At a previous Carroll County Board of Supervisor’s meeting, Loren Danner presented around 525 signatures from county residents who supported him in a lawsuit against him for a grain leg built on his property. The Carroll County Airport Commission filed the suit for removal of the leg that was deemed to project 61 feet into protected airspace around the Carroll Community Airport. Danner says if he had known there were going to be restrictions when he applied for the permits years ago, he would have adhered to them. On Monday morning, he produced another 298 signatures.
Last Wednesday, the Iowa Court of Appeals ruled that although Danner had received a county building permit in 2013, and in 2015 permission from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to keep the structure as is but to add lighting, local ordinances take precedence and it upheld the nuisance abatement filed by the Airport Commission in 2015. Danner was accompanied by several family members and supporters Monday in his plea for the county to intercede and put an end to this issue before it goes all the way to the Iowa Supreme Court.
His brother, Bill Danner, Jr., says some people have done the right thing, and it is time others followed that example.
He says the board has the power to stop this until it is straightened out on the federal level, so Loren isn’t paying any fines. Danner could be up against some stiff penalties from the courts.
But he is also facing a whole slew of additional costs and losses if the order to remove the leg stands. Last spring he received an estimate to reduce the leg by 61 feet at around $200,000, before the steel tariffs. If he loses the ability to use the bins as we enter into the harvest season, he would have tremendous added costs for storage, hauling and drying of the grain. Danner says he would lose market advantage, especially on grain he has pre-sold. Jean Haviland told the board that the people are trying to find ways to help Lauren and Pan Danner because they are in a spot. Joe Danner says Loren is being left out to dry and the board has the power to put an end to it, once and for all.
Board member, Gene Meiners, replied, stating that they were just one of the authorities involved in this dispute. Martin Danner says he spoke with the Mayor, Dr. Eric Jensen, who told him the county has the final say. Board members accepted the signatures, but were unable to respond due to the pending litigation. A proposal was made to bring these questions to Carroll County Attorney, John Werden, for review.
