County creating input options on steel project

LEE COUNTY – A meeting planned for Wednesday night to give Lee County residents their first look inside negotiations between county officials and Mesabi Metallics around a $15 billion proposed steel mill is shaping up to be a big event.
Lee County Supervisors released information on the event Monday afternoon. A public meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Quality Inn & Suites on Fort Madison’s west side. The meeting is being held in the conference room, which can hold up to 200 people. There is also a live video link that residents can access online at: https://meet.goto.com/505121493. Residents can also dial in to the meeting for audio access at 1-224-501-3412 access code: 505-121-493. The meeting will also be recorded for reviewing following the meeting.
County residents will have six days to review the information outlined Wednesday night before the Board of Supervisors votes on a resolution, not a contract, to allow the project to move forward with the Iowa Economic Development Authority.
Mesabi is under a 60-day exclusivity agreement with Iowa to negotiate for locating the project in the state.
At Tuesday’s regular board meeting, board Chair Ginger Knisley said she wanted to give the public as much access as possible and is hoping for feedback on the county’s negotiations and proposed resolution.
“I think everyone knows that we have reached a point where we’re ready to learn some details from the company and our economic development team, and we will be doing that tomorrow evening at 6 p.m at the Quality Inn,” she said.
“I’m very excited to finally get to know all the good details and the potential that’s coming to our county.”
Supervisor Garry Seyb said he would encourage anyone who has an interest in the project to show up and “take it in.”
“We’re all very accessible,” he said.
Knisley said there has to be an understanding that this is very early in the process and there are many things that still need to be figured out.
“I’ve also asked IT to help us out in creating some kind of landing spot for public input digitally on our website. We haven’t figured out all the details yet of that, but I’d like to have a place where we can be gathering input in one centralized location," Knisley said.
Lee County IT director Kevin Harter said the online portal would be input only and wouldn’t be a place for exchange of ideas. Residents would have to include their name and address or township to identify them as part of Lee County. Knisley said she would like to make email addresses or phone numbers optional for residents who are looking for some type of qualified response.
“I don’t think that should be required to provide input, but I think the ability to put it there if they want to have someone reach back out to them,” Knisley said.
LCEDG President Emily Benjamin said maybe having categorical options with drop downs could be good to let people get specific in their feedback, e.g. emergency services, traffic, environmental, etc.
Seyb said the world of AI and computer intelligence could create some issues with things like “bots’, but Harter said there are some things the county can do to filter some of those things out.
Knisley said she wants it to be as easy as possible for people to provide feedback to the county.
“Some people just aren’t comfortable standing up in a room of a hundred people and saying something, or dialing a phone. I just want one more avenue where people are comfortable and easily able to give us input,” she said.
Next Tuesday’s regular board meeting, which will include canvassing Tuesday’s election, could be moved to the Meller Family Health Center to allow for additional attendance.
Officials from Mesabi Metallics, LCEDG, SEIRPC, and Lee County are expected to be in attendance.