Councilman skeptical on city?s influence on the re-use of MP?s MHI building

BY BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

It was the city council?s turn Wednesday to hear from the Matrix Design Group.

The Maryland group, retained by the Iowa Economic Development Authority to find tenants and uses for the former Mt. Pleasant Mental Health Institute buildings, hosted a community forum Tuesday evening.

Wednesday?s presentation was an abbreviated form of the one from the previous night with a few new wrinkles thrown in.

Patrick Small, senior planner with Matrix, said how the building is used will have an impact on the community. He also added that the group is looking at complementary uses to the corrections facility.

Re-establishing the facility, Small claimed, will be a source of jobs creation, an economic contributor and revitalization of a community asset.

City Council member Kent White was skeptical about how much input the community would have in the final decision on re-use of the facility, saying the major voice in the re-use belongs to the Iowa Department of Corrections.

?I don?t believe the public understands what the options are,? White began. ?I think the department of corrections trumps everything. A critical need surfaced when the mental health institute closed. The challenges make it very limited on what the re-use alternatives may be.?

?The state retaining ownership of the buildings, in my opinion, is another restriction on what may go in there,? White added.

Reflecting on input from the Tuesday night community meeting, Small said he was surprised by the community?s compassion for the mental-health industry.

Small said Matrix will develop conceptual re-use alternatives, which it will bring back to another community meeting either later this year or early next year.

The council faced a scant agenda Wednesday, authorizing execution of an agreement with the Iowa Department of Economic Development for $600,000 in community development block grant funds for sewer improvements.

The third time was the charm for the community development block grant. Twice previously the city?s grant application had been denied. ?This is a big deal,? noted Mayor Steve Brimhall. ?The $600,000 will get a lot of sewer improvements done in Mt. Pleasant.?

The Council members also passed a resolution recognizing Tammy Detrick for 39 years of service as the city?s deputy clerk. Detrick?s last day with the city is tomorrow (Friday).

The council also passed reading of a proposed ordinance to reduce the front-yard distance required for agriculture residential zoning.

The proposed ordinance on the front-yard requirement for the agricultural residential reserve-zoning district corrects a clerical error in the current ordinance. The distance originally was 75 feet, but when the city?s last comprehensive plan was adopted, the front-yard requirement was erroneously listed at 175 feet.

During the meeting, an amendment regarding a pre-treatment agreement with West Liberty Foods was discussed and approved. West Liberty Foods has a pre-treatment sewage agreement with the city. However, some of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources? (IDNR) testing requirements have changed since the agreement was signed in 2006. The new agreement reflects the new IDNR regulations.

Lastly, City Administrator Brent Schleisman reported on the Mapleleaf Drive project. He said that construction crews have begun placing rock on the area of Mapleleaf from Harvey Drive eastward to Iris Street. Patching has also begun on the street west of Cherry Street to Lincoln Street.

Council members meet again in regular session on Wednesday, Aug. 10, at 5:30 p.m., at City Hall.