Building Relationships For A Stronger Mahaska Community

The Mahaska County Board of Supervisors met with representatives from the Oskaloosa Area Chamber and Development Group in a work session this past week.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – The Mahaska County Board of Supervisors held a work session with the Oskaloosa Area Chamber and Development group this past week. The purpose of the meeting was to find ways in which the two entities could find more common ground to better grow and serve the region.

Mahaska County Supervisor ‘Willie’ Van Weelden said that the possibility of drawing a huge industry to Mahaska County or Oskaloosa isn’t something that is on the table now, or in the near future. “You’ve got to work with what you have,” he remarked.

“I think the first thing you have to do is that you see to it you assist businesses and industries that are here as best you can,” Van Weelden continued.

Van Weelden added that for the supervisors, maintaining roads is something they are “probably more centered on than economic development”. He sees the chamber as the key for economic development.

Oskaloosa Chamber President Margaret Ratcliff added that the OACDG board was there to listen to the supervisor’s concerns and questions.

Van Weelden said he realizes that the world has changed, and younger people buy online or take the four-lane highway to Des Moines. “You work to keep what you have and we’re not going to land, you’re not going to land, I don’t see a big retailer type. You got big box stores closing in these malls all around the country.”

Mahaska County Supervisor Mark Doland said that he believes the closure of the JC Penney store will impact our local option sales tax and “what we’re going to take in from that”.

“I think the more of these small businesses that shut down here locally, it impacts our tax base,” added Doland. “I think that our first priority should be to take care of the people that are here.”

Doland pointed towards the vacant Paslode building, and his first priority would be to bring jobs to the area. “Maintain a good workforce. Train people specifically for the jobs that are here. Maybe develop some high tech jobs.”

Doland believes that you have to work with area schools and it has to be a united effort. “Everybody is kind of doing their own thing, rather than working together. I think the future is whatever we want it to be. It has to be purposeful, and we have to be intentional about the way that we plan.”

Mahaska County Supervisor Mark Groenendyk said he’s been speaking with local businesses about what would help them. Groenendyk explained that he’s heard that good roads and a good school system are always the first two things mentioned.

The third item Groenendyk hears from area businesses is that they are looking for a good tax structure. “They want to go someplace where they make money. They don’t want the government to take their efforts away.”

Ratcliff asked the supervisors how tax revenue from the pipeline and wind farm will impact taxes in the county. “Is that going to lower other people’s taxes, or how does that work? Or does that just add new money to your budget?”

Groenendyk said that it should lower everybody’s, but Dolan agreed and disagreed, pointing to a five year road plan that hasn’t been tackled because he says there wasn’t money available to achieve those goals.

“We’ve had some money,” responded Van Weelden. “And we’ve spent it.”

“Ok”, responded Doland. “But when you have the immediate needs for roads to be rebuilt in our county, well over thirty million dollars. We didn’t have that kind of money to get those projects done.”

Doland hopes to start diverting some of the wind power and pipeline money towards infrastructure such as roads.

Groenendyk said he believes that business expansion will come from start-up entrepreneurs that would grow, and not to plan on bringing in a big company to the area.

Groenendyk said that he also believes in encouraging the school system to help students “think outside the box. To take a chance.”

Developing a workforce and training people with the skills needed to fill area jobs has been a point of discussion with area employers, schools, politicians, and economic development groups like the chamber, for several years.

The other area of discussion that goes along with the training aspect is developing amenities to retain and attract the professional and skilled labor needed to the area. The new recreation facility is one of those amenities that was heavily discussed during the past year. It and the new regional airport – and what impact those may have on the area – have divided the Mahaska Community.

Ratcliff said that areas the Chamber have talked in the past about include: goals that the Chamber sees as necessary for developing the workforce, housing needs, and infrastructure planning.

Retail development is also important for the Chamber, to better help support the workforce that live in the area. Being able to visit the local hardware store like True Value is important to people who work and live in the area. “The retail area helps support the people who are working in this vicinity,” added Ratcliff.

Marketing, economic diversification, and attracting new businesses to diversify the locality with not just retail, but the service sectors as well, are other factors the Chamber is looking at.

Doland said that from the county’s perspective, they would like to see development everywhere and not just in Oskaloosa.

“I want the money spent in my county. I’m going to be honest with you, I don’t care if people spend money in McGriff’s (New Sharon). That does me just as much benefit as spending it here (Oskaloosa). But when they are leaving this area and going to Ottumwa and Pella, we’ve got less money,” added Groenendyk.

Groenendyk suggested that a truck wash and a truck stop could be important in helping to spark growth to the area.

“I’d just as soon have the county’s money stay in our county,” added Groenendyk. “Whether they spend it in Oskaloosa or New Sharon, I don’t care. There’s a pile of money out there that’s leaving our county.”

Ratcliff said that capturing those dollars would be a priority.

Ratcliff said that the Chamber group that visited with the board of supervisors was “really just looking for a conversation. We just wanted to hear what you guys were working towards, and what ideas and gaps you found.”

“We’d like for this to continue,” added Ratcliff with regard to the hour-long dialog between the two groups.

Ratcliff suggested bringing the City of Oskaloosa into the conversation, “because we need to all know what the whole county needs to do.”