By Denise Lana,
Keri Sand administers the oath of office to new council members Christopher Miculinich (l) and Brent Parker (r). (Driftless Multimedia photo by Denise Lana)
Brent Parker and Christopher Miculinich were sworn in as the newest members of the City Council by City Clerk Keri Sand at the start of the Dec. 18 Decorah City Council meeting. Mayor Lorraine Borowski presented exiting council members Steve Luse and Kirk Johnson certificates of appreciation for their dedicated service.
The Aase Haugen Senior Living Facility Site Plan was discussed and considered for approval. Planning and Zoning reviewed the plans and submitted recommendation of approval contingent on several items being completed. The proposed construction will be located off Highland Drive and will house 78 beds – specifically, 60 long-term care and 18 dementia care. A new chapel with full-time clergy is planned, and residences for employees have been considered after the facility is established. The original budget for the project was $14 million, but post-COVID-19 inflation has increased that budget from $14.7 to $18.3 million.
The site plan was approved unanimously, citing contingent items needing completion.
Editor’s note: More information on Aase Haugen Senior Services’ new construction project will be covered in-depth in upcoming issues of the Decorah Public Opinion.
Other business
A public hearing, followed by the first reading was held regarding an ordinance amending maximum size of accessory buildings in residential areas. Planning and Zoning reviewed and recommended approval of the ordinance change that will increase accessory building size from 550 to 750 sq. ft. No public comment was heard, and the first reading was approved unanimously by the council.
A resolution focusing on funds for permanent stormwater/flood pumps near Wold Park was discussed, specifically a 65/35 grant program through the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance Program that would cover 65 percent of the planning and final design costs associated with the pumps. Estimated total costs for planning and design are $335,000, and the 35 percent local match would equal $114,000. The local match cost would be split across FY25 and FY26 budgets. The project, after the design and planning, would cost an additional $1.3 million, and hazard mitigation funds through FEMA would be pursued to assist with that final amount. The resolution was passed unanimously.
The council unanimously approved a resolution adopting the FY25 Airport Capital Improvement Program, which is required by the Federal Aviation Administration and Iowa Department of Transportation for projects at the airport to be eligible for grant funding. Projects pending for the airport that would be eligible for this grant funding program include the terminal and hangar project, a jet fueling system upgrade, taxiway light, hangars added to the west end, beyond that, would be an update to the airport master plan, airport acquisition, a jet fueling system upgrade, taxiway lighting, and replacement of existing hangars and lounge with a three stall hangar. The Airport Commission reviewed the resolution and recommended approval.
The Telecommunications Board and Human Rights Commission each have a vacancy and are seeking applicants.
City Engineer Jeremy Bril is departing Decorah to take a position with State of Iowa. City Manager Travis Goedken will discuss filling the position with the council, with an advertisement for employment to follow. Bril has less than three months remaining before his departure.
Decorah Police Department will be going through the hiring process for an officer position and are considering decreasing the sign-on bonus from the current $10,000 amount to $7,500 to cover increasing costs related to the process. The issue will be discussed further at the next council meeting.
The Decorah City Council will meet on Tuesday, Jan. 2, and Tuesday, Jan. 16, as upcoming holidays fall on both Monday regular meeting days.
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