Afton reviews blizzard response

AFTON - Following a blizzard which hit Iowa overnight Tuesday, March 4, Afton was left with a unique problem. Half of the city was without power, and with freezing temps and ice on county roads, travel to other areas was discouraged.

During a meeting Tuesday, March 11, the Afton City Council reviewed their procedures for extreme events like last week’s blizzard.

When the sun rose the day following the blizzard, power was still out for a large portion of the city. The city was able to convert the Afton Community Center, located on the west side of the park square, into a temporary warming center for those affected by the outages.

Despite the work to set up the center and a notice on the city’s Facebook page, no Afton resident arrived to use the center.

The set-up for the center revealed issues with how quickly the city could use the community center to respond to a crisis. Some supplies, including cups for coffee and water, were not available in the center itself and had to be transported from other places, such as city hall.

While reviewing the city’s policy on storm shelters, the council noted how East Union Elementary is designated for extreme storms as a tornado shelter for Afton. However, the board clarified how this designation did not include snowstorms or blizzards.

The last time the plan was reviewed, which designated the shelter at East Union, was in May 2015. The council agreed to review policies with the school and to further establish the community center as an acceptable shelter.

Still, the response to the outages was seen by the city as potentially lacking, with stronger procedures needed if a more extreme storm were to devastate the city.

“If it had been two or three nights, and the temperatures were like that, homes wouldn’t stay at 60 degrees,” council member Kristie Nixon said. “What’s our protocol, what do we do?”

The council also noted how the city’s support list of individuals on oxygen or CPAP machines was incomplete at the time of the blizzard, with multiple being added after they called during the outage. If an outage were to occur to an unlisted individual on these machines, it could have unspeakable effects if they did not receive the support they need for their health.

In other Afton council news...

Ernie Abel spoke during the council’s public forum. He requested for the city to clarify what constitutes a business under city code for the park square. Abel has said an unused building on the square, the old Amos Grocery building, has a few potential buyers. But, those buyers were discouraged due to the limitations of the city code.

“I might call it a business, but you guys might not call it a business,” Abel said. Interest for the building, including converting it into an Airbnb or housing an internet hosting company, has been limited due to confusion around the classification.

A bid was approved for street repair at three areas of the city by Feldhacker Contracting LLC. These areas include a portion of East Fillmore Street, the east side of the intersection of Fillmore and Webster Street, and a portion of Railroad Street by the co-op.

Some members of the council lamented repeated repairs to roads which are worn down faster by the frequent presence of commercial vehicles. Concrete will be used for all three areas to create a lasting road.

Payment for travel was approved for training programs for two city employees, City Clerk Kayla Lacina and Utility Clerk Crystal Thomas. Lacina will head to Ames from June 9-12 for the Iowa Municipal Professionals Institute, and Thomas will head to Ankeny on April 21 and 22 for the Iowa Municipal Utility Clerk’s Conference.

Mayor Michelle Burger proclaimed the week of April 5-11 as “week of the young child,” celebrating the nurturing of new life in Afton while showing appreciation to the new Infant Toddler Center by the East Union Early Childhood Center.

A public hearing has been set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 25 to discuss the proposed tax levy for fiscal year 2026. The levy rate will increase this year.

A discussion to set up a shading area for the park square splash pad was held. The shade area would only be available when the splash pad is open (from Memorial Day to Labor Day).

The council approved a new livestock permit. The council approved reimbursing one applicant for work done under their exterior beautification grant.