AIRPORT PROJECT
A consultant has been hired for a paving project at the Le Mars Municipal Airport. Bolton and Menk was hired by the city as a consultant on a project to pave a taxiway to two new hangars at the airport. Bid opening on the project is April 29, and an environmental assessment has already concluded. Construction will begin in September of this year. The project is to be finished by May 2025. The consultant’s fee is 146-thousand dollars.
PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE PROJECT
The city of Le Mars has entered an agreement with a consulting group for final design and bid letting for the Le Mars Pedestrian Bridge Replacement project. JEO Consulting will do the design work to replace the current wooden pedestrian bridge over Willow Creek, at a service fee of 37-thousand dollars. The total cost of the bridge replacement is an estimated 753-thousand dollars. The city has applied to the Iowa Department of Transportation for funding through their Transportation Alternative Program. The DOT will fund 600-thousand dollars of the project’s cost. Construction will take place in 2026.
LE MARS COMMUNITY SCHOOL BOARD MEETS
The Le Mars Community School Board meets tonight for two official sessions. At 6 p.m., there will be a special meeting of the board at which time a public hearing on the district’s proposed 2024-25 budget will take place. Adoption of the budget will be taken up in the regular board session, which immediately follows the public hearing.
The board’s agenda includes a report on the upcoming Summer Food Program. Middle School Teachers will present the Specially Designed Instruction program that’s taking place within the special education department. The board will consider adoption of the school calendar for 2024-25. Later the board will go into closed session to consider collective bargaining strategy.
JENEARY SEES END OF THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION
State Representative Tom Jeneary of Le Mars says the pace of legislation has quickened at the state house in Des Moines.
Work on Area Education Agency Reform took up a disproportionate amount of time, but now lawmakers are concentrating on budget bills.
The 100th day is the last day legislators are paid for their stay in Des Moines.
FV HEALTHCARE TOP 20 RURAL CRITICAL ACCESS HOSPITAL
FV Healthcare was recently identified as a Top 20 Critical Access Hospital in America by the Chartis Center for rural Health. CEO Dustin Wright says he’s thrilled with the announcement.
Wright says at the foundation of this designation is a good working relationship with Floyd Valley employees.
Wright Floyd Valley Healthcare works at self-improvement year-round. The designation as a top 20 hospital affirms the work they do.
STREET CLOSING
Beginning at 7 a.m., the Le Mars Street Department will close 3rd Ave SE on the west side of the Plymouth County Courthouse, and 2nd Street SE on the south side of the courthouse for tree removal.
RAIL CROSSING REPAIRS
The Plymouth County Road Department will close a rail crossing at Hinton beginning today. The repairs to the crossing east of US 75 along C60 will require closing the crossing to vehicle traffic for two weeks. Traffic will be detoured along 75 south to C70, east to K42, and north to C60. The project will be completed by Monday, April 22.
USE PROPER EYE PROTECTION TO WATCH THE ECLIPSE
A narrow band of land from Texas to Maine will be under a total solar eclipse this (Monday) afternoon, and in Iowa, the partial eclipse will still be a spectacular sight to behold, if it’s not too cloudy. Dr. Robert Funk, an ophthalmologist with Gundersen Health System in Waukon, says if you plan to view the event, you’ll absolutely need a pair of ultra-dark eclipse glasses. Many stores are selling special glasses, but Funk says be sure to get some that are I-S-O-certified. Funk says the American Astronomical Society website that lists vendors that sell certified I-S-O glasses, or else you may permanently damage the center of your retina. The eclipse will begin in Iowa around 12:40 p-m, with the peak around 2 o’clock.
PENALTIES PROPOSED FOR LABELING MEAT, EGG ALTERNATIVES AS MEAT OR EGGS
The Iowa House has added eggs to a bill about meat labeling. The bill started in the Iowa Senate and it outlines penalties for food processors that do not clearly label plant-based or lab-grown proteins as meat ALTERNATIVES. House Republicans say the penalties should also apply to fabricated eggs marketed as egg substitutes. Representative Norlin Mommsen, a Republican from DeWitt who raises cattle, says meat-like and egg-like products are trying to ride the coattails of farmers. House Democrats say they support Iowa farmers and accurate food labels, but they oppose a section House Republicans added to the bill. It says low income Iowans will not be able to use federal food assistance to buy egg substitutes if the U-S-D-A lets Iowa enforce that policy. About two percent of children are allergic to eggs and Representative Sharon Steckman, a Democrat from Mason City, says if kids are allergic to eggs, their low income parents should be able to use food stamps to buy egg alternatives.
SECOND PHASE OF ISU DIAGNOSTIC LAB TO START SOON
Iowa State University dedicated the first phase of the new Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL) as the the start of construction on the second phase will soon get underway. The Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Dan Grooms, talked about the importance of the diagnostic lab which first opened in 1947. He says the lab is recognized globally as a leader in veterinary diagnostic medicine, especially in support of animal agriculture, but also in the support of companion animal health, wildlife health, as well as public health. Grooms says they lab helped with diagnosing COVID-19 during the pandemic, helped the poultry industry when highly pathogenic avian influenza re-emerged this past year. He says the lab is also the hub of innovation in animal diagnostic medicine. Phase Two construction is scheduled to begin this spring with a projected completion date of 2026. The 141 million dollar project includes state and federal funding along with funding from donors and Iowa State University.
