Gazette Daily News Podcast: Monday, Mar. 18, 2024

– Report: Iowa’s state parks need 100M in infrastructure repairs, updates

– Iowa DNR finds no living fish in fertilizer-contaminated river

– Johnson County sheriff working on plan for new jail

Episode Transcript

Welcome to The Gazette’s Daily News Podcast for Monday, March 18th, 2024. This podcast provides the latest headlines from the Gazette newsroom. I’m Becky Lutgen Gardner.

First, Iowa’s state parks need more than $100 million in repairs to fix leaking roofs and rotting shelters while also updating sewage lagoons.

And many of these beloved public spaces aren’t accessible to people with disabilities. In some cases, the parks were built decades before federal accessibility standards were enacted. But even some new state park features are not fully accessible, a former state official said.

Up to 16 million people visit Iowa’s state parks each year.

Despite the parks’ popularity and the needed repairs, Iowa Department of Natural Resources Director Kayla Lyon did not ask the Iowa Legislature for additional funding this year.

David Downing served as an Iowa DNR executive officer and parks asset manager until his retirement in January. He said, “We're in dire straits. Everybody is afraid to talk. Nobody wants to say a word because you'll get your head handed to you.”

One of Downing’s last tasks was to prepare a presentation in November about the state of infrastructure in Iowa’s 69 state parks and four forests. The Gazette obtained this report, which included the 100-million-dollar estimate, and others through an open records request.

While historic state park buildings are not required to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, indoor and outdoor amenities constructed or updated since March 2012 should meet regulations developed in 2010 by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The agency has been making some infrastructure updates, renovating campgrounds — including sewer and electrical — at Lake Ahquabi, near Indianola, and Pikes Peak, near McGregor. Pleasant Creek’s campground will be renovated this year, Lyon told lawmakers.

Lyon said, “Anytime we’re doing those construction projects, we incorporate those ADA things that have been identified in state parks to ensure all users have opportunities in our parks.”

For other projects, like trail improvements at Palisades-Kepler, the department has partnered with other groups, including the Conversation Corps Iowa, to do the work. Friends of Palisades-Kepler is trying to raise $33,500 to help fund the effort.

This month, the Iowa House passed House File 2364, which asked the Iowa DNR to compile a list of state park amenities that are handicapped accessible and post the information online and in a brochure.

Rep. Adam Zabner, a Democrat from Iowa City, supported this legislation because he heard from disability rights advocates who said some Iowans struggled to plan trips to Iowa’s state parks because they didn’t know where to find accessible amenities.

Rep. Norlin Mommsen, R-Dewitt, who is chair of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee, said that while the Iowa DNR’s general fund appropriation likely will remain flat, House File 2614 could provide some money for accessibility upgrades.

Mommsen said the Iowa DNR had not told him and other lawmakers about Iowa’s state parks needing $100 million for infrastructure repairs. She said, “You would sure think if that were the case, it would be shared.”

Up next, state conservation officials found no living fish last week in the East Nishnabotna River south of Red Oak — the result of a massive fertilizer spill at a

farmer's cooperative.

The only living fish were discovered near Hamburg in far southwest Iowa, downstream of where the river joins with the West Nishnabotna, said John Lorenzen, a fisheries biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

However, the handful of surviving carp he saw appeared to be in the process of dying.

“I’ve never dealt with a situation like this before,” Lorenzen said.

He evaluated sections of about 50 river miles over four days to determine the scope of the fish kill. He had not yet fully tallied the estimated number of dead fish on Friday but noted that there were also numerous dead frogs, snakes, mussels and earthworms.

The spill happened after someone at NEW Cooperative left a hose valve open, leaking about 265,000 gallons of liquid nitrogen fertilizer, said Wendy Wittrock, a senior environmental specialist for the DNR.

She said the leak is believed to have started Saturday and was discovered and stopped by a co-op employee Monday morning.

The company might be subject to large fines and restitution fees for the dead fish.

The DNR recommends that residents with water wells near the river have their drinking water tested for nitrate, a free service through county environmental health departments.

Finally,

The Johnson County Sheriff’s office is exploring building a new jail after an assessment deemed the current facility in "very poor" condition. Voters previously rejected bond measures for a new justice center in 2012 and 2013.

The current jail, built in 1981, is overcrowded and lacks space for staff. Sheriff Brad Kunkel says the functional capacity is closer to 65 inmates than the rated 92 due to staffing limitations and the need for some inmates to have single cells.

The Sheriff's Office is working on a spatial needs study to determine the size of a new facility. Once completed, the county will develop a plan that could eventually go before voters for approval.

Sheriff Kunkel said, "This is probably the most important infrastructure decision the voters are going to have to make in the next few years. He said,

I'm optimistic that when the day comes that we have a plan to present to the public, that we'll be successful."

Monday’s weather will be sunny, with a high near 38. Monday night will be mostly clear, with a low around 28. Tuesday’s temperatures will go up with a high near 59, but it will still be breezy.

You can find a link to each of the stories featured in today’s episode in the episode description or at gazette dot com.

Thank you for listening to The Gazette’s Daily News Podcast. I’m Becky Lutgen Gardner.