Federal District Council to consider river work and utility deposits | News, Sports, Vacancies

The Des Moines River project and an agreement that could help secure a federal grant for a new recreation center are on the agenda for today’s Fort Dodge City Council meeting.

The meeting will begin at 5:00 pm at the Municipal Building, 819 First Ave. S. with updating information about the Beacon of Hope shelter. Beacon of Hope is a homeless men’s shelter at 1021 First Ave. N.

The next business meeting of the council will begin at 18.00 in the municipal building.

During this session, the council will consider contracting for additional marinas that would extend into the Des Moines River. A series of six jetties were built near where Little Dam once stood.

Fort Dodge-based Doyle Construction offered a seemingly low price of about $1.4 million for the project.

Also on the agenda is a proposed agreement between the city and the privately owned Fort Dodge Community Recreation Center. The agreement establishes a framework under which both organizations will apply for grants under the federal Inflation Relief Act to pay for construction of the new recreation center.

Building a new recreation center has been a goal for more than a decade. At the same time, new centers were proposed at First Avenue South and Sixth Street, as well as in the 900 block of First Avenue South in connection with the planned redevelopment of Warden Plaza and the construction of a multimodal transportation center.

The council will also consider increasing the deposit fee new residents must pay when signing up for water and sewer services. Since July 2003, this fee has been $100. The council proposes raising it to $200.

Under the proposal, the reconnection fee charged to customers whose water service was shut off due to unpaid bills would increase from $60 to $105.