Not what it appears

The new paint scheme on Royal's water tower looks good from a distance, but close-up inspection indicates there may be problems.

The recent paint job came under scrutiny during the city council meeting on Sept. 13. Council members reviewed photos of the structure that was painted in June by Central Tank Coatings. Photos taken by Iowa Lakes Regional Water, the operator of Royal's water utility, indicate several issues due to not enough paint coverage.

According to discussion, there are exposed areas under the tank hatch, areas that were unpainted because the ladder was not moved, and new welds that were not primed or painted. Lack of paint raises concerns about rust if those areas continue to be exposed.

"Without sandblasting, it left a whole lot of old paint. There's lots of peeling and flaking," said Council Member Matt Goyette.

ILRW has suggested the city should determine whether the contractor's warranty will address the situation. The council will contact Central Paint Coatings about the matter.

On the plus side, the utility operator is happy with repair work done to the hatch.

"The hatch latch was very good. They were very satisfied with the latch," noted Mayor Josh Toft.

The city agreed to have the tower and tank painted prior to turning over operation of the water utility to ILRW.

City Clerk Barb Fletcher informed the council that the transition from city billing of water charges to ILRW is going well. Customers are being refunded any balances owed. Twenty-five customers had not yet paid for final city water charges.

"When they do, that will finalize the city's involvement in the water utility," Fletcher said.

A proposed ordinance drafted by Iowa Lakes Regional Water's attorney was reviewed by City Attorney Jill Davis and Fletcher prior to the meeting. Council members felt much of the language did not apply to the city and should not be included in the code book. The matter was tabled.

"We have nothing to do with this," Goyette said.

• Improvement discussion

Discussion regarding capital improvements again identified street work as the top priority. Toft reiterated his belief that Royal's Main Street and the intersections should be reconstructed and replaced with concrete.

"We should do it the right way," he said. "A road that is done right will last a long time."

The possibility of obtaining grant funding for capital projects was discussed. Fletcher offered to contact Simmering-Cory Consultants, a firm that offers grant writing services.

"They would know what's available, and with our population what we qualify for," she said.

Toft suggested the city could also hire a part time grant writer to research potential grants and keep the council apprised of what is available. The council agreed the idea should be investigated.

"There's a lot of money out there that we don't even know is out there," Toft said.