By Stephanie Rottinghaus and Micah Cutler

As members of the Iowa League of Cities, we recently had the privilege of attending their first virtual conference. While typically the gathering brings hundreds of city officials and administrators from all over the state of Iowa together to network, things were very different this year, although the conference was still well attended.

CGA hosts a booth at the event each year to showcase our engineering services, but more importantly, this conference gives us an opportunity to gain valuable insights into what is currently important to Iowa municipalities. We sure missed seeing everyone face-to-face, however, we were still able to capture information from municipality contacts at our “virtual booth.”  This year, 37 Iowa municipalities filled out our survey question “What is your biggest public issue that needs to be addressed in the next 12-24 months”. Take a look at the responses here:

Issue #1: Water and Wastewater Infrastructure

This is no surprise to us, as it was the number two ranked item from last year’s survey. Municipalities are concerned about the time and costs associated with upgrades to their water systems. Whether it is maintaining existing infrastructure or constructing a new treatment facility, keeping the water flowing both in and out is no small feat. But how do you know where to start? Sure, you can just fix what breaks as it breaks, but that is inefficient and costs more in the long term. CGA can help you prioritize your repair and replacement plan, as well as get a handle on the location of your existing infrastructure. Consolidating your assets into a GIS may be easier and cost less than you realize. Planning today can prevent costly repairs in the future. If you’d like to contact our GIS team, we’d love to visit about customizing a GIS solution for your community.

 

Issue #2: Streets / Street Repair

Again, no surprise here. In fact, the responses this year flip-flopped each other since street repair was the number one item municipalities listed last year! With our addition of GIS services this year, the CGA team is well-equipped to assist municipalities with prioritizing which streets need to be addressed first, as well as make a plan for future repairs. Our design and construction administration teams have extensive experience with resurfacing projects; several of which are highlighted here. The CGA team also has a long-standing relationship with the Iowa DOT. Did you know that you might also be eligible for funding to make these repairs? Contact our team so we can go over options with you – now’s the time to get your projects on the list for spring 2021 – don’t delay!!

 

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