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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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/.

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.=

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.