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Roof installation priority one at Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Director post may be filled in April

T-R FILE PHOTO The local Veterans Memorial Coliseum is without a roof from the July 19 tornado. Additionally a sprinkler head was broken, causing water damage inside. Roof and other repairs were discussed by the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Wednesday.

An update on filling the vacant Parks and Recreation director position and post-tornado clean-up and repairs to Marshalltown’s venerable Veterans Memorial Coliseum, were central to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board meeting Wednesday in city council chambers.

City Administrator Jessica Kinser, and Parks and Recreation managers Jenny Hart and Brad Weuve gave key reports due to the resignation of Parks and Recreation Director Anne Selness last month. Selness left to become city administrator in Spring Grove, Minn.

In her report, Kinser said City Human Resources Director Jill Petermeier is getting information from Hart and Weuve on day-to-day activities.

Urgent matters are handled by Kinser.

Filling director position

Kinser said monitoring clean-up and repairs to the Coliseum was top priority and filling the position not as urgent.

She told the board she expects the city to advertise for applications in December, with interviews possibly taking place in January. It is possible the successful candidate would start in April.

Kinser emphasized there is no set time frame.

Having a candidate with aquatic center experience and being a certified pool operator would be an asset, Kinser said.

“Those are some of the things we are working through, looking at data and evaluating operations this past season of the aquatic center may all factor in when we prepare a job description,” Kinser said.

No salary range was discussed publicly with the board.

Coliseum

Shortly after the July 19, EF-3 tornado Kinser said the Coliseum suffered more damage than any other city-owned facility. Water from a broken sprinkler that ran for nearly 20 hours immediately following the tornado filled or nearly filled two basements in the 91-year-old building.

“There was four feet of water in one basement,” Kinser said.

Kinser said water to the broken sprinkler could not be turned off immediately by Marshalltown Water Works because that utility had many pressing demands immediately following the tornado.

Next was scheduling structural engineers to assess if the structure on the National Register of Historic Places was structurally sound. Two structural engineers confirmed it was, Mayor Joel Greer told the city council in July. However, due to significant water damage and mold, many areas of the building – including the Blue Room and gym floor – were gutted by a company specializing in disaster remediation.

On a positive note, Kinser said the city had insurance replacement value on the building, meaning improvements for the building suggested by a citizen’s task force working with a Des Moines-based architect may become a reality.

She cautioned the board, however, that the city has directed contractors to get the building “water tight” as soon as possible. Consequently, installing a roof on the building is a top priority, with crews engaged in that effort now.

The roofing company has asked the city not to schedule any tours of the building until the roof is completed.

“We are hoping to schedule tours of the Coliseum for city council, Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, and others in October,” Kinser said.

She said the city may have a cost estimate in October from insurance companies for all Coliseum damage.

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the advisory board will be 4:15 p.m. Oct 17. Location to be determined. For more information, contact Parks and Recreation, 641-754-5715.

Contact Mike Donahey at 641-753-6611 or mdonahey@timesrepublican.com

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