Sheldon, Iowa — Fireworks may be legally exploded in the City of Sheldon beginning this Saturday.
At their regular meeting Wednesday afternoon, the Sheldon City Council approved the Second Reading of the City’s Fireworks Ordinance, and voted to waive the Third Reading. That means that as soon as the passage of the Ordinance is published, which will be this coming Saturday, June 24th, the use of consumer-grade fireworks will be legal in the city, subject to the limitations of that ordinance.
In other action, the Council took up the discussion of electrical power at the new Crossroads Pavilion Event Center. City Manager Sean Hutchison said it was discovered a few weeks ago that sufficient electrical service for larger acts to perform at the venue was not available. Public Works Director Todd Uhl says it’s not a case of not having enough power, but of not having it in the locations where it might be most advantageous.
Uhl said the Crossroads Pavilion Board had looked at several options to get the heavier-load power where it needs to be, and came up with a solution that Uhl presented to the Council. That would include running 100-amp service to the event center’s kitchen, and installing 60-amp receptacles. In addition, a monument would be erected off the southwest side of the building that would make available 200-amp service, with 60-amp receptacles. Uhl said the estimates for the work came to $34,790.
Much discussion centered around who would pay for the installation of the electrical service, with several council members expressing disappointment that RDG Engineering was, once again, not present at the meeting to discuss the matter with the Council. In the end, the Council decided they needed to keep the project moving forward in order to meet the target opening date of September 1st. They voted to authorize the Crossroads Pavilion Board to spend an amount not to exceed $34,790 to correct the situation.
In other action, the Council approved the lone bid for snow removal equipment for the Sheldon Regional Airport. The bid from Fox International in Spencer totaled just under $319-thousand. Once engineering fees, and advertising costs are figured in, the total cost comes to approximately $354-thousand. A grant request is being submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration, which will pay for 90% of the costs, leaving the City responsible for about $35-thousand of the total cost.
The Council also approved the salary for a Waste Operator. Public Works Director Todd Uhl told the Council that the position had been offered to David Andringa, at a salary of $18.91 per hour.
