WIND GENERATOR SETBACKS
The Plymouth County Zoning Board will hold a public hearing Monday on several amendments to it’s zoning rules. One of those changes is in how far wind generators must be placed from neighboring homes. Zoning Administrator Alan Lucken says the original distances came about through local and national surveys.
Members of the zoning board recently became concerned when neighbors said they were not pleased with the noise and the shadows cast by nearby generators.
The zoning board is considering a recommendation that would expand the setback distances. This week’s discussion with the Board of Supervisors mentioned a distance of up to 25-hundred feet, double the current setback. Lucken anticipates the Supervisors will come to a decision somewhere in between.
The zoning board has hired a consulting firm to draw up a recommendation that will be presented at a public hearing Monday afternoon. The zoning amendment will address other issues as well, including a new Ordinance on Solar Energy Systems.
YMCA REPORT
The Le Mars YMCA submitted a quarterly report to the city council. Family memberships have increased so far this year, at 158, up 22 from last year. Single Parent, adult, Senior, Youth and College memberships were nearly the same as last year. There was a dip in couple memberships, down 12 from last year. At the Indoor Aquatic Center, the winter season is now over for the season. Statistics were only available for January and February, but participation is nearly identical to the same months in 2022. The outdoor pool will be open May 27th. The Y offers financial assistance for memberships, youth sports, summer day camps, after school activities, and swim lessons.
SIOUX CITY DERAILMENT
Union Pacific crews began working last (Thursday) night to put nearly a dozen rail cars back on the tracks after a derailment in Sioux City. No one was injured. The derailment happened shortly before 6 p.m. near the intersection of two streets in Sioux City. A Sioux City police officer says the derailed cars were refrigerated units or tankers that typically carry ethanol, but it appears the cars were empty.
ELECTOR’S AMENDMENT
Iowans will vote next year on a proposed amendment that will align the Iowa Constitution with an election-related change made nationally more than five decades ago. In 1971, the 26th Amendment the U.S. Constitution was ratified, changing the legal voting age in America from 21 to 18. The proposed amendment to IOWA’s Constitution would specify that U.S. citizens who are at least 18 and residents of the state may vote in Iowa elections. It also says 17 year olds who will be 18 by the General Election to register to vote and vote in the Primary. These rules are already in Iowa law. The amendment would enshrine the standards in the state constitution.
