All county residents are encouraged to attend a town hall meeting next Monday, Aug. 18, to hear first hand of the growth and its accompanying challenges anticipated in Greene County in the next few years. The meeting will start at 6 pm at the Greene County Community Center in Jefferson. Greene County Development Corp (GCDC) executive director Ken Paxton hopes to fill the gymnasium for the meeting.
Paxton has, since last fall, optimistically projected as many as 805 new jobs in Greene County in the years to come, with the new Hy-Vee grocery store and Wild Rose Jefferson leading the way in job creation. Those two businesses are expected to offer 390 full- and part-time positions. The expansion underway at Scranton Manufacturing will add 70 jobs, and growth at a new Bauer manufacturing facility in Paton will also add new jobs. Paxton hopes to entice a business class restaurant with 40 jobs, and he expects 200 jobs will become available to new employees through attrition.
That job growth provides opportunities to increase tax base, bolster school enrollments, strengthen the retail sector, and more. However, there are challenges. With a theme “They’re here. Are we ready?”, Paxton is inviting a host of speakers to provide updates on many subjects. “We are fortunate to have this growth, but we need to be prepared to maximize this opportunity so we can grow our population and attract new families to our community,” Paxton said.
The impact of job growth on housing has been under discussion by a GCDC committee and the Jefferson city council’s housing committee for many months. The challenge is easy to see. The GDCD website includes links to three area real estate company websites: Jefferson/Iowa Realty, Peckumn Real Estate, and Town and Farm Realty. The three websites combined have listings for 57 homes for sale. Of those, 38 are in Jefferson, eight are in Scranton, four are in Grand Junction or Paton, and three are in Churdan. Twelve houses are priced at $125,000 or more. Eleven are in the $90,000 to $124,900 range, and another 11 are in the $70,000 to $89,900 range. Seven are priced between $50,000 and $69,900, and 16 are priced at less than $50,000.
Filling the new jobs will take new residents, but they’ll find the housing market very tight, particularly in the middle price range.
Lisa Jaskey, a member of the Jefferson city council’s housing committee, will talk about the need for sale and rental properties, what is already being done to improve the county’s housing stock, and available incentives.
Paxton will be the first speaker Monday evening with a general overview of current projects and the Greene County marketing plan. Other speakers slated include:
- The need for child care facilities by a Greene County Early Learning Center board member;
- Needs and opportunities in the areas of skilled trades by Todd Spencer of Iowa Workforce Development;
- Business opportunities around the courthouse square by Jefferson Matters: Main Street program director Alan Robinson;
- An update on Home Base Iowa and the incentive package for veterans and new residents by Greene County labor task force member Jim Andrew;
- An update on Wild Rose Jefferson by Wild Rose management;
- An update on the Hy-Vee grocery store project;
- An update on the Greene County Medical Center expansion/renovation project by medical center CEO Carl Behne;
- An update on Greene County Chamber by Chamber executive director Chris Henning; and
- A question and answer period if time allows.
