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Questions of DNR management of Honey Creek

February 3, 2009 By

One state senator says it’s time for the Department of Natural Resources to relinquish management of the new Honey Creek Resort at Rathbun Lake.  Michelle Wilson of the Department of Natural Resources is currently the project manager and she briefed state lawmakers earlier today.  

"I’d like to invite all of you to come down to the resort…It’s very beautiful," Wilson said. "…Since September, we have had…the Great Lodge facility with it’s doors open. We also last fall opened the 18 hole golf course, except we didn’t have all 18 holes available. Because of flooding that happened last summer, we had nine holes available."

The state is investing up to $70 million in the 850 acre park. In addition to the lodge and golf course, Honey Creek has a conference center, a restaurant and an indoor waterpark. Some lawmakers worry about the park’s cost overruns and occupancy shortfalls, as net losses so far are about 10 percent higher than expected.

Senator Matt McCoy, a Democrat from Des Moines, didn’t find Wilson’s presentation encouraging. "I think it actually raised more questions than it answered," McCoy says.

Supporters of the state’s first "destination park" say it’ll take a year to get a full picture of the operation’s potential. McCoy, though, has been a critic of the project, and he questions whether the state should put another $5 million into cabin construction this year. "i was trying to figure out, O.K., how are we going to open these by spring if, in fact, that’s what we have to do to get the revenue?" McCoy says. "The next thing is we’ve put FEMA dollars back into a golf course that flooded, yet we don’t know if that golf course is going to flood again. We don’t know if it’s going to be an 18-hole golf course or a nine-hole golf course."

McCoy says the D.N.R. lacks the expertise to run a resort and he has filed a bill to turn over management of Honey Creek to a private company. Department of Natural Resources director Rich Leopold defends his agency’s management of Honey Creek. "There are concerns and everybody’s watching very closely," Leopold says. "…I’ve been meeting with my staff to set out worst case scenarios all the way along to make sure the facility’s open and we’re making bond payments."

 

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation, Politics & Government, Recreation & Entertainment Tagged With: , , , ,

Regents consider fewer meetings to save money

February 3, 2009 By

Iowa Board of Regents President David Miles is floating the idea that the group hold fewer meetings during the year to save money. The nine-member board meets six times a year — but Miles says some costs could be lowered by holding fewer face-to-face meetings and inviting fewer school administrators to attend those meetings.

"If there are ways we can reduce the amount of travel a person has to do or certainly overnight, those are the kinds of things we want to do," Miles says. Miles admits the savings would be small if the board eliminated some meetings, but says the Regents want to lead by example as the universities study their own cost-savings plans in light of state funding cuts. The presidents of the three state universities talked about their plans for cutting back.

University of Iowa President Sally Mason told the board that she has put on hold the searches for four top-level administrators to save money.She says she will stop looking for vice presidents of legal affairs, student services and research, and an associate provost for equal opportunity and diversity.

Mason says,"Three of these searches will be delayed for up to two years, effective immediately, and I am grateful that in each case the individual serving as the interim has agreed to stay on for the two-year period." Mason estimates the school will save 200-thousand dollars by halting the searches. But she says the university will move ahead and spend 165-thousand dollars in private funds to hire consultants to develop plans for communication and to combat binge drinking.

……………..

Motorists driving on Interstate-80 in the Omaha/Council Bluffs area will face an overnight detour later this week. Workers plan to install new girders on the Riverview Bridge, located about a-half mile west of the Iowa/Nebraska border.

Marvin Lech. with the Nebraska Department of Roads, says the bridge runs over I-80. Lech says the Interstate will be closed from 11 p.m. Wednesday until 6 A.M. Thursday. If the work is not completed, I-80 will be closed again late Thursday night into Friday morning. The marked detour will re-route traffic on Interstates 480 and 29. Lech says the Riverview Bridge, originally built in the early 1970s, does not carry much traffic.

"The only reason (the bridge) is being rebuilt is to accommodate the widening of Interstate 80 through that area," Lech said. The cost of the bridge project is estimated at more than $1.5 million. 

Filed Under: Education Tagged With: , ,

Regents approve new synthetic field for Kinnick Stadium

February 3, 2009 By

The board that governs the three state-supported universities gave approval today for a project of just over two-million dollars to replace the natural grass turf at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City with synthetic turf. University of Iowa athletic director, Gary Barta, answered questions from the Board of Regents about the need for the project in a time when budgets are being cut.

Barta says the drainage system in the stadium was installed in 1989, and engineers told them it did not need to be replaced during the 2005 stadium renovation. But Barta says the system began given them problems in 2006 and things got worse during the heavy rains and flooding this last year.

Barta says the drainage problem became progressively worse and game to a crescendo prior to the Iowa State game when there was a great deal of rain and they had to work all night to keep the field playable. Barta says they re-examined the problem after getting through the game.

He says they brought the engineers back in and asked for more short-term fixes to avoid spending a large amount of money, but they said there are no short-term steps remaining.

Barta says the university has to replace the drainage system or face the possibility that it could lead to losing much more money without the investment. Barta says they have no other options and face the possibility of a flooded field with more heavy rain. "Imagine, playing Michigan in front of 70,000 people on A.B.C. national television and having to cancel game, the amount of repercussions financially and public relations, we just couldn’t face that," Barta says.

Barta says they decided to go with the synthetic surface, as it would cost $400 to $500,000 more up front, but would last longer and be cheaper to maintain. He says the synthetic turf lifespan is guaranteed for eight years and is likely to last longer than that, which would beat the lifespan of grass. Barta was asked about the money for the field and says it will not be state money.

Barta says he would love to not have to replace the field as the athletic department is also facing budget cuts, but Barta says he "strongly believes that we don’t have an option" when it comes to making the improvements.

Barta says the synthetic turf will save the university $80,000 in maintenance costs each year — allowing them to recover the higher initial cost of installing the field. He says the studies are inconclusive as to whether the new system would prevent more injuries. The project will cost $2-million-25,000. 

Iowa opens the 2009 season September 5th against UNI.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

Grassley blasts "protectionist" proposals in stimulus

February 3, 2009 By

This story was edited at 7:01 p.m.

Senator Chuck Grassley says some of the trade protectionism included in the economic stimulus package that senators have begun debating would be damaging to the economy.

Grassley, a Republican, gave a lengthy speech on the senate floor critiquing the economic stimulus package being pushed by President Obama and fellow Democrats in congress. Grassley said a stimulus is necessary given the country’s economic situation, but Grassley expressed concern about the size of the package. He said the federal government “cannot casually deficit-spend and ask America’s taxpayers to clean up the fiscal mess with high taxes down the road.”

Grassley also said there is “little doubt” that protectionist barriers signed into law by President Herbert Hoover “made the Great Depression worse.” Those laws placed high tariffs on imported goods.  While Grassley did not specifically mention the “buy American” requirements in the stimulus package, critics have labeled those proposals as protectionism.  

Grassley’s staff has not returned a phone call this evening seeking clarification of Grassley’s objections to the protectionism he lambasted in the bill. Read all of what Grassley had to say here.

The European Union had threatened to retaliate if congress went ahead with provisions in the stimulus plan which restricted spending to American goods and services.

During a television interview, President Obama said the U.S. can’t send a “protectinist message” to the world.  “…I think it would be a mistake…at a time when worldwide trade is declining, for us to start sending a message that somehow we’re just looking after ourselves and not concerned with world trade.”

Filed Under: Agriculture, Business, Politics & Government Tagged With: , , , ,

Wells recalls ice cream over peanut concern

February 3, 2009 By

Northwest Iowa-based Wells’ Dairy is expanding a voluntary recall of a Blue Bunny ice cream product. The recall is another precaution involving a product that contains peanuts from the Peanut Corporation of America. The firm is the focus of an ongoing salmonella investigation.

The Blue Bunny Personals Bunny Tracks eight-ounce product is Lot Number 80030 with a best used by date of November 11th of 2010. The Personal Bunny Tracks product was shipped to retail and food service customers in Iowa, Virginia, Ohio, Nebraska, Washington, Tennessee, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Oregon. Wells’ asks consumers who bought the recalled product to return it to the store where they made the purchase for a full refund.

 

Filed Under: Business, Health & Medicine Tagged With:

Harkin estimates Iowa’s share of "stimulus"

February 3, 2009 By

Iowa Senator Tom Harkin says there is currently more than $1.5 billion for Iowa in the economic stimulus package that’s being developed in the U.S. Senate. 

Harkin, a Democrat, issued a statement saying the senate "must act quickly and boldly" on the package. Harkin’s staff released a list of "approximate investments" that may come Iowa’s way if the senate version of the bill becomes law.

The biggest chunk of money — $389 million — would go to Iowa’s highway fund and another $46 million would be spent on mass transit systems in Iowa. Another major allotment in the Senate’s stimulus package would send just over $112 million for federal nutrition programs that are administered by the Iowa Department of Human Services.

Harkin indicates some of the federal money would help backfill the state treasury so state budget cuts won’t have to go so deep.

You can read the entire list here .

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: , , , , ,

UNI looks for record 11th win

February 3, 2009 By

The UNI Panthers can win a school record 11th straight game this evening when they visit Bradley in Missouri Valley Conference action. The Panthers are 10-1 in the Valley and rallied from ten points down to edge the Braves in their first matchup in Cedar Falls less than two weeks ago.

Bradley is tied for second in the league race with Illinois State at 7-4. UNI coach Ben Jacobsen who says there are not many secrets the second time through the conference.

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: ,
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