Fairfield council split on whether to pause Walton Lake golf cart bridge project

FAIRFIELD – The Fairfield City Council is evenly divided on what to do about replacing the golf cart bridge at Walton Lake, with half the council wanting to pause the project, and the other half wishing to move it forward.

That division became apparent during the Monday, Sept. 8 council meeting, where council member Doug Flournoy motioned to pause the city’s plan to drain the lake and replace the bridge with a culvert. Flournoy’s idea received a sympathetic ear from two other council members, Matthew Rowe and Terri Kness, but the other three council members, Elizabeth Estey, Paul Gandy and Tom Twohill, wanted to stay the course and continue with the project the council had previously voted unanimously to support.

The vote on Flournoy’s motion resulted in a 3-3 tie, and thus because it did not have majority support, the motion failed. Fairfield normally has seven council members, but its Ward 3 seat is vacant due to the passing of former council member Judy Ham in June.

Flournoy said he has changed his mind about the golf cart bridge since he, and the other council members, voted to award a contract to Drish Construction in March to replace the bridge and its abutments. He said the council was not fully informed when it made those earlier decisions. For instance, Flournoy said that the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says that a bridge, rather than a culvert or causeway, is better for the lake’s ecology, and that if the DNR had been brought into the discussion earlier, the council might have made a different decision. He also remarked that replacing the bridge is a discretionary expense, and that the city needs to save all the money it can in light of the ballooning cost of the new fire station, where the city has already spent about $450,000 from its $500,000 contingency fund “before a brick has been laid.”

Flournoy said that his proposed “pause” would give the Walton Club and community time to explore an alternative proposed by residents such as Ed Noyes, Roger Leahy and Ed Hipp, all of whom spoke earlier that meeting. They talked about a Missouri company called Overman Steel and Fab, which has given a quote of $37,000 to build and install a prefabricated 80-foot bridge at the lake. They said this would be a significant savings over the city’s contract with Drish Construction for $196,000, which could become more expensive after accounting for the city having to cover the cost of irrigating the golf course once the lake is drained.

Larry Padgett, superintendent at the Walton Club, spoke highly of the Missouri company, and noted that the $37,000 quote includes the cost of cranes to install the bridge. Also speaking in favor of the pause were residents Vesna Glavina and James Sinton, both of whom focused on the ecological damage that would result from switching from a bridge to box culvert, which Sinton said would be bad for the lake’s circulation.

In supporting Flournoy’s motion for a pause, Rowe said there was no harm in letting residents bring a representative from Overman to the lake for further inspection, and that if the Walton Club wished to pay for it, they could take the initial steps.

Kness seconded Flournoy’s point about the council not having all the information at the time of its earlier votes, saying they were not aware the lake would have to be drained. Twohill said he remembers it differently.

“We did talk about a drawdown,” he said.

“I don’t think we had that information at the time,” Kness replied.

Estey said it’s a moot point now because the council has learned that the lake would have to be lowered anyway just to remove the abutments.

“It shouldn’t have been our liability in the first place,” Kness replied.

Estey reminded the council that the city owns the land the Walton Club sits on, and that the club rents the land for $1 per year. She said that if the city’s motives were purely financial, it would raise the price of the lease, but this low rent allows the city to offer its residents another amenity in the form of a golf course and clubhouse.

Mayor Connie Boyer tried to allay concerns about the cost of the project and effect of the drawdown by pointing out that the city explored three options when it looked into replacing the bridge in 2024, and the causeway option (since modified to be a box culvert) was the cheapest of the three, compared to building a new bridge or expanding Walton Road to accommodate golf cart traffic. She also said that lowering the lake is only temporary, and that the lake will refill after the project.

City Attorney John Morrissey said that Flournoy’s motion is coming too late. He said anyone who wished to challenge the council’s contract with Drish Construction had 30 days to do so after it was approved in March, but no one did.

The DNR has ordered a stay on the drawdown of the lake after receiving an appeal from Noyes, who challenged both the constitutionality of this project, arguing it’s primarily benefitting a private entity, as well as arguing the city is misinterpreting its lease with the Walton Club and that the city is not obligated to replace the golf cart bridge but merely maintain it.

Kness remarked that, since the project is stalled anyway, it makes sense to explore this bridge alternative that could save the city money.

Gandy said he still believes that replacing the bridge with a culvert is the right decision. He did not feel the decision had been rushed, since the council and its committees have been discussing it since May 2024. He told those in attendance who opposed the city’s plan that “it will not cause the catastrophic problems you’re concerned about,” and that when the project is completed, “you’ll be thanking the city for what we’ve done, making a stronger structure and a healthier lake.”

Like Gandy, Twohill said he stands by the decisions the council has taken.

“I love the passion, but I wish you were here a year ago,” Twohill said, referring to the project’s opponents.

Twohill also said that the Walton Club does not want to take on replacing the bridge, and in fact that was something council members suggested to the Walton Club board a year ago.

The council chamber’s seating was completely packed for Monday’s meeting, and those who wished to observe the proceedings but who couldn’t find a seat were directed to Golden Magnolia Sanctuary, where a television was set up to watch Fairfield Media Center’s livestream. Organizers of this “watch party” said at least 15 people attended.

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Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com

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