T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY Marshalltown Parks and Recreation Director Geoff Hubbard addressed the city council with the latest updates on the water plaza project during Monday night’s regular meeting.

A familiar and controversial topic came back to the floor Monday as the Marshalltown city council considered and ultimately approved an amended agreement with Bolton and Menk for the design and construction of the Linn Creek Water Plaza.

According to the council packet, the agreement would increase the contract amount with the architectural firm by $226,400 to include construction design and bidding the project out, and Parks and Recreation Director Geoff Hubbard brought the audience up to speed on the latest developments as he stepped up to the podium first.

Hubbard said Bolton and Menk had “hit the ground running” after being chosen to design the plaza back in August of 2022 and surveyed public opinion before deciding on a final concept. He also noted the Destination Iowa grant Marshalltown secured earlier this year, which will provide a total of $2 million to four projects in the Linn Creek District, including $578,015 for the water plaza.

As the total estimated project cost of the water plaza is now just shy of $2.4 million, the city has committed $450,000 in General Obligation (GO) bond funding to the project, and a $100,000 Wellmark grant has been secured. That leaves a funding gap of around $1.25 million, which Hubbard indicated will need to come from private individuals and organizations.

“Now we’re to the timeframe where we need to get the construction documents out to bid, hopefully in 2024, so we can have it built by 2025 to meet the Destination Iowa grant funding source,” Hubbard said.

He estimated that the annual cost of operating the plaza once it is up and running will be between $20,000 and $40,000 with recirculating water, which would use about 150,000 gallons a year as opposed to some pass through systems that use as much as 3 million gallons annually. The most controversial aspect of the project has been the price tag, and Hubbard did offer some potential good news on that aspect when he reported that he had a conversation with an official from the Iowa Department of Public Health who said a UV filtration system in the circulating area could potentially remove the need for a shower in the bathhouse facility. In that case, the city would only be required to build a toilet, urinal and sink, and Hubbard estimated it could cut the price tag on the bathhouse from around $400,000 to somewhere closer to $150,000.

In response to a question from Mayor Pro Tem Mike Ladehoff, Hubbard said the state is considering moving toward requiring UV systems on new pool projects.

“It is fairly new. I know a lot of water treatment plants have been using it for maybe 10 years, but it is a newer system in the aquatics world,” Hubbard said.

Councilor Greg Nichols asked about the status of private fundraising efforts, and Hubbard said that while they have not commenced yet, he expects to put a committee together in the near future and apply for grants through Prairie Meadows Casino, the Martha-Ellen Tye Foundation and others.

When the floor opened up for public comment, Splash4Life Cofounder Leigh Bauder restated many of the concerns she has voiced throughout the process and noted that the original cost estimate for a splash pad back in 2017 was around $164,000. When the splash pad/water plaza project was added to the city’s Capital Improvement Plan, the estimate was around $500,000.

After pointing out the shortfall between the funding currently secured and the total price tag, she then asked Steve Storjohann of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee if he would help raise money and MARSHALLTOWN Co. President/CEO Joe Carter if he would be “coming to the table,” to which he responded “I always do.”

“My question is, can we cut back on a few of the extras and basically build in stages with in-kind donations? Splash4Life had several people that were willing to step up to the plate for in-kind donations, which were put on hold until we were on the CIP and until we had the 501(c3 tax exempt status),” Bauder said.

She added that she continues to struggle understanding how the city could justify spending so much on the project in light of infrastructure needs and high poverty levels. Bauder approvingly recalled a young girl who attended a previous council meeting to express her view that a “simple” splash pad would suffice.

“Let’s make this a community build. Let’s work together to raise the funds so we don’t have to go back to the public for another GO bond,” Bauder said.

Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce President/CEO John Hall said he would be spearheading the fundraising effort and cited the Destination Iowa grants as evidence that the state believes in the Linn Creek projects and wants to see them come to fruition.

“We’re asking for you all to continue advancing this. The city commitment of half a million dollars for this project is gonna leverage a project far beyond the half a million dollars utilizing some state funds, and we intend to kick off pretty aggressively with the solicitation of private funds to close this gap,” Hall said.

According to Hall, he is also working to set up a fund within the city’s parks and recreation budget to help with “continuation of some of the elements within the water plaza specifically” for long-term capital maintenance. Additionally, he indicated that the Chamber is willing to commit to five years of helping with maintenance in both the spring and fall.

“We firmly believe in this project. We’re excited to help carry it across the line, and 2025 is gonna be a very, very busy building year as we need to get all these projects done and completed by the end of 2025 or we lose all the Destination Iowa funds,” Hall said. “If we don’t get there, that would be very, very bad, so we intend to get there and we intend to get this across the line.”

Arts+Culture Alliance Executive Director Amber Danielson reiterated her support for the project, which she characterized as “transformational” and part of a larger creative placemaking effort. She noted that Iowa Economic Development Authority Director Debi Durham has spoken highly of the water plaza and borrowed a direct quote where she praised it as the kind of project that raises the profile of the state and draws visitors with memories to make and dollars to spend.

“The creative placemaking guided by extensive community engagement led to an impactful design that is inclusive and reflective of the diverse backgrounds and experiences of Marshalltown,” Danielson said. “What started as an interactive water feature quickly evolved into a unique experience and a gathering space with significant meaning and authentic reflection of our community. This effort ties directly to the Arts and Culture Master Plan, and the Alliance is eager to kick off the next steps of these projects in partnership with the city, Chamber and many others.”

Ladehoff commented on the ongoing efforts to build a water feature in the community and implored everyone in the room to come together to create something special.

“I have no doubt in my mind that this city can do and get that thing finished when we need to get it finished, and it’s gonna be amazing,” he said.

Doris Kinnick reminded the audience that the splash pad push originally started after four children drowned swimming in the Iowa River back in 2012, and she hoped they would be honored in some way at the new water plaza. A motion to approve the motion carried by a 5-2 vote with Councilors Gary Thompson and Al Hoop opposed.

In other business, the council:

Recognized Bev Worden for five years of service to the investment committee, Tonya Gaffney for five years of service on the library board of trustees, Steve Storjohann for five years of service to the parks and recreation advisory committee, Paul Peglow for 10 years on the civil service commission and Maureen Lyons for 25 years on the library board of trustees.

Approved the consent agenda as listed, with three items pulled for further discussion.

Went into closed session at the end of the regular agenda to discuss a matter related to real estate.