~by Janice Harbaugh for GreeneCountyNewsOnline
At the Greene County board of supervisors meeting on Mar. 25, county attorney Thomas Laehn presented the board a draft 28E agreement between Greene County and Dallas County for the sharing of communications tower space and backup recording services for the Iowa interoperable communications systems, sometimes called emergency communications.
“We can piggyback off the Dallas County tower,” Laehn said, “and install some communications equipment. We could provide recording for their emergency calls.”
Chair John Muir expressed support for cooperation between the two counties but asked about difficulties in emergency telecommunications coverage if one county wants to terminate the 28E agreement.
Sheriff Jack Williams said Greene County has backup towers if Dallas County ever decided to terminate.
A new emergency telecommunications tower will be installed near Seven Hills Park south of Jefferson and there are other towers in the county.
“The agreement is automatically renewed,” Laehn said. “When Dallas County approves it, it will be placed on Greene County’s agenda for board approval.”
Supervisor Dan Benitz reported he and supervisor John Muir recently interviewed representatives of the top five companies that had applied for construction manager at risk for the construction of the new jail.
Joey Wendinger, representative from ISG, reported receiving 10 responses to a request for qualifications for the position. The field narrowed to five candidates after Requests for Proposals had been filed.
Wendinger said interviews were held Mar. 19 with Ball Team, LLC; DCI Group; Edge Commercial; Henkel Construction Co.; and Jensen Builders, LTD. John Muir, Dan Benitz, Williams, and representatives of ISG participated in the interviews.
“DCI had the lowest cost for construction,” Wendinger said. “ISG recommends selecting DCI Group as the construction manager at risk.”
After discussion of the bidding process and interview process and the requirements of Iowa bidding laws, the supervisors unanimously approved DCI Group as the construction manager at Risk for construction of the new Greene County jail.
Engineer Wade Weiss reported extensively on an amended FY2024 secondary roads budget and described the increase in cost of engineering for various road projects in the county as being due to overtime and complexity of the projects. He discussed receipt of additional road tax revenues, also.
The supervisors unanimously approved the Iowa DOT amended FY2024 secondary roads budget for Greene County.
Weiss also presented his Iowa DOT FY2025 secondary roads budget as he had presented it Jan. 2024 to the board. The board unanimously approved this budget also.
Finally, Weiss presented his Iowa DOT FY2025 secondary roads five-year construction program and described road projects in detail.
The board unanimously approved the five-year construction program.
The board unanimously approved Resolution 2024-11 proposing amendments to the Greene County zoning and ordinance. A public hearing was set for Monday, April 15, at 8:45 a.m. in the boardroom of the courthouse.
The proposed amendments would change the maximum geographical size of utility-scale solar energy systems in the county and would require applicants to consult with county officials before submitting applications for a conditional use permit for the construction of utility-scale solar energy systems. The amendments also clarify the requirements for battery energy storage systems used in utility-scale solar energy systems.
The board also unanimously approved Resolution 2024-12 for road closure on 280th St. east of Greene County Highway P-46 beginning Mar. 25, 2024. The closure is due to bridge construction over Snake Creek in Washington Twp.
In other business, the board heard information on financing options for the new jail, HVAC project, and secondary roads projects from Heidi Kuhl representing Northland Land Securities.
The board told Kuhl the county is waiting to hear from ISG and DCI Group on the construction costs and timeline for the new jail before asking Northland to start the process to issue bonds.
The board also explained the HVAC project for the courthouse is on hold until the general election Nov. 5 when a change in revenue issue will be added to the ballot to allow LOSST funds to be used for HVAC purposes.
Kuhl discussed using TIF funding for secondary roads projects. She said county engineer Wade Weiss has asked for $13 M from TIF to replace 8.2 miles of pavement on E-18 from Hwy 144 East to Boone County on P-46, from E-18 south to E-26.
Kuhl said the county would have to issue bonds for the construction, but the bonds could be repaid through TIF. Kuhl and the board discussed the future use of TIF for road projects.
