The Indianola City Council has approved a beautification plan for its northern gateway along U.S. Highway 65/69, an area that includes the Summercrest Hills mixed-use development. An effort to enhance the city’s four front doors — Iowa Highway 92 from the east and west, and Highway 65/69 from the north and south — was part of a strategic plan the City Council approved earlier this year after a planning session with Jeff Schott of the University of Iowa’s Institute for Public Affairs. The city plans to start work this spring on the northern gateway by filling two sections of highway median with a mix of ornamental grasses, flowers and ground cover. The city is receiving estimates of the cost of the project, which was designed by a committee of city staff and a representative from Keep Indianola Beautiful. The gateway project falls under the “quality of life” category in the city’s strategic plan, which also addresses economic development, infrastructure, staffing, city facilities, and budget and finance, including development of a multiyear capital improvements program.   Read more about the city’s long-range planning at BusinessRecord.com.