Le Mars council approves Central Avenue, park design contracts; awards Centennial demolition, sets public hearings for development and drainage projects

Le Mars City Council approved multiple contracts and set public hearings Tuesday, advancing a neighborhood street extension, final design of municipal park renovations and the demolition of the Centennial Building while establishing hearings for planned commercial and stormwater projects.

The council voted to contract with ISG for professional services for the Central Avenue Extension in a not-to-exceed amount of $127,710 and separately contracted with ISG for final design and bidding services for municipal park renovations in a not-to-exceed amount of $525,000. Council members awarded the Centennial Building demolition contract to DeCarlo (DiCarlo) Demolition as the low bidder at $197,275 and confirmed that the demolition costs are eligible for tax-increment financing reimbursement. The council also set public hearing dates and bid schedules for the Southwest commercial development project (estimated at $3,476,329.50) and the Eighteenth Street Southeast drainage repair project (estimated at $155,000).

Why it matters: the measures move several capital projects from planning into design or procurement. The park work and Central Avenue extension are funded in part with local option sales tax and private donations tied to Le Mars’ Community Betterment 3 program; the commercial project is intended to be developed using a TIF district to recover infrastructure costs.

Central Avenue Extension and municipal utilities

Administration presented an ISG services agreement for design work on the Central Avenue Extension and said the agreement covers engineering to extend utilities and street improvements. A council member…