RIVERSIDE CITY COUNCIL

Highway 22 to be trimmed to 1 lane in July

Construction work is a part of Riverside's $3 million water main project

By Paul D. Bowker
Posted 6/22/22

RIVERSIDE

Traffic jams may be about to hit Riverside.

Oh, and then there’s the annual Trek Fest event this weekend that is likely to draw big crowds.

But after Trek Fest comes …

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RIVERSIDE CITY COUNCIL

Highway 22 to be trimmed to 1 lane in July

Construction work is a part of Riverside's $3 million water main project

Posted

RIVERSIDE

Traffic jams may be about to hit Riverside.

Oh, and then there’s the annual Trek Fest event this weekend that is likely to draw big crowds.

But after Trek Fest comes and goes following Friday’s grand re-opening of Trek-themed Railroad Park and Saturday’s Trekkie parade along with a day filled with events, work on the city’s elaborate $3 million-plus Third Street water main and gas main project kicks into high gear.

And that’ll mean road closings and a narrowed-down Highway 22 where not even a warp drive will help.

The Riverside City Council approved a resolution at its regularly scheduled meeting June 20 to authorize the use of more than $15,000 to fund temporary traffic control systems that will be used in July to cut down a portion of Highway 22 from two lanes to one.

Brian Boelk, a civil engineer with Axiom Consultants of Iowa City, said that work to install a storm sewer alongside Highway 22 will result in a lane closure of the highway. The only other option, he said, was to have trucks and other heavy equipment going through Veterans Memorial Park instead of the plan to work along Highway 22 and the shoulder of the road.

“Things are starting to be hot and heavy now, moving pretty quick,” he told the council.

The lane closure will result in temporary traffic lights being installed east and west of the work on Highway 22. The plan has been permitted through the Iowa Department of Transportation.

Boelk said the lane closure will begin the week of the Fourth of July and last about two weeks.

MidAmerican Energy’s installation of new gas mains on Third Street has progressed to the west side of Greene Street, according to Axiom. Work on the water mains and the road itself will follow behind that, block by block.

Work on the improvements at Railroad Park are nearing completion, Boelk said, including the installation of the Star Trek-themed playground surface and a repaired merry-go-round in time for Trek Fest this week. A portion of the work was funded by the Washington County Riverboat Foundation.

“It’s looking really nice,” said Council Person Tom Sexton. “I’m hoping that’s an attraction for this coming weekend.”

The City Council approved signing a 28E agreement with the City of Kalona for a shared building inspector by a 4-1 vote, but not without a number of requested changes to a contract that was in front of the council for a third consecutive meeting.

The proposal calls for Riverside to use the building inspector 30% of the time and Kalona the other 70%. The inspector, Dave Tornow, is a City of Kalona hire and both cities would pay for the inspector in the same 70-30 sharing agreement. The Kalona City Council approved the agreement and hired Tornow at its June 6 meeting.

The 28E agreement was changed to two years instead of five years due to the objection two weeks ago by multiple Riverside City Council members. It has separate 90-day and 6-month termination notices attached to it in case disagreements or changes arise, and a five-year renewal clause.

Riverside City Council members agreed Monday that a two-year renewal period is better. And there were questions on a number of costs, some of them unspecified, attached to the contract.

“I thought we were supposed to get information on what 30% looks like,” Council Person Lois Schneider said. “I’m not for it, as it’s written.”

After a discussion of nearly an hour on multiple contract and addendum items, the council voted 4-1, with Lois Schneider against, to approve the contract, pending a two-year renewal period, a cap of $1,000 on capital expenditures and other specific costs being listed in the contract’s addendum.

Riverside plans to use its 30% of Tornow as a building inspector and nuisance officer.

“We both feel it’s a win-win for both communities,” said Riverside City Administrator Christine Yancey, who has been coordinating the effort with Kalona City Administrator Ryan Schlabaugh.

The City Council also passed a resolution that halts a policy of granting partial sewer rebates for the filling of swimming pools and watering of grass, effective July 1.

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the City Council will be Tuesday, July 5 at 6 p.m. at City Hall.

The City Council will also meet June 27 to conduct annual reviews, in closed session, of Yancey, City Clerk Becky LaRoche and Bryan Lenz, Parks and Streets. An open session will follow, setting wages and the city administrator’s salary.

Riverside, City Council, Highway 22, Trek Fest