MP gets 100k grant for water quality improvement

The City of Mt. Pleasant received a $100,000 grant from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship to improve the city's water quality.

The grant will be a continuation of the city's efforts to improve urban water quality and control the stormwater flooding that occurs, particularly in the Snipe Run watershed. It will be a controlled wetlands system to reduce nutrients, debris and sediment in runoff from the top of the Snipe Run watershed that flows downstream into Saunders Branch.

Schleisman said that Mt. Pleasant was one of 11 communities in Iowa who received this funding.

'It's a very competitive grant. It's a good project, sorely needed,” said Brent Schleisman, city administrator, during a Mt. Pleasant City Council meeting on Wednesday, March 27.

The land for the project was recently purchased by the city and utilities jointly, Mayor Steve Brimhall said.

'The city has been trying to buy this area for 15 years to put a park there and for water improvement,” Brimhall said. 'Eventually, utilities will put a well on this property.”

During the meeting, the council also approved several items.

The council introduced a parking ordinance restricting parking between the hours of 2 and 6 a.m. on East Monroe Street from the north south alley to Main Street, and allowing no parking on North Main Street on the west side 75 feet from the intersection of Orange Street by Harlan Elementary School.

There will be two more readings of the ordinance before it is adopted. The amendment was driven by citizen concerns brought to the Street Committee, Brimhall said.

Brimhall said this will give time for the streets to be cleared of snow in the winter and other debris during the warmer months. By Harlan, it will allow homeowners to get out of their driveways. Brimhall said one homeowner complained that occasionally during school hours he was unable to get out of his driveway because of the street parking on both sides of the street.

The council approved the mayor signing an agreement for two years to purchase gas utility services from WoodRiver Energy. The agreement guarantees a fixed rate and saves the city approximately $2,000 a year.

Brent Schleisman, city administrator, said that WoodRiver Energy was 'spoken highly of” in his research of the company.

The council approved hiring the services of WEMIGA Waste for residential spring clean up. Spring clean up is scheduled for April 22 through April 26.

The council also approved appointing Lori Glanzman to serve on the Planning and Zoning Commission for a five-year term.

Following a public hearing where there were no public comments, the city council approved awarding the Central Business District reconstruction project to Mike Nelson Concrete Paving, out of Burlington. Mike Nelson Concrete Paving was the low bidder out of two bids with a bid of $769,861. The city received two bids for the project, which were opened on Tuesday, March 26.

The project consists of South Jefferson Street from Clay Street to Washington, Main Street from Washington Street to Monroe. Monroe Street from Jefferson Street to Main, and North Main from Monroe Street to Madison.

Construction will be 'a little bit of everything,” Schleisman said.

There is no start date yet for the project.

Bid letting for the South Jefferson Street reconstruction project from South Street to Green Street will be Tuesday, April 23, at 3 p.m. A public hearing and awarding the contract will be Wednesday, April 24, at 5:30 p.m.

'We've got a lot of projects, but this is the big one for the year,” Brimhall said.

In other news, the Mt. Pleasant Police Department's body cameras came in this week. Lyle Murray, police chief, said they will begin rolling them out next week. The total cost for 14 body cameras, one for everyone in the department, was $12,650. They were purchased with forfeiture money.

The next Mt. Pleasant City Council meeting is Wednesday, April 10, at 5:30 p.m.