Council hears complaints on infrastructure services

The subject was city infrastructure services Monday night, and Wayland City Council members  got an earful in two separate discussions.

One was Aqua In Vino owner Arne Rodriguez’s complaint that the city no longer will plow the parking lot between his business and Henika Library on the east side of South Main Street. The other was longtime citizen Teresa Kauffman losing patience with getting Locust Street squared away after many years of falling into disrepair.

Rodriguez said though he owns the parking lot, city workers have plowed it for many years because it is used extensively by the public, including city employees.

Local businessman Robert Golm, himself a city councilman in bygone years, was in the audience to support Rodriguez’s request to have the council overturn its decision to back out of the lease agreement through the Downtown Development Authority.

“It (the parking lot) has always been private and it’s always been plowed,” Golm maintained. “So why is this a problem now?”

City Manager Josh Eggleston said the DDA walked away from the lease agreement because there were more expenses than just plowing.

“Unless we have a vested interest in the lot, we can’t expend public funds under current conditions,” Eggleston said.

He said he is opposed to continuing a lease and the city being on the hook for costs for other amenities, such as paving, striping and lighting for the lot.

Mayor Pro Tem Jennifer Antel said, “Speaking personally, I don’t want us to get involved with the leasing business.”

She added that a recent study of the downtown showed Wayland has more than enough parking.

Rodriguez said he spent just under $12,000 recently for paving and striping the parking lot, even though the benefit was for more than just himself and his business.

Eggleston said, “We’re amicable to having some kind of (special) agreement for plowing, but we can’t do anything under the current status.”

It was agreed that Rodriguez and the city manager would work together to craft an arrangement and bring it before the council at its Dec. 20 meeting.

Kauffman said she has lived at her house on Locust for 35 years and several city managers have promised sorely needed street repairs, but nothing has happened. Eggleston acknowledged that Locust Street is not at the top of the city’s current priorities for paving and repair of streets.

“The whole street is just a jigsaw of asphalt,” she contended.

Eggleston said, “We have a broken funding model at the state and federal levels,” adding that the city has lost more than $4 million in revenue since the 2008 economic downturn. “In reality the city gets only about $120,000 now for streets each year from the state.”

Antel added, “If we had the money, we’d repair all of the streets. We’re doing what we have to do before doing what we want to do. I’m sorry, but we can’t make you promises.”

In other business at Monday night’s meeting, the City Council:

• Adopted an ordinance text amendment to permit contractors to located equipment in industrial properties under certain conditions.

• Learned from City Clerk Leann Clausen that Wayland will have two election precincts in April 2022, but the locations for the second has not yet been determined.

• Approved the council meeting schedule for 2022, noting the Monday meetings for Martin Luther King Day Jan. 17, July 4 and Labor Day Sept. 5, will be moved one day to Tuesday.

Was told by the city manager leaf pickup has not stopped, but there are hopes the service will be concluded later this week.

• Approved a request from Anthony Winters, owner of 412 Distillery, to install a tasting room for soft beverages at the Stop, Drop and Play Arcade at 739 S. Main St.

COVER PHOTO: City Council members (from left) Jennifer Antel, Rick Mathis and Tracy Bivens were sworn in by Clerk Leanne Clausen after being re-elected last November.