Sunday, August 22, 2010
Flood cleanup supplies at City Hall
Late on Friday, the city received some flood cleanup kits donated from the American Red Cross and the Church of Latter Day Saints. I realize it is a bit past our flood, but maybe they could still be of use to you. I do believe they will be distributed on a first come/first served basis at City Hall on Monday. Contact City Hall on Monday for more info. I think there are 14 kits.
Roland Business mentioned in the Tribune
Nice article about one of Roland's businesses in the Ames Tribune. Boyd Software Company was featured in an article about companies in the Technology Association of Iowa. HERE is the link.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Library Foundation news
Got an email from Britany at the Library Foundation with some news on the property they own, which is best known as the old Heart of Iowa Co-op administration building (right across the street from the Fire Station)
They have voted to remove the building, in agreement with the decision by the library board not to use that building.
There are currently discussions with the Fire Department to use the building for fire practice, and burn it down, but to allow Fire Department training while doing so. Sounds like a great idea to me.
The Library Foundation has done some great things here lately. They purchased a new computer pod for the library, and are currently working on purchasing an overhead projector for library use.
And I know there is some confusion about the difference between the Library Board and Library Foundation. The Library Board members are on an official city organization, with the members appointed by the mayor. They approve the budget, set policy, and things like that.
The Library Foundation is a group of interested citizens who raise money for use for the betterment of the library. This group also purchased some amount of the furnishings for the new library. I, as mayor, have no control over board makeup, or what decisions it makes.
If you look at the Heart of Iowa property, you will see a sign from the Foundation touting that location as the future home of the library. And indeed it can be. If Roland continues to grow, and the demand for library services increase, that is a super spot for a library. Is it going to happen this year or next? No, but certainly an option as we go forward.
They have voted to remove the building, in agreement with the decision by the library board not to use that building.
There are currently discussions with the Fire Department to use the building for fire practice, and burn it down, but to allow Fire Department training while doing so. Sounds like a great idea to me.
The Library Foundation has done some great things here lately. They purchased a new computer pod for the library, and are currently working on purchasing an overhead projector for library use.
And I know there is some confusion about the difference between the Library Board and Library Foundation. The Library Board members are on an official city organization, with the members appointed by the mayor. They approve the budget, set policy, and things like that.
The Library Foundation is a group of interested citizens who raise money for use for the betterment of the library. This group also purchased some amount of the furnishings for the new library. I, as mayor, have no control over board makeup, or what decisions it makes.
If you look at the Heart of Iowa property, you will see a sign from the Foundation touting that location as the future home of the library. And indeed it can be. If Roland continues to grow, and the demand for library services increase, that is a super spot for a library. Is it going to happen this year or next? No, but certainly an option as we go forward.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
County signups
Couple things that indirectly apply to Roland that I wanted to mention. There are openings on the Story County Planning and Zoning Commission. Always nice to see Roland represented on Story County items. HERE is the link for more info.
On another note, you might want to sign up for the Story County Nixle updates. Nixle is a company that provides updates for county emergencies, Sheriff news, and so on. I have my settings to get cell phone text updates for emergency items (rarely get them, I did get a couple at the peak of the flooding).
I do get the daily sheriff updates via email, about who they arrest and so on. HERE is where you can sign up for what you want to receive, and how you want to receive it. Below is today's email that I got for an example if this is something you might be interested in.
Community Message has been issued by the Story County Sheriff's Office.
Wednesday August 18, 2010 9:12 AM CDT
Daily News Release, Tuesday August 17, 2010
Activities:
On 08/16/10 Carol Teig of Story City reported an act of vandalism. Teig indicated an unknown party had shot her mailbox using a shotgun. The damage was estimated at $20.00. Investigation is continuing.
Traffic:
No traffic to report.
Arrests:
Mitchell Austin Fadler
Ames, IA
Age: 21
Charge: Contempt of Court
Arrested: 08/17/10
The charges listed are merely an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
For full details, go to https://local.nixle.com/alert/3187949/.
On another note, you might want to sign up for the Story County Nixle updates. Nixle is a company that provides updates for county emergencies, Sheriff news, and so on. I have my settings to get cell phone text updates for emergency items (rarely get them, I did get a couple at the peak of the flooding).
I do get the daily sheriff updates via email, about who they arrest and so on. HERE is where you can sign up for what you want to receive, and how you want to receive it. Below is today's email that I got for an example if this is something you might be interested in.
Community Message has been issued by the Story County Sheriff's Office.
Wednesday August 18, 2010 9:12 AM CDT
Daily News Release, Tuesday August 17, 2010
Activities:
On 08/16/10 Carol Teig of Story City reported an act of vandalism. Teig indicated an unknown party had shot her mailbox using a shotgun. The damage was estimated at $20.00. Investigation is continuing.
Traffic:
No traffic to report.
Arrests:
Mitchell Austin Fadler
Ames, IA
Age: 21
Charge: Contempt of Court
Arrested: 08/17/10
The charges listed are merely an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
For full details, go to https://local.nixle.com/alert/3187949/.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Disaster Declaration, FEMA, and floods
Sounds like various assistance may now be forthcoming to individuals and governments. I don't claim to be an expert by any means, and I may learn more as I get to talk to people that are. For now, the best I can do is to pass along emails I'm getting. So here is the text of some.
The first is from Story County Emergency Management:
This is both the Public Assistance Program - for governments & non-profits for infrastructure damages, protective measures and debris removal - most of you have the Public Assistance Guide. http://www.fema.gov/government/grant/pa/pag07_t.shtm
We also just received FEMA Individual Assistance Program for residents, families and businesses. This will include programs for assistance of non-insured damages. Please remember this is for making the residence habitable - not necessarily paint, carpet, etc. and income levels will play a part of what type of program or assistance they may be eligible for. Some may be immediate funding or some may be in the form of an Small Business Administration low interest loan.
We just approved our ESF 14 Disaster Recovery Plan - more info on the process is in there.
What to expect next:
FEMA will require meetings for city, county and ISU applicants. We have already completed one Preliminary Damage Assessment so I will know more on Monday if another one will be required. I have a conference call with FEMA at 10 AM.
FEMA will conduct Applicant's Briefings or Kick off sessions for communities/county/ISU. We may need a location large enough to conduct this. Each applicant will be required to submit a Notice of Interest and again... since we did this for the July damages, I am not sure if those already submitted will be required to do another - but with additional damages, we need to ensure each government agency is a part of this process if they need assistance. More info on this soon.
Also for the community - we may be asked to host a Disaster Assistance Center where SBA, FEMA, Community Services, Red Cross, DHS, and other agencies with services can assist residents. We may need to find a place in Ames to house this... Again, more information later...
For residents, families and businesses - Direct them to the toll free phone number to apply for assistance. FEMA will arrive soon and may conduct public relations campaigns and door to door activities to promote the FEMA assistance. They will all have appropriate identification as FEMA, SBA or perhaps even Red Cross officials.
Please post the FEMA Assistance numbers/websites & notify residents as best you can.
Call 1-800-621-3362 or go to www.disasterassistance.gov
Speech or hearing impaired can call (TTY) 1-800-4627585
And then I got this one from the Governor's office. The link listed will be good to determine your eligibility.
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
Governor Chet Culver • Lt. Governor Patty Judge
For Immediate Release:
August 15, 2010
Contact:
Polly Carver-Kimm, Governor’s Office
(515) 281.0173
polly.carver-kimm@iowa.gov
Iowa Receives Presidential Disaster Declaration
DES MOINES – Governor Chet Culver has received word that 29 Iowa counties have
been granted a Presidential Disaster Declaration for Individual Assistance.
“I am pleased to see the Presidential Disaster Declaration for these counties,”
Culver said. “We will continue to assess the flood-related damages and get
Iowans the assistance they need to recover from the recent severe weather and
flooding.”
The disaster declaration makes federal assistance available to affected
individuals and families in these 29 counties. Disaster assistance can include
grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured
property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners
recover from the effects of the disaster.
The counties included in the declaration are: Black Hawk, Cherokee, Clayton,
Decatur, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Franklin, Hamilton, Howard, Humboldt, Ida,
Jackson, Jones, Kossuth, Lee, Lucas, Lyon, Marion, O'Brien, Osceola, Ringgold,
Sioux, Story, Taylor, Union, Warren, Webster, and Wright.
The State will ask for joint preliminary damage assessments to be conducted with
FEMA and local officials in counties most recently impacted by the flooding and
to request Individual Assistance be granted for those counties.
Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties
may immediately begin registering for assistance online at http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov
or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and
speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10
p.m. (local time). Applicants registering for aid should be prepared to provide
basic information about themselves, details on insurance coverage, and any other
information to help substantiate losses.
The declaration follows a visit to Iowa today by FEMA Region VII Regional
Administrator Beth Freeman. Freeman joined Governor Culver on a tour of damaged
areas in Des Moines and Colfax, and also made a stop in Oskaloosa.
"Today, I visited communities throughout central Iowa to get a firsthand look at
the damages caused by recent flooding," said Freeman. "Citizens and entire
communities have rallied together to fight the floodwaters and they should be
commended. I also compliment the state and local officials who have worked
quickly to provide residents with important commodities and taken other critical
steps to protect life and property."
These 29 counties that have been declared for Individual Assistance will be
added to the Presidential Disaster Declaration that authorized Public Assistance
funding for 32 counties on July 29 and 18 counties on August 13. Public
Assistance funds are available to state and local governments and certain
private nonprofit organizations (including rural electric cooperatives and
municipal utilities) for emergency work and the repair or replacement of
disaster-damaged facilities.=
The first is from Story County Emergency Management:
This is both the Public Assistance Program - for governments & non-profits for infrastructure damages, protective measures and debris removal - most of you have the Public Assistance Guide. http://www.fema.gov/government/grant/pa/pag07_t.shtm
We also just received FEMA Individual Assistance Program for residents, families and businesses. This will include programs for assistance of non-insured damages. Please remember this is for making the residence habitable - not necessarily paint, carpet, etc. and income levels will play a part of what type of program or assistance they may be eligible for. Some may be immediate funding or some may be in the form of an Small Business Administration low interest loan.
We just approved our ESF 14 Disaster Recovery Plan - more info on the process is in there.
What to expect next:
FEMA will require meetings for city, county and ISU applicants. We have already completed one Preliminary Damage Assessment so I will know more on Monday if another one will be required. I have a conference call with FEMA at 10 AM.
FEMA will conduct Applicant's Briefings or Kick off sessions for communities/county/ISU. We may need a location large enough to conduct this. Each applicant will be required to submit a Notice of Interest and again... since we did this for the July damages, I am not sure if those already submitted will be required to do another - but with additional damages, we need to ensure each government agency is a part of this process if they need assistance. More info on this soon.
Also for the community - we may be asked to host a Disaster Assistance Center where SBA, FEMA, Community Services, Red Cross, DHS, and other agencies with services can assist residents. We may need to find a place in Ames to house this... Again, more information later...
For residents, families and businesses - Direct them to the toll free phone number to apply for assistance. FEMA will arrive soon and may conduct public relations campaigns and door to door activities to promote the FEMA assistance. They will all have appropriate identification as FEMA, SBA or perhaps even Red Cross officials.
Please post the FEMA Assistance numbers/websites & notify residents as best you can.
Call 1-800-621-3362 or go to www.disasterassistance.gov
Speech or hearing impaired can call (TTY) 1-800-4627585
And then I got this one from the Governor's office. The link listed will be good to determine your eligibility.
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
Governor Chet Culver • Lt. Governor Patty Judge
For Immediate Release:
August 15, 2010
Contact:
Polly Carver-Kimm, Governor’s Office
(515) 281.0173
polly.carver-kimm@iowa.gov
Iowa Receives Presidential Disaster Declaration
DES MOINES – Governor Chet Culver has received word that 29 Iowa counties have
been granted a Presidential Disaster Declaration for Individual Assistance.
“I am pleased to see the Presidential Disaster Declaration for these counties,”
Culver said. “We will continue to assess the flood-related damages and get
Iowans the assistance they need to recover from the recent severe weather and
flooding.”
The disaster declaration makes federal assistance available to affected
individuals and families in these 29 counties. Disaster assistance can include
grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured
property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners
recover from the effects of the disaster.
The counties included in the declaration are: Black Hawk, Cherokee, Clayton,
Decatur, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Franklin, Hamilton, Howard, Humboldt, Ida,
Jackson, Jones, Kossuth, Lee, Lucas, Lyon, Marion, O'Brien, Osceola, Ringgold,
Sioux, Story, Taylor, Union, Warren, Webster, and Wright.
The State will ask for joint preliminary damage assessments to be conducted with
FEMA and local officials in counties most recently impacted by the flooding and
to request Individual Assistance be granted for those counties.
Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties
may immediately begin registering for assistance online at http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov
or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and
speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10
p.m. (local time). Applicants registering for aid should be prepared to provide
basic information about themselves, details on insurance coverage, and any other
information to help substantiate losses.
The declaration follows a visit to Iowa today by FEMA Region VII Regional
Administrator Beth Freeman. Freeman joined Governor Culver on a tour of damaged
areas in Des Moines and Colfax, and also made a stop in Oskaloosa.
"Today, I visited communities throughout central Iowa to get a firsthand look at
the damages caused by recent flooding," said Freeman. "Citizens and entire
communities have rallied together to fight the floodwaters and they should be
commended. I also compliment the state and local officials who have worked
quickly to provide residents with important commodities and taken other critical
steps to protect life and property."
These 29 counties that have been declared for Individual Assistance will be
added to the Presidential Disaster Declaration that authorized Public Assistance
funding for 32 counties on July 29 and 18 counties on August 13. Public
Assistance funds are available to state and local governments and certain
private nonprofit organizations (including rural electric cooperatives and
municipal utilities) for emergency work and the repair or replacement of
disaster-damaged facilities.=
Friday, August 13, 2010
Openings on boards again
I've asked before, but we again have an opening on the Library Board and rumor has it we might have one on the Park Board. I have some names from before, but I just wanted to throw it out there again. Contact me or City Hall if you are interested.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Declaration of Local Disaster
I will be signing the paperwork this afternoon for a Declaration of Local Disaster due to the flooding. This will improve our chances for monetary assistance in clean up and future mitigation efforts. Story County as a whole is also a disaster area, so we can work with the county in all of this as well.
If you have damaged carpet, or other non-typical garbage items that you are disposing of, you must contact our garbage provider, Stone Sanitation at 641-366-2310 to determine additional charges for garbage pickup.
If it isn't items with hazardous issues like TVs, it really shouldn't be too much. Stone is really good to work with. You will have to talk with them, but I'm speculating in most cases it might be around $20 or less. (based on when I threw some stuff out awhile back that was not flood related). TVs and things like that may have an additional per piece charge. But again, call them to find out.
Here are some photos I swiped from some Facebook friends showing some of the flooded streets. (Bryan and Britson respectively)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
