OTTUMWA — “Don’t fence me in” might be the wish of old cowboys but fencing and gates are crucial at the city’s airport.

At this week’s Ottumwa City Council meeting, Planning Director Dave Shafer recommended the council accept the fencing and gates project “as final and complete” and approved the final payment to Gullet Fence Co.

Shafer also recommended the council approve two change orders, one for the installation of “bump posts” to protect the card readers and additional electrical work and a second change order for the installation of an additional 24-foot gate that will be used by Indian Hills Community College.

The first change order totaled more than $3,400. Shafer said the fencing project included security fencing and certain airport users will need cards to slide through the reader before they can access the secured area.

Costs for installing the additional 24-foot gate totaled $4,758. Shafer told the council the previous gates were “an assemblage of farm gates wired together” and another gate longer than 23 feet was needed.

Council Member Gerald Brees asked Shafer if the college knew about the gate change. Shafer said a recommendation that the college reimburse the city is under consideration.

Originally Gullet’s contract was for $61,903. The change orders increased that by more than $8,100, bringing the total to just more than $70,000. Shafer said the final payment due is just more than $3,500.

In other business at the airport, Shafer recommended authorizing the mayor to sign collateral access agreements for Building No. 33 at the airport.

Al-jon Manufacturing has a lease agreement with the city concerning Building No. 33 and has requested the city approve the collateral access agreements with the National City Bank and Morgan Keegan Mezzanine Fund, L.P.

The city leases the building to Al-jon, which has requested the city approve the agreements with the National City Bank and Morgan Keegan Mezzanine Fund, L.P.

The city council unanimously approved the above projects and:

• An agreement for city engineering services with Garden & Associates, Ltd., of Oskaloosa, who will assist the city until a replacement is found for Engineer Bob Davis, who has resigned to accept a post in Kansas City, Mo.

• An amended Environmental Protection Agency Programmatic Agreement for the South Ottumwa Sewer Separation Project.

• A change order and final pay request for the Street Patch and Repair Program 2005/2006.

• The third reading of an ordinance that will add the “Stormwater Chapter” to the General Sewer Use ordinance.