Colfax City Council makes decisions on the city’s green spaces

COLFAX — The City of Colfax sits between bucolic rolling hills and the scenic South Skunk River. Proximity to Interstate 80 makes it an ideal spot for joggers, cyclists, kayakers, anglers or friends hoping to toss a ball for a few hours. On Sept. 10, the Colfax City Council’s agenda included action items to help outdoor recreation thrive.

For a number of years, Colfax has rented its soccer fields from Mieko Williams for $962 annually. Williams died this year, and her family decided to sell this portion of her property included in her estate. George Dickerson purchased the property and expressed interest in exchanging it for the city yard waste site located east of the old Monroe Table Company on North Walnut Street.

During the public hearing on the property sale last Monday, council member Brad Magg clarified that “no money is changing hands; it’s property.”

“We get the soccer field, they get the property,” mayor David Mast added.

City attorney Amy Beattie advised the city could move forward with the exchange, provided a market analysis proved the value of the city’s property did not exceed that of the soccer fields. Heartland-Iowa Realty’s market analysis valued the soccer fields at $34,000 and the yard waste site at $29,000.

Before the hearing ended, Doug Garrett, vice president of the Quarry Springs Park and Recreation board of directors, stood up to voice his apprehension of this trade.

Last year, Quarry Springs started working with Joe Otto, a historian spearheading the cause to save the Red Bridge listed on the National Register of Historic Places. They hope to relocate the Red Bridge from its current crossing on the South Skunk River in Reasnor, to the park. Ideally, the bridge would connect to a hike and bike trail that would enable people to stroll or cycle from downtown Colfax and cross the Red Bridge into the park. Three University of Iowa civil engineering students are assessing the feasibility of relocating the bridge to Quarry Springs for a capstone project. The students scouted possible locations and made preliminary assessments Sept. 12. By the end of the year, they will create a project proposal and cost estimate the park board can use when contracting with a licensed engineer.

Garrett expressed concern the property sale will limit possible relocation sites. Although the bridge would not sit on the city yard waste site, access roads to it could potentially cross that property.

“Until we know what the students, a professional engineer and the DNR (Department of Natural Resources) says, it’s still all conceptual stuff,” Garrett said.

The city council believes the property sale will inhibit the bridge’s installation. Any access trail to the bridge running through that property would cross a rail road switch, which sits on a separate parcel of land adjacent to Maple Street, and the county assessor’s office recently confirmed the city owns this parcel. To build a trail through this property would require the railroad to relocate their switch, which they will not agree to do.

In addition to the city’s current inability to build a trail through the property, council members indicated Dickerson’s purchase of the property would not present an obstacle to the bridge relocation.

“The new owner has acknowledged they’re in full support of Red Bridge and would love to see it come to town,” Magg confirmed after the meeting.

George Dickerson, who also attended the meeting, confirmed the property exchange would not inhibit the project.

“I don’t know how to put it in writing, and I’m not going to put it in writing yet,” Dickerson said. “But my word’s been good to this point, and I don’t have a problem. As the Red Bridge (relocation) progresses, I’ll put it in writing.”

When the two parties reached a stalemate, council closed discussion and voted unanimously to exchange the property, not including the Maple Street parcel. They will hold a public hearing on the sale of the Maple Street parcel next month during its regular meeting, and council members will vote to determine if they will include the Maple Street parcel in the property exchange.

Although the citizens of Colfax have access to these green spaces, no one will want to kick a ball around the soccer fields or spend the morning fishing if mosquitoes are eating them alive. New Federal Aviation Administration Rules have put the kabash on single engine planes flying over residential areas, which requires Colfax to search for a different company to spray for mosquitoes during the summer of 2019.

Last month, the mayor and city staff held a conference call with Mosquito Control of Iowa, and they recommended Colfax cease aerial spraying in favor of “tug unit” spraying during which a fogger releases a greater concentration of insecticide in particles one-seventh the size of those in normal spraying. These smaller particles linger in the air longer and provide better coverage than aerial spraying, resulting in a 90 percent mosquito kill rate.

The city accepted Mosquito Control of Iowa’s offer to do a free demonstration spraying on Aug. 29.

“I did ride with them a mile-and-a-half on the levy. Everything was getting total, complete coverage,” Mast said.

The council voted unanimously to authorize Mast to sign a contract with Mosquito Control of Iowa for $7,250, a fraction of the $15,000 Colfax had budgeted for summer 2019. These funds cover the cost of the company returning periodically to repeat the treatment throughout the summer.

Contact Phoebe Marie Brannock at 641-792-3121 ext. 6547 or pbrannock@newtondailynews.com