by Matt Marquardt –
MASON CITY – North Iowa Landfill Director Bill Rowland is not supporting an agreement between the landfill and Energy Recovery Specialists (ERS), a company from Colorado that wants to build a $35 million dollar waste to energy plant in Mason City.
In a letter to North Iowa Landfill Board members, Rowland (pictured with LNI attorney James Locher) touches on the success the landfill has had in becoming a “premier facility” and said that it is “critical” that each community weighs in on a vote on the contract which will take place Thursday evening. “At no time in recent history has the LNI Board been asked to make a decision of this magnitude and potential economic risk,” Rowland wrote.
At a landfill board meeting in January, a consulting company, Foth Infrastructure, questioned the viability of the ERS plant. At that same meeting, newly-appointed board member Scott Tornquist of Mason City urged the LNI Board to move forward and make a deal with ERS as quickly as possible, despite the fact that there was no contract that had been negotiated between ERS and the landfill. Watch video of Tornquist addressing the LNI Board in January:
Many board members were not buying what Tornquist was selling, based on comments that were made.
One board member said “we just got this.” Another said “you can’t even buy a house in two weeks.” Another said “I just feel like this is being shoved down our throats.” LNI attorney James Locher said “I would prefer to have several months for something of this magnitude. There will be considerable backing and forthing on this… that’s a difficult thing.”
Just this evening, Hampton’s Mayor Shawn Dietz, who represents Hampton on the LNI Board, seemed to indicate he agreed more with the Foth report than Tornquist. “To say this proposed facility and proposal ‘doesn’t pass the sniff test’ is putting it mildly,” he said. Dietz also said “there is something that doesn’t add up, and it would not be in the best interest of any of the smaller communities from a financial standpoint to vote in favor of such an agreement.”
Since the last landfill board meeting, the landfill’s attorney, James Locher, has been working with ERS’s attorney Jacqueline Aurthur on a contract that would bind the landfill to ERS for at least a decade. That contract, again, is set to be voted on Thursday night.
Whether or not any LNI board members have even seen this contract is not known.
ERS claims they will bring over 50 jobs to Mason City. Their project has been dogged every step of the way by citizens who say the plant will have unsafe emissions and will be located too close to schools and the Newman Daycare, just 1.5 miles away.
It’s hard to find educated people in this particular topic, but you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
I am so proud of the way the LNI board meeting went tonight. There was a real exchange of ideas and a lot of inquiry.
I really respect the landfill board members and the way they voted their conscience.
Anyone who was there would be proud of the LNI leadership and board. It was a first rate contract that was hammered out. And the exec board and lawyers did it to protect the landfill in the event that the contract were ratified.
I am very pleased it wasn’t.
Can we create fifty new jobs in the community by growing what we have and everyone shopping locally instead of online?
A profile on the internet says Brent Willett went to U of Iowa. Zoom shows a Brent Willett listed as U of I with B.A. in English and Lib Arts. Is that him? I thought he had a degree in Finance if he felt qualified to judge an outside expert’s financial analysis as being amateur. Why don’t we have an independent financial expert look at it and explain how the numbers will work? Could we just go with the facts?
Oh knock it off! rude? Rude is the scam being presented to us. These guys better stay manned up and kick the insanity right out of them. We are the test. NOT WORTH a couple of jobs. All for Bookmeyer’s resume which doesn’t matter anymore anyway he blew it but good. He is one heartless creep. Although Book you could get job there when your term is OVER…hmmmm maybe go through with it with that thought. Actually if it does we will need another wing at the hospital and another cemetary.
So the owner of North Iowa Today needs to go back to flipping burgers, absolutely rude and uncalled for comment. I believe in a general participation form of democracy. That comment sums up what is truly going on in this community, the elitist’s model of governerment
To bookmeyer and Willert and the rest of the bozos that think they are better than everyone else. My advice is fairly simple and to the point.
Flipping burgers whether that is somebody’s choice or a form of feeding their families is much more admirable than running for office when you are a stay at home dad, that is truly an embarrassment the reason why the mayor doesn’t have a job is more than likely he is unemployable, in my opinion and folks just wait until the news of this Willert character comes out. He actions are much stronger than his words in terms of his belief in North Iowa.
Brent Willett, Brent Trout and Eric Bookmeyer have lived in Mason City 10 years combined, do you really think they give a sh!t about Mason City?
They’re certainly building their resume to get the hell outta here! and leave us to live with their dream.
Listen, this isn’t about creating jobs or curing our mediocre sized towns economical problems. Over the past few months we’ve heard the concerns of the environmental issues, which I am for 100%. Tonight is really about the landfill and what an awesome thing that they are doing out there. I’m not sure if this plant will affect the employees out there or not but I do know an old saying that is “why fix something that isn’t broken.” For what it’s worth, I live on the South part of town.
I’ll say it again, this Marquardt guy needs to mind his own business if he has one and lay off the council and mayor and the other leaders. They are doing a fine job bring jobs and growth here, this cretive energy plant being an example.
Had lunch today at State Street Deli, ran into two members of the EDC corridor group, They shared their displeasure with Brent Willett and his negative comments in the globe gazette.
1. Mr. Trout lied about ces from the begining.
2. Joe D. Yavorski lies (no emissions)
3. Globe gazette prints lies, with no corrections
4. Trout bans weaver from talking to staff
5. Zba cuts out public imput
6. The words hoodwinked, sinister, and bullied all fabricated by brent willett and globe to taint oppostion.
7. Tricia sandahl put in charge and builds new phoney case for ces, protecting her job and promotion.
happy–all the garbage can not go to ERS. They only want combustible materials and they have to have a place to take ash.