Grassley requested $902,500 for construction of a business and technology park in northwest Clinton. The 108-acre business park would be located along the proposed Lyons Business and Technology Corridor. The site is adjacent to the new West View Heights residential development and is accessible from rural Clinton County by Iowa Highway 136.
"A business and technology park would help the community, which has been hit hard by numerous plant lay-offs over the past two years," Grassley said. "The development would attract a number of new businesses and create additional jobs for people living in the area."
Grassley's request was sent to Sens. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland and Christopher Bond of Missouri, who as chairman and ranking member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development are responsible for drafting the federal government's spending plan for projects related to those agencies in the next fiscal year.
In a separate letter, Grassley urged Senate appropriators who oversee transportation spending to fund highway and airport projects in Clinton. Grassley requested $1.85 million for reconstruction and extension of 19th Avenue, $1 million to complete a study of a four-lane corridor for U.S. Highway 30, and $2 million to pave a new taxiway at Clinton Municipal Airport.
"Funding for these projects would boost economic development in Clinton," Grassley said. "Sound transportation systems are vital to a city's infrastructure and help residents access businesses and services."
The appropriations process begins each spring and is typically completed at the end of each congressional session.