Council approves agreement with Cedar Rapids for RCPP grant

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

The Charles City Council approved an agreement with the city of Cedar Rapids to commit in-kind $500,000 in funding for urban sponsored projects as part of the Resource Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).

The proposed project would be an application to the program, which is the same program that Charles City applied for in 2016 and was awarded $1.6 million to partner and implement water best management practices in the Upper Cedar Watershed upstream in Floyd and Mitchell counties.

Mary Beth Stevenson from the city of Cedar Rapids reached out to Charles City recently about the idea of partnering on a future watershed project.

The project would focus on drinking source water improvements within the Cedar River, including the Middle and Upper Cedar Watersheds.

The overall size of the grant being sought totals $7.5 million in funding — $6 million in direct assistance and $1.5 million in technical assistance to area landowners to implement best management practices. It has been generally agreed that the grant would see benefit implemented within the Charles City area.

City Administrator Steve Diers explained that Charles City’s contribution to the grant application would be an in-kind local match, and in this case, the in-kind use of the city’s $500,000 in Urban Sponsored Project funding currently used for in-town storm water projects.

“In essence, we get to use the $500,000 for our local projects as intended, however we can leverage that use to additionally support Cedar Rapids in their application and receive additional benefit here in Charles City,” Diers said.

In other business Monday, the council approved a temporary work agreement with Heidi Nielsen. Nielsen, the public housing director, has accepted a new position and submitted her two-week notice of her last date of employment with the city to Diers. Housing specialist Stacy Cleveland has agreed to assume the role of interim housing director, effective Oct. 31.

Nielsen has offered to continue to assist the housing department in a limited capacity for up to four months, to allow the city to advertise and fill the position while keeping operations working effectively. Nielsen began her new job last Friday with the North Iowa Area Council of Governments.

The agreement makes Nielsen a temporary employee, working up to 15 hours per week at a monthly salary of $3,000, with no other benefits provided. Nielsen would generally be working hours outside of her new position, but her new employer has generally agreed to allow her some time during the work week to do this work.

The council also set a public hearing for a property conveyance to the Iowa Department of Transportation.

The DOT is acquiring right-of-way and easements from property owners along Highway 18 in anticipation of a reconstruction project through Charles City next summer. This includes parcels from the city. The DOT has identified two temporary easements and one ROW acquisition parcel from city-owned property.

The project includes the removal and replacement of the traffic signals at the Clark and Brantingham intersection. Additional right-of-way is required for the signal base at the northwesterly corner of the intersection. The size of the deeded property is 179 square feet.

The public hearing will be at 6 p.m. on Nov. 16.

The council also passed a resolution which waives subdivision requirements for Molstead Motors and G & G Holding Co. The two businesses have been in negotiations to transfer a two-acre parcel from the holding company to Molstead, located immediately west of Molstead’s current site. The waiver requires that a restriction is recorded to prohibit the sale or transfer of the new parcel from the property it adjoins.

Also Monday, the council approved a facade improvement grant request by David Davidson, for 233 N. Main St., the former Good Times Building, to replace windows and doors and change the entryway. The project is estimated to cost $25,900 and would be eligible for the maximum facade program grant of $10,000.