HAMBURG, IOWA – Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO) members, staff, and supporters came together for the 48th Annual Meeting on Thursday, September 28th at the newly renovated Hamburg Fire Station. The day included a tour of Hamburg, a luncheon, awards presentation, and annual report. The day started with a tour of the City of Hamburg led by Mayor Harry Reed to celebrate many of the projects that have been completed or are in progress following the 2019 flood. Stops on the tour included the newly opened Hamburg Inn & Suites, ConAgra popcorn production facility, The Hamburg Locker, and the disaster recovery housing development site North Ridge Acres. Following the tour, attendees enjoyed a luncheon catered by Horseshoe Café and Catering from Sidney. The program was then opened with a welcome by Mayor Adams and introductions by SWIPCO Board Chair Todd Valline.

Five partnership awards were then presented by SWIPCO staff to various entities that helped SWIPCO achieve end goals in fiscal year 2023. Those awards included:

• Connections Area Agency on Aging for their continued partnership with Southwest Iowa Transit Agency (SWITA) to help disabled Iowans get to where they need to go at a reduced cost.
• Denver Regional Office of the U.S. Economic Development Administration for their work managing an unprecedented amount of funding for disaster recovery from the 2019 floods and the Covid pandemic. Regional Representative Alex Smith was on hand to accept the award.
• Faith In Action for their continued partnership with SWITA to provide rides for the residents of Fremont and Page Counties.
• F&M Carpentry for their excellent work and very high client satisfaction as a contractor for many SWIPCO housing projects in the past year. Owners Roy and Tammy Fifer were on hand to accept the award.
• Terry Brown, Disaster Project Officer with Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management for his exemplary help in coordinating long term recovery efforts in Hamburg and Fremont and Mills Counties after the 2019 floods.
  

  SWIPCO Board recognition John McCurdy, SWIPCO Executive Director (left); Alan Armstrong, Former Page County Supervisor (right).

  

  Partnership award presentation: Alex Smith, US Economic Development Administration (left); John McCurdy, SWIPCO Executive Director (right).

  

  Partnership award presentation: (left to right) John McCurdy, SWIPCO Executive Director; Roy Fifer, F&M Carpentry; Tammy Fifer, F&M Carpentry; Matthew Lee, SWIPCO Building Inspector.

  

  SWIPCO Board recognition Lynn Grobe, Former Pottawattamie County Supervisor (left); John McCurdy, SWIPCO Executive Director (right).

  

  Partnership award presentation: (left to right) Terry Brown, Disaster Project Officer with Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management; John McCurdy, SWIPCO Executive Director.

Four former members of the SWIPCO Policy Board were honored for their service at the meeting. John Hartkopf, Cass County Supervisor, 2 years. Alan Armstrong, Page County Supervisor, 5 years. Lynn Grobe, Pottawattamie County Supervisor, 10 years. Brad Wright, Red Oak City Administrator, 20 years.

Four SWIPCO office staff employees were honored for employment milestones. Dani Briggs, Lead Planner, 5 years. Dee Holtz, Administrative Assistant, 5 years. John McCurdy, Executive Director, 10 years. Mark Hansen, Fleet Mechanic, 15 years. SWITA driver of the year Dean Driskell was also recognized. (attached photos courtesy SWIPCO Communications Director Chris Parks)

To finish up the meeting, Executive Director John McCurdy presented annual report information and shared the many success stories for SWIPCO in fiscal year 2023. Highlights included that SWITA provided 526,300 rides in fiscal year 2023, the most any rural public transit agency ever has in the state of Iowa. SWIPCO’s planning staff are also currently managing over $120 million in grant funds. SWIPCO and the Southwest Iowa Housing Trust Fund (SWIHTF) completed 61 housing rehabilitation projects, assisted with the purchase of 19 homes, demolished 15 dilapidated houses, and conducted dozens of building inspections. SWIPCO’s administrative team managing resources and came in right on target for SWIPCO’s $7 million operating budget, the largest portion of which is payroll for SWIPCO’s 100 employees.

SWIPCO, founded in 1975, is a council of governments serving eight counties in Southwest Iowa with public transportation, community development, and housing assistance. Counties served are Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, and Shelby. SWIPCO is an equal opportunity employer, provider, and lender.