Spring is in the Air!

Sometimes I can't believe how fast time flies. I cannot believe that winter is already gone and spring is here. We had a relatively mild winter with only a couple of major storms. That is fortunate for our city, since it saved on the snow removal budget.

Now that spring is here, we see construction activity returning. The city is making repairs to the 800-900 block of East 4th Street and on the south apron at the airport. We are also working with Iowa Homeland Security and FEMA in the managing of the properties the city purchased through the buyout program. There will be at least a couple of new parks created through this process, so please get out and enjoy them!

We also see a lot of activity downtown. The other day I heard the comment that if you want a store front downtown, you better hurry! We see businesses filling empty storefronts and buildings being rehab. There is continuous traffic downtown on weekdays and on the weekends. A new restaurant is planned and a bakery will be opening soon.

We have also noticed some increased interest in home building and additions. During my first couple of years here, we were seeing 10-12 new houses being built each year. Last year, we only had a couple largely due to the recession. This year we have 3-4 in the planning stages already.

Our town meeting for the comprehensive plan is on May 3 at 7:00 PM at the Vinton-Shellsburg High School Commons. The high school is located on 21st Street. We want the plan to be representative of the community as a whole. In order to accomplished that, we need you to attend this meeting. We will be talking about the future of the city and what you would like to see happen.

City Starts Comprehensive Plan Process--Seeks Name

Do you ever feel you don’t have a say in the future development of Vinton? Would you like to express an idea or opinion when it comes to looking at the future of your city? Well, here is your chance to express those ideas and opinions.

In November 2010, the City of Vinton was awarded a 50 percent matching Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) through the Iowa Department of Economic Development (IDED) to complete a comprehensive plan. The city will be undertaking the process beginning in February 2011 and is currently seeking possible names for the process of developing this plan.

So, what is a Comprehensive Plan, also referred to as a “comp plan”? A comp plan is a plan that serves as an overall guide for the future development of Vinton. It covers many different areas, including, but not limited to, economic development, housing, the future layout of streets, and the location of parks and trails.

According to Chapter 414 of the Code of Iowa, the comp plan serves as a guide for the zoning and development of city. Vinton has zoning, but never had completed an actual comp plan. This was legal since case law has determined that a comp plan is not required. However, it is certainly prudent to have such a guide for future growth and development.

The lead committee will be the planning and zoning committee, as required by state law. However, public input will be sought through a survey and at public meetings and hearings. There will be a core planning committee, established by the City Council, consisting of the Planning and Zoning Committee and several other members from other parts of the community, such as developers, industry leaders, and community officials.

The process of putting a comp plan together takes about 12 months to complete. Some of the work has already been completed since we had a visioning program four years ago called Vinnovation. A master trail system plan has been developed and a Great Places application with ideas for a park by the Cedar River Bridge is also in the works. Instead of having several different plans with ideas spread out all over, this plan will serve as a central depository for all these ideas and visions to assist the city leadership when it plans for future development and prepares its annual budget.

If you have an idea for the name for the city’s comp plan, please send me an email at alent@vintoniowa.net.

Budget Time Again

Now that it is November, it is time again to start looking at the budget for the next fiscal year that starts July 1, 2011. I am glad that there won't be any major projects dealing with flood recovery from the 2008 flood. We are finishing some things such as the neighborhood historical survey and nomination, obtaining an aluminum barrier system for the flood protection wall around the main sewer lift station and the development of the greenspace from our recent buy-out acquisitions. I wouldn't look at these as flood-recovery projects, but rather development projects that will improve the image of the city and help prepare for any future flooding.
One major project that we expect to undertake is the development of a comprehensive plan. A comprehensive plan is just what the name implies. It is a plan that looks at several different components in the city (housing, land use, etc.) to guide future decision making when the city leaders planning and prioritizing future funding. One of the key factors in a successful plan is public input. We hope that many residents and business owners will become involved in the development of the comprehensive plan so the city leaders will have a clearer idea of what is desired by the residents. Please watch for notices of future public meetings and get involved in this effort!

Another Page Turned

Today, the last of our buy-out houses from the Flood of 2008 was demolished, in effect, turning another page in the recovery from that devastating event. The picture that is included with this entry is where the house that was located at 101 West 2nd Street once stood. The building once housed a bait shop and antique store. This property, along with other properties to the west of it, will be brought together to form a new riverside park next to the Cedar River bridge. It will be a wonderful location to relax and enjoy the outdoors. It is also within easy walking distance from the downtown area. A great welcoming site for visitors to our city.

Investing in Economic Development

The picture that is included with this blog is the downtown building where the Vinton Eagle office was located and in previous years was home to other businesses including a pool hall. The building received extensive damage in 2006 when the neighboring American Legion Hall burned down. The previous owner was unable to make repairs to the building due to other personal commitments. A new owner recently took over and, under the title of his development company, has made significant repairs and improvements in just the past few months. Just in time, too. Cedar River Ink was looking for a new home and took up residence in the building. Several other office spaces will be available at this location on the first and second floors. The improvements that have been made to this building are a good indication of the steps forward that the City of Vinton has been experiencing in economic development.

A Once in a Lifetime Adventure

Residents of the Vinton Community have always felt a deep connection to the historic Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School. There will be some legislation soon to change the focus of the school and move away from its residential program. Recently, some students from the Braille School were given an airplane ride at the Vinton Veterans Memorial Airport. This was a great service by the pilots who offered the rides - giving the kids an experience that few of us would even realize they would enjoy. To see the story about the rides, click here.

Planning for the Future

This past legislative session, the state legislature passed a bill that was promoted by the Rebuild Iowa Office (RIO) and called for local government to use 12 smart planning principals when planning for development. Because of this, the RIO is making a grant available to share in half of the cost for a comprehensive plan using these principals. Comprehensive plans are, by definition, comprehensive and cover a lot of areas in a city when it plans for future growth.

The City of Vinton is looking at several economic development opportunities. The chance to develop a comprehensive plan could not come at a better time for us. We will involve the general public in the plan development, but the planning process will largely be governed by our planning and zoning commission and city council. Look for advertisements about future community meetings about this plan. It will be your opportunity to help guide our city in the direction you feel it should grow.