T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY The Center Street Viaduct, pictured, has been closed since April for repairs. During last Tuesday night’s meeting, the Marshalltown City Council proceeded with installing black chain link fencing around the viaduct at an additional cost of $109,000.

After discussing the matter at some length during their previous meeting, the Marshalltown City Council voted unanimously to proceed with a chain link fencing around the Center Street viaduct last Tuesday night.

City Engineer Ben Daleske came before the council and recounted his recent conversations with Boulder Contracting, noting that removing the painting and sandblasting of the original railings as initially planned would reduce the overall contract by $290,000. He felt that keeping the sandblasting and painting in was still the best option.

After several back and forth questions between Daleske and councilors on what was being decided, the engineer sought to clear up confusion and said that if the contractor replaced the railing in areas where it’s rusted out, they would seek to replace it with the same material. Councilor Jeff Schneider told Daleske he wanted to see chain link fencing because residents were “tired” of hearing about attempts to repaint the railing.

“Let’s put up chain link and move on for at least 15 years,” he said.

Councilor Gary Thompson said the addition to the contract would amount to a cost of $109,000 for the chain link fencing, which he predicted would be much less than the painting and sandblasting.

“As much as I love history and I love the antique look of that railing… I’m telling you, black chain link, extra high where the (Union Pacific) wants it, six feet or 10 feet like what’s on the 3rd Avenue Viaduct,” he said. “I’m past the point of trying to get this taken away from Boulder. We’ll pay them the extra $109,000. We scrap the railing. We make $20 off of it at Gervich or we sell it to people who want souvenirs.”

Daleske then interjected that Boulder would take the railing itself, and Thompson reiterated his request for chain link before fellow Councilor Mark Mitchell agreed — with the caveat that it should be put out for bid separately.

Schneider motioned to move to chain link, and after it was seconded, public commenter Linda Clark commented that the council should “do it right the first time” to avoid paying for it again later.

“We can’t just be putting Band-Aids on stuff anymore. We’ve got to do it right, guys,” she said.

Doris Kinnick agreed that anything other than chain link was a waste of time, and Leigh Bauder asked questions about whether the chain link fence would stop cars that hit it. City Administrator Carol Webb said it was similar to what they have on other bridges.

The chain link motion passed by a unanimous 7-0 vote as a discussion item, so it will now come back in the form of an official business item at a later meeting.

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Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.