Charles City Council OKs RAGBRAI street closings, cell tower site

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Charles City residents and visitors will find it more difficult to move around town but easier to talk on their cellphones when RAGBRAI spends a night in the community in July.

The Charles City Council approved several measures having to deal with the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa coming into town on Thursday, July 28, and leaving Friday, July 29.

The bicycle ride’s route into town from the west – on Highway 14 to Main Street, then down the hill to the downtown area – will be closed to vehicle traffic beginning early in the morning July 28, and will reopen that evening. Much of the area around Central Park downtown, including streets and some area parking lots, will begin to be closed as early as two nights before riders begin arriving, to make preparations and set up equipment.

“No citizen vehicle access will be permitted in the downtown area including (specified) parking lots during the event,” according to the street closing request approved by the City Council at its regular meeting this week.

The council also agreed on a location for a temporary cell tower to be set up by U.S. Cellular downtown, to help provide cellular service to the potentially tens of thousands of extra people in town during the RAGBRAI overnight.

The company had initially requested space in the parking lot south of Clark Street behind the Optometric Center, but council members had balked at having that lot closed to people who regularly park there, during the several weeks it would take to install, use, then dismantle the tower, from about July 18 to Aug. 5.

At an earlier workshop meeting, council members had suggested using the parking area south of the North Iowa Area Community College Charles City Center, at the intersection of Clark Street and Brantingham Street, and a U.S. Cellular representative said at the regular meeting this week that would be OK.

City Administrator Steve Diers said the extra tower had initially been requested by the Charles City Police Department, to make sure communications by the department as well as other emergency services wasn’t interrupted by the many thousands of extra people using cellphones in the area during that time.

The council also approved a memorandum of understanding form that the Charles City Police Department will use with other law enforcement agencies to provide extra help during RAGBRAI.

Police Capt. Brandon Franke said it may be more difficult to find other officers to help out, because the last time RAGBRAI stopped in Charles City about 80% of the extra officers came from the Mason City PD, but this time Mason City will itself be hosting RAGBRAI the night before, on Wednesday, and may not have officers with time available.

Also during the meeting this week, the council:

• Approved a bid process to try to sell property the city acquired at 515 6th Ave., where the previous owner died and no next of kin was interested in taking over the property. Diers said the home is a good structure – “not your typical ‘nuisance property’” – but the lot needs to be cleaned up.

The council approved publishing notice that bids will be accepted up to 3 p.m. May 30, to be discussed at the June 6 meeting and a public hearing regarding the sale to the chosen bidder to be held at the June 20 meeting.

The property has been assessed at $23,800, and the city set a minimum bid on the property at $12,000.

• Approved allowing Denny Tynan to purchase a fire-damaged home at 201 Oliver St. from its owner, instead of the property owner’s insurance company paying to demolish the home. The insurance company’s demolition reserve will be paid to the property owner and Tynan will be required to pay the city $10,000 to be kept in case the city has to demolish the property if Tynan does not rehabilitate it or demolish it himself before deadlines set in the agreement. The $10,000 will be returned to Tynan if he meets the terms of the agreement.

• Approved a low bid of $29,540 by Kamm Excavating of Charles City to demolish three homes that the city owns — a home at 1701 Indiana Ave. on property that the city acquired to be used as part of a one-million gallon underground clearwater storage project; and properties at 1800 Rolfing St. and 607 S. Jackson St. that the city acquired as nuisance properties.

Kamm was the lowest of five bidders on the project, with the highest bid at $69,300 from a Minnesota company. The city’s estimated cost had been $47,000.

• Approved a three-year subscription including training on asset management software to be used to keep track of maintenance, inspections and work orders on city infrastructure; manage its vehicle and equipment fleet; coordinate with existing geographical software to track maintenance, repair and inspection history; and track parts and expenses for equipment repairs.

The initial $58,500 over the first three years will maintain information on more than 80 miles of water mains, 1,411 water valves and 475 hydrants; more than 53 miles of sewer mains and 1,007 manholes; over 35 miles of storm water mains, 535 manholes and 1,123 water intakes; more than 127 vehicles and large equipment; and more than 70 pieces of individual equipment at the water plant.

• Proclaimed May 27 as Poppy Day in Charles City at the request of the American Legion Auxiliary and in anticipation of Memorial Day.

• Proclaimed May as National Historic Preservation Month at the request of the Charles City Historical Preservation Commission.