GC council discusses reopening of public facilities

GRUNDY CENTER- As Governor Kim Reynolds is moving to reopen areas of the state with lower rates of COVID-19 infection, local governments are facing the difficult question of how quickly or gradually to do it in their communities and counties. The Grundy Center city council discussed the matter at length during Monday night’s regular meeting.

Ultimately, they decided to wait until June 1 before making a formal decision while closely monitoring the latest developments. Lindsay Freese of the Kling Memorial Library spoke to the council via teleconference about how the library has handled the COVID-19 situation, the success of curbside delivery programs and an uptick in overall checkouts.

“It means a lot to have you guys’ support,” Freese said. “We’ve gotten so many calls from people who are just grateful to have books and movies during this time, so they’re not completely bored.”

The council discussed strategies for reopening the library at a limited capacity and optimizing social distancing through furniture placement and seating, and Freese said the earliest she would begin to let the public back in was May 15.

As of this week, none of the city buildings or parks have been reopened to the public even as some businesses in town are partially or fully reopened. It was also mentioned that coaches have begun to inquire about practicing in small groups at the sports complex.

Mayor Al Kiewiet said that the future of the Butler-Grundy summer recreational league remains unclear, and city clerk Kristy Sawyer added that the city might need to refund registration fees and uniform costs if the league is cancelled.

After some discussion, the council did vote to approve a two percent water rate increase as previously planned, with the caveat that the residents who have come to the city with their concerns about water quality need to be taken care of in the future.

“I think every citizen in our town deserves decent water to drink. That’s not asking for the moon, the sun and the stars,” Councilwoman Amanda Grineski said. “We want to make sure we hear them and don’t downplay their concerns or try to sweep it under the rug.”

Despite taking no action at past meetings, the council ultimately decided to award Julie and Joe Johnson a BIG grant for HVAC and plumbing upgrades at the old Mark-It building by a 4-0 vote (Janetta Miller-Buck was absent). The amount of the award is $7,564.

Although it has been less of a focus since the COVID-19 pandemic, the council reaffirmed its support for the Upper Elementary renovation project, and Kiewiet said that the city should consider making a contribution to match the private donations they have already received.

IN OTHER BUSINESS, the council:

·      Approved a budget amendment.

·      Approved a resolution to sell 705 1^st Street, 702 and 704 M Avenue to the GNB Bank development corporation.

·      Approved the city employee wages for fiscal year 2021.

·      Approved the publication for the hiring of a 24-hour shift paramedic for the ambulance department.

·      Approved a contract with Global Public Safety for a TAC-10 software upgrade and a sharing agreement with the Grundy County IT/GIS department.

·       Approved a website update agreement with Impact Marketing.