News

Young Professionals of North Central Iowa Kick Off Event

September 2009
Call Winn-Worth Betco for more information.
The fall kickoff event for the Young Professionals of North Iowa group will be at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 24 at Worth Brewing Company in Northwood.Participants from Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Franklin, Hancock, Mitchell, Winnebago and Worth counties between the ages of 21-40 are welcome.The group offers opportunities for young professionals to meet others in the region and learn how to become involved in local communities.Social hour will be from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., with hors d’oeuvres and drinks provided. There will be a presentation on networking at 7:30 p.m.For more information, contact Katie Rice at mcedc@osage.net, or 641-832-7560; or Casey Henely at fced2@wctatel.net, or 641-923-1719.

Cummins Layoffs Stun Lake Mills

August 2009
Call Winn-Worth Betco for more information.
By LAURA BIRD LAKE MILLS — The layoff announcement by Cummins Filtration “was such a shock,” said an employee who was at the plant-wide meeting Tuesdaywhen workers were told 400 of them will soon lose their jobs. “All of the employees were there,” said Sandy Harang, who has worked at the Lake Mills company for 16 years. About 510 people are employed at the company’s two plants in Lake Mills. Her husband, Rod, works at the plant, too. He’s been there 23 years.“They started off saying ‘It’s hard times’ and everyone just looked at everyone else and put their heads down. It was more than what we were thinking”“Some started crying right away,” she said. “We all walked out quietly.”The company, headquartered in Columbus, Ind., will lay off 400 people at the Lake Mills facility between November 2009 and March 2010. Harang said employees should find out today who will be laid off when. The layoffs are part of Cummins’ plans to move most of its North American filter assembly operations to its facility in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Cummins Inc. said it will save the company money. Other operations, which employ approximately 110 people, will remain at the Lake Mills plant.Cummins has two plants in Lake Mills. The South Plant produces pin-on filters for larger diesel engines and the North Plant manufactures cartridge-style filters for the mining industry.“It feels like you’ve been stabbed in the back, moving it to Mexico,” Harang said.The announcement came as a surprise to most of the community.Teresa Nicholson, executive director of Winn-Worth Betco, the county’s economic development arm, said her agency “received no advance notification of the plans for the Lake Mills facility.”“At this point we are doing everything we can to gather all the facts and formulate a plan for action once the information is gathered. Our offices will be working with Cummins Filtration, the Iowa Department of Economic Development, Iowa Workforce Development, and our legislators to do everything we can for the employees that are affected and the community of Lake Mills,” she said.“We will also be pursuing opportunities to bring new companies and jobs to this community as soon as possible,” she said.“I think it was a surprise in the magnitude of the reduction,” said Daryl Sherman, superintendent of Lake Mills Community Schools. “We were hopeful — we have two plants here in town — that it was just going to be one.”He said the district is assessing how many students will be directly impacted by the layoffs and met with staff on the importance of reassuring students that the school is a safe environment. Cathy Nygard, general manager of Pizza Ranch, was “definitely surprised” by the announcement. She has two part-time employees who work at Cummins.“I just feel for the employees,” she said. “From new hires to upper management to the whole town.”“It’s a sad day for everyone,” said Kathy Rieck, a Lake Mills resident.However, in all of the sadness there was hope.“We’ve been through rough stuff before, and we’ve all rallied around it,” Rieck said. “We’ll pray for each other and hold each other up.”“We’re survivors,” she said.Harang is also being hopeful. She already submitted two job applications on Tuesday. Cummins Inc. said in addition to offering severance and outplacement services, it will help affected workers in receiving Trade Adjustment Assistance from the federal government and will continue to support a number of community organizations in the Lake Mills area.U.S. Rep. Tom Latham, R-Ames, has written a letter to Hilda Solis, secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor, urging her to draw on all federalemployment assistance and to work closely with Iowa Workforce Development to assist employees.

Winnebago & Worth County Receives RBEG Grant

March 2009
Call Winn-Worth Betco for more information.
Winn-Worth Betco is proud to announce that they have received a $98,000 Rural Business & Enterprise Grant (RBEG) from USDA.The grant will provide revolving funds to small and emerging businesses in Winnebago and Worth counties.
“The RBEG grant will help in retaining and creating new jobs in Winnebago and Worth counties,” says Teresa Nicholson, executive director of Winn-Worth Betco. “Especially in today’s economy, it is important to keep our existing small businesses viable andthis RBEG grant will assist with much needed financing.”
Applicants who wish to apply must meet the requirement of “a small and emerging business” in that they employ 50 or feweremployees and have less than $1 million in projected gross revenue. Businesses must be located within Winnebago and Worth counties, must focus on job creation and can be used to assist with buying and developing land, constructing buildings, accessing roads and parking areas, purchasing equipment, as well as providing technical assistance.
The loan application, as well as more information, can be found at www.winn-worthbetco.com or by calling 592-0800.

Counties Hope for New Development

February 2009
Call Winn-Worth Betco for more information.
By KRISTIN BUEHNER, kristin.buehner@globegazette.com
NORTHWOOD — Infrastructure for water and sewer service will soon be available at the interchange near the Diamond Jo Casino. Xenia Rural Water District, Bouton, is installing infrastructure, including a new water tower, at the Northwood-Lake Millsinterchange at Interstate 35, said Teresa Nicholson, executive director of Winn-Worth Betco.
The infrastructure will help attract new business and potentially benefit rural residents as well. Winn-Worth Betco community betterment organization and Worth County are partnering in the project.“It was absolutely imperative that water/sewer be available to new development before anyone would purchase land and construct a project,” Nicholson said. “That is the majority of the reason there has been no other development at that interchange to this point.”
Xenia Rural Water is investing more than $10 million into the infrastructure. Worth County has committed to up to $2 million in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) revenues for the project, Nicholson said. The TIF revenues will come from future development at the interchange. “I think it’s about as favorable an arrangement as we could possibly have hoped for,” said Worth County Supervisor Dennis May. “We’re able to get a big system out there without taxing our citizens.”
Xenia is in the process of upgrading the water system to a 500,000-gallon tank to serve the casino, the existing Burger King and gas station, the Welcome Center and other potential future development, Nicholson said.The sewage treatment system will also be expanded as new development occurs. Xenia’s plans call for waterservice to be available by summer 2009 and sewer service by fall 2009.
Property owners and developers have purchased or have options on land on the northwest and southwest corner of Worth County Road 105 and Wheelerwood Avenue, Nicholson said. These parcels are being marketed for development to hotels, restaurants, retail stores, gas stations and other retail-commercial companies. Xenia will also eventually offer water and sewer services to rural residents, May said. Participation will be voluntary.

Infrastructure Needs Met by Xenia Rural Water

May 2008
Call Winn-Worth Betco for more information.
When Diamond Jo Casino was built, the water and sewer system could sustain only their business as well asthe adjoining hotel. Now that more development is in the works to be built around Diamond Jo, a largerand more equipped water and sewer system is needed.
Xenia Rural Water District will now provide these services. Teresa Nicholson, Executive Director ofWinn-Worth Betco says, “Running water and sewer from near by communities was very costly.” WorthCounty has proposed to participate with $2 million by utilizing a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) bondto get the project started. Xenia is taking on the risk of the project, while the county’s risk remainsvery low.
“Developers will not spend the multi-millions of dollars it would take to implement their own municipalsystems, especially when they can locate their projects in Albert Lea and Clear Lake where there is alreadywater and sewer provided to them,” explains Nicholson. So in order to bring various projects such as hotels,restaurants and strip mall units to the area, a water and sewer system is absolutely necessary.
Currently a draft is waiting to be signed by Xenia Water and Worth County in order to get this project started.If both parties continue with the process in a timely matter, water and sewer should be going by late summer 2009.
Xenia Rural Water District is a 9,000 member water service provider and has added a second water treatment facility, in its current service district, which allows for the production of six million gallons of water per day. XeniaRural Water District was organized under Chapter 357A of the Iowa Code, which says that Xenia will be governed bya board of directors who are elected by the participating members of the District. The District receives fundingfrom USDA Rural Development as well as Community Development Block Grants (CDBG). And in 2002, Xenia Rural WaterDistrict expanded its services to include wastewater management.
For more information about Xenia Rural Water District go to www.xeniawater.org.

Wind Farm Updates

August 2008
Call Winn-Worth Betco for more information.
Barton Wind Farm
Construction is going strong in the eastern part of Worth County these days. An eighty turbine wind farm is being built with the goal of being up and running by the end of 2008. Work is being done on the towers right now, with the substation work beginning in the near future.
Winnebago County Wind Farm
The Winnebago County Wind Farm, located directly south of Thompson, IA, consists of 10 turbines. This wind farm was constructed in the spring of 2008 and should be on-line later that year.
Phase II Wind Farm
Phase II Wind Farm in Worth County is 58 turbines located approx. 3 miles east of the Kensett/Joice I-35 exit and is clearly visible from the Interstate. Phase II was constructed in 2007 and came on-line last fall.
The central work preparation site is used for workers from the Winnebago County wind farm as well as the Worth County Phase II and the Barton wind farm. Anyone who is interested in working at the Barton Township Wind Farm should contact Midwest Renewable Energy at 579 410th Street, Joice, IA; 641-588-3730 (phone), 641-588-3733 (fax) or visit their website at www.midwest-renewable.com.



News Young Professionals of North Central Iowa Kick Off Event September 2009 Call Winn-Worth Betco for more information. The fall kickoff event for the Young Professionals of North Iowa group will be at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 24 at Worth Brewing Company in Northwood.Participants from Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Franklin, Hancock, Mitchell, Winnebago and Worth counties between the ages of 21-40 are welcome.The group offers opportunities for young professionals to meet others in the region and learn how to become involved in local communities.Social hour will be from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., with hors d’oeuvres and drinks provided. There will be a presentation on networking at 7:30 p.m.For more information, contact Katie Rice at mcedc@osage.net, or 641-832-7560; or Casey Henely at fced2@wctatel.net, or 641-923-1719. Cummins Layoffs Stun Lake Mills August 2009 Call Winn-Worth Betco for more information. By LAURA BIRD LAKE MILLS — The layoff announcement by Cummins Filtration “was such a shock,” said an employee who was at the plant-wide meeting Tuesdaywhen workers were told 400 of them will soon lose their jobs. “All of the employees were there,” said Sandy Harang, who has worked at the Lake Mills company for 16 years. About 510 people are employed at the company’s two plants in Lake Mills. Her husband, Rod, works at the plant, too. He’s been there 23 years.“They started off saying ‘It’s hard times’ and everyone just looked at everyone else and put their heads down. It was more than what we were thinking”“Some started crying right away,” she said. “We all walked out quietly.”The company, headquartered in Columbus, Ind., will lay off 400 people at the Lake Mills facility between November 2009 and March 2010. Harang said employees should find out today who will be laid off when. The layoffs are part of Cummins’ plans to move most of its North American filter assembly operations to its facility in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Cummins Inc. said it will save the company money. Other operations, which employ approximately 110 people, will remain at the Lake Mills plant.Cummins has two plants in Lake Mills. The South Plant produces pin-on filters for larger diesel engines and the North Plant manufactures cartridge-style filters for the mining industry.“It feels like you’ve been stabbed in the back, moving it to Mexico,” Harang said.The announcement came as a surprise to most of the community.Teresa Nicholson, executive director of Winn-Worth Betco, the county’s economic development arm, said her agency “received no advance notification of the plans for the Lake Mills facility.”“At this point we are doing everything we can to gather all the facts and formulate a plan for action once the information is gathered. Our offices will be working with Cummins Filtration, the Iowa Department of Economic Development, Iowa Workforce Development, and our legislators to do everything we can for the employees that are affected and the community of Lake Mills,” she said.“We will also be pursuing opportunities to bring new companies and jobs to this community as soon as possible,” she said.“I think it was a surprise in the magnitude of the reduction,” said Daryl Sherman, superintendent of Lake Mills Community Schools. “We were hopeful — we have two plants here in town — that it was just going to be one.”He said the district is assessing how many students will be directly impacted by the layoffs and met with staff on the importance of reassuring students that the school is a safe environment. Cathy Nygard, general manager of Pizza Ranch, was “definitely surprised” by the announcement. She has two part-time employees who work at Cummins.“I just feel for the employees,” she said. “From new hires to upper management to the whole town.”“It’s a sad day for everyone,” said Kathy Rieck, a Lake Mills resident.However, in all of the sadness there was hope.“We’ve been through rough stuff before, and we’ve all rallied around it,” Rieck said. “We’ll pray for each other and hold each other up.”“We’re survivors,” she said.Harang is also being hopeful. She already submitted two job applications on Tuesday. Cummins Inc. said in addition to offering severance and outplacement services, it will help affected workers in receiving Trade Adjustment Assistance from the federal government and will continue to support a number of community organizations in the Lake Mills area.U.S. Rep. Tom Latham, R-Ames, has written a letter to Hilda Solis, secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor, urging her to draw on all federalemployment assistance and to work closely with Iowa Workforce Development to assist employees. Winnebago & Worth County Receives RBEG Grant March 2009 Call Winn-Worth Betco for more information. Winn-Worth Betco is proud to announce that they have received a $98,000 Rural Business & Enterprise Grant (RBEG) from USDA.The grant will provide revolving funds to small and emerging businesses in Winnebago and Worth counties. “The RBEG grant will help in retaining and creating new jobs in Winnebago and Worth counties,” says Teresa Nicholson, executive director of Winn-Worth Betco. “Especially in today’s economy, it is important to keep our existing small businesses viable andthis RBEG grant will assist with much needed financing.” Applicants who wish to apply must meet the requirement of “a small and emerging business” in that they employ 50 or feweremployees and have less than $1 million in projected gross revenue. Businesses must be located within Winnebago and Worth counties, must focus on job creation and can be used to assist with buying and developing land, constructing buildings, accessing roads and parking areas, purchasing equipment, as well as providing technical assistance. The loan application, as well as more information, can be found at www.winn-worthbetco.com or by calling 592-0800. Counties Hope for New Development February 2009 Call Winn-Worth Betco for more information. By KRISTIN BUEHNER, kristin.buehner@globegazette.com NORTHWOOD — Infrastructure for water and sewer service will soon be available at the interchange near the Diamond Jo Casino. Xenia Rural Water District, Bouton, is installing infrastructure, including a new water tower, at the Northwood-Lake Millsinterchange at Interstate 35, said Teresa Nicholson, executive director of Winn-Worth Betco. The infrastructure will help attract new business and potentially benefit rural residents as well. Winn-Worth Betco community betterment organization and Worth County are partnering in the project.“It was absolutely imperative that water/sewer be available to new development before anyone would purchase land and construct a project,” Nicholson said. “That is the majority of the reason there has been no other development at that interchange to this point.” Xenia Rural Water is investing more than $10 million into the infrastructure. Worth County has committed to up to $2 million in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) revenues for the project, Nicholson said. The TIF revenues will come from future development at the interchange. “I think it’s about as favorable an arrangement as we could possibly have hoped for,” said Worth County Supervisor Dennis May. “We’re able to get a big system out there without taxing our citizens.” Xenia is in the process of upgrading the water system to a 500,000-gallon tank to serve the casino, the existing Burger King and gas station, the Welcome Center and other potential future development, Nicholson said.The sewage treatment system will also be expanded as new development occurs. Xenia’s plans call for waterservice to be available by summer 2009 and sewer service by fall 2009. Property owners and developers have purchased or have options on land on the northwest and southwest corner of Worth County Road 105 and Wheelerwood Avenue, Nicholson said. These parcels are being marketed for development to hotels, restaurants, retail stores, gas stations and other retail-commercial companies. Xenia will also eventually offer water and sewer services to rural residents, May said. Participation will be voluntary. Infrastructure Needs Met by Xenia Rural Water May 2008 Call Winn-Worth Betco for more information. When Diamond Jo Casino was built, the water and sewer system could sustain only their business as well asthe adjoining hotel. Now that more development is in the works to be built around Diamond Jo, a largerand more equipped water and sewer system is needed. Xenia Rural Water District will now provide these services. Teresa Nicholson, Executive Director ofWinn-Worth Betco says, “Running water and sewer from near by communities was very costly.” WorthCounty has proposed to participate with $2 million by utilizing a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) bondto get the project started. Xenia is taking on the risk of the project, while the county’s risk remainsvery low. “Developers will not spend the multi-millions of dollars it would take to implement their own municipalsystems, especially when they can locate their projects in Albert Lea and Clear Lake where there is alreadywater and sewer provided to them,” explains Nicholson. So in order to bring various projects such as hotels,restaurants and strip mall units to the area, a water and sewer system is absolutely necessary. Currently a draft is waiting to be signed by Xenia Water and Worth County in order to get this project started.If both parties continue with the process in a timely matter, water and sewer should be going by late summer 2009. Xenia Rural Water District is a 9,000 member water service provider and has added a second water treatment facility, in its current service district, which allows for the production of six million gallons of water per day. XeniaRural Water District was organized under Chapter 357A of the Iowa Code, which says that Xenia will be governed bya board of directors who are elected by the participating members of the District. The District receives fundingfrom USDA Rural Development as well as Community Development Block Grants (CDBG). And in 2002, Xenia Rural WaterDistrict expanded its services to include wastewater management. For more information about Xenia Rural Water District go to www.xeniawater.org. Wind Farm Updates August 2008 Call Winn-Worth Betco for more information. Barton Wind Farm Construction is going strong in the eastern part of Worth County these days. An eighty turbine wind farm is being built with the goal of being up and running by the end of 2008. Work is being done on the towers right now, with the substation work beginning in the near future. Winnebago County Wind Farm The Winnebago County Wind Farm, located directly south of Thompson, IA, consists of 10 turbines. This wind farm was constructed in the spring of 2008 and should be on-line later that year. Phase II Wind Farm Phase II Wind Farm in Worth County is 58 turbines located approx. 3 miles east of the Kensett/Joice I-35 exit and is clearly visible from the Interstate. Phase II was constructed in 2007 and came on-line last fall. The central work preparation site is used for workers from the Winnebago County wind farm as well as the Worth County Phase II and the Barton wind farm. Anyone who is interested in working at the Barton Township Wind Farm should contact Midwest Renewable Energy at 579 410th Street, Joice, IA; 641-588-3730 (phone), 641-588-3733 (fax) or visit their website at www.midwest-renewable.com.
Winn-Worth Betco is Winnebago and Worth Counties Betterment Council