SIMPCO held the Tri-State Legislative forum on December 3rd at WITCC in Sioux City. Presenters provided information on three key project areas directly relating to SIMPCO’s 2022 Legislative priorities.
- Infrastructure Improvements
- Diverse, Affordable, and Market-Rate Housing
- Quality of Life
- Economic & Workforce Development
Kimberly Zarecor, Professor – Architecture Department at ISU presented on the Rural Shrink Smart Initiative. The Rural Shrink Smart Initiative includes a poll of 99 small towns and six case study communities in Iowa. The study identifies that success of smalls towns is based on the quality of life improvements that may result from appropriate shrinkage as opposed to growth that cannot be accommodated or maintained. Zarecor and her teams are working on establishing a new perspective of self-sustaining small towns that meet the needs and wants of residents instead of planning around an unrealistic model of economic growth.
Rock Valley, Iowa’s Director of Development David Miller provided an analysis of the city’s efforts to improve childcare availability and systems within the community including inter-agency collaborations and creative funding solutions. The outcome of their facility expansion project is unique to their needs and a good fit within existing resources.
Special Projects Manager Jeff Geerts from the Iowa Economic Development Authority and Pete Evans, Professor in the Industrial Design Department at ISU, discussed the once-unthinkable housing solution found in 3D printing. While preliminary case studies and implementations are popping up in Texas, California, and New York, there is a lot of work to determine the best fit(s) for the Midwest and its related weather impacts. As material and labor supplies are pushed to their limits under current conditions, work is being done to diversify options in solving housing barriers.
Presentation slides:
The Rural Shrink Smart Initiative
How to Build and Operate a Successful Childcare Operation
To find out how to get involved in SIMPCO legislative activities, contact SIMPCO at simpco@simpco.org or call 712-279-6286.