Supervisors remove funding for Columbus Road from Five-Year Plan
by Joe Moses
The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors was greeted by a capacity crowd in its board room for its Monday, April 11 regular session, most of those awaiting the meeting's final agenda item dealing with the County's Five-Year Plan for Secondary Roads, most specifically the inclusion of funding for the paving of Columbus Road that would access the new Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center being constructed south of Lansing. Much like those in attendance, the Board ended up being divided on the decision to include funding for Columbus Road, ultimately voting on a two-to-one split decision not to fund that paving project in the County's Five-Year Road Plan and, instead, moving that nearly $159,000 in proposed funding to the one-mile paving project of Makee Drive just north of Waukon that was recently approved for inclusion in the Five-Year Plan via a public hearing at last week's Board meeting.
PUBLIC COMMENT
The meeting discussion began with Public Comment, with French Creek Road resident Tom Schreiber expressing concerns regarding the funding and quality of gravel roads in Allamakee County, bringing a sample of the gravel mixture from the road where his home is located to illustrate his point on quality. Bruce Palmborg, representing Main Street Lansing, urged the Supervisors to stay the course in paving Columbus Road and to approve the proposed funding, stating that the road use tax being used for the paving of the road is not only appropriate, but it is also what these funds are intended to be used for.
Rural Lansing resident Mark Reiser shared his thoughts about the nearly $159,000 proposed for paving Columbus Road being used on other projects where that funding would serve a greater need for road maintenance or repair projects. Rural Waukon resident Mike Kramer asked for a show of hands in regard to support for and against funding that paving project, and a majority of those in attendance agreed with Reiser. Kristi Hager of Upper Iowa Resort and Rental near Dorchester suggested that the distance being paved on Columbus Road is comparable to the distance of the road serving her family's campground, which she said is "also guaranteed tourism for the county."
One final public comment was made by Tom Treptau, Director of Village Creek Bible Camp in rural Lansing, located in the vicinity of where a new hog confinement facility has been proposed for construction. Treptau said he has roughly 6,000 guests that visit the camp yearly and that his camp depends on the health of that stream. Board of Supervisors Chairman Larry Schellhammer advised those in attendance that he has met with Dale Reicks and Mark Kipp of Reicks View Farms at the proposed site and discussed their application. He has also met with Representative Patti Ruff at the site. Schellhammer further explained that the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has oversight of such a project and that the ultimate decision is "in their (DNR) hands, but they are certainly aware of the concerns."
HIRING AND OTHER APPROVALS
For the first agenda item of regular business, the Board approved the hiring of Karen Mathis as a clerk in the Allamakee County Recorder’s office at $17.50 per hour. Quarterly reports were accepted and placed on file for the County’s Relief, Recorder, Planning & Zoning and Auditor offices. The Board also approved the transfer of $473,942.98 from the Rural Services Fund to Secondary Roads and $41,563.43 from the General Basic Fund to Secondary Roads.
ZONING CHANGE PUBLIC HEARINGS
A pair of public hearings were held in regard to zoning ordinance changes, with the Board approving the first reading of both but agreeing not to waive the second and third readings, and addressing those at the Board’s April 18 meeting. The first public hearing was a rezoning of property at 876 Volney Road from R-1 (residential) to C-1 (commercial) for Kelly Rentals, LLC for a commercial storage unit. The second public hearing was for a change from A-1 (agriculture) to C-1 (commercial) for Ashbacher Building Supply to allow for expansion of office space. There were no comments, oral or written, received from the public in regard to either proposal.
UPDATED RESOLUTIONS
Allamakee County Engineer Brian Ridenour presented an updated resolution to the Board in regard to the grading and paving of a one-mile section of Makee Drive first presented at last week’s Board meeting during a public hearing. The change noted that one comment was made during that public hearing in regard to why that paving project was being considered, with the Board approving the amended resolution to include the Makee Drive paving project in the County’s Five-Year Road Plan.
Ridenour also presented an updated ordinance regarding the use of County gravel roads as part of an ATV/UTV trail system in Allamakee County. Changes made from the initial ordinance also presented at last week’s meeting included the time of day for ATV/UTV use on those gravel roads being from sunrise to sunset, the dates of allowed trail usage being February 1 through December 1, a rate of speed not greater than 35 miles per hour, helmet use and firearm transportation being regulated according to State of Iowa law. The public will have a chance to comment at a public hearing scheduled for April 25 at 10:15 a.m., and the ordinance will be published in the April 20 edition of all county newspapers. A motion was made and approved regarding the change in the language of the resolution for publication.
FIVE-YEAR ROAD PLAN
The meeting proceeded with the consideration of the Secondary Road Five-Year Road Construction Program and the Secondary Road Fiscal Year 2017 Budget. Engineer Ridenour explained that the $20 million plan takes into consideration what is appropriate for the county and that projects are given priority based on condition and functionality of such things as bridges and roads, along with funding availability from various sources. Upon questions from Board Chairman Schellhammer, Ridenour further pointed out that property taxes account for approximately 30 percent of the Secondary Roads Departmental Budget, with local option sales tax, State grants and road use tax making up a vast majority of the remainder. Ridenour further explained that the $7.29 million Secondary Roads Budget for the upcoming fiscal year utilizes $1.83 million in property taxes, $225,000 in Local Option Sales Tax and $3.3 million in Road Use Tax.
Furthering the Secondary Roads discussion, Schellhammer referred back to comments made during the Public Comment portion of the meeting in regard to concerns about gravel roads as far as funding and quality of product used. Ridenour explained that Allamakee County’s quality standards for gravel are actually higher than the Iowa Department of Transportation’s standards.
Discussion then turned to the pavement of 700 feet of mainline paving of Columbus Road as part of the five-year plan, more specifically the use of nearly $159,00 in new fuel tax monies to fund the project. Schellhammer asked Ridenour what, if any, projects were removed from the County’s Five-Year Road Plan when the Columbus Road project was recently added. Ridenour responded that nothing was removed and the funding came from the approximately $700,000 in new fuel tax from the State of Iowa.
Upon completion of initial discussion of the Secondary Roads Five-Year Plan and Fiscal Year 2017 Budget, Supervisor Dan Byrnes moved to exclude funding for the Columbus mainline project from the five-year plan and, instead, use that approximate $159,000 to help fund the Makee Drive project within the plan. That motion was seconded by Supervisor Dennis Koenig, but before it was brought to a final vote, further discussion ensued about the 600-signature petition that had been previously presented to the Board in regard to the paving of Columbus Road and other concerns in regard to the Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center that road would access.
Supervisor Koenig expressed concerns that the petition had been signed by many who had been misinformed by some of the wording in the petition, with petition author Gene Averhoff countering that concern with his own about the misinformation, or lack of information, in regard to the funding of the Driftless Center. Averhoff summarized his concerns by stating, “I’ve never been against this project, I’m just against how it’s being paid for. This is a good project, but let’s pay for it the way we’ve been told we were going to pay for it.”
Lansing area resident Tom Limbach added that the Driftless Center is a “first class facility,” but expressed concerns with how it will look for those visiting such a facility to have to do so by accessing it by a gravel road. When the motion to exclude the funding for the paving of Columbus Road was finally voted on following that extended discussion, Byrnes and Koenig backed up their motion and second, respectively, with “yes” votes, allowing the motion to carry, with Chairman Schellhammer casting the lone “no” vote.
Prior to adjournment, several area residents in attendance at the meeting expressed their disappointment and frustration with the Board’s decision to remove the funding for the Columbus Road paving project from the five-year plan, citing the support of so many for the overall Driftless Center project being overshadowed by a petition, and expressing concerns with how that decision may impact future grant and fundraising measures. Engineer Ridenour explained that the project, itself, will have to remain on the five-year plan due to Iowa Department of Transportation requirements for such an intended project - regardless of how it is to be funded, but the project will be listed as not having any funding support from the County and would need an amendment should the Board’s funding decision ever be reversed.
DEPARTMENT HEAD UPDATES
Under Department Head updates, Allamakee County Sheriff Clark Mellick reported that crews will likely start grading for the new Public Safety Center this week, with a formal groundbreaking ceremony planned for Tuesday, April 19 at 7 p.m. at the construction site. Mellick also said that he had to close two cells in the main jail in the courthouse due to concerns of potential inmate escape. He will talk to the jail inspector about that concern and then weigh the cost difference between fixing the discovered issue and transporting prisoners to other counties should the jail reach that capacity.
