Recent Articles

September 3, 2009 by ggackle

The Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) is re-evaluating its tax credit allocation for the Hometown Harbor housing project after learning the developer had not included a 10-year, $650,000 Tax Increment Financing (TIF) incentive from the city of Bettendorf in its financial projections.

The IFA first learned of the project receiving the city TIF from an inquiry by bettendorf.com.

Carla Pope, director of Affordable Rental Production for the IFA, said the authority "expressed our displeasure that we hadn't been made aware of the TIF" during a recent conference call with Hometown developer Jim Bergman and his consultant, Tom Monico, of Thomas & Thomas Associates, Inc., Glenview, Illinois.

The city approved the 10-year TIF incentive for the project June 2.

August 24, 2009 by ggackle

The Quad City Times newspaper recently announced a newsroom shake-up naming a new "executive editor," but deigned not to explain what happened to its current, now former, editor.

It isn't unusual for businesses to talk up promotions and try to avoid difficult questions when top management re-schufflings occur. Used to be common for editors to assign reporters to call companies that left out important information, particularly the "why" of it all.

Readers aren't looking for an exposé on the inner workings of the newsroom, but ignoring the obvious in its own company coverage only fuels suspicions about what other information the paper ignores at other businesses and public institutions.

Five key reasons why newspapers are dying

July 2, 2009

The owner of the old El Rancho Motel property in Bettendorf has been fined $6,500 for failing to inspect the vacant buildings for asbestos prior to demolition, failing to notify the Iowa Department of Natural Resources prior to the demolition work and improper handling and disposal of the motel demolition debris containing asbestos.

K.J. Excavating of rural LeClaire was ordered to pay the Iowa DNR $1,300 and the Scott County Conservation Board $5,200 as part of the consent agreement issued June 23. Robert Holst is the owner of K.J. Excavating L.C., which purchased the dilapidated motel and property at 2205 E. Kimberly Road in 2008.

The city of Bettendorf recently approved a 10-year Tax Increment Financing agreement with Hometown Harbor L.C., which plans to build a 116-unit low- and moderate-income senior housing complex on the old motel site. Hometown Harbor investors include David Smith, president of Equity Growth Group, LLC and Ryan Companies.