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Serving Local Governments In Benton, Iowa, Jones, Johnson, Linn And Washington Counties For Over 40 Years

Calendar

 

April 9th

ECICOG Solid Waste Technical Advisory Committee

New Pioneer Food Co-op 
3338 Center Point Rd NE
Cedar Rapids
9:00 a.m.

April 17th

Deadline for Housing Fund for Linn County Applications

12:00 p.m.

April 21st

Women Caring for the 

Land Workshop

Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center
120 E Boyson Rd
Hiawatha
8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

April 22nd

Earth Day

 

April 30th

 ECICOG Board of 

Directors Meeting*

ECICOG Office, 700 16th St NE
Cedar Rapids
1:30 p.m.
 

May 28th

 ECICOG Board of 

Directors Meeting*

ECICOG Office, 700 16th St NE
Cedar Rapids
1:30 p.m.

* The Policy Committee will meet as an item on the Board's agenda to discuss transportation items



View our full calendar at www.ecicog.org/event-calendar
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ECICOG Is
On Google+
ECICOG now has a Google+ page. If you or your organization is on Google+ make sure to connect with us!
ECICOG 2015 Summer Reading Program

Every Hero Has a Story!
Come and learn
how Michael is a
Recycling Hero!

To schedule a program at a library near you contact
Kristin Simon at 319-365-9941 ext. 126 or  email kristin.simon@ecicog.org
ECICOG was established in 1973 to promote regional cooperation and provide professional planning services to local governments in Benton, Iowa, Johnson, Jones, Linn and Washington Counties. ECICOG also provides solid waste planning services to Tama County and transportation planning services to Cedar County.

2015 Members of the ECICOG Board of Directors:
Aaron  Granquist
Jasmine  Almoayed
Alan  Johnson
John  Harris
Amy  Nielsen
Joe  Zirkelbach
Bob  Yoder
Kathleen
VanSteenhuyse
Brent  Hinson
Kevin  Heitshusen
Christopher 
Taylor
Linda  Langston
Darrin Gage (Chair)
Pat  Harney
Dave  Fish
Todd  Wiley
Don  Gray
Tony  Hocamp
Dusty  Embree
Vicki Pope
Ed  Raber
ECICOG Staff
Ext
Doug Elliott
   Executive Director
122
Gina Peters
   Administrative Assistant
120
Tracey Achenbach
   Housing Trust Funds
139
Mary Rump
   Transportation & Regional
   Development Director

128
Brock Grenis, AICP
    Transit Administrator/Planner
137
Nicole Van Nelson
    Public Information Specialist
125
Chad Sands, AICP
    Housing & Community
    Development Director

127
Gary Hughes
    Grant Writer/Administrator
129
Melanie Riley
    Community Development
138
Jacob Spratt
    Housing Services
124
Jennifer Ryan Fencl
    Solid Waste & Environmental
    Services Director

131
Kristin Simon
    Solid Waste Planning
126
Alicia Presto
    Iowa Waste Exchange
121
Robyn Jacobson
    Contracts Administrator
134


East Central Iowa
Council of Governments
700 Sixteenth Street NE, Suite 301
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
319-365-9941
Fax: 319-365-9981
ECICOG Logo


ECICOG RLF Has Funding Available

ECICOG's Business Assistance Revolving 

Loan Fund (RLF) 

has over $2 million 

that has revolved back around and is available as loans to foster new and existing business growth and development in ECICOG's region.

 

The loan funds are used in conjunction with local lenders to serve as gap financing for proposals, where the lender serves as the primary source of funding. As the loans are repaid, the fund revolves back out to other candidates for the program.

 

The RLF has provided over $4.6 million in loans to 31 businesses in ECICOG's six county region, including Benton, Iowa, Johnson, Jones, Linn and Washington. These loans have leveraged an additional $27 million in matching loans and have helped to support jobs and economic growth.

 

For more information about the RLF visit www.ecicog.org/ecicog-rlf.

Clear Creek Watershed Assistance 
Clear Creek photo from the Environmental Protection Agency's website

The City of Coralville and a group of concerned Clear Creek Watershed citizens sought ECICOG's assistance in forming a Watershed Management Authority for the Clear Creek Watershed. ECICOG's Solid Waste and Environmental Services Director, Jennifer Fencl, is facilitating the development of this group. Look for updates on the group's progress in future newsletters. 


Fencl currently provides organizational management for the Indian Creek Watershed Management Authority (ICWMA), which is close to completing their watershed plan. The ICWMA will be hosting a watershed management plan open house in June providing an opportunity for public input before the plan is finalized and submitted. For more information on the ICWMA, visit their Facebookpage at
tinyurl.com/kektrgo.

City of Coggon CDBG Update
The existing treatment facility in Coggon
In the spring of 2013 the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) awarded the City of Coggon $300,000 from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program to rebuild its wastewater treatment facility. At issue is the lack of adequate processes to disinfect wastewater in accordance with permit limitations  and remove mercury at the existing treatment facility. The proposed improvement was to de-commission and demolish the existing wastewater treatment facility, located in the floodplain, and develop a new "Sequencing Batch Reactor" facility outside the floodplain.

Difficulties in siting the new facility made it impossible to proceed with the project as planned. As a result, the IEDA recaptured the grant with the condition that it could be re-awarded upon new application with ability to proceed in a timely manner.

The City modified its improvement plan to relocate the new facility away from the existing plant. It is now the intent of the IEDA to re-award the $300,000 grant as part of this spring's annual FY15 state-wide allocations.
Transportation Spotlight
Minibus Board Makes the Wheels Go Round 
Current board members: Tammy Burlingame, Abe Miller, Sheila Harper,
Sandra Johnson, Susan Wellington, Bobbie Wulf, Woody Hardin,
Susan Mitchell, and Randy Payne

Of the six providers that operate public transit service on behalf of ECITransit, only Washington County Minibus operates as a non-profit agency with no affiliation to the local government. In the five other counties comprising ECITransit, a department of that particular county operates the transit system, which allows the sharing of resources such as IT, Accounting, Human Resources, and facility maintenance. In the case of Minibus, the stand alone agency is responsible for all aspects of day to day operations, and major directives are provided by volunteer board members from the surrounding community.

 

The nine person Minibus board is structured to include representatives from the local government (cities and county), local school district, agencies dependent on transit service, and public users of the service. This structure allows Minibus to be responsive to customer needs, while also maintaining relationships with local governments. The board sets policies and directives for the agency to implement, while also overseeing a $700,000 budget and maintaining ridership levels of over 80,000 per year. In recent years, the board has also conducted strategic planning sessions to ensure this vital transportation service continues to meet the needs of Washington County residents and also maintain a positive financial standing. ECICOG assists the Minibus board by providing technical assistance, serving as a liaison to the Iowa DOT, and attending monthly meetings as an ex-officio board member.
  

For more information on public transit service in all of  ECICOG's counties, including Washington, visit www.ecicog.org/eci-transit.

Executive Director Doug Elliott in DC
2015 Washington Policy Conference

ECICOG's Executive Director and NADO Treasurer, Doug Elliott, attended the NADO 2015 Washington Policy Conference in March.

Doug and other NADO members were able to meet with members of Congress and their staff to highlight the work regional development organizations, including ECICOG, are doing to improve the economy and quality of life in their regions and the federal programs that assist them.


Below are some photos of Doug meeting with Congress and staff. For more information on the conference visit tinyurl.com/octco89

ECICOG Executive Director Doug Elliott and NADO
Executive Committee members with Senator Joni Ernst
ECICOG Executive Director and  the NADO Executive Comm ittee with  Jay Williams, U.S. Assistant Secretary
of Commerce 
for Economic Development
ECICOG Executive Director Doug Elliott and NADO 
Executive Committee members with Senator Chuck Grassley
ECICOG Executive Director Doug Elliott and the 
NADO Executive  Committee with Penny Pritzker, 
U.S.  Secretary of Commerce