Decorah council tables Hively Street improvement award after debate over lane width and parking

Decorah City Council on Monday opened a public hearing on the proposed Decorah 2025 Hively Street improvements and then voted to table formal award of the construction contract to April 7 so staff can study a narrower design and potential parking changes.

The project, as bid, would fully replace pavement and underground utilities on Hively Street from near College Drive to Mill Street and add a 10-foot multiuse trail on the north side. City staff said the lone bid, from Skyline Construction Inc., was $2,837,105.22 — $67,105.22 (2.4%) above the engineer’s estimate of $2,770,000.00. Staff recommended award but acknowledged recent public comments asking the council to reconsider the proposed curb-to-curb width and parking layout.

The hearing drew one public commenter, Veronica Remick, who identified herself as the owner of Kingpin Entertainment Center at 2036 Grandview Road. Remick told the council the roadway’s existing width allows drivers to pull over to yield for emergency vehicles and warned that narrowing the street could create turning and safety problems for customers and first responders. “Please don’t change the width of that road,” she said.

City staff and the project engineer reviewed the design and…