Projects get preliminary I-JOBS nod

URBANDALE – A state review panel today recommended that 58 projects across Iowa be considered for up to $118.5 million in proceeds from the state's $830 million bonding package.

The proposed local infrastructure projects were approved by the review committee of the I-JOBS Board, and the recommendation now will go the full board for action at its meeting in Waterloo next Monday.

Applications that got the initial nod today came from all four quadrants of the state for a mix of projects, but more than half of the allocated funds were designated for flood recovery efforts in Linn and Johnson counties. Both those counties each garnered more than $30 million in state bonding proceeds in the initial round of recommended grants, while Black Hawk County projects tentatively approved topped $9 million.

Joseph Jones of the Iowa Finance Authority staff said more than 200 entities expressed interest in applying for the state I-JOBS grants. Of those, 186 were invited to apply for help on projects totaling more than $500 million and 136 applications were received by the state panel for projects totaling $333.6 million, he said.

Along with the initial round of recommended approvals, the review panel proposed that 36 projects seeking about $97 million in state assistance be deferred pending the possibility that the Legislature and Gov. Chet Culver could earmark another $100 million to the local infrastructure program.

The program was allocated $165 million in funds for disaster recovery and prevention, and for local infrastructure with $118.5 million to be distributed on a competitive basis while the remaining $46.5 million was earmarked for specific disaster-related projects by lawmakers. The review panel recommended that $1 million of those earmarked funds be used for fire stations in Palo and Charles City that were damaged by last year's flood disaster.

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