At the special city council meeting on Wednesday, May 13, 2020 the City Council discussed opening campgrounds to accommodate out of town workers. The following motion was made:
Motion by McLead to open campgrounds subject to rules set forth by the Governor and that recreational camping will not begin until June 1, second by Jordan. On a unanimous vote, motion carried.
The City of Ida Grove is aware of the first positive COVID-19 test in Ida County. While the City has been operating under the presumption that cases already existed within the County and City limits, this announcement further emphasizes our need to practice social distancing and proper hygiene, while limiting our exposure to members outside of our immediate household as often as possible. It is our intention, as a City, to help minimize the spread and advocate to our residence to help protect each other during these difficult times. Not showing symptoms, should not give anyone the green-light to ignore the guidelines that have been set. We are in this together, as one community, helping each other and especially protecting those most vulnerable from contracting this virus. Wearing a mask, keeping your distance from others and not congregating in groups are simple measures that we can all take, that may just save someone’s life. Please continue supporting these efforts and making sound decisions when in public.
Mayor
Devlun Whiteing
Council voted during their regular city council meeting on Monday, May 4, 2020 to open some portions of City owned parks and allow for recreational use as follows:
The City of Ida Grove Parks and Trails will be open to the public for recreation, but due to COVID-19 concerns playground equipment, restrooms, and picnic shelters will remained closed until further notice. All drinking fountains will be turned off. Tennis courts are closed due to the overhaul. Basketball courts will be open to shoot baskets for members of the same household. Team sports, pick up games and contact play are prohibited.
The city has installed caution tape around playground equipment; please stay off of it. We are asking residents to do their part to keep family, friends, neighbors, and the community safe. Signage will be posted at each park regarding the closures. The City’s priority is protecting the health and safety of our residents and continue to serve the public.
When visiting a public space, use your best judgement and act responsibly. Bring your own sanitation supplies with you and adhere to recommended guidelines of keeping social gatherings to less than 10 people, with members of the same household, and observing social distancing standards of staying at least 6’ from others. If you do not feel well or have been sick stay home.
Important information from the desk of Ida Grove Mayor, Devlun Whiteing:
Lot’s of things happening this week. The city council met on Wednesday to discuss the opening of three city facilities. Rec Center, City Hall, and the Library. The council decided May 1st was too soon and we are setting a goal to have a partial reopen plan by May 15th. We want our employees and the community safe and have the right PPE and policies in place for our employees before we partially reopen. Stay tuned for more information. Reminder the Governor still has pools closed so our pools are closed until further notice.
With the Confirmed Covid-19 positive test at one of our manufacturing facilities, I have been talking to state senators, and our Ida County Emergency Management sent out an official request for a strike team to come to town to be proactive in our town and county on tests. No answers yet but as Mayor I am really pushing to get some more testing done around here. Hopefully we can get some proactive vs reactive testing done.
With the Governor’s plans to start Opening Iowa I really trust our local churches and businesses will have plans in place to follow exposure risks when they reopen. Social Distancing, Cleaning and extra cleaning, keeping the capacity to 50% and keeping people 6’ apart. Limiting the number of people to 10 or less in a group. We really need to do our part to keep ourselves and our community safe. The city is happy to work with these organizations to help them if needed. We appreciate our businesses in town and our churches. We want to reopen but want to do it safely.
I plan to work with the city council to open some green spaces in parks to encourage people to get out for some fresh air and help their mental health. I am personally trying to write a policy to open green spaces. Hopefully sooner than later.
I say this every week due to the importance of thanking all of our citizens for being strong and doing the things they need to do to keep our community safe. So many people have volunteered to help clean at facilities to help them reopen. We have a great town and great citizens.
Feel free to reach out to me with any concerns or questions.
[email protected]
Very Humble and Proud to Serve Ida Grove
Mayor Devlun Whiteing.
The Ida Grove City Council met last evening to discuss the reopening of City Operated Facilities. It was decided that the facilities shall remain closed to the public at this time. Council will re-evaluate mid-May to see where we stand case-wise to determine if it will be appropriate to open at that time. During the next couple weeks, the City will be working to finalize safety plans and securing PPE for staff prior to opening. On behalf of all City employees, elected officials and the Mayor: we appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding while we work out the best plan possible while keeping the best interest of everyone in mind.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ida Grove Library closed our building to the public on March 17, 2020. To minimize the impact that our closure is having on our community, we will begin offering an alternative way to check out materials for patrons who wish to utilize library service while maintaining a minimal risk of exposure for both staff and patrons.
Starting Friday, April 24, 2020, the Ida Grove Library will offer a No Contact Pickup of library materials following these guidelines:
Since the length of our closure is undetermined at this time and we have had many requests from patrons for additional reading materials, implementing this service at this time will allow us to serve our community through these difficult times. Depending upon the future situation and the length of our closure, we will re-evaluate at a later date to determine if we need to increase the number of days we offer the service or if any changes need to be made.
We thank you for your understanding and patience as we try to navigate through the current situation and determine additional ways to serve our community until we can re-open our doors and see you @ your library.
With the weather getting nice, we know a lot of you want to get started on home improvement projects and just want to remind everyone that permitting is required as follows:
(1) Building Permits Required. No new construction or alterations to the exterior of buildings, including decks, patios, garages, carports, driveways, and paved (whether concrete or asphalt) parking spots may be made without first obtaining an approved building permit. Applications for building permits may be obtained from the city clerk’s office. A signed application for a building permit shall be returned to the city clerk’s office along with a required fee of $25.00 for each building permit requested. Building permits include all paving projects. The $25.00 permit fee is waived for all paving projects under 100 square feet in size. The building permit must be signed by the contractor or the property owner. The building permit shall not be considered approved until it has been signed by the city clerk, or the city clerk’s designee and either another clerk in the city office, the public works foreman or the public works foreman’s designee. The city clerk may, at his/her discretion, require approval from the planning and zoning chairman or the planning and zoning chairman’s designee.
Please visit the City’s online code at https://idagrove.municipal.codes/ for the full code. All person’s not adhering to the requirements are subject to municipal infractions.
The City of Ida Grove was recently notified of receipt of the 2020 Mini Grant through the Iowa Parks and Recreation Foundation. The City was awarded $500 to go towards sprucing up the shelter house located at City Park. The chimney has already been removed and the roof has been patched. Next steps in the project are to replace rotting boards and re-paint the shelter house. We look forward to seeing the finished project by late Summer and are grateful for the generosity of the Foundation for the funding assistance.
As most of you know, the Ida Grove City Park is full of ash trees, which are subject to the Emerald Ash Borer. Knowing this, the City applied for the Trees Please! grant through MidAmerican Energy and was recently informed of grant award! The typical award amount for this grant is $1,000; however, the City of Ida Grove was awarded $2,000 in funding towards the project! Thank you to MidAmerican Energy and the Trees Please! grant for this wonderful opportunity to plant some new tree species in the City Park! We look forward to beginning this project!
The City of Ida Grove recently applied for a paint grant in order to spruce up the City’s pump house located on Iowa Street. We are proud to announce that the Paint Iowa Beautiful Foundation has notified the City of award of 6 gallons of paint for the beautification project! We look forward to getting the project underway as the weather warms up!
Please see attached pdf regarding meal information for seniors: Meal Flyer
Ida Grove Community Partners has shared this excellent idea to get families outside this weekend and have a little fun! 
Photos of your “Bear Hunt Expedition” can be shared to the Ida Grove Community Partners Facebook page by clicking the following: Ida Grove Community Partners
We hope you all enjoy and have a great weekend!
The City of Ida Grove has received several complaints about suspicious and/or illegal activity going on in Ida Grove. These complaints have been shared to City Hall, Council Members, and the Mayor by concerned citizens. The City met with the Sheriff’s Office this week. We assure you we are working on this issue. The one thing we all can do is report any illegal or suspicious activity directly to the Sheriff’s Office at 712-364-3146. We need to get every call documented in real time, not the next day or a week after. The City and the Sheriff’s Department are working together to resolve this.
We thought we would spread some cheer today and share with you all the new and exciting things happening in town. This week, Godbersen-Smith Construction began work on the tennis courts located in City Park. The finished project will feature 1 tennis court and 2 pickle ball courts. The upgrade is from a very generous donation from the Godbersen Foundation!
Also happening this week is the beginning of construction work to install the last set of lights at the ball complex by the High School. A big Thank You to the Ida Grove Kiwanis for their hard work and dedication to get this upgrade completed!
As of the most current response rates, Iowa (51.8%) is leading over Nebraska (51.7%) in census responses; but not by much! Responding to the 2020 census is the perfect way for all the Iowa, Iowa State and UNI fans to come together and BEAT NEBRASKA! visit 2020census.gov to respond today!
As an additional fun fact, the national response rate is 46.2% with Iowa at 51.8% and Ida Grove at 58% Thank you to all of our citizens who have responded already and are doing their part to help shape Ida Grove’s future!
Did you know today is Census Day? Do your part by responding to the Census TODAY. Keep in mind, April 1 is the designated date used to answer the many expected questions for various living situations. For example, children born or before April 1, 2020 should be counted during this census. If you move during 2020, where you slept on the evening of April 1, 2020 is the address you should use when completing the census.
Census workers have delayed door-to-door approaches at this time due to COVID-19, however, in the future, if you don’t want a knock at your door, you can respond to the Census Bureau soon by one of the following options: visiting: my2020census.gov. Or by phone: 844-330-2020. Or by returning your mailer that was sent out to all addresses.
Thank you for your cooperation and support of our community!
As part of the City’s effort to keep all citizens safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, all meetings of the City Council, Board of Adjustment, Planning and Zoning Commission and any other sub committees or City Government boards/commission’s will be held electronically until further notice. As usual, the agenda’s will continue to be posted on the website under Government –> City Council Minutes –> Agendas and also on the City’s Facebook page. Attached are instructions you may use to call in or attend the meeting via cell phone, computer or tablet. All person’s wanting to participate in the meeting by speaking must address the Mayor (or presiding officer) by stating their name and what they would like to speak on. Once the Mayor has given permission to continue, all discussions are asked to be limited to 2 minutes per person. Thank you! Electronic Meeting Instructions
Starting Tuesday, March 24, the Ida Grove Library will be offering digital cards for residents of Ida Grove and Ida County who currently do not have a valid Ida Grove Library Card. This digital card will allow access to online resources available through the library, including access to eBooks, eAudiobooks, databases, and other resources during the time that the library is closed to the public.
A digital library card will work as a temporary, three-month card and will need to be renewed in person at the time the card expires. To renew the card in person when the library reopens, patrons will need to verify identity by providing a valid driver’s license or ID card and proof of address.
More information about this new service and the online application is available through the library website: www.idagrove.lib.ia.us/services/digital-library-card
If you already have an Ida Grove Public Library card, you do not need a digital card to access digital materials. Please call 364-2306 or email [email protected] to request your current library card number.
Mayor Whiteing made an announcement via Facebook Live at 6:00 pm on Sunday, March 22, 2020. For a transcript of the announcement, click HERE.
If you have not submitted your 2020 Census Questionnaire, now is the perfect time to do it! It only requires about 10 minutes or less of your time. The Census Bureau has made it easier than ever to respond; by phone, online or mail. Visit 2020census.gov to submit online – all you need is your Census ID which was provided to everyone by mail! Your community is counting on YOU to respond as the information aides in funding numerous programs for your community such as grant opportunities, money for street repairs, money for schools/hospitals, etc. As of today, the national census response rate is 16.7% with Iowa having a response rate of 21.6% – let’s keep those responses coming!
Message From Pat Phillips: Ida Grove Food Pride will be doing a major restocking of products tomorrow morning, March 20, 2020. The store will be closed from 7am-10am to allow staff to practice social distancing from one another while restocking shelves. On behalf of Pat and the staff at Food Pride: Thank you community members for your patience and understanding!
During this time of uncertainty, we would like to provide a little humor, all while being totally honest! The struggle is real for some residents and families who have found they are running low and are in need of one very important (and very hard to find these days) product….TOILET PAPER! With that said, we wanted to take a moment to remind everyone to protect City infrastructure as well as protecting your own home and investments. Even if items say they are “flushable” please DO NOT put them down your toilet as they do not dissolve and disintegrate the way toilet paper does. These other “flushable” products will eventually clog your pipes and could cause raw sewage to back up in your home!
The City Council held an emergency meeting this morning at 8:00 am to discuss proactive measures regarding COVID-19. As a result of the meeting, the following decisions were made:
City Hall is closed to the public, effective immediately, until further notice. If you need assistance, please call City Hall at 712-364-2428. All payments/correspondence can be dropped off in the drop box located directly outside of City Hall.
The Rec Center is closed to the public as of close of business tonight
The Library is closed to the public as of close of business tonight
These were not easy decisions for the Council to make – but they did so with our community’s best interest at heart. All events/meetings that were scheduled at the above places have also been cancelled or postponed. Please follow the City’s website and Facebook page for further updates. You may subscribe to receive updates at www.idagroveia.com
We thank you all for your understanding during this uncertain time!
Author Cheryl Mullenbach will be visiting the Ida Grove Library at 6pm on March 26th for a special program highlighting Iowa’s Misbehaving Women.
It’s been said that well-behaved women seldom make history. Author Cheryl Mullenbach has uncovered the stories of Iowa’s intriguing women and invites you to meet these heroic, amusing, imaginative, nervy individuals. Learn about Iowa’s female riverboat captain, livery manager/cigar seller, and Cedar Rapids’ “girl in the trenches.” And, of course, there’s Iowa City’s “first woman executive,” who boasted, “I am 52 years old, don’t care who knows it; and I’m going to clean up this town and then run it properly.” And certainly the woman who spearheaded a drive to provide “vermin-proof underwear” to World War I soldiers in the trenches will capture the audience’s attention. Although history has forgotten these misbehaving women, we’ll take time to remember.
Cheryl Mullenbach is an award-winning Iowa author of non-fiction books. The American Library Association, International Literacy Association, and National Council for Social Studies have recognized her young people’s books about World War II, the Great Depression, the Industrial Revolution, and women in law enforcement. C-SPAN’s “Book TV” series broadcast her talk at the FDR Presidential Library and Museum at Hyde Park, NY, for the Roosevelt Reading Festival in 2014. Cheryl’s latest book for adults, Stagecoach Women, has just been released; and her Iowa history column appears in Iowa History Journal. Learn more at www.CherylMullenbachInk.com
We hope you will mark your calendars and join us at the library to find out more about the misbehaving women of Iowa!
City Hall has been made aware of some residents not receiving their monthly utility bill. Bills are due on the 15th of the month and balance due can be obtained by contacting City Hall at 364-2428 if you have not received your bill. We apologize for the inconvenience!
Mark your calendars for April 1, 2020 and record your information for the 2020 Census! Information about the 2020 Census will be mailed to most addresses beginning in mid-March 2020. People can respond online, by mail or by phone. If no response is received, a census taker will come to your home to follow up in person. The 2020 Census is vital for communities across the world. The results of the census help determine how billions of dollars in federal funding is distributed to states and communities every year. For more information, please visit https://2020census.gov and find out how YOU can help your community!
Stop into City Hall today and get your pet license at a discounted rate!
Any owner of a dog or cat within the city limits is required to license the animal the first of each year or when the animal has reached the age of six months. The owner must license the animal within 60 days of moving to town or within 60 days of obtaining a new pet at the January to February rates. The owner will need to provide the breed, sex, color, markings and name of each animal as well as the address and phone number of the owner. It is the responsibility of the owner to present proof the animal being licensed is incapable of breeding, if applicable. The owner must also provide proof of a current rabies vaccination in order to license the animal. The fees for licensing dogs and cats are as follows:
Come out and have some fun on Saturday, March 14, 2020! Proceeds will support the annual Heritage Days event held the last weekend in June. The Committee has a great evening planned for all ages. Grab some friends, make plans to attend and get your tickets today!!!
Photo Credit: Amy Forbes
The Firemen Bell was officially hung in Godbersen Park this morning! Thank you to all who have contributed to this project along the way! Thanks to Ladwig Construction (Ross Ladwig) and John Tietsort for assisting Public Works hang the bell. This project was one that could not have been completed without many hands from the community and we appreciate all of you!
Shown above is Resolution 2020-9 A Resolution Approving the Maximum Property Tax Dollars Requested for Fiscal Year July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021
The date has been set for the annual Easter Party sponsored by the Ida Grove Chamber!
Where: Ida Grove Skate Palace
Date: Saturday, April 11, 2020
Time: 10:00 am
Join the Chamber Members for a fun-filled morning to include an Easter egg hunt, games, door prizes, face painting, cupcake walk and a photo opp with the Easter Bunny!
Per SF 634 – a public hearing will be held in the City Council Chambers on 2-18-2020 at 5:30 PM on the proposed maximum property tax dollars from certain levies. Residents and taxpayers of the City may present to the City Council any objections or arguments in favor of the tax dollars before the budget is adopted and certified to the County Auditor. The attached notice has been published in the Ida County Courier (2-5-2020) and on the City of Ida Grove Facebook page in addition to the website.
Max Levy Hearing Notice Attachment
The City of Ida Grove’s utility bills got a fresh, new look! Bills are heading to the Post Office today, so be on the lookout for the new RED color!
Due to the weather conditions, the Ida Grove Library will be closing at noon today. We will open on Saturday at 9 am, weather permitting. Stay safe and warm on this snowy day!
City Hall will be closing at 2:00 pm today due to the inclement weather. Stay safe, Ida Grove.
