Cubby Park Public Meeting Recording and Documents
A public meeting was held on March 8th, 2018 on the work that will be carried out on Cubby Park. Below are the documents and recording from that meeting.
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Well 6 Televising Video
The Televising of Well 6 was conducted this August (2017) and is available to watch below.
City Administrator’s Recommended Budget
On Tuesday, February 20th, the West Branch City Council approved proceeding with the City Administrator’s recommended budget. This budget is available at the link below. Final approval and a public hearing will be held at the regularly scheduled city council meeting on March 5th.
City Administrator’s Recommended 2018-2019 Budget
Public Safety News Release
The City of West Branch has recently experienced a criminal phenomenon that has never happened before in our community. This criminal activity commonly referred to as ‘car shopping’ has already plagued other neighboring communities both large and small. Unfortunately, this type of activity will probably not go away with our close proximity to I-80 and this makes our community very vulnerable.
We are asking the community to be vigilant and to report any suspicious activity. If you see suspicious persons don’t confront them yourself, call 911 or Cedar County Dispatch at 563-886-2121 and West Branch Police will be notified. For non-emergencies, call 643-2222.
The crimes committed on Sunday 10-15-2017 were committed by at least four people on foot with unknown number of support vehicles or look out vehicles. These people came from outside our community.
As a result of this criminal activity, the West Branch Police are actively:
- Reviewing surveillance videos from area businesses
- Reviewing evidence and working with the DCI Lab and other outside agencies
- Increasing patrols and after hour traffic stops.
- Enforcing the curfew for minors as a safety pre-caution (see Chapter 46 of the West Branch Code of Ordinances)
- Sunday – Thursday 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.
- Friday and Saturday 12:00 midnight to 5:00 a.m.
Here are some guidelines:
- Lock your vehicle, house and your garage door
- Have house numbers marked clearly
- Don’t leave valuable items visible from the outside of the vehicle (including extra key fobs)
- Use motion lights
- Try to park in well lighted areas
- If you don’t take valuables inside, put them in the trunk. (purses, billfolds, cameras,etc.)
- If you hide keys don’t keep them in typical locations
- Never store unattended firearms in a vehicle
- Inventory valuables (by make model and serial numbers.) Use a digital camera and keep the SD card in a safe, separate location
- Be careful what you post on social media (personal information, checking – in, photos, etc)
- The West Branch PD would also recommend video cameras for area businesses
When on going on vacation
- Notify neighbors that you trust to watch your house (with emergency call numbers)
- Call the West Branch Police Dept.to be put on a vacation list – (phone 643-2222)
- Use inside light timers
- Make arrangements for mail, newspapers, and mowing.
- Be careful what you post on social media (photos, checking –in, etc)
Outdoor Warning Sirens Repaired
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
Upcoming Maintenance Projects
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.
Outdoor Warning Sirens Under Repair
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
Music on the Village Green Concert
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.
Fireworks prohibited in West Branch
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 Saturday May 6th
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.
Main Street Sidewalk Improvements Phase 4 – Starts April 10th
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.
Hydrant Flushing April 17th – 28th
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.
Residential Curbside Yard Waste Collection
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.
Cemetery Clean-Up Begins April 3rd
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.
Historic Preservation Plan Update Meeting – Feb. 23rd, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
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.)