Supervisors told Iowa Avenue project to be completed soon

By BRYCE KELLY

Mt. Pleasant News

The Henry County Board of Supervisors had a full agenda for Tuesday?s meeting. At the top of its list was the weekly update provided by Henry County Engineer Jake Hotchkiss.

Three resolutions were approved for the engineer?s office during the meeting. One of these resolutions concerned the purchasing of low-water crossing signage for 230th Street in Tippecanoe Township. The other two resolutions signed by the board were being paid for partially by the Living Roadway Trust Fund grant agreement. These were for a silt fence installer attachment that can be placed on a skid loader and a three-point mounted disk that can be attached to a tractor.

Besides presenting three new resolutions, Hotchkiss also gave the board various updates on county projects that are ongoing. One such update was concerning the county?s equipment storage building. As of Tuesday morning, the contractor on the project is planning on having the building completed this week.

?Things are moving along there,? said Hotchkiss in regards to the building. ?They are installing the overhead doors right now. The electricians and the plumbers are installing the heating system and the electrical system...I think it is moving along pretty well.?

Also being completed this week is the low-water crossing on 230th Street. Hotchkiss hopes to have this opened to traffic on Friday.

Commuters who frequent Iowa Avenue will be happy to know that construction on the avenue is set to be done soon this week. Crews predict that, as long as weather permits, traffic will be able to resume travel on Iowa Avenue by Friday afternoon.

The courthouse parking lot was completed over the weekend and crews will be installing handicapped signs once locates have been completed.

Looking ahead, crews will begin working on 150th Street, east of Highway 218 next week.

?We will be sending letters to landowners today and we anticipate four to five weeks for the project to be completed, which is subject to weather.? said Hotchkiss.

Besides a report from Hotchkiss, the board, along with Joe Buffington, approved a final resolution for a plat on Big Oak Acres Subdivision 10-70-5. In addition, a public hearing for the proposed sale of county real estate lots 2A, 3A, 4A and 5A at Crossroads Business Park was conducted. Upon completion of the hearing, the board approved a resolution for Vela Enterprises LLC to purchase the lots for $200,000.

Lastly, Dan Eberhardt, regional planner for Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission (SEIRPC), approached the board to ask for funding for the Great River Housing Trust Fund.

SEIRPC is asking the Henry County Board of Supervisors to commit to a sum of $10,000 to support the Great River Housing Trust Fund?s efforts to meet some of its local match requirements for this coming year.

?This year, we are applying for what we are allotted, which is $331,000,? explained Eberhardt. ?Great River Housing is a non-profit group, and it covers Lee, Louisa, Henry and Des Moines counties.?

The funds are awarded to homeowners and homebuyers who have low to moderate incomes. The maximum award amount is a $10,000 forgivable loan, which is forgiven over a five-year period. The forgivable loan is paired with either a low-interest loan or forgivable loan from the Great River Housing Trust Fund, depending on income. The minimum loan amount is $1,000 and the maximum amount is $2,500.

This past year in Henry County, SEIRPC has rehabilitated four homes, assisted in two down payments and partnered with Habitat for Humanity in a development project.

After some discussion, the board moved to have the topic added to next meeting?s agenda at which time an approval will be considered.

The next Henry County Board of Supervisors meeting will be on Thursday, Sept. 25, at 9 a.m. inside the Henry County Courthouse. All Henry County Board of Supervisors meetings are open to the public.