Two "Meet at the Creek - Caring for the Duck Creek Watershed" programs are scheduled Tuesday (April 29) and Thursday (May 1) to provide the public with information on how to work together to improve water quality in Duck Creek and other creeks within the Duck Creek Watershed.

The first session Tuesday will be at 6:30 p.m. at Marquette Park, 3200 N. Marquette St., Davenport. The meeting Thursday will be at 6:30 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Park (Middle Park, east of 23rd St.), 1645 23rd St.

The company that promised to build a factory to manufacture LED lights and bring 100 jobs from China to Bettendorf has only managed to hire five part-time employees, has yet to begin construction of a building for which the city approved a 10-year TIF (tax increment financing) incentive three years ago, and is six payments behind on a loan from the Bi-State Regional Commission's Revolving Loan Fund.

LEDS America also has been put on notice by Eastern Iowa Community College job training officials that no more funds will be reimbursed for employee training until the project achieves more consistent progress.

LEDS America (which also operates as LED-O Holding, LLC) was approved to receive $130,000 in job training funds a year ago for customized training for 15 employees at an average wage of $17 per hour, plus health, life, dental, vacation benefits and holiday pay.

The Bi-State Regional Commission wants your feedback on transportation and regional economic development issues facing the greater Quad Cities region.

The planning commission this week launched a discussion forum – Moving Forward, Starting Today: The Bi-State Region, IA/IL – which allows residents to submit comments and provide feedback on a variety of transportation and economic development questions and issues.

You can share your thoughts as well as read the ideas from other residents on local transportation and economic development initiatives.

UnityPoint Hospital – formerly Trinity at Terrace Park – wants to take Bettendorf's ordinance allowing temporary advertising banners to a whole new level.

The hospital would use its building essentially as a two-sided billboard for a year if the Bettendorf Board of Adjustment gives its approval to variances of the city's mobile sign ordinance. The variances will be considered by the board at its Thursday (April 10) meeting.

(Editor Note: The UnityPoint Hospital variance was removed from the Board of Adjustment April agenda at the request of the hospital.)

The hospital wants to mount two 300-square-foot banners on the two sides of its building facing Interstate 74. City ordinance limits a company to one banner, 32 square feet in size. The hospital also wants to keep the "temporary" banners up for a year. City ordinance limits the display of such banners to 60 days.

Bettendorf's 5th Ward alderman recently resigned from the city council, and two ward residents – Patty Herzberg and Scott Webster – have announced their intention to seek to fill the vacancy if a special election is held.

The Bettendorf City Council has discussed whether to hold a special election July 1, or fill the vacancy temporarily with an appointment. A decision on whether to schedule a special election is expected at the council's next meeting April 15.

Herzberg currently serves on the Bettendorf Public Library Board of Trustees and Webster ran unsuccessfully for the 5th ward seat in 2011.

Even with a competitive 3.354 percent net interest cost, the City of Bettendorf's latest $20.8 million general obligation bond issue will cost taxpayers more than $8 million in interest over the next 20 years.

The bond proceeds will be used to pay for capital improvement projects approved by the city council including $3 million for paving Forest Grove Road, $1.85 million for paving Hopewell Avenue, $1.55 million for repaving and widening of Utica Ridge Road, $1.4 million for new recreation trails along Crow Creek and Highway 67, $1.2 million for street reconstruction of portions of Summit Hills, Olympia Drive, Shadowbrook Drive, Central Avenue and Halcyon Drive, downtown and park improvements and a new roundabout at Middle and Crow Creek Road.

City Administrator Decker Ploehn and the city's bond counsel, Springsted, Inc., told city council members at Tuesday's (4/1) meeting they were very pleased the bidding attracted nine bond underwriting firms and that the interest rate from the low bidder was within a thousandth of what the bond consul had been expecting prior to the city's recent downgrade by Moody's Investor Service.

Citing Bettendorf's high debt burden, Moody's Investor Service Thursday (3/27) downgraded the city's bond rating from Aa1 to Aa2. The lower rating is expected to result in higher interest on the more than $20 million in general obligation bonds slated to be issued next month.

The agency in its rating rationale said the city was in a "sound financial position supported by prudent fiscal management and flexibility to adjust tax levels," but added the lower rating "reflects challenges tied to the city's elevated debt burden, high fixed cost ratio and moderate exposure to two underfunded cost-sharing retirement systems."

Moody's also said the city could move its rating back up with "moderation of the city's high direct debt burden," which will reach $133 million after completion of this spring's general obligation bond issuance. The city's debt will reach 86 percent of the maximum debt allowed by the state after the new bonds are issued.

Grain Processing Corporation (GPC) has agreed to a record $1.5 million fine and ordered to hire an independent firm to conduct a comprehensive environmental audit of its Muscatine corn-processing facility to assure compliance with federal and state environmental laws.

The consent decree approved Thursday (3/27) by a Muscatine County judge resolves a lawsuit filed by the Iowa Attorney General in December 2011, and addresses air and water pollution violations cited by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) as far back as 2009.

The Muscatine firm, owned by Kent Corporation, announced a $100-million capital improvement program for the GPC plant after the lawsuit was filed, and in its news release Thursday promised the plant upgrades will reduce air emissions "well below the newest and more stringent air quality standards now set by the EPA."

The company also said when its new corn-drying facility is complete, "smoke, odor, and haze will be nearly eliminated" at the facility.

Muscatine has been designated as in "non-attainment" for fine particulate (PM 2.5) pollution by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In 2013, of the 14 exceedances of air quality standards for PM 2.5 statewide, seven were recorded in Muscatine. For the same period, all 67 exceedances of air quality standards for sulfur dioxide (SO2) statewide were recorded in Muscatine.

If you suffer from asthma or other breathing problems aggravated by ground-level ozone pollution, you may be surprised to learn Quad Cities area mayors and the region's planning agency have sided with business and industry groups to urge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) back off its plan to set tougher ozone pollution standards.

Without public notice, public hearings or a public vote, the mayors of Bettendorf, Davenport, Rock Island, Moline, East Moline and Muscatine along with the Scott and Rock Island County Board chairmen signed a letter from the Bi-State Regional Commission to EPA opposing the lower emission standard for ozone stating the change "would impose new and more costly standards on local businesses at a time of recession and historic unemployment nationwide."

The letter sent March 14 argues that "only areas without (air) monitors, smaller urban and rural areas, would be able to attract businesses and industries. This outflow of industry from large and midsize urban areas would be counter to smart growth and sustainability implementation strategies."

The EPA has been sitting on tougher ambient air quality standards for ozone emissions since 2008 and is finally moving ahead with the process that would lower the standard from 0.075 parts per million (ppm) to a level between 0.060 to 0.070 ppm. The 8-hour "primary" ozone standard is designed to protect public health and is based on "human clinical studies showing effects in healthy adults at 0.060 ppm, and results of EPA's exposure and risk assessment."

A billboard company is seeking a "hardship" variance to increase the height of its 10-foot by 40-foot sign at one of the busiest intersections in Bettendorf.

Lamar Advertising wants a variance from the Bettendorf Board of Adjustment so it can increase the height of its giant billboard at Middle and Devils Glen Roads to 40 feet in height from its current 30 feet.

The reason for the hardship – another sign at the corner is blocking motorist from fully seeing the billboard as they drive east on Middle Road.

The sign "obstructing" the Lamar billboard is actually the on-premise sign for the corner oil change shop. Lamar erected its billboard essentially on top of the oil change building years ago, after apparently reaching a deal with the corner property owner.