Community Notes: A lot of positives in Charles City’s present, future

By Mayor Dean Andrews, Charles City

With the start of a new year it’s always a good time to step back and see what has been accomplished in the past year, as well as what to look forward to in the future. I sometimes become frustrated when I hear people say there’s nothing going on in Charles City. I know things can always be better, but there are several things that have happened in 2023 which bode well for our community.

Several of our major employers have seen progress this past year. Zoetis is in the midst of a major expansion and has added 70 jobs in 2023. Cambrex has also seen major expansion of their facility. Pure Prairie Poultry has updated the former chicken plant in town and has developed a new business plan which should help them to create a successful operation. As expansion continues, they have so far employed over 100 staff. Another commercial development is the transformation of the former Kmart building to a new storage/distribution area for three separate businesses.

On the city front, we completed a multi-year $19 million upgrade to our water treatment facility that not only treats more impurities, but also expands the plant’s capacity. The city borrowed money for the project from the state Revolving Loan Fund. As a refund on this loan, the city receives $1 million to develop water conservation “sponsored projects.” Two of these projects are the Mill Race parking lot behind the Union House with the use of permeable pavers and the Arboretum project on Clark Street as a demonstration project for assorted water conservation practices. The “Sponsored Project” dollars paid for almost 100% of these two projects.

TLC: The Learning Center moved into their new facility in the remodeled former middle school. This new location provides a much needed larger footprint, which includes a commercial grade kitchen, and allows the ability to double their enrollment, helping to meet a much needed child care demand in our community.

The Floyd County Medical Center held an open house this fall showcasing their upgraded Emergency and Radiology departments. The Parkside Twin House project has provided five new twin homes on the former Jefferson School site, and the Sherman Creek project across from the former Sherman Nursery office building is well on its way to providing nine new upscale townhomes

In addition to all of these developments, the Charles City School District reported increasing statewide test scores in several subject areas and grade levels.

As we move into 2024 several projects are already in the plan.

Next summer will see the resurfacing of Main Street from Gilbert to North Grand, which will include a more permanent reconfiguration of the Main Street/North Grand Intersection. In this same area the recreational trail will be extended from where it ends now on F Street up to North Grand. In conjunction with this trail extension, the city will be working with the depot refurbishing project by helping to fund an outdoor restroom facility for trail users as part of a new trailhead.

The Floyd County Medical Center also plans to begin an even larger expansion than last year with the creation of a new entrance, physicians clinic, and other office spaces along the front of the building. The NIACC expansion of a new Career Academy plans to be open for the start of school in the fall of 2024. This academy will serve seven school districts in the area, including Charles City, as it helps to train students in trade occupations to help fill a void of workers in these areas.

Finally we hope to see a housing development or two in town as our designation by the state as one of eleven Thriving Communities statewide allows us to offer state tax incentives to developers to come to Charles City with a project.

These are just some of the things that have happened, are happening, or are planned to happen in Charles City. I’m sure I have missed several new or ongoing opportunities in our town. I have always been a “glass half full” kind of guy, and I see a lot of positive things going on.

Let’s make 2024 a year for progress and positivity in our community. Let’s everyone be a part of the solution.