Marshalltown’s Oktemberfest to proceed as planned, despite health officials’ warnings about Legionella
By Marcus McIntosh
Click here for updates on this story
MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (KCCI) — The Marshalltown City Council voted 4-3 to keep Oktemberfest in its planned north-side location despite a recommendation from the Marshall County Public Health department to move the event amid a Legionella outbreak.
Since August, there have been 71 confirmed cases, including two deaths, with cases clustered in northern Marshalltown. Mayor Joel Greer read a letter from the county public health department urging the city to relocate “out of an abundance of caution” while tests continue to determine whether a cooling tower in the city’s downtown area is the outbreak’s source.
Ward 1 council member Mike Ladehoff said recent cleanings likely eliminated the bacteria.
“They have shocked the water in the towers — all 12 of them. They have had them cleaned, had the owners clean them completely, and then they brought in a third party to come in and clean them again. They have high confidence that it’s dead,” Ladehoff said during the meeting.
Officials said testing to confirm the source is still underway. The festival is scheduled to start Thursday.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.