The Hartley Sentinel-The Everly/Royal News - Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties

An abundance of weeds at Everly's sewage treatment facility sparked discussion on Aug. 16 among city council members.

Weeds have exploded on the bare ground that surrounds the ponds, which recently underwent significant upgrades. The problem has made planting new grass nearly impossible and Mayor Brad Behrens wants to see the issue addressed.

"They're a mess. There's no way we'll get seeding done by September," he said. "Until they're gone, we're never going to get it seeded."

Behrens suggested the city plant grass via hydroseeding once the weed issue is mitigated. The process uses a slurry of seed and mulch, and is often utilized as an erosion control technique on construction sites as an alternative to the traditional process of broadcasting or sowing dry seed.

Behrens said hydroseeding is more expensive up front, but the cost might even out over time.

"If we have to keep reseeding all the time, we're losing money anyway," he said.

No action was taken on the matter. Behrens reported the sewage pond project is inches away from the finish line, with only "piddly stuff" remaining. Once completed, the $3.88 million upgrades will bring the sewage ponds into compliance with state regulations. They previously experienced large amounts of discharge during heavy rain events, which is not allowed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

The completion deadline for the project is Oct. 15.

• Rural Shrink Smart

In other business, the council agreed to participate in the Rural Shrink Smart Project. The goal of the program is to develop tools to help all small and shrinking communities actively plan for shrinkage before population loss affects their quality of life.

"I think it's an excellent idea," said Council Member Tara Patrick.

The program is led by a team of faculty members from Iowa State University. Everly was eligible because it participates in the Iowa Small Town Poll, which has collected quality-of-life data in 99 Iowa communities since 1994. The poll was taken in Everly this year.

According to information on its website, Rural Shrink Smark aims to create "a community of communities" to build a network of mentorship throughout Iowa. Participants will be able to share ideas on how to provide a good quality of life to their residents despite declining populations.

Everly will need to designate a representative from the community to lead program activities and gather information. City Clerk Kristi Fliss noted at a previous meeting she's been in contact with other survey towns who participate in the program.