Charles City Council weighs options on trail upkeep

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

The Charles City Council discussed trail work, parklets and grant programs during its workshop meeting on Wednesday, April 30.

The meeting began with a discussion about making needed improvements to the Charley Western Trail. In particular, the portion of the trail from Owen Street to Fifth Avenue has suffered deterioration due to age and water damage. The asphalt trail has become riddled with holes making it less than ideal for bicycles or even walkers to traverse.

“This is an area of the trail where something needs to be done,” said Parks and Recreation Director Tyler Mitchell.

While it was agreed that something needs to be done, the council members debated the pros and cons of short-term and long-term solutions.

One option presented would be repair and replacement of the hot mix asphalt (HMA)  overlay, which would, along with restoration of the adjacent ditches and a short storm sewer extension to address flooding issues, be a cost-effective way of restoring the trail in the relative short term. However, the same issues would inevitably arise.

“To really fix this, we’re looking at reconstruction, which is really expensive,” said City Engineer John Fallis.

As a long-term solution, a full concrete trail would be best, but would be well outside the scope of what the city can afford.

The city has $160,000 to spend on the project, prompting a debate over whether that money should be used immediately to get moving on an asphalt overlay fix or if it could instead be used as seed money to apply for matching grants that could potentially accommodate a larger project later down the line.

The council asked that the park board consider these options and come back with a recommendation for the next workshop.

Moving on, the council met with Dave Davidson, who returned to the City Council to re-address his plans to build a parklet outside of his business.

Davidson previously approached the city in 2023 about leasing a portion of Kelly Street adjacent to his building that could be used to offer seating for customers of his then-planned ice cream and hot food business.

Since then the ice cream side, Dean’s Treats, has opened and Davidson is working toward “Dean’s Eats,” for hot meals, prompting a return to the council to continue the parklet discussion.

Davidson is proposing to build an 80-foot parklet on Kelly Street that extends eight feet from the curb, separated on the traffic side by a concrete barricade.

As a new idea for Charles City with no established policy, the council approached the idea from several angles, discussing how the parklet would be designed, how it would segregate itself from the sidewalk, how it would impact parking, what mechanisms would be in place to prevent loitering on the sidewalk, how enforcement of the liquor license rules would work in the event that drinks are served, how it would impact handicap access, and even how long a term Davidson’s lease should be.

Acknowledging that the parklet may still need some trial and error testing, the city will consider a lease agreement for the next regular meeting.

In other business, the council reviewed the proposal for the upcoming renewal of its funding agreements with both Main Street Charles City and the Charles City Area Development Corp. The three-year agreements provide funding for both operational costs and grant programs, as the respective agencies continue to work to facilitate economic development in the city.

“It’s a good partnership and we want to see it continue,” said City Administrator Steve Diers.

“We very much appreciate the support,” said Community Development Director Mark Wicks.

The council also reviewed plans for a new economic development grant it considered during this year’s budget planning session. In the FY26 budget, the city has allocated $20,000 for a new program similar to the Main Street façade grant program that could be utilized by businesses that don’t fall under the Main Street umbrella.

As Main Street Charles City is limited specifically to the downtown area, this new program would be administered by the Chamber of Commerce instead.

For city infrastructure, Water Superintendent Cory Spieker reported that the raking system in the city’s water softener is in need of repair and brought forward a $27,589 quote for the work.

Something of a rarity among municipalities, Charles City pre-softens its water, which is a lesser known amenity in the community.

“We do have soft water,” said Mayor Dean Andrews. “You don’t have to have those water softeners.”

On the other side of the waterworks, Wastewater Superintendent Dan Rimrod submitted a $73,186.38 quote for a new control cabinet for the Maple Heights lift station that will convert single phase electricity to three-phase electricity, to avoid burning out spare pumps.

Finally, the council reviewed a list of change orders for the ongoing City Hall/Police Department Renovation project. While the change orders include additional work like additional water/sewer connections and installing a double sink over a single sink in the PD break room, other changes have found savings in the plan, like finding a cheaper source for exterior steel panels and an errant item in the design that was supposed to be removed. In total, the four change orders expected to be accepted will reduce the project cost by $3,322.14.

“It’s always nice to see deductions,” said Diers. “The next one will be an increase, so enjoy this decrease.”