Clear Lake council to consider bid for City Hall remodeling project, appointing Colby as police chief

CLEAR LAKE — Clear Lake’s City Council tonight will appoint a permanent police chief and award a contract for the remodeling of the administrative side of City Hall. 

== The council had allocated $1 million in this year’s budget to undertake a significant security upgrade and remodeling project for the administrative side of City Hall. City staff says there are many things that need to be addressed since the building opened in the mid-1960s, including making it more accessible for people with disabilities. City Administrator Scott Flory in a memo to the council says three bids were received for the project, with the lowest being from Henkel Construction of Mason City in the amount of $797,400 for the base bid. There were also two bid alternates on the project, one involving public restroom remodeling and the other to add three more windows. The total bid with the alternates added in is $828,000. 

== The council is also being asked to confirm the recommendation of Mayor Nelson Crabb and City Administrator Scott Flory to appoint Mike Colby as the city’s Chief of Police. Colby was appointed as the interim police chief back in May after the resignation of Pete Roth, who left Clear Lake to accept the police chief position in the Des Moines suburb of Windsor Heights. Colby had served the Clear Lake Police Department in the role of Police Captain since August 2016. Prior to coming to Clear Lake, he was a 15-year veteran of the Clive Police Department. Crabb says in a memo to the council that Colby brings an appropriate level of skills, both academic and on-the-job, that uniquely qualify him for the opportunity. Crabb says he’s an effective communicator with a proven track record as a problem solver and someone who enjoys working with the people. 

The council meets at 6 o’clock in the council chambers at City Hall.