Housing And Workforce Topic Of Loebsack Visit

Congressman Dave Loebsack speaks with community members about the challenges being faced by communities to stay viable in rural Iowa.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – There is a lot of moving pieces needed to keep a community growing and vibrant, and U.S. Congressman Dave Loebsack stopped by Oskaloosa this past week to see what the community is doing to stay vibrant and relevant.

The tour started off at the Oskaloosa Area Chamber and Development Groups offices and made its way past the Mahaska County Courthouse, and towards the recently renovated facades.

Walking down High Avenue, the Congressman stopped into Hawkeye Real Estate, where he met with owner Lyle Siefering about the local economy and local workforce.

Housing and workforce was a topic that came up in the discussion, and MCDG Director Tom Flaherty shared their thoughts about how those subjects were impacting the county locally.

An advantage the area has over large metro areas is the cost to build a home in Mahaska County. Siefering said it’s cheaper to build that home here than in a metro area like Des Moines.

The income in the area is also less than metro areas, but that the real challenge recently in getting homes built is that projects don’t have enough skilled workers to complete the builds.

Keeping those skilled tradespeople is difficult, as many choose to move off to metro areas, where they can obtain higher pay than in the rural areas.

Siefering added that work is being done to get more trades education involved at the high school level. Students have been able to move from high school to economically sound jobs straight after graduation. Community college education was part of the discussion on providing needed skills to the labor force.

Overcoming decades of downplaying the trades profession is a difficult one. Loebsack agreed, saying he hears about, “this cultural shift that has happened over the years here in America, that it just went out of fashion to be a laborer of some sort.”

Loebsack said that colleges aren’t necessarily what everybody, “needs to do.”

The debt from a college degree versus the pay available to students who enter a trade was a portion of that conversation taking place this week as Loebsack visited the community.

Loebsack added that since he’s been elected to the U.S House of Representatives, he’s grown to appreciate community colleges and trades programs.

Flaherty said that a summit is in the works that will bring financing, developers, and builders together. “We’ve maxed out our ability to build houses,” in Oskaloosa. “We don’t have enough carpenters. We don’t have enough electricians. We don’t have enough plumbers.”

Oskaloosa’s population has remained relatively steady, and Siefering said that “We’re pretty fortunate in that. We’ve been able to hold that population together.”

Oskaloosa’s population is now about where it was in the 1950’s, which is bucking the trend of most communities in rural Iowa.

Pella Corporation and Vermeer were named as some of the largest employers of Oskaloosa residents, with Musco and Clow, and along with Interpower and Cargill.

Mahaska Health Partnership, William Penn University, and the Oskaloosa School system were also discussed as significant employers in the area.

Flaherty said that an initiative is underway to recognize Mahaska and Marion Counties as a region, “so we’re not bickering with each other, and actually working together.”

The drive for Oskaloosa residents to Pella is about upwards of 20 minutes, which is less than many urban commutes, like the residents of metro areas like Des Moines deal with.

“That’s nothing in rural America,” added Loebsack of the commute time. “More and more people are driving 75 minutes.”

“Nothing in the city either,” added Siefering.

Loebsack agreed, saying that driving more than a half hour was something you had to do. “People weren’t used to doing that in rural America. Now they are doing it more in rural America.”

Flaherty said that for Oskaloosa and Mahaska, housing is a real challenge.

Helping to solve some of that challenge is the apartments above downtown locations, but also attracting food and entertainment options to the downtown area is a priority.

Oskaloosa has gained some ground lately on beginning housing development with the Marje Addition, as well as a new apartment complex on the west side of Oskaloosa, but the focus remains on providing more needed housing to help grow the community by offering options to those moving to the area.