The Macbride Pointe subdivision, located just west of the roundabout on Hwy. 382, west of Solon, has been the subject of much discussion in recent months, and was again discussed during the Wednesday, Sept. 3 regular meeting of the city council. At the heart of the discussion has been a request for city water to be provided to the residents of the subdivision, who are currently on wells.
“There’s a lot of questions associated with that and we know there are more questions,” said City Administrator Cami Rasmussen. “Our focus here, as staff was to provide that base information to not only Council but the community.”
The result was a Q&A sheet posted on the city’s website (www.solon-iowa.com/DocumentCenter/View/1688/Macbride-Pointe-Water-Request-Q&A).
According to the Q&A sheet the subdivision was developed in 2015 and qualified as a candidate for public water supply in 2018 after reaching a threshold of 15 homes or 25 people. 22 single family homes and four two-family homes are in Macbride Pointe, currently on a private community well. However, naturally occurring arsenic is at a level higher than is permissible.
Filtration, though possible, has been ruled out as a permanent solution with the Department of Natural Resources endorsing connection to city water and providing a partially forgivable loan to Macbride Pointe to offset connection fees.
A municipal water line runs past Macbride Pointe to the Gallery Acers West subdivision, a group of 14 homes on the west side of the Lake MacBride Golf Course. The line is owned by the Gallery Acres West Homeowners Association, who paid $39,075.68 to connect to the city’s main and pays double the city rate monthly.
A service connection for Macbride Pointe was installed when the line was built (2021) in case the subdivision was ever permitted to connect to city water. In the event consent were given, a line would run from the connection to the Macbride Pointe well house to tie into the Macbride Pointe water mains. At that time the well would be disconnected and a check valve would be installed to prevent any backflow into the city’s main. A water meter would be installed at the connection with payment made to the Gallery Acres West HOA, who then would pay the city for both subdivisions’ water use.
“What we’re asking tonight is for feedback, said Rasmussen. “Are there any additional questions the council has? Are there additional questions that the community has? What we don’t know is
that there is a ‘next level’ of research that has to be done, and that has to come with direction from the city council.”
Rasmussen noted there would be time and expense associated with the additional research on the part of City Engineer Dave Schechinger and his staff at Veenstra & Kimm. She again asked the council members for any additional questions or clarifications needed on their part for staff to address in an effort to bring Macbride Pointe’s application before them for either acceptance or denial. She pointed out the council can accept the application, and yet not approve it.
“Acceptance and approval are two different things,” she said. “Accepting the application means you’re going to direct Dave (Schechinger) to do that next level of research on our current and future water capacity and storage.”
The additional research would take several months, Rasmussen said, but the council would have the information before making a final decision.
“This is an early step in the process, trying to get that basic information to the council and the community.”
Councilman Cole Gabriel asked for research to look into how much water is essentially wasted due to the necessity of flushing the water main to Gallery Acres West. According to the Q&A the current water usage is not high enough to keep water flowing through the line to maintain the required amount of residual chlorine. Periodic flushing is required to mitigate this issue, and additional usage by Macbride Pointe, the Q&A states, would also help without wasting water.
Councilman John Farlinger agreed with Gabriel and added he wanted to be sure Solon’s water is used in the most efficient manner.
Solon resident Toni Russo, an ardent opponent of the proposal to extend water service to Macbride Pointe voiced her concerns once the discussion was opened to the public. Russo cited a newspaper article from 2018 about a contract between Macbride Pointe, Macbride Estates, and Gallery West Acres involving a state revolving fund loan, and called it, “a done deal.”
“Nothing is a ‘done deal,’ and we have not agreed to anything,” said Mayor Dan O’Neil. “Macbride Pointe has submitted an application, which is what we’re discussing. Macbride Estates has not submitted anything to my knowledge.”
“(The agreement with) Gallery Acres says that no connection can be approved without the city’s expressed approval,” City Attorney Kevin Olson added.
Tensions flared as O’Neil continued to assure Russo no agreements with the city had been signed with either Macbride Pointe or Macbride Estates and no connections to city water will happen without applications being submitted and approved by the council. O’Neil, Councilman John Farlinger, and Olson emphasized the City only has an agreement with Gallery Acres West and an application from Macbride Pointe, and that any agreements those parties may have entered into eight years ago do not involve the City.
In other action
• A reminder Main St. will be closed from Hwy. 1 to Dubuque St. Thursday, Sept. 18, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. to accommodate several hundred bikers who will be escorting the Global War on Terror Wall of Remembrance into Solon and to the Solon American Legion Park.
• The City and school district are close to finalizing a 28E agreement covering the Solon Recreation and Nature Area (SRNA).
• Discussions have been held on possible locations for a future recreation center, but Rasmussen noted those discussions are in a very early phase.
The council’s next regularly scheduled meeting is set for Wednesday, Sept. 17 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.