Cats, planes and bridges on Monday’s council agenda | New Policies

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MARIA KUIPER

WATERLOO — More stray cats will return to the wild if city council approves a pilot program on Monday.

The meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. in the council chamber of the town hall.

A community cat program through the Cedar Bend Humane Society could take in free-roaming cats to spay or neuter them and give them injections before they are released into the wild. This is in order to reduce the number of cats that pass through the shelter.

Currently, it costs the city $55.62 for each cat brought to the shelter. The proposed idea would reduce that to $52.

Council documents define a community cat as a free-roaming wild or friendly cat that can be cared for by residents. Cats entering the shelter will be capped to signify that they have been spayed or neutered and vaccinated against rabies. The ear tip will also mean that the cat does not need to be brought back to the shelter.

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If approved, the pilot program would begin immediately and end on January 31.

WATCH NOW: Kennel upgrades feature cats available for adoption at Cedar Bend Humane Society

In other matters, certain airport landing fees may be waived at Waterloo Regional Airport if the board approves a request made by airport manager Keith Kaspari.

Fees would only be waived for aircraft with more than 65 seats. The request is intended to encourage American Airlines to bring larger planes to the airport. Currently, Waterloo only has 50-seat aircraft passing through its facilities.

If approved, Waterloo would be the third airport in Iowa to have these types of aircraft. The airport says it can also request a third daily departure from American Airlines to Chicago O’Hare or Dallas Fort Worth.

Officials hope to complete the Waterloo airport car park project next year

A resolution to approve $1 million in funding for the Hammond Avenue Bridge Replacement Project over Sink Creek will also be on the agenda.

In 2018, the city agreed to use SWAP funding to pay for the project. If approved, the resolution would rescind SWAP funding and replace it with federal aid funding.

The city could receive $990,000 in federal assistance from the Department of Transportation and the city would provide an estimated matching $300,000. The city’s match would come from revenue from stormwater fees.

Several box culverts would be constructed while Hammond Avenue would be raised and widened through the bridge project. Additionally, Sink Creek would be widened and cleaned up from Hammond to East Orange Road.

DOT will replace the Waverly Bremer Avenue Bridge

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