Sheldon, Iowa — When the Sheldon City Council met Wednesday they gave their approval to a contract for development of a new Cobblestone Hotel that will be located just south of the Crossroads Pavilion event center.
They also approved the application for Tax Increment Financing. Construction of the new hotel is expected to begin next March. It will be a two story structure made up primarily of standard queen and king rooms, with four rooms designated as suites. Other amenities will include an outdoor patio, indoor beer and wine bar, fitness center and hot breakfast. The facility will provide an opportunity for a shared parking lot with the Crossroads Pavilion in the future.
In other action, the council passed a resolution supporting fundraising for the police department K9 program. The total cost to get the program started is estimated at forty thousand dollars, with one donor already offering fifteen thousand dollars to get the fund raising underway. And the council passed another resolution that authorizes the promotion of two police officers to the rank of sergeant.
The council set November 18th as the date for a public hearing on a request from Ag Partners to vacate a portion of West 11th Street and Railroad Avenue right-of-way. They also set December 2nd as the date for a public hearing on a zoning ordinance amendment regarding the construction of sheds in Arterial Commercial Zoning. And, they passed the third reading of an ordinance amending the Code of Ordinances pertaining to livestock in the city limits. The amendment removes language which allowed the keeping of livestock with special approval of the city council. Any action on the subject will come from the Planning and Zoning Commission. The council did hear from a resident who said they had been keeping chickens for twelve years with no problems. The resident also stressed the therapeutic value of the chickens….no different than cats and dogs. But, council members say they have heard concerns from the owner of a poultry farm that more flocks of chickens might increase the danger of spreading poultry disease.
