Elkader Council hears from contractors, swears in new members, talks about ARF
By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register
In what could’ve been a contentious scenario, with the Elkader Council’s previous statements toward continued Carter Street project errors, the latest meeting with representatives from JB Holland and Croell turned out to be a relatively cordial affair. The council asked questions and the contractor and sub-contractor openly acknowledged the mistakes.
“I think it was good that the council was able to talk with the contractors and ask all of their questions. Hopefully the contractors see it from the council’s point of view. The council is asked a lot of questions from the public and just need to know how to answer things,” said city administrator Jennifer Cowsert.
As for future remedies to prevent such errors, according to Cowsert, both Croell and JB Holland said “they would set more hubs, and have three different people check things. JB Holland already indicated they would implement two meetings prior to starting that would check Croell’s info against the plans and have the engineer’s surveyors on site.”
Additionally, Croell acknowledged that 100 feet of Phase II was not completed according to plan and they will re-do that section at their expense in the spring.
Council also continued discussions about using American Rescue Funds (ARF) for broadband use or public wireless access in certain city spots, such as parks. Council member Tony Hauber first mentioned the idea, which hit a snag recently when the cost estimate returned significantly higher than anticipated.
According to Cowsert, the council asked Alpine Communications to provide a cost estimate to have wi-fi available in Keystone Park, Founders’ Park and the City Park, covering the bathhouse as well as the Rural Heritage Museum and Railroad Depot. It would also cover some of the pool area and the shelter house too. The cost for installation and equipment was $29,522.66. But there would also be monthly service fees, and for all of those locations for five years, it was $29,580.
The overall cost of the broadband project came to $59,102.66.
At the Dec. 13 council meeting, outgoing council member Bob Hendrickson said the cost gave him “sticker shock.” Outgoing council member Daryl Koehn also called the cost “excessive,” and even Hauber, who championed the idea, said the estimate was “more expensive than I thought it’d be.”
In total, the city has about $181,000 to spend through the ARF, which are supposed to help those who have been impacted by COVID-19. Along with the broadband idea, other ideas have been mentioned in some capacity, such as storm and sewer repairs, SCADA computer replacements, grants for restaurants to re-brand, parklets, lost revenue replacement or even police department training.
The council has made no decisions on how to spend the money and has until 2026 to do so, but as the majority of council members have used the issue to speak openly about helping businesses, council member Randy Henning reminded the council at the Dec. 13 meeting that the city extends beyond just businesses.
“No offense, you don’t always want to put it all into the businesses. You still want to put it into the people that live in the community,” he said.
Hendrickson agreed on that point in a separate interview, stating, “I am actually in favor of the funds being allocated in such a way that it supports our local businesses and our residents. I do believe there should be a balance. I mentioned using it to assist businesses, but then Randy Henning brought up it should also be used to assist residents of our town too. I totally agree with him on that. It should be a balance. We need both.”
Hauber, when asked in a separate interview about the business heavy ideas, stated, “I don’t think that is the case. The wi-fi project is something meant to be for the residents, plus other projects I’ve talked to people about have focused on things to improve the resident’s lives…that discussion was slightly heavy on business-supporting ideas, but that certainly doesn’t represent the breadth of discussion that has been had by council members on uses for this funding.”
“We are also limited by the scope of what we can spend these funds on, and a lot of the examples for uses are business focused, which I think leads people in that direction, but I’m committed to spreading this money out to try to make the funds lift all boats,” he added.
The council has asked members of the public with ideas on how to spend the ARF to contact them or Cowsert and make sure their voices are heard.
More recently at council, the last meeting of 2021 saw a change of members, as Daryl Koehn and Bob Hendrickson stepped away and Deborah Schmidt and Eric Grau were sworn in. The council now includes Peggy Lane, Henning and Hauber, who won his re-election bid, plus Grau and Schmidt. Mayor Josh Pope presented certificates of appreciation to Koehn and Hendrickson.
Hendrickson spoke to the Times-Register about his time.
“I am most proud of the fact that I filled the position simply because I was initially asked to fill it. It wasn’t my idea; it was a request for me to fill that unexpired term,” he said. “Additionally, my intention was to be a voice for the people and businesses of Elkader. It wasn’t about my agenda; it was about theirs, as I saw myself simply as a spokesman for the residents and businesses during city council meetings. I am also proud to say, ‘I took my turn.’”
Hendrickson also said he has “no regrets,” and enjoyed being involved in the community. While he didn’t have advice to offer the two newest members, he noted, “I wish them the best and thank them for taking their turn serving their community.”
As for those newest members, Schmidt said she was excited to be on council, but also nervous.
“I take very seriously what the next four years will bring Elkader,” she added. When it comes to the start of her term, Schmidt stated she would “continue to observe what has happened in the past six months before I took my seat. It’s important to transition over and take care of what’s in place now from the past council with ease, before I insert my main issues. But, certainly, I will be giving my input on streets, alleys, the bridge, parks and internet accessibility.”
Grau also admitted he was “anxious” and had a “lot to learn,” but reiterated he remains focused on improving “aesthetics and recreational opportunities when possible.”
“In general, I also want to focus on how each of our decisions can encourage the long term development of the town. I hope we can continue to foster a sense of community and belonging for all residents,” he added.
Grau stated he will be available to the public from noon to 2 p.m. on Fridays at the Ishman building.
Both Schmidt and Grau spoke highly of the outgoing members, thanked them for their service and wished them well in future endeavors.
