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City makes deal with Peden before closing Cookson
by Rick DeClue · News · September 29, 2016


With some lapses in decorum at the West Branch City Council meeting on Sept. 19, the council approved the closing of Cookson Street from the east boundary of the city’s public works shop to the west end of the street.


The council held the item from previous agendas to allow Dave Peden and his attorney time to address the council. Peden owns the proprty adjacent to the east side of the city shop.

After explaining that his attorney was unavailable, Peden told the council that he needed 75 feet of street surface west of the proposed closing to allow full-sized tractor-trailer trucks to pull past his property so they could then back onto his lot and turn around to exit the dead-end street.

He said trucks, whether they were trying to reach his welding and repair shop or had other business on Cookson Street, had limited options for leaving the street.

Peden, who has also had problems with runoff from the city’s salt storage shed on the public works site, provided a detailed description of those options based on different trailer lengths.

Peden also told the council that he had been lied to by the city for 25 years when he had been told that plans were for Cookson Street to extend through to Cookson Drive – past the current dead-end.

Standing in front of the council chambers viewing screen, which showed an overhead view of the street and the proposed closure, he said, “this is just a dumb plan.”

City attorney Kevin Olson immediately told Peden, “When you address the council, there are rules that govern. You don’t call their plans ‘dumb.’”

“I’m sorry. I mean, it’s not a workable plan that I can see,” Peden said.

This exchange occurred after audience members, discussing Cedars Edge Golf Course earlier in the meeting, used swear words from time to time yet went unchallenged by Olson or anyone around the council table.

The council described the intention to put a gate on the public works site to discourage unauthorized street traffic.

Council member Mary Beth Stevenson said, “I don’t want to negatively impact a business down there.”

Council member Tim Shields told Peden the gate would be open during business hours, and asked whether that would solve his truck issue.

Peden said no, because trucks come and go at all hours of the day or night.

Council member Colton Miller asked Public Works Director Matt Goodale about the possibility of using two gates – one in front of the city’s proposed new salt shed, located at the west end of Cookson, and another running parallel to Cookson to restrict access to the public works office and garage. This city would still own the street, but leave part of it open for the occasional truck to pull past Peden’s property before backing up to turn around.

While it is possible, Goodale said, the location of the second gate would need to ensure space and access behind the gate for parking in front of the office.

Shields asked Peden if this would work. Peden continued to describe the difficulties for trucks on the street, but eventually said, “that wouldn’t really bother me.”

He also asked the council members if they would prefer to just purchase the western portion of his property, all of which is for sale.

When the mayor called for the vote, there was some confusion as the council considered whether to amend the resolution to move the eastern border of the area to be closed. They went back and forth about distances from 75 to 90 feet.

In response to an inaudible comment from council member Jordan Ellyson, Laughlin chuckled and said, “that’s not specific at all.”

Before the vote, the mayor said, “We’ll figure it out. We’ll go with the original plan. We’ll honor the neighbor with our fencing [gates.].”

The council voted unanimously, without amendment, to close the street.

City Administrator Matt Muckler said after the meeting that the next step in this matter was for Goodale and City Engineer Dave Schechinger to present a site plan for the new public works lot to the Planning and Zoning Commission.