Pork Forest Project Falling Behind
From this morning's Iowa City Press-Citizen:
Environmental Project vice president Nancy Quellhorst said Thursday that a groundbreaking this summer would be ceremonial only and that actual work won't begin until late this year -- about a year after initial projections.
With 2½ to 3 years needed for the project, Quellhorst said the work would be finished in mid to late 2008 -- months past the April 22, 2008, goal.
Here's the most interesting non-development:
Quellhorst said the project has $90 million to $10 million from project founder Ted Townsend, $10 million from an energy deal, $20 million in land and infrastructure from Coralville and, most recently, $50 million from the federal Department of Energy earmarked in January 2004.David Oman was saying the same thing FIVE AND A HALF YEARS AGO. Nothing's changed. Oman's had over 5 1/2 years to raise money and he's done nothing. The best he could do was strong-arm fauxscal conservative Chuck Grassley for $50 million in deficit money.
Oman has said that funding would be coming through in several months.
Quellhorst said project officials continue to work with businesses and individuals for funding and said most of the process involved building trust.
"You really have to do some friend-raising before you can do fund-raising," she said.
She declined to name those interested, but e-mails obtained by the Press-Citizen through an open records request have mentioned General Electric, Ford, John Deere and Hewlett Packard as potential partners.
posted by State 29 @ 6:09 AM
