Monona Council receives update from MCED

By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times

Speaking to the Monona City Council July 6, Monona Chamber and Economic Development Executive Director Rogeta Halvorson said she was pleased with this year’s Hay Days celebration, held June 19-20.

“I loved having it back downtown,” noted Halvorson, who helped promote the event and was part of the Hay Days committee. She said she received several nice comments from attendees.

New touches, like dance and karate presentations by local kids, added to the event, as did the car show, Halvorson said. Other Hay Days mainstays, like the parade and the pancake breakfast sponsored by the Butterfly Garden and Trail group, were better than ever, she continued.

“The class of 1995 had its class reunion,” she said. “The bands were received well and the Quilt of Valor presentation was fantastic.”

At the meeting, Halvorson also updated the council on the Chamber’s website, mentioning that it is 90 percent complete and should launch next week.

Street repairs

Monona will forego mill and overlay work on Main Street this summer in favor of slurry patching instead, according to Randy Evanson, who spoke with the council Monday night.

Evanson said Kluesner Construction, of Farley, which was slated to complete the work, said using asphalt patches would further damage the road, and suggested a slurry patch, which is created with cement, lime sand and asphalt emulsion. Once the areas in need of repair are swept clean and blown out, the liquid will fill in the holes, hardening like concrete.

“It really sticks,” said Evanson, adding that the price is half that of the anticipated mill and overlay work, which was slated to cost $17,205. As a result, he said Kluesner will repair more spots throughout the community.