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Grassley visits TrafFix Devices in Fairfield
FAIRFIELD – U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley paid a visit to Fairfield on Wednesday, July 5 when he toured TrafFix Devices.
The company, which manufactures and distributes highway safety products, even produced a reflective traffic sign just for the occasion that read “Welcome to Fairfield Sen Grassley.”
The founder of TrafFix Devices, Jack Kulp, was on hand to welcome Grassley and show him around the facility. Kulp’s son, Brent, is the company’s president, and he said TrafFix staff used this as an opportunity to talk about the company’s new life-saving products with the Senator. Those include the Delta, a crash cushion that goes in front of an exit that’s designed to absorb the energy of a vehicle. They also talked to Grassley about a Scorpion Attenuator, which mounts on the back of a truck and absorbs the energy of a vehicle at a work zone to keep highway workers safe.
Brent said employees showed Grassley the plastic products made at TrafFix, such as the orange barrels and cones that are seen all over Iowa. TrafFix employees also talked about political issues that are important to them as a business. Jack Kulp said one of the most pressing issues TrafFix and other businesses in Fairfield are facing is a lack of affordable housing, which makes it difficult to attract workers to town.
“I wanted to find out if there was federal help we could get to build affordable housing in Fairfield, because Fairfield is lacking in affordable housing, and lacking in any housing, really,” Jack said. “[Grassley] mentioned something about a federal housing grant, but Fairfield needs living accommodations for people who work here, otherwise they have to drive to Fairfield.”
Jack Kulp said he’d like to purchase 24 acres of some undeveloped city land south of the business, located at South 23rd Street, and put affordable housing there.
“People who want a good, steady job could come to work for TrafFix Devices and live in some nearby housing that’s up to date, and not an old trailer park or beat up dump,” Jack said. “People can work here, but if they don’t have a place to live, they’re not going to be here.”
Grassley was joined on the tour by local legislators such as Iowa Sen. Adrian Dickey and Iowa Rep. Jeff Shipley. Brent Kulp and TrafFix Plant Manager Mike Parker said company representatives spoke with Dickey about their concerns about the workforce, and Dickey mentioned that one of the things he’s working on is reforming disability benefits so that people don’t stay on disability longer than they need to.
After his tour, Grassley gave updates on certain pieces of legislation. He spoke about the upcoming Farm Bill and the hearings that are planned on it in the Senate’s agricultural committee.
“The No. 1 thing I’ve been hearing from farmers is to leave crop insurance alone,” Grassley said. “They’re satisfied with crop insurance, and that’s seen by the 94 percent of Iowans who participate in it. It’s the No. 1 safety net for farmers. For the individual family farmer, crop insurance protects the farmer against things he has no control over, like natural disasters or embargoes.”
Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com
