A housing study completed by SWIPCO (the Southwest Iowa Planning Council) for the City of Atlantic revealed no new surprises for those searching for affordable housing.

Jeremy Middents

SWIPCO Housing Director Jeremy Middents said a drive-by survey found more than half (54%) of the existing housing units in Atlantic are rated in “Fair” to “Poor” condition. Middents told the City Council Wednesday, more than half of the homes are in need of some sort of repair or major rehabilitation. Another two-percent are beyond hope for rehabilitation or repair, and need to be demolished.

The City has, in the past, purchased abandoned and dilapidated homes with the intent to clear the lots for future, new buildings, and it has participated in programs to improve the existing housing, through grant applications (such as CDBG’s) for owner-occupied homes intended to aid in their rehabilitation. Middents said also, that CADCO – The Cass/Atlantic economic Development Corporation – has helped by participating in the “Paint the town red” program which helps elderly and disables homeowners with the painting of their homes.

He says SWIPCO has applied for the Federal Home Loan Bank Repair Program funds on behalf of the City. Officials should learn next week whether the funds are approved. Middents says many of the homes are in poor condition, and unless the home or property owners get some type of assistance, those homes will continue to deteriorate and become dilapidated. One of the options for the spaces made vacant by demolished homes, according to Middents, is to construct affordable housing units, which the latest Census shows there is a current lack of.

Middents says the Census doesn’t take into account various subsidies that are available. He said a survey of rental complexes are at or near capacity in Atlantic, and several had waiting lists of persons wanting to rent. There’s also concern about the condition of rental units, especially those designed for single families. He said the City could create a Rental Maintenance Code, and back that up by incentives or disincentives for the land or property owners in order to spur them into bringing their properties up to Code and perhaps prompt them to apply for assistance in making additional housing available.

The study shows also, that the City needs new upper- moderate – and affordable homes and rental unit housing, but it needs to create incentives for developers to come up with more “Mixed-use” housing complexes or units. SWIPCO is working with the City to create a plan to address the problem of housing in Atlantic.

Investigators examining the remains of a home in Oakland that was destroyed by fire early Wednesday morning, consider the cause to be suspicious. According to the Daily NonPareil, firefighters were called to the unoccupied rental home at 208 Oak Streetin Oakland, a little after 12-a.m., Wednesday. Oakland’s Fire Chief Brant Miller told the paper the house was fully engulfed in flames and the entire structure collapsed within 10-minutes of crews having arrived on the scene. Firefighters were able to prevent the flames from spreading to another, nearby home.

Firefighters from Oakland and Carson were on the scene for about 5-hours. No injuries were reported. The house, assessed at $57,000. was a total loss The fire is considered suspicious because of the manner in which it started, and because there had been unusual activity in the home in recent weeks. The cause remains under investigation.

The Iowa Board of Medicine has come to terms with a former Shenandoah Medical Center physician charged for practicing without informing the board he had received discipline from the Pennsylvania Board of Medicine. Under the settlement agreement, 55-year old Subir Ray, who is no longer employed by the medical center, will  undergo several health and behavioral exams to determine his competency to practice medicine.The board issued Ray a citation and warning, and ordered him to pay a $2,500 civil penalty, according to a press release.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

SLATER, Iowa (AP) — The family of a man shot by police after a car chase at Iowa State University is questioning why he was killed. James Comstock told The Des Moines Register he’s outraged police shot and killed his son, 19-year-old Tyler Comstock. Ames police say Tyler Comstock of Boone drove a stolen truck onto the ISU campus on Monday. Patrol officer Adam McPherson fired six shots into the truck, fatally wounding Comstock.

MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa (AP) — Video of a former Iowa jail guard accused of killing his pregnant wife shows the man denying involvement in her death. The Ottumwa Courier reports (jurors watched more video yesterday in the murder trial of Seth Techel. It features an investigator questioning Techel about his actions on the morning of his wife’s death.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have released the name of a man found dead outside a Des Moines duplex. Des Moines police say 28-year-old Shay Zeller was discovered Monday morning by a woman leaving for work.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Court of Appeals says a woman who trains service dogs may proceed with a lawsuit against Drake University, which she says did not allow her to attend classes in 2009 with a dog at her side. Nicole Shumate, a 2009 Drake Law School graduate, says in her lawsuit people training service animals are permitted by Iowa law to seek civil damages when denied the right to be accompanied by their animal.

DECATUR, Neb. (AP) — Traveling over the Missouri River at Decatur, Neb., should soon be cheaper and a little quicker. The Sioux City Journal reports motorists will no longer have to pay a toll to use the bridge, which links Nebraska and Iowa about half way between Omaha and Sioux City. The change comes as the Burt County Bridge Commission turns over ownership of the bridge to Iowa and Nebraska.

Bridge manager Clark Beck says it’s good news for Decatur residents who will no longer have to pay the $1 toll to drive a car or pickup truck over the span. But he notes it also means the loss of more than a dozen part-time toll-taking jobs.

Iowa and Nebraska still must give final approval to the ownership change, but that’s expected soon.

MidAmerican Energy has released more details about a plan to add nearly 450 wind turbines across the state. Construction is underway on the projects around O’Brien, Webster, Grundy, Madison, and Marshall Counties. The company says it has reached an agreement with RPM Access, LLC for the acquisition of the approximate 117-megawatt Macksburg wind project site in Madison County. The Macksburg wind project will be constructed by Mortenson Construction, which is based in Minnesota.

The utility has announced the blades for the expansion will be manufactured by a Siemen’s plant located in Fort Madison. Once completed by the end 2015, MidAmerican officials say the new wind projects will generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 317-thousand (317,000) Iowa households.

MidAmerican says the wind energy expansion projects will provide more than $3 million in landowner payments each year and more than $360 million in additional property tax revenues over the next 30 years. Construction will take place at no net cost to the company’s customers, and officials say it will help stabilize electric rates over the long term.

Approximately 1,000 construction jobs will be added to Iowa’s economy during the two-year construction period, and approximately 40 new permanent jobs will be added when the expansion is complete.