Several projects being completed in Royal

Above-normal temperatures have permitted several maintenance projects by the City of Royal to either be completed or still done this winter.

With no snow to plow, city employees Sherman Nielsen and Lance Kruse have tackled tree trimming and removal at the site of a proposed street near the Great Hall of Royal. With trees removed there as well as at Memorial Park, stumps remain and Nielsen suggested they be taken out while the ground is dry and frozen.

“Stumps from those we cut last winter weren’t done in the summer,” Nielsen explained. “One tree at the Great Hall is a big one. We’ll need bigger equipment.”

Council members discussed whether the city should rent equipment and have Nielsen and Kruse do the work, or hire a removal firm to complete the task.

“The guys who do it all day would be quicker than renting something,” said Council Member Matt Goyette. “Those guys aren’t busy right now and maybe they’re looking for work.”

Nielsen was asked to contact contractors and decide which offered the best proposal for stump removal.

“If they can get it done yet this year, that’s great,” said Mayor Josh Toft.

• Storage building remodeling

Nielsen and Kruse have been cleaning out buildings at the park, including a Quonset that can be used to store city equipment. Nielsen recommended that a block divide wall be removed, a large garage door be installed on the east end and doors on the opposite side be braced to prohibit entrance.

“I would like to see it done, if the weather holds,” Nielsen said. “All that will be usable space.”

Removal of the divide wall that goes to the peak will “take a little time,” Nielsen said, although he does not feel that debris removal will be difficult.

Council Member Jeff Van Westen suggested the east opening be large enough for the city’s needs.

“My idea would be to put in as big a door as we could,” he said.

Nielsen will investigate the cost of installing a 10-foot door and framing the space above which would be covered with metal.

The council also discussed Nielsen’s suggestion to remove curbing around the athletic track. He said it would make mowing easier and less time-consuming. The surface would be sprayed to keep weeds down. The consensus was to wait until next year to decide.

• Grant applications, appointments

The city will fiscally sponsor the Royal-Clay-Lincoln Fire Agency’s grant application to the Clay County Community Foundation. If awarded, funds will be used to purchase equipment for the department.

The application process for a second grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency is underway. City Clerk Barb Fletcher said there was a delay in getting Royal’s account established. Planner Cara Elbert, of Northwest Iowa Planning and Development, is working on the application.

Upper Des Moines Opportunity submitted a request for funding during the next fiscal year. According to UDMO, the agency served 51 individuals in 26 households during the 2019-20 cycle. The cost of those services to Royal residents was $14,689. The $400 amount approved by the council is the same as the city is contributing this fiscal year.

In other business, Council Member Arlene Wimmer was reappointed as representative to Northwest Iowa Solid Waste Agency with Goyette again being the alternate.