While the tally for the special school election Sept. 13 is unofficial as of yet, the numbers indicate that both OABCIG and the Galva-Holstein district of Ridge View have passed their PPEL levies. Should the counts hold up, this means that for the next 10 years, both districts will see a property tax of $1.34 per $1,000 assessed value to pay for the schools’ physical plant and equipment property.
Editor’s Note: The Ida County Courier will be profiling members of our community in coming issues. Have a suggestion on someone whom we can profile? Send an email to news@idacountycourier.com.
“A lot of people know about the Orphan Grain Train, but they don’t really know what we do,” said Sharon Irwin, manager of the nonprofit’s Iowa West Branch in Ida Grove. Her husband Jerry agreed, saying that one person he spoke with thought they were a model train store.
The Ida Grove City Council heard more on the deadline extension for the water tower renovation during their regular meeting Sept. 6. Contrary to what was previously reported, the electrical work will not be completed by the all-project deadline of Nov. 30, and King Construction could not provide a new estimate for the finishing date.
Ida Grove received state-level attention when Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg visited a couple of downtown businesses Thursday, Sept. 1. As Co-Chair of the governor’s Empower Rural Iowa Initiative, he came to visit with a few business owners hopeful to receive funds from the initiative’s Rural Scale Up Grant Program.
On the Empower Rural Iowa Initiative, Gregg said their mission was “all about driving investment and opportunities in small towns.” The program would provide a grant or forgivable loan to qualifying businesses.
The city of Holstein may see yet another bill in the coming weeks, this time topping half a million. During their regular meeting Sept. 6, the Holstein City Council considered entering a Sewer Revenue Loan and Disbursement Agreement.
The loan would be to cover the costs of planning, designing and constructing improvements and extensions to the Municipal Sanitary Sewer System. Under the terms of the loan, the city could borrow up to $570,000. The council set a public hearing to discuss entering the agreement, which will take place during their regular meeting Oct. 3 at 5:30 p.m.
The OABCIG high school welcomed a high profile visitor Aug. 29, when U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley stopped by to address and answer questions from senior students..
In a one-on-one discussion before the presentation started, Grassley spoke on the importance of such visits to high schools. “I do this probably 10 to 12 times a year,” he said. “I try to do it because you never get people of this age to come to my open town meetings… So this is one way of getting the opinions of your constituents that are younger people.”
After a short delay, the Ida County Board of Supervisors have received a contractor bid for the planned courthouse renovation project. Bids for the project were opened during the board meeting Aug. 31. The renovation had one bidder, L&L Construction, who submitted a contract with a total price of $2,471,000, which was near the estimated cost. L&L estimated they would be able to begin renovations near the end of this fall and work through the winter.
Randy Feenstra, the U.S. House Representative for Iowa’s Fourth District, made a stop in Ida Grove last Monday at Landus Cooperative. Feenstra is on the House Agriculture Committee, and Landus was one of his stops around the district to consult with farmers about their needs. Feenstra took a tour of the Landus facility and sat down with staff to discuss their concerns. Landus had a positive report for crop yields in the area and did not have the same problems as other farms around Iowa with corn not filling out.
The Ida Grove City Council called a special meeting Monday, Aug. 29 about a new grant opportunity for local businesses. The city will be sending a letter of support for an application to the Empower Rural Iowa Rural Scale Up Grant Program.
September hosts National Assisted Living Week, an event to honor individuals who reside, work and volunteer in assisted living communities. Ida Grove’s Golden Horizons Assisted Living plans to celebrate, but what do assisted living facilities do, and how do they impact the larger community?
