upervisors continue discussions on pipeline inspection options

The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors is still seeking input from other area counties regarding inspection services for the proposed Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline project.
Questions were raised by Supervisors Chair Mark Peterson, as well as Peterson’s constituents, as to whether the county would be left to foot the bill for any inspection services rendered prior to the project, should it not come to fruition.
Supervisor Donna Robinson reached out to other area supervisors to find out what their plans were for the inspections. Robinson sad she contacted members from two supervisors boards, Crawford County and Page County, and received one reply from Alan Armstrong with the Page County Board of Supervisors.
“They signed a letter of intent with a group when the pipeline was planned, and are going to wait to actually hire the team until construction and the actual hands-on work starts. So they rectified the issue by issuing a letter of intent for services from a specific company,” Robinson explained.
Robinson added she would continue to reach out to the supervisor from Crawford County to get information with how they are handling inspection services.
Supervisor Mike Olson he also recently discovered that a farm he farms in Mills County will be impacted if the project comes to fruition.
“According to what we discovered, I think we would have to destroy a bit more than six acres of land on this farm to allow them to do their construction,” advised Olson.
Supervisor Randy Cooper said based on information he’d received, only about 20% of the counties in Iowa that will be impacted by the pipeline are in favor of it, and around 80% of the counties impacted are opposed to the project.
The supervisors also met with outgoing Montgomery County Veterans Affairs Commission director Harry Rossander, who had big news regarding the search for his replacement.
“The Montgomery County Veterans Affairs Commission met on April 21 to consider the two candidates who had applied and were seeking interviews. We selected Curtis White, a 15-year Air Force veteran who has done a multitude of different things. I look forward to him taking over my position on May 2,” Rossander said.
White also spoke briefly before the supervisors, and said he is excited to serve as a leader for the county’s veterans.
“I’m looking forward to the opportunity. I’ve done a lot of customer service work in my past and have spent a lot of time working with the Boy Scouts, and I think I’ll be able to do very well in this role,” White explained.
The supervisors approved the Montgomery County Veteran’s Affairs Commission’s selection of White as the new director for Montgomery County. An interview with White will be published in a future May edition of the Red Oak Express.
The supervisors also heard comments from county engineer Karen Albert, who advised she had submitted the necessary information to U.S. Rep.Cindy Axne’s office for potential funding for the 250th Street bridge in the Grant Township.
Albert said she received confirmation from Axne’s office that the documents were received, and she was expecting to receive further information in the next few weeks.