Yearly Archives: 2017

The two warning sirens which were under repair have been fixed and are now again operational, making all three functional again.

Please note that to help improve your safety, outside of the sirens range or indoors, the City of West Branch still highly encourages that you sign up for the Wireless Emergency Notification System (WENS) which will provide Text, Voice, and Email alerts for all weather emergencies including tornado watches and warnings.  WENS registration is available online at http://entry.inspironlogistics.com/west_branch_ia/wens.cfm or on a paper form available at the city office (110 N Poplar St.) and public library (300 N Downey).

For questions regarding this issue, please contact the city office:

City of West Branch
110 N Poplar St.
PO Box 218
West Branch, Iowa 52358
Phone: (319)643-5888

The City Of West Branch has several projects beginning in August. These projects involve water main, sanitary sewer and street repairs.

North First Street Improvements – Begins August 14, 2017

UPDATE- August 31, 2017 9:00 a.m. – The boil order has been lifted for the following properties:  116 N. 1st St., 117 N. 1st St., 126 N. 1st St.,  115 E. Main St., 201 E. Main St., 211 E. Main St.  For information on boil orders, please click here.

On Monday, August 7th reconstruction of N. 1st St. will begin. The intersection of Parkside Dr. and Main St. will be one lane traffic only with temporary, full street closures possible. This is expected to last through Monday, August 21st.  N. 1st Street will then be closed from Main St. to E. Green St. for the remainder of the project. This project will require temporary water disruptions for water main repairs. The areas affected will be on Main St. from Downey St. east to Second St. and 1st St. from Main to Green St.  A boil order will be in effect after water main repairs are completed.   All affected buildings will have a notice posted on their doors.

Main Street Water Main Improvements

The City will be replacing the water main on E. Main St. from N. 5th St. east to near the city limits. This water main project will be replacing a 4 inch main with an 8 inch main. The majority of this work will be completed on the north side of Main St. with partial, temporary lane closures possible. This project will require water disruptions to the east side of town and will require boil orders. A boil order will be in effect after water main repairs are completed.   All affected residents will have a notice posted on their doors.  This project will include replacement of all water services up to and including the curb stop along this main.  Affected residents will receive a notice delivered to them prior to these repairs being made.

Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation – Phase 2

The City will also begin lining and grouting the second phase of our I & I program. This project should not cause any major disruptions and most of the work will be on the east side of town from N. 2nd St. east. A small repair will also be made on N. Poplar St. and W. Main St. All affected properties will receive a notice delivered to them. If you do not receive a notice you are not affected by this project.

Questions or concerns regarding these projects can be directed to Public Works Director Matt Goodale (319)325-8213 or City Offices (319) 643-5888.

Two of three outdoor warning sirens in West Branch (primarily used as tornado sirens) are currently inoperable and require repairs.  While repairs are underway, it’s believed that this outage will continue for an extended period of time.  The operable siren is located at the West Branch Fire Station and will continue to provide notice to those within range.  However, until repairs are completed, the warning coverage in areas further away from the West Branch Fire Station has been greatly reduced.

To help ensure safety, residents are encouraged to register for the Wireless Emergency Notification System (WENS) which will provide Text, Voice, and Email alerts for all weather emergencies including tornado watches and warnings.  WENS registration is available online at http://entry.inspironlogistics.com/west_branch_ia/wens.cfm or on a paper form available at the city office (110 N Poplar St.) and public library (300 N Downey).

For questions regarding the siren outage, please contact the city office:

City of West Branch
110 N Poplar St.
PO Box 218
West Branch, Iowa 52358
Phone: 319-643-5888

The summer concerts are back on the Village Green again this year!  We have a great line-up so mark your calendars and join us every Thursday night in June and July at the Village Green.  Bring a lawnchair, blanket and insect repellent and enjoy an evening of music.

* Rain location at the West Branch Fire Department

June 2017 

1st – Tropical Steel

8th – Awful Purdies

15th – Liberty Band of Iowa

22nd – Soul Storm

29th – Bernemann Brothers

July 2017

July 6th – Daniel Haughey

July 13th – Sheltered Reality

July 20th – Feralings

July 27th – Cedar County Cobras

Music on the Village Green is brought to you by the National Park Service, City of West Branch and West Branch Community Development Group.

With the passage and signing of Senate File 489 by the State of Iowa, fireworks have become popular topic over the last few weeks.

With Memorial Day and Independence Day soon approaching, the city wanted to remind its residents of the current ordinance in place within our community.

The City’s ordinances still regulate use of fireworks within the city limits and state:

41.11 FIREWORKS. Fireworks are not permitted unless written application is received and approved by the Council.

The city council is set to discuss the new law and how the code of ordinances might reflect it’s passage at the upcoming June 5th city council meeting.

City Wide Spring Clean-Up will be on Saturday, May 6th from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Residents are encouraged to bring unwanted items to the Water Street parking lot, (at the Village Green).

There is a $10 charge for household appliances which includes; washing machines, dryers refridgerators, etc.  Note: per May 5th, TVs and Monitors will also cost $10.

Not accepted: businesses bringing items, commercial appliances, construction debris, household garbage, large metal items, paint or toxic waste, tires and yard waste.

For more information, call the city office at 319-643-5888 or Johnson County Refuse at 877-423-9877.

The City of West Branch will begin Phase 4 of the downtown sidewalk improvements on Monday, April 10th.  This project will involve repairs to water services, sidewalks, storm water infrastructure and road surfaces on the north side of East Main Street from North Downey Street to Parkside Drive.  Parking on the north side of East Main Street in this this area will be closed for the duration of the project.

There may be traffic delays, temporary road closures or one lane traffic.  Detour routes will be in place and the City urges vehicle traffic to make use of alternate routes during this project when possible.

For questions or concerns, please contact Public Works Director Matt Goodale at 319-325-8213 or call the City Office at 643-5888.

The City of West Branch will be flushing fire hydrants beginning April 17th through April 28th during normal working hours.  The City annually flushes hydrants to clean the City Water Supply System and to help the West Branch Fire Department with determining if all hydrants are working properly.

The City does not recommend doing laundry during the hours of the flushing program to help minimize any potential problems that could arise with the water system being disrupted.  If you see discolored water coming from your faucet, let the water run until clear, this could take a couple of minutes.

Please contact Public Works Director Matt Goodale at 319-325-8213 or the City Office at 643-5888 with any questions or concerns.

Public Works provides curbside yard waste collection starting on the 1st Monday in April and continues weekly through the last Monday in November. 

Yard waste includes waste produced during gardening, grass clippings, leaves, flowers, branches and tree limbs.

Yard waste must be placed in bio-degradable bags only.  Tree limbs and branches do not need to be in bags as long as they are cut no longer than 4 ft in length, bundled, tied.  Bio-degradable bags can be purchased at the City Office for $1.00 each or they can be purchased at local retailers such as:  Menards, Wal-Mart, Lowes, etc.

**The brush pile is CLOSED indefinitely until the new location has been established**

 Reminder:   Public Works will not accept any yard waste containing debris that would be picked up during normal trash collection (plastic bottles, cans, bottles, etc.) or yard waste that is placed in plastic bags, plastic totes, wheel barrows, trash cans, etc.

Please contact Public Works Director Matt Goodale at 319-325-8213 or the City Office at 319-643-5888 with any questions or concerns.

The West Branch Municipal Cemetery clean-up will begin Monday, April 3, 2017.  Public Works will remove all unsightly and faded decorations during the clean-up.  If you would like something saved, please remove it before this date.  Graves may have new decorations placed after April 15, 2017.  For a complete list of cemetery rules, please click here.

There will be a meeting in the West Branch City Office from 7-9 PM Thursday, February 23, to discuss historic preservation and seek input for plan updating. Members of the Preservation Commission will take part, as will representatives of the West Branch Heritage Foundation, and it is hoped others interested in local history will come to share their thoughts as well. There’s no need to RSVP—just come and enjoy a lively discussion!

West Branch is updating its 2009 Historic Preservation Plan, and is asking for public input to suggest changes or additions to that earlier plan. (That earlier plan can be found in the Historic Preservation Commission’s meeting packet for 2/9/17 at http://www.westbranchiowa.org/sites/default/files/Packet_17_02_09_num.pdf.)

Public Works Director Matt Goodale has completed another successful application for the Alliant Energy “Branching Out” Grant. Alliant Energy works in cooperation with Trees Forever to provide communities with grants up to $10,000 for public tree replacements or new installation. The City applied for this grant last November and was recently notified that we will be the recipient of a $4,500 grant for the spring planting season. This project will be set for completion during this year’s Earth Day Celebration and will involve planting Red Oaks, Sweet Gum, Tulip Tree and Autumn Blaze Maples along East and West Main Street. These trees will be planted in the right-of-way to be cared for by the City. The planting will be a volunteer event and we hope to include City Staff, high school students and any community members who are interested in attending. For more information or if you would like to attend please contact Public Works Director Matt Goodale (319) 325-8213 for details.