The Oskaloosa City Council met for their regularly scheduled meeting Monday night in City Hall, with a study session prior to the regular agenda.

The study session consisted solely of the Recreation and Early Childhood Education Project. The conversation of the project mostly surrounded the cost of the project and how it would be paid for. A major concern was how long they wanted to take to pay for the project, and how much of the local option sales tax to use.

There was also concern over whether or not to close the Edmundson Park Pool if the new recreation center passes. The question was if Oskaloosa could afford, or even need three pools.

To begin the regular session, Mayor David Krutzfeldt presented four public service workers with plaques for their longevity. Stephen Watts was presented with a plaque for 35 years of service to the City of Oskaloosa. The other three were for Troy Boston, Cindy Godlove, and Marilyn Johannes for 30 years of service to the City of Oskaloosa.

A big topic during the regular agenda was the sale of the vacant lot owned by the city located at 204 North C Street to Kabal Chauchan in the amount of $35,000, so the lot could be turned into a parking lot for his business, Cork and Bottle. The motion was passed, but Council Member Jason Van Zetten was the lone no in the approval to the sale of the vacant lot to Chauchan. Van Zetten’s reasoning was that Chauchan does not own the building his business is in. The council member was concerned that should Chauchan move his business, he might not let a future business in that location use that parking lot.

The other big topic during the meeting was the wayfinding improvement study. There was a presentation on the A Avenue and Market Street Corridor and wayfinding improvement study by RDG Planning and Design. RDG said their main vision is to “enhance the aesthetics of the Highway 92 and Market Street Corridors.” RDG also touched on wayfinding signs, entryway signs on Highway 92 heading east into Oskaloosa, and their main principles in developing the project. Some of the principles were to honor Oskaloosa’s heritage, be cohesive and consistent in what they do, support the Oskaloosa brand, and be flexible.

In other business:

• Discussed the Oskaloosa Municipal Code 12.40.00 Trees, 15.04.04.230 Permit Application Plans and Specifications, and 17.34.020 Site Plan Review Procedure – 2^nd This ensures that Oskaloosa has healthy trees. This was unanimously passed.

The next scheduled meeting of the Oskaloosa City Council is set for December 21^st, at 6 pm in the Council Chambers in City Hall.

Story provided by George Henry

The Mahaska County Board of Supervisors met for their regularly scheduled meeting on Monday morning, and discussion of the Local Option Sales Tax was the headline item once again.

The Supervisors wanted to continue to discuss what should happen with their portion of the penny tax, and in recent weeks, they have stated as a whole that they were not going to support the proposed Recreation and Childcare Facility for the tax.

During Monday’s meeting, Vice Chair Willie Van Weelden said he would be more open to the idea now that he believed the City of Oskaloosa would be owning the building. Supervisor Mike VanderMolen still said he wasn’t interested in putting the facility on the ballot because there were other things that the county needed to pay for, and he was not comfortable putting the taxpayers on the hook for a facility he was unsure was going to be sustainable long-term. This sentiment was echoed by Chair Mark Doland.

An impromptu public hearing then took place, as Oskaloosa City Manager Michael Schrock, Jr., Mike Shanahan from Secondary Roads, and Beth Danowsky of Mahaska Community Development Group were a couple of the citizens who spoke to the Board.

Schrock said that the city provides a lot of amenities and services to the county including the fire station, and this would include the Recreation and Childcare Facility. He said he hopes that help is reciprocated, referencing the county’s ability to help fund the facility.

Shanahan stated that the roads need more money to get all their projects done to repair the roads, and these are for people in and around Mahaska County. Danowsky has been one of the leaders for the planning of the Recreation and Childcare Facility, and said that she did not understand the details of the objections from the county. VanderMolen then explained that they do not want the county taxpayers on the books for 20 years for a facility that they are unsure will be sustainable.

Doland also added that they cannot put the facility on separately when the tax goes to a vote. It has to be on the ballot along with the Secondary Roads and Environmental Learning Facility, which are both getting, at least, a portion of the tax. Doland fears that the tax would get voted down from the county simply because the Recreation and Childcare Facility is a part of the group on the ballot.

The topic will continue to be discussed at a later time.

In other business:

• The Board declined to grant a variance to Scott Shaw for his building, which is too close to the street. The Board did not want to set a precedent by allowing it to pass. They voted to allow Shaw 90 days to comply with the ordinance.
• The Board passed road vacations at West Street in Lakonta and an Alley in Wright
• The Board passed reclassification to Level C road service for part of Resolve Avenue and part of 300^th Street
• The Board spoke with members of the VFW regarding an opening of the Veteran’s Affairs Director position. They settled on an annual salary between $32,000 and $37,000, depending on experience, and the VFW will work on an ad for the opening
• The Board discussed plans for the Residential Care Facility, formerly Country Life Health Care, and said they had not received any legitimate offers for the property at this point, and could look to demolish the building and fill in the lagoons in the near future.

The next meeting of the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors is set for Monday, December 21^st, in the Mahaska County Courthouse in Oskaloosa. The meeting will be called to order at 9 AM.

OSKALOOSA — A pile of bricks lay at the foundation of the former Wang’s restaurant building Saturday morning as MUSCO Lighting representatives watched a demolition tear town the two-story structure.
In October, the Oskaloosa Historical Preservation Commission met to approve the demolition of the property at 211 S. Market St. In the spring, owners found a bulge in the south wall indicating structural deficiencies and deteriorated brick.

“This building developed some structural issues, so we are demolishing it so that we can rebuild it back up to what it used to be,” said Vice President of Operations Doug Yates while watching the bricks fall Saturday.

The company plans to rebuild a similar two-story structure which will serve as additional office space downtown, according to Yates. The company is committed to a construction plan that will be in line with the architecture of downtown to further enhance the aesthetics of the area.
“MUSCO and our team members have worked in partnership with other organizations to champion and provide hands-on assistance with historic preservation projects in the historic downtown district in the past,” said Linda Crookham-Hansen in a press release regarding the project earlier
this year. “But in this case, the extent of the brick-and mortar deterioration and loss of structural integrity in the Wang’s building make it necessary to pursue a replacement project rather than restoration.”

As the pieces of the structure fell to the ground, Yates explained he believes the project will benefit Oskaloosa’s booming downtown district.

“The downtown is a big part of our community, and this enhances it. We want to make sure that we have nice looking buildings and projects that are going to keep us going in the right direction,” he said.

“We plan to form a committee of MUSCO team members to help determine what other features should be included in the new construction,” said Crookham-Hansen. “We are disappointed about the building condition report but look forward to the process of developing a new structure in the district that will contribute to our business and downtown for the next 100-plus years.”

An inspection report completed by Structural Engineers found the following deficiencies in the building:

South brick masonry wall bowing outward.
East wall shifting and separating from the south wall.
Failure of masonry supports in the north and south walls.
Insufficient flood load capacities out of compliance with International Building Code standards.

Story provided by Danielle Lunsford