jfisher@timesrepublican.com
T-R PHOTO BY JOE FISHER
Michelle Spohnheimer, housing and community development director, and the city council recognized Esmeralda Armas and Geri Larson for years of service before Monday’s council meeting.
Marshalltown may be looking at a larger than usual fireworks display for the Fourth of July.
The Marshalltown City Council discussed how much it will put toward the city’s fireworks this year during a regular meeting Monday.
The city normally pitches in $5,000 every year but council member Gary Thompson suggested going bigger this year. He recalled voting “no” on fireworks funding last year.
“With the pandemic hopefully coming to an end, I talked to a fireworks commercial vendor and they said we could put on a heck of a show for $25,000,” Thompson said.
jfisher@timesrepublican.com
Kendig-Keast Collaborative presented plans to make Marshalltown’s zoning codes simpler to use for staff and for the public to understand during a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting Thursday.
City planner Caleb Knutson and Housing and Urban Development Director Michelle Spohnheimer have been meeting with the firm based out of Indiana since the fall. Representatives from the firm have also been meeting with community stakeholders and examining the city’s zoning ordinances and plans to create a comprehensive plan.
“Your comprehensive plan is the backbone for the planning effort of the city,” said Brian Mabry, principal-in-charge with Kendig-Keast.
jfisher@timesrepublican.com
T-R PHOTO BY JOE FISHER A construction crew for Johnson Construction based in Ames does foundation work on the Marshalltown Lofts project, 20 E. State Street, on Wednesday.
The city’s annual building permit summary showed the most activity in a decade in 2020.
The summer compiles data on the number of building permits issued and the valuation of those projects for the year. It includes alterations to existing dwellings, improvements, entirely new buildings and demolitions.
“We’ve had a lot of activity this past year, which is great.” said Michelle Spohnheimer, director of housing and community development. “A lot of it is in relation to recovery yet from the tornado.”
Joe Fisher
Marshalltown’s residents are being called upon to submit their ideas and opinions on the next phase of the Downtown Marshalltown Implementation Plan.
A short survey is open to the public to gain insight on the preferences of the community on issues such as one-way traffic, parking and streetscaping in the downtown region.
There is also an INPUTiD interactive map which can be used to highlight specific areas of concern and add comments. This may be useful for bringing attention to a broken-up sidewalk, pothole or a troublesome intersection.
The responses will help the city council and contractor Bolton & Menk understand how the public prioritizes downtown projects before moving forward with designs.