The Mount Pleasant City Council will meet in Regular Session Wednesday,

September 13, 2023, at City Hall, 307 E. Monroe Street, second-floor meeting room at 5:30 p.m.

AGENDA

Roll Call

Consent Agenda: To the Public — All items with an asterisk (*) are routine by the City Council and will be enacted by one motion and a roll call of the Councilmembers. There will be no separate discussion of items unless the Mayor, a Councilmember or citizen so request, in which event the item will be removed from the Consent Agenda and will be considered in its normal sequence on the Agenda.

Receive & file communications.

Approve agenda.

* Approve minutes of previous meetings.

* Approve payment of bills.

* Receive report of Officers including Transfer Resolution approving August transfers.

Old Business

5:30 p.m. Public Hearing to vacate alley at College Addition Block 13.

Resolution to vacate alley at College Addition Block 13.

3rd reading/adopt proposed ordinance on City murals.

d) Outdoor Amplified Sound Permit for TapestryFest in Central Park, October 7^th 1-5

p.m. Rain date (October 14).

e) Renewal of a Special Class C Retail Alcohol License for Main Street Mount Pleasant at 101 W. Washington Street.

New Business

Approve FYE23 Road Use Tax Report.

Approve a Cigarette Permit for Greenleaf Tobacco & Vape at 904 N Grand Avenue.

Approve contract with Wesley Barton Construction for sidewalk and driveway reconstruction on Washington Street.

Approve contract with LL Pelling Co. to resurface portion of East Lake Park Roadway.

Approve Change Order #2 for Henry Street Project.

Resolution authorizing the acceptance of Henry Street Project.

Resolution approving application for purpose of receiving benefits from Washington County Riverboat Foundation to preserve Historic Second Baptist Church Project.

Approve mayoral appointments to the Community Development Committee and Board of Adjustment

Public Forum.

Adjourn to meet in regular session on Wednesday, September 27, 2023, at 5:30 p.m.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources annual statewide Volunteer Day is coming right up. Iowans are invited to lend a hand by volunteering at several parks and forests across the state on September 23^rd. There will be volunteer events which will serve to spruce up trails, buildings, and other park amenities.

“Iowa state parks are beloved places for many Iowans, and we greatly appreciate the help volunteers provide,” said Sherry Arntzen, chief of Iowa Parks, Forests and Preserves Bureau.

Each park will have unique clean up efforts and may include services such as litter pick up, staining/painting buildings, clearing trails, planting trees, and more.

If there is inclement weather in your area on Saturday, September 23^rd, contact the individual park office. They will let you know if the date, time, or meeting location changes.

Citizens interested in volunteering can learn more at www.iowadnr.gov/volunteer.

There will be a public meeting on the historical and architectural survey project in the meeting room on the third story of the Union Block in Mt. Pleasant. This will take place at 6:30pm on September 18^th, and is for the buildings in downtown Mt. Pleasant.

Project consultant Rebecca Lawin McCarley of SPARK Consulting, Cedar Rapids, will present information on the project.  This historical survey began in June, and it will continue into early 2024.

This project is spearheaded by the Mount Pleasant Historic Preservation Commission and funded by Certified Local Government (CLG) grant. Main Street Mount Pleasant and Henry County Heritage Trust are partners with the commission on this project, supporting their efforts to recognize the significant history and architecture found in downtown Mount Pleasant.

The goal of the historical and architectural survey is to research and evaluate the significance of the individual buildings in downtown Mount Pleasant, as well as assess the possibility of listing a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places in the future.

The survey area for the project encompasses the buildings around the square, as well as additional historic commercial buildings extending out from the square along Jefferson St, Main St, Monroe St, Washington St, and adjacent blocks.  A total of 139 downtown properties are included in this project.  The resources in downtown Mount Pleasant are primarily commercial, with some additional public, religious, and residential buildings as well.

The public meeting on Monday September 18 at 6:30 p.m. will be followed immediately by a volunteer meeting for current volunteers and training for any additional residents interested in volunteering to assist with the project.

They currently are looking for volunteers who are needed to complete research, type summaries, and take photographs. Interested volunteers of all backgrounds can make positive contributions to this project.

The Mt. Pleasant Community School Board met in regular session on Monday, September 11^th. There were many items on the agenda, which led to great discussion and updates on many current happenings.

Due diligence is moving forward with the purchase of the Iowa Wesleyan buildings. Inspections occurred on September 5^th for the building exteriors, roofs, and windows. The mechanical and electrical inspection is scheduled for this week. The practice field title review is completed, and the closing date will be within “the next few weeks.”

The school resource officer, Brad Gillis, provided an update on the start of the school year. He begins and ends his day at the high school by patrolling the parking lot. Officer Gillis spends the lunch hour at the middle school and attempts to reach every elementary school each week. He mentioned how “things are going rather smoothly,” but is unsure if one officer can be effective enough for the entire school district.

Brady Martin, FFA Advisor at the Mt. Pleasant Community High School, requested an overnight trip for ten FFA students. They will be attending the FFA National Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, from November 1^st-3^rd. This trip was approved.

Paperwork is due on Thursday, September 21^st, for all interested in running for the Mt. Pleasant Community school board. Applicants must have 50 signatures from registered voters and turn in all paperwork by 5pm.

The next school board meeting will be on Monday, October 9^th, at 6pm in the high school media center.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented today on the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The report is released weekly April through November. Additionally, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship provides a weather summary each week during this time.

“Although areas of Iowa received some rain over the weekend, persistent dryness and expanding drought continue to dominate,” said Secretary Naig. “Hot temperatures and a lack of rain have produced varying crop conditions, which may lead some farmers in pockets of the state to start harvesting earlier than usual.”

The weekly report is also available on the USDA’s website at nass.usda.gov.

Crop Report
Another week of above average temperatures and below average precipitation resulted in 6.5 days suitable for fieldwork for Iowa farmers during the week ending September 10, 2023, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Field activities included chopping corn silage as well as cutting and baling hay. A few reports of corn and soybean harvest were received.

Topsoil moisture condition rated 37 percent very short, 42 percent short, 21 percent adequate and 0 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 35 percent very short, 43 percent short, 21 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus.

Corn in the dent stage or beyond was 90 percent this week, 6 days ahead of last year and 8 days ahead of the 5-year average. Thirty-eight percent of the State’s corn crop has reached maturity, 1 week ahead of last year and 6 days ahead of normal. Corn condition declined 3 percentage points to 46 percent good to excellent. Soybeans coloring or beyond reached 67 percent, 6 days ahead of last year and 5 days ahead of the average. Soybeans dropping leaves was 25 percent this week, 1 week ahead of last year and 3 days ahead of normal. Soybean condition fell 5 percentage points to 44 percent good to excellent.

The State’s third cutting of alfalfa hay reached 98 percent complete, 15 days ahead of last year and roughly 3 weeks ahead of the average. Pasture condition rated just 15 percent good to excellent. Getting water to livestock was a challenge for producers this week, with reports of some producers selling livestock due to lack of water and having to feed hay.

Weather Summary
Provided by Justin Glisan, Ph.D., State Climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship

Unseasonable warmth early in the reporting period gave way to more seasonal temperatures through the end of the week, along with some chilly overnight lows; the statewide average temperature was 69.3 degrees, 1.5 degrees above normal. Rainfall was again sparse with widespread deficits of over 0.50 inch across much of Iowa, though the northeast registered near-normal totals.

Hot and dry conditions greeted Iowans on Sunday (3rd) afternoon with clear skies and temperatures in the mid to upper 90s at many stations; the statewide average high was 95 degrees, 15 degrees above normal. Southerly winds into Monday (4th) held morning lows in the mid to upper 60s with several low 70-degree readings southeast. Isolated clouds moved through eastern Iowa as afternoon highs lingered in the low to mid 90s. A weak cold front brought scattered light showers to far southwestern Iowa overnight into Tuesday (5th), though totals varied from a trace at a handful of stations to 0.08 inch at Logan (Harrison County). A stronger complex of thundershowers formed in southeastern Iowa through the late morning hours before dissipating around noon. Rainfall totals ranged from 0.12 inch at Salem (Henry County) to 0.43 inch in Burlington (Des Moines County). Additional thunderstorms formed in northeastern Iowa just before midnight and into the early morning hours on Wednesday (6th), producing a county-wide swath of 0.25- to 0.75-inch totals from Black Hawk to Dubuque County; Stanley (Buchanan County) measured 0.26 inch while Manchester (Delaware County) collected 0.74 inch. Winds shifted to the northwest as morning lows bottomed out in the low to mid 60s under overcast skies. Clouds cleared west to east into the afternoon hours as wildfire smoke filtered in behind the system. Daytime highs were comfortable, sitting in the upper 60s and low 70s along with gusty northwesterly winds.

Generally calm winds and clear skies led to colder overnight conditions as well as fog in western Iowa where temperatures fell into the low to mid 40s on Thursday (7th) morning. Temperatures rose into the low to mid 70s into the afternoon hours as cloud cover persisted in eastern Iowa. Daytime conditions were similar on Friday (8th) with near-seasonal temperatures in the upper 70s and low 80s under sunshine. Showers pushed across Iowa’s southwest corner just after midnight on Saturday (9th) with general totals under 0.10 inch with Sidney (Fremont County) collecting 0.13 inch. Scattered showers pushed across northern Iowa through the day, dissipating into the evening hours as temperatures warmed into the upper 70s with variable winds. A more concentrated area of showers and a few thunderstorms crossed into northwestern Iowa early Sunday (10th) morning ahead of a larger-scale weather disturbance. Measurable totals were observed at several stations with Mapleton (Monona County) hitting 0.23 inch while 0.32 inch was reported at Remsen (Plymouth County).

Weekly precipitation totals ranged from no accumulation at many Iowa stations to 1.10 inches at Dubuque Lock and Dam (Dubuque County). The statewide weekly average precipitation was 0.07 inch while the normal is 0.84 inch. Waterloo Municipal Airport (Black Hawk County) reported the week’s high temperature of 100 degrees on the 3rd and 4th, with Algona (Kossuth County) joining on the 3rd. This reading was on average 20 degrees above normal. Fayette (Fayette County) reported the week’s low temperature of 35 degrees on the 8th, 16 degrees below normal.