Water seemed to be the theme of the first portion of the Jefferson city council’s Aug. 25 meeting. While waiting in the fire station for a demonstration of the fire department’s new SAM Smart Nozzle, city administrator Scott Peterson told council members the heavy rains earlier this month showed the new fire station roof is leaking under the solar panels that were installed earlier this summer.
Concern for the new roof, a heavy duty poly membrane, was expressed in the planning for Red Lion Renewable to place solar panels in various city-owned locations. Company owner Terry Dvorak said the rooftop panels would be anchored with ballasts rather than penetrating the roof.
Peterson said its possible workers placing the panels penetrated the membrane rather than there being a problem with how they’re anchored. The foam layer underneath the membrane is wet and must be replaced. Peterson said the repair needs to be done correctly to maintain the warranty on the roof.
Fire chief Jack Williams said the roof leaks so much “it’s like taking a shower.”
The better news was the SAM Smart Nozzle, a wireless communication device that allows a firefighter to control the water pressure from the end of a firehose, rather than requiring a second firefighter to be at the firetruck controlling a pump. The device also has a gauge showing how much water is available.
Firefighter Larry Rogers demonstrated how one firefighter can control the spray.
Williams said the device will be particularly helpful on fire calls when a limited number of firefighters are available to respond.
The $17,000 device was paid for by local donations.
In drier business, the council held a public hearing on granting easements to Red Lion Renewables for solar installations on city-owned property in the 900 block of N. Wilson Ave and on property the city is purchasing from Alliant Energy in the 100 block of W. Monroe St. No one spoke at the hearing and the easements were approved.
City engineer Jim Leiding reported a Regional Transportation federal grant for the construction of a shared-use path has been approved. The $400,000 path is a joint project of the city and Greene County Community Schools. The grant is for $250,000, with the city and the school splitting the remainder of the cost.
The 10-ft wide concrete path will go north from the intersection on W. Central Ave and N. Walnut St to the high school, including a jog toward the east to access the Rotary Centennial Dog Park. The path will be a safe route for students walking to the high school as well as an asset for walkers of all ages.
Construction will begin next summer. The Iowa Department of Transportation will handle the bid letting.
Leiding also shared plans for construction of the Westwood sidewalk project. Cardenas Concrete will begin the week of Sept. 7 on W. Lincolnway west of the entrance to the Greene County Medical Center clinic parking lot and proceed west, then north to the intersection with Westwood. Cardenas will work on the north side of Westwood from Briarwood Bend east to Grimmell Rd, and then move to the south side of Westwood from Lincoln Way to Rushridge Rd. They’ll then work on Grimmell Rd north to W. Lincoln Way.
Cardenas will work on the alley south of north of Doc’s Stadium after the sidewalk work is completed.
“I would expect at some point the cold weather will halt the project for the winter. I don’t know how far they’ll get before that happens,” Leiding said.
Residents in the project area will receive construction updates. The updates will also be posted on the city’s website. Final grading and seeding won’t be done until spring.
Dennis Tiffany spoke during the open forum about the zoning for The Jeffersonian apartments. Because the building is zoned as commercial the owners don’t need to meet the same requirement as owners of rentals zoned as multi-family housing. Commercial zoning does not require a pre-determined number of parking spots, while of multi-family housing requires one parking space for each dwelling. He also mentioned the property the city is purchasing from Alliant Energy south of Jefferson Telecom, noting that he worries about who will pay for any needed environmental clean-up.
