(Atlantic, Iowa) –  The Atlantic City Council, this (Tuesday) evening received an update for Retail Coach Project Director Kyle Cofer, on work to bring prospective businesses to town. Mayor Grace Garrett informed new City Council members the City has been working with Retail Coach for nearly three years, along with the Chamber and CADCO.

Speaking electronically from his office, Cofer said Retail Coach is a retail recruitment and consulting firm hired directly by municipalities to recruit retail stores and restaurants that are best fit for a particular market and sites within that market. Without revealing any names, Cofer said they along with the Mayor are working to bring an “expanding, upscale” convenience store expanding all throughout the State,” to Atlantic. He said they would like to be located on the City’s east side, near Walmart. Since the talks began, the prospective business has found a site in that area, and things are moving forward with the concept.

Cofer said also, “We’ve recently started working with a Dollar Store [type] combo.” Those businesses fit into communities with a population of 5-to 10-thousand people. “They are very interested in Atlantic, and we are in the process of discussing sites with them. We’re really trying to push them on the west side to spur more development in that area.”

As for restaurants, Cofer said they are working behind the scenes directly with a franchisee instead of the chain itself. He says “It’s always the best bet for us, because its an easier process.”  The individual he spoke of they have had multiple conversations with, “Is proven. He and his company currently operate over 40 restaurants…they open 4-to 5 restaurants per year.” There is no time frame for him to visit Atlantic, but the conversations continue.

Lastly, Cofer said they are also working with a quick service restaurant chain that specializes in burgers. They are looking for three-quarters of an acre to an acre of land. “A year, year and a half ago, all four of these were not showing interest in the market. It just goes to show you how things can change and that as the real estate market changes and also as the site selection [changes] for what these specific brands look for.”

Retail Coach wants to continue to work with the City for another year or so, but the Council took no action on renewing the current agreement, because it was not on the agenda as an action item.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council passed a Resolution “Approving Plans, Specifications and Form of Contract for the 2024 Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation – Ultra Violet Cast In Place Pipe (UV/CIPP)  Lining Project,” and awarded the project to Hydro-Clean, LLC. out of Des Moines, for their low bid of $91,500.00. The bid was below the engineer’s estimate of $194,280.

The Council passed a Resolution “Setting the Date of Public hearing for March 20, 2024, at 5:30 P.M. in the Atlantic
City Council Chambers, on a Proposal to Enter into a General Obligation Solid Waste Management Loan Agreement and to Borrow Money Thereunder in a Principal Amount Not to Exceed $90,000.”And, they passed a Resolution “Adopting the Emergency Leave Bank Policy to the Personnel Handbook.”

In his report, City Administrator John  Lund said the Splash Pad project has received some “push back” from those who would bid on the project, based on the timeline. Assuming a bid was approved, the very earliest they could even get started, he said, would be at the end of May, assuming there are no supply issues or weather delays. The goal now, is to move the project to later in the year, and shoot for an opening prior to Memorial Day, 2025. It was hoped the Splash Pad might open later this Summer, but the Committee agreed the delay would better serve the goal of quality and timely construction.