WATERLOO - A group of local government, education and business leaders are heading to the nation's capital this week to press for federal grants.
Some 18 people will be meeting with Iowa's congressional delegation and federal agency staffs Monday and Tuesday as part of the annual Cedar Valley Coalition lobbying effort to Washington, D.C.
The effort is designed to present a united front and to inform Iowa's senators and Rep. Bruce Braley, along with their staffs, about programs local officials see as priorities for federal funding.
While coalition members are seeking funding for some 23 projects and programs during this year's trip, the top two projects on the wish list haven't changed from previous years: completing reconstruction of U.S. Highway 63 from U.S. Highway 218 north to Donald Street and continued development of the Cedar Valley TechWorks campus.
"Clearly our top two priority projects remain the same," said coalition administrator Steve Firman. "But we think the projects are further along. TechWorks has a more defined vision this year of where it wants to go and is asking for more specific pieces.
"We've got a lot of projects," Firman added. "But we recognize that congressionally directed funding is being cut buck, so we've prioritized our requests for them."
Mayor Buck Clark will be one of three city of Waterloo representatives on the trip.
"Since it's my first trip, I'm excited about going," Clark said. "I have heard nothing but very good things from people that have gone in the past and talked about the funding we've derived, how it's been very beneficial.
"It also goes back to building relationships, which was one of my campaign platforms," he added. "If you're asking somebody in Washington for money, it helps if they know who they're talking to."
Among the top priorities, the city of Waterloo is asking for $13.9 million to help complete the $37 million reconstruction of U.S. Highway 63 from U.S. Highway 218 north to Donald Street.
"Completion of the reconstruction of U.S. 63 through Waterloo will improve traffic operations and capacity while correcting the negative impacts on adjacent low-income and minority populations," the Coalition report states. "While several segments of this project have been funded in previous years, there is still more work to be done to complete the project."
TechWorks, a regional "bio-economy" campus to combine ag-based research, technology and manufacturing efforts in former John Deere Westfield Avenue site buildings downtown, is seeking $16.7 million for a variety of projects ranging from research labs to an Agritech Exhibition Center. Additional grant funding is sought to develop a plan for powering TechWorks with renewable energy sources.
Among other coalition priorities, the county government is asking for $13.1 million to build an interchange at Highway 218 and Cedar Wapsi Road, between Cedar Falls and Janesville. Based on 2004-08 Iowa Department of Transportation crash data, the crossing "has the highest crash frequency of any rural expressway intersection in Iowa."
The county also is looking for nearly $3 million to replace the Cedar Valley Nature Trail bridge over the Cedar River at McFarlane Park, which was destroyed by the 2008 floods, and $1.5 million for a study on improving access to the Northeast Industrial Park on the northeast side of Waterloo including Tyson Fresh Meats and the John Deere Tractor Works.
The city of Cedar Falls is seeking $3.1 million to extend Greenhill Road west of its current terminus near Hudson Road and then north to West 27th Street, which would open up additional land for development. The city also wants $1.2 million for sanitary sewer extensions in the city's industrial park and $8.9 million for a disinfection process at the waste water treatment plant.
Cedar Falls Utilities is seeking $25 million to convert one of its Street Station power plant units to burn 100 percent biofuels as part of a energy generation pilot project.
The city of Waterloo wants $6 million to replace the downtown Park Avenue Bridge; $750,000 to demolish the former Lafayette, Van Eaton and Francis Grout schools; $1.5 million over five years to fix blighted homes and subsidize new home construction in the Rath Brownfield Area; and $800,000 to disconnect home footing drains from the sanitary sewer system in the Downing Avenue area.
The city, county, Waterloo Schools and Hawkeye Community College are looking for $20 million for a regional computing lab, which would help consolidate information technology efforts for a number of government agencies.
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Published by The Courier on www.wcfcourier.com
Sunday, February 28, 2010 10:00 am
