Afton considers new playground

AFTON - A new public playground is being considered for Afton after Tuesday’s regular city council meeting.

The area where the playground will be built has not been decided yet, although the city was leaning toward a site near the rec field, focusing on keeping children away from a busy Highway 169.

The new playground would be the second public playground in Afton, standing alongside the park square’s equipment. The council considered placing new equipment in the park square and recycle the old equipment to build near the rec field.

However, new equipment next to the splash pad in the park square made some council members nervous about child safety. Councilmembers were worried children playing at the splash pad could get injured from slipping on the elaborate equipment, or splash pad equipment being damaged by gravel brought by playful children.

The city offered playgrounds in Humboldt as comparisons to follow. Head of City Maintenance Jesse Shade had met with the Humboldt city clerk to discuss how the projects were built. He emphasized a community-minded process, including involving community members with construction. The city has not decided on a company for the equipment yet, with no estimate on cost available.

Initial discussions between companies and the city presented a two-year construction plan with the majority of funding being provided through grants. The council also were positive to accommodating wheelchair-accessible equipment.

During the meeting, council also approved participation in the Community Forestry Grant Program, applying for the IRA Tree Planting Grant. The project will replace and plant new trees around the city; the board had recommended placement of trees near the rec field. Following approval, a two-year program for planting will take place in the spring and fall of 2025 and 2026.

The city could receive between $10,000 to $30,000 for the project, which is funded through the USDA Forest Service Inflation Reduction Act and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

In other Afton council news...

The board approved a change in Greenlawn Cemetery’s spraying schedule, with the city now choosing to spray for dandelions in the fall rather than the spring. Concern of spray drifting onto newly planted peonies were the main concern for the switch.

A $1,000 quote from Kelly Klommhaus for trimming peony gardens and removal of dead peony debris was also approved. The council also discussed early preparations in search of next year’s mower for Greenlawn.

Confusion around the cemetery board’s budget reintroduced the idea of dissolving the board, with Councilmember Kristie Nixon questioning the abilities of the board for a city-owned cemetery.

“This is why the cemetery should be operated under the city,” she said. “I come with this stance after serving on the [cemetery] board for a couple of years. You have a group of people who are saying, we think this should happen, you guys have all the power and control to make it happen. The cemetery is the city’s.”

Four resolutions were approved during the meeting. The first authorized a public hearing for a proposed sale of real estate by the city of Afton. The plot, located at 404 West Polk Street, will be offered for sale to Mike Tate for $5,000 and all costs involved with the sale. The public hearing will take place before next month’s regular council meeting on Nov. 12.

Council allowed for a resolution and agreement to how one credit card with UMB Bank will be used, granting access to City Clerk Kayla Lacina. With the resolution now set in place, Lacina can now access the assets and dissolve the card.

The council approved in another resolution to make corrections to the clerk/treasurer reports for the months of March and June 2024. A recent audit found a few areas in need of correction in these reports.

The authorization of Roxanne Walter to be hired on an as-needed basis was approved for the final resolution. Walter had previously been employed as the utility clerk for the city of Afton, and will function as a consultant for $25 an hour under the agreement, advising Utility Clerk Krystal Thomas.

Some duties of a utility clerk are infrequent, which having a consultant, Walter, will help navigating. Mayor Michelle Burger asked how Thomas was feeling about her training. Lacina admitted Thomas was feeling “a little overwhelmed,” mostly attributing the short period of time for training, but also said she personally enjoyed working with her.

Concerns on a retaining wall on the south end of East Filmore Street were raised during the meeting. Recently, the brick wall had the appearance of a slight “lean,” showing signs of wear. Shade had measured the wall with a leveler and said the wall was mostly straight, but a few areas were showing signs of wear accumulated since its construction 25 years ago.

Ideas were passed around, including a “more permanent” solution of replacing the brick wall with concrete, which could be painted with a mural. More information will be gathered for next month’s meeting.

The city made the decision to switch internet providers for City Hall and the Wi-Fi Center, moving to Lockridge Networks. Windstream, the previous provider, will still provide phone service and email addresses for city hall. The swap will save the city $185 a month. A single install fee of $99 will cover both locations.

City employee’s health insurance plan was renewed, choosing to continue with Wellmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield with a 19.43% increase. Last year’s plan had a 16.69% decrease.

The council approved a budget workshop for next month’s meeting, where the city will discuss changes to their annual budget.