Drainage project in Highland Township expands
The Greene County supervisors continued hearing requests for funding from various groups at their Jan. 5 meeting.
The first request came from New Opportunities for the Family Development Center. New Opportunities chief executive officer Chad Jensen and Greene County Family Development Center coordinator Teresa Lansman made the presentation, requesting $17,989. That amount has not changed over the past 10 years.
Of that, $5,304 is for the Family Development Center, $5,706 is for substance abuse disorder prevention programs, and $6,979 is for substance use disorder treatment programs.
Local funding last year provided support and programs to assist more than 1,119 individuals, comprising 499 families.
Greg Piklapp, director of Greene County Development Corporation, requested $55,000 for Fiscal Year ’27, an increase of $5,000 over the current year. The increase is needed in part because with the sale of Scranton Manufacturing and Bauer Built to out-of-state companies, Greene County’s “footprint” has grown.
He reported a US 30 traffic study is ongoing, to include two miles east, west and north of the intersection with Hwy 4 in Jefferson. He mentioned a new car wash in the west business park in Jefferson; the sales of Scranton Manufacturing and Bauer Built, noting both businesses are stable in Greene County and no layoffs are planned at this time; the separation of GCDC and the Multicultural Family Resource Center, which is now complete; strategic planning facilitated by the Institute of Decision Making at the University of Northern Iowa will start soon.
GCDC and Jefferson Matters are working together to host a series of training sessions for potential small business owners. Persons who complete the program will be able to apply for a 50/50 matching grant for start-up costs, with one going to a business in Jefferson and one going to a business outside Jefferson.
Amy McGinn, director of The Children’s Center, requested $5,000, the same request as last year. She said the county’s support last year went toward $7,200 in staff retention bonuses to 10 staff members. The Children’s Center is currently serving 63 families with 106 children, with 25 of the children younger than 2 years. There are 36 children on a waiting list. Twenty-two children are in a childcare assistance program. The center has nine fulltime and 23 part-time employees. The center provided staff a 3 percent wage increase last year; a 5 percent tuition increase was put in place Jan. 1 of this year bridge a gap created by the wage increase.
The supervisors heard a request from Jeanie Hau, of Prairie Rivers, contracted by the Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway. She is coordinator for the Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway. The group is requesting $500 from each of the 13 counties and 43 communities the Lincoln Highway passes through.
The funds would pay for development of a statewide Lincoln Highway audio tour app with integrated accessibility features. The app would feature text and audio options, improved GPS navigation for areas with limited, and links to local amenities.
The funds requested would be used for printing and distribution of a companion brochure for communities and Iowa Welcome Centers.
No action was taken on any of the requests.
The supervisors, serving as drainage trustees, approved an amendment to the large drainage project proposed for Drainage District 20 in Highland Township.
According to a letter from Jacob Hagan of AgriVia, who prepared the original report, several landowners requested changes to the plan as it was presented Dec. 8.
Those changes are to add approximately 782 feet to the north and east in Section 5 (of Highland Township) to the main tile to provide a better outlet for those landowners at an added cost of $30,246; to fully replace the existing tile in the J.H. Schroeder branch at an additional cost of $180,789; and work on the east branch at an estimated cost of $114,000.
The original cost of the project was $2,107,462. The additions bring the total cost to $2,432,497. That cost is paid by landowners. They have been notified of the changed plans.
The plans are available on the Greene County website, greenecountyiowa.gov in the Document Center. A public hearing on the project was opened Dec. 8. The public hearing was continued to Jan. 19 at 9 am. Landowners have until then to file a written objection in the county auditor’s office. Auditor Billie Jo Hoskins said all landowners will receive a notice of the public hearing, and that returning the letter with a signature and “no” written on it would constitute an objection to the project. The project will be approved if 50 percent of the landowners of 70 percent of the district do not object.
