Kading Properties of Urbandale is moving forward with plans to build as many as 140 new rental homes in the northeast portion of Jefferson.
Greene County Development Corporation director Ken Paxton told the Jefferson city council at its Feb. 28 regular meeting that Kading is in the process of purchasing 24 acres of the south portion of GCDC’s east business park. Kading is planning to develop the parcel in two phases, with the first phase being 80 town home rental units, with another 60 townhomes and possible single family homes in a second phase.
Site preparation would begin next fall, with construction starting in the spring of 2024.
City council member Harry Ahrenholtz is on the GCDC board and has been part of conversations with Kading Properties. He told the council Kading would be “a good partner with the city.”
Paxton also updated the council on the status of the Diversity Project, which was moved to a side rail when a large USDA grant that would have funded the project was not approved. According to Paxton, GCDC was “shafted” by the USDA, and an unnamed person at the “state USDA” agreed with that perception and encouraged Paxton to submit the grant application to the state. Paxton inferred the grant will be funded.
The grant would fund the first year of operation for a new multi-cultural center, with a director who would serve to welcome new people from various cultures to the community and assist them in getting acclimated to the town and the schools. According to Ahrenholtz, Greene County Schools superintendent Brett Abbotts is very interested in the multi-cultural center.
The GCDC board has talked with an unnamed woman from Storm Lake who would likely be the multi-cultural center director.
City engineer Jim Leiding reported that work has begun at the wastewater treatment facility. Shank Constructors has placed its office trailer at the site and the city has started removal of the sludge tank, a first step in the $17.5 million project.
The council approved closing a half-block of S. Chestnut St adjacent to Thomas Jefferson Gardens for the farmers market Tuesdays from June through September. Farmers market hours will be changed this year, with a 5 pm start time rather than 4:30. The market will be open until 7 pm.
The council also approved closing that portion of the street June 3, July 2, Aug. 5, from 3:30 to 9 pm, and either Sept. 16 or Sept. 23 from 10 am to 4 pm for food and music events hosted by Thomas Jefferson Gardens.
The council approved a fixed cash rent farmland lease with Adam Ebersol for crop ground and hay acres near the municipal airport. The land has been leased to Todd Van Horn for several years. He is retiring from farming.
Public works superintendent Dave Morlan recognized Skeeter Hostetler upon his retirement that day. Hostetler started working for the city in October 1993 doing recycle pick-ups and then the commercial sanitation route.
The council set a public hearing on adoption of the 2023-24 budget for March 14 at 5:30 pm at the municipal building. The council also approved hiring Mickey Teed as a public works employee at a starting wage of $20.65/hour.
Greene County sophomore Maggie Mikkelson addressed the council during the open forum. She said she had completed a project for FCCLA on an environmental issue and found that recycling has decreased at the high school since it opened two years ago. Although there are blue recycle containers in the classrooms and other places, they’re emptied into the garbage dumpster because there is no large recycling bin. Council member Matt Wetrich, a member of the council’s recycling committee, said the committee would start working on the logistics of getting a bin and scheduling pick up at the school.
The board tabled appointment of an animal shelter board to a future meeting.
