May 05, 2024

City exploring Maytag Park house as park office

By Jamee A

Based on the Newton Park Board’s recommendation, the city will begin the process of looking at the Maytag Park caretaker’s house as a possible location for the park office. Public Works Director Keith Laube told the city council Monday park employees report to five different locations. Establishing a central office could improve efficiency in the department, he said. (Jamee A)

As a way to increase efficiency, the city is looking to move the park office from the Newton Arboretum at Agnes Patterson Memorial Park to the house at Maytag Park.

Park employees currently report to five different locations and the park division could be improved with a centrally located office where the main park shop is located.

City council approved Big Creek Design Group of Polk City to evaluate the residence to determine the feasibility of converting the house to an office. Those services were approved at $9,950, which will be paid for with leftover bond funds from park projects as well as unused 2014 bond funds from the hike and bike trail.

“Part of this was driven by the staff looking at efficiency. Right now they are spread out all over the city, and if they could start in one location and organize it so it is a communication center, have more of the staff housed there and work to be efficient and effective,” councilwoman Evelyn George said. “That is what started it, being able to consolidate and looking at overall operations.”

Moving the park office was discussed at both the December and February Park Board meetings. The board members agreed it was time to look at the feasibility of using the caretaker’s house as the park office.

The house was constructed in 1935. It is a single-story 885 square foot building with a 192 square foot addition on the east side of the house. Previously, the east room of the house was used at the park office with the remainder of the house rented to a retired park employee. During that time, the two entities shared a bathroom, which is not an ideal situation for either.

The future plan for the house would be to utilize it as only a park office with no living quarters. If that were to take place, the current resident would be given ample time to find new accommodations. The city currently collects $656 per month in rent for the house, park administrator Nathan Unsworth said. It also pays $100 per month to have the current office at the arboretum.

In order for it to be converted to an office space, the bathroom would require remodeling as well as the addition of parking spaces and modifications made to the building to make it Americans with Disabilities Act accessible.

“When converting from a residence to an office or a public building there are different codes and accessibility is one of those. Our electrical, heating and ventilation, not much has been done at the house for about three decades,” Newton Pubic Works Director Keith Laube said. “The heating is a boiler system and the air conditioning is a window unit, so that would be something we would look at and update.”

The city has contacted the State Historical Preservation Office, which is supportive of converting the house from a residence to an office, while maintaining the historical appearance of the exterior. The proposed project was discussed with the Newton Historic Preservation Commission and the commission will be consulted as plans become available from the architect.

“An architect knows all of then ends and outs of what we can utilize that space for. That is why we are hiring an architect to make sure that it is feasible before we more forward to moving it to an office space,” Laube said.

Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com