The Pella City Council approved a contract for the Union Street reconstruction project at their meeting Tuesday evening. A public hearing was held to ultimately award TK Concrete and their $486,000 bid to improve the stretch from East 3rd Street to Morningside Drive, which includes a widening and recentering of the road, as well as new water mains, sanitary, and storm sewer lines. This could delay some other road improvements, as the current fiscal year budget for the project was for $341,250, but the bid came in more than $100,000 cheaper than the engineer’s estimate. It should be completed sometime this fall.

The council had several other agenda items, including a public hearing for approval of an $800,000 loan to fund water service improvements, as well as resolutions to adopt an amended wage scale, preliminary plats for Fountain Hills and Prairie Ridge expansions, and to schedule public hearings to convey property for Scholte Heights and accept bids for the Tulip Toren renovation project.

During policy and planning, the council discussed a partnership agreement with the Friends of the Pella Community Center — which they will formally approve at an upcoming meeting, and ambulance service to rural areas outside of the city limits. Ultimately, the council will wait until a consultant’s report comes in with recommendations on how to proceed on several aspects related to EMS locally.