The Jefferson city council at its Nov. 9 meeting took the first step toward building family restrooms at the municipal pool. The council approved a $2,000 contract with Atura Architecture for Phase 1 design. The goal is to add partitions in the men’s side of the building, and to add one or two family restrooms. The project would be done in the existing building.
A need for more privacy and family restrooms came to light during the summer with concern over which restroom a transgender pool patron should use.
Greene County Development Corporation director Ken Paxton provided his quarterly update. With him was GCDC board president Sid Jones. Jones briefed the council on a potential effort, the Diversity Project, to boost the workforce in the county.
According to Jones, workforce is the most important issue for local employers. The GCDC board has considered for the past year whether or how they should respond. “It’s really economic development at the core. If we can’t provide a workforce, we’re going to take the risk of losing industry, of losing our employers,” Jones said.
Jones and Paxton have talked with Carlos Arguello, an immigrant from Nicaragua who graduated from Carroll High School. He earned degrees at the University of Northern Iowa in business and traveled many places while working for John Deere. “He came to a clear understanding of the need for a workforce in rural America,” Jones said.
Arguello left John Deere after 10 years and returned to Iowa. He started a company, Latino IQ, to introduce a workforce into rural Iowa from South and Central America, “and do it the right way,” Jones said.
According to Arguello, the “right way” is to start with education, starting with employers and communities understanding the culture of a Latino population, and as the newcomers arrive, educating them on the culture of rural Iowa.
Arguello and Latino IQ has worked with employers and some communities, but not an entire community like the Greene County community.
The GCDC board is very interested in entering into a one-year contract and a three-year agreement with Latino IQ. The fee would be $4,000 per month for 12 months, with the contract renewed annually for another two years.
GCDC would make the Diversity Project its highest priority when deciding how to use funds received from Grow Greene County.
Total cost of the Diversity Project would be $150,000. Of that, $75,000 could potentially come from a federal grant applied for by Region XII Council of Governments. GCDC would be able to pay its $75,000 share over three years. Additional costs would be travel and advertising expenses.
Jones and Paxton plan to meet with employers asking for funding help. They also plan to ask for funding from the county and every municipality in the county. Financial participation from the county and cities would make the application for federal funds stronger.
“I think it’s a great pursuit. I think it’s something that could change the community,” city council member Harry Ahrenholtz said. “I think it’s something that would not only help us grow, but actually grow better.”
When asked by GreeneCountyNewsOnline, Jones said he doesn’t know where the potential newcomers would be emigrating from or their immigration status.
The council set Nov. 23 as the date for a public hearing to rezone the south side of the 800 block and a portion of the 700 block of W. Lincoln Way from residential single family to residential multi-family. The change is recommended by the planning and zoning commission. The area includes two vacant lots owned by the city; a developer is interested in building a duplex in that area.
The council set Dec. 14 as the date for a public hearing for review of the proposed wastewater treatment facility project and an application for state revolving loan application for the project. City engineer Jim Leiding called the public hearing “another step in the process.” The engineer’s rough estimate of the project cost is about $10 million.
The council approved the first reading of an ordinance establishing voter precincts in the city based on the 2020 census. There are currently three precincts. The new ordinance reduces the number of precincts to two, with the dividing line being Elm St. “That will make it very easy for people to know what precinct they’re in and what their voting location will be,” city attorney David Morain explained.
The council approved payment of several rebates established by development agreements as follows: Lincoln Ridge Estates, $32,800; Briarwood, $6,000; Jefferson Hotel Group (owners of the local Cobblestone Inn, ($101,200); Michael and Miranda Wahl (Wahl McAtee Tire) $19,000; and Jefferson Veterinary Clinic, $14,600. The rebate is a portion of property taxes paid.
During the reports portion of the meeting, police chief Mark Clouse said he has spoken with the Iowa Department of Transportation about speeds on Highway 30 near Greene County High School. The DOT plans to do a speed study soon. Also, preliminary work has already begun to obtain funding to extend the turning lanes in front of Wild Rose Casino west to Grimmell Road. If the project is funded, it would probably be started in the spring of 2023.
