Beekeeping within the city limits and infrastructure improvement in the northwest part of the city were among items discussed by the Jefferson city council at its regular meeting April 22
Bees: The Jefferson planning and zoning commission will be asked to take a look at allowing beekeeping in within the city limits.
Cail Calder of Scranton, who does business as Bee Mindful, talked with the Jefferson city council about beekeeping. Calder currently has 164 hives spread over Greene County. The Scranton city council approved an ordinance a year ago allowing hives in the city, and Calder has more than a dozen hives there. Some of those hives will be moved to rural locations soon. Calder reported he has heard no concerns or objections to his Scranton hives. The Scranton ordinance, which was modeled after a Madison, WI, ordinance, requires a fence around the hives to make them less likely to attract curious youngsters or vandals.
He hopes to place one hive on N. Cedar St and two hives near Greene County High School. His plan is to assist the school’s FFA chapter in a beekeeping project and possibly make the honey available to the Ram Bakery and Ram Restaurant.
Council members Gary Von Ahsen and Larry Teeples asked a few questions of Calder. The council will not be asked to take any action unless the planning and zoning commission makes a recommendation to allow beekeeping.
Water, sewer to proposed casino site: In other business, the council approved by a split vote a letter of intent to install water and sewer lines to property at the northwest corner of the intersection of Highways 4 and 30, the proposed site for a casino. Funding for the project would come from property taxes paid by Wild Rose Entertainment. (There are no tax abatements in the proposed project; the facility would go on the property tax rolls immediately upon completion.)
The water and sewer project will not be done if Grow Greene County Gaming Corp/Wild Rose Entertainment is not granted a gaming license. That decision will be made by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission June 12.
Council members Shannon Black, Harry Ahrenholtz and Larry Teeples voted in favor of the letter of intent. Council member Gary Von Ahsen voted against the letter. Council member Lisa Jaskey was not present at the meeting.
Lift station monitors: The council also approved the purchase of seven OmniSite remote monitors from Electric Pump Machinery & Tool of Des Moines for the city’s lift stations. Cost is $2,845 each. The monitors will provide data needed to record the flow through the lift stations and will notify staff at the water treatment plant of any malfunctions. Installing the monitors is a preliminary step in a study of capacity of the current water and sewer infrastructure in the northwest quadrant of the city.
