Mason City council to award second bid contract for arena

MASON CITY — Two major construction contracts for the downtown arena, as well as items dealing with the city’s future capital improvements plan and the High Line Trail are among the items on the agenda for the City Council in Mason City tonight:

 

== The council will be asked to approve the second construction bid package for the multi-purpose arena that’s part of the River City Renaissance project.

This bid package deals with the structural steel, concrete foundation and ice plant components of the center, which is being constructed in the old JC Penney’s location in Southbridge Mall. Dean Snyder Construction of Clear Lake was the lowest of three bidders for the general construction work at $4.86 million.

For the ice plant and floor work, Rink-Tec International of Little Canada Minnesota was the lowest of five bidders at just over $946,000, with an additional $85,000 for a voluntary alternative bid with that part of the project for dehumidification to bring their total bid to just over $1,031,000.

 

== The council will hold a public hearing and be asked to approve a five-year capital improvements plan. That plan calls for general obligation bonding of just over $30 million for various projects, including the $25 million worth of bonding for the River City Renaissance project.

Over $2.7 million in Water Fund projects are being proposed, the largest being the water meter replacement project. Other projects include the continuation of the sewer collection system maintenance as identified through the inflow and infiltration study, addressing drainage issues in the Eastbrooke and Plymouth Road areas, and the Winnebago River Dam Enhancement Project.

 

== The council is also being asked to pass a resolution supporting the city’s application for trail funding through the North Iowa Transportation Policy Board for the High Line Trail. The city is close to acquiring both sections of the trail, with several sources of grant funding being sought out to lower the burden on city resources.

Mayor Bill Schickel says this particular grant deals with the trail surface.  “The City Council will be asked to apply for better than $200,000. This is federal money for putting lime chip on a 10-foot-wide portion of the trail between downtown Mason City and near the Lime Creek Nature Center entrance up by 12th Street.” The city’s portion of the work would cost about $52,500.

 

The City Council meets tonight at 7 o’clock in the Mason City Room of the Public Library. Click here to watch the meeting