By Sam Parsons

The Oskaloosa City Council held a regular meeting last night and discussed the 8th Avenue West Reconstruction Project, as well as their Complete Streets Policy. At their most recent meeting on July 7, the council rejected plans for the project on the grounds that residents in the area did not approve of sidewalks being built on both sides of the road due to a lack of space. That resulted in the project being delayed with no specific date to restart the process. 

City staff said that the plans were designed in accordance with the city’s existing Complete Streets Policy, and requested the council to consider updating, or even removing that policy to reduce the risk of future projects being delayed. Mayor David Krutzfeldt said that the council had discussed adding exceptions to the policy at a recent work session, and the council ultimately directed city staff to do so, with specific exceptions to be outlined at a future meeting.

The 8th Avenue West Reconstruction Project was still reconsidered at last night’s meeting in its original form. The project would entail the replacement of PCC pavement on the road from South M Street to the west dead end, as well as an addition of the sidewalk on each side of the street, and its estimated cost is just over $192,000. The council held a vote on scheduling a public hearing for August 4 on the plans and specifications of the project, and it passed on a 4-3 vote, with council members Ronda Almond, Janet Hermsen, and Lisa Ossian voting “no.”

The next regular meeting for the Oskaloosa City Council is scheduled for August 4.