The Iowa Department of Transportation has finalized its offers of funding for the Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2022 City Bridge Program. For this funding cycle, funds were available to offer assistance to 32 bridges that had 19 or more priority points. The final rankings are shown on the City Bridge Candidate List.

Among the bridge projects the DOT that were offered funding in the FY22 City Bridge Program, are those in Villisca, Council Bluffs, Adel, and Red Oak. All but Adel declined the offer through Federal-aid swap. The Iowa DOT annually makes Federal-aid Swap and State funds available for the purposes of reducing the number of “Poor” bridges (formerly known as Structurally Deficient or Functionally Obsolete bridges) on the local roadway system. Bridges are ranked to receive funding based on a priority point system explained in Local Systems I.M. 1.100, Federal and State Bridge Programs.

The worksheet used to calculate the priority points is in Attachment A to I.M. 1.100. Priority points for each section of the worksheet were calculated using information from the bridge’s latest inspection approved in the Structure Inventory and Inspection Management System (SIIMS). Beginning in November, the Iowa DOT will make another round of offers for Federal-aid Swap and State funds to qualifying bridge projects, as detailed in I.M. 1.100. The number of offers will depend on the funds available.

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If a city wishes to place a bridge on the candidate list, the city should submit a request, on city letterhead, that includes the following:

• The Federal Structural Number (FHWA #)
  • Street name
  • Feature crossed
  • The most recent cost estimate available

The request needs to be signed by a city official (for example City Engineer, Public Works Director, City Clerk, Mayor, etc.) Requests for FFY 2023 are due by Friday October 1, 2021. The evaluations of the bridges will be based on the most recent bridge inspection approved in SIIMS by September 30, 2021. Please send requests to Sarah.Okerlund@IowaDOT.us.

If a city has previously placed a bridge on the candidate list that was not selected this year, it will remain on the list until the city is offered and accepts funding or the city requests that we remove a bridge from the candidate list. If a city has a bridge on the list and wants it removed for any reason, please contact me. Upon request of the city, any bridge removed from the list may be added back at any time, provided the bridge remains in “poor” condition.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa Department on Aging is celebrating centenarians who are 100 years old or older. These individuals have lived through life experiences that most of us have only read about in books or seen in movies; their strength, endurance and collective wisdom inspires us all and they deserve to be recognized in a safe way. In an effort to recognize Iowans who are celebrating 100 years or more of life, the Iowa Department on Aging and the state’s Area Agencies on Aging invite the public to help identity centenarians in our state.

To assist the State of Iowa in recognizing centenarians, a centenarian recognition form can be found at   https://appengine.egov.com/apps/ia/ida_centenarians.  Centenarians and their loved ones can fill out the form and the information collected will be maintained in a secure database.

For the purposes of this program, a centenarian is any older adult who will be 100 or older by Dec. 31, 2021, and whose primary residence is Iowa. Each centenarian will turning 100 years old in 2021 receive a certificate signed by Governor Reynolds that is suitable for framing. In addition, the Iowa Department on Aging will give all Iowans 100 and older the option to have a profile on their website that will consist of their first name, picture, and fun information that is shared via the form. The Department will also be hosting a virtual event in the late Fall/early Winter where all Iowans 100+ will be recognized and celebrated. More information will come as the time nears.

To ensure that you or your loved one can be recognized, fill out the form by August 30th, 2021. For questions contact Marissa Vance at marissa.patterson1@iowa.gov.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley does not have high hopes for the voting rights bill that passed the U-S House in a party-line vote on Tuesday. Democrats say the legislation, named for the late Georgia Representative John Lewis, is designed to safeguard voting rights, but Grassley, a Republican, disagrees. “It would be a roundabout way of forcing almost every election law change in the country to be subject to federal okay,” Grassley says, “and that would be a very bad thing to happen.”

Supporters say the measure would restore important elements of the Voting Rights Act that were thrown out by the U-S Supreme Court in 2013. Grassley says the Lewis bill would force state legislatures to get “pre-clearance” from the U-S Justice Department for almost any change in election laws. “This thing is usually sold on the proposition that any change in state law somehow does something about voter suppression,” Grassley says, “and most often voter suppression is saying that the states are attacking African American voting.”

Grassley makes a comparison to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1964, before which, only about six-percent of the blacks in Mississippi cast ballots. “In the last election in Mississippi, 73% of black voters voted and of the white voters, only 64% voted,” Grassley says, “so to sell this bill as a way to stop suppression of black voting is just intellectually dishonest.”

The Lewis bill passed the House on a close vote, 219 to 212, and it’s not expected to advance in the Senate.

A profane sign about the president has caused a stir in Albia, particularly for its location about a block from an elementary school. KCCI reports the sign, placed in front of a home on Main Street last week, uses the “F” word before referring to President Joe Biden. Community leaders and parents from Grant Elementary school voiced concerns that students returning to class would inevitably see the sign.

Albia Mayor Richard Clark says the community feels like it’s his responsibility order the sign to be removed, but he says after he consulted the city attorney, a former lieutenant governor and the Iowa League of Cities, each said it is out of his hands.  The Mayor said he was disgusted by the sign put up by Albia resident Tyson Hackett, in response to the events in Afghanistan and his view of Biden’s handling of the situation. Some in the community who support former President Donald Trump are still uncomfortable with the profanity near the school.

Clark said he tried personally to intervene, by speaking with Hackett and explaining to him that kids see the sign as they leave school. Hackett did make a concession this week by flipping around the sign so that it no longer faces the school. But he said doesn’t intend to take down the sign entirely.

(Radio Iowa) – The Ajinomoto plant in Eddyville was evacuated last (Wednesday) night because of a chemical spill. Mahaska County 911 was told around 8:20 last night about an acid leak at the plant. Ajinomoto makes amino acids that are used as supplements to make feed for dairy cattle, swine and poultry. Eddyville residents were advised to shelter in place until the chemical completely bleeds off from the tank. The shelter order was cancelled at 1 o’clock this morning.

There are no reports of injuries at this time. Because of the chemical spill, EBF schools were to start two hours late this morning.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic City Council is expected to act in an upcoming meeting, on going out for bids when it comes to the July 2022 City-sponsored fireworks display. The City’s Personnel and Finance Committee met Wednesday evening and voted to recommend the City move forward and solicit bids over the next few weeks.

As we’ve mentioned, the City received numerous complaints from its citizens following the 4^th of July show in 2021, when the company the City hired – J & M Displays – fireworks program turned out to be less impressive then many had hoped. The show lasted for just 11 minutes.

After the company received the City’s complaint, J&M offered to give the community a free show (Valued at $6,000), and hold next year’s show on July 2nd. The City rejected the offer, and terminated the contract.