Four and one-half years after a bond issue vote financially paved the way for a new Woodbury County jail facility, people could take a look at it in a Wednesday open house.
After many long years of construction delays, a new Woodbury County Law Enforcement Center was open for the public to come see some sections. The new jail and courtrooms are in the building along 28th Street on the northeast side of Sioux City.
In a social media post, Woodbury County Sheriff Chad Sheehan and three former sheriffs posed for a photo in front of the building. Former Sheriff Dave Drew said it was a notable day, and that he was happy for the jail and court employees who will get to work there.
Throughout much of the 2010’s, many Woodbury County Board of Supervisors meetings were taken up with the topic of the repair needs of the downtown Sioux City jail and courtroom building.
The decision by the county supervisors eventually was made to give up pursuing costly repairs and to instead develop plans for a new jail.
That was followed by a $54 million public bond issue vote placed before Woodbury County approved by voters in March 2020.
Cost overruns and delays took place, and the jail is now projected to cost $70 million.
*Additionally, South Sioux City residents are encouraged to take part in a special meeting Wednesday evening, as leaders of the public school system are mulling how to build and pay for more facilities.
South Sioux City School District officials have set the meeting, which will be held at 6 p.m. at the middle school gymnasium. They are calling the session the first Cardinal Vision community workshop, and urging as many people as possible to attend what are planned to be five such sessions.
A release from school officials said the district is at a crossroads, so “with increasing enrollment and aging school facilities, the time to act is now. It's been 25 years since we made significant improvements to our school buildings, and our students deserve to learn in schools that will meet their needs now and in the future.”
The current South Sioux City School District enrollment is roughly 4,000 students.
The workshops will be a mix of presentations, group discussions, and hands-on activities, as school officials seek to get a variety of ideas and perspectives on how to proceed.
*In other news, Spencer, Iowa officials say sufficient housing is one of the top ongoing issues after devastating flooding this summer.
Sheriffa Jones with the Spencer Chamber of Commerce said with such widespread damage from the Little Sioux River, the recovery process isn’t easy.
“There's always this huge outpouring of support initially, and we definitely saw that, and then it dissipates. This is going to be a recovery effort that's going to take years, three years, five years, 10 years, 20 years. Ultimately, Spencer and Clay County will never be the same,” Jones said.
Jones said most property owners did not have flood insurance and are receiving federal, state and local help. She said not everyone will receive all the funding they need to recover.
Housing officials say some flood victims are living in 40 state-funded recreational vehicles at the Clay County Fairgrounds as developers work on rebuilding homes. Another 40 RVs will be filled soon, but they are not meant to be used during the winter, so residents will be moved into FEMA trailers or rental units.
In other FEMA-related news, one of the Disaster Recovery Centers in Northwest Iowa will close.
Such centers are designed as one-stop shops to learn about government programs that can help people impacted by summer flooding.
FEMA opened nine Disaster Recovery Centers in NOrthwest Iowa in July, some have closed due to lessened usage. The latest to close will be the Woodbury County center, which will close at 6 p.m. Saturday in the parking lot of Morningside Lutheran Church in Sioux City.
