Iola City Council members have heard an earful on a pair of touchy topics in recent days: The metal grates that cross U.S. 54 near “Casey’s Curve” and dog owners who do not clean up after their animals.
Both subjects were brought before Monday’s City Council members.
Councilman Nich Lohman and Councilwoman Kim Peterson both said they’ve heard from residents upset about dog feces left behind on public rights-of-way, such as Highland Cemetery.
“You can do whatever you want on your property, but not on public property or other people’s property,” Lohman said.
Peterson wondered if the city could put a receptacle at the cemetery, or a dispensary for small trash bags for owners to collect their dogs’ droppings.
Assistant City Administrator Corey Schinstock noted the city has signs posted at the cemetery — a popular walking spot for dogs because of the vast areas of enclosed green space — alerting them that dogs must be cleaned up afterward.
“But we see how well people read signs,” Councilwoman Joelle Shallah muttered.
THE GRATES that span a stormwater runoff channel have drawn myriad complaints because the pieces eventually become loose and rattle loudly as motorists cross.
Peterson’s concerns were that tires could be damaged, although Schinstock said that was highly unlikely.
The most recent modification by city crews was to put rubber beneath the grates to cushion any rattling, and to bore holes deeper to better fasten epoxy-covered bolts.
“Unfortunately, it was a poor design” for drainage, Schinstock noted, one that will be addressed and rerouted in a few years once crews rebuild the highway through town.
But with that project on the horizon, Schinstock said the city was leery of expensive redesigns in the interim.
“This is a Band-Aid,” he admitted. “It’s not going to damage vehicles, but it’ll be noisy.”
THE COUNCIL approved spending $33,840 to complete GIS mapping for Iola’s water infrastructure.
In 2018 and 2019, the city hired Surveying and Mapping LLC (SAM) — formerly known as Midland GIS — to update Iola’s utility mapping system.
