GRUNDY CENTER- For the second time in the last three years, the Grundy County Board of Supervisors voted to reject a proposal for a four-unit housing development on a gravel road between Dike and New Hartford during its regular meeting on Monday morning.
Jamie Fettkether, the developer behind the proposed project, did not attend the public hearing in the third floor courtroom, and all of the correspondence that County Auditor Rhonda Deters received, including phone calls, letters and e-mails, indicated opinions against the development. The public hearing, which lasted less than 10 minutes, featured speakers who were all opposed to it.
Reasons cited for opposition included congestion along the gravel road, preserving farmland, traffic, dust and potential pollution, and after the public hearing, the supervisors offered their own opinions on the matter. Supervisor Jim Ross, who was the lone yes vote and also supported the project in 2018, asked why homeowners who had already built in the same area were telling others that they couldn’t do the same.
Board Chairwoman Barb Smith said that while she generally supported development, she didn’t feel that it made sense on a gravel road several miles from any incorporated area.
“There’s no one who’s more pro development than me, but I think you have to develop appropriately. And I don’t think it’s appropriate to encourage subdivisions on gravel roads,” Smith said.
Supervisors Chuck Bakker and Mark Schildroth, both of whom opposed the project the last time around, reiterated their previous positions, and Supervisor Heidi Nederhoff joined them to make the final tally 4-1 against the project. The board then voted 4-1 to affirm the Planning and Zoning Commission’s recommendation to deny the project, with Ross dissenting.
Assistant County Engineer Steve Cox provided an update on several projects including flashing signs and rumble strips at two locations, the Dike Fire Station intersection and the T-29/D-55 intersection known as Kitzman’s Corner. The board accepted a quote for $38,333, which was just under the initial $39,000 estimate.
Schildroth asked Cox about the potential for rumble strips at the intersection of D-35 and W Avenue by the Catholic Church north of Reinbeck due to a recent accident, and Cox said a traffic study would likely need to be conducted first.
Ross also inquired about County Road S75 along the Grundy-Hardin County line and when it might be resurfaced.
IN OTHER BUSINESS, the board:
· Approved the Iowa Economic Development Authority Community Development Block Grant program contract.
· Approved a resolution adopting a code of conduct for the officers and employees of Grundy County, a resolution adopting a lobby policy governing the lobbying of HUD and Department of Commerce personnel, a resolution establishing a policy prohibiting the use of excessive force, a resolution adopting a procurement policy, a resolution adopting an equal opportunity policy for Grundy County, a resolution actively promoting fair housing, a resolution adopting an anti-residential displacement and relocation assistance plan, and a signature authorization for alternate signators.
· Approved the resignation of Dennis Kiewiet as a Palermo Township trustee.
· Approved a State of Iowa 509A certificate of compliance.
