City council unanimously approved a motion to work with the company on improving storm sewers and other infrastructure needed to address lingering flooding issues at Monday night’s meeting.

During a presentation, Operations Manager John Christen and Facilities Manager Joe Mathern shared footage of vehicles nearly crisscrossing the area during a heavy rain. The company is in the second phase of an expansion project, adding an additional 60,000 square feet of factory space. During the third phase of the project, the company plans to include several flood solutions.

“Moderate to heavy rains are a big problem on Eighth Avenue,” Mathern said. “We used sandbags (and) different types of barriers to try to avoid major flooding. Flooding in this area is not just a problem for MARSHALLTOWN. It’s a Marshalltown community problem.

The solution, based on a stormwater rate study and data from Clapsaddle Garber and Associates, involves several steps. Woodruff Construction regional president John Mallen explained the plans in more detail.

City engineer Jay Koch recommends that council not approve a variation order to give Garling Construction additional compensation for the airport hangar and terminal project that will be completed three months later than planned.

“They have in fact provided in their own budget for the collection and transport of rainwater”, Mallen said. “The culverts on Linn Street that pass under the railway line; these are seriously undersized.

Mallen said these culverts will be enlarged and increased in number to divert water. Ultimately, the water intake capacity of these culverts will triple.

The next step is to create a retention pond off Linn Street, which would fill in during heavy rains and then disperse the water elsewhere. New storm water intakes would subsequently be added along S. Eighth Avenue, and finally, the edge of Eighth Avenue would be replaced and raised.

The estimated cost for each of these parts of the project is approximately $ 1.5 million. Pursuant to the motion approved by council, MARSHALLTOWN Company and the city would enter into a development agreement that would provide the company with a 100 percent refund of additional taxes not to exceed $ 2.9 million.

To move forward with the agreement, the City will need to make changes to the Zone 2 urban renewal plan, which would define the details of this project. The council will hold a public hearing on the matter at its next meeting on November 22.

City administrator Jessica Kinser said the partnership would be beneficial to both sides as the city must tackle the stormwater issue.

“I think this is a great thing to pursue”, Kinser said.

In other cases, the council has agreed to extend the completion date of the hangar and terminal project at Marshalltown Municipal Airport with Garling Construction until January 28, 2022. However, the council, with the recommendation of the Engineering Department, unanimously voted against approving a change order to pay Garling Construction an additional $ 27,910.50 for the project.

“Based on the agreement we have with Garling Construction for the airport, they have absolutely no way of collecting additional costs unless there is a real change in the scope of the work. City engineer Jay Koch said.

Mayor Pro-Tem Bethany Wirin took issue with Garling Construction’s argument at the last council meeting, when company executives said their scope of work included additional research for materials.

“And if you quickly go through the letter from CGA, they really weren’t very proactive in ordering material,” Koch said.

The latest news today and more in your inbox

Iowa will use a $ 5.27 million grant from the US Department of Commerce to promote tourism in the state and …