Austin officials are impatient with an apparent lack of progress by Mower County officials to push the multipurpose building project forward.

Thursday, September 14, 2000

Austin officials are impatient with an apparent lack of progress by Mower County officials to push the multipurpose building project forward.

One county official says the project will not have his support if costs continue to rise.

Meanwhile, city officials want a commitment from the county to continue to support the Youth Activity Center.

County officials say they have it.

City officials want to know whether the county is interested in financially supporting construction of a new baseball complex at Riverland Community College.

County officials say state law may prevent them from doing that.

City and county officials went back and forth Wednesday afternoon. Another joint city-county meeting was held in the meeting room of the city Housing and Redevelopment Authority offices in the Courtyard Apartments.

Mayor Bonnie Rietz chaired the meeting. Also representing the city were Dick Chaffee, council member at large, Mickey Jorgensen, First Ward council member, Dick Lang, Third Ward council member, and City Administrator Pat McGarvey. Representing Mower County were Ray Tucker, Second District and chairman of the county board, Richard P. Cummings, First District, and County Coordinator Craig Oscarson.

The meetings are discussion-only sessions. No official action can be taken.

But the face-to-face meetings between city and county officials and staff keep both informed and in communication with each other.

On the most-talked-about subject in Austin as another hockey season approaches, the best advice may be "Don’t hold your breath" in waiting for a new facility to replace Riverside Arena.

Concerns about possible cost-overruns are causing county officials and staff to go ever so slowly forward with the project.

The proposed $5.5 million multipurpose building project at the Mower County Fairgrounds in southwest Austin dominated discussions Wednesday.

It appears unlikely the project will move forward this year with bids and specifications.

"This thing is dragging on and on," Lang said. "People are asking me ‘Is this project going to be done?’"

The proposed multipurpose building project is being financed by the county and the city with private sector contributions. It originally was expected to be built and open for use by August 2001.

Oscarson said the project was proceeding, but it faces continual "tweaking" to pare it down to the budgeted amount of money available.