Chamber Ambassador Visits

Ambassadors learned more about two important community topics this week. First, Chamber President/CEO Rachael Kinnick shared information about the upcoming vote to increase PPEL (Physical Plant and Equipment Levy) for the Grinnell-Newburg Community Schools. The vote will take place Tuesday, March 4th at the Elks Lodge for Poweshiek County or at the Kellogg Fire Station for Jasper County. Absentee ballots are available, contact your county auditor to learn more.

The GNSD plans to use the increase in PPEL funds and pair them with additional funds to build a new K-5th Grade elementary school. The ballot initiative is to increase PPEL to the maximum allowed amount, $1.34/$1,000 of assessed value on property. It’s important to note this tax is on the ASSESSED value of your property, not your fair market value or sale price. The district has a calculator for residents to learn what this means for their property. If the PPEL were to pass, an example of a $200,000 assessed value home on residential property would result in $47.71 annual property tax increase after the Reduction for Income Surtax. You can find your property’s assessed value at https://beacon.schneidercorp.com/

Thanks to a generous gift of 40 acres from the Ahrens Park Foundation, the school district will not need to purchase land if the levy passes. The gift of land is contingent on the PPEL passing in March. You can learn more about the proposed levy, your tax implication and how PPEL is different then GO Bonds at grinnellschoolvote.com

Public information sessions will be hosted on February 4th at 5:30 PM at Drake Community Library and February 6 at 7 PM at Grinnell Eagles by the Building a Community Together Group. Superintendent Lisa Beames will present the facts and answer questions. Additional sessions are planned and will be announced in the coming days.

As Educational Support is one of our strategic initiatives, the Grinnell Chamber is committed to sharing updates from the School District in regards to the upcoming PPEL vote. More information will be shared via our social channels, website, and community newsletter.

Ambassador also learned a few updates as part of the upcoming Highway 146 reconstruction, set to commence in the next few months.. You may recall hearing about this project as the city has been working with the DOT for 3.5 years to prepare, and the city council formally approved it in May 2023. As Business Support is a key part of our strategic initiatives, we are committed to sharing project updates from Iowa DOT and the City of Grinnell to support the 90+ businesses that will be affected by these improvements. 

Roadwork will take place from Interstate 80 to Highway 6. Portions of Highway 146 may be temporarily closed while sections of work are being completed but residents and visitors will still be able to travel the full length of the highway. Temporary detours are unlikely but may be needed to access some businesses; as those go into place, information will be shared with the community. It's important to remember that while it might not be overly easy to access every area, it is critical that the community continue to support the businesses impacted throughout this project.

Planned work includes:

• Repaving of Hwy 146 from I-80 to 6th Ave
• From approximately Wes Finch to 5th Ave, the four lane road will be converted to a 3 lane road - one lane in each direction with a turn lane in the middle. 
• Major water and underground infrastructure work will take place from Marvin Ave to just south of 6th Ave.

There are some exciting updates happening as part of this project; additional decorative street lighting will be added from 1st Ave to Highway 6, new pedestrian crossing signage will be added at Industrial Ave, Marvin/Washington area, and 1st Ave, and trailwork will be done to further connect to the existing trail down by the Interstate.  

This project is expected to go to bid in mid-April with construction beginning sometime early summer. We are fortunate that investments are being made to critical infrastructure in our community and we look forward to the completed project. More updates will be provided as information becomes available.

Special thanks to the members that were able to join us this morning including: Monica St. Angelo - Grinnell Area Arts Council, Jennifer McAlexander - JM Consulting & Hawkeye Lock & Security, Desiree Strayer - German Plumbing Heating and Cooling, Alyssa Sliger - First Interstate Bank, Hannah Greene - Bayer Crop Science, Hannah O'Polka - Cleanfoodfix Wellness Studio, Charlie Isaacs - Theisen's, Trent Arment - MCG - Mahaska Communication Group, Rachel Arseneault - Ramsey-Weeks Inc. Real Estate, Donna Fischer - UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center Foundation, Stephanie Lair - UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center, Donnette Ellis - Grinnell College Community Connections, Dorothy Spriggs - Carriage House Bed & Breakfast, Fran Conn, Kody Bigelow - Walmart Grinnell