City to hear from Milestones senior advocacy group

FORT MADISON – A representative of a senior health and meal advocacy group will be giving a presentation to the Fort Madison City Council as part of the council’s regular agenda Tuesday evening.
Kelly Mahoney, a staff member from Milestones Area Agency on Aging, will be giving a report to the council on the agency's impact with local senior services. The group functions out of senior centers in Keokuk and Fort Madison, specifically the Newberry Senior Center in downtown Fort Madison.
The presentation comes in the wake of a town hall last week where Lee County Supervisor Tom Schulz talked about options for the building that houses the center going forward.
Lee County Supervisors are considering selling the building off a recommendation from a county building study committee.
The county has been evaluating what properties it currently owns that it may be able to divest itself of. A recommendation from the Iowa State Auditor’s office said the county should be charged property taxes on properties they own and lease or rent space in.
About 80 people attended the town hall where Schulz said he was supporting keeping the facility running because of the programming that takes place there for area seniors, but added that a fundraising mechanism needs to be put in place to help offset about $40,000 a year in annual costs to county taxpayers.
The upstairs of the building is rented to UFCW Union Local 617 at a current rate of $400 per month. An analysis of the building and its location said that rate should be closer to the $1,000 to $1,200 range. That analysis prompted the county to have its Building Study Committee look at the property and make a recommendation going forward.
Mahoney is just making a presentation and no action is scheduled.
City Manager Laura Leigois said the city hasn’t been engaged in any discussions about the local senior center.
"To my knowledge, the city has not been formally invited to a discussion of the Newberry Center’s future. There are many organizations that should be part of this discussion for the future of the Center and the services it provides for our senior citizens in the community."
Other action items on the agenda include:
• a permit and waiver of fees for the annual Fort Madison Lions Club Rodeo Pancake breakfast on Sept. 8 at the Fort Madison Airport from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.
• an ordinance rezoning 48th Street and Avenue H to B-2 Business District from R-6 Multiple-Family Dwelling District.
• the third and final reading on an ordinance rezoning properties in the 2300 block of Avenue G from B-2 Business to R-6, multiple family for a new housing project on the property.
• consideration of professional services agreements with Calhoun Burns & Associates for two bridge replacements, one on 3rd Street, and the other on Richards Drive.
• consideration of switching the mobile app service for reporting nuisance situations within the city to iWorQ due to subpar performance of the current app the city is using. The cost of switching is $7,000 annually, up from the $3,852 rate.