Two agenda items took up the majority of the more than two hour Wayne City Council meeting on Tuesday.
A public hearing in regard to changing parking regulations on the north side of Wayne Elementary School was among the items on the agenda when the Wayne City Council met on Tuesday.
Administrators from Wayne Community Schools had previously come before the council asking for a "No Parking Midnight to 7 a.m." sign be installed on the diagonal parking spots in that area.
Dr. Mark Lenihan, Wayne Community Schools' Superintendent, spoke during the public hearing and said the schools' main concerns were snow removal and providing parking for those with mobility issues.
He said that he felt the current restrictions for parking on Sherman Street and Douglas Street between Third and Fourth Street could be shortened, creating more parking options for those who live in the neighborhood. He also said that with the opening of the new Early Learning Center next year, additional parking spots may be available. Some of these could be specifically assigned by the school.
The option of writing the ordinance to indicate that the parking restrictions would be limited to Monday through Friday, during the school year, was discussed.
Todd Barner, who lives across the street from the school, told the council he currently has five drivers in the family and "have lots of difficulty getting vehicles in and out of his driveway. We do use the parking near the school. It is public property, so we have the right to use it. It is the only place we can park overnight, other than our driveway."
Following the public hearing, council members talked about possible options, including shortening the amount time parking is restricted on Sherman and Douglas Streets, determining how many parking spots will be needed next year, and how to handle parking for those teachers and staff who travel between buildings.
Following the council discussion, Ordinance 2025-1 died for a lack of a motion.
Considerable time was spent discussing a change order presented by Cooney Fertilizer, Inc. for the Wayne Prairie Park Phase I Grading Project.
Matthew Smith with Olsson was at the meeting and told council members that the scope of the work has changed and the project has been delayed by a year.
This fact has resulted in Cooney's crews having to leave the project and come back on several occasions.
Smith also talked about the fact that a round about was added to the project, resulting in extra costs.
He did acknowledge that there was a lack of communication in regard to several items and told the council that Olsson did not have any control over the installation of the wells at the park. Instead, this was part of an R. Perry project, the developer of the apartments in the area.
Following the lengthy discussion, council members voted to approve a change order in the amount of $101,831.08 for the project.
In a separate agenda item, council members approved a payment of $248,731.11 to Cooney Fertilizer, Inc. for the project, which includes the change order amount.
Discussion will be held with R. Perry on their responsibility for additional costs due to the delay.
In other action, council members approved Resolution 2025-5 which will approve the specifications and cost estimate for the Seventh Street Trail Project. This will create a trail from Greenwood Cemetery to Pheasant Run.
The city received a $400,000 grant for the project, but it has been delayed due to fact that it is adjacent to a state highway and the Department of Transportation has requested some changes in design.
The engineer's estimate for the project is $889,000 and the city will begin to advertise for bids. It is possible the project could begin this spring.
Approval was given to the Wayne High School Post Prom Committee for use of the Community Activity Center (CAC) and to waive the rental fee.
Sandy Brown, representing the committee, told the council the group plans to hold this year's Post Prom event at the CAC on Saturday, March 29. They would like to use the facility (minus the weight room). from 9 p.m. on Saturday to 4 a.m. on Sunday.
The council's only request was that a sign be placed indicating that "the weight room is unavailable."
Council members also listened to a request from Dr. Mark Lenihan, Wayne Community Schools' superintendent, to waive the rental feel for the use of the Wayne City Auditorium from March 31 through April 4.
The Mid-States Conference Art Show will be held in the auditorium on these days. There are nine schools in the conference who will be bringing artwork to the show.
Dr. Lenihan told the council the event was held in Wayne last year with a number of positive comments.
"It is nice to have this show in Wayne. It lets many of our younger students get a chance to see the work of some very talented artists. Each of the conference schools will be responsible for monitoring the exhibit for one day and this will bring people to Wayne," Dr. Lenihan said.
The council did grant the request to waive the fee with Conference "host" Wayne High School being responsible for providing the deposit for the building.
Mayoral appointments included Elise Reese to the Wayne Housing Authority Board.
The Wayne City Council will next meet in regular session on Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 5:30 p.m. in council chambers.