The City Council of Webster City may offer a fall cleanup day for the city if a suitable location and date can be found for the event.
The council, meeting in person at city hall, but broadcasting the session via Zoom and Facebook live to the public, talked about once again planning a cleanup day with Webster City residents able to dispose of unwanted items and junk. The council had postponed the annual cleanup drop-off day earlier this year due to the pandemic and restrictions in place.
Councilman Logan Welch asked if it might be better to go back to picking up the junk in a curbside event. City officials said that the last time a pickup was held it took more than a week to complete the collection process.
Councilman Brian Miller said he was worried about people from out of town cruising through the neighborhoods, picking through the junk piles.
“If we are doing the cleaning with volunteers, we can make sure they are masked and using PPE,” Miller said.
Miller said he would contact the volunteers who had previously helped with the drop-off days. An early October date was considered for the event. A new location would need to be located, as school will be in session when the cleanup day occurs. One suggestion was the 700 block of the north alley, behind the Senior Citizen Center.
Also Monday night, the council members approved the third reading of an ordinance that would rezone a parcel of land along Wall Street from R-1 (single family dwelling) to R-3 (multi-family dwelling). A development company has expressed an interest in purchasing the land to construct 190 dwelling units, ranging from duplexes to six-plexes.
A program to offer rebates to residents who choose to move electric meters currently located in their homes to the outside was approved.
“We’re wanting to get the meter relocation program established again. What we’re finding out, when the contractor came in last year (to move utilities underground), there are so many meters still in the homes that it’s hindering getting those overhead services eliminated,” said Adam Dickinson, line department superintendent.
Dickinson said a $500 rebate was suggested for the approximately 500 homes that still have meters located inside.
“We would give that to a homeowner if they choose to move the meter outside of their house,” he said. “This is just for homeowners.”
A request from the Recreation and Public Grounds Department to seek bids for tuck pointing, repairing and cleaning the limestone entry walls at Kendall Young Park was approved. The council gave permission to proceed with the project if the bids come under the budgeted amount of $16,000.
“I know I get a lot of questions asked about that area. I think it’s good we’re doing some work there,” said Miller.
“Well, hopefully, this will kick some movement off in that park so we can get some things going there,” said Mayor John Hawkins.
The council also approved equipment requests from four city departments.
The street department requested approval to seek bids for a pickup truck with a utility box and to approve the purchase if the bids come in under the budgeted amount of $49,000.
The water plant superintendent asked to purchase a municipal tank mixer for the ground storage water reservoir tank in the amount of $8,750.
The line department asked to purchase a hot box attachment for the vacuum excavator at a cost of $6,600 plus tax.
The fire department asked to purchase turnout gear for the fire department. Three bids were received for the equipment with Danko turning in the low bid of $12,692.50.
View this article as it originally appeared in the Daily Freeman-Journal.
Last modified: August 4, 2020