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$1 million parking lot moves forward

T-R photo by Thomas Nelson — Jessica Kinser, city administrator and council members enjoy a moment of brevity during Monday night’s meeting. The council approved construction work on a First Street parking lot.

The Marshalltown City Council approved a bid for nearly $1 million for the 1st Street parking lot repairs.

There were two other bids for the project, but Con-Struct, out of Marshalltown, had the winning bid of $961,594.50.

The other bidders had “irregularities” with their math, according to Justin Nickel, public works director. Both bids came right on the cusp of the city’s deadline for the project.

The project’s bid is about $20,000 less than the city engineer’s estimate.

The parking lot is planned to be made from concrete not asphalt, Nickel said.

T-R photo by Thomas Nelson — Bill Martin, city council member, wears a mask while he talks how his positive experiences with Marshalltown residents. The council met on Monday for regular city business.

The council also approved about $350,000 in grants to local businesses, including a $90,000 to Wax Xtatic LLC who has begun to prepare a new space on Main Street.

John Blabaum submitted an application for the Community Catalyst Building Remediation Program.

The grant is so Odds & Ends and Wax-Static Record Audio and Stereo business can move to a new location at 18 W. Main St.

“I’m asking for help because I’m not a rich guy,” Blabaum said.

He said the new building will be restored to its “old glory” and have a film and audio recording studio in its basement.

“I’m excited to make Marshalltown a destination for music,” Blabaum said.

Mayor Joel Greer was enthusiastic about the project.

‘You get a lot of out town visitors,” Greer said.

In other business the council waved the third reading for a new noise ordinance.

At their last meeting they passed a noise control ordinance because the previous one in the books was struck down by a federal court last year.

The ordinance would not affect firework noise, because the city has a different ordinance handling those complaints.

The city hasn’t had a lawful noise ordinance in the books because of a ruling by the U.S. District Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger in 2019. She stated that part of Iowa’s disorderly conduct law is unconstitutional and vague.

The previous law stopped people from making loud and raucous noise around residential or public buildings.

The Marshalltown Police Department has ordered a decibel meter to enforce the ordinance.

The council voted unanimously to approve the ordinance without a third reading.

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Contact Thomas Nelson at 641-753-6611 or tnelson@timesrepublican.com

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