Kalona council tables bids, buys land, loses council member

By Mary Zielinski
With bids just about ten percent over estimate for Kalona’s Downtown Revitalization Project, council action was tabled to a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday, April 26, in the city hall. In the meantime planning committee and the city’s finance committee will review plans to see where cuts can be made.
“We will not rebid the project,” City Administrator Ryan Schlabaugh said Monday.
He said that the price of concrete accounts for much of the discrepancy between the estimate and the bids.
Bids, opened April 13, were All American Concrete of West Liberty, $2,298,681 base bid with $308,530 for the Community Center parking lot for a total of $2,607,211; J & L Construction of Washington, base bid $2,342,569 with $285,998 for parking lot for a total of $2,628,567, and Muscatine Bridge of Muscatine, $2,650,076.50 base and $311,709.50 for parking lot for a total of $2,961.786.
The total project cost, including signage and all fees was estimated and set at $2,844,269.
MMS Consultants, Iowa City, the project planners and designers, estimated the 5th Street and B Avenue streetscape work at a total of $1,739,542, including a $158,140 contingency and the 4th Street and 6th Street alley work at $225,546.
Funding for the major makeover is $1.1 million from city funds, including LOST and the Washington County Riverboat Foundation (WCRF) municipal allocation, a $1.1 million WCRF grant (to be paid over five years), $20,000 from Washington County, $101,600 in community support and a possible $550,000 Vision Iowa grant. There also may be a $20,000 I Jobs grant.
Schlabaugh said Kalona representatives met with Vision Iowa April 14, Òand there was no scoringÓ done on the grant application. Kalona will meet with VI again May 12, he said.
Following a brief closed session, the council unanimously approved purchasing the Post Office property at the corner of C Avenue and 5th Street for $118,000. The property adjoins the city owned Community Center area and will provide green spaces as well as additional parking. The post office will continue with the building leased to the federal government agency.
The sale will be finalized by June 1, said City Clerk Karen Christner.
The surprise of the meeting came at its very end when council member David Kempf announced “I will be stepping down, effective April 30.” He said he had expected to serve longer, but there had been changes that brought the resignation which was accepted by the council.
Kempf initially was appointed to the council to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of member Aaron Kos, who moved from Kalona. Kempf was elected to a full term in November, 2008, and when he leaves will have served two years.
In other business, the council:

• renewed the solid waste and recycling contracts with Johnson County Refuse, Inc. that will see a 25 cents increase in the garbage sticker prices from $1 to $1.25 and the recycling fee from $4.50 to $4.75;
• agreed that the asphalt breakup and holes B and A Avenues will be repaired at a cost of approximately $12,000;
• learned that the city brush pile has been cleared and agreed that the area will now have an eight foot fence and residents will be permitted to dump appropriate materials only during city business houses. Materials will be limited to limbs and brush and limbs cannot be longer than six foot. Cost for the fence, icluding a 24 foot swing gate, is $8,850 installed. Council emmber Ken Herington said “We have to fence it,” and asked that the city give “it one more year” to see if residents will follow the rules. The problem with the open area was that not just limbs and brush were left but construction materials, furniture and garbage as well. If there are further problems, the area will be closed for public use;
• learned that the municipal pool has been painted and that Pool Tech of Cedar Rapids will be in town in the next week or so to “get it ready to open”.