Waterloo council adopts housing plans, awards multiple contracts and orders ballpark feasibility study

The Waterloo City Council approved a package of plans, contracts and funding measures at its regular meeting, adopting the Waterloo Housing Authority’s five‑year plan and administrative rules, awarding multiple local contracts for abatement, janitorial and maintenance services, authorizing development incentives for infill housing, and directing a feasibility study on whether to renovate Riverfront Stadium or build a new ballpark.

The housing action was a formal adoption of the Waterloo Housing Authority’s five‑year annual plan, the 2025 administrative plan and the 2025–2029 Admissions and Continued Occupancy Policy (ACOP). Lakeisha Beasley, executive director of the Waterloo Housing Authority, said the plans govern how the agency administers programs such as the Housing Choice Voucher program and manages Ridgeway Towers, the authority’s public housing for older adults. “These plans cover the programs that we provide…the administrative plan outlines what we will be doing,” Beasley said.

Council members also authorized several construction and service contracts. The council awarded an asbestos‑abatement contract to All Star Environmental of Dubuque for $26,883 for work at three properties identified in the bid packet (listed in the vote record). City planner Eric Schroeder told council All Star is a newer contractor but that the city had used them on multiple projects and that prior project issues were not determined to be All Star’s fault. Two of the properties to be abated are owned by Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity; the council will use nuisance‑abatement funds for those, Schroeder said, while one property identified for abatement is city‑owned and will be paid from TIF funds.

The council approved a janitorial contract for the Waterloo Regional Airport with Perfection PWS of Hopkins, Minn., at $6,500 per month for regular service plus alternates for window washing and carpet/tile cleaning. It also awarded a levy riprap spraying contract to Landmark Turf Services for $54,208 and approved additional professional and equipment purchases: a GIS digitization contract with the University of Northern Iowa GeoTree Center not to exceed $9,585; HDPE liner…