Home Care In Ely, IA

Nearly two-thirds of voters opposed project

Marissa Payne

ELY — Ely voters soundly rejected a $7 million bond referendum for a new Community Center — a facility that would have housed City Hall, the public library and recreational services.

The new facility, proposed to be built where City Hall currently sits at 1570 Rowley St., off State Street, was intended to be more noticeable for residents and visitors, accessible to trails and other amenities.

The bond issue failed with 61 percent of votes opposed, according to unofficial results.

In Iowa, bond issues — basically, loans that cities take out, typically for 10, 15 or 20 years — need approval by at least 60 percent of voters to pass. Voters must agree to repay the bond with interest through their property taxes.

Officials estimated property taxes would have increased, at most, $300 to $480 a year, depending on the assessed value of a resident’s property.

City Administrator Eldy Miller said he anticipated the vote would come in closer than it did, but residents showed they want more information.

He said the committee leading the charge on the project would assess a path forward and continue to engage residents. Miller said Ely is a growing community and unique in lacking a community center.

“As we grow, it’s going to become a higher and higher priority,” Miller said.

Before determining whether or not to proceed with the project or how, Miller said he wants to reconnect with the city council and with the project committee.

Sign up for On Iowa Politics

Subscribe now and receive a roundup of Iowa politics news sent directly to your inbox.

“It’s an opportunity for us to take a pause here for a moment, really evaluate this and make sure what we’re doing is what the majority of residents of Ely want,” Miller said.

The library would have been given more space — keeping its food pantry and including a room with the capacity for 500 people that the public can rent for special events. There was a proposed walking track, workout area, exercise classes, senior activity space and gym space that could be converted for pickleball, volleyball, basketball and more.

Residents would not have had to pay to use this facility and could have signed up for free memberships and access to the Community Center through 24/7 access cards for areas such as the walking track, gym and fitness area, according to the city website. It was planned to have monitoring systems for after-hour use.

Comments: (319) 398-8494; [email protected]

Facility would include City Hall, library, recreational services

Marissa Payne

ELY — Residents of Ely will be asked on the Nov. 7 ballot to consider supporting a $7 million bond referendum for a new Community Center — a facility with three uses that would house City Hall, the library and other recreational services.

Located where City Hall currently sits at 1570 Rowley St., off State Street, City Clerk Tara Miller, the interim city administrator, said that would make the facility more noticeable for residents and visitors — near downtown, accessible to trails and other amenities.

Miller said city officials have worked for a couple years to get the community's insight in surveys on what residents want in a facility. A special committee with representation from the library, parks and recreation and the city administrator came up with the community center.

“Love the history of our old school house, but it would take a lot of money to make it (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant and just updates that need to be done to the building,” Miller said. A 2022 city needs assessment found City Hall needs about $1 million in upgrades to bring the building up to code.

If approved in November, officials estimate property taxes would increase, at most, $300 to $480 a year, depending on the assessed value of a resident’s property.

Facility plans call for indoor track, gymnasium

Residents have wanted a walking track and a gymnasium, and the library needs more space, Miller said. She said other communities have seemed to have success with dual-use facilities.

The library would maintain its food pantry and a room with the capacity for 500 people that the public can rent for family gatherings and reunions or other special events. In addition to the walking track, there would be a workout area, exercise classes, senior activity space and gym space that can be converted for pickleball, volleyball, basketball and more.

Residents would not need to pay to use this facility and could sign up for free memberships and access to the Community Center through 24/7 access cards for areas such as the walking track, gym and fitness area, according to the city website. It would have monitoring systems for after-hour use.

Children under a certain age would have to be accompanied by an adult to use the facility. Other gym users of the gym who are not residents would need to pay for their membership or use of the facility.

“We thought that it would be a great opportunity for us,” Miller said.

A 2021 city needs assessment found the current 5,000-square-foot library should be 18,500 square feet to support the community’s growth needs, as officials project the potential to reach 3,000 residents by 2028 — an increase of about 30 percent.

There also is a demand for more space for events and programming. According to the city website, outdoor recreation program attendance saw a 60 percent bump from 2017 to 2022, and a 168 percent increase in library program attendance from 2015 to 2019. There have been 402 new library programs and 80 new recreation sessions offered, and 35 annual community events.

If bond passes, fundraising would follow

Miller said officials estimate it will take about a year for fundraising to secure additional money through grants or private contributions for what may be needed beyond the $7 million. Miller was unsure what that gap may be.

If approved, the project would be bid and construction would begin in mid-2024 after design and construction documents are finalized following the vote.

Crews would tear down the current City Hall building and take out the tennis courts next door. The facility would go on that land because the city owns this property, Miller said, or else the city would have to acquire other land. A nearby garage would be renovated into a temporary city office during construction.

After the existing structures are cleared, Miller said it would take about two years to build the new facility, until late 2025 or in 2026.

If the vote does not pass, according to the city website, the committee “would regroup to amend the scope of the project in preparation for a new referendum vote for residents.” Referendum votes can only take place in November in odd years.

More project information is available at www.elyiowa.com/city-updates/pages/community-center.

Comments: (319) 398-8494; [email protected]

First Presbyterian Church near Ely, Iowa, installed a solar array on Monday. The 26 panels will benefit the church for the next generation and beyond for the standard purpose of converting sunlight into electricity.

For a church congregation, though, the purpose expands beyond the basic science, and for First Presbyterian Church, solar energy is about ecological stewardship. Surrounded by great oak trees, a stream, field and meadows, the church is in the center of some of the most beautiful agrarian landscape of Iowa.

“The congregation has deep agricultural roots in Century Farms within the community,” southeast of Cedar Rapids, said the Rev. Dr. Julie Schuett, pastor of the church since 2009. “The timing of the solar project synched with the estate gift of a congregation member. Their experiences with solar installation were successful and they were driven to impact the church ministry and annual budget with this ongoing gift.”

The conversation about solar energy began after several church members installed their own panels at their homes and farms. In cooperation with a local hardware store and Alliant Energy, the project was funded in memory of a member of the church by her family.

The congregation has deep Czech roots, Schuett explained. It was founded by five Czech families who emigrated to Iowa. The church was an independent congregation, which called the church the First Bohemian and Moravian Brethren Church when it began in 1868. Ninety years later, the congregation voted to join the Presbyterian denomination.

First Presbyterian Church near Ely conscientiously strives to build good practices concerning its agricultural and conservation land, Schuett said. Church members and friends have established a native prairie meadow and hosted beehives and is planting an orchard consisting of 15 fruit trees. Members and friends also monitor water usage and erosion into South Hoosier Creek.

Established two years ago, the prairie meadow is run in cooperation with Pheasants Forever, an organization that works to preserve land for wild birds and grassland animals.

“I often refer to agricultural references and themes in the Scriptures,” Schuett said. “Much of Jesus’ teaching and ministry occurred in the countryside. A great number of his parables and illustrations speak to the agrarian community.” “During coffee hour,” Schuett added, “common topics of conversation concern the weather and the crops.”

“This congregation actively works for meaningful and responsible environmental use of church property,” Schuett said. “It is uniquely positioned as a thriving rural church.”

by First Presbyterian Church near Ely, Iowa, Special to Presbyterian News Service

SOLON - There are a lot more cyclists cruising around Solon this summer with the paving of 6 miles of trail between Solon and Ely.

Mitch Corcoran, 55, and Ben Walker, 55, high school buddies from Mount Vernon, rode 14 miles from Cedar Rapids to the Big Grove Brewpub in Solon on Thursday for a sour and a Moscow mule. After cooling off with drinks on the patio, they hopped back on their bikes for the ride north.

'It's an easy ride and beautiful countryside,” said Corcoran, who already has ridden the newly-paved path several times.

The Johnson County Conservation Board paved the 6-mile stretch of the Hoover Trail in May, said Brad Freidhof, conservation program manager. Crews will continue to do soil work and plant a permanent prairie mix or turf grass in the fall, when the weather is cooler, he said.

The project cost was $6 million, including $2.8 million in federal and state grants, he said.

The only part of the trail that isn't done is an underpass planned just north of 140th Street NE, which should be completed in 2021 or 2022, Freidhof said. Until that's done, cyclists must ride across 20 feet of gravel to cross Ely Road NE to another segment of paved trail.

'It wasn't really an issue,” said Brian Richman, 54, of Iowa City, who rode the trail for the first time Thursday. 'It was lovely, especially when you get a little north of here out in the tall grass prairie.”

Eastern Iowa cyclists have been waiting for completion of this stretch of trail, regarded as the missing link in a network eventually stretching from Iowa City to Cedar Falls.

The Hoover Trail becomes the Cedar Valley Nature Trail at the Linn County line and cyclists riding all the way from Solon to Cedar Rapids can find many places to stop for a beer, a sandwich or a creamy cone.

Sign up for Daily News

Subscribe now and receive the latest local news delivered to your inbox every day.

'We get the majority of the bikers in here between 11 and 1,” said Kenzie Sparkman, an assistant to the managers at Dan and Debbie's Creamery in Ely, which sells handmade ice cream, cheese and butter.

Dan and Debbie's is on the portion of the trail that's been complete for years, but Sparkman said they've seen an increase in bike business since the new segment opened from Solon. 'The bike trail has really helped us and other small businesses get through his tough time.”

Bicycle riding is booming as a way to get exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic while keeping the risk of exposure low. Freidhof, who was out working along the trail this summer, has seen families, single riders and groups pedaling the new path.

'With the cancellation of RAGBRAI and the Iowa's RIDE this year, no county fairs, parades, or community events I think people are enjoying staycations and using local trails, parks, water trails and other outdoor recreation to fill the vacation and sports voids in their lives,” he said.

Comments: (319) 339-3157; [email protected]

State environmental regulators recently issued three fines for unabated soil erosion at construction sites that contaminated creeks in different parts of the state.

“Sedimentation of Iowa’s waterways is a serious problem, and regulatory agencies have recognized that uncontrolled runoff is a significant contributor to these problems,” according to three recent orders by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources that levied the fines.

Two of the violations were noted at housing developments on each end of the state, and one was found at a sewer construction site in Ely in eastern Iowa.

Century Heights development

In one case, at a Century Heights development in Bettendorf, the DNR documented numerous deficiencies in soil erosion controls over the course of about seven months, according a DNR order.

In December 2021, the DNR investigated the eastern Iowa site and found that a sediment basin that is meant to contain stormwater runoff had been partially dismantled and allowed runoff to flow toward Pidgeon Creek, which goes to the Mississippi River.

It further noted that silt fencing had been overcome by sediment and that part of the fence had apparently been flattened by construction equipment, which had also been driven through the creek.

In March 2022, the DNR found that work had been done to remedy the runoff problems, but that water discharges from the basin were flowing on unstable ground toward the creek. There was a plume of sediment in the creek.

In June 2022, the DNR documented numerous areas of silt fence that had been knocked down or driven over. Century Heights recently agreed to pay a $5,000 fine.

City of Ely

In Ely, the city failed for more than a year to adequately control stormwater runoff associated with a sewer construction site near a creek, according to a DNR order.

Responding to a complaint about the situation, the DNR went to the site in January 2022 and found two silt fences covered in soil and discovered that no one had been inspecting the site for erosion problems.

In February 2023, the DNR responded to another complaint and found that there were no erosion controls in place at the site and that sediment was going into a tributary of Hoosier Creek.

The city recently agreed to pay a $4,000 fine.

Golden Hills development

In March 2021, the DNR went to a Golden Hills development in Crescent after receiving a complaint about dust blowing from the site. It found sediment had discharged from a basin into a ditch that flows to Lapworth Creek, a terrace that had breached and that the site was missing multiple erosion controls, according to a DNR order.

Within days, Golden Hills said it had repaired a silt pond and terrace, installed new terraces and put up about 600 feet of silt fence. But later that year, someone reported that a roadway had been flooded with silt from the site more than once and that the sediment had filled a highway ditch.

The DNR visited the western Iowa site three more times that year and noted that erosion controls were still inadequate. The department returned to the site in August 2023 and found that some of the erosion controls needed repair, sediment was still flowing off the site and there were areas that had not be stabilized.

Golden Hills recently agreed to pay a $4,500 fine for the violations.