Community members are encouraged to attend Monday evening’s Iola City Council meeting to discuss traffic concerns.
At the Aug. 12 meeting, council member Kim Peterson requested two traffic items be reviewed. The first is with the traffic light at the corner of Madison Avenue and Buckeye Street. “Since we’re not doing the big 54 Highway redo, I want to talk about that light,” she said. “I’m not saying take it out, but so many people want it turned into a flashing light.”
Council member Jon Wells noted that Iola is a small town and he doesn’t think the traffic light is that much of an inconvenience. “Nobody likes stop lights,” he said. “But we can stop for 30 seconds. The Bowlus is busy and it’s 30 seconds.”
Peterson’s second concern is with traffic flow on South Street. “The block on South Street, between Madison and Broadway, is horrific,” she said. “I have had to sit on 54 Highway to turn because you can’t get two cars down that street.” Peterson suggested the block either needs to just have parking on one side, or parallel parking.
“It really needs to be a one-way street,” stated Assistant Administrator Corey Schinstock. He recommended it be one-way, going south towards Broadway. As a one-way street, the parking would remain as it currently is on the west side of South Street. The parking on the east side of the street would have an angle change to enter from the north.
Peterson stressed that she personally has had difficulties navigating the congested road. “It’s terrible if there happens to be a pickup or service truck going down the road at the same time as you,” she said. “I’ve come close to hitting the car next to me. I’d like to see something done sooner, rather than later.”
The South Street traffic pattern will be open for community discussion during a roundtable at Monday’s meeting.
IN OTHER NEWS, Iola Recreation Director Jason Bauer will ask council members for direction in applying for a grant to renovate Davis Athletic Fields. The Game-On Community Places to Play Grant is an initiative of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). Thrive Allen County had previously approached city recreation staff about the 50/50 matching grant opportunity, with an award range of $50,000 to $100,000.
The city’s matching funds would be taken from the Capital Projects Fund. The grant gives special consideration to proposals that demonstrate how their capital projects will support youth development programming. Bauer will note to council members that in-kind labor and equipment cost can likely be utilized with the grant to go towards some of the cost-share requirements.
Rachel Moore and Marcia Davis of Thrive discussed various projects and needs with the staff and possible uses for the money. It was determined that improvements to the Davis Athletic Fields would be the best use of the grant. The improvements would include adding light poles to illuminate the fields to allow for evening and flag football games, as well as adding an irrigation system and overseeding the fields.
The grant’s mission is to improve the quality, safety, and accessibility of local athletic spaces for young people. Funds will be awarded to outdoor and indoor facilities that enable and demonstrate local community access and usage for all organized youth sports. The application deadline is Sept. 5 with the award notification scheduled for November.
Council members will be asked to set a public hearing date of Sept. 9 for the Revenue Neutral Rate (RNR). The hearing will be held at 6 p.m., in the community building at Riverside Park.
The council will also be asked to approve changing the Municipal Court time from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., beginning Oct. 1. Prosecutor Brandon Cameron is expected to be elected as the new Allen County attorney following the November general election. Judge Patricia Boyd determined the time change will better accommodate Cameron’s schedule. The court, police, and code enforcement departments have noted the change will work for their schedules.
