Elm St – Hwy 4 – through Jefferson will not be repainted to become a three-lane road.
Jefferson city administrator Scott Peterson told the city council at its Oct. 22 meeting that the Iowa Department of Transportation reported to the water/sewer/streets committee that public comments following the informational meeting about remarking the roadway were 81 percent against the project. Only 10 percent of the public comments were positive toward it.
Peterson said the water/sewer/streets committee will make a recommendation at the Nov. 12 meeting not to proceed with the project. “It’s been a hot issue with the public, so we’d like to see the council take formal action on it.
Also, the tree committee will plant 130-140 trees on Olive and Locust Sts next week. The tree committee obtained grant funding for the project.
In other business, the council approved the seventh change order on the wastewater treatment project. The change order doesn’t add cost to the project, but it adds 35 days to the construction schedule. That’s due to work on the aeration equipment in the digesters. The date of substantial completion is May 5, 2025.
There were three options in the change order under consideration, all dealing with damage to a digester tank lining found after it was drained during construction. The expert opinion was that the damage occurred shortly after construction nearly 20 years ago. Council member Harry Ahrenholtz said the lining will be checked in another 3-5 years, but since the pitting hasn’t affected performance in the past, it most likely will not need repair then, either.
City engineer Jim Leiding said this is likely the last time the existing plant can be rehabilitated. It was built in 1978, rehabbed in 2003, and now the current project.
Leiding also reported that it is becoming less likely the pickleball court will be completed before winter.
He explained the acrylic surface needs five consecutive days of temperatures with highs near 70 degrees or warmer, and low temperatures not cooler than the upper 40s to dry. “Getting to this time of year, that’s getting less and less likely,” Leiding said.
The 30-day cure time for the concrete will conclude the end of this week. Next week would be the earliest the acrylic surface can be applied. “We’ll look at weather conditions and the 10-14 day forecast, and see if he (the contractor) feels like there’s a window in there that he can get it on and stand behind it,” Leiding said.
During the reports portion of the meeting, police chief Mark Clouse praised the work of Sara Huddleston of the Multicultural Family Resource Center. He told of language barriers in dealing with a family from Honduras, and that they had used translation apps without much success.
Huddleston had offered her services to Clouse when she first arrived. He said he sent the officer involved to see her, and that she was an “extreme help.” “I just want to throw kudos out to her and thank her for that,” Clouse said. “She was a great help and it was appreciated.”
