By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
The July 27 meeting of the Panora City Council was held with two council members (Mark Sheeder and Tom Flanery) absent. The council heard from David Hardisty, who had requested a hearing about the nuisance notice in regard to his property at 410 East Market St. The matter was first discussed by the council at the previous regular meeting.
Hardisty explained that for the past few years, he has been working to create a pollinator garden at his property. He said part of the process is periodic cataloging of what plants are present.
“I’m at 98-ish or 97% pollinators,” he said. “So, I guess my confusion was on the noxious weed complaint.”
Hardisty went on to explain that he also relies on the plants to help keep his basement from taking on water. He said sunflower plants in particular hold a lot of water, and he has seen a great reduction in water seeping into his basement since he added the pollinators.
The council chose to take no formal action until the full council can be present, but Hardisty agreed to work on tidying up the area so it have more “curb appeal.” The council also suggested possibly having a sign installed identifying the area as a pollinator garden. The full council will review the matter again after Hardisty makes a few changes.
Jotham Arber addressed the council with a request from the Panorama Soccer Club. He said the fields cover an area of approximately five acres and need a significant amount of water for the grass to grow adequately. He said approximately 200 to 250 kids participate in soccer there annually. Arber asked the city to consider allowing a well to be drilled there to supply ground water for watering the fields.
After discussion, the council approved the request.
City Administrator Lisa Grossman noted that even though the city did not come out ahead financially on RAGBRAI, the loss was minor and well worth the benefits to the community.
“That was a big success for the community. Based on the expenses we had and the revenue, we’re about $816 short,” she said.
The next regular meeting is set for Monday, Aug. 10 at 5:30 p.m. The public is welcome. Interested persons may attend in person or electronically by visiting the website https://meet.goto.com/cityofpanora or by phone 1-312-757-3121 (Access Code 295-099-701, Audio PIN 220#).