LE MARS SCHOOLS HEARING ON FINANCING SCHOOL FACILITIES
The Le Mars Community School District has set a public hearing for their July meeting, concerning financing for a school facilities plan. Superintendent Dr. Steven Webner says this is in response to a community survey that was recently concluded. The survey results were reviewed at the June school board meeting.
Dr. Webner says the survey had a 30% response rate.
The survey asked district residents what they preferred for new elementary facilities to replace two aging schools.
It also wanted to find out how best to pay for new facilities.
The survey had several finance options to consider…
Dr Webner says the board plans to relieve some of the burden of higher property taxes to pay for the new facilities.
The estimated cost of a new elementary building is some 67.5 million dollars. At the end of the school board meeting last week, the board approved setting a public hearing for July 8. At that time, public comment will be taken on the issuance of 27 million dollars in tax bonds to reduce the property tax levels for construction of the new elementary building.
MORE BIRD FLU IN SIOUX COUNTY
A sixth case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza has been detected in a Sioux County dairy herd. To date, there have been eight dairy herds in northwest Iowa where bird flu has been found in the past month. Other cases have been noted in Plymouth and O’Brien county dairy herds.
EXTENSIVE TESTING FOR BIRD FLU IN IOWA DAIRY HERDS
State Ag Secretary Mike Naig says Iowa officials are taking a different approach compared to other states when it comes to bird flu testing. When a poultry flock has been hit by the virus, the testing protocol has been that poultry operations within a 20 kilometer radius are tested.
Results are expected soon and Naig says there could be a big bump in the number of bird flu cases confirmed on Iowa dairy farms.
Teams of U-S-D-A experts have been in the state analyzing each of the sites where bird flu has been confirmed among poultry or dairy cattle.
Naig says even dairy farmers OUTSIDE of the mandatory testing zones have contacted state officials to say they suspect cattle are infected with the virus. Dairy cows are quarantined while they’re sick, but are not euthanized.
The strain of bird flu that’s been CONFIRMED at EIGHT dairy operations in northwest Iowa over the past few weeks is the same. Naig suspects bird flu is more widespread.
The main hit to dairies where bird flu is detected is a drop in milk production, but Naig says some Iowa dairy cows have died after being diagnosed with bird flu.
According to the U-S-D-A, it’s older dairy cows that die after getting the virus. The National Veterinary Services Lab in Ames is processing the tests for highly pathogenic avian influenza in Iowa dairy herds.
GOVERNOR ISSUES DISASTER DECLARATIONS FOR SIX COUNTIES
Governor Kim Reynolds issued a disaster emergency proclamation for six counties in response to severe weather on June 12th. The governor’s proclamation issued Wednesday activates the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program and Disaster Case Advocacy Program for Carroll, Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Harrison, and O’Brien County.
ALL RESIDENTS TRANSFERRED FROM GLENWOOD RESOURCE CENTER
Iowa Department of Health and Human Services director Kelly Garcia says the last resident of the state-run Glenwood Resource Center moved to the community yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon. Glenwood has provided residential care for Iowans with severe physical and intellectual disabilities since 1836. After federal investigations raised concerns about the welfare of residents, Governor Reynolds announced two years ago that Glenwood would be closed on June 30th of this year. Over 200 employees still working on the campus were given bonuses to stay during the transition and Garcia says the staff is busy transferring records and moving or selling equipment from the nearly 400-acre campus. The property will be transferred to the city of Glenwood in a few months, with plans to build housing on the site.