Hampton updates zoning ordinances

The Hampton City Council held their regular meeting on Thursday, August 26. Attending the meeting in person were council members Bill Hodge, Barry Lamos (who was also present at the Monday workshop, though was accidentally omitted from last week's story), Steve Birdsall, and Patrick Palmer. Council member Dick Lukensmeyer and Mayor Russell Wood attended via virtual conference.

At the meeting, the council heard from Pam Nalan, a recent recipient of the NIACOG Exterior Grant. The city has worked with NIACOG to issue grants for projects that would improve the exteriors of selected houses in the community. While Nalan was appreciative of having her properly selected for the grant, she brought forward concerns about the quality of the work being done, citing "slipshot" painting and other work of questionable merit.

"They're doing more work on the inside of my house than the outside," said Nalan. "I honestly feel you guys are being taken advantage of."

While the city doesn't directly oversee the work being done, City Administrator Ron Dunt said that he would get in contact with NIACOG to make sure that the grant money was being well spent.

In regular business, the council held the first public hearing for a new zoning ordinance amendment to better define the term "tavern." In particular, the new ordinance adds specific definitions for "brewery, distillery, or winery," "brewpub," "micro-brewery," bar/tavern," and "nightclub/dance hall."

This update to the city ordinance has been anticipated for some time, with the city placing a moratorium on new bars and nightclubs in the downtown area until the new ordinance could be written and passed.

In a similar manner, the council also held a public hearing for another zoning ordinance, this time to allow for retail businesses and service shops in Hampton's light and heavy industrial zones.

The change in zoning is welcome news for Che and Lisa Hanson of Hanson and Sons Tire in Clarion. The Hansons are planning to expand their business to Hampton with a new location on Olive Ave.

Following the first reading of the ordinance, the council agreed to waive the second and third readings and pass the ordinance.

Likewise, the council also waived the second and third readings of an ordinance to amend the boundaries of the Arterial Transition district to include the property located at 411 Central Ave W and 423 1st Ave NW.

In other business, Mark Crawford of Crawford Engineering presented the council with a pay request from OEL Construction for work done for the PCC Reconstruction project in the amount of $102,542.59. The council approved the pay request.

Moving into department reports, Police Chief Bob Schaefer announced that they have caught a suspect believed to be behind some recent spray paint vandalism. Meanwhile, Public Works Director Doug Tarr again asked people to be mindful of detours and road blocks in the streets, particularly after serious storms.

"You could possibly be driving over a live wire," said Tarr. "Those barricades are put up for a reason."