By Sam Parsons

The Oskaloosa city council met earlier this week and held a public hearing for a private development currently under construction at the intersection of South G Street and High Avenue West. The development is for a 4800 square foot commercial property with the city giving a maximum of $125,000 in incentive money for the development as planned. There were no comments made at the hearing and the development agreement was approved.

The city also approved an application for a RISE (Revitalize Iowa’s Sound Economy) Grant through the Iowa DOT for their US 63 – IA 23 connector project. Mayor Dave Krutzfeldt said that the grant would pay for 65% of the expenses for the project, which is set to cost over $15 million. The total amount of money left up to the city and the county, if approved, would be over $2 million.

Krutzfeldt said that the city and the county are prioritizing the project in an effort to pull some of the semi truck traffic out of the downtown area. The application is approved and the city will now await a response from the state.

The next regular meeting for the Oskaloosa city council is scheduled for February 6.