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Plant proposal requires less utility relocation than first thought, city council hears

By Kate Hayden, khayden@charlescitypress.com

Infrastructure relocation might not be as extensive as it was originally thought if Charles City agrees to sell a portion of Main Street, City Administrator Steve Diers told the Charles City Council at Wednesday’s planning session.

The council is in ongoing discussion over a proposal brought by poultry plant Simply Essentials, which would like to acquire a block of street between Lane Street to Grand Avenue. Simply Essentials would like to use that land to expand their facilities for future packaging use.

The only utility located under the pavement is a gas main, City Engineer John Fallis said. MidAmerican Energy is reviewing the location of the main and will provide a cost estimate for relocation.

Diers has been in contact with some area businesses and plans to keep contacting other landowners, he told the council, to gather feedback on any concerns the proposal has brought to those owners.

“The biggest concern is Farmers Feed and Grain Co. They think that will have a detrimental effect to their business,” Diers told the council, adding that the city is working with the company to review truck flow in such a scenario.

Railroad repairs that suddenly closed that part of Main Street last week gave Diers a chance to view what traffic patterns would look like, he said.

“I watched by the Ackerson’s new office (on North Grand Ave.), and it was very busy with traffic coming and going, schools letting out,” Diers said. “It’s safe to say, it’s certainly more of a traffic issue.”

Fallis has already started some initial layout designs, he told the council. Main Street would have to curve into Lane Street, making a T intersection with Grand Avenue. There are currently design issues with what turn lanes would look like, and how traffic would change with a train coming through the railroad tracks.

As well as Diers’ discussions with property owners, a few council members said they had spoken with members of the public. Most people seemed to not be opposed, council members said, although some were concerned if the poultry plant would remain in Charles City long enough.

“I talked to a a couple people who had grown up here and I assumed they would be opposed to this, but they weren’t. In fact one guy said that that’s a dangerous intersection (Main Street and Grand Avenue),” council member Dan Mallaro said.

Eliminating that intersection has been considered a positive for the city, Diers said. It would also eliminate a railroad crossing, which would potentially be seen as a good thing by Canadian Railway, Diers said.

Diers expects discussion to take at least three months as he contacts parties who would be affected by the street closure.

“I want to give this due process,” he said. 

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