Landowner: It would just put a stake through my heart for them to do this

January 9, 2015 | 7:52 pm

NORTH LIBERTY Gary Weinman walked through his prairie on a frigid afternoon Friday with warm memories.

It would just put a stake through my heart for them to do this, he said, tearing up. My daughter got married under those trees.

Weinman, a Johnson County property owner, in November filed a lawsuit against the City of North Liberty to try to stop the construction of a sewer line on his property a sewer line which would in part serve the Iowa City Community School Districts proposed Liberty High School.

He was given notice Friday that the city has set a condemnation hearing for Feb. 13. The hearing would allow the city to move forward with the sewer construction.

Weinman and one of his attorneys said they will seek a temporary injunction from a court to stop that process based on environmental and jurisdictional concerns.

That attempt that does not stand a good chance of succeeding, according to Kevin Caster, a Cedar Rapids attorney who has experience in eminent domain cases.

I cant guarantee you that a court is going to interpret this in the citys favor, Caster said. But my hunch is the citys in a better position on this argument than the property owner is.

Implications for school

Read more:

North Liberty moves forward with sewer line despite landowners lawsuit