Dearest Bhavani,
Here are two good editorials from yesterday's Ledger.
Lots of love,
Bo
Begin forwarded message:
From: "Bob Klauber" <rklau...@lisco.com>
Subject: my LTE and Terry Smith's re: Heartland
Date: May 2, 2014 9:33:14 AM CDT
Fairfield Ledger, May 1, 2014
Heartland and Being Good Neighbors (submitted title)
Love Your Neighbor as Yourself (published title)
To the editor:
Regarding the planned Heartland Coop grain processing plant, I believe everyone
understands that it would benefit some, while causing harm to others. In a
democracy, what is a just tradeoff?
Farmers, who generally deserve better rewards for their efforts, would gain
(and everyone I know supports farmers). Those living near the facility would
lose the tranquility, and financial value, of homes they have worked long and
hard for. All living within a certain distance would be subject to respiratory
health issues (as has been documented elsewhere) and unnerving noise levels.
I wonder if each of us, particularly the county supervisors, should be asking
the following questions.
First, to provide incremental benefit to a minority (farmers constitute 6% of
county population) should the homes, quality of life, and health of even one of
our neighbors, let alone a significant number, be sacrificed?
Could incremental benefit even to a majority justify such action?
Finally, should a corporation be entitled to do so?
I submit that the answer, in each case, is no.
Jesus said “'Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater
than this." Would any of us want Heartland right next door to our home? If so,
and if you live well outside the city, then please invite them to build near
you. If not, then please do not support laws or entities that force your
neighbors to have done to them what you would not want done to yourself.
Bob Klauber
Eight new jobs hardly count as development
By Terry Smith | May 01, 2014
To the editor:
On behalf of myself and several other residents of Jefferson County, I’d like
to express my concern that the infrastructure costs of the proposed Heartland
Co-op project will end up costing Jefferson County taxpayers dearly.
While we strongly support farmers and their ability to bring grain to the most
attractive markets, we feel that projects requiring road building and other
infrastructure costs of this scale should benefit everyone in Jefferson County,
and not just one industrial facility producing only eight long-term jobs.
This has the potential to be a bad deal for Jefferson County taxpayers because:
• Substantial new infrastructure development is needed to accommodate truck
traffic to the facility from five surrounding counties;
• It will take 12 years of Heartland tax dollars to repay the $2.2 million
Osage paving costs;
• Taxpayers will likely have to foot the $272,000 bill to partially pave Nutmeg
Avenue.
• Eventually Nutmeg Avenue will have to be fully paved all the way to Salina
Road to accommodate traffic from the north to the tune of an estimated $2.8
million dollars according to French-Reneker estimates. Will taxpayers pay for
this as well? Or, will another 12 years or longer of Heartland tax dollars go
to pay for that road?
So, either way we are looking at some 24 to 25 years of paying loans from
infrastructure costs, before the county sees a single tax dollar from Heartland
for the project. Or, Jefferson County taxpayers could end up having to foot the
bill through another debt levy.
This does not even account for upkeep costs, or extra costs of wear and tear on
other county and city roads. Either way, with only eight jobs created, and
likely 30 lost as Overland Sheepskin is forced to move, where is the economic
benefit to all residents of Jefferson County?
There are many other locations in Southeast Iowa the company can locate,
without depriving farmers of the benefits of access to additional grain
elevator locations.
Let’s get economic development that benefits all taxpayers and creates multiple
jobs, and not just one business with only a few jobs.
There is little sense paving the way, so to speak, for a business that the
county will see no real tax income from for 25 years. That is not economic
development, that’s simply ending up holding the short end of the stick.
– Terry Smith, Fairfield
