[{"_1":2,"_110":-5,"_111":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86,98],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6355318,"mediaKeyId","2218767-377546dc8f3d629dbf392dfadd4e62f7","parentId",2218767,"title","Story County holds public hearing on proposed Maple Avenue/Bridal Road vacation in Fernald","audioSeconds",1537,"startMs",430000,"endMs",1967000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2218767-377546dc8f3d629dbf392dfadd4e62f7&start=430&end=1967","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2218767-377546dc8f3d629dbf392dfadd4e62f7/thumbnail_430000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6355318/Story-County/Iowa/Story-County-holds-public-hearing-on-proposed-Maple-AvenueBridal-Road-vacation-in-Fernald","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6355318-278aacee3129526ed02a48ffab4c7324/orig.mp4?Expires=1777334879&Signature=W0xta9JtSRyluzevGPCgEKGTwJ4lknHc2vcHJI-txG7Y2N6ze1fRciFmu~llnXzTmEMwQu3NG2mVZ64kmTt7L3ULokkg3I0TMpp1jOImOdp83B2ygh6pDqwbAe0blMRmb5tD26vbqmWSVXXRmfPD5AuG1L-E5cvbLRG4vk2X7j~fuC4W0pIncO2UXS~uDyGki95X2dbMlqFxEq8ptvxKum6Ak8VZ8UVAroYyuXVoega~Dp7pzUiV9sxlvbTHvNXBR9HRWRlR3eUk1sXGZVV8gG8LWSfCY8feh8Q-3l-6CKQlFSh28oWf8NZrvRnh~KzvICrpTuayYKT0gyiRtGPKhQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Story County, Iowa","date","2025-02-04T18:16:34Z","article","Story County supervisors opened a public hearing Feb. 4 to receive comment on a proposed vacation of a short stretch of Maple Avenue (also referred to as Bridal Road) in the unincorporated town of Fernald.

County staff member Darren Moon said the county had authority under a code section to establish, alter or vacate roads and reviewed steps taken so far, including installation of drainage tile and required notice to abutting owners, the Iowa Department of Transportation and utilities. “Any abutting landowner can file a claim for damages up to the date of the hearing,” Moon said, describing the administrative timeline and noting that the board may adopt a resolution to vacate the road at a later meeting.

The roads work that prompted the vacation followed recurring drainage problems. Resident John Hunter said water had pooled in the ditch for years and recalled outreach and work done in 2019: “I live to the South of Maple, and I’ve lived there quite a few years … Nothing was done until 02/2019.” Hunter said the county installed a solid pipe to move surface water into an existing county tile but that related work another property owner expected was not completed.

Other residents asked about tree removal and stump cleanup. Resident Charlene Jarbo asked whether closing the road would include removing remaining stumps and filling ditches. Moon said the county had contracted to remove some trees and worked with a utility to trim trees under power lines but that stumps remained. “If the board wants us to go back and remove stumps, as part of this vacation, we could do that,” Moon said.

Dale Jarbo asked that remaining stumps and tree remnants be removed and that heavy-equipment ruts be repaired; he told the board the condition had interfered with deliveries. Supervisor Linda Merkin, who visited the site with county staff, thanked staff for prior work on the ditch and said she supported addressing remaining stumps if Alliant Energy did not identify the trees as a utility hazard.

Moon told the board he would accept written objections or claims for damages through the end of the day and would return a resolution for the board to consider at the next meeting. He described the typical claims as those filed when a property would be landlocked and a new driveway or bridge would be required, but said such claims are rare.

No formal action was taken at the hearing.

The board will consider a resolution to vacate the roadway at a future meeting; residents seeking to file claims were told to submit them by the stated deadline.

Ending: County staff will return to the board with the formal resolution and any submitted claims; residents asked staff to revisit stump removal and to coordinate with utilities on tree hazards.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","February 4, 2025 Board of Supervisors Regular Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","Story County supervisors opened a public hearing Feb. 4 to receive comment on a proposed vacation of a short stretch of Maple Avenue (also referred to as Bridal Road) in the unincorporated town of Fernald.","taxTitle","taxId",4974,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},6355304,"Votes at a glance: Story County supervisors adopt agenda, approve minutes, personnel actions and consent items",23,402000,425000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2218767-377546dc8f3d629dbf392dfadd4e62f7&start=402&end=425","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2218767-377546dc8f3d629dbf392dfadd4e62f7/thumbnail_402000.jpg","/articles/6355304/Story-County/Iowa/Votes-at-a-glance-Story-County-supervisors-adopt-agenda-approve-minutes-personnel-actions-and-consent-items","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6355304-ca8b5eb2d77386d912d683f26aaca636/orig.mp4?Expires=1777334879&Signature=c3cGntnfpLZWbmskra8NlC05E5~03KdGJFkelBEdn6~nNO5IeGCQgH2LSXT29Lga9kff~BfSjo~lt6~NBdnuVJzsuFzfhzzV2KExE4m8jUXnaP2jLR5Ynb2jQQ2WEsm5uYH~XxQSUo9zsf5d6oCkCPT1R521cxLMfBNiLI~OXUDghB5xJAjkzqZjaZvUKUy8Xx4DdxGd4BtRy5qUKCftECD1E-kq1mdfC1qsb0-u8SAgVxYpseFAUxcLeeTgjEGcMpcPBHkSMo7kbbVd8YTfWM8jJw8ivBmIEOIUCFI0K6DuAs3s7PRjOdwLHbRZfWUrQMv1ODVKpl40BOzVY3f3EQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Story County Board of Supervisors recorded the following routine approvals Feb. 4.

• Adoption of the meeting agenda: Motion made and seconded; vote recorded as Supervisor Merkin, aye; Supervisor Basil, aye; Supervisor Edens, aye. Outcome: approved.

• Approval of minutes (as presented): Motion made and seconded; vote recorded as Supervisor Basil, aye; Supervisor Merkin, aye; Supervisor Edens, aye. Outcome: approved.

• Approval of personnel actions: Motion made and seconded; vote recorded as Supervisor Merkin, aye; Supervisor Basil, aye; Supervisor Edens, aye. Outcome: approved.

• Approval of consent agenda (as presented): Motion made and seconded; vote recorded as Supervisor Basil, aye; Supervisor Merkin, aye; Supervisor Edens, aye. Outcome: approved.

These items were routine procedural approvals; no separate discussion or amendments were recorded in the transcript. The meeting proceeded to public hearings, departmental reports and other agenda business.

Ending: Supervisors closed the meeting after liaison reports and announcements.","At its Feb. 4 meeting the Story County Board of Supervisors adopted the meeting agenda and approved minutes, personnel actions and the consent agenda. All routine items were approved by roll call; no recorded dissent was shown in the meeting transcript.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},6355309,"Story County General Assistance reports 36 households served in Oct–Dec quarter; staff tracking over-income denials",236,1987000,2223000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2218767-377546dc8f3d629dbf392dfadd4e62f7&start=1987&end=2223","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2218767-377546dc8f3d629dbf392dfadd4e62f7/thumbnail_1987000.jpg","/articles/6355309/Story-County/Iowa/Story-County-General-Assistance-reports-36-households-served-in-OctDec-quarter-staff-tracking-over-income-denials","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6355309-f585657627e84e0c821ab4aa348db62e/orig.mp4?Expires=1777334879&Signature=LL8yqi5FpA4XkLAspv4vxcMurIo~vzzYf8a1bU6i~DokOh57h4ynZNMfaYRJdQMvjNBhvkML~wTYwO9ZNFEfapwEyu43w4InJ20zxpXp40ZhpgfvTy1CiOO61JC59fTnImMq1T0J7lidPsAKT8Y6zoFrw1y0ZLirZtpTfafLpW9gbZquspmreMmFiBSWuha7oh6iIDQD9u6n1iIwQFIayLOpskhXm-pMpBisJLA96Z9msCeEgLjkbq9K4Q2sHfTBemZz-nL~L7HeH7f-fzgulGisFaETGBXu7ARRjOZJmGTh1t7Lk7COZCwb5mQdM8yC8k5IS6snO9Yfm2rH90G0-Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Erin Reewert, Story County general assistance, presented the department’s quarterly report covering Oct. 2024 through Dec. 2024 and summarized caseload, applications and denials.

“Total households that we assisted during that time were 36,” Reewert said. She reported 288 applications for the quarter and noted the department recorded 249 denials during the period; Reewert said December and January are typically slower months.

Reewert described staff work to compare Story County’s guidelines and manuals with contiguous and similarly sized counties. She said staff have begun tracking denials specifically for being over-income beginning in mid-November. “The ranges on those are anywhere from $20 to $3,000 at this point,” she said, and added that single-factor over-income denials accounted for about 39% of denials in the quarter while multi-factor denials were about 27%.

She also reviewed veterans’ assistance activity, including an outreach event held at Christ Community Church that draws vendors and information for veterans and spouses; staff and supervisors praised the event’s accessibility and vendor participation.

Supervisors thanked Reewert for the statistics and the outreach work. Reewert said staff will continue to collect comparative data and refine demographic and denial-tracking to inform policy discussions.

Ending: Staff will continue the county’s comparative review of practices in peer counties and report back with additional months of denial-tracking data.","Story County General Assistance presented its quarterly report for October–December 2024: 36 households assisted, 288 applications, and staff are tracking denials for being over income and other reasons to compare with peer counties.",{"_33":99,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":100,"_41":101,"_43":102,"_45":103,"_47":104,"_49":105,"_51":106,"_53":107,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":108,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":109,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},6355313,"Story County approves ordering wheeled excavator after repeated repairs to aging machine",226,2244000,2470000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2218767-377546dc8f3d629dbf392dfadd4e62f7&start=2244&end=2470","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2218767-377546dc8f3d629dbf392dfadd4e62f7/thumbnail_2244000.jpg","/articles/6355313/Story-County/Iowa/Story-County-approves-ordering-wheeled-excavator-after-repeated-repairs-to-aging-machine","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6355313-d9e371b5fb5f05069ffbfc052fce4766/orig.mp4?Expires=1777334879&Signature=iD7oYcsfJrGuLjrxKSRxi1Sk4AmP5EqM9tso2dF747BfmEF56WPAygSQJcpEKe8SQ5F8teGdRTFLara0jA5DoQQqrm0mtbePYwGgt0DSJr7dYJok4u8gccIypeGXf00lwUOgBoioImFMF0Lcrhowq2TTQDQh7ZZFHU2Egv-vcqtif6kzvpAC-tTp7HMG3wXNTkIW5tDRi35rtRteQ6XJ0oARou7nN7InMf8YTCDPoOJjke2hYnP1pLWwRN5IdWvNK9EPM9iOXPHF6e17LJx6lbU3hySEyZ7EHCpGK5bQpFKUvRdunULfhiHUo-TVtUxfmZ1BW7fMtZvNqAsdevK4sw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Story County supervisors voted Feb. 4 to approve ordering a new wheeled excavator that county staff said is needed after repeated major repairs to the current machine.

County staff member Darren Moon told the board his department’s current John Deere excavator is about 14 years old and has been heavily used year-round. “We have had two $20,000 repairs in the last two years,” Moon said, and the machine recently suffered a broken front bucket that would cost about $25,000 to repair. He said there is typically a five-month waiting period to receive a new machine.

Moon asked the board to allow staff to place the order now so the machine could arrive in mid-summer; he said payment would be due on delivery and thus would likely be charged to fiscal year 2026. “On delivery. So more than likely, it'll still come out at FY26,” Moon said.

Supervisors moved and seconded approval to place the order. The recorded vote was in the affirmative: Supervisor Hazel, aye; Supervisor Linda Merkin, aye; Supervisor Edens, aye. The board did not approve immediate payment; Moon said the purchase will be included in the department’s FY26 budget request and staff can adjust other equipment requests if needed.

Moon said the county could continue to operate the existing machine with a less-capable bucket until the replacement arrives but that long-term maintenance costs have been high. He said cumulative repairs on the aging machine have exceeded typical expectations for its service life.

Ending: Staff will place the order and return budget documentation in the FY26 budget process; the new machine is expected to arrive after the standard lead time and payment will likely be booked to FY26.","Supervisors voted to approve ordering a new wheeled excavator to be paid out of the fiscal 2026 budget after staff described multiple large repairs and a five-month lead time. Payment will likely fall in FY26; staff said the county can still use an older bucket until delivery.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Story County holds public hearing on proposed Maple Avenue/Bridal Road vacation in Fernald

Votes at a glance: Story County supervisors adopt agenda, approve minutes, personnel actions and consent items

Story County General Assistance reports 36 households served in Oct–Dec quarter; staff tracking over-income denials

Story County approves ordering wheeled excavator after repeated repairs to aging machine