Albia Road roundabout plans head to council
Jan. 16—The City of Ottumwa will hold a public hearing regarding the plans, specifications and cost estimate regarding a proposed roundabout at the intersection of North Quincy Avenue and Albia Road during Tuesday's city council meeting.
The city first applied for Iowa Department of Transportation funds in July 2021, and the design contract was approved last summer. Now, the council will determine if the project moves forward.
The roundabout will be 115 feet in diameter at the T intersection of the two streets. A bulk of the funding will consist of $500,000 in the DOT's Traffic Safety Improvement Program, but the project, if approved, won't be awarded until March 7, a week after bids will be opened by the city.
The grant is the result of "a high number of conflict points resulting in a high number of accidents," according to a staff summary developed by the city. The roundabout would improve safety for both motorist and pedestrian traffic, with splitter islands on each side of the roundabout to slow traffic.
The roundabout, which would join two others on Ferry Street and one at the U.S. 34 and U.S. 63 intersection, appears to be part of a concerted effort by the city to institute more throughout the city. The city is currently on the DOT's 2025-29 capital projects plan for five roundabouts along U.S. 34 at Vine Street, Jefferson Street, Market Street, Wapello Street and Quincy Avenue.
In other business:
— A public hearing will be held to approve the plans, specifications and cost estimates for phase one of the tennis court project in Sycamore Park. The projects, at an estimated cost of $2.2 million, will consist of 12 tennis courts with lighting and fencing, and would be the first project completed in the recently approved Greater Ottumwa Park plan. The courts would be laid out in six sets of two.
— The council will determine if the police department will be reviving its K-9 program. Two police dogs, named Havoc and Rico, would be purchased from Tree Town Kennels of Forest City for $22,500 for assistance in narcotics detection, and two currently staffed police officers will undergo training from March 6-31. The police department has conducted fundraising to revive the program, and has received donations from the community and continues to seek out funding.
— In the consent agenda, the council will approve a proclamation naming January as Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.
The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. inside council chambers at City Hall, and can be viewed on the city's YouTube page.
Wapello County Board of Supervisors
The supervisors will hear the first-tier canvass of the Eddyville City Council special election that was held Jan. 10.
The race was for two open city council seats, with Wade Francis and Laura Johnston unofficially claiming the seats as 110 residents voted. Francis, Johnston and James A. Sutton were the three candidates running for the two seats.
The supervisors also will receive an update from Heartland Humane Society, and hold a public hearing to approve a lease-purchase agreement not to exceed $600,000 for three dump trucks/snow plows.
There are also several personnel changes being made, as Daniel Jones will be hired as a reserve deputy in the sheriff's office, the official change of Veterans Affairs Director Rachel Dolley from part-time to full-time, and Balbaneda Chiapa being hired as an interpreter in the Heath and Human Services department.
The meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. in the third-floor courtroom/board room of the courthouse.
