[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6145854,"mediaKeyId","5530093-4bd3c6ac4ccfcaa5fc536caa27ffb52f","parentId",5530093,"title","Franklin County approves short closure for pipe repairs; public works reports striping, grading and bridge-permit issues","audioSeconds",920,"startMs",2184000,"endMs",3104000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5530093-4bd3c6ac4ccfcaa5fc536caa27ffb52f&start=2184&end=3104","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5530093-4bd3c6ac4ccfcaa5fc536caa27ffb52f/thumbnail_2184000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6145854/Franklin-County/Iowa/Franklin-County-approves-short-closure-for-pipe-repairs-public-works-reports-striping-grading-and-bridge-permit-issues","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6145854-ad11b999cfffe35ec831705670a006a0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771170743&Signature=Ur1HHm~BwVCuL9PV-6AGTgH4uYyXnV8Jyk-YmikuROClagGEsednMaVX7cFgEzfwuAlH8Ptc4Ykf2wPAN5ob-mJn7xBWl6pKQabfLmWC7Vz3HMo8wDKZ7fvBraN7GDVLhsc3J~gNX-NIr7b5YDWgHedqhERgvZWf042RsNd3fwMv18InTB146B2ARpXv5SRNao~IBRm9D1IsZqpJPomDwv2WJKv-RPA0oLzd-r0h5GpcFltXqhgHBJ4uBrXFqxAAtDQT9U6LW7tBRPHpW0b5tfA4xibRajToKIANNVcI00KoTM8yvd1IfMc~qTEDzX9duW1jJgjrQYnIXRR5mY97-A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Franklin County Board of Supervisors","date","2025-07-07T00:00:00Z","article","The Franklin County Board of Supervisors approved a short road closure for repairs and heard updates from public-works staff about ongoing county projects during the July 1 meeting.

Supervisors voted to approve the closure of 1 Thirtieth between Yarrow Avenue and Franklin Avenue on July 1 at 11:30 a.m. to allow Culler Construction to replace two deteriorated pipes. The motion to approve the closure was moved and seconded and carried by voice vote.

County public-works staff reported that paint-striping crews would be in the north half of the county this week and that stop bars and railroad markings have been completed. “The paint stripers are coming in this week. They'll be doing the north half. They got the stop bars done,” the county engineer reported to the board during the department update.

Staff said graders arrived on June 30 and that crews are scheduled to complete clean-and-fill projects and install two culverts on planned roads if weather permits. The department noted that paint striping is a roughly $100,000 project and that equipment purchases such as graders are significant line items in the county budget.

Separately, staff briefed the board on pending state DOT work that will require local agreements. The DOT proposed a bridge closure between Rockwell and Sheffield with an estimated 90-day full closure window; the county would receive road-use tax payments (staff cited an example figure of about $5,600) for the closure period and is preparing the item for a future agenda.

Public-works staff also reported correspondence from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers indicating the county may need to acquire stream-/river-bank mitigation credits for a proposed bridge project. Staff said they had submitted additional information to the Corps and were awaiting further guidance on permit requirements.

Other items included discussion of a potential closure of the railroad overpass to Beeds Lake for a future project, detour-route impacts to travelers to Waverly and Waterloo and routine equipment staging. No additional emergency road closures were authorized at the July 1 meeting beyond the approved pipe-repair closure.

Board members directed staff to return with more detailed cost estimates and a proposed agreement with the DOT for any long-duration closures and to continue to report project progress at future meetings.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Franklin Co BOS Meeting, 7/7/25","oneSentenceSummary","The board approved closing 1 Thirtieth between Yarrow Avenue and Franklin Avenue on July 1 to allow Culler Construction to replace two pipes. County public-works staff also updated supervisors on paint-striping, grader deliveries, culvert work and pending bridge-permit requirements including stream-bank mitigation credits.","taxTitle","Franklin County, Iowa","taxId",72974,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6145858,"Franklin County board agrees to pursue talks on merging Northeast Iowa workforce area with neighboring regions",828,1208000,2036000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5530093-4bd3c6ac4ccfcaa5fc536caa27ffb52f&start=1208&end=2036","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5530093-4bd3c6ac4ccfcaa5fc536caa27ffb52f/thumbnail_1208000.jpg","/articles/6145858/Franklin-County/Iowa/Franklin-County-board-agrees-to-pursue-talks-on-merging-Northeast-Iowa-workforce-area-with-neighboring-regions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6145858-aca4c80c40e805d3eef1891d899b23d1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771170743&Signature=doJFGAo827Bq9bVFZ~YICtkcR7O5Ezdyny5VpvW545Tom68T34QuDvas-xczr-Jx4D3kwG81BKWTSS21b3VOhsyGukhHd3EAuaV1n9oDiJxdxGUC3wxKN56im-yl-W6MpEGTmGNBUmYa0n2DoWb3AJepipMLM4BNG8XQPe8TcwuuJQbI5mMVpa2nB~zhDedpW-x4dCQDSUr741bCB2jETLHfAxpfnOeKXTB5heJw~fpKBH88u5oFX~-d-Ji1XrY~8lBlwxKPUQmCndBucTDZwDS5a49vuwOPLajUG-QgCi60HP5oydFVVktxIv48jRhE1ZTyeamflGucjcXLfhz2-Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Franklin County Board of Supervisors voted July 1 to authorize county participation in discussions about a possible merger of Northeast Iowa's workforce area with neighboring local workforce areas, after a detailed briefing from a South Central workforce representative.

Taylor, identified to the board as a South Central local-area workforce official, told supervisors that federal cuts to WIOA (Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act) funding and shrinking administrative dollars had prompted multiple local workforce areas to consider consolidation. “South Central local area is exploring a possible merger with other neighboring workforce areas,” Taylor said, adding that the South Central fiscal agent will remain in place through Oct. 1 and that the requested action would be a commitment to discuss and plan rather than an immediate, completed merger.

Taylor and county staff described potential partners including Northeast Iowa, East Central Iowa, Mississippi Valley and Central Iowa, and said Mississippi Valley had already agreed to join the talks. Taylor said a larger service area could reduce duplicated administrative costs, allow shared staffing and improve eligibility and competitiveness for other state and federal grants.

Board member Richard Lukensmeyer asked about scale and structure, saying, “Are there currently 6 areas, and we'd be reducing down to how many?” Taylor replied that several local areas are still in discussion and that the consolidation could reduce multiple areas into a single larger local area if all parties agree.

Taylor also said South Central is already short-staffed: its executive director had left and the remaining administrative assistant’s last day is Oct. 1. The presenter said the merger would require the unanimous approval of all 20 counties in Northeast Iowa; if any single county declines, a merger would not proceed as proposed.

After discussion, a board member moved to “approve the discussion of merger of Northeast Iowa workforce development with South Central Iowa workforce,” another seconded, and board members signified assent by voice vote. The vote was recorded as unanimous “ayes” with no recorded dissents during the meeting.

The action taken by the Franklin County board was to authorize county participation in planning and discussion; no binding legal transfer, budget appropriation or formal merger agreement was signed at the meeting. Taylor said additional meetings will follow and that a formal vote by each county will be required should a proposed merger move forward.

Key factual points discussed included the potential inclusion of multiple workforce areas, staffing shortfalls in South Central, Mississippi Valley’s willingness to join, and the requirement that all 20 Northeast Iowa counties approve the merger plan for it to proceed.","Board members voted unanimously July 1 to permit discussion of a potential merger of workforce-development areas after a presentation from a South Central representative citing federal WIOA funding cuts and administrative-cost pressure; the merger would require unanimous approval from the 20 counties in Northeast Iowa.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6145863,"Latimer farmer tells Franklin County board turbine crews parked in his field, raised safety and property concerns",413,454000,867000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5530093-4bd3c6ac4ccfcaa5fc536caa27ffb52f&start=454&end=867","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5530093-4bd3c6ac4ccfcaa5fc536caa27ffb52f/thumbnail_454000.jpg","/articles/6145863/Franklin-County/Iowa/Latimer-farmer-tells-Franklin-County-board-turbine-crews-parked-in-his-field-raised-safety-and-property-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6145863-bf9d00ff7c88f46dfcf31c56727cfa2c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771170743&Signature=YIpxK82ITm9nnbyZ1VAOZesIZaGcZvdSDIe-oM3fRUoQaFbdL3MFBsHMnjR3UjR3DF~neiEt9I-nQvoBx0jS8ldXN1e~JQE7gfdk-YmkrtrKjd5dsQjxReaBsv-fQ2q8~fp6m5WLrSgAV8W0LaPrbNzNaLpjkC~E~C1av4a5V6G3uyONlxwaO7WSwBJgjHBRBH3iOhCMLVegarYQMmess-T7G-f9O~SpncLxiOGyUPprg0gDqQXLeLGE3EdK8ldZ~znfhayAcUSyoP6qdJh6cNIJ2NUvVtdTyRfG2e0MGdvqbUq5yalGY2d2hzVsl3VzEi4D-2z9Dd~IQhC0bf5QSA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Landis Plagues, a farmer from Latimer, told the Franklin County Board of Supervisors during public comment on July 1 that crews for a nearby wind farm repeatedly drove and parked in his oat field and did not respect property boundaries.

Plagues said he found a pickup parked “out in the middle of my oats” and that when he approached the driver the worker said, “I didn't wanna drive over his corn,” to which Plagues replied, “well, what about my oats?” He said a deputy sheriff came to the site and “documented it” but that the deputy “kind of blew it off.”

The farmer described multiple incidents, including a pickup parked beside his field while he was spraying herbicide. “I sprayed right along his pickup. He was in his pickup sleeping or something. And he jumped up and flew out of there,” Plagues said. He also reported seeing crews working from blades and using pickups tethered to equipment and said one crew member drove about 500 feet into his field.

Plagues identified the project near Alexander as Whispering Willow (referred to in the meeting as Whispering Willow North) and said contractors often display out-of-state license plates. He said he collected a plate number and asked the board to press operators to require basic safety and agricultural-awareness training for crews working on county lands and farmland adjacent to turbine sites.

The board did not take formal action during the meeting; deputies had visited the site earlier and Plagues said he had photographs and a deputy report. The complaint was raised during the public comment portion of the July 1 meeting, and no ordinance or formal enforcement directive was announced at that time.

Plagues said the incidents raised both property and fire-safety concerns: “If we'd have had this rain and those were a little drier, it could have been a field fire possibly.” He also urged the board to encourage operators to train contractors on working safely around farms and drainage.

The remarks were reported as public comment; the county did not record a subsequent motion or vote specific to the complaint during the meeting. Board members acknowledged the comment and indicated they would look into appropriate follow-up.","At a July 1 Franklin County Board meeting, farmer Landis Plagues described multiple incidents of wind-turbine crews parking and working in a neighboring field and on his land, saying deputies documented one event and urging the county to press operators for better on-site practices.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Franklin County approves short closure for pipe repairs; public works reports striping, grading and bridge-permit issues

Franklin County board agrees to pursue talks on merging Northeast Iowa workforce area with neighboring regions

Latimer farmer tells Franklin County board turbine crews parked in his field, raised safety and property concerns