Charles City Main Street Bridge to remain closed through the Fourth of July

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

Charles City’s Main Street Bridge will remain closed through at least July 8, it was reported during the City Council’s back-to-back special meeting and workshop session on Wednesday, June 26.

Though the floodwaters have receded, there remains some concern about the structural integrity of the bridge and whether or not it sustained damage from water pressure or passing debris.

“We’re hopeful it’s fine, but there are some questions,” said City Administrator Steve Diers.

The bridge will remain closed to both vehicle and pedestrian traffic until it can be inspected by bridge engineers, who won’t be available until at least July 8.

A cursory inspection indicates that the bridge should be safe enough for the Chamber to stage the Independence Day fireworks show from its usual spot. According to Community Development Director Mark Wicks, plans to shoot off fireworks from the bridge will move forward once they have a written confirmation from the city.

Related to the recent flooding, Mayor Dean Andrews took the opportunity at the start of the meeting to thank city staff who worked through the weekend, both on-the-clock employees and volunteers, to help with flood mitigation efforts. Andrews also thanked the rest of the community volunteers who came out to lend a hand to the sandbagging efforts, including area Mennonites, the Community Emergency Response Team, and local high schoolers.

“Everybody did a very coordinated and good job,” said Andrews.

During the special meeting, the council approved salaries and wages for appointed officers and non-union employees for the upcoming fiscal year. In light of this week’s flooding, the council was happy to approve the 3.5% increase to show appreciation for the city employees.

“A lot of these folks were out there supporting the community,” said council member Patrick Lumley. “They do a great job.”

The council also moved up the public hearing date for the pool renovation project, rescheduling it from August 5 to July 24, which will allow the contractor to get started a little earlier.

Finally for the special meeting, the council amended its recent approved loan agreement for its annual short-term borrowing, adjusting the borrowed amount from $200,000 to $199,000.

Closing the special meeting and starting up the workshop, the council met with representatives from Bergland and Cram to review a proposed design for City Hall/Police Department renovations.

For several months a subcommittee has been working with Bergland and Cram to develop a plan to increase the building’s accessibility, improve its security, and create more efficient use of space.

Bergland and Cram’s Kristy King walked the council through the basics of the design that they have developed so far.

The most notable aspect of the plan involves extending the face of the building outward, taking out the columns and arches and converting the outside arcade area into additional interior space.

Cosmetically, the exterior of the building would be redesigned to make it more aesthetically similar to the library, which sits across from City Hall in the pedestrian mall.

Inside the building, the additional space would be utilized to improve accessibility by allowing for a ramp from the entrance to the council chambers. It would also allow dedicated space for private police interactions, noting that many conversations between police and the public currently happen in the lobby.

While the council was enthusiastic about the basic idea of the remodeling project, there is still work left to determine how much the city can afford and how it can be paid for.

The city has $1.2 million in ARPA funds that can go toward the project, with the rest being paid for with a combination of TIF revenue, water and sewer revenue, potential grant funding, and a general obligation loan.

Current projections for the project place it at just over $4 million, but the council wants to make sure that it has an accurate idea of what the actual cost will be before committing.

“I don’t want to see Courthouse Version 2,” said Lumley.

In other business, the council discussed a proposal from Floyd County Medical Center to acquire the eastern portion of 13th Street, which currently bisects FCMC’s property between the hospital and the clinic. FCMC has plans to continue developing south of its property and wants to both eliminate the traffic going between the property and utilize that space for potential new parking.

In exchange, the city has inquired about effectively trading 13th Street for the 7-8 acres of land directly west of the hospital, which FCMC has no plans to develop, but could be used for future housing development.

With the city already in the process of extending 13th Street to the west to connect to Corporate Drive, the exchange could be feasible without overly impacting the Cedar Crest Apartments or future housing developments that may develop in the area.

The city would need to maintain easements for existing utilities running along 13th Street and sidewalks would need to be installed on 11th Street, which FCMC has indicated it would be willing to cost share for.

For existing projects, the council reviewed the final pay request for the 2022 Garden Corridor Edible Arboretum project. Coming in at a total of $175,959.13, the project has been completed at $2,452.37 under the projected bid and with no change orders.

The council also reviewed the final pay request for the 2022 ADA Pedestrian Ramp project, which installed new sidewalk on 16th and E Street, which saw a change order for seed and mulch that reduced its cost by $1,000.