Saturday, August 9, 2008
Corydon, Chariton and Osceola
After meeting with local leaders in Appanoose County, I made my way to Ludlow’s Steakhouse and Lounge in Corydon. It was good to see Ron Redmon and Maureta Perryman, who own and operate Ludlows. I remember visiting there during my August tour in 2006. I spoke with Bill Yeager, the Wayne County Emergency Management Coordinator regarding the various disaster damages that the county is dealing with. He said that FEMA has been very helpful to them thus far. I also met Dan and Susan White. Dan and I chatted about conditions in Wayne County, as well as our time in the military, he told me that before he retired, he served 27 1/2 years.
Angie Horton, the Wayne County Recorder was there. Angie, Marjorie Pyner and I reminisced about who we remembered from years past that worked in the Wayne County Courthouse. I also had the pleasure of meeting Elaine Orr, District Representative for Congressman Dave Loebsack.
Saturday also happened to be the annual Old Settler’s Celebration. Seeing the festivities and the parade reminded me of past celebrations, and especially of all of the children who enjoy taking part in the parades.
After leaving Corydon, I travelled to Lucas County to make a stop at Papa Leo’s Restaurant in Chariton. While there, I met with many constituents, and chatted with them about a variety of issues, ranging from recent disasters in the area, to the war in Iraq. We also talked about their concerns regarding energy, and what Iowans are going to do this winter as energy prices rise, and many people face re-building their homes after this year’s floods. We talked about the benefits of geothermal as well as wind energy, and how communities in Iowa might be able to move away from being dependent on natural gas and coal. Some schools in Iowa are currently using geothermal energy to help lower their operating costs.
I have worked in Congress to provide schools across Iowa with funding to help upgrade their facilities. Harkin School Grants are intended to show that a modest infusion of federal resources can significantly contribute to the repair needs of school districts across the state. These are the only federal funds available for this purpose in the country. Since the beginning of this program, I have secured more than $120 million to repair and modernize schools in 295 districts.
Phil Bago, a Lucas resident, was especially insightful regarding energy issues, and reminded me of the Ev1 electric car which was in production in the 1990’s, but never became a mainstream American vehicle. I support the use of electric cars, because they allow us to eliminate much of our dependence on foreign oil, and are effectively powered by whatever resource we use to produce electricity. This could be anything from nuclear, to wind, to geothermal, etc.
Chariton’s City Manager, Nels Christensen was also there. He spoke about the city’s needs for a new sewer system, and the damages that their streets have sustained from all of the ice storms this year. Infrastructure is a hugely important part of our country’s security. With all of the money that we have spent in Iraq, we could have updated every water and sewer system in America.
My last stop on Saturday was at the City Hall in Osceola While there, I met with Mayor Fred Deihl and his wife Anne, as well as Councilmen Glenn Schaff and Clarke County Electric Cooperative General Manager, Bill Freeman. We discussed the floods effects on Clarke County, as well as the damage to the power lines from this winter’s ice storms. Bill informed me that FEMA has been helpful in replacing and repairing the downed power lines. We also discussed the need to continue to invest in local infrastructure and job growth.
