With the Iowa Utilities Board’s recent approval of the Dakota Access Pipeline, preparations are already underway that are already leading to benefits for many of Iowa’s communities.
A recent article in the Daily Gate City states that Lee County’s Keokuk has seen an uptick in demand for rooms and property rentals thanks to the pipeline, according to Kirk Brandenberger, executive director of the Keokuk Convention and Tourism Bureau:
“A representative from the pipeline said they would need housing for 800 people for one year starting in mid-May,” Brandenberger said. “Campgrounds, hotels and all kinds of private housing.
Small business owners in the have been the chief recipients of the increased demand:
Hickory Haven Campground owner Ron Ginsberg has 50 camper slots and they’re all taken.
“I wish I had 100 more,” he said. “I’ve been getting calls for two years, now. They bring in their families. They travel to their jobs. That’s what they do.”
Ginsberg said workers get $70 per diem to use on housing and food.
It is estimated that the Dakota Access Pipeline will bring almost 800 workers into the Tri-State area, at least half of whom will be recruited from local union halls.
Read the original article here.