Neighbors object to proposed Ritchie land swap

JoAnn and Arnold Ennenga know they’re caught in an uphill battle against one of Conrad’s oldest, largest and most revered employers—a place they themselves both worked for decades—but they aren’t going down without a fight.
           
Mrs. Ennenga led a group of five neighboring residents and property owners who urged the city council to reject a proposal that would vacate part of an alley and clear the way for Ritchie Industries to take possession of it during a public hearing last Thursday night.
           
The move would essentially constitute a land trade between Conrad and Ritchie, allowing the city to claim ownership of the outdoor area at the intersection of Center and Main Streets where the downtown mural and “Trees of Life” are currently situated. Future plans for the plot also include a Darla Ubben Memorial Garden to honor the late Chamber-Main Street Director, who passed away at the age of 46 last year after a battle with cancer, but nothing has been finalized.
           
Jennifer Johnson, who lives in Marshalltown but rents out a house near the alley, asked council members why the park outside of the old Friday’s Auto Service building ever came to exist on private property in the first place.
           
“I’d like to see some paperwork or something… I’d like to understand how that came to fruition,” she said. “I just don’t understand how it’s now becoming a pawn, if you will, to get this alley.”
           
She went on to allege that because Mayor Jeff Martin’s wife Angie is one of the lead fundraisers on the memorial project, giving up the alleyway represented a conflict of interest on the city’s end.
           
When reached for comment, Mrs. Martin rejected Johnson’s characterization and countered that her goal is simply to ensure the stability of the downtown park.
           
“As far as a conflict of interest goes, the mayor doesn’t get a chance to vote. The park isn’t my park… It’s just that we want to try to do something to make sure that it can be there in the future,” she said. “It was disappointing for them to say that, because I think Jeff’s a good mayor, and he doesn’t do things for people. He does what’s right.” 
 
Read the full story in this week's Grundy Register. Subscribe by calling (319) 824-6958 or clicking here.