Board puts LCHD construction on pause

LEE COUNTY – Lee County officials were informed late last week that a $2.1 million Congressional appropriation to help offset costs of new construction for the Lee County Health Department made it into an Agriculture funding bill.
The appropriation was carried to Washington by Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks after being submitted for the grant possibility by Lee County Grant writer Chuck Vandenberg.
According to a spokesperson for Miller-Meeks’ office, the appropriation to help fund the $6 million Lee County Health Department/EMS bay, is now fully funded as part of the bill that moves to both chambers of Congress.
The spokesperson said the bill could be voted on in the House of Representatives as early as next week. If passed it would go to the full Senate for a vote and then, if it gets through that Chamber, will go to President Joe Biden for a signature.
The announcement put on the back-burner an option to purchase a building in Keokuk to house the Health Department. That option would not have provided any upgraded space for the county’s EMS Ambulance service.
The approval moves the county closer to securing enough funding to build the new facility that is planned to hold the health department staff and programming as well as the Fort Madison contingent of EMS ambulance staff and equipment.
Carl A. Nelson, the construction manager for the project, is finalizing the design document and then will stand down on the project until Supervisors give them approval to move ahead with bidding out the project and starting site preparation.
“The design work is done and ready to go out for bid, and then we’re gonna hit pause,” Lee County Supervisor Chair Garry Seyb said Monday at the regular board meeting. “I want the public to know and Carl A. Nelson to know, right now we're getting our funding put together and everything we had hoped was going to happen is currently happening.”
Seyb said he feels really good that all the money is going to be there without having to issue bonds to pay for any of the work.
“We always got that back up and that’s why we’re doing what we’re doing. Nobody wants to hear that or do that, but worst case scenario, but right now it’s prudent that we pause and see where the money’s coming from.”
The county has roughly $1.4 million left in unobligated America Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds remaining that they are earmarking for the project. The USDA came through with a $975,000 Rural Emergency Health Care grant. A Community Development Block Grant has been applied for through the state for $600,000 with the assistance of Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission and a Lee County Community Foundation effort is underway that could generate another $500,000 to $1 million. At $500,000, that effort combined with the other funds totals $3,475,000 of the $6 million project. When the Congressional appropriation comes through at $2,159,000, that would give the county a total of $5,634,000.
Seyb said the general fund, which is generating more than $100,000 per month in interest would be sufficient to offset the remainder of the costs of the building.
Supervisor Tom Schulz said it’s now looking more favorable that the new building will be paid for, a cost benefit to the county by saving $90,000 in annual lease payments while absorbing no debt service.
In other action, the board:
• approved the sale of county property near Wilson Lake to Brett and Jackie Kelley of rural Lee county for $3,000.
• approved the hiring of Sherri Yasenchok as Deputy Auditor as a backfill for future retirements in the auditor’s office.
• set an Aug. 21 public hearing on designating the future Lee County EMS property as an urban renewal zone.