Kim Peterson sees unfinished business on the Iola City Council.
Since she took office 4½ years ago, Peterson points to several noteworthy city achievements, such as getting the Peerless Products plant in town and plans to expand the PrairieLand Partners dealership.
On top of that, the city reached a new EMS contract with Allen County and extended infrastructure for new development in the Cedarbrook addition.
But it’s no time to rest on one’s laurels, she notes.
Peterson is seeking another term to represent Iola’s Ward 3, which covers the southwest quadrant of town. She is being challenged by Georgia Masterson and Gene Myrick in the Nov. 7 general election.
Peterson shared her view on a number of city-related topics.
“I want to see 54 Highway done with the least amount of impact downtown,” Peterson said. “People say we don’t need it, but we do. Those roads are terrible underneath. And I want to see some (EV) charging stations, but I want them to be on public property.”
The Council earlier this year rejected a request from Paul Porter to install EV stations outside Derryberry’s Breadery on the northwest corner of the square, because the station would be on the city’s sidewalk.
“We’re working on them,” she said. “I don’t know how many we can get, if it’s two, four or six, but I know we need some for people passing through town.”
Peterson said Iola should act, soon, on developing the 80 acres of city-owned land near Russell Stover Chocolates at the northwest edge of town, if not for a commercial property, then as an area for housing.
“It’s just sitting out there with nothing going on,” she said. “If we can get those lots developed up there at Cedarbrook, I don’t know why we couldn’t do something there.”
Iola’s recreational facilities also are a sore spot, Peterson said.
“I’ve heard too many people complaining about the ball fields, and they didn’t look good,” she said. “The soccer fields don’t look good, either. They have huge divots in them, and the grass is terrible. And why do we still have a huge pile of dirt behind our largest diamond? We can do better.”
Peterson is eager to see what comes out of a local committee looking at Iola’s athletic facilities, but with the city cash-strapped, any sort of projects will have to come from private funds, she said.
The same goes for a proposed splash park. “I’d like to see it become a reality, but I don’t want to see the city have to pay for it,” Peterson said.
