PLYWOOD TRAIL UPDATE
The PlyWood Trail is open, but repairs need to be made.
Le Mars admnistrator Jason Vacura gave an update to the city council Tuesday on progress to date on the PlyWood Project, which extends recreation trail between Merrill and Le Mars. The project has been hampered by construction delays, and damages from flooding this spring.
Vacura says the PlyWood executive committee, which includes himself and councilman Mark Sturgeon, met with a representative of the contractor, Godberson-Smith, last week. Discussion centered on how to fix damages to the trail. While there’s nothing in writing, Vacura says the contractor agreed to pay liquidated damages of just under 100-thousand dollars, plus make deductions in some of the construction costs. These funds will be applied to making repairs to the rougher parts of the trail, through another contractor.
Councilman Sturgeon said due to DOT regulations on ditch width, part of the trail was actually built into the ditch. Some of the flood damages occured because vegetation along the trail didn’t have a chance to take hold before the flood washed silt into drainage culverts and caused water to back up on the trail. Parts of the trail will have to be removed and replaced.
Vacura said barricades have been removed, and the trail is in use. Required signage is in place, but more signs explaining the condtion of the trail needs to be made.
FINANCING WATER PROJECTS
A public hearing will be held later this month to consider a loan agreement to fund the three Le Mars water works projects, for which contracts were approved Tuesday.
City staff, consultants, and engineers are considering a loan agreement not to exceed 39.9 million dollars for construction of a water treatment plant, a new water well, and a raw water main. Total costs for those projects, including engineering fees and contingencies, are now expected around 27.2 million dollars.
City finance director Joe Mohning says the 39.9 million should be considered like a line of credit. The loan that’s finally agreed to will cover the total costs of the project.
A public hearing on the loan agreement will take place before the Le Mars city council on December 17 .
d of Supervisors Tuesday, to help ease pressure on EMS crews in the county.
Schipper said LeMars EMS crews have been covering calls outside their service area, and they arThe Le Mars Fire Rescue Chief requested 85-thousand dollars from the Plymouth County Boare spread thin.
The request is for the county to help ease the pressure on the EMS crews.
The 85-thousand dollars would hire an additional paramedic to help with day calls.
NAIG OPENS SIGNUP FOR CROP INSURANCE DISCOUNT PROGRAM
Iowa’s Crop Insurance Discount Program is now open and taking applications.
Farmers who planted cover crops this fall can apply for a 5 dollars per acre discount on their spring crop insurance premiums.
This is the eighth year of the program, administered jointly between the Iowa Department of Agriculture and the U.S.D.A. So far, 2-thousand Iowa farmers have enrolled 1.2 million acres of cover crops in the program.
In order to qualify, the cover crop acres cannot be enrolled in other strate or NRCS cost share programs.
Signup will continue through December and January, closing on January 24.
Farmers and landowners can enroll by contacting their crop insurance agent, or go to ApplyCleanWaterIowa.org.
COUNTY EMS SERVICES STRETCHED THIN
The Le Mars Fire Rescue Chief made a budget request of the Plymouth County Board of Supervisors Tuesday.
Dave Schipper said the EMS crews have been covering calls outside their service area, and they are spread thin.
The request is for the county to help ease the pressure on the EMS crews.
Chief Schipper says he requested 85-thousand dollars from the county in the next fiscal year to help close the personnel gap. This would be used to hire an additional paramedic to help with day calls.
Schipper says the staffing issue is indicative of a problem that every small community faces.
Schipper says sometimes the smaller EMS crews need specialized personnel to help out.
Hinton EMTs joined Schipper before the board yesterday to describe their situation.
Schipper says the calls are getting covered, but certain times of day it’s more and more difficult. But it’s still key that these local EMS crews remain an essential service to their communities.
This arrangement, if funded by Plymouth County, would ease the personnel crunch and provide more expertise to local EMT squads.
The local EMT crews are doing a great job, but need help to cover daytime gaps.
Schipper says it’s a need that will have to be addressed yearly before the Supervisors, but what they’re doing is working so far, and it’s more economical to the county than establishing their own county EMS service.
The Supervisors will take the information into consideration as they shape their next county budget.
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Earlier, the Plymouth County EMS service made their annual budget request of the Supervisors Tuesday. EMS Chair Mike Wise said call volume in four of the six communities in the county is estimated higher than last year, one was even and one was below the 2023 volume. Wise told the Board that staffing is an ongoing problem, and they continue to recruit new EMT members. Each year the Supervisors provide budget support to the EMS service in two ways – for equipment purchases, and for training. This year, the EMS service requested a 5% increase in their 2025 budget line, to 115-thousand dollars. The 25-thousand dollars for training would stay unchanged. Wise is retiring at the end of the year. The EMS group named a new chair – John McGregor, to replace Wise.
LE MARS WATER INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS
Bids for construction of water infrastructure projects came in below the estimates. Construction bids for a Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Plant, a new water well, and water main, were taken on November 21. Total bids, plus contingencies, for the three was 27.2 million dollars. The engineer’s estimates for these projects was 35 million. Of five bids received for the treatment plant, the low bid of Hoogendoorn Construction of Canton, South Dakota, was recommended. It totaled 20.4 million dollars, 6 million under estimate. A Sioux City firm, L and L Builders, won the bid for the well project, at 2.2 million dollars, 300-thousand dollars below estimate. 15 bidders vied for the water main project. The low bid of 287-thousand dollars, from Vander Pol Excavating of Orange City, was accepted.
SIOUXLAND RED KETTLE CAMPAIGN OFFERS INCENTIVE FOR RINGERS
The Siouxland Salvation Army is offering an incentive to volunteers who will ring the bells at their red kettles during their ongoing fundraiser. Captain Teri Ellison says they’ve teamed up with a jewelry store.
Ellison says they have many open spots for bell ringers.
Ellison says they do have some indoor locations if people are worried about being out in the cold. She says they are also seeking out groups of people who want to help with the fundraiser.
Anyone interested in helping out can go to registertoring.com (register to ring dot com) to sign up. You must complete your shift to be eligible to win some jewelry. The Siouxland Salvation Army has a fundraising goal of 107-thousand dollars and says all funds go to local programs. The Red Kettle campaign runs through Christmas Eve.
STATE PANEL CERTIFIES IOWA’S 2024 GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS
The ballots for Iowa’s 2024 General Election have been counted — for a few races they’ve been recounted — and all results are now final. A panel made up of Iowa’s five statewide elected officials has unanimously voted to certify the results. Just over 74 percent of registered voters cast a vote in this year’s election. For the first time in 24 years, Republicans cast more absentee votes in Iowa than Democrats. Absentee ballots accounted for about 40 percent of all votes cast in Iowa. That includes voting by mail and early in-person voting.
NAIA PLAYERS TEAM UP WITH SPECIAL OLYMPICS
Players from the upcoming NAIA women’s volleyball tournament in Sioux City got together with local Special Olympians Tuesday for a morning of fun activities.
Krista Smith of Iowa Special Olympics says it’s all about “unified sports”
The NAIA players and Special Olympians don’t just play volleyball activities, but try other games like cornhole, and waving a giant colorful parachute:
Tournament co-director Corey Westra says other NAIA events around the country have embraced Sioux City’s long partnership with Special Olympics at the national volleyball and basketball tournaments held here each year:
Champions of Character connects with the community at NAIA national title events, impacting individuals through outreach activities to local programs.
All of the participants ended the morning with ice cream treats provided by local Dairy Queens.
