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Residents press Pella council over delayed Lincoln Street work and Mullen garage leaks
Summary
During public forum residents criticized the ongoing Lincoln Street reconstruction for missed schedules, unsafe sidewalks and spotty contractor attendance and raised continued water infiltration near the Mullen parking garage; staff said phase one addressed transformer room flooding and that further repairs and product testing are planned.
Two public commenters used the Jan. 6 meeting to press the council on construction quality and lingering facility problems.
A resident who identified her address as 512 Lincoln Street described repeated delays in the Lincoln Street project, which she said was scheduled to start July 7 and originally expected to be complete Nov. 22, 2025 but remained unfinished on Jan. 6, 2026. She said workers once left her house without water for "almost 24 hours," praised a Garden Associates employee who provided temporary water, and said she discovered a worker had plugged an extension cord into her outdoor outlet to power equipment. The resident urged the city to prioritize hiring reputable or local contractors rather than always selecting the lowest bid, citing poor attendance and concerns about sidewalk safety and deep holes left on the route.
"I was without water for almost 24 hours," the resident said, adding that sidewalks between East Second and East First are currently unusable and that the project is "not even halfway done." She said the contractor has missed scheduled work days and asked the council to take contractors’ reputations into account on future procurements.
Separately, council and staff discussed lingering water infiltration at the Mullen parking garage. Staff reported that phase one—the membrane installation over the transformer room area—was completed and has dried the transformer room, but that the far east end of the garage still experiences leakage from a conduit tied to a nearby manhole. Mr. Young (staff) said the city has tried two different products and is testing a third; council indicated phase two membrane work could be considered during the spring budget discussions.
Why it matters: The Lincoln Street complaints highlight resident safety and service-disruption concerns during public works projects. The Mullen garage leaks involve potential property and service impacts for nearby hotel and garage users and could require additional capital work.
What's next: Staff said they will continue product testing for the garage leak and discuss potential phase two work during the next budget cycle; the resident’s complaints about the Lincoln Street contractor were recorded for follow-up and staff indicated they had spoken with the contractor and site supervisors.
