City of Sioux City officials are aiming to pull off building a new wastewater treatment plant in a financially responsible way, so they now are considering a second way in which to stage the project.
During the Sioux City Council meeting on Monday, a new way of phasing the construction was brought up, which could potentially reduce the cost.
The estimated cost is $470 million, and the city could pay for the wastewater treatment plant through an increase in wastewater rates paid by Sioux City residents and federal money from the American Rescue Plan funds passed in 2021
The council members will hear more on the proposals at their meeting next week.
In other news, two school districts in Northeast Nebraska have large-dollar school bond measures before voters Tuesday, with mail-in voting through 5 p.m. to determine the outcomes.
The measure in the Crofton School District is for $12.5 million dollars, which is several million less than a previous bond issue proposal that was defeated in the 2021-22 school year.
The school website shows that if passed, the school improvements would be on the high school and elementary buildings, for such things as more rooms at the elementary site, adding an athletics multipurpose room for the high school, plus reconstructing the front entrances with more security.
The second bond issue at the Bancroft-Rosalie School District is for $18 million dollars. The money would be spent to add classrooms, a gymnasium, music room and other facets.
Both school bond issues at Crofton and Bancroft-Rosalie require 50 percent approval to pass, in order for district officials to borrow to pay for the projects.
Additionally, a Sioux City native wrote the musical score for the documentary film that won the Oscar Award for Best Documentary Feature.
The film “20 Days in Mariupol” was part of the PBS “Frontline” series, and Jordan Dykstra wrote the score for the film that nabbed the Academy Award on Sunday.
Dykstra is a graduate of Bishop Heelan High School in 2003.
In other news, a major reworking of U.S. Highway 20 on the east edge of Sioux City will now begin next week.
An Iowa Department of Transportation official last week told Siouxland Public Media that the work would start roughly April 1, but now that will begin on March 18.
The busy Highway 20 four lanes into and out from Sioux City will be reduced to two lanes, until construction expected to take eight months to November.
The $32 million project will change the highway grade to be less hilly, create wider intersections to connecting county roads, and provide a better connection to the Whispering Creek area.
Other highway construction projects elsewhere that will require lane closures for several months include on U.S. Highway 71 in Okoboji and Highway 39 in Sac and Crawford counties.
