Marion City Council approves library generator, burn building and rezoning; hears encroachment request

Marion City Council on Jan. 23 approved three project-related measures and a rezoning ordinance and heard a public comment about a restaurant encroachment request.

The council voted to proceed with the Marion Public Library generator project and the Public Safety Training Facility burn-building package, approved the consent agenda (multiple resolutions), and gave second consideration to Ordinance No. 25-1 to rezone a parcel to SR-2 (suburban medium-density single-family). Council later moved into an exempt (closed) session to discuss collective bargaining under Iowa law.

The library project will add a generator on the library site and will remove two parking stalls to accommodate placement in the southeast corner of the property, city staff said. Mike (staff member) told the council the low bid came from Hawkeye Electric at $167,373.80 and that the city has a $100,000 grant to offset part of the cost (recorded in the meeting as “CDBD GR grama”). Mike said, “So this is adding a generator to our brand new library,” and recommended proceeding with the project. Council voted to approve the project calendar for the Marion Public Library Generator Project (Resolutions 32241–32242); the motion carried with one abstention.

Council members discussed details the installation will not include an enclosure. Mike said the $167,373.80 bid covers installation only and that options for screening or enclosure (including vegetation or a later in-house enclosure) will be reviewed; he also said the city’s budgeted estimate would cover enclosure costs though the memo was not in the meeting record. The bid and grant amounts were given during the staff presentation; additional procurement or contract documents were not read into the record.

On the Public Safety Training Facility package, Mike described two separate training structures: one for “theater smoke rescues” and the other that is an actual burn building for live fire training. “This one is more of an actual unit that they set on fire and do actual fire drills with,” Mike said. The council approved the project calendar for the burn-building package (Resolutions 32243–32244) by voice vote.

Council gave second consideration and approved Ordinance No. 25-1 to rezone property from Linn County Agricultural and Linn County Urban Services Residential District to SR-2 (suburban medium-density single-family). The ordinance applies to a parcel the staff described as northeast of Loud Park, south of Semoran Drive and west of North 10th Street; the applicant was listed as Mooney Engle Rick Rickliff's LLC. The action on second consideration was approved by voice vote.

The council approved the consent agenda items A1–F2 (Resolutions 32227–32239) and then approved a consent motion that included item E1 (Resolution 32240) with one recorded abstention earlier in the meeting. The meeting record shows the consent agenda motions carried.

During the second public forum, Kyle Franklin, identified himself as owner of Mix in Uptown Marion, told the council he will submit an encroachment request for two fans—described in his remarks as roughly 30-by-30 inches each—that would protrude into the alley between his building at 1138 and the adjacent Marion Antiques building. Franklin said the fans would be located roughly 10 feet above grade and that they are intended to vent minimal cooking vapors for a proposed Korean barbecue operation. “These fans are not going to be like a heavy grease exhaust fan,” Franklin said, adding he included specific measurements in the encroachment request he plans to file. The council did not take action on the encroachment at the meeting; Franklin said he expects the formal request to come to the council at its first February meeting.

The council ended the open session by voting to adjourn to an exempt session regarding collective bargaining as permitted under Iowa law (the motion cited section 20.173 of the Code of Iowa). A roll call in the meeting record shows yes votes from: Mister Jensen; Mister Harper; Mister Miskaman; Mayor (name not consistently stated in the transcript); Miss Menser; Mister Brandt; and Mister Sturnette. The exempt session followed the open meeting.

What the council approved at a glance: Resolutions 32227–32239 (consent agenda), Resolution 32240 (consent with abstention), Resolutions 32241–32242 (Marion Public Library generator project), Resolutions 32243–32244 (Public Safety Training Facility burn building package), and second consideration approval of Ordinance No. 25-1 (rezoning to SR-2).