At the weekly meeting of the Wright County Board of Supervisors, they listened to a presentation by Evan De Val of ISG Engineering about using the company as inspectors and a go-to resource for the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline project. He explained that because liquified carbon dioxide is considered a hazardous material in the state of Iowa, inspection is required, which is the responsibility of the county. The inspection part involves updating landowners regarding anything being impacted by the pipeline, including drainage and soil issues. ISG is one of a few firms in the state that does this type of inspection and did similar work for several counties for the Dakota Access Pipeline.
De Val noted that should the board hire ISG for this work, they are paid by the pipeline not the county though the county handles the invoices. Several other counties have already pegged ISG for their pipeline inspections. The board told De Val they are still considering their options and will be attending some pipeline informational meetings in other counties before making their final decision in the upcoming weeks. (See the story on page 12 for more about the pipeline.)
The board also discussed American Rescue Plan COVID relief funds. They made the final decision to grant $400,000 to Colts Corner Daycare in Belmond. Though the daycare has over $2.3 million in funds already committed to the project, they recently hit a snag with getting Community Development Block Grant funds to pursue the bidding process for getting the daycare construction going. Darryl Steven Carlyle noted that if the county committed the $400,000, Build a Better Belmond and the daycare board will work on fundraising the other $100,000 they need. The board passed a motion to grant that amount.
They also committed $10,000 of American Rescue Plan funds to Public Health for a new fridge to store vaccines and around $40,000 to act on a new HVAC unit for the first floor lobby and recorder’s office at the courthouse. Some funds were also agreed upon to be used to reimburse the auditor’s office for administration of the plan dollars and logistics.
In her weekly COVID update, Sandy McGrath said that there have been 47 new COVID cases in the county since last week, putting the overall number at 2,170. She added that area hospitals are reaching capacity. She implored sick and exposed people to get tested and not return to work or activities until you get test results. McGrath pointed out that people often chalk symptoms up to allergies when it could be COVID. She added that rapid tests are only 70% accurate and the tests you buy in the store are less accurate than that. She also explained that testing needs to be done at the right point after exposure. People can contact Wright County Public Health with any questions.
In other board business, they appointed Carlyle to MIDAS as a voting board member and also to the Mid Iowa Growth Partnership Board of Directors. They signed a proclamation declaring September Recovery Month, and approved various pay estimates for work done to drainage district #107.
At the end of the meeting, the board went into closed session to discuss possible litigation pertaining to liquidated damages at the Wright County Agribusiness Park.
