Supervisors discuss ATV ride, cluster housing subdivisions

by Bob Beach

During its regular meeting Monday, June 22, the Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met with members of the Harpers Ferry Boosters about a proposed all-terrain vehicle (ATV) ride that would include the use of some County roads. Allamakee County Engineer Brian Ridenour presented the Board with a draft of a permit application for such special event rides, which includes some suggestions from Jane Regan, the agent for the County’s liability insurance company.
Ridenour said that he used the permit application used by Howard County as a starting point, adding that he had presented the draft to Allamakee County Attorney Jill Kistler, though she has not yet fully reviewed it. All three members of the Board said that while they wouldn’t want to hold up the planned ride, this would be the first time the County has issued this type of permit and they want to be sure that it’s done properly. After some discussion, the Board voted to table the matter until next week with the hope of meeting in special session later this week to iron out the details with the County Attorney.
The Board also met with Allamakee County Zoning Administrator Tom Blake, who asked the Board to set a date for a public hearing regarding an ordinance to allow “cluster housing subdivisions.” Blake said that the Planning and Zoning Commission had been working on the ordinance since the passage of the County’s zoning ordinance, but the process had been interrupted by the frac sand mining issue that had to be addressed.
He explained that under the terms of the proposed ordinance, building lots as small as one acre would be allowed in residential subdivisions as long as undeveloped areas are maintained to keep the total density of subdivisions below 25%. Blake said that the undeveloped areas could be used for parks, septic fields or other uses depending on site plans that would need to meet the approval of the Planning and Zoning Commission. The Board scheduled a public hearing on the matter for Monday, July 13 at 9:15 a.m.
In other business, the Board approved a contract with Solutions for technical support and a contract with Greg Clark to provide counseling for veterans. The Board also approved the contract and bond with Brennan Construction for a bridge deck replacement project on Bethel Road over Williams Creek and reappointed Don Peters to a three-year term on the Veterans Affairs Commission.