.
Return all of your calls.
Ethical behavior is not an option.
Pick your battles, then come with armor.
Be careful not to make a decision based on one person or a very small group of people, you're a voice for all citizens.
Do you have advice for our city council (and mayor!)?. Post it here!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Snow removal bids
Looking for some work, or know somebody who does? The city is accepting bids for snow removal on city sidewalks. HERE is the link to the notice on the city website.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Nov 8 council meeting
Well we seem to be getting settled into our new "Council Chambers" of the community center. I like that there is a lot more room, and I like that some of the council members no longer have to have their backs to the crowd.
Anyway, first up we chose a new city council member to replace Erin Varley who is moving away. And that new member is Doug Sargent. I think he will do a fine job, and I appreciate his interest in helping the community in this way. His term will be up on Dec 31, 2011, so I guess he gets a chance to see if he likes it, as he will have to file for re-election next fall.
Not a lot on the docket. Here are some of the highlights. We approved a direction for the city engineer to start determining a plan and getting bids for cleaning the ditch on North Cottonwood, and regrading Britson Park, to hopefully help with storm water runoff. As for Britson Park, once that is done, the Park Board will be able to get grass seed in the park next spring, and get some green grass growing there.
We had a bit of discussion about tree trimming. The council decided to waive the billing on some properties that did not request trees to be trimmed. That is something we as a council need to work on--communicating proper direction of work for city employees, and making a better effort on notification of how and what needs to be trimmed in homeowners yards. Hopefully next year will go more smoothly. We did note the huge pile of limbs and branches at our tree dump.
We approved a pay request for much of the new streets in west Roland. I walked out there tonite, and other than some work around manholes, and the intersection of Bryan and Industrial, we are looking close to done.
Also we found out that the collapsed sewer line on Logan Street is not as bad as previously mentioned. There is just one spot that is a bit troublesome, not a length of it as first reported with the first televising crew we hired. They had some outdated and oversized equipment that didn't work well. Nice to know we haven't paid them yet. A more modern company was hired, videoed the sewer, and we are in pretty good shape. Good news for the sewer rate payers of Roland.
And at the council meeting, we approved the 09/10 financial report. The city finished the fiscal year $9000 to the black, so that is a good thing. Yay!
Anyway, first up we chose a new city council member to replace Erin Varley who is moving away. And that new member is Doug Sargent. I think he will do a fine job, and I appreciate his interest in helping the community in this way. His term will be up on Dec 31, 2011, so I guess he gets a chance to see if he likes it, as he will have to file for re-election next fall.
Not a lot on the docket. Here are some of the highlights. We approved a direction for the city engineer to start determining a plan and getting bids for cleaning the ditch on North Cottonwood, and regrading Britson Park, to hopefully help with storm water runoff. As for Britson Park, once that is done, the Park Board will be able to get grass seed in the park next spring, and get some green grass growing there.
We had a bit of discussion about tree trimming. The council decided to waive the billing on some properties that did not request trees to be trimmed. That is something we as a council need to work on--communicating proper direction of work for city employees, and making a better effort on notification of how and what needs to be trimmed in homeowners yards. Hopefully next year will go more smoothly. We did note the huge pile of limbs and branches at our tree dump.
We approved a pay request for much of the new streets in west Roland. I walked out there tonite, and other than some work around manholes, and the intersection of Bryan and Industrial, we are looking close to done.
Also we found out that the collapsed sewer line on Logan Street is not as bad as previously mentioned. There is just one spot that is a bit troublesome, not a length of it as first reported with the first televising crew we hired. They had some outdated and oversized equipment that didn't work well. Nice to know we haven't paid them yet. A more modern company was hired, videoed the sewer, and we are in pretty good shape. Good news for the sewer rate payers of Roland.
And at the council meeting, we approved the 09/10 financial report. The city finished the fiscal year $9000 to the black, so that is a good thing. Yay!
Friday, November 5, 2010
Library Chair Auction
If you haven't been down to the library in awhile, you should just to check out the chairs. Here is a story I swiped from the Library Facebook page.
This summer, youth at the Roland Public Library brought some of their favorite children’s literature characters to life with many layers of acrylic paint.
The library’s chair project was a collaboration between middle school and high school youth, library staff and Tempest Kuykendall, retired Roland-Story art instructor and current library board member.
In May, the Roland Public Library moved into its new location, at 221 N. Main Street and in June, the library had a large garage sale at the old location to get rid of outdated furniture and miscellaneous items. “Leftover were a number of old wooden chairs from the library’s attic,” Kuykendall said. “Instead of throwing them out, we decided to have our teen program participants paint the chairs, then sell them in the fall as a fundraiser for the library.”
Children's Librarian Kim Auld and Kuykendall had youth pick out their favorite book, then sketch out an idea before they began to paint. “Each student chose a chair, sanded off the varnish and gave their chair a coat of white gesso paint, then we showed them how to sketch their idea (in pencil) on the chair,” Kuykendall said. After those first initial steps, youth applied acrylic paint. When they finished, Kuykendall showed them out to use a fine-tipped permanent marker to add detail.
Madison Aukes, an eighth grader at Roland-Story, created two chairs based on the books “Where the Wild Things Are” and “Olivia.” “I chose those books because they were read to me when I was younger and I really like them,” Aukes said. She said the “Olivia” chair, which features the quirky little pig and black and red paint splatters, took her only 10 minutes to create, but that she spent more time on Max and the Wild Things. Aukes got involved in the project because she loves art. “It was a lot of fun, I hope they have more projects (in the future) that involve art.”
Fifteen youth were involved in the project and 19 chairs will be put up for auction. Kuykendall, Auld and Roland Public Library Director Laura Urbanek all created chairs for the silent auction. “It was a big challenge for all, but a very fun and rewarding project. I think some of the participants may have even found out how much they like painting,” Kuykendall said. “The chairs are on display in the front entrance at the library. Come check them out!”
The silent auction will take place from Nov. 1 – Nov. 24, bidding for each chair starts at $20. All proceeds will benefit the library's teen program and collection. To place a bid, or for more information, contact the library at 515-388-4086 or via email at rolandlib@globalccs.net.
Silent Auction participants:
Chelsea Steward – “Barbie Fairytopia”
Zach Steward – “Twlight”
Jacob Kalkwarf – “Bones”
Shayla Danielson - “Hunger Games”
Mia Soderstrum – “Scooby Doo”
Shelby Hickman & Carly Bright – “Winnie the Pooh”
Madison Aukes – “Where the Wild Things Are”
Madison Aukes – “Olivia”
Simon Phelps - “Calvin and Hobbes”
Caleb Jordison – “Garfield Makes it Big”
Riley Auld – “101 Dalmatians”
Tess Urbanek – “The Going to Bed Book”
Megan Van Brocklin – “Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do You See?”
Anna Humphrey – “Little Critters”
Maddie Urbanek – “The Legend of Zelda”
Children’s Librarian Kim Auld – “Jack and the Bean Stalk”
Library Director Laura Urbanek – “I Spy the Library”
Library Board Member Tempest Kuykendall - “My Crayons Talk” & “No, David!”
This summer, youth at the Roland Public Library brought some of their favorite children’s literature characters to life with many layers of acrylic paint.
The library’s chair project was a collaboration between middle school and high school youth, library staff and Tempest Kuykendall, retired Roland-Story art instructor and current library board member.
In May, the Roland Public Library moved into its new location, at 221 N. Main Street and in June, the library had a large garage sale at the old location to get rid of outdated furniture and miscellaneous items. “Leftover were a number of old wooden chairs from the library’s attic,” Kuykendall said. “Instead of throwing them out, we decided to have our teen program participants paint the chairs, then sell them in the fall as a fundraiser for the library.”
Children's Librarian Kim Auld and Kuykendall had youth pick out their favorite book, then sketch out an idea before they began to paint. “Each student chose a chair, sanded off the varnish and gave their chair a coat of white gesso paint, then we showed them how to sketch their idea (in pencil) on the chair,” Kuykendall said. After those first initial steps, youth applied acrylic paint. When they finished, Kuykendall showed them out to use a fine-tipped permanent marker to add detail.
Madison Aukes, an eighth grader at Roland-Story, created two chairs based on the books “Where the Wild Things Are” and “Olivia.” “I chose those books because they were read to me when I was younger and I really like them,” Aukes said. She said the “Olivia” chair, which features the quirky little pig and black and red paint splatters, took her only 10 minutes to create, but that she spent more time on Max and the Wild Things. Aukes got involved in the project because she loves art. “It was a lot of fun, I hope they have more projects (in the future) that involve art.”
Fifteen youth were involved in the project and 19 chairs will be put up for auction. Kuykendall, Auld and Roland Public Library Director Laura Urbanek all created chairs for the silent auction. “It was a big challenge for all, but a very fun and rewarding project. I think some of the participants may have even found out how much they like painting,” Kuykendall said. “The chairs are on display in the front entrance at the library. Come check them out!”
The silent auction will take place from Nov. 1 – Nov. 24, bidding for each chair starts at $20. All proceeds will benefit the library's teen program and collection. To place a bid, or for more information, contact the library at 515-388-4086 or via email at rolandlib@globalccs.net.
Silent Auction participants:
Chelsea Steward – “Barbie Fairytopia”
Zach Steward – “Twlight”
Jacob Kalkwarf – “Bones”
Shayla Danielson - “Hunger Games”
Mia Soderstrum – “Scooby Doo”
Shelby Hickman & Carly Bright – “Winnie the Pooh”
Madison Aukes – “Where the Wild Things Are”
Madison Aukes – “Olivia”
Simon Phelps - “Calvin and Hobbes”
Caleb Jordison – “Garfield Makes it Big”
Riley Auld – “101 Dalmatians”
Tess Urbanek – “The Going to Bed Book”
Megan Van Brocklin – “Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do You See?”
Anna Humphrey – “Little Critters”
Maddie Urbanek – “The Legend of Zelda”
Children’s Librarian Kim Auld – “Jack and the Bean Stalk”
Library Director Laura Urbanek – “I Spy the Library”
Library Board Member Tempest Kuykendall - “My Crayons Talk” & “No, David!”
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Wednesday Nov 3 planning meeting
We had a planning meeting on Wednesday. Not a typical council meeting, this was more to just ponder what we were going to do with various projects. We also got updates on the situation on various infrastructure issues.
For storm sewer/rain run off issues, here is where we are going. For Ryan, we are going to wait and see what the work in the field to the east will do for us. We are hoping it will drain better, and prevent water going into Ryan Circle. We are also investigating the legal issues regarding items in the drainage easement.
For N Cottonwood, we are working with our engineer to immediately (before Spring springs) clean out the east ditch along Cottonwood, and longer term investigate new pipes or culverts to drain the area to the west.
For Britson Circle, we are going to haver our engineer work a plan to grade the Britson Park area, and have the runoff from that area drain to the west, and hopefully keep the rain water from that area going into Britson Circle. This will also start the process for prepping Britson Park. This also needs to be done before Spring springs, so the Park Board can get grass planted in there.
As for Sanitary Sewer, videoing has determined that the sewer line on the 100th block of Logan(north block) is somewhat crushed. The video company did not have a camera to get through the section. We are going to attempt to get another one, to see if it is like that the length of the street, or just at each end where the crushing is. If it is just at those spots, we may be able to dig out those areas, and replace the pipe. If it is the whole way, it will be digging up the sewer on the entire first block of Logan. And by the way, it is directly under the street, so that will mean digging up the entire street. Good thing we have an alternate route about to open!
Or, depending on what the engineer says, we may run a new sewer line to the south to the treatment facility from Logan, and the houses just on north Logan might be fine with the crushed line (it is not completely crushed by the way, just compacted somewhat that reduces capacity.) The advantage of running a new line to the south out of Logan, is that it takes the Logan/Arthur/Bryan load off the main line that serves most all of the town that runs by the pool and goes south. That will help the rest of the town in high capacity situations. So stand by on that. Not gonna be cheap no matter what.
A relatively inexpensive fix that will help around 10 homes in the Samson area is to redo a manhole where Samson turns from East/West to North/South. The way it currently is engineered, causes sewage backup on the line to the east in peak flow times. Changing how the pipes run and connect, will cause sewage to flow more directly to the treatment plant.
Another joint storm sewer/sanitary sewer project would be to redo the service lines from the Vine Street area to the creek/sanitary main. Not much headway with that one tho. That will be rather disruptive, as it will need to tear up some streets for a couple blocks. No price tag yet, as that is an early discussion, but it will be big, should we decide to go ahead with that. The advantage is it would help ground level flooding in that area, all the way down to Casey's. And it would help relieve the sanitary sewer system in general for the city.
We also discussed a storm water utility to help pay for this. We decided it wasn't necessary at this time.
We had some discussion of sidewalks. We are sticking with our policy of requiring them on all new construction in the city. Not perfect, but hopefully will help out a city council 40 years from now.
We are announcing the sale of the property at 209 S Cottonwood. We will be accepting bids on that lot. More details to come. Same thing for the old library at 218 N Main.
We had a review of the tree trimming letters and process. We could have done better. We did think it was important for everyone to follow the ordinance, and keep the trees and such cleaned up. But the process of notification could have gone a little more smoothly.
Gonna drop into all opinion here. This is one where I have heard some grouching. I would hope the council and employees are given some thought from citizens of our positive intent. We often catch grief about the town not looking its best. Here is a case where we did some notifications to make an improvement. When it is the other guy, the council often gets slammed for sitting on our collective thumbs. When it gets close to home, literaly, we get slammed for being overbearing. Again, not saying the process was perfect, but the staff, through the direction of the council was trying to get things to done to clean up the town a bit.
And speaking of cleaning up the town, we also discussed what to do about properties that are in a state of clutter. This is something that always seems to be with us. And based on legal opinion, we often can't do anything about it. But in some cases we can. The thing is, it costs money for attorneys to fully prosecute such things. In the recent past, we have tried the sugar instead of the vinegar, because it is cheaper to send a pleasant letter, asking, not telling, someone to clean up their property. And in many cases, we have had good luck with that. Doesn't happen all the time. So in this meeting, we have started the process to find out what it takes to bring the "vinegar".
Couple other minor things too, that you can read about in the minutes I'm sure. All in all, a productive meeting, and a way to get some goals and priorities laid out.
For storm sewer/rain run off issues, here is where we are going. For Ryan, we are going to wait and see what the work in the field to the east will do for us. We are hoping it will drain better, and prevent water going into Ryan Circle. We are also investigating the legal issues regarding items in the drainage easement.
For N Cottonwood, we are working with our engineer to immediately (before Spring springs) clean out the east ditch along Cottonwood, and longer term investigate new pipes or culverts to drain the area to the west.
For Britson Circle, we are going to haver our engineer work a plan to grade the Britson Park area, and have the runoff from that area drain to the west, and hopefully keep the rain water from that area going into Britson Circle. This will also start the process for prepping Britson Park. This also needs to be done before Spring springs, so the Park Board can get grass planted in there.
As for Sanitary Sewer, videoing has determined that the sewer line on the 100th block of Logan(north block) is somewhat crushed. The video company did not have a camera to get through the section. We are going to attempt to get another one, to see if it is like that the length of the street, or just at each end where the crushing is. If it is just at those spots, we may be able to dig out those areas, and replace the pipe. If it is the whole way, it will be digging up the sewer on the entire first block of Logan. And by the way, it is directly under the street, so that will mean digging up the entire street. Good thing we have an alternate route about to open!
Or, depending on what the engineer says, we may run a new sewer line to the south to the treatment facility from Logan, and the houses just on north Logan might be fine with the crushed line (it is not completely crushed by the way, just compacted somewhat that reduces capacity.) The advantage of running a new line to the south out of Logan, is that it takes the Logan/Arthur/Bryan load off the main line that serves most all of the town that runs by the pool and goes south. That will help the rest of the town in high capacity situations. So stand by on that. Not gonna be cheap no matter what.
A relatively inexpensive fix that will help around 10 homes in the Samson area is to redo a manhole where Samson turns from East/West to North/South. The way it currently is engineered, causes sewage backup on the line to the east in peak flow times. Changing how the pipes run and connect, will cause sewage to flow more directly to the treatment plant.
Another joint storm sewer/sanitary sewer project would be to redo the service lines from the Vine Street area to the creek/sanitary main. Not much headway with that one tho. That will be rather disruptive, as it will need to tear up some streets for a couple blocks. No price tag yet, as that is an early discussion, but it will be big, should we decide to go ahead with that. The advantage is it would help ground level flooding in that area, all the way down to Casey's. And it would help relieve the sanitary sewer system in general for the city.
We also discussed a storm water utility to help pay for this. We decided it wasn't necessary at this time.
We had some discussion of sidewalks. We are sticking with our policy of requiring them on all new construction in the city. Not perfect, but hopefully will help out a city council 40 years from now.
We are announcing the sale of the property at 209 S Cottonwood. We will be accepting bids on that lot. More details to come. Same thing for the old library at 218 N Main.
We had a review of the tree trimming letters and process. We could have done better. We did think it was important for everyone to follow the ordinance, and keep the trees and such cleaned up. But the process of notification could have gone a little more smoothly.
Gonna drop into all opinion here. This is one where I have heard some grouching. I would hope the council and employees are given some thought from citizens of our positive intent. We often catch grief about the town not looking its best. Here is a case where we did some notifications to make an improvement. When it is the other guy, the council often gets slammed for sitting on our collective thumbs. When it gets close to home, literaly, we get slammed for being overbearing. Again, not saying the process was perfect, but the staff, through the direction of the council was trying to get things to done to clean up the town a bit.
And speaking of cleaning up the town, we also discussed what to do about properties that are in a state of clutter. This is something that always seems to be with us. And based on legal opinion, we often can't do anything about it. But in some cases we can. The thing is, it costs money for attorneys to fully prosecute such things. In the recent past, we have tried the sugar instead of the vinegar, because it is cheaper to send a pleasant letter, asking, not telling, someone to clean up their property. And in many cases, we have had good luck with that. Doesn't happen all the time. So in this meeting, we have started the process to find out what it takes to bring the "vinegar".
Couple other minor things too, that you can read about in the minutes I'm sure. All in all, a productive meeting, and a way to get some goals and priorities laid out.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Half full, half empty
Just got the latest report from the Sheriff's Department. It also includes the cost for our contract rate with the Sheriff's department for our police coverage. This fiscal year, we pay the Sheriff's department $43.75 per capita. Starting July 1, it will go to $47.00, and the next two years after that will go to $49.50. As an aside, July 1, 2012 we will start using our 2010 census figures. Currently we use the 2000 census figure of 1324 residents. So doing the math, we pay Story County Sheriff's Department $57,925 for our police protection.
Now here is where I start to waver on whether to go glass half full, or glass half empty, when comparing to the other 8 towns in Story County that get their police protection via the Sheriff's Dept. (Ames, Nevada, Huxley, and Story City have their own, and Cambridge contracts with Huxley PD).
We are the largest of the 9 cities that contract with the Sheriff's Dept. Here they are with population: Roland 1324, Slater 1306, Gilbert 987, Colo 868, Maxwell 807, Zearing 617, Collins 499, McCallsburg 318, Kelley 300.
Here's the glass half full part. Despite being the largest of the 9, on calls for service time so far this year, we are in 5th place. For clarification, this is time spent responding to calls by citizens, not counting routine patrol time. So to me, this means Roland is a safe, low crime, low problem town. And that is something to be proud about.
Service time hours through August were 145 hours. Here is how they go top to bottom. Colo 256, Maxwell 227, Slater 227, Gilbert 180, Roland 145, Collins 129, Zearing 118, Kelley 68, McCallsburg 47.
So Slater is the city closest to us in size, and they have 50% more time spent on calls. Or you can say we are twice as big as Collins, and we are in the neighborhood of the same amount of time spent on calls. Again, kudos to the citizens of Roland for having a troublefree town when it comes to law enforcement calls.
However, on my glass half empty side, I can look at the patrol hours. This is time spent by the Sheriff's Dept. just cruising around town, running radar, doing door checks, and the like. Again, we are the largest town, but we are in 5th place in total hours. In that sense, we are not getting our comparative buck, when looking at other towns in the county. We are paying 18% of the bill, but getting 11% of the coverage hours. Again, that can go back to the relative safety and low crime of our city, but it is something to consider.
Here are the patrol hours spent in each town through August. Maxwell 480, Colo 435, Gilbert 425, Slater 416, Roland 357, Kelley 338 (Kelley has 300 people, we have 1324, grrrr.....), Collins 310, Zearing 242, McCallsburg 204.
All in all, I'm pretty happy with our police protection via the Sheriff's Department. I know Ellsworth, Jewell, and Stanhope have a combined police force. I sometimes wonder if we could have improved coverage with a Roland, McCallsburg, Zearing police force. Not saying I want to do that, but that is something I have pondered.
So anyway, just wanted to pass this along. Keep up your good citizen ways Roland!
Now here is where I start to waver on whether to go glass half full, or glass half empty, when comparing to the other 8 towns in Story County that get their police protection via the Sheriff's Dept. (Ames, Nevada, Huxley, and Story City have their own, and Cambridge contracts with Huxley PD).
We are the largest of the 9 cities that contract with the Sheriff's Dept. Here they are with population: Roland 1324, Slater 1306, Gilbert 987, Colo 868, Maxwell 807, Zearing 617, Collins 499, McCallsburg 318, Kelley 300.
Here's the glass half full part. Despite being the largest of the 9, on calls for service time so far this year, we are in 5th place. For clarification, this is time spent responding to calls by citizens, not counting routine patrol time. So to me, this means Roland is a safe, low crime, low problem town. And that is something to be proud about.
Service time hours through August were 145 hours. Here is how they go top to bottom. Colo 256, Maxwell 227, Slater 227, Gilbert 180, Roland 145, Collins 129, Zearing 118, Kelley 68, McCallsburg 47.
So Slater is the city closest to us in size, and they have 50% more time spent on calls. Or you can say we are twice as big as Collins, and we are in the neighborhood of the same amount of time spent on calls. Again, kudos to the citizens of Roland for having a troublefree town when it comes to law enforcement calls.
However, on my glass half empty side, I can look at the patrol hours. This is time spent by the Sheriff's Dept. just cruising around town, running radar, doing door checks, and the like. Again, we are the largest town, but we are in 5th place in total hours. In that sense, we are not getting our comparative buck, when looking at other towns in the county. We are paying 18% of the bill, but getting 11% of the coverage hours. Again, that can go back to the relative safety and low crime of our city, but it is something to consider.
Here are the patrol hours spent in each town through August. Maxwell 480, Colo 435, Gilbert 425, Slater 416, Roland 357, Kelley 338 (Kelley has 300 people, we have 1324, grrrr.....), Collins 310, Zearing 242, McCallsburg 204.
All in all, I'm pretty happy with our police protection via the Sheriff's Department. I know Ellsworth, Jewell, and Stanhope have a combined police force. I sometimes wonder if we could have improved coverage with a Roland, McCallsburg, Zearing police force. Not saying I want to do that, but that is something I have pondered.
So anyway, just wanted to pass this along. Keep up your good citizen ways Roland!
The Election
As I have mentioned before, the primary purpose of this blog is to comment on stuff going on in Roland. But I have an interest in politics, so I am going to take one last opportunity to comment on the election.
If you read a previous post or two on the election, you can figure what my political preference is. But this is from a straight neutral observer perspective.
I cannot figure out Iowans. And in particular, their love affair with incumbents. With the exception of the flip of the Secretary of State from D to R, and incumbent Culver losing the Governor race (however to Branstad who bascially ran as an incumbent), all the incumbents were re-elected.
What has Iowa's Secreatary of Ag done for anybody? He's an R, and he mopped the floor with his opponent. What has the Attorney General done for anybody? He is a D an mopped the floor with his opponent.
Then in Congressional District 1 thru 3, Iowans elected Congressmen who range from a flaming liberal to a moderate Dem, but in each district voted for conservative Grassley by a huge margin. I don't get why anyone would cast their ballot in such a way, but apparently lots of people did.
The only advantage of all of this is split control of government means gridlock. And despite many pundits all up in arms about it, I love it. Gridlock gums up the works of an overbearing government, and that is a good thing. (ok, getting away from my neutral observer comments on that)
Another note about the election, that I am not quite sure what to make of Iowa voters and their dislike of female candidates. As you've probably heard, I think Iowa is only one of two states to never have had a female represent some or all of the state in DC. That held this time again.
Conlin the D got trounced in US Senate. Miller-Meeks the R lost again in CD 2 when a large tide of Republican flips were taking over the country. The really odd results to me is Brenna Findley getting crushed by Tom Miller in the Attorney General race.
That race you can compare to the state Treasurer race. Both the AG and the Treasurer are both held by long time incumbent Democrats. Finley, running for AG, raised way more cash than Jamison running for Treas. She had a better campaign organization, more yard signs, more ads than Jamison against his opponent. But still Jamison came closer to his opponent than Findley. Was Findley being a woman the simple reason why? And can you hang that on Republican voters?
I looked at the numbers for Sioux County, probably the most R county in the state. Here are the Republican percentages. Grassley 91%, Steve King 87%, Branstad 88%, Schultz 87%, Vaudt 89%, Jamison 86%, Northey 91 %, Finley 81%. I cannot figure out why her percentages would drop so much, other than the woman thing.
It's not like she is an unlikeable person. (people might not like her policies, but again she doesn't seem unlikeable) It's not like Tom Miller is loved in Sioux County (probably couldn't even find it on a map). When I heard her on the radio, she did sound like she was about 20 years old, which may not have helped. Anyway, just found that result strange.
Lastly about the judge vote. Gonna get a little out of my neutrality here, with some opinion thrown in with my casual political observer status. I voted no on all the judges, as I always do. I do it out of a stir up the political establishment, especially in regards to a bunch of lawyers. Unfortunately, I get lumped in with goobers like Vander Plaats.
A judge like Ternus in particular needed to be dumped for her weasling out of the giant underage beer bust at her estate. "I didn't know it was going on, blah blah blah." Words like lying sack of crap come to mind.
But I think the reason the judges got dumped can be laid at the feet of the Democratic leadership of this state. Some amount of the no votes came from folks like me, who vote no on judges out of the principle of the thing, out of a dislike of the whole legal establishment.
But I think the reason this time around the judges got dumped because it was the Democratic politicians, Gronstal in particular, who didn't want to have to stand up and go on record for or against gay marriage, and not even allow a vote to have it put on the ballot.
That topic is of major interest to a sizeable amount of people, and since the voters couldn't hold any politician's feet to the fire, the judges got thrown in the fire. I don't think those judges would have got punished, if there had been a ballot issue on gay marriage at this election.
So there was only one place for that segment of voters to take their wrath, and bing it was on the judges.
Wow, that's a lot. Don't expect that much commentary on the Roland Municipal elections next year. I'll probably vote against the incumbents there too.
If you read a previous post or two on the election, you can figure what my political preference is. But this is from a straight neutral observer perspective.
I cannot figure out Iowans. And in particular, their love affair with incumbents. With the exception of the flip of the Secretary of State from D to R, and incumbent Culver losing the Governor race (however to Branstad who bascially ran as an incumbent), all the incumbents were re-elected.
What has Iowa's Secreatary of Ag done for anybody? He's an R, and he mopped the floor with his opponent. What has the Attorney General done for anybody? He is a D an mopped the floor with his opponent.
Then in Congressional District 1 thru 3, Iowans elected Congressmen who range from a flaming liberal to a moderate Dem, but in each district voted for conservative Grassley by a huge margin. I don't get why anyone would cast their ballot in such a way, but apparently lots of people did.
The only advantage of all of this is split control of government means gridlock. And despite many pundits all up in arms about it, I love it. Gridlock gums up the works of an overbearing government, and that is a good thing. (ok, getting away from my neutral observer comments on that)
Another note about the election, that I am not quite sure what to make of Iowa voters and their dislike of female candidates. As you've probably heard, I think Iowa is only one of two states to never have had a female represent some or all of the state in DC. That held this time again.
Conlin the D got trounced in US Senate. Miller-Meeks the R lost again in CD 2 when a large tide of Republican flips were taking over the country. The really odd results to me is Brenna Findley getting crushed by Tom Miller in the Attorney General race.
That race you can compare to the state Treasurer race. Both the AG and the Treasurer are both held by long time incumbent Democrats. Finley, running for AG, raised way more cash than Jamison running for Treas. She had a better campaign organization, more yard signs, more ads than Jamison against his opponent. But still Jamison came closer to his opponent than Findley. Was Findley being a woman the simple reason why? And can you hang that on Republican voters?
I looked at the numbers for Sioux County, probably the most R county in the state. Here are the Republican percentages. Grassley 91%, Steve King 87%, Branstad 88%, Schultz 87%, Vaudt 89%, Jamison 86%, Northey 91 %, Finley 81%. I cannot figure out why her percentages would drop so much, other than the woman thing.
It's not like she is an unlikeable person. (people might not like her policies, but again she doesn't seem unlikeable) It's not like Tom Miller is loved in Sioux County (probably couldn't even find it on a map). When I heard her on the radio, she did sound like she was about 20 years old, which may not have helped. Anyway, just found that result strange.
Lastly about the judge vote. Gonna get a little out of my neutrality here, with some opinion thrown in with my casual political observer status. I voted no on all the judges, as I always do. I do it out of a stir up the political establishment, especially in regards to a bunch of lawyers. Unfortunately, I get lumped in with goobers like Vander Plaats.
A judge like Ternus in particular needed to be dumped for her weasling out of the giant underage beer bust at her estate. "I didn't know it was going on, blah blah blah." Words like lying sack of crap come to mind.
But I think the reason the judges got dumped can be laid at the feet of the Democratic leadership of this state. Some amount of the no votes came from folks like me, who vote no on judges out of the principle of the thing, out of a dislike of the whole legal establishment.
But I think the reason this time around the judges got dumped because it was the Democratic politicians, Gronstal in particular, who didn't want to have to stand up and go on record for or against gay marriage, and not even allow a vote to have it put on the ballot.
That topic is of major interest to a sizeable amount of people, and since the voters couldn't hold any politician's feet to the fire, the judges got thrown in the fire. I don't think those judges would have got punished, if there had been a ballot issue on gay marriage at this election.
So there was only one place for that segment of voters to take their wrath, and bing it was on the judges.
Wow, that's a lot. Don't expect that much commentary on the Roland Municipal elections next year. I'll probably vote against the incumbents there too.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Get some eats
Don't forget Friends 'n Service is serving a delicious Election Night Soup Supper on Tuesday, Nov. 2 from 5-7:30 p.m. at the Legion. Proceeds will benefit the library.
Bergen Church has their shindig this Saturday as well. Don't know all the details, but if you look around town, there are some flyers on that.
Both are a good opportunity to support positive groups in Roland.
Bergen Church has their shindig this Saturday as well. Don't know all the details, but if you look around town, there are some flyers on that.
Both are a good opportunity to support positive groups in Roland.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Election
Don't forget, the Roland voting location is now in the Community Center on Main Street.
I'm gonna put in some plugs for people I'm voting for. (as opposed to holding my nose, and voting against somebody)
Secretary of State: Matt Schultz. He wants to institute the need to show a photo id for voting. I think that would help clean up our elections. Also, I hate that I need to show more id to buy Sudafed then vote. Matt Schultz
Attorney General: Brenna Findley. Young go getter that will fight back on some of the federal intrusions into our state. Brenna Findley
State Treasurer: Dave Jamison. He has done a great job here in Story County, and can also do so for our state finances. Dave Jamison
State Auditor: Dave Vaudt. Great job on shining the light on the financial stuff being pulled by the governor and the legislature. Dave Vaudt.
Secretary of Agriculture: Bill Northey. The past 4 years I haven't heard anything about his office. Not sure why we even have a Secretary of Agriculture. So if we have one, and he isn't causing trouble, sounds good to me. Bill Northey.
Governor: Eric Cooper. I'm a libertarian at heart. Here is an opportunity to vote for one. He's not gonna win, but I can vote for libertarian principles here. Eric is a good guy, from Ames. Eric Cooper.
US Senator: John Heiderschiedt. Another Libertarian. Don't wanna vote for a Libertarian? If you voted for me, you already did. He's not gonna win, Grassley is going to cruise to victory, what the heck, vote for John Heiderschiedt, he has only a slightly worse chance than Roxanne.
County Supervisor: You can vote for two. I know one I am going to vote for, Rick Sanders. He is a guy with a passion for the job, and is not afraid to challenge the status quo. Don't really know much about the other 3, but I am voting for Rick Sanders.
County Treasurer: Renee Twedt. Renee has a good background in handling money/financial stuff at the Kockler CPA firm in Nevada. She lives outside Story City, and I know her from her work as Treasurer for North Story Little League, of which I am a board member. She does a good job for us, and I think she would do a super job as county treasurer. Renee Twedt.
I've rattled on enough, but that is a good start for some of my faves on the ballot. And if you aren't voting for the above, just a reminder the election is on Wednesday, November 3rd.
I'm gonna put in some plugs for people I'm voting for. (as opposed to holding my nose, and voting against somebody)
Secretary of State: Matt Schultz. He wants to institute the need to show a photo id for voting. I think that would help clean up our elections. Also, I hate that I need to show more id to buy Sudafed then vote. Matt Schultz
Attorney General: Brenna Findley. Young go getter that will fight back on some of the federal intrusions into our state. Brenna Findley
State Treasurer: Dave Jamison. He has done a great job here in Story County, and can also do so for our state finances. Dave Jamison
State Auditor: Dave Vaudt. Great job on shining the light on the financial stuff being pulled by the governor and the legislature. Dave Vaudt.
Secretary of Agriculture: Bill Northey. The past 4 years I haven't heard anything about his office. Not sure why we even have a Secretary of Agriculture. So if we have one, and he isn't causing trouble, sounds good to me. Bill Northey.
Governor: Eric Cooper. I'm a libertarian at heart. Here is an opportunity to vote for one. He's not gonna win, but I can vote for libertarian principles here. Eric is a good guy, from Ames. Eric Cooper.
US Senator: John Heiderschiedt. Another Libertarian. Don't wanna vote for a Libertarian? If you voted for me, you already did. He's not gonna win, Grassley is going to cruise to victory, what the heck, vote for John Heiderschiedt, he has only a slightly worse chance than Roxanne.
County Supervisor: You can vote for two. I know one I am going to vote for, Rick Sanders. He is a guy with a passion for the job, and is not afraid to challenge the status quo. Don't really know much about the other 3, but I am voting for Rick Sanders.
County Treasurer: Renee Twedt. Renee has a good background in handling money/financial stuff at the Kockler CPA firm in Nevada. She lives outside Story City, and I know her from her work as Treasurer for North Story Little League, of which I am a board member. She does a good job for us, and I think she would do a super job as county treasurer. Renee Twedt.
I've rattled on enough, but that is a good start for some of my faves on the ballot. And if you aren't voting for the above, just a reminder the election is on Wednesday, November 3rd.
Tuesday Oct 26 Council Meeting
Had a council meeting tonite after a one day delay due to quorum issues on Monday.
Stuff from the meeting and other tidbits...
Power outage today on the east side of town, west side only had flickers. Was caused by tree branches in the big winds of the day.
Sounds like Arthur and Bryan streets will have the concrete poured on Thursday and/or Friday. Folks on Industrial, Bryan, Arthur, and Logan, if you can get your cars off the streets, that will help. There will be a lot of cement trucks going by.
Sewer televising and smoking is done. There is damage on the sewer line on the first block of Logan. Will likely be dug up, but will be done after Bryan is open, to provide another outlet.
We approved the sale of land in the Britson Park area to some neighbors. Not a done deal yet, but will get us some seed money to get the park going if all the legal stuff goes thru.
We have an offer to buy or rent the old library business for a new business. We are still working with the potential tenant/owner to see if we can make that happen.
We accepted the resignation of city council member Erin Varley. He is not leaving town yet, but he needs to start working on his move, so he has resigned. The current council will be talking to those showing an interest in being appointed to fill out Erin's term. If you are interested, let me, a council member, or Deneen at City Hall know of your interest.
Stuff from the meeting and other tidbits...
Power outage today on the east side of town, west side only had flickers. Was caused by tree branches in the big winds of the day.
Sounds like Arthur and Bryan streets will have the concrete poured on Thursday and/or Friday. Folks on Industrial, Bryan, Arthur, and Logan, if you can get your cars off the streets, that will help. There will be a lot of cement trucks going by.
Sewer televising and smoking is done. There is damage on the sewer line on the first block of Logan. Will likely be dug up, but will be done after Bryan is open, to provide another outlet.
We approved the sale of land in the Britson Park area to some neighbors. Not a done deal yet, but will get us some seed money to get the park going if all the legal stuff goes thru.
We have an offer to buy or rent the old library business for a new business. We are still working with the potential tenant/owner to see if we can make that happen.
We accepted the resignation of city council member Erin Varley. He is not leaving town yet, but he needs to start working on his move, so he has resigned. The current council will be talking to those showing an interest in being appointed to fill out Erin's term. If you are interested, let me, a council member, or Deneen at City Hall know of your interest.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Council Meeting moved to Tuesday
We couldn't get a quorum tonite, so the council meeting is set for Tuesday the 26th, at 7PM at the Community Center. Note the time change from the usual 6. Also note that all meetings going forward will be at the Community Center.
We may barely have a quorum tomorrow, but 3 will do it. As a reminder, I don't get to vote, and don't count in the quorum.
We may barely have a quorum tomorrow, but 3 will do it. As a reminder, I don't get to vote, and don't count in the quorum.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Council Opening
Just found out today that one of Roland's city council members, Erin Varley, is resigning his position. He has accepted a new job with his employer in Pennsylvania, and will be moving within a couple months.
Erin has lived in Roland about 6 years, and has been a real asset to the community. He has helped out with Roland Days, and has a good head for working thru items that have come before the city council. As a mayor, I'm sorry to see him go off the council. And as a mayor, and on a personal level, I'm sorry to see fine folks like him and his family leaving Roland.
But it sounds like a good opportunity for him and his family. He certainly seems to have Eby Trailers on solid footing in Story City.
So, that means the remaining council will have a spot to fill on the council. I believe this is how it works....The council can choose to have an election, or the council can appoint someone. If the council chooses to appoint someone, if 10% of the people who voted in the last election sign a petition to force an election, then the appointee cannot take office, and there will be an election.
I'd rather not have an election, as that will probably cost the city a thousand dollars or more. I'd rather find somebody interested in the position who has an interest and aptitude for the position. This person will serve about 1 year, as Erin's spot was up for election in November of 2011 anyway.
So if you have an interest in being a city council member, let your name with Deneen at City Hall, or me, or one of the city council members. Stayed tuned....
Erin has lived in Roland about 6 years, and has been a real asset to the community. He has helped out with Roland Days, and has a good head for working thru items that have come before the city council. As a mayor, I'm sorry to see him go off the council. And as a mayor, and on a personal level, I'm sorry to see fine folks like him and his family leaving Roland.
But it sounds like a good opportunity for him and his family. He certainly seems to have Eby Trailers on solid footing in Story City.
So, that means the remaining council will have a spot to fill on the council. I believe this is how it works....The council can choose to have an election, or the council can appoint someone. If the council chooses to appoint someone, if 10% of the people who voted in the last election sign a petition to force an election, then the appointee cannot take office, and there will be an election.
I'd rather not have an election, as that will probably cost the city a thousand dollars or more. I'd rather find somebody interested in the position who has an interest and aptitude for the position. This person will serve about 1 year, as Erin's spot was up for election in November of 2011 anyway.
So if you have an interest in being a city council member, let your name with Deneen at City Hall, or me, or one of the city council members. Stayed tuned....
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Hydrant flushing
I had the dates wrong on the post below. Here is an email from City Hall regarding hydrant flushing. As a reminder, you can get on an email distro list from the city, to get updates on items of note like this. Just contact City Hall to get on the list. Here's the email from today:
The City of Roland will be flushing water hydrants on Thursday, October 21st and Friday, October 22nd between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. This may result in low water pressure and rusty water for a short period of time. Please check the water before you wash a load of white or light colored clothes. Feel free to call City Hall at
388-4861 with any questions. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding regarding this matter.
The City of Roland will be flushing water hydrants on Thursday, October 21st and Friday, October 22nd between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. This may result in low water pressure and rusty water for a short period of time. Please check the water before you wash a load of white or light colored clothes. Feel free to call City Hall at
388-4861 with any questions. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding regarding this matter.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Junk Pickup
Here is a link to the totals of what was all picked up on Roland on the cleanup days last month. Good job everybody! This is junk that we got out of town, and it didn't just go to the landfill, it will be recycled. Win, win.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Water
A reminder that tentatively the city will be flushing hydrants on October 22 and 23. Keep that in mind if you have some white laundry to do. The water could get a little dirtier then, as rust gets flushed thru the system.
On a completely unrelated note, I saw a chart showing average sewer and water bills of all municipal systems in the United States.
For water in '08 it was $23.45 and in '09 it was $25.66. My last water bill was $41.19 for what it is worth.
For sewer in '08 it was $31.29, in '09 it was $33.80. My last sewer bill was $30.21, FWIW.
Not sure how Roland as a whole stacks up to that national average, but I thought it worthy of putting that comparison out there.
On a completely unrelated note, I saw a chart showing average sewer and water bills of all municipal systems in the United States.
For water in '08 it was $23.45 and in '09 it was $25.66. My last water bill was $41.19 for what it is worth.
For sewer in '08 it was $31.29, in '09 it was $33.80. My last sewer bill was $30.21, FWIW.
Not sure how Roland as a whole stacks up to that national average, but I thought it worthy of putting that comparison out there.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Pre-demolition sale by the Library Foundation
Copy and paste of some info I got from the Libary Foundation.
the Foundation is having a pre-demo sale at 201 E. Ash (old Heart of Iowa administration building-katy corner from the post office)this Saturday from 10:00am-12:00pm. Free will offering. Please let your board know and anyone else who might be interested.
What is for sale:
9 hollow core doors 36 X72.5, 2 additional doors 30 X 72.5, wooden trim, bathroom fixtures, wooden paneling, counter 30 X 96in, a couple of air conditioners and a furnance, commercial glass entry doors, ceiling tiles, other misc.
the Foundation is having a pre-demo sale at 201 E. Ash (old Heart of Iowa administration building-katy corner from the post office)this Saturday from 10:00am-12:00pm. Free will offering. Please let your board know and anyone else who might be interested.
What is for sale:
9 hollow core doors 36 X72.5, 2 additional doors 30 X 72.5, wooden trim, bathroom fixtures, wooden paneling, counter 30 X 96in, a couple of air conditioners and a furnance, commercial glass entry doors, ceiling tiles, other misc.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Beggars Night reminder
Just a reminder that Beggars Night in Roland will be on Sunday, Oct 31 from 6 to 8PM. Hope you have good costumes!
Oct 11 council meeting
Not a real big docket last night. Biggest things of note: we approved an ordiance moving all future city council meetings to the community center. Hopefully that will be a more inviting place for citizens to come to our meetings, and it gives everybody a little more room, and some council members won't have to have their backs to the public.
The biggest time discussion was regarding costs of what to do with water runoff in the Britson Circle area. Our city engineer gave a couple options. One is grading the Britson Park area, to get overland flow to the SW, so the Britson Circle storm sewers would no longer have that water to deal with. That was going to be something like $45k.
The next is to run a new storm sewer up along Maple. With all the utilities in the ditch, it would have to run under Maple. I am in no way interested in that. Pretty costly too.
Another is to get easements from property owners on Duea and Logan, and run a new storm sewer direct to the creek. We are organizing a community meeting with those neighborhoods to see if that is an option. The city would have to secure a right a way for that. Not sure if those folks would be open to that, but we are going to see. If you are in those neighborhoods, stayed tuned for a future meeting date. Late October or early November I'm guessing.
The other option, which is the mostly costly, but least disruptive is to run a storm sewer south thru Britson Park, along the new portion of Arthur, and then thru the field to the south, where a future housing development would go. It is a long way, but it is all bare ground. That might run 400K.
These are the costs of doing stuff half arse through the years. And we have to decide what to fix and what to upgrade, and what to just leave. More to come on that. If you have any input, feel free to come to a council meeting, and give your opinion.
The biggest time discussion was regarding costs of what to do with water runoff in the Britson Circle area. Our city engineer gave a couple options. One is grading the Britson Park area, to get overland flow to the SW, so the Britson Circle storm sewers would no longer have that water to deal with. That was going to be something like $45k.
The next is to run a new storm sewer up along Maple. With all the utilities in the ditch, it would have to run under Maple. I am in no way interested in that. Pretty costly too.
Another is to get easements from property owners on Duea and Logan, and run a new storm sewer direct to the creek. We are organizing a community meeting with those neighborhoods to see if that is an option. The city would have to secure a right a way for that. Not sure if those folks would be open to that, but we are going to see. If you are in those neighborhoods, stayed tuned for a future meeting date. Late October or early November I'm guessing.
The other option, which is the mostly costly, but least disruptive is to run a storm sewer south thru Britson Park, along the new portion of Arthur, and then thru the field to the south, where a future housing development would go. It is a long way, but it is all bare ground. That might run 400K.
These are the costs of doing stuff half arse through the years. And we have to decide what to fix and what to upgrade, and what to just leave. More to come on that. If you have any input, feel free to come to a council meeting, and give your opinion.
Election
Usually I write about stuff that directly affects Roland. This post is about stuff that indirectly affects Roland. I wanted to talk about a couple candidates for the upcoming election.
There are two in particular that have frosted my fanny. The current Secretary of State and State Treasurer have been running ads touting something that their office does. They are using tax dollars to tout how to vote, and about the state college savings plan. Minorly annoying, but, whatever.
However, I have never seen these TV ads any other time of year. And of course, they have to put their mugs on the ad, and their names. It is a sly attempt to use taxpayer dollars to increase their name recognition. It is flat out wrong, and it is unethical.
I cannot fathom taking out ads in the Story City Herald, using city money, to tout the availability of our community center in October only of an election year. "Hi I'm Mayor Roger Fritz. Did you know you could rent the community center for private events?" Ridiculous.
I'm not going to give the current unethical elected officials another opportunity for their name to be seen. So I'm not going to even type their name here.
But I will say, if you think the actions of those elected officials is wrong, you could vote to replace them with the following individuals: vote for Matt Schultz for Secretary of State, and Dave Jamison for Iowa Treasurer.
Heck I'm gonna even put up a virtual sign for the challengers. Good luck to Schultz and Jamison.
There are two in particular that have frosted my fanny. The current Secretary of State and State Treasurer have been running ads touting something that their office does. They are using tax dollars to tout how to vote, and about the state college savings plan. Minorly annoying, but, whatever.
However, I have never seen these TV ads any other time of year. And of course, they have to put their mugs on the ad, and their names. It is a sly attempt to use taxpayer dollars to increase their name recognition. It is flat out wrong, and it is unethical.
I cannot fathom taking out ads in the Story City Herald, using city money, to tout the availability of our community center in October only of an election year. "Hi I'm Mayor Roger Fritz. Did you know you could rent the community center for private events?" Ridiculous.
I'm not going to give the current unethical elected officials another opportunity for their name to be seen. So I'm not going to even type their name here.
But I will say, if you think the actions of those elected officials is wrong, you could vote to replace them with the following individuals: vote for Matt Schultz for Secretary of State, and Dave Jamison for Iowa Treasurer.
Heck I'm gonna even put up a virtual sign for the challengers. Good luck to Schultz and Jamison.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Council meeting Tuesday night
We had a joint city council/park board meeting on Tuesday night. Twas good just to get the groups together, and chit chat a little. No real decisions made. Mostly just talked about Britson Park, and what we can do to help water along Britson Circle. After a decision is made about what to do with the water, the park area will be seeded with grass.
Just nice to get everybody in the same room, and make sure we are all on the same page.
Regular council meeting is on Monday.
Just nice to get everybody in the same room, and make sure we are all on the same page.
Regular council meeting is on Monday.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Pics of road construction
As promised in an earlier post, here are some pics of the construction on Arthur and Bryan Drives
At the west end of the existing Arthur Drive
At the west end of the existing Arthur Drive
From the middle of the future Bryan Ave looking east
From the middle of the new Arthur looking south
From the middle of the new Arthur looking north
Ghosts
Pulled this off the Roland Library's Facebook page. I'd love to go, but there will be a joint City Council/Park Board meeting at the same time.
If you're a fan of the popular television show "Ghost Hunters", have we
got a program for you! The Supernatural Research Society of Iowa, a
group of individuals with passion for the paranormal, will be
presenting a program at the Roland Community Center, 208 N. Main, next
Tuesday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. Admission is free. Get an early start to the Halloween season and hear some descriptions of ghostly investigations.
If you're a fan of the popular television show "Ghost Hunters", have we
got a program for you! The Supernatural Research Society of Iowa, a
group of individuals with passion for the paranormal, will be
presenting a program at the Roland Community Center, 208 N. Main, next
Tuesday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. Admission is free. Get an early start to the Halloween season and hear some descriptions of ghostly investigations.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Housing start
As we know, the economy isn't the most chipper thing in the world. But happy to see dirt moving out my back window. A basement is being dug for another house on Bryan Ave as of today. We also have a new house going on Cottonwood as well.
We often talk about businesses, and them making investments. Well some families have decided to make an investment in Roland, and that is just super to see too. I know a lot of small towns around here have seen no new houses built this year.
The dirt is also being moved for our new street for the Bryan extension, as well as Arthur. I'll try to have some pics posted by the end of the weekend.
We often talk about businesses, and them making investments. Well some families have decided to make an investment in Roland, and that is just super to see too. I know a lot of small towns around here have seen no new houses built this year.
The dirt is also being moved for our new street for the Bryan extension, as well as Arthur. I'll try to have some pics posted by the end of the weekend.
Good article
Mark Jackson, City Administrator in Story City has a very good article/commentary in this week's Story City Herald. It is in regards to flooding, and drainage issues. Pretty much any reference to Story City could be replaced with the word "Roland", and it would apply. So if you haven't read it, please give it a gander.
Tree trimming
Recently the City sent out about 200 notices regarding needing trees and bushes trimmed up. So that is almost 1/2 of the properties in town. As a review, trees and bushes need to be trimmed 8 feet above any sidewalk, and 15 feet on any overhang over a street.
The ordinance is in place for personal safety of passersby, and on the street side, to help prevent damage to snow plows, garbage trucks, delivery trucks, and so on.
I am well aware that the letter could be construed as being a bit harsh. Unfortunately the letter needs to be written to the worst case. I'm guessing that if you are reading this, you have at least some civic interest. And in that case, a "Hey, can you trim your bushes and trees up" would probably work. So any bureaucratic tone really isn't directed to a person such as yourself.
Unfortunately, that does not work for everybody. And if it were only 10 people, it could maybe get a bit more of a personal touch. But when almost half the town is out of compliance, that becomes a bit of a problem.
So anyway, most of the growing season should be done. If you got a letter, I hope you can work towards compliance, we've got a couple nice weekend days coming up here. I believe in the letter it states something to the effect that if you need more time, to let City Hall know. So if you can't meet the date, let the city know when you can, and that should help matters.
Thanks for your cooperation in this, and let me, or one of the city staff know if you have any questions.
The ordinance is in place for personal safety of passersby, and on the street side, to help prevent damage to snow plows, garbage trucks, delivery trucks, and so on.
I am well aware that the letter could be construed as being a bit harsh. Unfortunately the letter needs to be written to the worst case. I'm guessing that if you are reading this, you have at least some civic interest. And in that case, a "Hey, can you trim your bushes and trees up" would probably work. So any bureaucratic tone really isn't directed to a person such as yourself.
Unfortunately, that does not work for everybody. And if it were only 10 people, it could maybe get a bit more of a personal touch. But when almost half the town is out of compliance, that becomes a bit of a problem.
So anyway, most of the growing season should be done. If you got a letter, I hope you can work towards compliance, we've got a couple nice weekend days coming up here. I believe in the letter it states something to the effect that if you need more time, to let City Hall know. So if you can't meet the date, let the city know when you can, and that should help matters.
Thanks for your cooperation in this, and let me, or one of the city staff know if you have any questions.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Council Meeting 9-27
Kind of a busy agenda tonite, with a lot of different topics.
We made adjustments to the new street plan to add subdrains. The water table is so high along Bryan, the addition of subdrains will help channel water away, and hopefully keep the street from breaking up prematurely.
We gave final approval for approval of keeping of urban chickens. As a reminder, if you want to keep them, you will have to get a no cost license at City Hall.
We gave first approval to move our city council meetings to our Community Center. City Council meetings have been held in City Hall since the 1930s I presume. And most nights it is fine. But it can get very crowded, and warm, and some will have to sit in Janet's office space on nights with a big crowd. With our nice Community Center facility(which is available to rent by the way), it will hopefully become a more inviting place for people to come and participate in our city council meetings. It is not final yet, so next meeting will still be at City Hall.
We also approved some liens on some properties for failing to cut their grass.
One of the bigger discussions was the sale of city property. The City has 2 lots we may potentially wish to sell. One is the lot on South Cottonwood, where we recently tore down an abandoned house. The other is in the Britson Park area, that will be on the other side of the street from the remainder of the park, after the new street is installed. We talked with our city attorney about the legal requirements for us to sell the properties, and how we might like to go about it. Nothing is happening in the immediate term. But if you have an interest in either property, feel free to contact City Hall for more info.
We made adjustments to the new street plan to add subdrains. The water table is so high along Bryan, the addition of subdrains will help channel water away, and hopefully keep the street from breaking up prematurely.
We gave final approval for approval of keeping of urban chickens. As a reminder, if you want to keep them, you will have to get a no cost license at City Hall.
We gave first approval to move our city council meetings to our Community Center. City Council meetings have been held in City Hall since the 1930s I presume. And most nights it is fine. But it can get very crowded, and warm, and some will have to sit in Janet's office space on nights with a big crowd. With our nice Community Center facility(which is available to rent by the way), it will hopefully become a more inviting place for people to come and participate in our city council meetings. It is not final yet, so next meeting will still be at City Hall.
We also approved some liens on some properties for failing to cut their grass.
One of the bigger discussions was the sale of city property. The City has 2 lots we may potentially wish to sell. One is the lot on South Cottonwood, where we recently tore down an abandoned house. The other is in the Britson Park area, that will be on the other side of the street from the remainder of the park, after the new street is installed. We talked with our city attorney about the legal requirements for us to sell the properties, and how we might like to go about it. Nothing is happening in the immediate term. But if you have an interest in either property, feel free to contact City Hall for more info.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
H a double L O double you double E n
One of the big decisions I have to make his when to proclaim Beggar's Night in Roland. Halloween is on Sunday this year. So on that weekend, Friday has no HS football, as the playoffs will be starting, so that wouldn't be a bad night. Both the Cyclones and Hawks are home on Sat the 30th. And Sunday always has stuff going on.
So I decided to stick with the holiday, and Beggar's Night in Roland will be on Sunday the 31st from 6 to 8PM.
So I decided to stick with the holiday, and Beggar's Night in Roland will be on Sunday the 31st from 6 to 8PM.
City Council Meeting Sep 13
Been a busy week for me, so haven't had a chance to make any comments about the city council meeting last Monday. The meeting was a stem winder. About 2.5 hours.
First up we approved the funding for the Arthur and Bryan street projects. We got a good interest rate. 2.85% I believe. That is nice for the taxpayers to borrow at that low of rate. It will be a 10 year payoff. We are just finishing up paying off a previous water project. So we continue to only use a small amount of our total bonding capacity. So that is good.
We talked a little about a LED sign that the Roland Area Development Corp(RADC) wants to put up in Roland, maybe by Caseys. That will be a nice thing to have if that gets off the ground. It will be a community message board, touting events in the city.
We authorized some initial grading in Britson Park. Along with the road construction through the park area, that will be really be the start of the park.
We also approved the purchase of software for a GIS for city infrastructure. It should be a nice thing going forward, when we can start to track manholes, and water shutoffs, and other stuff like that. Just in this meeting, we had discussions about pipes that we did not know existed where they did.
I made the proclamation for Constitution Week. Tis nice to remember what a great document we have the opportunity to live with.
We passed the 2nd reading of the "Chicken Ordinance". I'm expecting it to have final approval at the next meeting. Last chance, if you don't want to see "urban chickens" come to the meeting at let your voice heard.
However the biggie of the meeting was the discussion and report on effort to limit flood water in our city. Our city engineer Neil Guess was present to discuss his findings. He looked at 3 key areas.
(Below is my express commentary on the discussion, and what was in the report. I linked the report below)
The first was Ryan Circle. Mostly we just need some maintenance there, without a lot of cost. Part of it would be improved draining around the rail trail. This week, a new culvert was installed there, and that should help matters.
Next is around North Cottonwood. Same thing there. With the addition of some culverts, and a ditch cleanout, we think water flow would be improved there.
Lastly is at Britson Circle. That one is not so easy. It appears the street draining was "under-engineered" from the street's construction 40 years ago. And there is no easy way to get the water away from there and to the creek. We are looking at some options, but that may involve getting easements on the most direct route to the creek, or the very expensive route of taking it up along Maple. We are also pondering a route to the south. More to come on that. It is not an easy maintenance fix.
For those of you at the meeting, you know our engineer Neil was distracted by a couple texts about a medical issue in his family. I found out his father passed away on Tuesday. So he has been away from the office this week.
HERE is a link of the DRAFT Storm Sewer report.
First up we approved the funding for the Arthur and Bryan street projects. We got a good interest rate. 2.85% I believe. That is nice for the taxpayers to borrow at that low of rate. It will be a 10 year payoff. We are just finishing up paying off a previous water project. So we continue to only use a small amount of our total bonding capacity. So that is good.
We talked a little about a LED sign that the Roland Area Development Corp(RADC) wants to put up in Roland, maybe by Caseys. That will be a nice thing to have if that gets off the ground. It will be a community message board, touting events in the city.
We authorized some initial grading in Britson Park. Along with the road construction through the park area, that will be really be the start of the park.
We also approved the purchase of software for a GIS for city infrastructure. It should be a nice thing going forward, when we can start to track manholes, and water shutoffs, and other stuff like that. Just in this meeting, we had discussions about pipes that we did not know existed where they did.
I made the proclamation for Constitution Week. Tis nice to remember what a great document we have the opportunity to live with.
We passed the 2nd reading of the "Chicken Ordinance". I'm expecting it to have final approval at the next meeting. Last chance, if you don't want to see "urban chickens" come to the meeting at let your voice heard.
However the biggie of the meeting was the discussion and report on effort to limit flood water in our city. Our city engineer Neil Guess was present to discuss his findings. He looked at 3 key areas.
(Below is my express commentary on the discussion, and what was in the report. I linked the report below)
The first was Ryan Circle. Mostly we just need some maintenance there, without a lot of cost. Part of it would be improved draining around the rail trail. This week, a new culvert was installed there, and that should help matters.
Next is around North Cottonwood. Same thing there. With the addition of some culverts, and a ditch cleanout, we think water flow would be improved there.
Lastly is at Britson Circle. That one is not so easy. It appears the street draining was "under-engineered" from the street's construction 40 years ago. And there is no easy way to get the water away from there and to the creek. We are looking at some options, but that may involve getting easements on the most direct route to the creek, or the very expensive route of taking it up along Maple. We are also pondering a route to the south. More to come on that. It is not an easy maintenance fix.
For those of you at the meeting, you know our engineer Neil was distracted by a couple texts about a medical issue in his family. I found out his father passed away on Tuesday. So he has been away from the office this week.
HERE is a link of the DRAFT Storm Sewer report.
Junk Pick Up/ on Monday/Tuesday
If you have big items of junk that you want to get rid of, Monday or Tuesday is the day. A company will be coming around to get water heaters, TV/Computer monitors (charge for those), and other stuff that they can recycle. But for most things, it is a cheap way to get rid of bigger items lying around your property. Call City Hall for more details. It is also mentioned in a post below.
Smoke 'em if ya got 'em
Notice to All Residents of Roland:
Please be advised the City of Roland will be smoke testing and televising
the sanitary sewer lines throughout the city during the week of September
27, 2010. If we get a significant amount of rainfall before September 27th
the testing may need to be rescheduled. The testing will include smoke
generating equipment that forces smoke into the sewers. Smoke should not
enter your premises unless a leak is present. To minimize the chances of
smoke entering your house, please pour water into all drains including floor
drains prior to the testing.
If any smoke does get in your house it should be reported immediately to the
personnel conducting the tests, or by calling City Hall at 515-388-4861
The smoke is relatively harmless but unnecessary exposure should be avoided
as it may irritate nasal passages. If smoke irritation does occur the
effects will be temporary and disappear quickly after exposure has ended.
Persons with heart and/or respiratory ailments are encouraged to leave the
house during the test. Pets that are exposed will generally react in a
manner similar to humans and leave the smoky area. If an exit is not
available please be sure your pets are provided with proper ventilation.
We appreciate your cooperation and apologize for any inconvenience.
City of Roland.
Please be advised the City of Roland will be smoke testing and televising
the sanitary sewer lines throughout the city during the week of September
27, 2010. If we get a significant amount of rainfall before September 27th
the testing may need to be rescheduled. The testing will include smoke
generating equipment that forces smoke into the sewers. Smoke should not
enter your premises unless a leak is present. To minimize the chances of
smoke entering your house, please pour water into all drains including floor
drains prior to the testing.
If any smoke does get in your house it should be reported immediately to the
personnel conducting the tests, or by calling City Hall at 515-388-4861
The smoke is relatively harmless but unnecessary exposure should be avoided
as it may irritate nasal passages. If smoke irritation does occur the
effects will be temporary and disappear quickly after exposure has ended.
Persons with heart and/or respiratory ailments are encouraged to leave the
house during the test. Pets that are exposed will generally react in a
manner similar to humans and leave the smoky area. If an exit is not
available please be sure your pets are provided with proper ventilation.
We appreciate your cooperation and apologize for any inconvenience.
City of Roland.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Water Pressure
You may have noticed a loss of water pressure about 9:30 Sunday night. Apparently the pump quit at the water treatment plant, the alarm didn't go off, and the water tower got drained enough to lose pressure.
Water Superintendent Nathan was able to quickly get to the treatment plant, reset the pump, and that got more water back in the tower, and by 10PM, we could all take a shower before going to bed.
We'll find out why we didn't get an alarm to prevent that.
As a reminder, if something went horribly wrong, we can always turn a valve and hook up to Central Iowa Rural Water. And since we are talking about pressure, about about some Billy Joel from the '80s.
Water Superintendent Nathan was able to quickly get to the treatment plant, reset the pump, and that got more water back in the tower, and by 10PM, we could all take a shower before going to bed.
We'll find out why we didn't get an alarm to prevent that.
As a reminder, if something went horribly wrong, we can always turn a valve and hook up to Central Iowa Rural Water. And since we are talking about pressure, about about some Billy Joel from the '80s.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
9/11 thought
Today is obviously the anniversary of the attack on our country by insane members of a death cult. The anniversary reminded me of something I do as a mayor. Not a big deal, and I've never mentioned it before, but wanted to use this occasion to mention it. Not sure if anybody has even noticed, but here ya go...
One of the jobs of mayor is to run the city council meetings. We are given an agenda of all the items to discuss. And first up on every meeting is the roll call.
I'm assuming you've heard the story, but on that fateful day, when passengers on hijacked Flight 93 heard about the other planes crashing, they did the brave thing and decided to attack their hijackers. Some passengers were on airphones to family during the event, and it was reported that passenger Todd Beamer said, "Let's roll," just before the passengers' efforts to storm the cockpit.
I like the attitude, and the bravery of Todd and the other passengers on that flight. So that phrase resonated with me.
So using the word "roll", ever since I have been mayor, I start our meetings with, "Let's Roll, Call."
So if you notice the slightly odd pausing with how I say it, it is my quiet tribute to those passengers on 9/11.
One of the jobs of mayor is to run the city council meetings. We are given an agenda of all the items to discuss. And first up on every meeting is the roll call.
I'm assuming you've heard the story, but on that fateful day, when passengers on hijacked Flight 93 heard about the other planes crashing, they did the brave thing and decided to attack their hijackers. Some passengers were on airphones to family during the event, and it was reported that passenger Todd Beamer said, "Let's roll," just before the passengers' efforts to storm the cockpit.
I like the attitude, and the bravery of Todd and the other passengers on that flight. So that phrase resonated with me.
So using the word "roll", ever since I have been mayor, I start our meetings with, "Let's Roll, Call."
So if you notice the slightly odd pausing with how I say it, it is my quiet tribute to those passengers on 9/11.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
House is down
I've written about it occasionally in the past, and now I can officially say the house on South Cottonwood that was a giant eyesore is now gone.
Don't have a price yet, but the city council will be entertaining offers to purchase the lot. If you have any interest, please call City Hall. Above is a pic of the house as it was coming down, picture courtesy of Council Member Corey Johnson.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Chickens
As mentioned in previous posts, the city council has been working on an ordinance on keeping of chickens within the city limits. It passed the first of three readings at the last city council meeting.
In the Ames Tribune on Sunday, was a question to the Trib's "Ask The Tribune" column, about chickens in Ames. It pretty much applies to Roland as well, so I thought I'd link it HERE.
In the Ames Tribune on Sunday, was a question to the Trib's "Ask The Tribune" column, about chickens in Ames. It pretty much applies to Roland as well, so I thought I'd link it HERE.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Email from City Hall
Earlier this year, the city council and Deneen at City Hall set up an email list, to send out infrequent news and information about events in the city. If you want on the list, just send an email to cityhall@cityofroland.org. Anyway, the first email went out today. I post it here, in case you are not signed up for the email list.
I have four (4) items to pass along to you today,
1st Item: Clean-up Day - Attached is the information regarding the Fall
Clean-up day with Midwest Recovery. The flyer details what they will pick
up and what they won't and the cost associated with it, if any. If you have
items you'd like picked up, you can call them at the number listed on the
bottom of the sheet or let us know at City Hall and we'll let them know.
2nd Item: Garbage Pick-up - Due to the Labor Day holiday, garbage pick up
will be Saturday, September 11th, instead of Friday, September 10th.
3rd Item: Tree Trimming - Harold will be checking for compliance beginning
September 13. Trees that overhang the sidewalk must be trimmed to 8'.
Trees that overhang the street and alley must be trimmed to 15'. Bushes
that encroach the sidewalks or alleys must be trimmed backed to 5'.
Compliance letters will be sent after September 13, giving property owners
one (1) week to get their trees/bushes trimmed. If they are not trimmed
accordingly, the City will trim them and assess the cost against the
property.
4th Item: Roland Code of Ordinances - You can now view and print Roland's
Code of Ordinances from the City's website at www.cityofroland.org
I have four (4) items to pass along to you today,
1st Item: Clean-up Day - Attached is the information regarding the Fall
Clean-up day with Midwest Recovery. The flyer details what they will pick
up and what they won't and the cost associated with it, if any. If you have
items you'd like picked up, you can call them at the number listed on the
bottom of the sheet or let us know at City Hall and we'll let them know.
2nd Item: Garbage Pick-up - Due to the Labor Day holiday, garbage pick up
will be Saturday, September 11th, instead of Friday, September 10th.
3rd Item: Tree Trimming - Harold will be checking for compliance beginning
September 13. Trees that overhang the sidewalk must be trimmed to 8'.
Trees that overhang the street and alley must be trimmed to 15'. Bushes
that encroach the sidewalks or alleys must be trimmed backed to 5'.
Compliance letters will be sent after September 13, giving property owners
one (1) week to get their trees/bushes trimmed. If they are not trimmed
accordingly, the City will trim them and assess the cost against the
property.
4th Item: Roland Code of Ordinances - You can now view and print Roland's
Code of Ordinances from the City's website at www.cityofroland.org
Monday, August 23, 2010
City Council meeting Aug 23
We moved the City Council meeting to the Community Center tonight for a larger than normal expected crowd. And indeed it was a bigger crowd.
First I'll mention the things that I assume the crowd wasn't there for. We had a brief discussion mention about trees hanging over streets and sidewalks. On a check a couple weeks ago, approximately 200 homeowners in town had a tree or trees hanging low over their sidewalk or street. It is the responsibility of the homeowners to keep that trimmed. So if you haven't done so lately, you may get a notice for the city requesting you to do break out the snips.
The council approved the loan agreement so the city can begin work on the Arthur and Bryan street extensions.
The council approved a new ordinance setting all city park hours from 6AM to 10:30PM. We had some issues with noisy users of our parks into the wee hours. They weren't necessarily causing problems, other than being noisy. But we wanted to make sure we had a tool to help the sheriff's department move people along if they were getting a little noisy.
The council approved the first reading of the ordinance allowing "urban chickens". If you are interested, stop by city hall to read it. It has not had final passage yet, as this is something we wanted to make sure the citizens had an opportunity to weigh in on before final approval.
Those were some of the issues that we discussed. However, what most were there for was to discuss issues they had with flooding, sewer backups, and water in the basements.
Though we had a good idea on some of the issues, it was nice to hear from folks who came out, told of the issues they had, and offered potential solutions. We also had our city engineer on hand to take notes, and offer insight on some of the things he had looked at so far.
Hearing some of these things, we couldn't really make immediate decisions on solutions. But this was a good first step in hearing the problems, and getting the info to find out what we can do, and how much it is going to cost. We had a couple homeowners telling of the decisions they are going to have to make, based on the decisions we make as a city council. Mainly, if it is likely they are going to flood again soon, and if the city is going to do any mitigation of future heavy rains, that they may not want to rebuild or refinish their basement. And that is fair thing to ask by a homeowner.
So we requested our city engineer to get us some info on these various wet spots, and see what we can do. His initial ideas is that the items on the north side of town might be a little easier to prevent, on the west side, more costly.
So we are going to have him visit with us at the next council meeting, and let us know our options.
First I'll mention the things that I assume the crowd wasn't there for. We had a brief discussion mention about trees hanging over streets and sidewalks. On a check a couple weeks ago, approximately 200 homeowners in town had a tree or trees hanging low over their sidewalk or street. It is the responsibility of the homeowners to keep that trimmed. So if you haven't done so lately, you may get a notice for the city requesting you to do break out the snips.
The council approved the loan agreement so the city can begin work on the Arthur and Bryan street extensions.
The council approved a new ordinance setting all city park hours from 6AM to 10:30PM. We had some issues with noisy users of our parks into the wee hours. They weren't necessarily causing problems, other than being noisy. But we wanted to make sure we had a tool to help the sheriff's department move people along if they were getting a little noisy.
The council approved the first reading of the ordinance allowing "urban chickens". If you are interested, stop by city hall to read it. It has not had final passage yet, as this is something we wanted to make sure the citizens had an opportunity to weigh in on before final approval.
Those were some of the issues that we discussed. However, what most were there for was to discuss issues they had with flooding, sewer backups, and water in the basements.
Though we had a good idea on some of the issues, it was nice to hear from folks who came out, told of the issues they had, and offered potential solutions. We also had our city engineer on hand to take notes, and offer insight on some of the things he had looked at so far.
Hearing some of these things, we couldn't really make immediate decisions on solutions. But this was a good first step in hearing the problems, and getting the info to find out what we can do, and how much it is going to cost. We had a couple homeowners telling of the decisions they are going to have to make, based on the decisions we make as a city council. Mainly, if it is likely they are going to flood again soon, and if the city is going to do any mitigation of future heavy rains, that they may not want to rebuild or refinish their basement. And that is fair thing to ask by a homeowner.
So we requested our city engineer to get us some info on these various wet spots, and see what we can do. His initial ideas is that the items on the north side of town might be a little easier to prevent, on the west side, more costly.
So we are going to have him visit with us at the next council meeting, and let us know our options.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Monday City Council Meeting in the Community Center
Just a note about Monday's City Council meeting. With an expected larger crowd to discuss flooding issues, we have moved the city council meeting to the Roland Community Center. The meeting starts at 6. HERE is a link to the agenda.
Flood cleanup supplies at City Hall
Late on Friday, the city received some flood cleanup kits donated from the American Red Cross and the Church of Latter Day Saints. I realize it is a bit past our flood, but maybe they could still be of use to you. I do believe they will be distributed on a first come/first served basis at City Hall on Monday. Contact City Hall on Monday for more info. I think there are 14 kits.
Roland Business mentioned in the Tribune
Nice article about one of Roland's businesses in the Ames Tribune. Boyd Software Company was featured in an article about companies in the Technology Association of Iowa. HERE is the link.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Library Foundation news
Got an email from Britany at the Library Foundation with some news on the property they own, which is best known as the old Heart of Iowa Co-op administration building (right across the street from the Fire Station)
They have voted to remove the building, in agreement with the decision by the library board not to use that building.
There are currently discussions with the Fire Department to use the building for fire practice, and burn it down, but to allow Fire Department training while doing so. Sounds like a great idea to me.
The Library Foundation has done some great things here lately. They purchased a new computer pod for the library, and are currently working on purchasing an overhead projector for library use.
And I know there is some confusion about the difference between the Library Board and Library Foundation. The Library Board members are on an official city organization, with the members appointed by the mayor. They approve the budget, set policy, and things like that.
The Library Foundation is a group of interested citizens who raise money for use for the betterment of the library. This group also purchased some amount of the furnishings for the new library. I, as mayor, have no control over board makeup, or what decisions it makes.
If you look at the Heart of Iowa property, you will see a sign from the Foundation touting that location as the future home of the library. And indeed it can be. If Roland continues to grow, and the demand for library services increase, that is a super spot for a library. Is it going to happen this year or next? No, but certainly an option as we go forward.
They have voted to remove the building, in agreement with the decision by the library board not to use that building.
There are currently discussions with the Fire Department to use the building for fire practice, and burn it down, but to allow Fire Department training while doing so. Sounds like a great idea to me.
The Library Foundation has done some great things here lately. They purchased a new computer pod for the library, and are currently working on purchasing an overhead projector for library use.
And I know there is some confusion about the difference between the Library Board and Library Foundation. The Library Board members are on an official city organization, with the members appointed by the mayor. They approve the budget, set policy, and things like that.
The Library Foundation is a group of interested citizens who raise money for use for the betterment of the library. This group also purchased some amount of the furnishings for the new library. I, as mayor, have no control over board makeup, or what decisions it makes.
If you look at the Heart of Iowa property, you will see a sign from the Foundation touting that location as the future home of the library. And indeed it can be. If Roland continues to grow, and the demand for library services increase, that is a super spot for a library. Is it going to happen this year or next? No, but certainly an option as we go forward.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
County signups
Couple things that indirectly apply to Roland that I wanted to mention. There are openings on the Story County Planning and Zoning Commission. Always nice to see Roland represented on Story County items. HERE is the link for more info.
On another note, you might want to sign up for the Story County Nixle updates. Nixle is a company that provides updates for county emergencies, Sheriff news, and so on. I have my settings to get cell phone text updates for emergency items (rarely get them, I did get a couple at the peak of the flooding).
I do get the daily sheriff updates via email, about who they arrest and so on. HERE is where you can sign up for what you want to receive, and how you want to receive it. Below is today's email that I got for an example if this is something you might be interested in.
Community Message has been issued by the Story County Sheriff's Office.
Wednesday August 18, 2010 9:12 AM CDT
Daily News Release, Tuesday August 17, 2010
Activities:
On 08/16/10 Carol Teig of Story City reported an act of vandalism. Teig indicated an unknown party had shot her mailbox using a shotgun. The damage was estimated at $20.00. Investigation is continuing.
Traffic:
No traffic to report.
Arrests:
Mitchell Austin Fadler
Ames, IA
Age: 21
Charge: Contempt of Court
Arrested: 08/17/10
The charges listed are merely an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
For full details, go to https://local.nixle.com/alert/3187949/.
On another note, you might want to sign up for the Story County Nixle updates. Nixle is a company that provides updates for county emergencies, Sheriff news, and so on. I have my settings to get cell phone text updates for emergency items (rarely get them, I did get a couple at the peak of the flooding).
I do get the daily sheriff updates via email, about who they arrest and so on. HERE is where you can sign up for what you want to receive, and how you want to receive it. Below is today's email that I got for an example if this is something you might be interested in.
Community Message has been issued by the Story County Sheriff's Office.
Wednesday August 18, 2010 9:12 AM CDT
Daily News Release, Tuesday August 17, 2010
Activities:
On 08/16/10 Carol Teig of Story City reported an act of vandalism. Teig indicated an unknown party had shot her mailbox using a shotgun. The damage was estimated at $20.00. Investigation is continuing.
Traffic:
No traffic to report.
Arrests:
Mitchell Austin Fadler
Ames, IA
Age: 21
Charge: Contempt of Court
Arrested: 08/17/10
The charges listed are merely an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
For full details, go to https://local.nixle.com/alert/3187949/.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Disaster Declaration, FEMA, and floods
Sounds like various assistance may now be forthcoming to individuals and governments. I don't claim to be an expert by any means, and I may learn more as I get to talk to people that are. For now, the best I can do is to pass along emails I'm getting. So here is the text of some.
The first is from Story County Emergency Management:
This is both the Public Assistance Program - for governments & non-profits for infrastructure damages, protective measures and debris removal - most of you have the Public Assistance Guide. http://www.fema.gov/government/grant/pa/pag07_t.shtm
We also just received FEMA Individual Assistance Program for residents, families and businesses. This will include programs for assistance of non-insured damages. Please remember this is for making the residence habitable - not necessarily paint, carpet, etc. and income levels will play a part of what type of program or assistance they may be eligible for. Some may be immediate funding or some may be in the form of an Small Business Administration low interest loan.
We just approved our ESF 14 Disaster Recovery Plan - more info on the process is in there.
What to expect next:
FEMA will require meetings for city, county and ISU applicants. We have already completed one Preliminary Damage Assessment so I will know more on Monday if another one will be required. I have a conference call with FEMA at 10 AM.
FEMA will conduct Applicant's Briefings or Kick off sessions for communities/county/ISU. We may need a location large enough to conduct this. Each applicant will be required to submit a Notice of Interest and again... since we did this for the July damages, I am not sure if those already submitted will be required to do another - but with additional damages, we need to ensure each government agency is a part of this process if they need assistance. More info on this soon.
Also for the community - we may be asked to host a Disaster Assistance Center where SBA, FEMA, Community Services, Red Cross, DHS, and other agencies with services can assist residents. We may need to find a place in Ames to house this... Again, more information later...
For residents, families and businesses - Direct them to the toll free phone number to apply for assistance. FEMA will arrive soon and may conduct public relations campaigns and door to door activities to promote the FEMA assistance. They will all have appropriate identification as FEMA, SBA or perhaps even Red Cross officials.
Please post the FEMA Assistance numbers/websites & notify residents as best you can.
Call 1-800-621-3362 or go to www.disasterassistance.gov
Speech or hearing impaired can call (TTY) 1-800-4627585
And then I got this one from the Governor's office. The link listed will be good to determine your eligibility.
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
Governor Chet Culver • Lt. Governor Patty Judge
For Immediate Release:
August 15, 2010
Contact:
Polly Carver-Kimm, Governor’s Office
(515) 281.0173
polly.carver-kimm@iowa.gov
Iowa Receives Presidential Disaster Declaration
DES MOINES – Governor Chet Culver has received word that 29 Iowa counties have
been granted a Presidential Disaster Declaration for Individual Assistance.
“I am pleased to see the Presidential Disaster Declaration for these counties,”
Culver said. “We will continue to assess the flood-related damages and get
Iowans the assistance they need to recover from the recent severe weather and
flooding.”
The disaster declaration makes federal assistance available to affected
individuals and families in these 29 counties. Disaster assistance can include
grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured
property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners
recover from the effects of the disaster.
The counties included in the declaration are: Black Hawk, Cherokee, Clayton,
Decatur, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Franklin, Hamilton, Howard, Humboldt, Ida,
Jackson, Jones, Kossuth, Lee, Lucas, Lyon, Marion, O'Brien, Osceola, Ringgold,
Sioux, Story, Taylor, Union, Warren, Webster, and Wright.
The State will ask for joint preliminary damage assessments to be conducted with
FEMA and local officials in counties most recently impacted by the flooding and
to request Individual Assistance be granted for those counties.
Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties
may immediately begin registering for assistance online at http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov
or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and
speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10
p.m. (local time). Applicants registering for aid should be prepared to provide
basic information about themselves, details on insurance coverage, and any other
information to help substantiate losses.
The declaration follows a visit to Iowa today by FEMA Region VII Regional
Administrator Beth Freeman. Freeman joined Governor Culver on a tour of damaged
areas in Des Moines and Colfax, and also made a stop in Oskaloosa.
"Today, I visited communities throughout central Iowa to get a firsthand look at
the damages caused by recent flooding," said Freeman. "Citizens and entire
communities have rallied together to fight the floodwaters and they should be
commended. I also compliment the state and local officials who have worked
quickly to provide residents with important commodities and taken other critical
steps to protect life and property."
These 29 counties that have been declared for Individual Assistance will be
added to the Presidential Disaster Declaration that authorized Public Assistance
funding for 32 counties on July 29 and 18 counties on August 13. Public
Assistance funds are available to state and local governments and certain
private nonprofit organizations (including rural electric cooperatives and
municipal utilities) for emergency work and the repair or replacement of
disaster-damaged facilities.=
The first is from Story County Emergency Management:
This is both the Public Assistance Program - for governments & non-profits for infrastructure damages, protective measures and debris removal - most of you have the Public Assistance Guide. http://www.fema.gov/government/grant/pa/pag07_t.shtm
We also just received FEMA Individual Assistance Program for residents, families and businesses. This will include programs for assistance of non-insured damages. Please remember this is for making the residence habitable - not necessarily paint, carpet, etc. and income levels will play a part of what type of program or assistance they may be eligible for. Some may be immediate funding or some may be in the form of an Small Business Administration low interest loan.
We just approved our ESF 14 Disaster Recovery Plan - more info on the process is in there.
What to expect next:
FEMA will require meetings for city, county and ISU applicants. We have already completed one Preliminary Damage Assessment so I will know more on Monday if another one will be required. I have a conference call with FEMA at 10 AM.
FEMA will conduct Applicant's Briefings or Kick off sessions for communities/county/ISU. We may need a location large enough to conduct this. Each applicant will be required to submit a Notice of Interest and again... since we did this for the July damages, I am not sure if those already submitted will be required to do another - but with additional damages, we need to ensure each government agency is a part of this process if they need assistance. More info on this soon.
Also for the community - we may be asked to host a Disaster Assistance Center where SBA, FEMA, Community Services, Red Cross, DHS, and other agencies with services can assist residents. We may need to find a place in Ames to house this... Again, more information later...
For residents, families and businesses - Direct them to the toll free phone number to apply for assistance. FEMA will arrive soon and may conduct public relations campaigns and door to door activities to promote the FEMA assistance. They will all have appropriate identification as FEMA, SBA or perhaps even Red Cross officials.
Please post the FEMA Assistance numbers/websites & notify residents as best you can.
Call 1-800-621-3362 or go to www.disasterassistance.gov
Speech or hearing impaired can call (TTY) 1-800-4627585
And then I got this one from the Governor's office. The link listed will be good to determine your eligibility.
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
Governor Chet Culver • Lt. Governor Patty Judge
For Immediate Release:
August 15, 2010
Contact:
Polly Carver-Kimm, Governor’s Office
(515) 281.0173
polly.carver-kimm@iowa.gov
Iowa Receives Presidential Disaster Declaration
DES MOINES – Governor Chet Culver has received word that 29 Iowa counties have
been granted a Presidential Disaster Declaration for Individual Assistance.
“I am pleased to see the Presidential Disaster Declaration for these counties,”
Culver said. “We will continue to assess the flood-related damages and get
Iowans the assistance they need to recover from the recent severe weather and
flooding.”
The disaster declaration makes federal assistance available to affected
individuals and families in these 29 counties. Disaster assistance can include
grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured
property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners
recover from the effects of the disaster.
The counties included in the declaration are: Black Hawk, Cherokee, Clayton,
Decatur, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Franklin, Hamilton, Howard, Humboldt, Ida,
Jackson, Jones, Kossuth, Lee, Lucas, Lyon, Marion, O'Brien, Osceola, Ringgold,
Sioux, Story, Taylor, Union, Warren, Webster, and Wright.
The State will ask for joint preliminary damage assessments to be conducted with
FEMA and local officials in counties most recently impacted by the flooding and
to request Individual Assistance be granted for those counties.
Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties
may immediately begin registering for assistance online at http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov
or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and
speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10
p.m. (local time). Applicants registering for aid should be prepared to provide
basic information about themselves, details on insurance coverage, and any other
information to help substantiate losses.
The declaration follows a visit to Iowa today by FEMA Region VII Regional
Administrator Beth Freeman. Freeman joined Governor Culver on a tour of damaged
areas in Des Moines and Colfax, and also made a stop in Oskaloosa.
"Today, I visited communities throughout central Iowa to get a firsthand look at
the damages caused by recent flooding," said Freeman. "Citizens and entire
communities have rallied together to fight the floodwaters and they should be
commended. I also compliment the state and local officials who have worked
quickly to provide residents with important commodities and taken other critical
steps to protect life and property."
These 29 counties that have been declared for Individual Assistance will be
added to the Presidential Disaster Declaration that authorized Public Assistance
funding for 32 counties on July 29 and 18 counties on August 13. Public
Assistance funds are available to state and local governments and certain
private nonprofit organizations (including rural electric cooperatives and
municipal utilities) for emergency work and the repair or replacement of
disaster-damaged facilities.=
Friday, August 13, 2010
Openings on boards again
I've asked before, but we again have an opening on the Library Board and rumor has it we might have one on the Park Board. I have some names from before, but I just wanted to throw it out there again. Contact me or City Hall if you are interested.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Declaration of Local Disaster
I will be signing the paperwork this afternoon for a Declaration of Local Disaster due to the flooding. This will improve our chances for monetary assistance in clean up and future mitigation efforts. Story County as a whole is also a disaster area, so we can work with the county in all of this as well.
If you have damaged carpet, or other non-typical garbage items that you are disposing of, you must contact our garbage provider, Stone Sanitation at 641-366-2310 to determine additional charges for garbage pickup.
If it isn't items with hazardous issues like TVs, it really shouldn't be too much. Stone is really good to work with. You will have to talk with them, but I'm speculating in most cases it might be around $20 or less. (based on when I threw some stuff out awhile back that was not flood related). TVs and things like that may have an additional per piece charge. But again, call them to find out.
Here are some photos I swiped from some Facebook friends showing some of the flooded streets. (Bryan and Britson respectively)
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Road Closures
As of 6AM, most street level flooding has subsided. However Bear Creek is flooding, and its tributary thru NE Roland is very high. Due to the road being overtopped with running water, the intersection of Linn and Poplar is closed, and also North Vine is closed.
The pool park is under water, including the tennis courts and basketball courts. The lowlands behind the houses on Logan are also under water. I've seen it higher before in my 13 years here, but it is pretty darn close to being as high as I've seen it.
The pool park is under water, including the tennis courts and basketball courts. The lowlands behind the houses on Logan are also under water. I've seen it higher before in my 13 years here, but it is pretty darn close to being as high as I've seen it.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Here we go again
Not much storage capacity for rain in the ground. As I type this at 9:45 PM, it is raining like crazy again. I imagine we are going to be in a world of hurt here pretty soon.
I toured the town a bit this afternoon, and we have a lot of people pumping out their basements. Found a lot of "good" pics from my Facebook friends, maybe I will post them sometime.
So probably a lot of restless sleeping. Let's hope the power stays on to keep those sump pumps going.
Flooding update
Not sure how many will find this real time, but here is the morning update on flooding. The sewer plant is keeping up with the inflow extra load, with our secondary pump needing to be turned on to assist.
Only one report so far of a sewer backup, which that may be due to a localized issue. Have a report of 6 inches of water in a basement on North Cottonwood.
The biggest area of concern is water coming off the fields from the SE, flowing thru yards, over by the school, down Main Street to Caseys. There was water over the road on that route.
Bryan Ave is closed due to high water. Britson Circle has water up to car axles in the middle of the block. There are other low spots with water over the streets too.
Bear Creek is up but not in a major flood state as of 7:30. Though that may change as water flows downstream to us.
Only one report so far of a sewer backup, which that may be due to a localized issue. Have a report of 6 inches of water in a basement on North Cottonwood.
The biggest area of concern is water coming off the fields from the SE, flowing thru yards, over by the school, down Main Street to Caseys. There was water over the road on that route.
Bryan Ave is closed due to high water. Britson Circle has water up to car axles in the middle of the block. There are other low spots with water over the streets too.
Bear Creek is up but not in a major flood state as of 7:30. Though that may change as water flows downstream to us.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Council Meeting tomorrow night
Just a note on a couple agenda items that are on the docket for tomorrow's council meeting. Of course, citizens are always invited to our meetings. But 90% of it is just humdrum, not controversial, not particularly interesting stuff.
Tomorrow night is two things that may perk a little more interest tho. One is we will likely be holding a vote to borrow money to complete Arthur Drive and Bryan Avenue. I think it is a good idea, but if passed, it will obviously raise taxes to pay for it.
The 2nd will be a discussion on "Urban Chickens". I know this is a hobby/pastime that is growing across the US. There is some interest by some Roland citizens to do this. Under our current ordinance, it probably falls under the "not allowed" due to not having farm animals in town. However, assuming you don't have a rooster, they are pretty quiet, and inoffensive.
But that may be a topic that I am assuming people might like to weigh in on, pro or con. So I wanted to remind folks of it here.
Tomorrow night is two things that may perk a little more interest tho. One is we will likely be holding a vote to borrow money to complete Arthur Drive and Bryan Avenue. I think it is a good idea, but if passed, it will obviously raise taxes to pay for it.
The 2nd will be a discussion on "Urban Chickens". I know this is a hobby/pastime that is growing across the US. There is some interest by some Roland citizens to do this. Under our current ordinance, it probably falls under the "not allowed" due to not having farm animals in town. However, assuming you don't have a rooster, they are pretty quiet, and inoffensive.
But that may be a topic that I am assuming people might like to weigh in on, pro or con. So I wanted to remind folks of it here.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Library featured in Trib
The Ames Tribune had an article today on our new library. HERE is the link to it. The above photo is from the article.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Critters
Stopped into City Hall tonite to sign some stuff. Among the things was to renew our city's contract with Story County Animal Control. Just like our city contracts with the county sheriff for our police protection, we contract with Story County Animal Control to deal with stray cats and dogs, or other animal issues. We have to pay SCAC for coming to pick up strays. So we have a line item in our budget for this. I don't think it is more than a couple hundred bucks, but it is something your tax dollars pay for.
SCAC also has pets for adoption. Here is a link to their webpage. The webpage also has a section on reporting strays, and what to do if you think a pet is being abused.
On a mostly related topic, if you have an issue with animals around your home, the city does have traps to borrow. As I write this, I don't remember if there is a charge for the trap. Best bet is to call city hall for details. They are a cage thing that is humane, not like a bear trap!
SCAC also has pets for adoption. Here is a link to their webpage. The webpage also has a section on reporting strays, and what to do if you think a pet is being abused.
On a mostly related topic, if you have an issue with animals around your home, the city does have traps to borrow. As I write this, I don't remember if there is a charge for the trap. Best bet is to call city hall for details. They are a cage thing that is humane, not like a bear trap!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Iowa League of Cities lawsuit
Here is an email I got from the Iowa League of Cities. Roland is a member of the Iowa League of Cities, so this is certainly of interest. One of my main topics on blog posts has been dealings regarding our sewer system and the problems our city council has in trying to do the right thing. I think this is a great thing that the League has done to help out Iowa's cities. I know it is a lot of type, but if you read anything, check out the last paragraph, that wraps it up pretty well.
On July 22, the Iowa League of Cities Executive Board approved filling a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), because of its reinterpretation of several federal rules for wastewater treatment plants and stormwater-related discharges. This approval follows a June 18 recommendation from the League Environmental Coordination Committee to take such an action. Pursuant to the Board's approval, a suit was filed by Hall & Associates on behalf of the League in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday, July 26.
At issue is the EPA's reinterpretation, without going through administrative rulemaking, of the existing federal bypass, mixing zone and secondary treatment rules. The EPA previously allowed municipalities to use alternative approaches and innovative technologies to process peak flows. Municipal operations were also given options in treatment facility design to safely process peak flows that would otherwise upset the system's operation. Many communities designed physical/chemical treatment units to supplement plant capacity under wet weather conditions and to ensure advanced treatment units could properly function under peak flow events such as unusually heavy rains and storms. Also, states were previously given flexibility to determine when and where swimming uses would reasonably be expected to occur, particularly under high flow conditions. The EPA allowed limited "mixing zones" and other less restrictive requirements where a state confirmed that such uses were improbable due to the physical setting.
Since 2009, however, the EPA has initiated a series of more restrictive federal rule interpretations regarding collection system design, bypass rule applicability, allowable mixing zones and acceptable plant design/operations that have placed otherwise compliant facilities into ongoing violation and have dictated extreme sewer system and treatment plant designs to address rare wet weather flows. In other words, the EPA changed its approach without going through the rule-making process. It now asserts that previously approved rules and processes are unlawful, potentially putting many hundreds of millions of dollars are at risk.
Issues created by the EPA's reinterpretation include:
1. Requiring municipalities to construct additional treatment facilities even when underlying water quality standards and technology-based limitations are already being achieved.
2. Holding municipalities legally accountable for treating flows associated with "Noah's flood."
3. Preventing communities from designing facilities with state-of-the-art physical/chemical peak flow treatment technologies.
4. Forcing communities with advanced treatment processes to modify operations and designs to ensure all flows pass through the complete biological process.
The EPA has created a situation where cities will be in ongoing violation with no reasonable means to achieve compliance. Communities will be forced into large expenditures that have no relationship whatsoever to environmental needs or technology rule compliance.
For these reasons, the League is seeking to overturn the illegal rule changes, inform the EPA on the extent of federal authority regarding wastewater plant design, direct the EPA to adhere to statutory provisions when developing wastewater requirements and allow the states to continue to use cost-effective options to safely process peak wet weather flows.
Please direct all questions regarding this litigation to Alan Kemp, League Executive Director at (515) 244-7282.
On July 22, the Iowa League of Cities Executive Board approved filling a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), because of its reinterpretation of several federal rules for wastewater treatment plants and stormwater-related discharges. This approval follows a June 18 recommendation from the League Environmental Coordination Committee to take such an action. Pursuant to the Board's approval, a suit was filed by Hall & Associates on behalf of the League in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday, July 26.
At issue is the EPA's reinterpretation, without going through administrative rulemaking, of the existing federal bypass, mixing zone and secondary treatment rules. The EPA previously allowed municipalities to use alternative approaches and innovative technologies to process peak flows. Municipal operations were also given options in treatment facility design to safely process peak flows that would otherwise upset the system's operation. Many communities designed physical/chemical treatment units to supplement plant capacity under wet weather conditions and to ensure advanced treatment units could properly function under peak flow events such as unusually heavy rains and storms. Also, states were previously given flexibility to determine when and where swimming uses would reasonably be expected to occur, particularly under high flow conditions. The EPA allowed limited "mixing zones" and other less restrictive requirements where a state confirmed that such uses were improbable due to the physical setting.
Since 2009, however, the EPA has initiated a series of more restrictive federal rule interpretations regarding collection system design, bypass rule applicability, allowable mixing zones and acceptable plant design/operations that have placed otherwise compliant facilities into ongoing violation and have dictated extreme sewer system and treatment plant designs to address rare wet weather flows. In other words, the EPA changed its approach without going through the rule-making process. It now asserts that previously approved rules and processes are unlawful, potentially putting many hundreds of millions of dollars are at risk.
Issues created by the EPA's reinterpretation include:
1. Requiring municipalities to construct additional treatment facilities even when underlying water quality standards and technology-based limitations are already being achieved.
2. Holding municipalities legally accountable for treating flows associated with "Noah's flood."
3. Preventing communities from designing facilities with state-of-the-art physical/chemical peak flow treatment technologies.
4. Forcing communities with advanced treatment processes to modify operations and designs to ensure all flows pass through the complete biological process.
The EPA has created a situation where cities will be in ongoing violation with no reasonable means to achieve compliance. Communities will be forced into large expenditures that have no relationship whatsoever to environmental needs or technology rule compliance.
For these reasons, the League is seeking to overturn the illegal rule changes, inform the EPA on the extent of federal authority regarding wastewater plant design, direct the EPA to adhere to statutory provisions when developing wastewater requirements and allow the states to continue to use cost-effective options to safely process peak wet weather flows.
Please direct all questions regarding this litigation to Alan Kemp, League Executive Director at (515) 244-7282.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
House coming down
Looks like the dilapidated house on South Cottonwood will be coming down in the next week or two. There has been stuff in the hopper on this for the past few months, but I have avoided talking about it here, as I did not want some speculator to become aware of it and attempt to purchase it, or something like that.
Here's the deal with it. (from my recollection--I may have some details slightly wrong) The homeowner let it go back to the bank. The bank did no upkeep on it. So the property became a massive eyesore. The city tried to purchase the house from the bank (Citibank I think), but they would not talk to us. They also refused to pay any taxes on it. So the house went to a sheriff's sale.
Some other individual bought the taxes on it, but didn't do anything with the house. So we as a city went to court to take over the property. As it should be, it is very difficult for a city to take over a property. There are lots of legal hoops to go through, which again, I think is good, to protect people from getting their property claimed by a government entity.
Adding to this, the Iowa Legistlature had recently changed the rules regarding this, so the judge and the county officials wanted to make sure they had done everything right. So that added to the delay.
The judge eventually ruled in our favor to take over the property. So we had to return the money to the individual who had purchased the taxes on it.
Then we had the house inspected, and found there was asbestos. So we have gotten that abated. And FINALLY, we should get the house, and the dead trees, and all the junk torn down and hauled away in the next couple weeks.
So the city will have a lot to build a house on. No decision has been made on what to do with it yet, or what we might sell it for. But if you, or someone you know, are interested in a city lot, in an established neighborhood with mature trees, and all that, let City Hall know.
Here's the deal with it. (from my recollection--I may have some details slightly wrong) The homeowner let it go back to the bank. The bank did no upkeep on it. So the property became a massive eyesore. The city tried to purchase the house from the bank (Citibank I think), but they would not talk to us. They also refused to pay any taxes on it. So the house went to a sheriff's sale.
Some other individual bought the taxes on it, but didn't do anything with the house. So we as a city went to court to take over the property. As it should be, it is very difficult for a city to take over a property. There are lots of legal hoops to go through, which again, I think is good, to protect people from getting their property claimed by a government entity.
Adding to this, the Iowa Legistlature had recently changed the rules regarding this, so the judge and the county officials wanted to make sure they had done everything right. So that added to the delay.
The judge eventually ruled in our favor to take over the property. So we had to return the money to the individual who had purchased the taxes on it.
Then we had the house inspected, and found there was asbestos. So we have gotten that abated. And FINALLY, we should get the house, and the dead trees, and all the junk torn down and hauled away in the next couple weeks.
So the city will have a lot to build a house on. No decision has been made on what to do with it yet, or what we might sell it for. But if you, or someone you know, are interested in a city lot, in an established neighborhood with mature trees, and all that, let City Hall know.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Nice Saturday afternoon
Stopped in at the Library Open House on Saturday afternoon. A few people stopping in to mill about, and get some snacks and punch. Twas nice to have a little celebration of the new facility.
Then the highlight of the day was the sweet corn feed at the community center. Great job by the RADC folks for the eats. Burgers, brats, bologna, watermelon, and all the sweet corn you could eat. For 6 bucks. I like going out for pizza, and Mexican, and I love a good steak. But a meal like that is really hard to top.
The crowd was pretty big when I was there from 5:30 to 6:15 or so. The meal was a fundraiser for roof repairs on the community center. Wasn't sure how big of crowd you would get on a weekend in prime vacation season. But it was a pretty good turnout.
So thanks to everybody that helped put these 2 events on.
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