Within the United States, wetlands, which were once condemned as mosquito breeding grounds, are now routinely protected by local, state, and federal legislation. This new legislation has been driven on the federal level by the 1977 Clean Water Act (CWA). These new regulations were created because of a growing realization that wetlands provide numerous values for humans including flood mitigation and the prevention of pollution. Due to this realization and the current regulations, the identification and delineation of wetlands has been essential within recent years in order to complete any project which may impact wetlands. French-Reneker-Associates has routinely used outside consultants to identify and delineate wetlands whenever they were encountered on past projects. Our firm had in-house capability to design wetlands and have performed design of wetlands for new construction and replacement wetlands for mitigation.

Within the past two years, we began to recognize that we needed to develop the expertise in-house to be able to identify and delineate wetlands, in addition to being able to perform design of wetlands.

Two of our employees, Kent Rice and Nick Hammes, have been heavily involved with wetlands in various projects including the Belva Deer Lake Project in Keokuk County. Both Kent and Nick have an agricultural education background so they have been the likely choices for working in this area. During this past summer, Nick Hammes attended three separate workshops sponsored by the University of Wisconsin, which are designed to train persons who have a good agricultural education background to be able to perform identification of wetlands. The course work included a plant identification workshop, a basic wetland workshop, and a hydric soil identification workshop. This training, coupled with Nick's Bachelor of Science in Farm Operations from Iowa State University, in which he received training in agronomy, animal science, ag engineering, and ag economics, has allowed Nick to be registered with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers as a wetlands specialist.

Kent Rice, with his Agricultural Engineering background and ten years of service with the USDA Soil Conservation Service, has had an extensive background of experience with wetlands. Utilizing the expertise of these two individuals, French-Reneker-Associates will be offering services for identification, delineation, design, and monitoring of wetlands to clients needing those services.

Our firm has recently finished the first year of a contract with the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) under which we monitored existing wetlands on private farms which were previously funded under a USDA program. Under this contract, our firm reviewed 83 wetlands throughout eastern Iowa and made reports to USDA-NRCS on the condition and status of these wetlands. This contract has recently been renewed and another round of inspections of the same wetlands is currently underway.

By offering the services of identification, delineation, design, and monitoring of wetlands our firm is better able to fulfill the needs of our clients in Iowa and northern Missouri. If you wish to discuss the issue of wetlands with someone, please call Kent Rice at our office.

Wetlands - Washington County, Iowa

French-Reneker-Associates is pleased to be a part of the third major project with developers, Dennis Baxter and Linda Dorn of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. Dennis and Linda, doing business as D&L Development, Inc., have been very successful in constructing and marketing two and three bedroom, 4-plex condominiums.

The newest project is in the northeast part of Sigourney, along the east side of North Shuffleton Street. This is a 14-acre site with beautiful views of the valley to the east. Design is underway, with construction expected in the spring of 2005. The conceptual layout includes ten 4-plex condominiums, ten duplex condominiums, and two large green spaces to create an open, park-like setting. Each condominium will have two full baths, two or three bedrooms, and a one- or two-car garage. Dennis and Linda work very hard at creating quality, upscale, affordable housing. The ranch-style condominiums are all constructed on one level and efforts are made to eliminate all steps into the living spaces.

The first project that Dennis, Linda, and French-Reneker-Associates undertook together was at the old drive-in theater site along Highway 1 on the south side of Fairfield. This 13-acre site was developed to include 32 two-bedroom apartments and 32 two- and three-bedroom condominiums. Most units have a two-car garage. The landscaping is elegant and has really helped to sell the development.

The second project is in southeastern Mt. Pleasant, east of Linden Heights, and west of Highway 218. The first phase of this 35-acre site is completed and includes thirty-six 4-plex, ranch-style, three-bedroom condominiums, six single-family condominiums, a club house, and a 50-bed assisted living community which is called Sunny Brook. Phase 2 plans are still being finalized, but will likely include 34 additional single-family condominiums.

While the units are available to everyone, most sales seem to be to singles or couples who would like the flexibility that comes with condominium living. (No more mowing, leaf raking, or snow shoveling.)

All three projects are perfect examples of the success that can be created when cities, developers, and engineers plan and work together. All three projects have involved tax increment financing (TIF) to help with the cost of the streets, storm sewers, watermain, and sanitary sewers.

The Fairfield project added $5,064,600 of assessed value to the city, and the TIF bonds will be paid off three years earlier than anticipated.

The Mt. Pleasant project was special because the city was able to justify the extension of Linden Drive, thus providing a second access point to the Linden Heights Subdivision. The project also includes a 10-foot wide concrete recreation trail that connects with a paved trail to East Lake Park. The final numbers are not in, but it looks like these TIF bonds will also be paid off early.

French-Reneker-Associates has enjoyed surveying, planning, platting, designing, and providing the construction observation on these three projects. Shannon Bergren of French-Reneker-Associates notes, "It is always fun being associated with such successful projects." Contact Jerry Long with any questions you might have about these projects.

South Gate Subdivision - Fairfield, Iowa

French-Reneker-Associates announces the addition of Jason Hull to our professional staff. Jason is a licensed land surveyor and will be assisting in the management of our survey department.

Jason's experience with subdivisions, land development, construction survey, preliminary survey, and GPS/GIS mapping will expand and enhance the capability of our experienced survey department.

We have recently purchased new GPS equipment, the Trimble 5800 Series. This equipment will be used in all aspects of our surveying services, including construction staking, preliminary surveys, subdivisions, and boundary surveys.

Jason C. Hull, PLS

Some of the survey projects that we have been working on over the past few months include: construction survey staking for a paving project on the Agency-Hedrick Road (V-37) in Wapello County; construction survey staking for a grading project on the Troy Road (J-40) in Davis County; an ALTA/ACSM survey of several properties for Lakeside Casino in Osceola, Iowa; several ALTA/ACSM surveys for U.S. Bank Corporate properties; surveying on the Jefferson County trails; and the Royse Huff Subdivision in Fairfield, Iowa.