(DES MOINES) - Governor Terry Branstad, Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds, Board of Regents President Craig Lang, Homeland Security and Emergency Management Administrator Mark Schouten, and University of Iowa President Sally Mason today released the following statements upon learning of the decision by U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) leadership to reaffirm the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) previous decisions to replace the University of Iowa's Hancher Voxman Clapp and Art Building East facilities.
Governor Branstad and Lt. Governor Reynolds issued the following joint statement: "We are pleased that this long-standing Federal policy dispute has been settled, as resolution was long-overdue. DHS leaders have reaffirmed FEMA's previous commitments to the State and the University of Iowa. Thankfully, common sense has prevailed. We appreciate the Iowa congressional delegation's active involvement in this issue and FEMA leadership's openness to discuss our concerns throughout their policy dispute with the DHS Office of Inspector General."
Governor Branstad and Lt. Governor Reynolds continued: "We recently wrote Secretary Napolitano (See the letter) and encouraged other Federal officials via phone to make a final decision before the October meeting of the Board of Regents. It is unfortunate that this Federal bureaucratic squabble dragged-on for so long, but now the University of Iowa can finally move closer to a full recovery from the historic 2008 floods by expediting the replacement of these important facilities."
Board of Regents President Craig Lang stated the following: "We are pleased that the University of Iowa can now move ahead with certainty to replace these damaged buildings. The support of Iowa's congressional delegation and Governor Branstad has been crucial and we are so thankful for their continued advocacy. Finally, the leadership and persistence at the University of Iowa has enabled students within the arts to achieve their academic goals under adverse circumstances and within temporary facilities. The opportunity to replace these facilities is long overdue."
University of Iowa President Sally Mason said: "The students, faculty and staff of the University of Iowa are grateful for the strong and continuous support of our congressional delegation, the Governor, State Legislature and the Board of Regents. This final action on our replacement buildings clears the way for construction - and we are ready. Our students and campus can now move forward with certainty that they will have the facilities they need."
Mark Schouten, Administrator of the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division, stated the following: "I am thankful that FEMA's previous guidance to replace these facilities has been upheld. Replacing these facilities outside of the flood plain is in the best interest of tax payers. This decision also avoids potentially serious and expensive complications that would have flowed from repairing buildings that have sat vacant for over four years, including mold removal and foundation stabilization measures."
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