In October 2013, the City of Knoxville was approved for a $94,000 grant from the Iowa DOT, for funding through their Rail Port Planning and Development Grant Program. Harold Stewart, Knoxville’s City Manager now says that this week, proposals are coming in from engineering and architectural firms that design railroad ports are submitting applications to conduct the feasibility study. This study must be done to determine if the project can be done. In the next few weeks, the selection process will be underway to find the firm that best fits with Knoxville’s needs. The project is proposed for the northeast side of Knoxville city limits, north of the 3M plant.