After much discussion about the Osceola Fern Underwood Family Aquatic Center (swimming pool) and whether or not it will be open this year, the Osceola city council approved 4-1 on March 5 that it will be open; councilman Thomas Bahls voted no.
Background
On Feb. 20, the council voted 3-1 to not open the pool, with councilman Dr. George Fotiadis voting no and councilwoman Sonya Hicks was absent. The reason for the discussion this early in the year was due to a pool renovation project that has been ongoing, which includes a new pool shell. Currently, the pool does not have a shell, and the company that will install the new one needed to know by March 1 about whether or not the pool would be open so that they could get Osceola on their calendar. In order for a new shell to be properly cured, it has to be filled quickly with water weight.
The pool takes approximately 250,000 gallons of water to fill, and uses about one-million gallons over a season. Osceola has been under Section 3 of a water conservation ordinance enacted by the Osceola Water Board of Trustees since last fall.
On Feb. 23, Mayor Thomas Kedley vetoed the council’s decision, directing city staff to “exhaust all possible options before the March 1st deadline to proceed with the aquatic center rehabilitation.”
Discussion had been held previously about trucking in water, or the
possibility of moving water from other sources in Osceola to West Lake, pending Osceola Water Works and Iowa DNR approval.
On Feb. 27, a special meeting of the city council was held to discuss the pool, at which point the council voted 5-0 to overturn the mayor’s veto.
City staff were at that time directed to continue seeking authorization to move water from Grade Lake and Q Pond to West Lake, as well as communicate with the Water Board to see if the pool fell under the “general welfare of the community” portion of the conservation ordinance.
Discussion on water use also included the Osceola Municipal Golf Course.
Correspondence
On Feb. 28, Osceola City Administrator Ty Wheeler sent a letter to the Osceola Water Board of Trustees and Osceola water superintendent Brandon Patterson to relay the previous night’s discussion and requests.
On Feb. 29, Mason T. McCoy, counsel for the Osceola Water Works, sent a letter back to City of Osceola, stating that if the council were to determine that both the pool and the golf course were important to the general welfare of the community, the water board would have no objections to the city using water for those purposes.
The city was also encouraged to look into using gray water for the purposes of irrigating the golf course.
On March 1, Kedley issued a mayoral update to state the city had received the letter from the water board, and had been in communication the pool rehabilitation contractor, who extended the project deadline from March 1 to March 6. A final decision was then to be made at the March 5 city council meeting.
March 5
At the March 5 meeting, the council voted on resolution 2024-07, which determined that “municipal water use for the Fern Underwood Family Aquatic Center helps maintain the general welfare of the community by providing essential quality of life opportunities…” and that the pool may open for the 2024 season, with city staff to continue pursuing moving water from other raw sources to West Lake to help offset city use.
The plan remains truck water from Grade Lake and Q Pond to West Lake, pending DNR approval.
Other council news
Council approved 5-0 the third reading of the ordinance amending the park and recreation board and golf course management commission. The parks and rec board shall now serve as the golf course management commission, with all meetings to include the business of the golf course.
A public hearing was scheduled for March 19 for the purposes of amending Chapter 106.07, Collection of Solid Waste - Collection Fees.
The public is invited to speak at the meeting, or may submit their comments in writing prior to meeting to City Hall.