The Manchester City Council met Monday night, holding a public hearing on improvement plans to the Manchester Public Library parking lot.
The library will be replacing and expanding the current parking lot, increasing the number of parking stalls from twelve to approximately 31 – including two handicap parking spaces. The improvements also include reworking the front sidewalks to bring them up to ADA standards, creating two driveway entrances to incorporate a drive-up drop-off and adding green plantings and a stormwater retention area.
The project is expected to be done this summer. The Council awarded the contract to Tschiggfrie Excavating for just over $147,000. The stormwater retention area will cost an extra $17,000, but the City Council approved that addition because it can be entirely paid for with money the City saved from a past grant.
In other Manchester City Council news, the Shelly Park Redevelopment Project is moving forward. City Manager Tim Vick has met with ECIA, Iowa Economic Development Authority, the architect and contractor on the Shelly Park Redevelopment Project. Vick says the meetings were positive and they were able to find solutions to keep the project on track after a setback was discovered last month regarding the grant requirements. The contractor could start work as early as April 3rd. Eighty percent of the project needs to be done by May 29th.
The City Council reviewed the City audit for the past fiscal year. Vick says the City was noted in several areas, including segregation of duties and preparation of financial statements. He says those issues are noted for most smaller cities like Manchester due to smaller staffs.
And the Council approved a Downtown Incentive Grant for Sam Milroy at Honey Creek Furniture and Flooring. The downtown business plans to use the $2,400 grant to purchase materials for new flooring on the first floor of their store.
