Government Notes: Linn County Food Systems Council awards microgrants to enhance food security

The Linn County Food Systems Council last week awarded $132,300 in microgrants to 12 local organizations through its Food Access, Resiliency, and Equity Grant program.

The program is funded through Linn County’s share of federal American Rescue Plan Act money. The Board of Supervisors previously awarded the council $250,000 to support local food initiatives that increase food security.

Remaining funding will be awarded in future grant cycles. The next FARE grant cycle will open in July.

The Food Systems Council established the FARE grant program to support businesses and nonprofits in Linn County that play a key role in addressing systemic food-related challenges.

The award recipients for the first FARE grant cycle are:

Feed Iowa First Executive Director Emmaly Renshaw, vice chair of the council, said because ARPA is COVID-19 resiliency funding, the council was looking to fund projects that would enhance resiliency of local food systems.

She said the goal was to provide access to smaller organizations and those who did not have grant-writing skills or speak English as a second language who’d normally face barriers to securing such funding.

“We’re looking for innovative, targeted projects that will continue to build this infrastructure that Linn County is lacking to make local food viable in our community,” Renshaw said.

Funds will support infrastructure, vehicles and equipment including fencing, tractors and cold storage.

Recipients of the full $25,000 maximum award may not apply for the second round. There is another $117,200 left to dole out to community organizations.

Overall, Renshaw said the organization received $663,000 in funding requests from 33 applications to go toward $1.76 million in projects.

“That speaks to the need of making funding available to some of these emerging farmers like Darius (Nupolu) to ensure their systems are able to grow and be competitive with some of the larger food systems here in the United States,” Renshaw said.

Linn-Mar narrows superintendent search to finalists

The Linn-Mar school board is conducting interviews with finalists for the next superintendent of the school district March 22. The new superintendent will officially begin leading the district July 1.

There were 13 candidates who applied for the job, including four from outside Iowa. At least 10 candidates have more than five years of leading a school district.

After reviewing the candidates’ application materials, references, and social media accounts, five candidates were selected for screening interviews, which were conducted March 10.

Community members will soon be contacted to serve on the formal interview teams. These groups will include students, staff, teachers, administrators and community members. Each person will provide the board with feedback on the finalists after the interviews.

The Linn-Mar school board hired Grundmeyer Leader Services to assist in the search for a new superintendent. Current Superintendent Shannon Bisgard is retiring at the end of the school year.

Johnson County adding healing trail to Historic Poor Farm

Johnson County is adding an accessible and engaging trail to the Historic Poor Farm.

The Johnson County Board of Supervisors last week unanimously approved plans for the healing trail project and a request for bids. The estimated project cost is $466,000.

Bids will be reviewed April 12 and a contract is expected to be awarded on April 13, according to agenda documents from last week’s formal meeting.

The county hired consultants in 2016 to create a 10-year master plan focusing on preservation and public use for the Historic Poor Farm. The final plan prioritizes site preservation, local food production, community engagement, land stewardship and accessible recreation space.

The healing trial is a “core amenity that could be designed to address several master plan priorities,” according to agenda documents.

Ilsa DeWald, the county’s local foods coordinator, told the supervisors last week the trail will be accessible and it will acknowledge historical elements of the site and offer opportunity for public engagement.

The county has been working with Marion-based firm Martin Gardner Architecture to develop the site plan.

“We’re very excited to see this plan come about,” DeWald said.

Iowa City replacing Willow Creek trail

Iowa City will replace just less than a mile of the Willow Creek trail that runs through Willow Creek Park and Kiwanis Park later this year.

The $720,500 project will be funded by the city’s capital projects fund, said Tyler Olson, a civil engineer with the city. Construction is expected to start in May and be completed in October.

“This trail is fairly popular with people in the neighborhood, and the condition of the trail has prompted a number of complaints,” Olson told the council last week. “Given the condition of the trail, we deemed that the trail needs to be removed and replaced. Trying to do repair work and patching is just not going to yield the results that we’re looking for.”

The Iowa City Council last week unanimously approved the project, cost and directed city staff to post a notice to bidders.

The replaced trail will be nearly the same location that runs from Benton Street to Willow Creek Drive on the city’s west side. The replacement also will include a spur of the trail connecting to Aber Avenue, as well as several connecting sidewalks and curb ramps.

The existing asphalt trail will be replaced with a new concrete trail, Olson said.

There will be three construction phases.

During each phase, a portion of the trail will be closed as it is being removed and replaced. There will be no temporary trail, but the other sections of the trail will be accessible.

Government Notes is published Mondays and contains updates from area government bodies. Marissa Payne, Izabela Zaluska and Grace King of The Gazette contribute.