Latest news with #RodKoch
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Road near Freedom Park being paved with unique material
SOUTH SIOUX CITY, Neb. (KCAU) — A road in South Sioux City is being paved using plastic asphalt surface. This is the first road of its kind in the city and the State of Nebraska. A ceremony was held near Siouxland Freedom Park on Wednesday, adjacent to Foundry Road receiving the new asphalt. City officials said the road will use asphalt made from recycled plastic materials, such as plastic bags. This kind of asphalt is helping to lower the environmental impact of plastic while moving forward on infrastructure practices that are sustainable. Officials said about 2 million plastic bags were used to make the asphalt to pave Foundry Road. Story continues below Top Story: Recent incident at Sac County Jail highlights need for new facility Lights & Sirens: Suspect shot at during pursuit in stolen vehicle, Dakota Co Sheriff says Sports: West Sioux boys soccer wins first-ever IHSAA State title with 2-1 OT win Weather: Get the latest weather forecast here Nebraska State Senator Glen Meyer attended the ceremony and spoke about the forward-thinking project. 'I want to commend South Sioux City and Lance (Hedquist) and the people involved who put this together. That's very innovative, you guys are forward-looking, you guys are trying to improve life and improve the situation in your community, and that's to be commended,' said State Sen. Glen Meyer (R,) District 17. Multiple countries such as Australia, India, and Swede,n have started to use the plastic asphalt method. South Sioux City Mayor Rod Koch said he hopes that this project could become a new trend for road paving. 'It's a good start, you've got to start somewhere. I think in those other countries I mention that are doing it, same as the United States, I think if we can prove that these are easier to maintain and this thing could catch fire, and we can find an easy way to do it and process it, and get it laid down. This could catch on, we don't know,' said Mayor Rod Koch. Officials said the paving project is expected to be done within the next two weeks. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
South Sioux City council approves request for grant for new firefighters
SOUTH SIOUX CITY, Neb. (KCAU) — The South Sioux City council has given its approval to resubmit a FEMA SAFER application for additional firefighters. City documents indicate that the staffing for adequate fire and emergency response application would be for three firefighter EMTs for three years. The grant that the city is requesting is worth more than $936,000. Iowa Senate approves 2% funding increase for K-12 schools Mayor Rod Koch says the city is currently not at the level of firefighters they need but is still better off than in previous years. If the city does get the grant and uses the money up after a certain amount of time, it would be up to the city to pay the salaries. 'So we apply for it, and then there is a sunset on that,' Koch said. 'So we can apply, we get the people in, and then after, I think it's five years, then we pay for it. We have to pay those salaries. But the bottom line is, the number one duty of a local government is public safety.' The grant would also cover the cost of purchasing more equipment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
South Sioux City council agrees to take care of 2 howitzers
SOUTH SIOUX CITY, Neb. (KCAU) — South Sioux City council members on Monday unanimously voted to take the responsibility of maintaining two howitzers. The American Legion Post 307 asked the city to take over the care of the military artillery pieces due to Legion members getting older. The howitzers are located at the Avenue of Flags at 6th Street and Dakota Avenue. Sioux City council awards contract for demolition of 2 historic buildings Since the pieces of military equipment are on city property, the American Legion Post 307 asked the city if they would take over. If not, those static displays would have been relocated. 'They want us to take it over and mow it and keep it up, which is fine,' Mayor Rod Koch said. 'You know, that's not a very big park, and it's a gateway in South Sioux City, so we want to make it look nice. So those howitzers, they need to be repainted, they need to be re-sanded down and made to look nice again. And we want people, especially the veterans, to be proud when they see those things.' The council also approved the Dakota Corridor Enhancement Plan, which would redesign all of Dakota Avenue. This could mean the howitzers either stay in place or could possibly be moved to Siouxland Freedom Park in the future. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
