(Okoboji)—An appointment to fill a vacancy on the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission drew a split vote at last (Tues.) evening’s Okoboji city council meeting.
The council voted 3 to 2 to approve the appointment of Jane Shuttleworth to the vacant seat.
Three others had also expressed interest in the seat, including Debbie Parks, Julie Mau Andres and Mark Jensen. City Administrator Dennis Daly told the council that in order to meet a gender equity policy, the council would need to appoint a female.
Councilman Steve Dulin voted against the appointment, saying he wanted to see a business woman appointed to the commission.
In other business, the council was informed the results of core samplings of Lakeshore Drive indicate the street is in need of extensive repair or replacement. The cost to totally reconstruct the entire four and-a-half mile long street was put at roughly four and-a-half million dollars, compared to about a million dollars for an overlay. The council discussed the pro’s and cons between a total reconstruction, which officials say could take up to two construction seasons to complete, and an overlay which wouldn’t take nearly as long to complete and would be less expensive than a reconstruction, but wouldn’t last as long. The council directed an engineer to come back to a future meeting with more detailed cost estimates on the various options.
