CITY OF LENOX

Due to the COVID- 19 Health Crisis, Lenox City Hall is closed to public access. This Council meeting was held electronically through GoToMeeting as allowed by Section 21.8 of Iowa Code. A regular meeting of the Lenox City Council was called to order by Mayor Douglas on June 8, 2020 at 5:30 p.m. with the following council members answering roll call: Bowman, Brown, Tull and Zabel; Cruz was absent. Staff present electronically was City Administrator, Allison Kitzman and City Clerk, Dawne Bowman. Colleen Larimer, Jeremy Rounds, Phil Parrott, Shari Burger, Lonnie Barker and Becky Smith were also present electronically.

Brown made a motion to approve the agenda, seconded by Bowman, all ayes, motion carried. Tull made a motion to approve 05/26/20 meeting minutes, seconded by Brown, all ayes, motion carried. Bowman made a motion to approve the payment of the bills, seconded by Brown, all ayes, motion carried. Tull made a motion to approve the May 2020 Clerk Treasurer Report, seconded by Brown, all ayes, motion carried.

A discussion was held on Dalton Ag TIF. Kitzman provided the council with different options for the Dalton Ag TIF funds, such as the City not giving any TIF funds, the City giving 30% of the TIF funds, 40% of the TIF funds, and 50% of the TIF funds to Dalton Ag. Bowman made a motion to approve Dalton Ag TIF at 40%, seconded by Brown. Roll call votes, Bowman- aye, Brown- aye, Tull- aye, Zabel- nay. Motion carried.

Tull made a motion to approve Dally Post Saloon LLC Class C liquor license with Outdoor Service and Sunday Sales, seconded by Zabel, all ayes, motion carried.

Kitzman discussed the Park/Pool and Rec Board's recommendation to open the pool for the 2020 season. Brown mentioned all the rules that would be in place would make it risky to open. There was a discussion on certification of guards, as currently only 4 guards are certified. The Mayor talked about lessons, with Brown commenting that it would be impossible to teach a child how to swim while social distancing.

At 5:45 PM Bowman opened the Public Hearing to discuss the status of the funded grant activity: building improvements to the Precious People Learning Center, aka Precious People, seconded by Brown. Kitzman read statements regarding the project, stating the project was considered 50% complete, with the HVAC system being 80% complete and the exterior work being 20% complete. Carruthers Plumbing and Heating received the bid for the HVAC system and J & N Stephens was rewarded the bid for the exterior work. The project is expected to be completed by the end of summer. Jeremy Rounds, with SICOG was present electronically to answer any questions. There were no comments heard from the public. At 5:48 PM Brown motioned to close the Public Hearing, seconded by Zabel, motion carried.

Mayor Douglas continued the discussion regarding the opening of the pool, talking about the shortened summer and the lack of certified guards. Kitzman added that the guards could all be certified by July and that the pool will be filled anyway, just to make sure it's operating properly. Bowman discussed utilizing this year for some maintenance. It was the consensus of the council for the pool to be closed for the 2020 season.

There was a discussion held on library repairs. Phil Parrott, with Shive Hattery was present electronically to discuss his report and answer any questions, stating no issues internally with the library; however, the exterior is in poor condition. Shive Hattery's report included repairing the exterior of the building, the roof and the windows for approximately $500,000. Parrott discussed priority items that could be removed from the project in order to get the costs down, such as removing the installation of a new ramp in the back, the roof, and the windows. Bowman discussed the facade needing fixed, but the dollar amount was important. Zabel discussed the possibility of using a different building. It was decided that this item will be on the next agenda so more of the council can be present.

Brown moved to adjourn the meeting, Tull seconded, all ayes, motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 6:10 P.M.