Also receive draft of Mahanay tower music policy
~by Janice Harbaugh for GreeneCountyNewsOnline
The Greene County board of supervisors heard disturbing information about the water quality of the Raccoon River during their regular meeting on April 19. Chris Henning of rural Cooper, chair of the Raccoon River Watershed Association, reported recent information from the American River Project based in Washington, D.C.
Henning reported the Raccoon River in Iowa is one of two rivers in Iowa on the Top 10 list of endangered rivers in the country. She said the lower Missouri River was identified because of flooding issues due to poor river management and climate change issues. The Raccoon was identified for silt, herbicide and fertilizer run-off from farmland, and run-off from confined animal feeding operations (CAFO).
Henning said conditions in the Greene County part of the river and northward impact the drinking water of 500,000 people in the Des Moines area downstream.
“There is a USGIS monitor near Henderson Park on the river that makes daily reports of water temperature and other measurements,” Henning said. “Nitrogen levels have been up from 1.5 to 4.0, Tuesday through Friday. The question is why are nitrogen levels up?”
“I encourage all of us to pay attention to changes in the river,” Henning said.
Board chair John Muir said, “We need to keep educating people. There are things we need to change.”
Greene County Development Corporation director Ken Paxton reported on two projects of special interest in the county: incentives to attract veterans to Greene County, and a collaboration between local retailers and high school students to promote online retailing.
“As a Home Base Iowa community, we want to recruit veterans to Greene County after their service,” Paxton said. “The Veterans Administration publishes a list that veterans can join and put preferences for where they want to live and what kind of work they’re looking for. We can then contact veterans directly through email addresses.”
“Are we looking at what employers need?” Muir asked.
Paxton said yes and spoke about the importance of community resources.
“People will not move here without good childcare,” he said.
Paxton described other incentives for veterans he and Mike Bierl, county veterans affairs coordinate, have discussed, including $5,000 state grants to veterans to apply to the purchase of a home and $2,000 relocation grants for veterans to help with moving expenses.
Paxton asked the board to consider providing $1,500 per veteran to be applied to a down payment if the veteran buys a home in Greene County.
Paxton also described a new venture involving collaboration between local retailers and local high school students with assistance from GCDC and Jefferson Matters: A Main Street and Chamber Community.
This project, possibly to be called Retail Revival, will hire high school interns to assist local retailers in developing online sales through social media, establishment of websites, video production, and other computer and internet-based strategies.
The high school interns would be hired for one hour twice a week for three months.
“The governor and lieutenant governor are watching this program,” Paxton said. “It’s a test project for the whole state.”
Paxton said a learning library could possibly be produced for YouTube that could be used by other retailers.
County attorney Thomas Laehn presented a draft of the Mahanay Carillon Music Policy developed in collaboration among the county attorney, Bell Tower Community Foundation, and foundation attorney Bob Schwarzkopf. The policy will be considered for adoption by the board at the meeting on April 26.
Laehn said the policy is designed to meet the requirements of the Constitution of the United States in terms of freedom of speech, including artistic freedom, and the requirements of Mahanay’s will, which provided money for the building of the carillon tower.
“The county entered into an agreement when the money was accepted. If the requirements of the will are not met (regarding type of music played), the heirs of the Mahanay estate could ask for the money back.”
The will of Floyd Mahanay requires 50 percent of the music played on the bells be sacred music or patriotic music.
“The board of supervisors defines what is a sacred song and what is a patriotic song,” Laehn said.
Laehn said, “There is exposure to lawsuit on either side (if policy is not written correctly.)” Laehn referred to violation of Constitutional issues and to violation of the requirements of the will.
Laehn described parts of the policy dealing with musicians who play the bells and the music played. Current Mahanay Maestros could be appointed for life by the board of supervisors since they have met the standards originally set by the foundation. Future Maestros would have to meet musical competency requirements outlined in the policy.
“Maestros would choose their own music with no government endorsement or prohibition,” Laehn said. He said the music coordinator, a new position, would assure that the proper mix of music, patriotic and sacred as required in the Mahanay will, would be achieved.
The proposed policy lists specific times when music can be played and holidays when special concerts can occur. No outside requests for concerts or music are allowed and no one is allowed to play the bells except Mahanay Maestros.
“We want to continue to have the freedom we’ve had up to this time and also abide by the will,” Muir said. “You’ve done well in addressing things. In the future, we can adjust as needed.”
The draft of the entire proposed music policy can be found here.
Laehn also presented a draft of 28E policy for the county’s contribution to the construction of the Greene County Early Learning Center. He said the county is allowed to enter into an agreement with a private company if the project “promotes the economic development of the county.”
“The new building must accommodate 60 percent more children than the old building and it must be insured,” said Laehn.
Laehn said the county intends to pay $50,000 a year for five years, for a total of $250,000 to assist in the construction of the new ELC to be located next to the current building at S. Vine and W. Madison Sts.
Laehn asked the supervisors for input on the terms of the 28E policy. A suggestion was made from the board for the county auditor to oversee the agreement.
The supervisors unanimously approved an agreement with Grow Greene to accept a grant from them totaling $128,000 for Greene County Ambulance.
