Downtown tree replacement begins
By Jane Myhra
A new police officer was sworn in during the April 18 meeting of the Manawa Common Council.
Casey Fields was sworn in by City Clerk Cheryl Hass as a full-time officer on the Manawa Police Department. He has over 18 years of law enforcement experience.
The council approved the Department of Public Work’s recommendation to begin removal and replacement of trees in the downtown area.
Total cost for the first phase is about $6,000, according to Improvements and Services Committee Chair Mike Frazier. He reported that the Manawa Area Chamber of Commerce will purchase Linden trees to replace the removed trees.
Trees scheduled to be removed are located by First State Bank, Remington’s Quality Foods and the Manawa Masonic Lodge. The two trees located north of the bank will not be replaced due to safety reasons, Frazier said.
The council also approved bidding out of the High Street project with the addition of replacing hydrants. The cost is estimated at $71,000, with construction to begin in August.
The purchase of a new lawn mower was approved with the use of $4,850 from the parks replacement fund.
The council gave approval to Police Chief Jim Gorman to proceed with purchase of security cameras for the Manawa Municipal Building. Gorman is also checking on prices for cameras in other locations, such as Lindsay Park where there was recent vandalism.
Gorman was given council approval to investigate the reinstatement of the Police School Liaison officer position. He reported that the MPD responded to over 50 calls in the Manawa Schools over the last six months.
“Some were of a serious nature,” Gorman said.
As with the previous PSL officer, Hass said most of the cost would go to the school.” She said a federal grant helped defray the costs, with the school district and city splitting the remaining costs 60-40.
The council approved allowing Logan Hass to do an internship with the city clerk beginning in June.
In other business, Nancy Johnson addressed the council asking for consideration of approval to establish a Little Free Library in the city of Manawa. She showed photos of the structure her husband, Van, is building.
The Little Free Library would hold about 20 books to share with the public on a “take a book, leave a book” policy.
“We would maintain it and monitor the books,” Johnson said.
The council referred the topic to its Improvements and Services Committee.