The Rotary Club of Perry, Iowa and the Perry Parks & Recreation Department have been working on the new Inclusive Playground Project!  Today, Thursday, August 24th, the equipment has been fully installed. 

The next steps in the process will be getting poured in place rubber. The Parks & Recreation Department will be coordinating the wood chip surfacing several days before the contractors arrive to pour the rubber. Following a brief curing process, the playground will be back open to the public.

Certain Motor Control Center (MCC) equipment production for the improvements project was delayed and Woodruff Construction received confirmation from the manufacturer on a production scheduled that did not include further delays. Since receiving the schedule Woodruff Construction requested a time extension under article 4.05-C of the Contract General Conditions for no change in contract price. Change Order #1 revised the contract time providing 190 day extensions to Milestone No. 1 Completion, Substantial Completion, and Final Completion, as follows:

The expansion of the Perry Municipal Airport by the relocation and construction of Runway 14/32, (400 feet west, to a length of 4,000 feet and a width of 100 feet) is underway.

Construction is will occurring in two phases, happening simultaneously. Phase 1 will include a new airfield lighting system consisting of medium intensity runway edge lights, navigational aids, and an electrical vault building. Phase 2 will incorporate a 1,500- foot extension for a Runway 14/32 length of 5,500 feet and converting the existing runway to a full-length taxiway. 

PROJECT BACKGROUND
Downtown Perry is home to a variety of arts, history, culture, shopping, and dining destinations. To keep the heart of our community vibrant, the City of Perry has established a Downtown Improvements Project that will enhance our downtown features for years to come. 

The Downtown Improvements Project is funded by in part by the Community Project Funding Grant ($1.9M), the Iowa SRF Sponsored Project Fund ($750,000) with future opportunities through Water Quality Initiatices (WQI) and the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG).

This summer marks the beginning of Phase I and will improve streets, intersections, public utilities, revamp the public parking lot at Warford Street and 1st Avenue.

PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
We look forward to discussing this project with you at upcoming engagement events as they are scheduled. Several different types of input opportunities are anticipated.

The City of Perry is able to utilize funds from the Iowa Department of Transportation to replace the 100 year old bridge over Frog Creek on Willis Avenue.  The project has been awarded to Elder Corporation based out of Des Moines.  They are planning to begin this work March 12th dependent on weather, they will be closing down Willis Avenue at that point.  Their initial schedule shows the work will last until the end of May.  As the project start time gets near, the City of Perry will provide more updates for the closing of Willis Avenue. The design of the bridge is meant to preserve the historic architecture of the existing bridge, as well as tie in elements from Perry's downtown streetscape enhancements. Detour routes have been established and will be signed. Maps of detour routes are posted below. 

SolSmart, a program funded by the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative, is awarding a bronze designation to Perry, Iowa for taking important first steps to encourage solar energy growth.

As a SolSmart Bronze designee, Perry is receiving national recognition for adopting programs and practices that make it faster, easier, and cheaper to go solar. A SolSmart designation is a signal that the community is “open for solar business,” helping to attract solar industry investment and generate economic development and local jobs.

To achieve designation, cities and counties take steps to reduce solar “soft costs,” which are non-hardware costs that can increase the time and money it takes to install a solar energy system. Examples of soft costs include planning and zoning; permitting; financing; customer acquisition; and installation labor. Soft costs now represent roughly two-thirds of the total price of an installed residential system. Reducing these costs leads to savings that are passed on to consumers.

Perry has taken specific steps to reduce the soft costs of installing solar energy systems by streamlining the permit process and establishing low solar building permit application fees.  The SolSmart designation team, led by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), evaluates communities and awards them points based on the actions they take to reduce soft costs and other barriers to going solar. Communities that take sufficient action are designed either gold, silver, or bronze. As a bronze designee, Perry will now have the opportunity earn additional points to qualify as silver or gold.

As part of the SolSmart program, all participating communities are eligible to request no-cost technical assistance from a team of national solar experts to help them achieve designation. The SolSmart technical assistance team is led by The Solar Foundation.

Launched in April 2016, SolSmart aims to designate 300 communities during the three-year, federally funded program.

About SolSmart
SolSmart is a national designation and technical assistance program that recognizes leading solar communities and empowers additional communities to expand their local solar markets. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative, SolSmart strives to cut red tape, drive greater solar deployment, and make it possible for even more American homes and businesses to access solar energy to meet their electricity needs. Learn more at SolSmart.org.

About the SunShot Initiative
The U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative is a collaborative national effort that aggressively drives innovation to make solar energy fully cost-competitive with traditional energy sources before the end of the decade. Through SunShot, the Energy Department supports efforts by private companies, universities, and national laboratories to drive down the cost of solar electricity to $0.06 per kilowatt-hour. Learn more at energy.gov/sunshot. 

​The City of Perry will be finishing up construction at the intersection of Highway 144 and Willis Avenue the week of May 23rd.  The project included new storm sewer, widened radii for truck movements and sidewalk and traffic signalization.  The project is currently two weeks ahead of schedule from the June 3rd completion date.
 
The contractor for the project, Voltmer Inc., has completed all storm sewer and paving operations for both phases.  The intersection is open to public travel on Willis Avenue in both directions with a four way stop.  Pavement markings for the new lane configurations will begin Thursday, May 19th.  The lane configurations will start at Otley Avenue and extend north on Highway 144 to Bateman Street.  The new lane configurations will transition from the existing four lane to a three lane section with the middle lane being for left turns.  The contractor is expecting to have all traffic poles up and operational by May 20th.   They will be setting the signals to flashing red through the weekend to maintain a four way stop.
 
Starting Monday, May 23rd, the contractor will put the signals into full operation.  With upgrading the lane configuration, the signals will also be upgraded to have a yellow flashing arrow for left turn movements. 
 
We ask that all drivers and pedestrians take extra precaution at the intersection when the signals go into full operation.
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Please see the image below on the new signals with the flashing yellow arrows.

​The City of Perry will begin the 2016 Street Improvements project the week of April 18th.  The project includes street improvements for nearly 45 blocks of city streets with all streets involved receiving a new asphalt surface. 
 
The contractor hired for the work is Manatts, Inc. of Brooklyn, Iowa.  They are anticipating beginning the work the week of April 18th and will be starting in the eastern areas of the city.  There will be some minor disruptions to traffic during the construction, however, those will primarily be limited to the daytime hours only.  For those homeowners affected, Manatts will be placing door hangers in advance of the project.  If you happen to be a resident that has a vehicle parked on the street and you have been notified of street work, please make sure to move your vehicle before the work begins.
 
The work will vary in areas of the community with removal of the existing surface, pavement patching and installation of a new asphalt surface.  There will be traffic barricades up while work is happening on the selected streets.  Access will be limited during the time when work is occurring, but will be open again for traffic at the end of the day.  For everyones safety and to help the contractors build a great street, please be respectful of the barricades and avoid the construction areas as much as possible. The duration of the project is expected to last two weeks. 
 
The project cost is over $850,000 and is being funded by the City of Perry’s one cent Local Option Sales Tax and the new 10 cent fuel tax increase approved by State of Iowa in 2015.  With the fuel tax increase, the City of Perry receives an additional $130,000 per year in Road Use Tax funds.  It is important to City leaders to use these additional funds strictly for street improvements within our community.  In order to be financially responsible, a large multi-block project is more cost effective than a smaller overlay project each year.  The City of Perry has budgeted approximately $380,000 of our Local Option Sales tax over the next three years to match the $520,000 in Road Use Tax funds to pay for this project.  The City’s Local Option Sales Tax Funds are used solely for street projects, capital expenditures, grant matching funds and building and grounds maintenance.   The City of Perry will continue to schedule multi-block overlay projects in other areas of our community on a regular basis to be paid with Local Option Sales Tax and Road Use Tax funds.
 
If you have questions or concerns about this project, please contact the City of Perry at 515-465-2481 or Matt Ferrier with Bolton & Menk, Inc. at 515-233-6100.