A local delegation which also included representatives of the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance and Iowa Central Community College met face-to-face in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday with Republican senators Joni Ernst and Charles Grassley and U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Hull.

The topics of discussion included Pell grants, Iowa’s Crossroads of Global Innovation, the riverfront and downtown projects.

“They were very gracious hosts and were very attentive,” Iowa Central Community College President Jesse Ulrich said of the lawmakers.

The meetings took place in the offices of Grassley, Ernst and Feenstra in the congressional office buildings on Capitol Hill. They were part of an annual trip that local officials make to Washington.

“This is another example of the collaboration with the city, the county, the college and private businesses all working together to grow our community, grow our region,” Astra Ferris, the chief executive officer of the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance, said Tuesday evening.

“We know that prepared communities win,” she added. “We are doing everything we can to be prepared to win.”

Ulrich said he talked to the lawmakers about the college’s priorities, several of which focus on a form of student financial aid called Pell grants.

He said he asked the lawmakers to consider making Pell grants available for non-degree training programs. The example he cited was the emergency medical technician and paramedic programs offered by the college. Right now, he said, prospective EMTs and paramedics can’t get a Pell grant to help pay for their training. Making that kind of financial aid available for emergency medical training will be even more important for Iowa Central since Webster County voters just approved a tax levy making EMS an essential service, he said

He said he also asked the legislators to eliminate situations in which Pell grants become taxable. Additionally, he asked that student financial aid rules be changed so that physical assets would no longer be counted as income.

“Those were all very well received,” he said.

Webster County Supervisor Austin Hayek, making his first trip to Washington, described it as a “tremendous opportunity” to highlight the ag industrial park west of Fort Dodge called Iowa’s Crossroads of Global Innovation. He said he talked to the lawmakers about infrastructure at the site, including utilities, roads and railroad spurs.

“This is about how do we make sure we have a functioning site, which we do have, but also how do we keep it growing and adapting to the needs of companies,” he said.

Fort Dodge Mayor Matt Bemrich inquired about the future of the property that was until last month occupied by the 133rd Test Squadron of the Iowa Air National Guard. That unit was taken out of service. The original agreement for the site was between the city government and the United States Air Force.

Bemrich said Ernst was very interested in that issue. He said he expects to be communicating with her about it soon.

The delegation started the day with a meeting at the U.S. Department of the Interior. That agency heads federal historic preservation programs, and the effort to rehabilitate the Warden Plaza at 908 First Ave. S. was the focus. Bemrich said the group presented “what we hope to accomplish with the Warden.”

The group’s Washington visit will continue today with meetings scheduled at the departments of Agriculture and Education and the Environmental Protection Agency.