Kalona aids Village, hires attorney, greenlights downtown revitalization

By Mary Zielinski
The city of Kalona will help the Kalona Historical Village pay its utility bills, backing that could amount to $13,200 for fiscal 2009-10. Monday, the council accepted the recommendation from its finance committee to reimburse the Kalona Historical Society (KHS), who owns and operates the Village, 100 percent for all water and sewer charges and 50 percent for the electrical, gas and insurance costs. The first was estimated at no more than $1,200 and the later two at $12,000 each, making potentially the $13,200 figure.
Additionally, the council has asked for quarterly financial reports form the Village and will review the financial aid allocation yearly. Funds will come from the Washington County Riverboat Foundation (WCRF) allocation savings noted council (and committee) member Steve Lafaurie.
Council member (and fellow committee member) Ken Herington noted that the city had, for the last five years, matched funds with the KHS, up to $12,500. He noted that what the city had done previously is much the same as with the new arrangement. He stressed that the city could not pay any salary for a Village curator or other staff and also noted that the possible $13,00 “is the maximum for now.” The council also agreed that expenses could change, hence the yearly review.
The council accepted the recommendation from City Administrator Doug Morgan that William Sueppel be hired as the new city attorney, replacing Michael Brenneman, who resigned in December. Sueppel who is a member Meardon, Sueppel & Downer P.L.C. lawyers, Iowa City.
Brenneman, who also is a member of an Iowa City firm with an office in Kalona. Had charged $100 per hour. Sueppel’s fee is $160. However, services will be as called and there will be no retainer, noted Morgan, who said that Sueppel and his firm is “very qualified in municipal law.” A suggestion that the city attorney possibly should attend all meetings was explained as “not cost effective.”
The city received a presentation from MMS Consultants, Inc., Iowa City, for a downtown revitalization project. The firm was the unanimous choice of the Downtown Revitalization Committee who interviewed four firms about the project. MMS engineers Glen Meisner, Luke Newton and Kelly Beckler described the process which will involve information collecting, public meetings and a design charrette to develop a scope of services, as well as a clear plan of what is to be done.
The engineers stressed that reviews of previous plans, including the Comprehensive Plan, will be done and that a “big item” is drainage. In fact, a specific example is to take care of the drainage on B Avenue right next to the Freedom Security Bank building where there is frequent flooding in the street. All three engineers said that the city has to repair the basics first as part of designing a streetscape. The plan will go from the information gathering all the way to the bid and construction process
Beckler noted that in Kalona “the quilts stand out,” and suggested this be factored into the streetscape plans. Another major point is the use of the streets for Kalona’s major events such as the quilt show and the Fall Festival, as well as seasonal promotions.
While there is not a fixed timetable, the presentation indicated that work could be underway by June. However, Herington said, “This is long-term, maybe a couple of years or more.” He added that “this year (2009) is the planning stage and maybe for the drainage work.”
Newton told the council that the goal is “to incorporated the past into the design for the present and future.”
The Committee will have a work session with MMS possibly at the end of next week, to start on the process. One of the committee members, Wes Rich, asked that there be a list of members complied with phone numbers and e-mail addresses “So we can find what times will work and all can be at the meetings.”
In other business, the council:

• Tabled approval of an agreement for the payment of communication services with the county pending a review of the appendixes (which were not attached to the document Monday);
• learned the city received a $4,816 insurance refund;
• received complaints from resident Gregory Van Egdon about city snow clearing crew leaving three feet of snow at the end of his driveway;
• waived the city’s right to review plants for three projects within the two-mile radius of the city and sent the plats on to the county. The plants involve a division of a seven-acre parcel into two parcels, ball of which will be retained by owner Ryan Harland; a two parcel estate division for Lydia Swantz and a division of a parcel to provide a three acre site for David and Vera Gingerich’s daughter to build a house.