Nearly $30 million coming to Iowa from feds

Commerce Secretary Gary Locke will announce today in Iowa City that four Iowa communities will receive nearly $30 million from the federal government, most of it for flood-related projects, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

Iowa City will receive the majority of that money: $22 million to relocate the north wastewater treatment plant and $3 million for design and engineering work for the reconstruction of Dubuque Street and the Park Road bridge.

Those structures flooded in 2008, and the projects are the city's highest flood-related priorities.

“If received, this funding would help Iowa City make significant progress on our biggest flood mitigation projects,” said Mayor Matt Hayek, adding that he had not received official word on how much money the city will receive.

The money will come in the form of grants from the Commerce Department's Economic Development Administration. The other grants, according to the department, are:

• $2.9 million to Columbus Junction to relocate the city's water treatment facility out of the flood plain. The Louisa County town, which sits at the confluence of the Iowa and Cedar rivers, was inundated by the 2008 flood.

• $1.5 million to Dubuque to build a multilevel parking facility with sustainable design concepts, including electrical outlets for hybrid vehicles to accommodate new development, like IBM's Global Technology Services.

• $232,500 to Shenandoah, in southwestern Iowa, to rebuild a storm sewer system.

Locke will survey areas in Iowa City hit by the flood and will be at the University of Iowa's boathouse in Terrell Mill Park at 11:30 a.m.

Iowa City estimates the wastewater treatment plant and Dubuque Street-Park Road bridge projects will cost $95 million combined.

The city already has received nearly $8.5 million in federal and state money for the wastewater treatment plant and $1.5 million in federal funds for the Dubuque Street-Park Road bridge. It is still seeking other grants.

Funding also will come locally from the local-option sales tax approved by voters last spring.

Since the 2008 flood, the Commerce Department has awarded $27 million in grants in Iowa for flood recovery, according to the department.