JOINT PROJECT
The City council of Le Mars approved two resolutions concerning a joint paving project with Plymouth County.
The council held a public hearing on the details of a resurfacing project along 7th Ave SE/K49, extending from 18th Ave to C38, After the hearing, the council adopted a resolution setting plans and specifications and cost estimate for the project. They then passed a motion to approve a federal aid agreement for a block grant of 625-thousand dollars toward construction of the project. Another 286-thousand dollars will come from local Road Use Tax monies. The estimated cost of the project is 911-thousand dollars. Bids will be opened November 15, and a contract awarded on December 6. Construction will take place next year.
CARBON PIPELINE PLYMOUTH COUNTY
The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors held an information session about the Summit Carbon Solutions Pipeline proposed for the County. Kaylee Langrell represented the company, which seeks easements for a pipeline to run north to south down the center of the county. Langrell told the Supervisors about the economic benefits to the county from the pipeline. The first year estimate of investment in the pipeline would be some 42 million dollars, generating 1.6 million dollars in property taxes. There were landowners in attendance at the session. Steve Breuer is one of ten landowners in Plymouth County who has not agreed to an easement with Summit. He has several concerns.
He also says not all property owners are notified of the company’s intent.
Summit has submitted lists of landowners who have not agreed to easements with them to the state Utilities Board. They have determined a site for a public hearing on the company’s application for a permit for the pipeline, and the use of eminent domain to receive easements from those landowners who refuse to sign them, but a date has not been set. As for the Plymouth County Supervisors, they are on record as opposed to the use of eminent domain for this purpose..
FRANKEN UNITY
Mike Franken, the Democrat challenging Republican Senator Chuck Grassley’s bid for reelection, says politicians owe it to the next generation to do better.
Franken is a retired Navy admiral. He suggests it’s hard to imagine the national unity so evident after the 9/11 attacks 21 years ago has largely evaporated.
Franken made his comments Monday afternoon on the Des Moines Register’s Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair. He drew cheers by reciting New Deal programs like rural electrification that Democrat Franklin Roosevelt promoted and the Great Society programs of the Johnson presidency.
Franken said Democrats have a history of leaning forward and he says if elected, he’ll promote doing things like rebuilding the energy grid. A spokeswoman for Grassley’s campaign says Franken wants Iowa to be more liberal and is out of step and out of touch with Iowans.
ORANGE CITY DEVELOPMENTS
The Orange City Council Monday okayed the disposal of city-owned property for a pair of residential developments near the new MOC/Floyd Valley Elementary School. The 21 acre Gelderland First Addition is adjacent to the school. It will include 26 parcels, six zoned for duplexes and 20 zoned for single family dwellings. The 20-acre Canals Project is across the street from the school. It will include a mix of residences, from single family to duplexes to townhouses to apartments.
The Orange City Council Monday approved a contract for equipment at the Puddle Jumper Playground. ABCreative had submitted an earlier bid of 679-thousand dollars for this project, as part of a single bid for construction of the park. But the city council earlier rejected those bids, and decided to bid equipment and park development separately. Yesterday, the council approved a revised bid of 491-thousand dollars. There remains a construction contract for remaining park items including a splash pad, sidewalk, parking,landscape, and utilities. This will be bid later this fall, with installation planned for 2023.
The city of Orange City will submit a RISE grant to the Iowa Department of Transportation, to help with construction of a street into the city’s old airport property. The council proposes to build 18th street, extending west from Albany Place SE. This will help create 6 new industrial sites on the property of the old runway at the former municipal airport. The total cost of the street project is 1.8 million dollars, with about 300-thousand dollars of that RISE eligible. The grant, if approved,will fund up to 50% of the roadway.
CLEANUP DAYS
The City of Le Mars has declared Fall Cleanup Days are September 6 through 10.. This means that during that week, there is no cost for most items dumped in the county landfill. Plymouth County Landfill manager Kent Herbold says this is an opportunity to get rid of items you would normally be charged for.
This includes most furniture, including carpet, padding, humidifiers, and large plastic items.: , and most metal items.
Just about any construction waste, except concrete, will be accepted without charge.
There are two rules for cleanup days – all loads must be brought to the landfill. They will not be picked up curbside. And there’s one other rule.
Herbold says there are a couple of rules to follow during cleanup week. These items will not be picked up curbside, Residents must bring these items to the landfill themselves. And the load must be covered, according to state of Iowa regulations. A fee will be charged for any uncovered loads.
LEWIS AND CLARK CONTRACTS
Three more contracts, worth a total of 26 million dollars have been awarded by the Lewis and Clark Regional Water System. These contracts are for construction of pipeline extension from Hull to Sheldon; for construction of a pump station near Hull and a meter building in Sheldon. The third contract covers a water storage facility near Madison, SD. The funding for these projects come from the Bipartisan Infrastrucutre Law, which apportions a total of 75 million dollars to the Lewis and Clark System. The water system needs to award six more contracts in order to complete construction of the base system, These contracts will be awarded by late next year. The goal is to have all 20 Lewis and Clark members connected to the system by early 2025.
PIPELINE LIST
A district court judge has ruled the list of landowners who haven’t agreed to voluntary easements for the proposed Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline must be released to the public. The Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club sued after the Iowa Utilities Board said the names would remain secret at the developer’s request. Summit is still working to secure agreements with landowners for about 60 percent of its proposed carbon pipeline route through Iowa. If the Iowa Utilities Board grants eminent domain authority for the project, the list would be used to determine which properties could be seized without negotiations between Summit and landowners.
A spokeswoman for the Sierra Club’s Iowa chapter says reluctant landowners should be able to see the list so they can communicate with like-minded Iowans and organize unified opposition to the pipeline. Summit could appeal the judge’s ruling. The company says it’s reasonable that landowners themselves get to choose whether their names and contact information are made public and Summit aims to protect landowners from harassment. Earlier this month a Summit executive said about 750 Iowa landowners have voluntarily agreed to let Summit’s pipeline run through their property. Two other companies are proposing carbon pipelines through Iowa.Iowa
There are 10 property owners in Plymouth County who have not signed easements with Summit Carbon Solutions. A representative of Summit will be before the Plymouth County Board of Supervisors to present information and answer questions about their project. Previously, the Supervisors submitted a letter to the Utilities Board objecting to the use of eminent domain to procure right of way from landowners.
MELTON BLASTS FEENSTRA
Ryan Melton, the Democratic candidate in Iowa’s Third Congressional District, is opposed to construction of carbon capture pipelines. He says the projects will benefit private corporations and the government’s eminent domain process is supposed to be used for projects that have a public purpose. Melton instead supports expanding wind and solar power. He made his comments on the Des Moines Register’s Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair. In a column published in several newspapers last year, Incumbent Republican Randy Feenstra said carbon pipelines have the potential to boost the ethanol industry AND ensure Iowa farmers continue to have a strong market for their corn.
INJURY ACCIDENT
A Sioux Center woman was hospitalized after suffering a medical condition while driving. The accident occured Monday morning at a residence a mile northwest of Sioux Center. 67 year old Phyllis Beukelman was in her vehicle, on her driveway, when she experienced a medical event. She lost control of the vehicle, which struck trees in a grove on the property. Beukelman was transported by the Sioux Center Ambulance to Sioux Center Health.
FATAL PLANE CRASH
The National Transportation Safety Board has released its preliminary report on the fatal plane crash that happened last month in northwest Iowa. The pilot had been spraying fields near Ute in Monona County before the aircraft went down. There were no known witnesses. The pilot has been identified as 45-year-old Brady Neil Penner of Weatherford, Oklahoma. Penner was killed in the crash that happened July 30th at 1:00 p-m. The plane caught on fire after the crash.
I-90 CONSTRUCTION
Motorists should be aware of shifting lane closures as road construction moves to phase two on Interstate 90 west of Luverne in far southwestern Minnesota. Today (Mon) and tomorrow, traffic will be single-lane each direction from west of Luverne to the South Dakota border. Then on Wednesday, all traffic will be shifted so it’s head-to-head in the eastbound lanes. There will also be entrance and exit ramp closures. Construction is expected to be complete in November, weather permitting.
CANDIDATE’S DRUG POLICIES
Rick Stewart, the Libertarian candidate for governor, says ending the nation’s war on drugs is his most important priority. He suggests Iowa’s mental health crisis could be dramatically lessened if drugs like L-S-D and magic mushrooms were legalized. Magic mushrooms, also known by the name Psilocybin (sill-oh-SY-bin), have been illegal in the United States since 1970, and L-S-D was outlawed in 1968. Stewart says it’s immoral and unethical to ban these hallucinogenic drugs, and promised he’ll make them legal in Iowa and doesn’t care what the feds say. He made his comments on the Des Moines Register’s Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair.
