City-agency enter into partnership for spec house to be built in MP

BY BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

Mt. Pleasant is about to enter uncharted territory.

City council members, during Wednesday?s regular meeting, approved a resolution entering into a partnership with Southeast Iowa Housing Inc., an arm of the Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission, for construction of a single-family spec house to be constructed on a city-owned lot at 710 E. Henry St.

The city purchased the lot earlier this year and demolished a deteriorating house on the lot.

?We need housing,? said City Administrator Brent Schleisman as the rationale behind the move. ?We are going down a new path concerning housing. I think this is good use of a vacant city lot. This is a great opportunity.?

The program is a new venture by Southeast Iowa Housing and Mt. Pleasant will be the first community in which the agency and city have partnered to build a house. ?This is something new and we are trying anyway possible to get more housing in Mt. Pleasant,? added Mayor Steve Brimhall. ?We need more housing here for people to live in. Brent and I have been talking about this for a while.?

Plans call for Southeast Iowa Housing to build a three-bedroom, 1400-square-foot ranch home with a double garage. The house must be built within 13 months and the price of the home will be somewhere between $100,000-$140,000. Southeast Iowa Housing will advertise for bids for construction of the home, giving local contractors the option to bid on the project.

The city will allow the developer to sell the property and retain any difference in the cost of development and sale price. Once the home is sold, the developer will reimburse the city for actual demolition costs of the former house, up to $5,000. The city will not charge the developer for the cost of the lot.

?Infrastructure is already there,? noted Schleisman. ?It is a great opportunity for us to partner with someone to build affordable housing.? The city administrator said if the venture is successful, there is a possibility of future partnerships to build spec housing in Mt. Pleasant.

In another construction matter, the council approved the site plan for the Steffes Auction Realty to build a new auction facility and real estate office in the Crossroads Industrial Park. Steffes purchased 40 acres of land in the park and plans to use about half the acreage for the new facility. The facility will be southwest of Golden Eagle Distributing.

Even more construction is planned in the community as the city scheduled a public hearing and bid letting on a new parks and recreation maintenance building at 715 E. Henry St. Bids must be received by 4 p.m., Dec. 21, and the public hearing and bid letting will be on Dec. 22, at 5:30 p.m.

During the public forum section of the meeting, Faye Guthrie, who lives on the 100 block of South White Street, discussed a problem with dogs on her block. Guthrie had complained to the council about the problem in a letter earlier this month.

?I have an ongoing problem with a neighbor who is allowing her dogs to run loose,? Guthrie began. ?The dogs have attacked me, my husband, my grandchildren, my dog and people walking by. I don?t know what the solution is but this is an on-going problem. I?ve lived in my current house for six years and have had problems with her since day one.?

Guthrie said she has spoken to the police so frequently about the problem ?that I am practically on a first-name basis with the police department.?

She said the neighbor has been fined for allowing the dogs to run loose but termed the fines a slap on the wrist. ?I feel the dogs should be taken away from her?I?m desperate, I have to protect my family and my dog.?

City Attorney Pat Brau said the city recently filed three complaints in district court against the neighbor. ?We are dealing with it,? Brau informed the council. ?I have met with the chief of police regarding the matter.?

The council referred the matter to the ordinance committee and said it would be discussed at the committee?s December meeting.

In city reports, Police Chief Ron Archer and Public Works Director Rick Mullin had some reminders from city residents as winter weather approaches. Archer said vehicles cannot be parked along city streets or in city-owned parking lots for longer than 24 hours without being moved or the owner will be ticketed. Mullin reminded residents not to blow or push snow from driveways onto city streets.

Council members meet again in regular session on Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 5:30 p.m., in City Hall.