City to discuss rezoning of land near OHS
May 1—OTTUMWA — A public hearing will be held to discuss a rezoning of land near Ottumwa High School during Tuesday's Ottumwa City Council meeting at City Hall.
It is one of two public hearings on the council agenda, but this one would change a parking lot directly across from the high school to make it land to build an athletic complex.
Ottumwa superintendent Mike McGrory teased the potential expansion of high school property during a school board meeting April 24, but said more details would come at the board's meeting May 8.
According to the project's scope, a 29,000-square foot athletic building will be built across from the high school, between College and Union streets. There will also be parking west of the building and additional parking on Second Street.
The city believes the rezoning shouldn't face issue, as it meets the city's 2040 comprehensive plan goals for future land use, quality-of-life improvement and compatibility with surrounding development. The area is just over 1.2 acres in size.
Another public hearing will also rezone property on Albia Road as Kirby Wrecker Service would like to operate an impound lot for short-term vehicle storage up to 30 days.
In other business:
— The council is recommended to reject bids for the cost of an overflow parking lot south of the Cobblestone Hotel along Church Street. Drish Construction's $68,400 came in over the estimated cost of the project.
— A resolution will come before council to support a workforce housing tax credit that Bush Construction of Davenport is requesting to rehabilitate and convert Hotel Ottumwa into 68 units of market-rate housing. The credit would provided up to $1 million and requires a local match. The project would also qualify for tax-increment financing of up to $1.77 million.
The historic hotel, built in 1916, had been for sale for a couple years, but the Schwartz family, which operated it since 1982, entered into a purchase agreement with Bush last summer.
— The consent agenda features an item that would give the Director of Community Development a second title of Assistant City Administrator, with a bump in pay to $97,600, in line which the early findings of the comprehensive wages and benefits study from Gallagher, and what was believed should be paid to keep that position.
— Also in the consent agenda is a resolution to set May 16 as a date for a public hearing regarding the increase of non-commercial trash collection fees. The fees are expected to increase $2.82 per month to account for the increase in landfill tipping fee, the contract increase for Bridge City Sanitation, a fuel surcharge to Bridge City and administrative costs.
The meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. inside council chambers, and be live-streamed on the city's YouTube page.
Wapello County Board of Supervisors
The supervisors will meet Tuesday with a long agenda in front of them, with one of the highlights a $10,000 stipend for the county auditor for work done annually regarding the county's budget and other clerical work.
The stipend was approved by the county compensation board in February, but not unanimously. It was then tabled by the supervisors until they could get a read on what the next budget would look like.
Also on the agenda is a budget amendment for the current budget, and several hires in the sheriff's office, including four promotions to the level of sergeant and two new correctional officers in the jail to fill vacancies.
Also, there will be further discussion regarding the courthouse window project.
The meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. in the third-floor courtroom/board room of the courthouse.
— Chad Drury can be reached at cdrury@ottumwacourier.com, and on Twitter @ChadDrury
