MUSCATINE, Iowa—The Muscatine City Council voted to approve the application of the Community Development Block Grant, which will provide 6,750 feet of force main sewer line and a new lift station to Ripley’s Mobile Home Park on U.S. Highway 61.

The application is supported by the Bi-State Regional Commission, who had representative Reed Panther present specifics about the project to the Council at Thursday’s in-depth meeting. The Ripley location has seen several complaints from the state because of its current sewer system, Panther said.

The block grant, through the Iowa Department of Economic Development, allocates over $18 million a year to communities needing water and sewer work. The maximum request for a grant is $800,000.

The Ripley project, which will reroute the sewer system from the nearby lagoon to the municipal sewer system, will cost an estimated $910,000, Panther said.

The application for the IDED grant is requesting $455,000.

“The IDED prefers to see the cost split 50-50,” Panther said, adding that the additional funds can come from low-interest loans or other available grants, like the Iowa Department of Natural Resources State Revolving Fund for clean water and sewer projects.

Steve Boka, Planning, Zoning and Building Safety director, who directed the Council meeting in place of Randy Hill who was absent, said no city dollars will be used on the project, which

is expected to take about

90 days.

No residents or businesses will be displaced due to  the sewer project and traffic on Highway 61 will not be interrupted.

Boka said the rerouting of sewer lines will also help save the lagoon and environment around it, including the Mad Creek watershed.

“It will serve for the population and the growth of that area,” Boka said.

“I think this is a huge project. Having Mad Creek cleaned up is a tremendous effort,” said First Ward Councilwoman Marie Press.

Though the public was open to comment on the project, no one spoke at Thursday’s meeting. The resolution for the IDED application was approved 6-0.

Other business

The Muscatine City Council also took the following action at Thursday’s meeting:

- The Pearl City Station contract and bond for the bulkhead repair and plaza reconstruction was passed with a 4-2 vote. Council members Bob Bynum, Fourth Ward and Jerry Lange, Third Ward, turned down the motion. Pearl City Station will see over $840,000 in repairs with help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency funding and tax-increment financing fund. The building services between 125-140 events every year. Its estimated worth is between $200,000 and $300,000.  

- Sharon Gibson-Ellis, chief professional officer for Muscatine’s United Way, said United Way raised just under $1 million in 2008 and hopes to reach $1 million this year. So far, United Way is 15 percent above last year’s totals for this time.

United Way also joined forces with the groups Local Information and Connection to Services and the Muscatine Community Volunteer Services. Gibson-Ellis said both encourage participation from the community and hopes to see more volunteers take advantage of the Muscatine Community Volunteer Services.

Gibson-Ellis also shared details of the Kids First Fund, which provides medication, clothing and learning aids to low-income children in the area. Also with United Way, the Muscatine Louisa Disaster Recovery Committee has received over $1.1 million in resources to help recover from the June 2008 floods. The committee had 292 cases and 59 are still pending. Gibson-Ellis said United Way’s efforts will not be affected by the state cuts.

- Robert Buckley, a representative with the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau said he and his team in Cedar Rapids are “getting the word out” about the importance of the upcoming census. Once requiring several pages of information, the 2010 census will feature 10 brief questions. Beginning in 2010, over $400 billion will be distributed across the country based on census reports, going “where people live,” Buckley said.

“If we don’t get a response, we have to go knock on doors and that takes a tremendous amount of time and resources,” Buckley said, urging the Council to inform residents of the upcoming census.

Buckley and his team have been in Muscatine and 29 other counties to urge census support. The forms are expected to be mailed in late February through March and due on April 1, 201.

“We want to get as complete and accurate count as we can,” Buckley said.