City approves street closure for Christmas program

By Thomas Nelson, tnelson@charlescitypress.com

The Charles City Council approved a request for a street closure from Gospel Lighthouse Church, of Floyd, for a Christmas program at Central park to allow horse carriage rides.

Gospel Lighthouse church had requested closing Kelly Street from Main Street to Jackson Street, on the southwest side of Central Park.

Part of Kelly Street will be closed, not part of Main Street.

Several members of the council had been contact by citizens thinking that part of Main Street would be closed for the program.

The Rev. Joe Low, a youth minister at Gospel Lighthouse, spoke on behalf of the church.

“We are hoping to put on a Christmas event in the park,” Low said. He came with proof of insurance for the event.

The event will be called “The Thursday Before Christmas” and could become a yearly event if successful, Low said.

The event will include other churches in the area.

The street would be closed from noon Wednesday, Dec. 20, to noon Friday, Dec. 22, and the church would have a tent company set up a tent on the street.

The event would be 4:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 21.

The city also had final votes on a fireworks ordinance amendment, and a zoning ordinance relating to accessory structures located in the floodplain and incorporating new terms into the definition.

The ordinances are number 1109, and 1112 respectively and were both adopted and published.

The city also updated the lease information for the Walsh ballfield and IC ballfield.

“Just trying to get current on all of our leases for property,” said Charles City Administrator Steven Diers.

The city will be paying the owners of the properties for the leases. Immaculate Conception Church will receive $1 a year for the lease of its ball field, and Mid American will receive  $12 per year for Walsh ball field.

The city also voted on a motion to host a retirement party for outgoing Charles City Mayor James Erb.

The retirement party is planned 3 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 28, and is open to the public.

During the city administrator notes section of the meeting, Diers noted that Dec. 1 is the deadline to select a tote size for the change in garbage collection service.

The city recently mailed out postcards, asking residents to submit their requested tote size, due to the city switching from bags to totes on April 1.

About 200 people have responded since the cards were mailed out.

Households that don’t respond will be assigned a size, most likely the middle 65-gallon size, Diers said.

The next council planning session will be on Nov. 27 with a special session afterward.