lola approves sign trailer
IOLA – Iola is known for hosting several events that draw many locals and visitors to the community and now closing roadways for those events just got easier.
During their regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday, Apr. 12, Iola City Council approved the purchase of a trailer with 24 road closure signs. “We close roads at least twice a year for large events in town, including a section of the street downtown,” said Iola Mayor Christina Stover. The trailer allows for a place for the signs to be stored and will be easier to unload and load road closure signs. Total cost of the trailer is $1,500 and includes 24 signs.
American Recovery Plan Act
Iola received $13,595.99 in American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) Funds for COVID-29 relief. The funds have federal guidelines on what they are able to be used for. Mayor Stover stated
Mayor Stover stated since the amount of funds is minimal, council elected to administer the funds themselves and not spend money to hire a grant writer to administer those funds. Stover said council discussed several non-profit organizations that suffered during COVID-19 that could benefit from the ARPA funds.
Organizations council is considering are the Iola Food Pantry, Iola Community Center, American Legion and the Rainbow Room. First reporting for find distribution is due April 31, and council could vote to approve the distribution of funds at the May 10 council meeting.
Wastewater Treatment Facility
“We didn’t have anything we had to approve, but we received copies of our Engineering Feasibility Report and our Environmental Information Document. Those were two really important documents we were waiting for approval and comments on,” explained Stover. Stover said council reviewed the documents slightly and were pleased there were no red flags.
On May 17, there will be a public hearing to discuss environmental impact from the wastewater treatment facility at the Iola Community Center beginning at 7 p.m.
Other action
• Adopted a proclamation declaring April 2022 as Child Abuse Prevention Month in Iola.
• Discussed Municipal Court Operations and ways to attempt to get residents to clean their lots of excessive junk and old cars.
• Yearly discussion and review of Interlocal Agreements The City of Iola has with Grimes County including agreements for policing, road maintenance, 911 addressing, mapping and inspection of new onsite sewer facilities. No changes were needed.
Find out more about the City of Iola by visiting their website, https://cityofiola. myruralwater.com.