Council delays decision on purchase of Shady Bend site for public works after residents raise traffic, well and neighborhood concerns

The Verona Common Council on Oct. 13 voted to fund a short update to a Department of Public Works facility needs study and to postpone any purchase decision for a proposed public works site at 6500 Shady Bend Road until the preliminary study is returned.

Why it matters: Councilors said they want objective, updated information about facility needs and property suitability before committing public funds and altering neighborhood land use. Neighbors said the proposed site could increase heavy-vehicle traffic, threaten private wells and change the rural character of the area.

Council action: The council approved Barrientos Design and Consulting to perform Task 1 only — an update to the city's facility needs study — for a not-to-exceed amount of $16,105, with a six-week schedule and a preliminary report in about four weeks. Alder Tucker Long said capital funds are already budgeted to cover the study.

A motion to postpone any decision on acquiring property at 6500 Shady Bend Road until at least the preliminary results are returned passed on a voice vote. The motionmaker said the intent was to avoid purchasing property before the updated needs assessment is available.

Resident concerns presented to council: David Sidmore, who lives at 6485 Shady Bend, urged an assessment of traffic and safety related to construction and large vehicles entering from Highway M, saying the road lacks shoulders and has heavy through traffic. "It sounds like a very bad idea to me to have salt trucks and other heavy equipment trying to come off of Highway M crossing oncoming traffic to get onto Shady Bend," Sidmore said.

Janet Nordorf, speaking for a neighborhood petition with 18 signatures, asked for a transition area between the proposed site and existing homes and listed concerns about noise, fumes, tree removal, wildlife impacts and property devaluation. "We are families and members of the community who value rural living, a quiet space, nature and limited traffic," Nordorf said.

Staff and committee context: Public works committee members reported that phases of existing projects have changed the city's space needs (the yard waste drop-off has grown from an expected quarter-acre to about five acres), making an updated needs study necessary. The committee recommended funding the shorter update rather than the larger three-task study; the shorter scope was chosen because staff said they already have inventory information and need current space and demand data.

What happens next: Barrientos will deliver a preliminary report in about four weeks; the council directed that the acquisition discussion be held after that preliminary result is available. The councilor who made the postponement motion said he will return the item to the agenda after the study is delivered.

Ending: Councilors said the city's growth and public works needs make a decision urgent but argued that up-to-date analysis should guide any property purchase.