April 4th will be the next time the Washington County Board of Supervisors discusses and considers vacating a portion of Nutmeg Avenue. At their meeting Tuesday, the board decided to table action, Supervisor Jack Seward said, they’ve received a lot of feedback from the public and will continue to listen. He said, “We’ve also been in receipt of a letter from an attorney that said if we continue with vacation that there’d be litigation. So I think, until some of those questions, and the foundational questions about the civil trials that are going on, I’m not going to be in favor of taking any action.”

The section the supervisors are considering is from near 133rd Street north to the public right of way, just south of the Bunker Mill Bridge. Supervisor Chairman Richard Young said, “If part of Nutmeg is already closed, given back, they can come up to that. There’s nothing that says the property owner can’t put a fence up today and they can’t get to that bridge.”

Washington County Attorney John Gish said Young was correct and added, “I think I shared my hesitation with making a decision because of the two ongoing civil actions involving that part of Kalona, but I know of no legal barrier to prevent the board from making a decision.

The Bunker Mill Bridge connects Nutmeg Avenue on the north and south banks of the English River, south of Kalona. The bridge was set on fire in August of 2013 and sold by the county for $1 to Friends of Bunker Mill Bridge October 10th, 2013. The item will next be on the supervisors’ agenda on April 4th.