The City of Adel is getting a little bigger; 309 acres bigger to be exact.

The City Council recently approved a 100% volunteer annexation of land south of the current city limits, which was requested by Cramer & Associates, Incorporated. The area to be annexed is south of 302nd Place, east of Highway 169, and west of Old Portland Road. Before they could approve the annexation, the Council held a public hearing to discuss the topic. City Clerk Jackie Steele said there were 22 people who showed up for the hearing. She said there was a mix of City and County residents in attendance, though most of the comments came from the latter.

Concerns raised included: repairs to Old Portland Road; debris from construction workers; traffic on Highway 169; and water runoff issues. City staff and Cramer representatives addressed each concern. First, Adel and Dallas County will have a 28E agreement finalized soon for road maintenance on Old Portland Road, and will bring it up to code to handle the additional traffic. Next, Cramer & Associates will make sure their contractor keeps the construction sites in order. Finally, to help with traffic on 169, the City is working with the Department of Transportation to possibly put in a turn lane.

As for the water runoff issues, the City said that’s something residents will have to take up with the County. After hearing everyone’s concerns and having them addressed to their satisfaction, the Council approved the annexation. It has been published and submitted to the state, and will become official once it gets approval from the Secretary of State’s Office.