Sheldon City Council Votes Additional Wording on Proposed Agreement With School District

Date posted - July 18, 2012

Sheldon, Iowa — The Sheldon City Council has approved adding an amendment to the proposed 28-E agreement with the school district that they hope is workable for both parties.

The school board, on a split decision had voted against a proposal by the city that the former O’Brien County Implement property should not be deeded to the school district until a construction contract for the new athletic fields is approved.  The school had hoped to begin some work on that area this summer.

At Wednesday’s meeting city council member Ron Rensink proposed that the land should be transferred as provided in the original agreement.  However, if the athletic field project does not become a reality the city would negotiate to determine a fair price for the property. And the city would reimburse the school district for any improvements which have been made on the property.

The motion passed, and will now go back to the school board for their approval. In other business, the council approved renewal of the Dinner Date contract with Northwest Aging Association.  City Manager Scott Wynja told the council that the fifty dollar monthly stipend from the association is placed in a fund which will be used for future improvements in the Dinner Date Dining area.  That fund currently has a balance of $2,100.

The council also heard a report from Public Works Director Todd Uhl about Sheldon’s water situation.  Uhl said that Sheldon is ‘okay’ right now, mainly because they started to use supplemental water from the deep well early in the summer.  Even though the city is using about two hundred thousand gallons more per day than last June and July, he does not feel that there is a need for water use restrictions at this time.  However, he called for common sense with regard to water use.  For example, he said, “3 p.m. is not the best time to water your yard”.  And, ‘Please do not waste water by trying to water your driveway, streets and sidewalks’.

Uhl also reported that he expects the railroad to begin work on some of the city’s rough railroad crossings early in August and some detours will be necessary while that work is being done.