United States Senator Joni Ernst’s regional office in Des Moines is reaching out to Guthrie County constituents. Haley Smith is a new employee of Ernst’s and says she is assigned to help Guthrie County residents in addressing any comments or complaints related to the federal government. Smith can be reached at her office by calling 515-284-4574.
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The State Auditor’s Office has denied to submit a bid to perform the annual audit for the City of Guthrie Center. Citing too much of an existing workload, Deputy Auditor of State Tami Kusian says the office will politely decline the City’s request for a bid. Several of the Council members including Randy Nickel believe the State could do a more in depth job of auditing than private sector firms the City had used in the past and wanted them to take the job. City Clerk Laura Imerman says the State gave a bid last year, but it was nearly twice as much as the proposed $5,000 bid they received from Cornwell, Frideres, Maher & Associates P.L.C., of Fort Dodge. The City will now write back to the State Auditor’s Office to see if they can get an audit scheduled sometime in the future.
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Students heading into 4th-6th grades in the fall will be able to construct and make a rocket fly at a Guthrie County Extension event next month. Office Coordinator Vicki Frohling says the Blast Off! course will teach students about gravity and mass while providing lots of fun. There are only 12 spots in the June 24th course, so space is extremely limited. The cost is $20, which includes materials and lunch. For more information and to register, call Brenna Westergaard at 641-747-2276.
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The Guthrie County Board of Supervisors voted to purchase 100 miles worth of rock and 100 miles worth of gravel at Tuesday’s meeting. The rock bid was awarded to Schildberg Rock, of Greenfield, for a total of $560,417. Stratford Gravel, of Stratford, was awarded the gravel bid for a total of $190,717. The rock will be paid for with farm-to-market dollars, which County Engineer Josh Sebern says will put the County two years in the red on farm-to-market funds.
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Both Adair and Coon Rapids have been named as recipients of Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Derelict Building Grants. The City of Adair plans to use their $20,000 grant to complete renovations and mothball a commercial building. The City of Coon Rapids plans to use their $500 grant to complete an asbestos inspection at an abandoned commercial building. In total, the DNR gave out approximately $400,000 to cities this year as part of the program.
