Applications are Available for the Rail Revolving Loan and Grant Program
Applications are being accepted through August 17, 2007 for rail assistance from the Rail Revolving Loan and Grant Program (RRLGP). A total of $2.8 million will be available in the form of grants and loans to assist rail projects in this round of funding.  

Iowa rail supporters like you helped the RRLGP receive a $2 million state appropriation for FY2008 to continue this assistance. Thank you for your past and future support for this program!  

The RRLGP provides assistance to

• improve rail facilities that will spur economic development and job growth
• railroads for the preservation and improvement of rail transportation.

Additional information and application materials are available at www.iowarail.com, or contact John Hey@dot.iowa.gov at 515-239-1653.

Citizens Asked to Share Concerns at Illegal Dumping Forums
The DNR is hosting three forums across Iowa to gather input from citizens, local governments and businesses about how illegal dumping and tire piles have impacted their communities. The forum will also focus on recommendations for policies and practices to prevent illegal dumping and tire stockpiles. This information will help the department craft a new statewide effort to fight these problems.  

The public is invited to attend any of the forums. The first will be held in Des Moines July 17 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Wallace State Office Building, Second Floor Conference Room, 502 E 9th St. The second will be held the evening of July 17 in Cedar Rapids at the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library at 30 16th Avenue SW from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.  

The third forum will be broadcast July 18 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. over the Iowa Communications Network from an origination site in Atlantic, Iowa. Citizens can participate at the Atlantic Middle School, Room 109, 1100 Linn St, Atlantic, or attend one of six other meeting sites: Albia High School, Room 302, 503 B Avenue East, Albia; Great River Area Education Agency, 3601 West Avenue, Burlington; DMACC – Carroll Campus, Room 144, 906 North Grant Road, Carroll; Eastern Iowa Community College, Room 300, Kahl Educational Center, 326 West 3rd Street, Davenport; University of Dubuque, Jackaline Baldwin Dunlap Technology Center Room T201, 2000 University Avenue, Dubuque; or North Iowa Area Community College, Activity Center Room 106, 500 College Drive, Mason City.  

For more than a decade the DNR has partnered with local governments and like-minded organizations to curb this blight on property and communities, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars each year on cleanup and enforcement activities. Surveys and focus groups reveal that indifference and the unlikelihood of getting caught are the chief reasons people illegally dump tires, appliances, construction and demolition waste, and even hazardous chemicals. Reporting, enforcement, and publicized convictions are vital to curbing illegal dumping or stockpiling of tires.  

“Iowa governments are faced with a lack of adequate funding for a concerted coordinated effort to prevent and clean up illegal dumping and tire stockpiles.” said Jeff Geerts, program planner for the Environmental Services Division of the DNR. “Yet illegal dumping has serious effects on our quality of life. We need everyone aware of the problem and willing to help solve it. Attending these forums, telling their stories, and helping us with planning will build commitment to solutions.”

For more information about remedying illegal dumping in Iowa, go to www.iowadnr.gov/waste/sw/illdump.html.  

July 17, 2007
DES MOINES
10:00 A.M. – 12:00 PM
Wallace State Office Building
2nd Floor Conference Rooms
502 E 9th St
Des Moines 

CEDAR RAPIDS
6:30 P.M. – 8:30 PM
National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library
30 16th Ave SW
Cedar Rapids 

July 18, 2007
(multiple sites via the Iowa Communications Network)
6:30 PM – 8:30 PM 

ALBIA
Albia High School
Room Number: 302
503 B Avenue East
Albia, IA 52531 

ATLANTIC – (origination site)
Atlantic Middle School
Room Number: 109
1100 Linn St
Atlantic, IA 50022 

BURLINGTON
Great River Area Education Agency
3601 West Avenue
Burlington, IA 52601
Phone: (319) 753-6561 

CARROLL
DMACC - Carroll Campus
Room Number: 144
906 North Grant Road
Carroll, IA 51401 

DAVENPORT
Eastern Iowa Community College
Room Number: 300
Kahl Educational Center
326 West 3rd Street
Davenport, IA 52801 

DUBUQUE
University of Dubuque
Room Number: T201
Jackaline Baldwin Dunlap Technology Center
2000 University Avenue
Dubuque, IA 52001

MASON CITY
North Iowa Area Community College
Room Number: 106
Activity Center
500 College Dr
Mason City, IA 5040
MEDIA CONTACT: Tom Anderson at (515) 281-8623 or tom.anderson@dnr.state.ia.us

Steering Committees
There are seven ISAC steering committees: County Administration and Organization, Environment and Public Health, Human Services, Land Use and Rural Affairs, Public Safety, Taxation and Finance, Transportation. The steering committees meet two times in the early fall to recommend policy direction for ISAC. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have been active in the Steering Committees and would like to urge those of you who have not to participate in future meetings. 

2007 Steering Committee Meetings will be held on the following dates & locations:
August 22, 2007 - Holiday Inn Airport, Des Moines
October 4, 2007 -  Holiday Inn Airport, Des Moines 

2007 Steering Committee Chairs
County Administration & Organization - Pat Gill, Woodbury County Auditor/Recorder
Environment & Public Health - Larry Roehl, Louisa County Engineer
Human Services - Rod Sullivan, Johnson County Supervisor
Land Use & Rural Affairs - Robert Folkestad, Warren County Zoning Administrator
Public Safety - Curt Braby, Louisa County Sheriff
Taxation & Finance - Dianne Kiefer, Wapello County Treasurer
Transportation - Royce Fichtner, Marshall County Engineer 

For more information on the steering committees and a complete list of 2007 Steering Committee Members, please click here. If you have questions please email tnorman@iowacounties.org or call 515.244.7181

NHPRC Grant Applications Available
The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) is accepting grant applications for fundamental archive activities. The NHPRC, a statutory body affiliated with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), supports a wide range of activities to preserve, publish, and encourage the use of documentary sources, created in every medium ranging from quill pen to computer, relating to the history of the United States.   Please visit www.archives.gov/nhprc for more information.

“Excellence in Action” Award Program
ISAC wants to provide a forum for sharing Excellence in Action in Iowa.  The goal of this program is to recognize and share information about programs that involve unique processes, solutions or ideas that address a county or multi-jurisdictional issue and/or preventing a future challenge from developing. If you have such a solution or process that you would like to share, click here to download the application form.