Matt Rehder’s first month on the job as Iola City Administrator has been thankfully routine.
There have been no emergency meetings called to address some unforeseen crisis.
“On the good side, it’s been kind of quiet,” Rehder said, rapping his knuckles on his wood desk. “My experience tells me that something will pop up at some point.”
For now, Rehder is content to immerse himself in all things Iola, as he’s done since his arrival in March.
He’s toured pretty much every city facility in Iola, and visited with local industries and other local leaders.
The lone exception is Iola’s lagoons. “I don’t need an in-depth description of what a lagoon does,” he chuckled, but noted Iola’s system is on the larger end for towns its size. “They’re huge.”
The “get-to-know-you phase” is fortuitous, because Rehder will commence drafting the city’s 2022 budget in the coming weeks.
“With the tours I’ve been on, I’ll ask how things are going maintenance-wise. All in all, infrastructure here is in pretty good shape, but there’s always room for improvement.”
Iola’s aging sewer lines have begun to show their age, with the city in the midst of relining some with a rubber membrane.
Rehder notes some of the city’s manhole covers also have deteriorated and are in need of replacement.
“We’re throwing around project ideas,” he said. “If we can get manhole frame covers and new frames, it will reduce the inflow into the pipes.
“They’re really issues that aren’t any different than everywhere else,” he continued. “Some of this infrastructure was put into the ground 100-150 years ago. Over time, that stuff shows its age.”
He also offered a newcomer’s view on another previously little-discussed problem. Iola’s aging streetside curbs.
“That’s one of the first things I noticed when I came to town, the curbs aren’t in great shape, “ Rehder said. “Some spots they’re not in good shape, some spots curbs are almost non-existent, and some spots where it seems like the road has been overlaid a few times to the point it’s higher than the curb.”
But when talking curbs and sewers, Rehder just as quickly points to Iola’s infrastructure as a whole, which is in good shape.
