The City Council in Atlantic held an electronically conducted meeting Wednesday evening, and heard from SWIPCO Community Development Director Alexsis Fleener. She spoke about a recent Atlantic Municipal Utilities (AMU) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) that was awarded in the amount of $493,997 for water system improvements. The grant, combined with a $603,773 AMU local match, will pay for a water main project that crosses under the Nishnabotna River near the Wastewater Treatment Plan, and will act as a looped system to serve Marne residents and for other, future purposes and/or development. The City Council approved the CDBG Subrecipient agreement for the AMU grant, with the City acting as the fiscal agent. AMU and SWIPCO will act as the grant administrator.

Fleener also spoke about a Community Catalyst Grant application SHIFT ATL is applying for, with regard to their housing project. In other business, the Council reviewed bids for the Atlantic Animal Shelter expansion project. The project was estimated to cost $151,620. The Animal Control Center has a Gift Funds Balance of $149,419.27. The bids received by the City came in well over the available funds. Snyder and Associates worked with the lowest bidder [United Construction], to try and reduce the project cost by $15,000, but at $165,300, the bid still exceed the resources available. It was agreed by all concerned, including Atlantic Control Officer Kris Erickson, that the Council should reject all bids and delay the project until this fall, or until the economy improves and resources are available. A motion to that effect was passed 7-0.

The Council also approved, by a vote of 6-to 1 (With Gerald Brink in opposition), an Engineering Agreement (for planning and design) with Snyder & Associates for the W. 22nd Street (7th to Palm) Reconstruction Project. The agreement will make the project “Shovel ready,” assuming another trillion-dollar federal stimulus package is approved this Fall, as many expect. If not, the plans will simply be shelved for better economic times. Regardless, when the funds do become available within the next five-years, the engineering aspect will have already been taken care of, and the process to solicit bids can begin. The Council suggested a bike path be figured in to the project, if possible.

In other business, the Council also passed a Resolution approving the transfer of funds for 3rd Quarter LOST (Local Option Sales Tax) receipts for the Fiscal Year 2019-20. This is a routine transfer of money between the City’s 94 separate funds, and are said to be a “Critical component of making the City’s budget work effectively. In addition, it reconciles accurate cost-accounting with the desire to create transparency on what is being spent in each of the line items in each fund.

The final order of business, was for the Council to approved the first reading of an ordinance establishing parking zones on East 12th Street, from Olive Street to the west (a dead-end street just east of the Heritage House). The area has been a source of complaints from home owners about people parking on both sides of the narrow street, and a safety concern of fire and law enforcement. The ordinance designates the north side of the street as a “No parking” area.

Prior to adjournment, Mayor Dave Jones officially announced the City of Atlantic Fireworks will be held July 3rd, in the AMU well fields next to the Atlantic Sports Complex (across from KJAN). In the event rain is forecast, or other events (Including a COVID-19 restriction on public gathering) force a delay, the make-up date will be Sept. 4th (The Friday preceding Labor Day). The celebration is being paid for by the Atlantic Rotary and Community Promotion Commission.

(Radio Iowa) — The state’s largest hospital is now drastically limiting visitors in an effort to lower the risk of spreading coronavirus. As of today (Wednesday), the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City is suspending visitors for most adult patients. U-I-H-C Chief Medical Officer Theresa Brennan says there are a few cases where those strict rules will be relaxed, but not many.

“There are predetermined exceptions to this, for women who are in labor with an impending delivery and for patients who come to our emergency room,” Brennan says. “Pediatric patients will be allowed one visitor per day and that must be a parent or a legal guardian.” Exceptions will also be made for patients in critical care and those facing end of life decisions, but even those patients will be allowed just one visitor. Brennan says it was a tough call.

“This was a difficult decision and we have discussed it at length,” she says, “and we know that it’s the right thing to do to protect our patients, our visitors and our staff.” Hospital officials say they will help patients use technology to stay in touch with their loved ones, providing devices and language interpretation for those who need it.

(Reporting by Kate Payne, Iowa Public Radio)

Officials with the Pottawattamie County Dept. of Public Health, this (Wednesday) afternoon, said four new positive cases for COVID-19 have been reported in the county. The total number of cases now stands at 18, with 11 people having recovered from the virus.

The four new cases involve three men and one woman between the ages of 41-and 80. All four individuals reside in Council Bluffs, and all four have pre-existing conditions. None of the new cases had contact with an existing COVID-19 case. Testing occurred between April 12th and 14th. Two of the patients are hospitalized, two are self-isolating at home.

Pott. County Public Health is conducting a contact trace investigation, and is in touch with the Iowa Dept. of Public Health.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Kim Reynolds says she’s asking federal agencies and business leaders for help preventing coronavirus outbreaks at Iowa food processing plants and responding to two that have already infected scores of workers. Reynolds said that she was calling the leaders of 18 major meat packing and food plants to assess how the pandemic is affecting their workplaces and how the state can help.

She says she also has a call scheduled with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and is inquiring with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control “to see if they can provide some assistance at our packing plants as well.”

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Four teenagers linked to a large fight that ended in a shooting at a Cedar Rapids park have been charged with violating Iowa’s social distancing rules. The Cedar Rapids Police Department said Wednesday that three adult teens and one juvenile were cited for violating the state’s temporary ban on social gatherings larger than 10.

Gov. Kim Reynolds imposed the ban March 17 to stop the spread of the coronavirus. They’re charged with a simple misdemeanor for failing to follow a public health order. Such crimes usually involve a fine of up to $625.

Cass County Public Health officials are continueing to provide guidance to area businesses related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Beth Olsen, Cass County Public Health Director, says “There are some definite steps local businesses that are still open can take to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks, as well as to detect and manage the virus if an employee should become infected. We are here to guide businesses to help ensure the health and safety of their employees as well as all citizens of Cass County.”

Preventing Outbreaks:

• Businesses should implement measures to enable social distancing as much as possible.
• Consider staggering shifts to reduce worker population at any given time.
• Stagger breaks to reduce staff interactions.
• Review procedures to identify ways to increase the physical separation of staff.
• Businesses should prioritize hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette among employees.
• Businesses should provide or allow employees to wear their own homemade cloth facemasks.
• Businesses should provide hand sanitizer or handwashing opportunities as frequently as possible.

Detecting Outbreaks

• Screen all employees by taking their temperature and assessing for cough, sore throat, difficulty breathing or any other respiratory symptom at the beginning and end of each shift. For a screening algorithm visit: https://idph.iowa.gov/Portals/1/userfiles/7/bscreening%20algorithm%2003222020.pdf
• Exclude all employees reporting fever or respiratory symptoms (these cases will be directed to stay home and isolate themselves from other people and animals in the home) until they:
  – Have had no fever for at least 72 hours (that is three full days of no fever without the use of medicine that reduces fevers) AND
  – Other symptoms have improved (for example, when your cough or shortness of breath have improved) AND
  – At least 7 days have passed since your symptoms first appeared.

Exclusion criteria must be followed with all symptomatic employees, regardless of whether the testing is completed (even if the employee tests negative for COVID-19 infection). Businesses are encouraged to report to the Iowa Department of Public Health when 10% or greater of employees are reporting COVID-19 symptoms (including fever, cough, sore throat, difficulty breathing, or any other respiratory symptom).

Report to public health by filling out the survey at this link:
https://redcap.idph.state.ia.us/surveys/?s=NRJ4FDMDPN

Managing Outbreaks
Businesses should consider excluding high-risk employees when outbreaks are ongoing. High-risk
employees include:

• People aged 65 years and older
• People of all ages with underlying medical conditions, particularly if not well controlled, including:
  o People with chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma
  o People who have serious heart conditions
• People who are immunocompromised
  o Many conditions can cause a person to be immunocompromised, including cancer
  treatment, smoking, bone marrow or organ transplantation, immune deficiencies, poorly
  controlled HIV or AIDS, and prolonged use of corticosteroids and other immune weakening
  medications
• People with severe obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥40)
• People with diabetes
• People with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis
• People with liver disease

Business decisions to close should be based upon workforce availability and the ability to follow the
recommended measures outlined above. For up-to-date information on COVID-19, visit the IDPH webpage at https://idph.iowa.gov/Emerging-Health-Issues/Novel-Coronavirus and follow the department on Facebook at @IowaDepartmentOfPublicHealth and on Twitter at @IAPublicHealth.

Here is the latest COVID-19 update from the State of Iowa, as reported by the Iowa Dept. of Public Health and Governor Kim Reynolds (This information is current as of 11-a.m. today, April 15th):

• There are 96 new, positive cases of COVID-19, for a total of 1,995.
• No new counties have reported new cases of the virus.
• There are 407 negative cases for a total of 17,874 negative test results.
• There are 3,048 tests available from the State.
• 908 Iowans have recovered from the virus, for a recovery rate of 46%.
• There have been four additional deaths: an elderly adult from Polk County; 1 elderly adult from Clayton County; one older adult in Allamakee County, and one older adult in Johnson County. Total number of deaths in Iowa: 53.

The Department of Public Health has also confirmed one additional Long Term Care (facility) outbreaks.: At Wilton Retirement Community in Muscatine County. That brings the total number of LTC outbreaks to seven. The Governor said “More than 10-percent of Iowa’s total number of positive COVID-19 cases, and 49-percent of our deaths are related to Long Term Care Outbreak. All deaths in Iowa are among older or elderly individuals and those with underlying health conditions, again underscoring the importance of doing our part to protect the most vulnerable population.”

For additional, county-by-county data, go to: https://idph.iowa.gov/emerging-health-issues/novel-coronavirus

WATERLOO, Iowa (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier) — An Iowa mayor is tapping a fired Texas police chief for the same role. The Courier reports Waterloo’s mayor on Tuesday named Joel Fitzgerald Sr. to be the city’s next police chief. Fitzgerald would be Waterloo’s first black police chief if he’s ratified by the city council during a meeting next week. Fitzgerald was fired from his job as Fort Worth, Texas police chief last year.

Fort Worth officials in part cited an incident in Washington, D.C. that they said brought Fitzgerald’s judgment and leadership into question. Fitzgerald now serves as the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office’s chief deputy.