The Fort Dodge City Council is poised to award contracts for water system improvements, trails and other infrastructure work that will total millions of dollars when it meets Monday.
But before any action on contracts is taken, the elected officials will discuss concerns about the condition of the Oleson Park Zoo.
The council's work will begin at 5 p.m. in the Municipal Building, 819 First Ave. S., with a workshop discussion on the zoo.
A pair of Arctic foxes that once lived in the zoo died in late June. The deaths prompted Fort Dodge resident Amy Von Bank to contact Mayor Matt Bemrich to express concerns about the care of the zoo animals. Last month, Von Bank asked the council to review its contract with the Friends of the Oleson Park Zoo, the volunteer group that owns and cares for the animals.
Bemrich said the contract will be discussed. He added that he expects Jim Kramer, the president of the Friends of the Oleson Park Zoo, to address the council.
The regular council business meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in the Municipal Building.
The largest of the contracts the council is scheduled to act on would lead to the construction of a large water storage tank and booster pump in the North Central Ag Industrial Park west of the city. DI-MAR Construction of Excelsior, Minn., has submitted the apparent low bid of about $4.7 million.
City Engineer Chad Schaeffer said the tank will hold 2 million gallons of water. The pump, he said, will increase the water pressure in the lines serving the industries in the park.
Another large contract to be acted on would result in nearly $500,000 worth of repaving throughout the city. Fort Dodge Asphalt is the apparent low bidder.
Other contracts on the agenda are for a trail along 25th Avenue North, sidewalks near the Fareway store at First Avenue South and 12th Street, and the repair of culverts in various locations.
The council will also consider giving final approval to the use of tax increment financing to support any future housing projects in an area bordered by A Street, Second Avenue South and U.S. Highway 169. The tax increment financing was proposed to assist the construction of a duplex housing development called Windstone Circle. That project was scrapped by the developer, but the city staff is recommending that the council approve the measure so that tax increment financing could still be used at the site.
Tax increment financing occurs when increased property tax revenue from a designated area is set aside to be reinvested in that area. When that type of financing is used for housing, 40 percent of the increased revenue must be set aside for low to moderate income housing initiatives anywhere in the community.
Following the business meeting there will be two workshops.
One will be about the planned reconstruction of Sixth Avenue Northwest between First and Second streets northwest. The other will be about water and sewer lines to serve the CJ Bio America plant now under construction in the North Central Ag Industrial Park.