T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY — From left to right, Councilor Barry Kell, City Clerk Alicia Hunter, Mayor/Acting City Administrator Joel Greer, City Consultant Cindy Kendall and Councilors Mike Ladehoff and Greg Nichols look on during Monday night’s regular meeting.

Momentum surrounding the potential completion of the 34-mile Iowa River’s Edge Trail from Eldora to Marshalltown continues to build, and it got another boost in the form of a $250,000 contribution from the Marshalltown city council during Tuesday night’s regular meeting.

As previously reported in the T-R, the city of Marshalltown is the lead applicant on a $12 million federal Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program (ATIIP) grant that, when paired with $7 million in contributions from governmental entities and private donors, would allow for the full paving of the trail running from Steamboat Rock to Eldora (which is already paved) down to Gifford, Union, Liscomb and Albion before ending in Marshalltown and connecting to the existing trails within the city.

With a motion and second on the floor to approve putting the $250,000 in Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) monies that were already allotted for Iowa River’s Edge Trail development and improvement toward the grant application, Councilor Mark Mitchell asked where the funds would be pulled from and, if it was pulled from another source, how it would be replaced.

City Consultant Cindy Kendall said it could be considered a “leverage point” for the other partners involved in the application to help get them over the finish line in securing the federal grant.

“And yes, the city will be the lead applicant on this, but there were no other funds that were designated at the (previous) meeting on May 13,” Kendall said.

Councilor Jeff Schneider, who also serves as the president of TRAILS Inc., encouraged the rest of the council to vote yes and called the contribution “a really good investment.”

“This trail will be a great catalyst for Marshalltown. It will make other things happen that won’t happen otherwise, so I think this is a rather modest investment to get that kind of asset in our town,” he said.

Fellow Councilor Barry Kell recalled recent trips to Iowa City, Des Moines, Council Bluffs and Bentonville, Ark., and he had utilized the bike trails in all of those communities.

“All those trips included gas, food, restaurants, hotels. I just think it’s a big opportunity for our community, and people do travel to ride the trails,” he said. “I would also encourage support of this.”

T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY — Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce Tourism Director Dylan Does speaks in favor of a motion to contribute $250,000 to a federal grant for the Iowa River’s Edge Trail during Monday night’s meeting.

Dylan Does, the tourism director for the Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce, touted the economic potential the trail could bring, citing the example of Winneshiek County in northeast Iowa more than doubling their tourism dollars from $28 million to $60 million in about three years after a major trail enhancement project.

“With the supplemental businesses and things like that, those are the types of numbers that trails bring, and I know (from) being at the Iowa Trails Summit this year, hosting year, the trails community is very excited for what the Iowa River’s Edge Trail can be,” he said.

After Mayor/Acting City Administrator Joel Greer cracked a joke about the rolling hills in the Decorah area, the council voted 6-0 to approve the contribution as presented.

Council approves tax credit application for ‘market rate, pet friendly’ apartment project

The item before the trail contribution on the agenda concerned the council offering its support for a Workforce Housing Tax Credit application for two 30-plex market rate, pet friendly rental units in the southwest part of town near the Village Cooperative on West Merle Hibbs Boulevard.

Tailwind Capital Partners LLC is the Des Moines-based developer behind the project, and Chamber President/CEO John Hall happily stepped forward to the speaking podium to offer more details on the project Tuesday.

According to Hall, the complex would be aimed at a “younger professional” demographic and would consist of two-bedroom, two-bathroom units with hardwood laminate flooring and granite countertops. The pet friendly aspect, he added, is a key selling point.

“This is bringing another product that we really don’t have. We’ve got some variety in this space. We’ve seen the Crosby Park development and now the Creekside Estates, which has more of that townhome feel. We’ve got some upper story apartments downtown, but in the true multi-family development, we’ve not seen a lot that hasn’t been at the low-income or taken advantage of low-income tax credits,” Hall said. “This is gonna be a true market rate, multi-family development. Again, one of the products that we’re missing is pet friendly in that space. That’s something we hear a lot about from some of our employers when they’ve got new folks coming to the community, and so we’re excited about what this product might be able to bring us.”

He also noted that the developers have already made contact with the residents at the Village Cooperative to ensure that what they bring is “appropriate for the neighborhood.”

Councilor Gary Thompson asked for clarification on the exact location of the project, and Hall commented that the long-term hope was to connect Merle Hibbs all the way out to 12th Street. A motion to support the application passed unanimously, and Greer called the project “pretty exciting.”

In other business, the council:

Approved an amendment to the agreement for professional services with Stanley Consultants for the South Center Street viaduct improvement project.

Approved the status of funding update for an Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) Community Development Block Grant disaster recovery housing project for the construction of a 30-unit apartment building at 1807 S. 7th Ave.

Approved a resolution to approve the FY25 consolidated transit funding application for the Marshalltown Municipal Transit Program.

Approved an amendment to the 28E agreement between the city of Marshalltown and the Marshall County Communications Commission (MCCC) for the lease of space at the police/fire building located at 909 S. 2nd St. by a 5-1 vote, with Councilor Gary Thompson opposed.

Passed a resolution approving the HUD Section 8 rent assistance program administrative plan and Public Housing Authority 5-year plan.

Approved the consent agenda as listed.

Approved a new alcohol license for Mariscos El Capitan 2 at 903 W. Lincoln Way, which is set to open early next month.

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Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.