The energy and growth that was the hallmark of 2014 in Greene County continued in 2015, although by year end, some were beginning to question if the vigor was sustainable.
The opening of Wild Rose Jefferson was the single biggest story of the year. A gala grand opening of the $40 million gaming resort and entertainment venue on Aug. 7 followed a soft opening July 13. About 400 persons were on hand for the opening ceremony, with Sen Chuck Grassley, Gov Terry Branstad, and State Rep Chip Baltimore all making comments.
Kenny Rogers entertained in the Greene Room Events Center that evening, and because advance tickets sold out almost immediately, a performance the next night was added.
Wild Rose Jefferson added 175 new jobs to the county, although not all positions were filled when it opened.
The adjacent Cobblestone Inn held its ribbon cutting ceremony earlier in the afternoon preceding Wild Rose’s grand opening. The 71-room hotel was developed by BriMark Builders LLC.
Construction of the casino was not without challenges. June 15 had been set by the city of Jefferson and Wild Rose officials as the completion date for the extension of water and sewer lines to the site. Scharnweber Inc was the low bidder at $698,000, well below the estimated cost of $800,000. Completion was delayed due to an abundance of rain and due to what city engineer John Milligan called a “lack of experience.”
The extension project was still not complete when the casino opened, but a system of pumping wastewater was in place. Scharnweber was held liable for liquidated damages for missing the construction deadline in the contract. With additional engineering costs to MHF Engineering for additional work, the total project cost was close to what was expected.
Wet weather during the previous summer also delayed the expansion project at Greene County Medical Center, but the 51,000 square-feet of new space opened over the Labor Day weekend.
The new space was Phase One of a two phase project. New inpatient rooms, all outpatient services, surgery, and the emergency department are located in the new space.
Work on Phase Two began almost immediately after staff moved into the new space, with the first obvious work being the demolition of a wing that had housed the obstetrics department just two weeks earlier. Completion of Phase Two is anticipated for the summer of 2016. The space will house administrative offices, classrooms, clinic space and public health. A walkway across the south face of the building will connect all parts of the medical center.
The project is funded with an $18 million USDA loan, a $2 million loan guaranteed by USDA at a local bank, and a $4 capital fund drive. Fundraising in the “Investing in Tomorrow’s Care” campaign is nearly complete.
UnityPoint Clinic moved into space on the medical center’s west end that formerly housed McFarland Clinic PC. The medical center board terminated its lease with McFarland Clinic in the spring of 2014.
McFarland Clinic Jefferson moved in June to a new location immediately east of the Jefferson Hy-Vee. McFarland Clinic providers accomplished a seamless transition for their patients during the relocation.
The long-awaited Hy-Vee grocery store opened in Jefferson Feb. 24. Although the store is about one-third the size of most of the grocery chain’s locations, it still offers amenities like a bulk food department, a bakery, a delicatessen, fresh and frozen seafood, and health and organic food. The Market Cafe offers a restaurant menu.
The store opened with 59 fulltime employees and 178 part-time employees.
The opening of the new grocery store and Wild Rose Jefferson had been heralded by Greene County Development Corporation executive director Ken Paxton as adding more than 400 new jobs, and he spoke often of the need for housing for new residents.
Housing was a topic of conversation during the in October. JCorp of Huxley planned to build a rental housing project in Jefferson’s northwest quadrant near the water tower. The city installed a new water line to service the project and the council approved tax increment payments of $750,000 over seven years. Completion was expected for the end of 2015.
However, the project stalled after an investor backed out and the appraised value of the completed project was determined to be considerably less than construction cost.
In October, the city council and then the county board of supervisors were asked to apply for a loan through the Iowa Finance Authority’s Workforce Housing Loan Program to give JCorp access to $1 million needed for the financing package. Neither group agreed to make the application and ground has not yet been broken on the rental housing.
In December, Paxton aired his frustration when he talked with the county supervisors, calling housing “a disaster, a significant problem,” and saying “We’ve got some serious problems in the county” relative to economic development. He said he fears the momentum has been lost and that residents are satisfied with what has been accomplished.
The Jefferson city council turned its sights on preservation of the historic downtown district. The city took ownership of the vintage building at 205 N. Wilson and received a $5,000 gift from the previous owner to begin renovating the building. Jefferson Matters: Main Street applied for a Main Street Challenge grant to restore the building; the grant was not funded but the city is still undertaking work needed to make the building marketable.
The city in October purchased the building in the 100 block of E. Lincoln Way next to Sally’s Alley (formerly Linda’s Fashions). The city immediately patched a gaping hole in the roof, with plans to do further repair in the spring.
Also, with encouragement and assistance from Jefferson Matters: Main Street, the city began an application for a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant for repair of building facades in the historic downtown district. The council agreed to fund up to $250,000, with another $250,000 coming from the building owners. The council hired the Franks Group to do the architectural planning for the application, which is due early in 2016.
The Greene County Community School District asked voters to approve a $20 million bond issue for construction to create a campus for all students in grades 5-12 at the current high school location. The project included construction of an addition at the elementary school in Jefferson, and vacating the intermediate school in Grand Junction and the middle school in Jefferson. The question failed by a 3:2 margin with 28 percent voter turnout. It would have added $2.70 (per thousand dollars of taxable valuation) to property owners’ tax bills.
Ground was broken in July and construction was nearly completed on the new $1.2 million Grand Junction Community Center. Funding for the project included a $220,000 Community Attractions and Tourism grant from VISION Iowa. The new community center will include three meeting rooms that can open up to accommodate groups of more than 200 people, restrooms and a kitchen. Diane Wise spearheaded the project. She was recognized with the Greene County Chamber of Commerce’s Above and Beyond the Call (ABC) Award at the Chamber’s annual meeting in January.
For high school sports fans, a repeat trip to the state tournament for the Greene County softball team was a highlight. The team placed third in Class 3A. The Rams won the Heart of Iowa Activities Conference title with a 17-1 conference record (losing only to Roland-Story) and a 27-6 overall record.
Ram freshman Megan Durbin was second in Class 3A in the high jump at the co-ed state track and field meet. Junior Daric Whippple finished sixth in the 400 meter hurdles and senior Emma Saddoris finished seventh in the long jump. A total of 18 Ram track and field events qualified for the meet.
Ram senior Jordan Challen placed fourth in Class 2A in the 138-pound weight class in the state wrestling tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in February. Senior Abe Yoder (132) and sophomore Hunter Ruth (195) also qualified for the state tournament.
Rocket fans cheered as the boys basketball team had a 20-4 season. They were within two games of the 1A state tournament, losing to Nodaway Valley in the District 13 final game. Senior Jake Carey, who was frequently the basketball team’s leading scorer, qualified for the state track and field meet in the 800 meter race.
High school All-State musicians from Greene County were vocalists David Petersen and Michael Kennedy, and instrumentalists Reilly Harrington, Emily Heupel and Noah Von Stein.
Stories to watch in 2016 – Economic development has become less glamorous and more challenging as GCDC continues to work to increase the county’s affordable housing options and to assure childcare is available. Those efforts and work toward historic preservation of Jefferson’s downtown buildings will continue to be newsworthy.
The Greene County Schools facilities committee and board of education plan to hold a special election in April on another bond issue request for a slightly smaller project.
The Bell Tower Community Foundation hopes to complete the full carillon on the Mahanay Memorial Carillon Tower in time for the tower’s 50th anniversary next October. The Foundation is preparing an application for a Community Atttraction and Tourism (CAT) grant for part of the needed $440,000 to finish the project, and a capital fund drive will also be needed. The theme for the 2016 Bell Tower Festival has already been announced as “50”.
Meanwhile, a Courthouse 100 committee is planning for the centennial of the county courthouse in October 2017. A commemoration of the groundbreaking was held Nov. 3, exactly 100 years after the first event.
The Greene County Chamber of Commerce is still working toward the completion of the Welcome Center at the Thomas Jefferson Gardens in Jefferson. Exterior work was completed in 2014, but the Jefferson city council and the Greene County Chamber of Commerce failed to come to an agreement in 2015 on the use of hotel/motel tax revenues that was needed for the Chamber to obtain financing needed for interior work. That project is still on the table for 2016.
