MOUNT VERNON, Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has hired a company to help make changes to the dam at Palisades-Kepler State Park.

That dam at the park is called a low-head dam. These types of dams are particularly dangerous because of the reverse currents they create. These currents can trap people under the water and drown them.

The dam at Palisades-Kepler State Park was built in the 1930s to create an area for boating and fishing upstream.

Along with the risk of drowning, the dam is now falling apart. There’s a breach on one side, and steel girders are sticking out of the ground.

A company from Ohio, Stantec Consulting Services, will gather information and devise a plan to either remove the dam or transform it with a series of boulders called a ‘rock arch rapids.’

The first step in the project is to gather input from those who use the park regularly.

“The way that people use the park is really important to us. We do intend for this whole area to be a public amenity. Something that people really enjoy. Getting people’s thoughts on how they use it, what they like to be close to. Oftentimes that’s water, right? If there’s things we can do within the project to incorporate all those ideas, with the paramount one really being public safety, can we hit all of that at the same time,” said Nate Hoogeveen, director of river programs at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

The project is estimated to cost between one million and 2 and a half million dollars.

It could take between a year and a half to 3 years for construction to begin at the dam. From there, construction itself could take up to a year.

”It would be reasonable to assume in a 1 and a half to 3 year time frame that we could be talking about equipment being in the channel and changing things around to something that looks a lot more aesthetically pleasing,” Hoogeveen said.

Public input will be collected for the project in either late May or early June .

One of the top priorities in this project is safety. But the DNR also wants to protect recreation and fish in the area.

Copyright 2025 KCRG. All rights reserved.

Rotunda Rumblings

Sprucing up: The biggest state park in Ohio is getting a $9.6 million makeover, funded by leases for fracking underneath it. As Jake Zuckerman reports, the Ohio Controlling Board released the funds Monday for improvements at Salt Fork State Park, some of the first purchases from the new practice of allowing for oil and gas extraction in parks and wildlife areas.

College cash: Gov. Mike DeWine wants lawmakers to allocate $100 million to the state’s public colleges and universities based on graduates’ employment success. Laura Hancock reports that this amount is only about 5% of the state’s main funding stream to schools. Critics are concerned the proposal would be a beginning of undermining the liberal arts.

Dignity of Work: Former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown on Monday announced that he is launching a new non-partisan, non-profit organization to promote the “Dignity of Work” policies he pursued in Congress and touted on the campaign trail, Sabrina Eaton reports. Brown, who has not ruled out seeking public office again, says his new Columbus-based Dignity of Work Institute will be dedicated to the people who make the country work, to creating an economy and a society where Americans’ work is valued, and where everyone can afford a decent standard of living.

Details, please: State lawmakers, as promised, have drawn up a budget amendment spelling out how they would grant the Cleveland Browns’ request for $600 million in state-backed bonds to help build a new stadium in suburban Brook Park. Jeremy Pelzer has the details of the proposed amendment, which – among other things — would relax state limits on stadium funding to allow for the bonds but also require the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission to conclude that new tax revenues from the stadium and surrounding area would exceed the cost of paying off the bonds.

Stand, by he: Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has a book coming out. The 2026 Republican candidate for governor listed on Amazon (a $28 hardcover) his book, “Stand: An Ohio Life,” set to release May 6. In something of a troll, he quotes praise from his gubernatorial political rival, Vivek Ramaswamy on its cover: “Dave Yost fought against the woke and for the Constitution in court—and won.” A Ramaswamy spokesperson didn’t return an inquiry about the book blurb.

New phone who dis: Vice President JD Vance was part of a group chat of top presidential officials to discuss operational details of missile strikes in Yemen, including National Security Adviser Michael Waltz; Secretary of State Marco Rubio; Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard; Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and others. But in an apparent accident, Waltz added Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of The Atlantic, who reported on the contents of the chat in detail, including an apparent philosophical split between Vance and the president.

Goodwill visit? On Thursday, Second Lady Usha Vance will travel to Greenland with her son and a United States delegation to visit historical sites, learn about Greenlandic heritage, and attend the Avannaata Qimussersu, Greenland’s national dogsled race, the office of Vice President JD Vance announced over the weekend. Greenland’s prime minister told local publications that the U.S. delegation visit is “highly aggressive,” plunging relations to a new low after President Donald Trump vowed to annex the autonomous Danish territory, CNN reports.

Art of the deal: The Vances sold their Washington, DC-area residence, pocketing a cool $172,025 over its asking price, property records obtained by The New York Post show. The deal for the Alexandria, Virginia, abode closed on March 14, with the final sale price clocking in at $1.86 million.

Playing catchup: We missed ex-U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan’s comments on MSNBC host Jen Psaki’s podcast early this month about potentially running for Ohio governor or U.S. Senate next year. The 2022 Democratic U.S. Senate nominee, who now lives in suburban Columbus and does work for natural gas and cryptocurrency groups, told Psaki he’s “entertaining everything now,” but he indicated that, between governor and Senate, he would prefer being governor so he wouldn’t have to spend so much time away from his family in Washington, D.C. On the other hand, Ryan said, he wouldn’t run for governor if Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel enters and wins the GOP gubernatorial primary race, saying the ex-football coach has been a “mentor” since he recruited Ryan to play quarterback at Youngtown State University.

Cleaning up the books: U.S. Sen. Jon Husted plans to introduce legislation this week called the “Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Streamline the Code of Federal Regulations Act of 2025.” the Columbus-area Republican wrote in The Wall Street Journal. Citing Ohio efforts he oversaw in Ohio that used AI to spot “dead weight” in Ohio’s legislative code, Husted said his bill “would apply a similar approach federally—annually referring old, repetitive language to the agency that promulgated it so that people within the agency can decide what to cut and what to keep. This way, the federal code won’t shift with the political winds.”

What we’re watching this week

It’s still budget season, and the Ohio General Assembly is in session.

1. The House and Senate are in for floor sessions this week
2. A House committee scheduled a possible vote Wednesday on its version of an energy overhaul the Senate passed last week
3. Two Republicans are introducing a bill Tuesday that would create a new criminal penalty for “harassing” a police officer
4. The Oil and Gas Land Management Commission is set to announce any winning bids for fracking beneath Leesville Wildlife Area on Friday. (The ranking Senate Democrat, for her part, is set to introduce legislation to prohibit fracking on state lands)
5. Other noteworthy bill hearings this week include: cryptocurrency and state pensions; a constitutional convention; intoxicating hemp; banning ranked choice voting; banning diversity, equity and inclusion in schools; banning local bans on AirBnBs; and the designation of Speaker Jo Ann Davidson Day

On the Move

Vivek Ramaswamy, a Republican candidate for Ohio governor in 2026, has been endorsed by U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno, a Westlake Republican.

Ramaswamy also unveiled endorsements Monday from 15 Republican Ohio state senators, including Senate President Rob McColley of Northwest Ohio, Senate President Pro Tempore Bill Reineke of Tiffin, Majority Floor Leader Theresa Gavarone of Bowling Green, Majority Whip George Lang of Butler County. Others on the list include state Sens. Michele Reynolds of suburban Columbus, Steve Huffman of Miami County, Susan Manchester of Auglaize County, Terry Johnson of Scioto County, Shane Wilkin of Highland County, Jerry Cirino of Lake County, Andrew Brenner of Delaware County, Jane Timken of Canton, Brian Chavez of Marietta, Sandra O’Brien of Ashtabula County, and Hudson state Sen. Kristina Roegner, who is a 2026 candidate for state treasurer.

Birthdays

Andrew Geisler, assistant legal counsel, Ohio Auditor’s Office

Straight From The Source

“The truth of the matter is, literally, there’s maybe 3,000 people in this state that are paying any attention to the governor’s race right now.”

– Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, who’s running for governor in 2026, speaking to conservative commentator Bob Frantz in a talk radio show Friday.

Capitol Letter is a daily briefing providing succinct, timely information for those who care deeply about the decisions made by state government. Subscribe to get Capitol Letter in your email box each weekday for free.

One day after Ohio State was knocked out of the NCAA Tournament, the first Buckeye hit the transfer portal, with center Faith Carson announcing her departure from Ohio State via social media.

The 6-foot-4 sophomore redshirted the 2024-25 season and played just seven games during her freshman year.

“For those who supported and believed in me over the past two years, thank you,” Carson said via Instagram. “I can’t put into words how much it truly means to me. … With that being said, it is in my best interest to enter the transfer portal.”

Recruited out of Buchanan, Michigan, in November 2022, Carson was named the 2023 Prep Girls Hoops-Michigan Player of the Year following her senior season at Buchanan High School.

Ohio State already has four players graduating from the program this season. Carson’s departure puts the roster at nine players.

The Buckeyes fell to Tennessee 82-67 in the NCAA Tournament’s second round on Sunday at Value City Arena. The transfer portal officially opened on Monday.

bmackay@dispatch.com

@brimackay15