WIND URBAN RENEWAL AMENDMENT
A public hearing will take place next month before the Plymouth County Board of Supervisors concerning an amendment to the county’s Wind Urban Renewal Area. This amendment will list future road, bridge, and culvert projects that will take place in four townships in Plymouth County. They will be paid for through property taxes incurred by wind generators operating in the county. The Wind Urban Renewal Area includes Remsen, Meadow, Henry, and part of Fredonia townships. The hearing will take place during the Board of Supervisors meeting on October 15.
PAVING PROJECT COMPLETED
Plymouth County’s longest paving project of the season is now complete. The County Road Department says with the completion of pavement markings this week, C44 is now open from Merrill west to K18. That’s a distance of 11.2 miles. The project began in late May, and was reopened yesterday.
DEPUTY AG SECRETARY URGES SENATE TO MAKE CHANGES IN USDA DISASTER LOANS
Iowa’s deputy secretary of agriculture says there are frustrating and confusing inequities in federal programs meant to support farmers trying to recover from natural disasters. Grant Menke testified Wednesday before the U-S Senate Small Business Committee.
Farming operations are not eligible for Small Business Administration loans and Menke says the historic flooding and a record number of tornadoes have created significant challenges for Iowa farmers.
S-B-A disaster loans offer lower interest rates and a longer repayment period than the disaster loans farmers have access to through the U-S-D-A.
Menke says another frustration is the U-S-D-A’s disaster loans have an upper limit that’s less than the maximum loan amount available through the S-B-A.
FEMA OFFICE IN SIOUX CITY TO CLOSE
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has announced that they will close the Disaster Recovery Center in Woodbury County, on Saturday, September 21, at 6 p.m. The DRC is located at the Morningside Lutheran Church. Flood victims can continue to apply for assistance or check the status of an application online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by using FEMA’s mobile app. Individuals can also call the FEMA helpline at 1-800-621-3362 to discuss their case with a FEMA representative.
LE MARS TRAFFIC STUDY
The Le Mars city council approved a consultant’s agreement to evaluate the intersection of 24th Street SW and Key Avenue. The study will determine if additional traffic control is needed at that intersection. Currently, Key Avenue has a stop sign there. Increases in traffic in that area may necessitate a four-way stop or even traffic signals. Stanley Consultants will carry out the study, at a cost of 68-hundred dollars. It will be paid for through Road Use Tax Funds.
TWO VEHICLE CRASH INJURES TWO DRIVERS
Two people were injured when two vehicles collided Tuesday morning west of Sioux Center. The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office was called to the intersection of B40 and Garfield Avenue, two miles west of Sioux Center, IA. Scott Knorr, 47, of Luverne, MN, was driving a pickup southbound on Garfield Avenue. Knorr entered the intersection from a stop sign, into the path of an SUV driven by Sheila De Jong, 53, of Sioux Center.
Both drivers were transported to Sioux Center Health for treatment of their injuries. Damage to Knorr’s vehicle was estimated at $25,000. Damage to De Jong’s vehicle was estimated at $28,000
Knorr was cited for failure to obey stop sign/yield right of way.
IOWA BANKER SAYS SBA RED TAPE, LIENS UNFAIR TO DISASTER VICTIMS
A northwest Iowa banker says there’s too much red tape in federal disaster recovery programs. Gus Barker is president and C-E-O of First Community Bank in Newell.
Barker testified Wednesday at a hearing of the U-S Senate Small Business Committee. He told senators about helping a customer, who was a victim of the historic floods of 1993, complete a Small Business Administration loan application.
Barker says direct lending from the Small Business Administration and other federal programs have played a key role in the survival of disaster stricken businesses and he’s urging the agency to make changes.
Barker says disaster victims should also be able to package federal benefits offered by different agencies — like a S-B-A loan and a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Barker, who has worked in his family-owned bank for 47 years, is on the Independent Community Bankers of America board of directors.
GAMING MAJOR RECEIVES INITIAL APPROVAL AT ISU
A proposal from Iowa State University to create bachelors degree in Game Design received approval from a Board of Regents committee Wednesday. I-S-U Associate Provost Ann Marie VanDerZanden says Iowa State courses focusing on games and game design frequently reach their enrollment capacities, and the university’s game development club has more than 650 students. The projections show the major would grow rapidly with an initial enrollment of 30 students majoring in game design, growing quickly to 240 students in four years. The full Board of Regents is expected to approve the major today in the second day of their meeting.
