Waukon City Council sets May 10 as Spring Clean-Up Day, addresses numerous other items

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, April 21 with a full slate of 21 regular business agenda items. Among the most far-reaching issues addressed by the Council was the setting of May 10 for the annual Spring Clean-Up Day to be held throughout the city. Further details of that event will be published in a future issue of The Standard.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, Waukon resident Darryl Brink asked for guidance as to why city residents are required to remove snow from their sidewalks for mail delivery in the winter time, but yet in the summer time mail delivery personnel can simply walk across lawns and are not required to use those same sidewalks. Waukon Mayor Loren Beneke explained that the City's snow removal ordinance is much further reaching than just for convenience of mail delivery and that the issue with walking across yards was not within the City's jurisdiction but should, instead, be addressed with postal administration.
Jean Brink, owner of Queen Jean Quilting located in the initial block of East Main Street in Waukon, addressed the Council on three separate items, first on behalf of neighboring businesses as well in regard to "beautifying their area of downtown" with outside seating, flower pots and hanging plants, which the Council gave full approval to as long as their efforts did not impede full usage of the public sidewalk in front of their stores. She also asked to place a "sandwich board" in front of her business on the upper level sidewalk in an effort to direct people to her place of business, a request that was also approved.
Brink then advised the Council of an All-Iowa Shop Hop quilting event throughout the state of Iowa in June of this year that will feature busloads of quilters traveling to quilting shops throughout the state, her downtown shop included. She was seeking permission to have a temporary parking change to the 30-minute parking area in front of her store to a bus parking restriction for the month of June to accommodate the anticipated busloads of quilters arriving throughout the month. After some discussion with the Council and Waukon Police Chief Phil Young, it was agreed that "something could be worked out" to help accommodate the anticipated bus parking in that first block of East Main Street during the month of June.
The Council approved a Class C Liquor License for Green Valley Getaway, formerly Green Valley Golf Course, on the north edge of Waukon. Owner Brian Sweeney has advised the Council that the golf course portion of that facility will need to be rehabilitated over an extended period of time, and will not be readily available for use in the near future. Despite the fact that the agricultural zoning by the City in that area requires that a bar and restaurant only be allowed in conjunction with a golf course, Sweeney explained that his intentions are to begin to rehabilitate the course and the Council granted approval of the liquor license, with future annual approval depending upon the progress made in showing continued intention of having the golf course become operational in order to meet zoning requirements.
The Council approved a development agreement with real estate developer Dick Sullivan to extend Logan Street in Sullivan's residential development in southwest Waukon. The agreement, however, will not be signed by City officials until payment is received from current property owners along the extended street for their portion of costs to extend the street.
City Attorney Jim Garrett presented a letter he drafted for the City in support of an application for a $680,000 interest free loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture through Allamakee/Clayton Rural Electric Cooperative to help finance the City's portion of construction costs for the proposed new fire station in Waukon. The Council approved the signing of the letter by City officials to meet the assurance requirements needed by the federal government to process the application, with a signature also needed from a leadership representative of the Waukon Area Fire Protection District Board of Directors.
City Zoning Administrator Al Lyon updated the Council on FEMA reimbursement for costs incurred during flood recovery and clean-up efforts incurred since last summer. Lyon was seeking, and was granted, approval for an application for FEMA reimbursement.
City Attorney Garrett then asked for guidance in developing an agreement with the Allamakee Community School District for the school district to use the new athletic fields near the school on the west edge of Waukon in exchange for the City to take ownership of the school district's property currently used as the junior high school practice football field and located next to the school district's bus parking area along Fifth Street NW in Waukon. As its part in the agreement, the school district would deed that practice field property area over to the City for potential use as a retention basin for water run-off, but would like to be assured that if the retention basin is not needed then the City would use the property for some other sort of public use. The Council gave Garrett approval to pursue the agreement with the school district.
The Council also granted its approval to the appointment of Katie Fahey to the City's Planning and Zoning Board, her appointment filling a current vacancy on the board with a term expiring September 21, 2015.
At the request of City Clerk Diane Sweeney, the Council approved the date of May 19 for a public hearing on a budget amendment for the current fiscal year. That amendment would include expenditures involving the trailer court on the west edge of Waukon, potential immediate future costs in regard to the new fire station construction, and the building expansion project at Robey Memorial Library, among other possibilities.
In some final orders of business, the Council approved a proclamation for April 26 being designated as Arbor Day in Waukon, approved May 3 as tree planting day for Waukon Trees Forever, and approved the City's $2,000 contribution to Trees Forever. Approval was also given to a resolution calling for a special election in August for renewal of the Local Option Sales and Service Tax. The Council also approved six separate fund transfers before adjourning.