ATLANTIC, IOWA — Officials with SWIPCO (The Southwest Iowa Planning Council) welcome three new staff members to the organization.

Chris Parks

Chris Parks has assumed the role of Communications Coordinator, overseeing community outreach, public engagement, and media communications for SWIPCO and SWITA (The Southwest Iowa Transit Agency). Parks is a graduate of Glenwood High School and has a bachelor’s degree in Broadcasting from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. He has a wealth of journalism experience as a broadcaster for 16 years at KJAN Radio in Atlantic. Chris lives in Atlantic with his wife Mandy and their two children Carson and Greta.

Julie Hays is a new Transit Scheduler. Julie joins the team that connects area residents to the transportation they need. SWITA serves eight counties in Southwest Iowa with a fleet of 100 vehicles. Transportation provided includes work routes, student transportation, day habilitation routes for disabled individuals, medical transport, and a range of other services.

Julie Hays

To find out more about the transportation services provided by SWITA you can call 712-243-2518 or 1-800-842-8065 or get more information at www.swita.com.

And, SWIPCO welcomes Barb Boggs as a Grants Specialist. She will work with SWIPCO Disaster Recovery Planning to help with citizen claims and surveying for the agency. Barb will help clients navigate through application procedures and ensure the agency is meeting grant regulations.

SWIPCO and the Southwest Iowa Housing Trust Fund operate a wide range of programs including housing repair, down payment assistance, demolition of dilapidated houses, and lead abatement. SWIPCO also provides building inspection services and currently has more than 1,500 rental units in its inspection program. Boggs will assist with all of these programs and will be an asset to the agency.

Barb Boggs

Boggs has lived the majority of her life in Atlantic and graduated from Atlantic High School. She has a varied background with work in financing, a law office, the postal service, and more.