NE Iowa News

The Decorah City Council in Iowa recently faced a meeting agenda with business items from sidewalks and right-of-ways to easements, leading off the session with a public hearing on a proposed conveyance and release of right-of-way for a land tract in the industrial lane on the west side of the city.

The site in question is where Alliant Energy has proposed new development. The council heard about Alliant Energy's operations site plan, with 11 points for consideration, including a right-of-way request and easements for proposed water and sanitary sewer lines. The council discussed the matter later in the meeting, which was streamed on YouTube.

“Alliant is proposing to build a new operations center on that site," City Manager Travis Goedken said during the meeting.

Goedken told the council the land is a former IDOT right-of-way and does not belong to the city, but the city is working with Alliant to ensure maintained access to nearby facilities. He noted that continued access to the trailhead during and after construction had been included in the proposal and will be included in any development agreement.

The council considered an item amending chapters covering sidewalks in the city code, and Goedken said the item would ensure any provisions in the code meet federal ADA requirements. “Detectable warning panels for sidewalks are shown as yellow and should be neutral-colored iron,” Goedken said during the meeting. “No sidewalks shown on the east side of the project along State Street. At minimum, we would recommend curb cuts to accommodate future sidewalks." The council also learned during the meeting that the ADA-required four-foot wide sidewalk rule would override the current city requirements, which permit more variable percentages.

City council member Steven Zittergruen lauded the move during the meeting, noting his support. “Sounds like there's going to be some big wins for ensuring mobility throughout our downtown,” he said. “I just want to make sure there aren't any unintended consequences where we're making things harder for our local business owners to do business.”