200 block of Pennsylvania Avenue scheduled for restoration this year

Holton’s summer street brick crew will focus their efforts on a “high-volume” block as part of this year’s street maintenance program, which was approved on Monday by the Holton City Commission.

Street Superintendent Rex Cameron said this year, his department would restore the brick street located in the 200 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, which includes “some real bad curbs and some real bad brick areas,” as part of this year’s street program. Cameron also outlined plans for asphalt street maintenance for the year.

The 200 block of Pennsylvania runs in front of Holton’s Evangel United Methodist Church, which Cameron said may inconvenience church patrons and others who live on that block. However, since that block is, as Commissioner Tim Morris put it, “a high volume area” in terms of traffic, the work in that block will be appreciated when it is complete.

Cameron also noted that the estimated cost of this year’s project, since it is “a long block,” would be $47,993, including brick pavement work, curb and gutter reconstruction and sidewalk and driveway work. That cost would not include any storm drain replacement, he added, as last year’s brick restoration project on Wisconsin Avenue did.

Furthermore, even though Cameron said some “subsidy bricks” would be needed for the Pennsylvania Avenue project, the city has “an adequate supply” of bricks for this year. There is still the matter of where — or if — the city can get more bricks for future projects, as Cameron said that many street bricks offered for sale by other cities do not match the bricks used in Holton.

Cameron also updated commissioners on the cost of the brick street program, which has gone up in recent years due to increasing labor and materials costs. In 1995, the cost to restore brick streets was $10.37 per square yard, he said; last year, the cost was more than twice that amount — $25.89 per square yard.

Still, he noted, the cost to contract out the work would be at least double what the city is paying its seasonal street crew.

The street department will also be working on sections of the city’s 202 blocks of asphalt street, Cameron said. This year’s plans include crackfilling work on 12 blocks and chip-and-seal work on 25 blocks.

Cameron also told commissioners that his crew plans to replace the concrete curb and gutter on the east side of Holton’s Town Square on the Jackson County Courthouse’s side of the street. The city crew is looking at working together with a county crew on transitioning the circle drive on the east side of the Courthouse onto the 400 block of Pennsylvania.

In other business on Monday, Homestead Affordable Housing president and CEO Tom Bishop said his organization has received word that AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) has accepted Homestead’s application for a possible third AmeriCorps team visit to Holton and Jackson County this summer.

“We’re hoping that this program continues here, and a lot of it will depend on how these folks do from here to the rest of their term,” Bishop said of the AmeriCorps team currently in Holton. “They’re outstanding young people who have chosen to be with us, and they keep telling me how much they love this community and how welcoming it is.”

The announcement came after members of the second team to visit Holton, led by Kerry Aszklar of Annapolis, Md., introduced themselves to commissioners and provided a brief explanation of the team’s goal in this area. The second team arrived in early January and will remain in the area through the end of March, it was reported.

Aszklar and other members of the team told commissioners how they got involved with AmeriCorps, and Bishop noted that the team also has visited area high schools to encourage young people to find out more about the program. In fact, Bishop said that at least one Wetmore High School student has announced plans to get involved with the program after high school graduation.

Commissioners also:

* Approved minutes from their Jan. 19 meeting and financial appropriations made since that meeting.

* Heard a request from Holton resident Dan Mehringer to consider putting up a fence around the community garden at Countryside Park as a deterrent against deer.

* Noted the presentation of employee service awards, including Police Chief Gale Gakle, 35 years; Michelle Raaf, city hall, 20 years; Scott Frederickson, electrical distribution superintendent, and Craig Figge, electrical production, 15 years each; Philip Oldehoeft, water and wastewater treatment, 10 years; and Holton City Manager Bret Bauer, Christopher Swenson, police department, and Richard Lassiter, street department, five years each.

* Approved the appointment of Sandee Morris to the Holton Library Board.

* Noted that the next regular commission meeting would be held on Tuesday, Feb. 16, due to the regular meeting date falling on Presidents Day. Bauer noted that City Hall would be closed on that date.

* Heard a report from Bauer that the city’s dog park committee has been working on plans for the placement of a dog park in the city and would present plans to the commission for approval when ready.

* Heard a request from Morris for a list of regulations and prices on lots in the Holton Industrial Park.

* Adjourned the meeting at approximately 7:50 p.m. All commissioners were present, including Mayor Robert Dieckmann, Morris, Dan Brenner, Mike Meerpohl and Twila White.