The Atlantic City Council Wednesday evening, approved a request from the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, for the closure of Chestnut Street between 6th and 7th Streets, in preparation for this Thursday’s Annual Christmas Grand Lighting event (5:30-p.m.) at the Atlantic City Park. Chestnut Street will be closed from 4-p.m. Thursday through 9-a.m., Friday.

The Council also approved a change order amounting to $3,900, for additional design services that include plan preparation and the making of sanitary sewer improvements a separate division of work. The vote was 6-to 1, with Councilman Chris Jimerson the lone “nay” vote. The change order affects the 2014 Highway 6 reconstruction program.

With regard to Highway 6 (7th Street, in Atlantic) Mayor Dave Jones wanted to let citizens, business owners and tenants of businesses located along 7th Street know about a public meeting that will take place Dec. 2nd at the Iowa DOT District 4 Office in Atlantic, with regard to the proposed reconstruction of 7th Street from Olive to 880-feet east of Plum Street (near the Burger King Restaurant). (For more information: http://www.news.iowadot.gov/pim/2014/11/us-6-in-cass-county-dec-2-2014.html)

The meeting will take place from 4:30-to 6-p.m. at the office, located at 2210 E. 7th Street. As part of the project, the driveway and sidewalk system within the project limits will also be improved to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act standards. The meeting will be conducted utilizing an open forum format. Iowa DOT staff will be present to informally discuss the proposed improvements. No formal presentation will be made. During the proposed construction, traffic would be detoured during construction using Iowa 83, Iowa 173, Interstate 80, and U.S. 71.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council approved an Engineering Contract with Snyder and Associates, for the 2015 Street Improvement Project (SIP), in the amount of $127,750, and a similar contract with Snyder’s for the Sanitary Sewer Relining Project, in the amount of $21,850. Mayor Jones said when the 2014 SIP is finished, 95-percent of the streets in town will be in good to excellent condition. Other areas will be repaired on an as-needed basis.

The Street Improvement Project will include: 5th Street, from Walnut to Mulberry; 6th Street, from Spruce to Walnut; 8th Street, from Palm to Poplar and Walnut to Cherry Streets; 14th Street, from Linn to Olive; 16th Street, from Oak to Olive; Laurel Street, from 8th to 10th; Linn Street from the railroad tracks to Commerce; and Spruce Street, from 5th to 7th.

The sewer relining project includes the following streets: Teresa Drive, from 14th to the cul-de-sac; Bryn Mawr Blvd., from Ridge Road to the apartment complex parking lot; 18th Street, from Hillcrest to Fair Ridge Circle; Fair Ridge Circle, from 18th to Oak Streets; Walnut Street, from 9th to 11th; 19th Street, from Hemlock to Bryn Mawr Circle; Chestnut Street, from the 1901 to 2001 addresses; and 8th Street from Cherry to Plum.

In his report to the Council, Interim City Administrator John Lund said “The budget is moving faster than we have for the past few years,” with three departments having completed their revised estimates and proposals for the next fiscal year. Numbers for the City’s Capital Improvements Program are being put together, and Lund says he’ll have a bond proposal ready in-time for the next Personnel and Finance Committee meeting to review.

Lund is also coordinating with the Atlantic School District to address the traffic flow problem in front of the Washington Elementary School. Union negotiations are set to begin Thursday, and, the City’s lawn mowing ordinance will be ready for the first reading at the next City Council meeting.