The Jefferson city council spent considerable time at its July 28 meeting discussing removing snow from sidewalks on Westwood Dr.
The question came up at the July 14 meeting during discussion of construction bids. Councilman Chad Sloan said then he didn’t think it was fair that the city planned to remove snow there while other homeowners were responsible for clearing snow from sidewalks on their property.
The council’s water/sewer/streets committee discussed the matter and drafted a policy that the city would remove the snow there after a snowfall of one inch or more, but it would be a lower priority than clearing snow from streets. If city plows put snow on the sidewalk after it had been cleared once, the city would again clear the sidewalk when the crew as the crew is available.
Property owners are responsible for removing ice, but the city crew may spread sand or salt.
City administrator Scott Peterson said removing snow from sidewalks isn’t new to the street crew, as they’ve already been doing the job on the shared use path on E. Lincoln Way to the municipal cemetery and on W. Central Ave toward the high school.
The policy notes that snow removal is a courtesy the city crew is doing to improve accessibility on the new sidewalk, but that property owners are still responsible for removing hazardous ice accumulation, and conditions that may develop after city crews and completed snow removal; and future maintenance of the sidewalk, including compliance with all applicable provisions of the city code concerning sidewalks.
Streets committee member Harry Ahrenholtz called the policy “something everybody can live with.”
After settling the snow removal question the council approved the low bid of Cardenas Concrete of Fort Dodge to build the sidewalk. The company’s bid was $748,908 for the sidewalk and $37,594 for work on the alley north of Doc’s Stadium on N. Chestnut St. The bids are considerably lower than the engineer’s estimate.
The council approved the second reading and waived the third reading of an ordinance pertaining to use of E-bikes and E-scooters in the city. Mayor Craig Berry reported that the Jefferson police department is partnering with HyVee and the Rotary Club of Jefferson for an E-bike rodeo Saturday, Aug. 8, from 10 am to 2 pm in the HyVee parking lot. JPD officers will do bike safety instruction, HyVee will serve hotdogs, and HyVee and Rotary are donating bike helmets for all youngsters who attend.
The council approved purchasing lots from Interstate Power and Light Company, aka Alliant Energy, for future parking lots. The properties are south of Jefferson Telecom and Jefferson Veterinary Clinic.
The parking lot will be available for tenants at The Jeffersonian apartments, which will open this fall, as well as to visitors to Greene County Community Center, the Elks lodge, and Slininger-Schroeder Funeral Home.
Sloan questioned the cost of the lot. Peterson said Alliant had originally asked for $28,000. Sloan also asked why the city would pay for the property rather than 203 W. Harrison LLC, the developer of The Jefferson. City zoning officer Chad Sloan explained the Jeffersonian is still zoned as central business commercial, the same zoning as the upper story apartments around the downtown square. Those property owners have not been required to provide a parking alternative to on-street parking. If the Jeffersonian were zoned as multi-family residential, the developer would need to provide off-street parking.
In related business, the council agreed to grant an easement to Alliant Energy to allow the company to continue to use gas infrastructure located on the lot.
The council approved a bid from Geo Concrete to replace sidewalk handicap accesses on S. Pinet, S. Oak and S. Vine Sts, a total of 15 intersections. Cost is $58,595. The council agreed to ask voters to approve the 1 percent local option sales tax (LOST) on a referendum as part of the Nov. 3 general election. The revenue purpose statement will be the same as what’s in place now – “100 percent for the repair, maintenance, placement, and improvement of Jefferson’s infrastructure.” The ballot will propose no sunset date for the tax.
