By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
During the Nov. 11 regular meeting of the Panora City Council, Arianne Steenblock addressed the council during the Public Forum portion of the meeting.
“I’m here tonight to request some minor improvements to the Panora Community Center. I’m renting the space in May for a graduation,” Steenblock said.
She noted that the north doors and the south double-door are in good condition but need to be repainted. She mentioned some ceiling tiles should be replaced, and she offered a suggestion for allowing items to be temporarily hung from walls. Steenblock showed examples of “Command Strip” type devices that would allow for decorating without causing holes in the walls. She offered to donate her time to do the painting and even to buy needed items, if allowed.
Because this request was not on the meeting’s agenda, the council did not take formal action. However, Mayor Curt Thornberry asked for the council’s consensus, and the members showed a willingness to look into the matter. It was also noted that replacement ceiling tiles are available.
City Administrator Lisa Grossman said the city’s annual audit is ongoing with most of the in-house work already completed.
Councilmember Roger Dorr asked where the city stands regarding EMS service, in the wake of the countywide measure that did not pass in the recent election.
Grossman said there will be a Public Safety committee meeting, and that group will be asked to make a recommendation to the city. She added that the county will most likely start over and try to get a countywide plan out to voters again when able.
The council discussed the need for Panora to make changes in the meantime to assure that Panora EMS can remain viable.
“You’re still looking at two years, two and a half, probably,” Mayor Thornberry said, regarding how soon a potential countywide plan could be fully implemented.
“We know we can’t wait that long, so we want to sit down and look at some numbers and have some good discussion about where we go,” Grossman said.
“Hopefully, we can get something to kind of bridge this period of time,” Thornberry said.
The next regular meeting of the Panora City Council will be Monday, Nov. 25 at 5:30 p.m. The public is welcome. Interested persons may attend in person or electronically by visiting the website https://meet.goto.com/cityofpanora or by phone 1-312-757-3121 (Access Code 295-099-701, Audio PIN 220#).