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Council authorizes fees, tree proposals and rebid to advance Longview Road Green Project
Summary
After homeowners requested limited easement-cost coverage, the council authorized payment of easement-review fees, directed staff to re-advertise the Longview Road Green Project and asked for proposals to remove large trees so required removal can be completed before April 1.
Missouri Valley city staff told the council they have narrowed outstanding issues on the Longview Road Green Project and recommended three steps to move the work forward: pay property-owner legal review fees for proposed easements, set a new bid date and solicit proposals for felling large trees that must be down before April 1 to avoid migratory‑bird restrictions.
Jake, a city staff presenter, said attorneys for affected homeowners submitted minor edits to the easement language and that the only remaining barrier was the owners' review cost — estimated to be under $1,000 though the exact amount was ‘‘not specified’’ in the update. He told the council staff had met with homeowners and believed resolving the easement legal review would allow easements to be signed and the project to proceed.
Council members discussed logistics and cost tradeoffs. Several members said paying modest attorney fees would be cheaper than letting the roadway and water-main issues worsen; one councilor noted that carrying the work out of sequence could raise future repair costs. The city also expects to re-advertise the project in late March or early April to attract larger contractors and better bids.
The council voted to: authorize payment of property-owner attorney fees for easement review; authorize the city engineer to set a new bid date and re-advertise the project; and authorize staff to request proposals for tree removal with the goal of having proposals for review at the first March meeting. The motion passed on roll call.
What happens next: staff will circulate a revised bid package, try to secure contractors for tree removal early enough to meet the April 1 objective, and return proposed easement agreements for filing once owners sign them. Councilors asked staff to provide estimated costs when fee invoices are received.
Provenance: Topic first introduced at the start of the Longview presentation and concluded with the roll-call vote and postvote scheduling discussion.
