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Supervisors approve Corn Belt Power permit, hear bridge funding constraints and courthouse accessibility complaint
Summary
The board approved utility permit UT‑2025‑04 for Corn Belt Power Cooperative to replace poles and a 69 kV line segment; the county engineer warned bridge replacements outpace available funding and discussed mitigation costs tied to federal/state water definitions; a public commenter raised that the courthouse lacks an accessible first‑floor restroom.
The Hardin County Board of Supervisors approved a utility permit for Corn Belt Power Cooperative and received updates on the county’s bridge inventory and a courthouse accessibility concern.
Speaker 3 moved to approve utility permit UT‑2025‑04 for Corn Belt Power Cooperative to replace poles and upgrade a 69 kV line between Hampton and Iowa Falls (work includes segments along State Highway 65 and off D 15); Speaker 2 seconded and the motion carried.
The county roads/engineer reported a temporary closure at the east city limits of Iowa Falls for prestress plate testing on a bridge and drilling through a bridge deck; crews are also monitoring other bridges. He said the county needs to replace about three bridges per year to keep pace but currently has funds to replace about one per year, producing a structural backlog. He also discussed recent changes in federal/state definitions of "waters of the United States," which can require stream‑bed mitigation and add thousands of dollars to project costs, limiting options such as converting some structures to culverts.
A member of the public said the courthouse lacks an ADA‑compliant first‑floor restroom that is navigable for wheelchair users; officials said an accessible restroom exists on the third floor but acknowledged access issues and committed to have building staff evaluate remedies.
The board took the utility permit and the infrastructure updates as routine business; no new funding was approved during the meeting.
