Board member
Larry Marek raised the issue about the Earthpark project announcing publicly
that the Foundation could provide $8 [million] to it over 10 years, "but
they have not come to the Foundation."
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Copies of the official, approved application form to request funds from
the Washington County Riverboat Foundation will be available by July 1.
The forms may be obtained at the county courthouse, local city halls, as
well as the office of the Foundation's attorney Doug Tindal, 395 W Main
Street, Washington and the office of Foundation Chairman Tim Putney, Peoples
Trust and Savings Bank, Riverside. Until the Foundation has an actual office,
calls for information may be made to Tindal's' office at 319-653-5434.
The timeline for applying and for grant awards remains the same as announced
in May: September 1 for a letter of intent and October 1 for the completed
application with announcement of successful applicants December 15.
A completion application is the only means for applicants to be considered
for grants from the estimated $3.2 million the non-profit Foundation will
have to distribute, board members agreed Wednesday.
That would include the local
school districts that Wednesday formally asked the board to consider a
straight 15 percent annual allocation for the districts. It would amount
to about $480,000.
The districts are Highland, Mid-Prairie, Washington, Keota and Winfield-Mt.
Union. The latter two are not in the county but have students from it.
Highland Superintendent
Carol Montz, who presented the request, noted it would amount to approximately
$121 per pupil for each student living in Washington County.
Montz also noted that the Foundation already will give 25 percent to the
municipalities in the county, and asked for equal consideration for the
school districts.
However, board member Ed Raber noted that the "municipal fund" is a separate
matter from the grant process.
Actually, the Foundation, which at the time was a Commission, voted to
provide funding to all the county's cities shortly before the countywide
vote on the gambling referendum in August, 2004.
As a result, the districts request has to be e treated like any other applicant,
noted Foundation member Ted Drain.
Drain also voiced concern about a request from Steve Olson to return to
the Foundation with an eight-minute Power Point presentation about the
newly formed Community Foundation of Washington County.
Drain said that that would mean any group could come with a presentation,
and that was not how the application process was to proceed.
Olson explained briefly that the Foundation was formed primarily to seek
funds from the $2 million Endow Iowa fund. Olson said that Endow Iowa will
help with local philanthropic efforts. He added that the Washington County
group may be the first for a rural county, that much of the previous funding
went to urban areas.
Other board members expressed concerns about the school district request,
that the Foundation grant guidelines was not to provide regular funds for
those with other sources. There also was a question about how Foundation
funds would be used.
Montz had said that any Foundation funds would be used specifically on
technology and books. The state has substantially cut funding for the former,
she added.
That led to members noting that there would have to be an accounting report
from any receiving foundation funds, including the municipalities.
"We would want a review
of how the cities use the money," said Raber.
It was then noted that back in 2004 it was said the allocations would go
to the cities' general funds, to finance whatever the city needed or wanted.
James Miksch, candidate for county supervisor, asked if the county could
apply. Raber said that the county is already due to receive funds from
the casino in state-mandated legislation.
But Miksch suggested that the county should be as eligible as the other
entities when it came to applying for grants.
Board member Larry Marek raised the issue about the Earthpark project announcing
publicly that the Foundation could provide $8 to it over 10 years, "but
they have not come to the Foundation."
Raber said that public announcement was that the Foundation "was only a
possibility."
Marek replied that that would be one-quarter of the Foundation's estimated
$3.2 million going to one project.