The Iowa Department of Transportation’s Atlantic Construction office reports the Plattsmouth Bridge Commission has hired a contractor to perform bridge inspection work on the U.S 34 (Plattsmouth) bridge over the Missouri River two miles west of the Pacific Junction area next week.

To conduct the inspection, the contractor will need to close the bridge to traffic in both directions from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily from Monday, Nov. 11 to Friday, Nov. 15. There is no set detour for the closure.

Officials with the Atlantic Police Department report the arrest Wednesday of 30-year old Dial and 37-year old Mandy Bolin. The Atlantic couple were charged with Theft in the 5th degree, and booked into the Cass County Jail.

The P-D says also an accident Wednesday afternoon on the City’s southwest side caused $2,900 damage, but no one was seriously hurt. The accident happened at the intersection of Highway 6 and 15th Street, at around 12:10-p.m.  Officials say a vehicle driven by Tonya Metheny, of Atlantic, was traveling north on Highway 6 when it was hit on the driver’s side door by a vehicle being driven by Leland Baxter, of Lewis. The accident happened when Baxter pulled away from the stop sign. Metheny refused medical treatment at the scene. Officers cited Baxter for Failure to Yield upon entering a through highway.

The City Council in Atlantic, Wednesday, authorized City Administrator Doug Harris to sign a letter of commitment with the non-profit RD Atlantic LLLP group, which will help the group get a higher tax credit rating for an elderly affordable housing project. RD Atlantic representative Cindy Voorhees with National Consulting Alliance in Des Moines, says the group is seeking a Low Income federal Housing Tax credits award administered by the Iowa Finance Authority, for the acquisition and rehabilitation of the 24-unit Regency Villa Apartments on Redwood Drive.

She says a local government contribution will help to make the project competitive and successful. Right now however, they don’t need money from the City, just a commitment that would enable the developer to get the necessary tax credits and begin work on the project.

The developer plans on investing $2.1-million to improve the property, which includes rehabilitation of the living units, new roofing and siding, appliances and carpeting. Voorhees says the organization will need some financial help from the City, but it’s really only necessary to increase the chances they will get more points in the tax credit rating. She says in order for the organization to get more money from the feds, the City needs to agree to provide a $20,000 interest free loan for 15-years with a “Bullet Maturity” (that is, no principal paid until the end of the 15-year term). The $20,000 will be put in a cash or cash equivalent account to fully secure the loan.

Originally, the developer had asked the City for a $100,000 interest free loan with a 20-year Bullet Maturity. Voorhees said the project would make a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) of $750 per year for the first 15-years.

Regency Villa is owned by a non-profit organization and is in the Rural Development Program, a benefit of which is that the tenants will never pay more than one-third of their income, for rent.