The Johnson County Board of Supervisors held a public meeting to discuss the future of the Johnson County Poor Farm Asylum and Historic District.
By Madeleine Neal
The Johnson County Board of Supervisors held a public input meeting to discuss the planning process for the Johnson County Poor Farm Asylum and Historic District at the Health and Human Services Building on Wednesday evening.
In a release on their website, the supervisors said the planning will guide preservation of the property and improvements to it in the future.
HBK Engineering of Iowa City, the release said, is the consultant for Phase 1 of the plan.
Vanessa Fixmer-Oraiz, an HBK community planner, said historical research-site analysis, including a 3-D scan, a level-of-use analysis, a cemetery boundary, and GIS mapping, has taken place.
“There’s been a lot of planning that has already taken place on the site,” she said. “Phase 1 is us — [it’s] filtering out the noise.”
The next step of the plan, she said, is to hone in on provided options.
Supervisor Vice Chairman Mike Carberry said a plan for Poor Farm Asylum & Historic District has been in discussion for years.
“There’s actually been plans [for the district],” he said. “[There are] already a couple uses out there.”
The district includes the farm’s old barns, a cemetery, and additional farm ground.
“[We] have to be careful what we do to preserve aspects of the farm,” he said. “[The district has] a lot of moving aspects.”
Supervisor Chairwoman Janelle Rettig said she has been interested in Poor Farm Asylum and Historical District since the beginning.
“I want the buildings reserved and repaired for public use,” she said.” I want the history interpreted, and I want the land to remain open space.”
At the public-input session, community members voiced what they wanted to see done with the property.
Rettig, however, said she is not interested in urban development at the property.
“It has been a county farm for more than 150 years,” she said. “I think it would be shameful if we allowed urban sprawl on this space.”
In addition to its master plan for Poor Farm Asylum and Historical District, Johnson County is also working on its comprehensive plan, which the supervisors will meet to discuss on March 9.