The Iowa Department of Economic Development has okayed more than one-million dollars in loan packages to several communities. I-D-E-D spokeswoman Nancy Pedersen says the largest loan of 480-thousand dollars goes to Burlington for what’s called a CEBA grant.That’s a Community Economic Betterment Account, where the state matches what the community put out to attract an Italian company to build a hydraulic hose manufacturing plant in Burlington and create 120 jobs. Another large CEBA grant is going to Red Oak in southwest Iowa. Pedersen says it’s for 445-thousand dollars. Red Oak is competing with a town in South Carolina for a 20-million dollar battery factory that would be built by Johnson Controls. Pedersen says two other grants are going out.Des Moines is getting 100-thousand dollars for a proposal by American Tire Distributors to expand an operation in the capitol. Also, meatpacker P-A Braunger, of Sioux City is getting 75-thousand.
