HUMBOLDT — The Humboldt City Council gave its support to a grant application to help pay for an expansion of the Cottonwood Trail at Monday’s meeting.

The proposed trail extension would begin at the westerrn end of Third Avenue North near the Des Moines River. It would cross the river on a new bicycle and pedestrian bridge and extend to Eagle Ridge Drive. It would be a 1,300 foot long asphalt trail.

The estimated cost for the project is $1 million.

Earlier in the day, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors approved being a co-applicant for an Iowa Department of Transportation grant to pay for 80 percent of the project.

The council agreed to cover 50 percent of the after-grant cost for the project, which would be about $100,000. The county’s portion would also be $100,000.

Councilman Mike Worthington asked if the bridge would be high enough above the river to allow canoeing.

City Administrator Travis Goedken said he bridge would definitely be high enough.

That would be a big concern if in the future the city would develop that area for whitewater rafting, Worthington said.

Councilman Joel Goodell asked if the project could be combined with a rehabilitation project for the entire river to fix a silt problem.

“I don’t see that happening,” Worthington said.

The grant application is just for transportation, Goedken said.

Councilman John Sleiter said the county has fixed the dam at Rutland and now all that silt has ended up at the Reasoner Dam in Humboldt, which is also owned by Humboldt County.

“This is their dam also,” he said.

He said the county has done nothing to take care of the dam in Humboldt.

“We have a river that’s full of mud, that’s what ticks me off about it,” he said.

The county is willing to spend $100,000 on the new pedestrian bridge but not do anything about the dam, he said.

“That’s another story,” Worthington said.

In other business, the council awarded a contract to GDL Property Management for mosquito control. In previous years the city had been using Mosquito Control of Iowa and that firm also submitted a quote. However GDL’s quote of $14,000 for 12 applications was considerably less than Mosquito Control’s quote of $20,125 for only 10 applications. The contract is for three years. GDL is owned by Goodell, who abstained from voting on the contract.

Goedken said GDL’s quote had all the proper requirements.

The council approved the first reading of an ordinance establishing a storm water system utility. The fee would be $2.50 per residential unit and $5 per duplex. If approved the first bill would be due in July.