(Wiota, Iowa) – The Wiota Steakhouse and Lounge façade revitalization construction is expected to be completed this month (June 2023) in time for Wiota’s Sesquicentennial Celebration. The city of Wiota received a grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) in June 2022 under the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Covid Façade program with assistance from Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO). This grant was to revitalize the Wiota Steakhouse and Lounge and construction is nearing completion this month.

The CDBG award was for $300,000 in construction costs and administration and the owner contributed $95,433 of their own funding for architect and construction costs. These funds were able to repair the facades on the North, West, and South sides of the existing structure.

Brenda Williams, owner of Wiota Steakhouse and Lounge, said “I am excited to see this project getting so close to completion. We are celebrating Wiota’s Sesquicentennial this June and our city park is getting new playground equipment so the town will be looking its best just in time for the celebration.”

The playground also benefited from grant writing assistance from SWIPCO. SWIPCO assisted the City of Wiota with securing the Rural Revitalization Grant for $20,000 to help purchase the new playground equipment in Wiota.

The focus of CDBG Covid Façade programs is to eliminate “slum and blight” in communities by completing important building façade repairs and storefront improvements while respecting historic character. To participate, a property owner must contribute a minimum of 10% of the construction cost, commit to the program throughout the grant period, sign related documents, make timely payments, and follow all related grant requirements.

“A facelift to the exterior of the building was previously planned by the owners for summer 2020 but the financial repercussions from Covid-19 delayed this plan. The delay of this project caused further problems for the exterior of the building,” stated Tammy DeBord, Grants Specialist III with SWIPCO. “This grant allowed the building to be restored so that it can remain a source of pride for the residents and this business that draws people to Wiota.”

SWIPCO routinely provides grant writing and administration services to its member communities in Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, and Shelby Counties and has brought over $129 million in grants to the region in the last year alone.

DES MOINES – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has announced the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has granted her request to provide assistance in the form of low-interest disaster loans for residents and businesses impacted by the partial building collapse of The Hotel Davenport Apartments.

Homeowners, renters, businesses, and most nonprofit organizations in Scott County whose property was damaged or destroyed by the incident will be able to apply for low-interest disaster loans from the SBA. Residents, businesses, and nonprofit organizations in the surrounding counties of Cedar, Clinton, and Muscatine, whose property was damaged or destroyed as a result of this incident, also may be eligible for SBA assistance. In addition, impacted small businesses, agricultural cooperatives, and nonprofit organizations in the above counties will be eligible to apply for Economic Injury Disaster loans.

Applicants may apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information ,and download applications at https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services. Completed applications should be mailed to U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Revenue is reminding owners of non-residential electric vehicle chargers that new tax changes take effect July 1, 2023.

Owners of non-residential electric vehicle charging stations will be responsible for reporting and paying to the Iowa Department of Revenue two and six-tenths cents for each kilowatt hour ($0.026 per kWh) of electric fuel dispensed into an electric vehicle battery or energy storage device. Any business or organization, including local governments and nonprofits, that has a charging station for its employees or customers will need a license. Licensing and taxation does not apply to electric fuel dispensed at residences.

Visit the Department’s Electric Fuel Excise Tax guidance for more information about how to obtain a license and file and pay the tax. 

To receive notifications of resources and guidance issued by the Department, subscribe to updates by selecting the tax topics of interest.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court says a law allowing for additional damages for whistleblowers cannot retroactively apply to a fired D-C-I agent.Larry Hedlund reported in 2013 an S-U-V he said was going 90 miles an hour on Highway 20. The S-U-V turned out to be carrying former Governor Terry Branstad and then Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds. Hedlund was fired several days later.

His lawsuit against the state has continued, and he wanted to seek additional damages under the whistleblower law enacted six years after the incident. The Iowa Supreme Court says the law contains no statement that it should be used retrospectively and reversed the district court ruling that sided with Hedlund.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Chamber Ambassadors were hosted by Atlantic Elks members in celebration of 125 years of their organization on Thursday, June 8th, 2023, at the Atlantic Elks Lodge #445. According to a press release, the Ambassadors learned more about what an Elk is and what they do for the community.

Gail Butler shared about the history of the group’s charity work with donations towards different areas such as local food pantries, fire prevention and drug awareness, scholarships, and helping veterans. One way that the Elks help veterans is by collecting deer hides to be tanned and eventually turned into useful items at no cost to the veteran. Hide drop-off sites are located in Atlantic, Wiota, and Griswold. The Elks have also been honoring Atlantic graduating seniors by giving out scholarships for several years to offset the expenses of tuition and the total is over $60,000 and growing. They also hold many different fundraisers throughout the year such as weekly bingo, a craft fair, and a Mother’s Day brunch. The Lodge space is also available to be rented for different events for $150.

The Atlantic Elks are just one of many groups which are a national organization known as Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Members enjoy getting together on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays to focus on ways to give back to the community and get connected with each other. The Atlantic Elks invites the public to their 125th Anniversary celebration on June 24th at the Elks Lodge, located at 411 Walnut Street. It will start at 4:30 p.m. with a social hour and open house and the barbecue meal will follow at 6:00 p.m. There will be a freewill donation, which will go towards their different philanthropies.

Ambassadors Left to Right: Kelsey Beschorner, Chris Cullen, Anne Quist, Brian Ruge, Mark Schwartz, Dr. Keith Leonard, Kathie Hockenberry, Jim Nordskog, Dolly Bergmann, Rick Mericle, Lana Westphalen, Vicki Brown, Gail Butler, Delbert Thurman, Renae Steffens, Amanda Hansen, Tori Gibson, Gary Schwartz, Megan Sramek, Jeremy Butler, Krysta Hanson, BJ Hart, Sue Liston, Beth Spieker, Elaine Otte, John Bricker, Paige Jensen, Graydon Schmidt (Photo provided by the Chamber) [Click to enlarge the image]