MASON CITY – The urban legend in Mason City, advanced since about 2010, is that a hotel will be built in the Southbridge Mall parking lot, and that dirt will be moved any day now. As a beautiful $1 million skywalk is perched across Delaware Avenue, waiting to link up with this rumored hotel, city hall in Mason City is ready to reconstruct the surrounding parking lot and install new lighting.
The Southbridge Mall Parking Lot Improvements project is planned to be completed through a coordinated effort with the Home2 Hotel project which is allegedly being constructed in the easternmost part of the existing Southbridge Mall parking lot. The City of Mason City is planning to hire a consultant, WHKS engineers, for professional services to prepare plans and specifications for parking lot improvements, through the reconstruction of a portion of the Southbridge Mall parking lot (See map, below).
The parking lot reconstruction project is necessary to create a continuous, smooth transition of the finished surface from new development to existing pavement, City Hall claims.
The improvements will also include new parking lot lighting, according to city hall, which is much needed due to the aged existing lighting infrastructure and the need to modernize it with a more reliable and efficient system.
An agreement between the city and WHKS outlines the professional services necessary to advance the project through the letting process.
As a reminder, one of the last promises made by city hall was in January during Mayor Bill Schickel’s “state of the city” address, in which he guaranteed construction on the hotel was to begin this spring. It clearly did not happen, but townsfolk have been snickering at this deal since former mayor Eric Bookmeyer and his pals broached the subject nearly 15 years ago. It’s been a wild ride ever since, and at this point, we are here for the shenanigans.
