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Alton hires disaster consultant, advances flood repairs and approves storm siren repairs
Summary
The council approved a contract with Veenstra & Kimm for disaster consulting, reviewed FEMA coordination and approved a quote to repair the Roadside Park storm siren as part of a broad set of flood-recovery actions; staff reported multiple separate projects are moving toward engineering and bidding.
City Clerk/Administrator Dale Oltmans told the council on Aug. 13 that city staff have been coordinating with FEMA, FEMA Environmental, FEMA Mitigation and the Iowa Department of Homeland Security (IDOHS) on flood recovery and funding processes.
Oltmans said staff completed and uploaded required policies and a funding agreement and participated in an August recovery scoping meeting. He said the scoping approach treats each repair area (for example, wastewater bypassing, debris removal, lift station repairs and generator replacement, lagoon repairs, 3rd Avenue temporary repairs and total reconstruction, Garfield Street bridge repair/replacement, electric and gas utility repairs, and equipment repairs) as a separate project, each requiring separate documentation and environmental review. Oltmans reported lagoon repairs are underway but contractors are waiting for geogrid supplies, and that DGR prepared a field report recommending full removal and concrete replacement of 3rd Avenue with mitigation features including a wider concrete shoulder and riprap on the embankment.
To support recovery work, Council Member Jorgensen moved and Council Member Mulder seconded approval of a consultant contract with Veenstra & Kimm, Inc.; the motion passed, ayes 5. The council also approved a quote from Blue Valley Public Safety, Inc. to repair controls on the Roadside Park storm siren (motion by Plathe, second by Kleinhesselink; ayes 5).
Oltmans said the city is pursuing short-term financing with American State Bank, Ahlers Law and Piper Sandler & Co. to cover immediate flood-related expenses while the reimbursement process proceeds, which he said could take two to three years. He said engineering and topographic surveys for larger street reconstruction projects will take a couple of months, with plans to bid work in the off-season to seek more competitive spring construction bids.
Why it matters: The council’s consultant contract and approvals advance multiple recovery projects that the city expects to document separately for FEMA and IDOHS grant funding. The short-term financing step is intended to bridge a multi-year reimbursement timeline.
Next steps: Staff will continue to work with FEMA and IDOHS on documentation, environmental compliance and project-specific engineering and bidding.
