Sheldon, Iowa — When the Sheldon City Council held their regular meeting Wednesday (April 19th) afternoon, they heard a request from Sheldon Development Director Curt Strouth on extending the infrastructure in the Crossroads Industrial Park, which is located at the southeast corner of the intersection of Highway 18, and the Highway 60 Expressway on Sheldon’s east side. Strouth told the Council that there is just one small lot remaining in the area of the existing infrastructure, and that the SCDC Board thought this would be a good time for the City Council to consider extending the infrastructure to the south and west of the end of the current infrastructure. Strouth told the Council that the Highway 60 exposure would make those lots prime ground for development. He said that the presence of both Bomgaars and Ziegler Cat are good anchors for that industrial park. The Council was informed that the projected cost of the project, of up to $600-thousand, were included in the City’s current operating budget. The Council ended up approving the pursuit of extension of the Crossroads Industrial Park infrastructure by unanimous vote.
In other action, the Council heard a report from Rec Director Jacob Kerr on the operation of the Outdoor Aquatic Complex. Kerr told the Council that the pool has added a “Rec Thank You” event for this summer. The event will be called, “Wear Your Jersey Day”, and any Summer Rec participants who wear their Summer Rec jerseys to the pool that day will be admitted for free.
There was a great deal of discussion about hours of operation for the pool this summer. Kerr told the Council that the planned hours for 2017 are 1:30 to 7:30 pm daily, a reduction of one hour per day from last year’s schedule. He told the Council that there are swimming lessons conducted during the morning hours, and the suggested shorter hours of operation were designed to keep the pool’s lifeguards minds fresh, which he called “vital”. He said he was concerned about lifeguards being forced to put in a 10-hour workday when swimming lessons are factored in. Mayor Katricia Meendering, along with several Council members, told Kerr that they had received comments from several citizens complaining that the pool closed too early to allow their families to use it after dinner in the evening. Kerr told the Council that, figuring in the extra payroll costs of lifeguards, keeping the pool open just one hour longer each day would add nearly $5-thousand to the facility’s annual operating cost. Councilman Greg Geels suggested operating the pool on a split schedule, closing for an hour each early evening for a dinner break. After much discussion, the Council asked Kerr to suggest to the Rec Committee that the pool hours be changed to 1 pm to 5 pm, then closed from 5 pm to 6 pm, reopening from 6 to 9 pm daily.
In other action, Development Director Curt Strouth told the Council about a Marketing Committee plan to erect signs at the far east and west ends of Highway 18 in Sheldon. Strouth told them that the necessary easement agreements have been secured from the affected landowners for each site, and that permits are being secured from both O’Brien and Sioux counties. Strouth said construction of the signs could begin in within the next couple of weeks. Following Strouth’s presentation, the Council approved a resolution allowing the signs to be erected.
The Council approved the payment of nearly $374-thousand for payment #9 for the Crossroads Pavilion. The Council also gave the nod to City Manager Sean Hutchison to compile cost estimates for landscaping for the event center property. Landscaping costs were not included in the construction budget for the facility, but the $50-thousand maximum amount given to Hutchison by the Council will fall within the project’s contingency funds.
In other action, the Council passed a Resolution of Support of Trilogy Multi-Residential Urban Revitalization Plan, which was created several years ago and includes a ten year tax abatement to encourage the construction of much needed multi-family residence structures. HM Ventures has agreed to construct a new four unit apartment complex in that area. The Council was informed that their resolution would be attached to HM Ventures state tax credit application.
The last item on the Council’s agenda was a Closed Session for the discussion of management performance reviews, and non-union compensation levels.
