Iowa City Council gives initial OK to rezoning of former Kirkwood site
- By cigaretteman
- Off Topic
- 3 Replies
The Iowa City Council has given initial approval to rezoning the former Kirkwood Community College site, now owned by Procter & Gamble.
The vote was 6-1 on the initial rezoning, with Council Member Mazahir Salih voting no. The proposal needs to be approved in two more readings before becoming effective.
Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble bought the property, at 1832 Lower Muscatine Rd., for $6.4 million in February and is requesting the city rezone the 6.8 acres from neighborhood public to general industrial.
The Iowa City Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended the rezoning Jan. 17, but the final decision is up to the council.
Neighbors have spoken against the rezoning and possible P&G expansion, citing environmental impact, odor and possible health concerns.
Among the 10 residents addressing the council at its Tuesday night meeting was Perry Lenz, who lives near the two P&G facilities already operating in the neighborhood. He said he has asthma and his concern is that the air quality would get worse, which he said would affect a lot of people.
Also, he said, “it's a large, multiracial area, the whole area there, and it would affect a lot of the working class families.”
Council members Salih and Megan Alter suggested the council defer its vote on the rezoning, but the motion failed, 5-2.
Alter, before the vote, also proposed having residents complete a tour of P&G as a way to establish better communication.
“It's about learning from one another about what the concerns are and where there might be some mitigating factors,” she said.
Council members Andrew Dunn and Laura Bergus agreed better communication was needed.
Salih said she wanted to defer the item to get the voices of immigrants in the area, pointing out that none of them had attended meetings.
Salih, who works for the Center for Worker Justice of Eastern Iowa, said the group had moved its office near the P&G plants and that she’d noticed some symptoms since that move.
Council members who voted in favor of the rezoning said they understood the complaints but believe they weren’t enough to defer the rezoning, with member Shawn Harmsen suggesting the city could put together a task force to look into the neighbors’ concerns.
Joe Townsend, site engineering leader for P&G, told the council Tuesday the company hasn’t finalized plans for the site, but the current plan is to use it to expand its Oral-B production.
The company is planning to demolish the Kirkwood buildings on the property. Townsend said P&G will turn the property into a green space until its plan is finalized.
Resident Tracy Daby showed the council a presentation about the impact a P&G expansion could have on air quality and also go against environmental justice.
Daby said she is passionate since she lives a block behind the site and experiences the smells from the two P&G plants.
Anne Marie Kraus, a 40-year resident of southeast side of the city, said the council is within its rights and should consider the rezoning from a health and environmental standpoint
“There's been a long history of previous city councils who have acted to systematically denigrate the southeast side with placements of buildings that no residents and other sections of the town tolerate,” she said.
Julia Buchkina, a doctor in Iowa City, spoke in opposition of the proposed rezoning, saying the chemicals used by existing P&G plants are volatile organic compounds, which create the odors residents are reporting.
Not all of those compounds have an odor, she said, but all are a health hazard. Besides asthma and cancer, she said, people could develop autoimmune diseases, chemical sensitivity, chronic fatigue syndrome and mast cell activation syndrome.
According to a report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, fine particulate matter, toxic releases to air, traffic, lead proximity, among others, are all above the 80th percentile in a 1-mile radius around the P&G plants on Lower Muscatine Rd.
When asked about odor concerns, particularly in regards to acetone, Townsend, from P&G, said the Oral-B plant uses only one to two gallons of acetone a month for the cleaning of equipment.
He also said the P&G sites in Iowa City are considered low emitters of greenhouse gases, meaning the sites emit less than 19 tons.
Not everyone spoke in opposition.
Mackenzie DeRoo, senior director of advocacy at Greater Iowa City Inc., said the organization supports the rezoning, seeing it as the first step toward further investment in the surrounding area.
“Our organization is excited by the prospect of collaborating with city leaders, Procter & Gamble, and other area businesses as well as residents to create a vision for a vibrant neighborhood supported by strategic investment as well as targeted incentive programs,” DeRoo said.
The proposed rezoning for the site would make it general industrial, which is the least intensive industrial zoning type under the city’s zoning code. The code provides regulations to protect adjacent development.
Some of the regulations speak to noise, air quality standards, and odor. For air quality, the regulation states that any emissions must comply with standards and permitting of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Iowa EPA.
For odor, any operations or activities producing “offensive odorous matter” cannot exceed a threshold beyond zone boundary lines at ground level or habitable level.
The current zoning for the property is neighborhood public zone, which is primarily used for housing, schools, parks, fire stations and other public use.
The Iowa City Council has given initial approval to rezoning the former Kirkwood Community College site, now owned by Procter & Gamble.
The vote was 6-1 on the initial rezoning, with Council Member Mazahir Salih voting no. The proposal needs to be approved in two more readings before becoming effective.
Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble bought the property, at 1832 Lower Muscatine Rd., for $6.4 million in February and is requesting the city rezone the 6.8 acres from neighborhood public to general industrial.
www.thegazette.com
The vote was 6-1 on the initial rezoning, with Council Member Mazahir Salih voting no. The proposal needs to be approved in two more readings before becoming effective.
Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble bought the property, at 1832 Lower Muscatine Rd., for $6.4 million in February and is requesting the city rezone the 6.8 acres from neighborhood public to general industrial.
The Iowa City Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended the rezoning Jan. 17, but the final decision is up to the council.
Neighbors have spoken against the rezoning and possible P&G expansion, citing environmental impact, odor and possible health concerns.
Among the 10 residents addressing the council at its Tuesday night meeting was Perry Lenz, who lives near the two P&G facilities already operating in the neighborhood. He said he has asthma and his concern is that the air quality would get worse, which he said would affect a lot of people.
Also, he said, “it's a large, multiracial area, the whole area there, and it would affect a lot of the working class families.”
Council members Salih and Megan Alter suggested the council defer its vote on the rezoning, but the motion failed, 5-2.
Alter, before the vote, also proposed having residents complete a tour of P&G as a way to establish better communication.
“It's about learning from one another about what the concerns are and where there might be some mitigating factors,” she said.
Council members Andrew Dunn and Laura Bergus agreed better communication was needed.
Salih said she wanted to defer the item to get the voices of immigrants in the area, pointing out that none of them had attended meetings.
Salih, who works for the Center for Worker Justice of Eastern Iowa, said the group had moved its office near the P&G plants and that she’d noticed some symptoms since that move.
Council members who voted in favor of the rezoning said they understood the complaints but believe they weren’t enough to defer the rezoning, with member Shawn Harmsen suggesting the city could put together a task force to look into the neighbors’ concerns.
Plans for site
Joe Townsend, site engineering leader for P&G, told the council Tuesday the company hasn’t finalized plans for the site, but the current plan is to use it to expand its Oral-B production.
The company is planning to demolish the Kirkwood buildings on the property. Townsend said P&G will turn the property into a green space until its plan is finalized.
Speakers
Resident Tracy Daby showed the council a presentation about the impact a P&G expansion could have on air quality and also go against environmental justice.
Daby said she is passionate since she lives a block behind the site and experiences the smells from the two P&G plants.
Anne Marie Kraus, a 40-year resident of southeast side of the city, said the council is within its rights and should consider the rezoning from a health and environmental standpoint
“There's been a long history of previous city councils who have acted to systematically denigrate the southeast side with placements of buildings that no residents and other sections of the town tolerate,” she said.
Julia Buchkina, a doctor in Iowa City, spoke in opposition of the proposed rezoning, saying the chemicals used by existing P&G plants are volatile organic compounds, which create the odors residents are reporting.
Not all of those compounds have an odor, she said, but all are a health hazard. Besides asthma and cancer, she said, people could develop autoimmune diseases, chemical sensitivity, chronic fatigue syndrome and mast cell activation syndrome.
According to a report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, fine particulate matter, toxic releases to air, traffic, lead proximity, among others, are all above the 80th percentile in a 1-mile radius around the P&G plants on Lower Muscatine Rd.
When asked about odor concerns, particularly in regards to acetone, Townsend, from P&G, said the Oral-B plant uses only one to two gallons of acetone a month for the cleaning of equipment.
He also said the P&G sites in Iowa City are considered low emitters of greenhouse gases, meaning the sites emit less than 19 tons.
Investment hope
Not everyone spoke in opposition.
Mackenzie DeRoo, senior director of advocacy at Greater Iowa City Inc., said the organization supports the rezoning, seeing it as the first step toward further investment in the surrounding area.
“Our organization is excited by the prospect of collaborating with city leaders, Procter & Gamble, and other area businesses as well as residents to create a vision for a vibrant neighborhood supported by strategic investment as well as targeted incentive programs,” DeRoo said.
Proposed zoning
The proposed rezoning for the site would make it general industrial, which is the least intensive industrial zoning type under the city’s zoning code. The code provides regulations to protect adjacent development.
Some of the regulations speak to noise, air quality standards, and odor. For air quality, the regulation states that any emissions must comply with standards and permitting of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Iowa EPA.
For odor, any operations or activities producing “offensive odorous matter” cannot exceed a threshold beyond zone boundary lines at ground level or habitable level.
The current zoning for the property is neighborhood public zone, which is primarily used for housing, schools, parks, fire stations and other public use.
The Iowa City Council has given initial approval to rezoning the former Kirkwood Community College site, now owned by Procter & Gamble.
The vote was 6-1 on the initial rezoning, with Council Member Mazahir Salih voting no. The proposal needs to be approved in two more readings before becoming effective.
Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble bought the property, at 1832 Lower Muscatine Rd., for $6.4 million in February and is requesting the city rezone the 6.8 acres from neighborhood public to general industrial.
Iowa City Council gives initial OK to rezoning of former Kirkwood site
Neighbors raise concerns about environmental impact, health
www.thegazette.com
UIHC searching for new Downtown Campus, Children’s Hospital leadership
- By cigaretteman
- Off Topic
- 0 Replies
- Deborah Berini was hired in December to lead UIHC's integration with the former Mercy Iowa City campus.
- She is leaving UIHC May 10 to become president for SSM Health’s DePaul Hospital in St. Louis.
- UIHC is launching a search for a permanent chief administrative officer of its Mercy campus, which is called the Downtown Campus.
- The hospital is still in the "exploratory phase" for planning the future of the Downtown Campus.
- At the same time, UIHC is conducting a search for a new chief administrative officer at Stead Family Children’s Hospital.
IOWA CITY — Three months after hiring a leader for its complex integration with Mercy Iowa City, University of Iowa Health Care this week announced she has accepted another job and will be leaving in May — compelling UIHC to initiate a search for a permanent chief administrator of its new Downtown Campus.
Deborah Berini, former president of Penn State Health’s Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, in December signed a one-year agreement to serve as UIHC chief integration officer and interim chief administrative officer of the former Mercy Iowa City campus — which UIHC rebranded its “Downtown Campus" after buying it in a bankruptcy auction for $28 million in November.
Had Berini — through her Pennsylvania-based Berini Consulting Group — stayed with UIHC through the agreement’s duration of Jan. 1, 2025, she would have earned $780,000 on the year.
Given her last day with the university will be May 10, Berini at a monthly rate of $65,000 will have earned more than $260,000 over her four-plus months helping to bring into the UIHC system about 1,000 former Mercy employees and 192 beds housed in facilities just two miles east of the main UIHC campus.
Berini’s contract with UIHC allowed her to terminate the deal after May 1 — so long as she gave 30 days notice. In announcing her departure, UIHC reported Berini has accepted the job of president for SSM Health’s DePaul Hospital in St. Louis.
SSM Health calls itself one of the largest integrated health systems in the nation, with 23 hospitals, more than 40,000 employees, and more than 163,411 inpatient admissions annually.
DePaul Hospital-St. Louis is a 523-bed general acute care hospital. With UIHC’s new 194 beds from the former Mercy site, plus the additional employees, it boasts 1,083 inpatient beds and nearly 20,000 employees.
Those numbers will grow once UIHC opens its new $525.6 million, 469,000-square-foot hospital campus in North Liberty next year — providing another 36 inpatient beds. Additionally, UIHC is planning a new $1 billion inpatient tower on its main Iowa City campus featuring multiple floors of 48 beds each.
Downtown campus future
With Berini’s departure, UIHC is launching a search for a permanent chief administrative officer of its downtown campus — which has maintained Mercy’s patient services during the transition.
“We needed an interim leader to help provide a smooth transition for employees, providers, and patients,” UI Hospitals and Clinics Chief Operating Offcier Emily Blomberg said in a Q&A published this week.
Now that UIHC has successfully maintained patient care and services through the transition, Blomberg said, "We see a permanent chief administrative officer for the downtown campus playing an important role in leading future phases.“
As for UIHC’s long-term vision for the former Mercy site, Blomberg and UIHC CEO Brad Haws said that’s evolving.
"We’re still in an exploratory phase when it comes to planning for downtown campus,“ Blomberg said.
Part of that is because, Haws said, “adding the downtown campus to our system was not part of the strategic plan.” The opportunity arose, he said, and UIHC was glad to be able to maintain patient access and jobs.
“We are very much in an exploratory phase, where every aspect of the downtown campus is being examined,” he said. “There are many things to be determined for the future, but right now we’re listening and we’re learning.”
In Haws’ recent Q&A published by UI Health Care, he stressed a “normal” time frame for absorbing another hospital is years — not months.
“We accomplished this in about 60 working days,” he said. “So we still have a lot of work to do as a team to set our strategic goals and vision as a system.”
In addition to the heavy lift of moving Mercy onto Epic — UIHC’s electronic medical record provider — the university is conducting an extensive evaluation of “everything from capacity needs to equipment to staffing, systems, processes, and more.”
Using a “full facilities and equipment assessment” to guide “decisions and priorities for the downtown campus and clinics from a structural standpoint,” Haws said teams are assessing each property to better understand what needs fixing and what's in good condition.
“The team is also assessing the spaces from a capacity planning perspective to understand what possibilities exist.”
Children’s Hospital search
Although UIHC didn’t give a specific timeline regarding its search for a new Downtown Campus leader, Blomberg said, “The job will be posted soon.”
“We would like to fill the position with a permanent leader as soon as possible,” a UIHC spokeswoman said in response to The Gazette’s question about whether another interim might be necessary.
That search comes as UIHC engages in a separate nationwide hunt for a new chief administrative officer atop its Stead Family Children’s Hospital. The university posted that job Feb. 29 to replace Pamela Johnson-Carlson — who left more than a year ago in January 2023 to become chief nursing officer at Children’s Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska.
Johnson-Carlson, making $426,703, joined UI Health Care in April 2020 and in December of that year added onto her responsibilities for a stint those of interim chief nurse executive.
Since her departure, Melissa Whisler has been serving as interim chief administrative officer of the Children’s Hospital and will continue in that capacity until a permanent hire comes in.
UIHC searching for new Downtown Campus, Children’s Hospital leadership
Three months after hiring a leader for its complex integration with Mercy Iowa City, University of Iowa Health Care this week announced she has accepted another job and will be leaving in May -- compelling UIHC to initiate a search for a permanent chief administrator of its new downtown campus.
www.thegazette.com
Indiana man who took wife hostage, shot himself in parking ramp could serve more than 40 years in prison
- By cigaretteman
- Off Topic
- 0 Replies
An Indiana man who shot himself in the Court Street parking ramp after a brief standoff with police has pleaded guilty and could face more than 40 years in prison.
Carldale Hunter, 34, was charged with six crimes following a December 2022 standoff when he took his wife, hostage, held a gun to her head, and threatened to kill her.
Hunter's guilty plea is on six counts which include:
As part of his plea deal, Hunter will not be eligible for parole for at least a decade. His sentencing is set for March 25.
The charges stem from a December 2022 standoff in which police say Hunter took his wife and children from Cedar Rapids to Iowa City the night prior. He planned to eventually take them to Chicago before he was confronted by police at the Trailways Bus Station.
Hunter's wife had managed to text someone about the kidnapping and said he had a gun — that person reported the incident, police said in their report.
Police say Hunter grabbed his wife after police approached him, pointed a gun at her, and fled on foot into the Court Street Transportation Center Parking Ramp.
Hunter eventually let go of his wife and shot himself after negotiations with the police. Authorities did not specify the nature of Hunter's injury in the wake of the incident.
The University of Iowa Department of Public Safety alerted students via a HawkAlert of a man with a gun and to avoid the area around the parking ramp. UI and Iowa City police closed off portions of East Burlington Street, South Dubuque Street, and East Court Street near the parking lot, redirecting traffic.
Carldale Hunter, 34, was charged with six crimes following a December 2022 standoff when he took his wife, hostage, held a gun to her head, and threatened to kill her.
Hunter's guilty plea is on six counts which include:
- Third-degree Kidnapping, a Class "C" felony
- Going Armed with Intent as a Felon, a Class "D" felony
- Felon in Possession of a Firearm, a Class "D" felony
- Domestic Abuse or Assault Causing Bodily Injury or Mental Illness, a serious misdemeanor
- Child Endangerment, an aggravated misdemeanor
- Second-degree Robbery, a Class "C" felony
As part of his plea deal, Hunter will not be eligible for parole for at least a decade. His sentencing is set for March 25.
The charges stem from a December 2022 standoff in which police say Hunter took his wife and children from Cedar Rapids to Iowa City the night prior. He planned to eventually take them to Chicago before he was confronted by police at the Trailways Bus Station.
Hunter's wife had managed to text someone about the kidnapping and said he had a gun — that person reported the incident, police said in their report.
Police say Hunter grabbed his wife after police approached him, pointed a gun at her, and fled on foot into the Court Street Transportation Center Parking Ramp.
Hunter eventually let go of his wife and shot himself after negotiations with the police. Authorities did not specify the nature of Hunter's injury in the wake of the incident.
The University of Iowa Department of Public Safety alerted students via a HawkAlert of a man with a gun and to avoid the area around the parking ramp. UI and Iowa City police closed off portions of East Burlington Street, South Dubuque Street, and East Court Street near the parking lot, redirecting traffic.
Indiana man who took wife hostage, shot himself in parking ramp could serve more than 40 years in prison
Carldale Hunter pleaded guilty to six counts connected to a 2022 shooting in the Court Street Parking Ramp. He was sentenced to 43 years in prison.
www.press-citizen.com
SIAP - ESPN networks to maintain exclusive rights to all CFP games through 2031-32
- Iowa Football
- 2 Replies
Looks like this was announced yesterday, but, well, Iowa had some other more pressing football news to deal with....
I personally think this kinda sucks. Was hoping that FOX, CBS and/or NBC would starting getting some of the pie.
I personally think this kinda sucks. Was hoping that FOX, CBS and/or NBC would starting getting some of the pie.
ESPN, College Football Playoff extend media rights agreement through 2031-32
ESPN will remain the exclusive media rightsholder of the College Football Playoff through the 2031-32 season, it was announced on Tuesday.
fbschedules.com
Trump burned $230,000 in legal fees everyday in February
Trump’s PAC Burned $230,000 a Day on Legal Bills in February
Even by the standards of Trump’s legal slush fund, February was a brutal month that underscored the historic financial pressure on his 2024 campaign.
www.thedailybeast.com
More Iowans approve of this state official's job performance than they do the governor's
- By cigaretteman
- Off Topic
- 7 Replies
The state official who more Iowans think is performing their job well isn't the governor or attorney general — it’s Auditor of State Rob Sand, the sole Democrat holding statewide elected office, a new Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows.
Fifty-five percent of Iowans approve of the job that Sand is doing as auditor, compared with 15% who disapprove. Another 31% say they aren’t sure.
This is the first time the Iowa Poll has asked about Sand’s job performance. He was first elected in 2018 and is often discussed as a possible candidate for governor.
The poll of 804 Iowa adults was conducted by Selzer & Co. Feb. 25-28 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
Other state government leaders, including Gov. Kim Reynolds, Attorney General Brenna Bird, and the Republican-led Iowa Legislature, also poll more positively than negatively on job approval, but they trail Sand.
For Reynolds, 49% of respondents approve of her performance, compared with 48% who disapprove, her slimmest approval margin in the Iowa Poll since March 2021, when she was 1 point underwater.
Bird, who recently marked her first year in office, has 40% approval to 28% disapproval, with 32% not sure, the poll found.
But her disapproval rate jumped 8 percentage points from March 2023, when she was at 20%, while her approval rating grew only 4 points from 36%. Thirty-two percent had no opinion.
The Iowa Legislature, where Republicans have controlled both houses since 2017, has a 47% approval rating, little changed from previous Iowa Polls since 2021. But 39% of Iowans disapprove of the Legislature’s performance, the highest figure since at least 2003.
The poll also found that 44% of Iowans believe the state is going in the right direction, compared with 50% who think it’s on the wrong track.
Fifty-five percent of Iowans approve of the job that Sand is doing as auditor, compared with 15% who disapprove. Another 31% say they aren’t sure.
This is the first time the Iowa Poll has asked about Sand’s job performance. He was first elected in 2018 and is often discussed as a possible candidate for governor.
The poll of 804 Iowa adults was conducted by Selzer & Co. Feb. 25-28 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
Other state government leaders, including Gov. Kim Reynolds, Attorney General Brenna Bird, and the Republican-led Iowa Legislature, also poll more positively than negatively on job approval, but they trail Sand.
For Reynolds, 49% of respondents approve of her performance, compared with 48% who disapprove, her slimmest approval margin in the Iowa Poll since March 2021, when she was 1 point underwater.
Bird, who recently marked her first year in office, has 40% approval to 28% disapproval, with 32% not sure, the poll found.
But her disapproval rate jumped 8 percentage points from March 2023, when she was at 20%, while her approval rating grew only 4 points from 36%. Thirty-two percent had no opinion.
The Iowa Legislature, where Republicans have controlled both houses since 2017, has a 47% approval rating, little changed from previous Iowa Polls since 2021. But 39% of Iowans disapprove of the Legislature’s performance, the highest figure since at least 2003.
The poll also found that 44% of Iowans believe the state is going in the right direction, compared with 50% who think it’s on the wrong track.
More Iowans approve of this state official's job performance than they do the governor's
A larger share of Iowans approve of state Auditor Rob Sand’s job performance than of Gov. Kim Reynolds, Attorney General Brenna Bird or the Legislature
www.press-citizen.com
About to get on a plane
- By NDallasRuss
- Off Topic
- 45 Replies
To head home.
Hope it doesn't crash.
Ts & Ps in advance!
Hope it doesn't crash.
Ts & Ps in advance!
*****Kansas St vs Iowa Game Thread*****
- By QChawks
- Iowa Men's Basketball
- 583 Replies
Oh boy, how excited are you??
8pm ESPN
Iowa -5.5
O/U 156.5
I have no idea what to expect tonight, most likely more crappy play from Pmac and Perk.
I’ll say 89-80 hawks
8pm ESPN
Iowa -5.5
O/U 156.5
I have no idea what to expect tonight, most likely more crappy play from Pmac and Perk.
I’ll say 89-80 hawks