A new engineering contract was discussed for the continued pavement of gravel roads at Monday night’s Tama City Council meeting.

The paving would be done the same way it was done on Oswego Street as curb and gutter streets. Herb and Hall are the next planned streets with a potential bid for Beautiful Street planned.

The duties and responsibilities of the project were discussed, with the hope that it will be completed by next fall. The council approved the contract with the total cost for all of the blocks proposed coming out to roughly $400,000.

There was an update on new housing possibly coming to Tama after a meeting that took place with the same company that built the retirement home in Toledo. Apartments are being considered in Tama at several sites, with the exact location still undetermined.

Insurance renewal was also discussed during the meeting. There are currently three main options for municipalities, and the goal is to bring them all together which would be handled by EMC.

There is a pool with tens of thousands of dollars built up in the Iowa Communities Assurance Pool (ICAP), and a notice will be sent out to ICAP so the city doesn’t miss out on those funds. The motion for renewal was approved.

Members of the community visioning program committee updated the council on their plans for the future which include a walking audit conducted by Wellmark. The walk would be on May 5 starting at 5 p.m. at the Wieting Theater. It is planned to take around an hour and a half, and participants would be bussed back to the starting point at the end of the walk.

Its intent is to gather information on the safety of walking from one point to another and addressing parents’ concerns about safety when the new school is built. If the audit walk is a success, it could lead to increased property values and a grant from the American Association of Retired People (AARP).

The council also discussed allowing a day for seniors who are unable to walk the trail that goes from Tama to Toledo on their own power to use golf carts on May 25 from noon to 3 p.m.

The use of personal golf carts and ATVs would not be allowed. The council approved the event on the condition that the golf carts have approved insurance, and the group will assume liability.

Downtown Tama continues to be revitalized with plans of bringing more excitement to the area. A sidewalk chalk drawing will be hosted on May 21 and June 15, and kids of all age groups would be allowed to attend. A July 20 golf cart parade was also mentioned with the possibility of a kiddie parade included. August 17 could play host to a game night with the hope of using the city’s game trailer.

In other business, the council approved:

The resignations of City Clerk Alyssa Devig and Sergeant Cody Rodriquez.

Department Head Updates:

Police: 230 calls since last meeting.

Fire: Fireman’s carnival will improve from 5 rides to 12.

Ambulance: A new full time employee will be starting on April 30. Brian Hanus of the council encouraged more hirings due to lack of staff.

Library: Applied for Enrich Iowa. If accepted, this could bring funds to the library.

Street/Water/Sewer: Ten new hydrants were ordered should come in next month.

Nuisance: Three unnamed large properties were cleaned up.