Aviation engineer who switched firms to stay with Greenfield

GREENFIELD — Due to familiarity with a certain engineer, the Greenfield city council moved at its Nov. 1 meeting to switch to Boston & Menk, Inc. for the master agreement connected to the city’s airport.

In recent years, when the city has done projects on the airport they’ve employed the help of Joseph Roenfeldt, who was previously with Clapsaddle-Garber and Associates of Marshalltown. Now Roenfeldt has transferred employment to Bolton & Menk, Inc. of Ames.

“Joe was with the other company for many years and was really helpful. He jumped ship and went to Bolton & Menk,” Greenfield mayor Jimmie Schultz said. “We’ve done all that work, and to make sure grants were available, he helped us with that.”

In 2017, Greenfield worked on a rehabilitate project for runway lighting and the rotating beacon at its airport. The next year, they replaced the electrical vault, or control room, at the airport. In 2019, they did a rehabilitate project on the runway, apron and taxiway, all with the help of Roenfeldt’s services.

“He’s just really helpful,” Schultz said. “He knows our airport. I think he’s been with us for 10 years or better.”

In other business, the council:

• Approved sending a second attempt on an abatement process on a property on S 1st Street. The first attempt was unsuccessful, so this attempt will go to the property’s landlord. “Most people, when we send them that letter, they clean it up,” Schultz said. “These guys have not, so we’ve gotta keep them motivated, I guess.

“As a whole, yes, this is a problem, of people not keeping their properties looking nice. There’s no magic pill. We don’t really have anything that’s forceful enough to make them do something if they don’t want to. It gives us something to think about.”

• Moved to have city employees reimbursed for the cost of a commercial driver’s license course because the city does not have sufficient equipment for training.

“This is something that is something we haven’t had to deal with for awhile, but with new hires coming up, it’s something the council has to acknowledge and more forward with,” Schultz said. “With the CDL, you have to go somewhere to get it. We pay the way, but everything’s going up [in price]. We’ve just gotta help our new employees.”

• Approved a liquor license renewal for the Warren Cultural Center

• Approved the employee health benefit plan. The carrier is Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

“It’s the same carrier, it’s just a better plan for employees and is less money out of the city’s pocket,” Schultz commented.