LONE TREE

Lone Tree’s emergency storm system consists of two sirens installed in the 1960s. One of the sirens is starting to fail, leading to inconsistency in the daily testing at noon.

Thus, the council approved the replacement of this system with one siren that has a greater range than what is currently provided with two sirens at the city council meeting on Monday, May 6.

This new siren, the T128, is solar powered and backed by battery. This, in addition to being tied to the fire station, will ensure its operation.

The T128 will cost Lone Tree $33,250 of its allotted American Rescue Plan (ARPA) money. ARPA funds must be designated to be spent by the end of the year, otherwise the city will lose access to them.

Originally, the city wanted to use ARPA money to pay for a solar project. However, the bid came in higher than they hoped, leading the council to table the solar project to a later date.

Lone Tree approved additional park work to use up the rest of their ARPA funds.

The city plans to remove sand from both parks, replacing it with mulch. Then, they’ll apply for a grant from the Washington County Riverboat Foundation (WCRF) in hopes of updating more park equipment.

Last year, Lone Tree received a grant from WCRF for $32,340 to replace playground equipment and playground surfacing.

The Lone Tree Community Foundation updated the council on their park work. They received paint from the Paint Iowa Beautiful grant which they plan to use at the parks. They also are awaiting a monarch butterfly statue which will grace the parks as well.

Council action

Lone Tree Mayor Josh Spilman declared May as Older Americans Month in partnership with Johnson County Livable Community for Successful Aging.

The council approved contracts with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office. This agreement is exactly what the council discussed in November 2023. The sheriff’s office is contracted to spend up to 26 hours a week in Lone Tree at a rate of $53 an hour.

Next council meeting: The Lone Tree City Council will next meet on Monday, June 3 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.