News highlights of 2023 ranged from a celebratory opening a new animal shelter to sometimes heated discussions at Jefferson city council meetings concerning a new housing development.
A ribbon cutting was held Sept. 24 at the new animal shelter at 1700 Doreen Wilber Drive in Jefferson.
Animals had been moved from the former shelter in January as the space was needed for work on the city’s wastewater treatment plant, and the new shelter was close enough to being finished that dogs and cats could be housed there.
In March a volunteer board was appointed to oversee operations of the new shelter. Tasked with overseeing the new animal shelter, the board held its first meeting March 16. The Jefferson city council approved the appointments of police captain Jason Kroger, council member Darren Jackson, veterinarian Amy Klauer, and at-large board members Samantha Hardaway and Bonnie Silbaugh. PAWS appointed Ann Wenthold and Greene County appointed Laura Snider.
Greene County High School art students painted murals on both the interior and exterior of the building.
The ribbon cutting was delayed until work on the adjacent dog park – the Rotary Centennial Dog Park – was completed in late summer. The Rotary Club of Jefferson gained naming rights with a $50,000 donation for completion of the dog park in honor of the club’s 100th anniversary.
Don Orris, who spearheaded the project through ups and downs of design and fundraising, was emcee for the Sept. 24 ribbon cutting.
As 2023 ended, the animal shelter still had no official name. The board’s recommendation, Community Shelter, was rejected by the Jefferson city council in December.
A new housing project in the northeast quadrant of Jefferson drew spirited discussion at city council meetings beginning in September.
In February Greene County Development Corporation director Ken Paxton told the city council that Kading Properties of Urbandale was moving forward with plans to purchase land in the east business park and build as many as 140 new rental units there. He said site preparation would begin in the fall, with construction starting in the spring of 2024.
In July, the city council approved a letter of support for the project. At that meeting, discussion of the project disclosed that it would come at a cost to the city, as there is no access road, water, or sanitary service to the site. The city was asked to construct those at an estimated cost of $1.2 million, along with a retention pond at an estimated cost of $380,000.
It was also disclosed that GCDC intended to give the property to Kading rather than sell it, and that Kading wanted a 10-year tax abatement on the project. City building officer Chad Stevens said the changes in Kading’s proposal were due to the increase in building and financing costs since Kading first considered the project.
The city council’s response was mixed, with council member Jackson admitting the project is larger than other recent projects of the council, and council member Matt Wetrich suggesting the length of the tax abatement could be negotiated down. Mayor Matt Gordon cautioned the council not to move quickly.
The council voted 4-0 to approve sending a letter of support for the project. Council member Harry Ahrenholtz was absent.
People objecting to the project turned out and spoke at the Sept. 28 council meeting and each of the five remaining meetings in the year. Owners of rental properties and other concerned citizens said there isn’t enough need for new housing to justify the expense of the project to the city. They questioned the information GCDC provided about the number of vacant jobs in the county, noting there are fewer openings posted on the websites of local employers than GCDC’s figures. They also questioned the expense the city would incur providing the needed infrastructure.
Lines were drawn in the Nov. 7 city election between conservative candidates who would not support the project and other candidates who would. Some of those who spoke against the project bordered on being just plain nasty, calling into question the reputations of some who spoke out in favor of it.
Greene County voters approved a $10 million bond issue to build a new county jail by a vote of 1,412 (62.73 percent) to 839 (37.37 percent). Voters had turned down a request for a $12.685 million bond issue a year earlier.
Other news highlights included:
The Jefferson city council in February okayed improvements to the east-west alley off Wilson Ave, between Royal Jewelers and Art on the Fly. Dubbed “Imagination Alley,” the improvements are designed for children and families and will eventually feature augmented reality. Total cost of the project, which is undertaken by the Jefferson Matters: Main Street Tower View Team, is estimated at $100,000. The city council’s approval was needed for grant applications.
New inductees into the Greene County Athletics Hall of Fame were introduced at basketball games Feb. 3. Inductees included Bryce Paup, Scranton Class of 1992; Mark Lane, Jefferson Class of 1991; Allison Drewry, Jefferson-Scranton Class of 1994; Kelley Lane, J-S Class of 1998; and Doug Rieder, 1979-present, radio sports broadcaster.
The 144 Corridor Housing Initiative announced its first round of funding for homeowners in Rippey, Grand Junction and Dana to improve the exterior of their homes. 144-CHI was organized by volunteers who solicited funds from city councils, banks, Greene County Development Corporation and Greene County for the project. The funds required a one-to-one match of the property owner, with up to $1,000 available per property.
Sam Harding was honored with the 2022 Above and Beyond the Call (ABC) Award at a Community Appreciation Night hosted by Jefferson Matters: Main Street March 28.
Harding’s service to the community included serving 26 years on the Jefferson-Scranton and Greene County Schools board; design and construction of the Webb House; serving as owner’s representative for construction of the new high school and renovation of the middle school, saving the district an estimated $100,000 by doing the job pro bono; and also volunteering as owner’s rep for construction of The Children’s Center.
The inaugural inductees into the Greene County Fine Arts Hall of Fame were honored May 8. The included Teresa Lawler, Zach Durlam, Martin McGinn, Shelby (Sievers) Van Norstrand, and the 1999 East Greene jazz band.
The Greene County board of adjustment in July approved a conditional use permit for National Grid Renewables’ Grand Junction Solar project. The board of adjustment first denied the request after a public hearing in May.
Changes between the first and second request addressed concerns including a replacement tax paid by NGR to make up any revenue lost by taking land out of an agricultural production tax rate; removing the battery energy storage system from the project; removal of two parcels from the project; and beefing up the emergency response plan.
The ability to light the sides of the Mahanay Memorial Carillon Tower from the ground all the way to the top created friction between the Bell Tower Community Foundation and the Greene County supervisors.
In July the Bell Tower Foundation asked the county about using colored lights at times other than holidays. County attorney Thomas Laehn suggested that the auditor should have authority to use random-colored lights on the bell tower, eliminating the ability of the public to request particular lights at particular times.
The Foundation returned at the end of August and after long discussion, the supervisors agreed that the next weekend, Sept. 1-2, the lights would change randomly from dusk to midnight as a test. However, RVTV planned to be in Jefferson Sept. 5 with television coverage.
On Sept. 5, random lights were shown on the bell tower without the permission of the supervisors. The supervisors then approved a policy expressing their control over all aspects of the bell tower, including a requirement than any bell tower employee who violated county policy be terminated.
The remainder of the fall random lights were shown on the bell tower Friday and Saturday evenings from dusk to 10 pm. Green and red lights were shown during the holiday season.
Greene County Development Corporation began raising funds for a Multicultural Family Resource Center, a revamp of the Neuve en Greene County project initiated in 2022 to bring new residents, particularly Latinos, to fill job vacancies in the county. Nueve en Greene County foundered when USDA funding was unavailable.
The Multicultural Family Resource Center will operate in partnership with Greene County Schools and will provide services to help attract and welcome new families, particularly those for whom English is a second language. The project received USDA funding for the first year of operations. GCDC is raising funds to guarantee three more years of funding prior to hiring a director for the center.
The long history of the local Chamber of Commerce ended in October when Jefferson Matters: A Chamber and Main Street Community formally announced its new name of Jefferson Matters.
After the merger of the Jefferson Matters: Main Street program and Greene County Chamber of Commerce in the spring of 2020, it was decided to have a lengthy, inclusive name, acknowledging both previous organizations. After three years of letting the community acclimate to the merge, the executive team and board decided to shorten the name in the interest of branding and ease of use.
