A construction permit application for 5,400-head swine finishing unit in Section 19 of Rose Grove Township was approved Tuesday morning during the Hamilton County Board of Supervisors meeting.

The Swenson Site will feature two total-slat deep-pit buildings, measuring 71-feet by 277-feet.

Kent Krause, president of the Pinnacle Group of Iowa Falls, told the board that the site received 455 points on the master matrix, well-above the required 440 points. Krause went through the master matrix points and said the closest neighbors to the new site are properties owned by the Swenson family.

Supervisor Rick Young said he visited the site to look at a drainage district tile near the property. But the tile was 68 feet from the building.

“That’s plenty of room for us to have a right-of-way,” he said. “The site meets the qualifications for the DNR and it meets ours,” he said.

There were no written or oral objections to the project.

The board also approved a lease agreement with Your, Inc., the agency that operates HeadStart in the area.

“They were our first renters in the former Webster City Clinic Building,” said Chairman Doug Bailey.

The lease agreement sets the monthly rental at $2,088 for the next five years. The 10-year lease agreement allows for up to a 5 percent rent increase each year after the fifth year.

“The setup seems to be working really well for them our there,” said Supervisor Dan Campidilli.

The bids for proposed box culvert replacement projects were rejected.

Bailey said there were some issues with the bids received.

“Three responsive bids were received at the June 24 letting for replacement of the two box culverts. All three of the bids exceeded the engineer’s estimate by greater that 110 percent,” he said. “For this number of bidders with that bid differential, competition is considered inadequate.”

He added that the board must award the bid to the lowest bidder or reject all bids.

“I recommend rejecting all bids and re-letting the contract on July 9 at the 9 a.m. regular board of supervisors meeting,” he said.

As all bids were rejected, he said bid tabulations must remain confidential and will not be shared, he said.

In other business, the board approved four-year agreement with the Teamsters Local No. 238, the union that represents sheriff’s deputies, jailers and dispatchers. Bailey said the agreement calls for a 2.75 percent wage increase for the employees, mirroring what has been done with other departments in the county. Wages would increase each year of the contract by 2.75 percent. The minimum/entry rate for deputies is $27.23 per hour with the maximum rate $28.74. For jailers and dispatchers, the minimum/entry rate is $16.70 and $19.27 is the maximum. On the employee’s anniversary date, the sheriff, at his discretion, may award a step movement of up to 2 percent based on individual employee performance.