The Mount Ayr community Board of Education covered a wide range of items at its regular meeting held Monday, May 13.

Clearfield dissolution

Superintendent Joe Drake displayed a map developed by the Clearfield Dissolution Committee that shows the redrawn school district lines that will result from the dissolution of the Clearfield district effective June 30, 2014. Drake explained the committee was seeking input from the four school districts contiguous with the Clearfield district that are affected by the dissolution. Those districts are Bedford, Diagonal, Lenox and Mount Ayr. He said depending upon that input, the map could still see a few changes prior to its being put to the Clearfield district patrons for a vote.

The committee had also asked the four affected school boards for input concerning the distribution of assets and liabilities following the dissolution. Based on the ratio of land in students received from the dissolution, the committee has recommended the following division of assets and liabilities: Lenox 50 percent, Mount Ayr 30 percent, Diagonal 15 percent and Bedford five percent. Drake told the board the Bedford district had already declined its five percent share of land, and therefore those percentages would be modified.

A major concern of the committee is the disposition of the Clearfield school building. The Clearfield board of education has until June 30, 2014 to dispose of the building as it sees fit. After July 1, 2014, however, ownership of the building will transfer to the Mount Ayr district as part of the land distribution from the dissolution. Wording in the dissolution plan asks the Mount Ayr district to wait one calendar year before it makes any decision to demolish the building. During that year the Mount Ayr district may continue to entertain offers to sell the building. After that year, however, if no one steps forward to purchase the structure, the plan sets aside $250,000 for its demolition.

The Mount Ayr board approved the dissolution plan and the preliminary map as presented.

2013 graduates

The board approved a list of 42 graduates for the class of 2013. Graduation ceremonies will be held Sunday, May 19. High school principal Lynne Wallace told the board that two or three students on the list will likely need to complete requirements into June and would not participate in Sunday’s graduation ceremonies.

District Study

David Greene, representing the District Study Committee, explained to the board the process the committee uses to establish its list of recommended goals each year. He said each of the 25 committee members submits a number of individual goals that are then entered into a web-based survey program called Survey Monkey. Each member then votes on the list of goals, and the program combines and prioritizes the voting results.

The board approved a list of five goals recommended by the District Study Community for the 2013-2014 school year:

1) Close the reading gap in the upper elementary and middle school by improving instruction in reading and writing through quality professional development, use of research-based resources and full implementation of the Iowa Core Curriculum.

2) Implement an anti-bullying and harassment program in elementary and middle/high school.

3) Conduct annual survey to gather input from students, parents and community patrons regarding school climate, student-teacher relationships, academic programs and expectations, safety and discipline, student voice and improving student learning.

4) Developed a vision statement with specifics for the district regarding technology, including digital citizenship in keeping technology in the technology support system up-to-date.

5) Continue to offer support for struggling learners, including after school and summer school programming at the elementary and extra instruction for upper grade level students.

Personnel

The board handled a number of personnel items at Monday’s meeting, most of which dealt with extra duty assignments.

The board approved the hiring of Charissa Thornton as an elementary special education teacher for the 2013-2014 school year. A recent graduate of Northwestern College in Orange City, Thornton will be paid $26,505 as a first-year teacher.

Brett Ruggles, currently an upper elementary teacher, was hired as a secondary science teacher at a salary of $39,786. The salary includes $1,020 for five additional days devoted to talented and gifted (TAG) instruction in the area of robotics.

The board approved sharing the services of Spanish teacher Gilberto Castreje with the Bedford district for the 2013-2014 school year. Originally the instruction was to take place via the Iowa Communications Network system, but it was decided both districts could share Castreje’s services in person each day. Under the agreement, Castreje will travel to Bedford for the last two periods of each day for which Bedford will provide 30% of his salary, benefits and transportation costs. In addition the state of Iowa will award $9,000 for the sharing arrangement.

Following a closed session at a special meeting held April 30, the board voted to approve the recommendation of superintendent Drake to terminate the full-time contract for elementary music teacher Carol Cason and to offer her a three-quarter time contract.

In other personnel action, the board approved the following assignments:

• Tara Grose, a special education aide, was moved from part-time to full-time status at a salary of $15,176.

• Pam Cross was hired on a 90-day contract to teach secondary social studies at a salary of $19,296.

• Sherry Adams was approved for four additional days for TAG instruction in the area of academic decathlon. The added assignment will pay $946 to bring her contract to $45,892. 

• Jane Uhlenkamp was approved for four additional days for TAG instruction. The $1,037 assignment brings her salary to $50,303.

• James Smith was hired as a bus driver at a salary of $11,351.

• Chris Elwood was hired as middle school boys basketball coach at a salary of $1524. 

• David Showalter was hired as middle school baseball coach for the coming season at a salary of $1,325. In addition he was also hired as assistant varsity boys basketball coach for next season at a salary of $1,723.

• Ranae Klinkefus was hired as assistant varsity girls basketball coach at a salary of $1,723.

SFL

Superintendent Drake and elementary principal Chris Elwood asked for board approval for their plan to hire a director for a continuation of the SFL program in Mount Ayr. They explained the original Sites for Learning program was no longer grant funded, and the Diagonal district, which had overseen the program for both districts since its inception, had asked Mount Ayr to take direction of the program for Mount Ayr students. Drake said approximately $60,000 is available through a Dekko grant and sustainability money to maintain the program. Elwood explained he would like to see all activities associated with the current SFL program to continue. He and Drake recommended hiring a director on a 200-210 day contract for approximately $30,000 per year to oversee the program. The position would carry no insurance. The board approved continuation of the program, with a personnel recommendation to come at the June board meeting.

Junior class points

Junior class sponsor Barb Gerber met with the board to discuss problems she had encountered getting juniors to work in concession stands to make money for prom and other expenses. To help curb the problem, she and high school principal Lynne Wallace had devised a points system to encourage better participation. Under the plan juniors are required to earn four points to support their class regardless of whether they are attending prom or not. Each concession stand duty is worth one point. Juniors planning to attend prom must earn eight points. For each point short of the requirement, juniors will be charged $10.

Copiers and computers

On the recommendation from superintendent Drake and technology director Kim Curry, the board voted to enter into a five-year lease with the Access company to furnish eight copiers/printers. They explained Access provides better machines and much faster response time for repairs than the current company used by the district. Curry said the new machines will handle all students and staff printing, copying and scanning needs much more efficiently than the current printers spread throughout both buildings. Those printers will be phased out over period of time.

Drake also recommended the district purchase rather than lease new computers that are already planned for middle school students and district staff. The purchase will cost approximately $180,000 but will save $8,900 in interest over the lifetime of the computers. In addition Curry said the 182 computers they are replacing can be sold back to Apple for approximately $45,000.

Other business

In other business the board:

• approved the review and revision of the 500 series of board policies to match those recommended by the Iowa Association of School Boards.

• adopted a list of legislative action priorities as presented by superintendent Drake.

• learned that the site visit from the state of Iowa will take place October 29-31.

• Heard the results of the latest fire marshal inspection. Superintendent Drake said all infractions included in the report were minor and typical, and steps were already underway to address them. Drake will inform the fire marshal’s office will work is complete. 

  After 30 minutes of discussion at a special meeting Tuesday night, the Mount Ayr city council voted unanimously to take over residential garbage service effective no later than June 30.

Mayor Don Solliday opened the meeting by reviewing three options for garbage service: 1) renew the existing contract with Waste Management; 2) put the garbage service contract up for bids; 3) take over garbage collection as a city service.

Most of the discussion was directed toward city superintendent Brent Wise. Council members asked Wise if he was confident the city could get the necessary equipment and manpower to take over the job without an increase in current garbage rates.

Wise assured the council that, based upon his research on the issue, he was confident the city could provide the same, if not better, level of service while keeping rates at current levels.

Wise also reported he had at least two area agencies willing to work with the city on establishing a city-wide recycling program.

Several council members also cited the addition of a city employee as a benefit to the new service. On days when garbage is not collected, the employee would be available to assist the city crew with various projects.

The council approved the motion to take on the residential service and purchase two 95 gallon carts per cutsomer. More details will be discussed at Monday’s regular council meeting.

The Ringgold County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, May 13. 

Resident input 

Donna Greenland met with the board to voice a number of concerns regarding issues pertaining to the secondary roads department. 

Regarding the newly established county Wellness Committee, she said some of the crew would not be able to participate over their lunch as they take their lunch while they are in the field working.

Greenland also stated the county cannot afford to send grader operators to a grader operator school. She suggested possibly sending those needing training to someone who is the better operator. Supervisor Kraig Pennington clarified the board does not intend to spend money to send employees to a school. He said he would rather conduct in-house instruction.

Greenland added there is no orientation for employees at the department. She said orientation needs to take place when a new employee is hired, and the employee needs to sign off that they have completed the orientation. Greenland also mentioned the compactor is not designed to compact tubes. Instead, the county uses maintainers. Greenland suggested selling the compactor as it is of no use.

Greenland asked why the county is putting tubes in dirt roads. Low water crossings work on her property, she added. If there are crossings on dirt roads, people will not travel down them if it rains so it should not be a safety concern. Greenland suggested the county use fabric in low water crossings to make them work. She said she hates to see all of this money going towards dirt roads. She added Adair county uses low water crossings, and they seem to work fine.

In reference to a statement made at a prior meeting by county engineer Zach Gunsolley about outsourcing projects in the secondary roads department, Greenland said the employees at secondary roads are questioning if they will have a job. Supervisor David Inloes stated the county does not see any way to outsource everything. Supervisor Royce Dredge added that the comment made at a prior meeting was related to larger projects should a bond issue pass. Inloes said projects such as eight-inch concrete roads would be included in a discussion of outsourcing projects.  Greenland said secondary roads employees know there are certain things they cannot do, but there are many that they can.

Greenland suggested creating a road to serve as a dam as opposed to putting in a tube. There are two of these in the county that work very well, she said.

County engineer

County engineer Zach Gunsolley met with the board to provide secondary roads updates. He talked to the board about the Wishard Chapel gravel project. Gunsolley said ditch prep work prior to the rock hauling was put off due to weather. Gunsolley said he purposely purchased cleaner rock because of how muddy the road is. Once the gravel is laid and worked a couple of times, the gravel will tie down and will make a good road, he said. Gunsolley noted ideally 1,600 tons of rock per mile is needed for a gravel road. Currently 400 tons per mile have been applied to the Wishard Chapel road.

Pennington asked how much the county saved by contracting the rock from Peru. Gunsolley said he will look into this and let him know.

Regarding gravel road maintenance, Gunsolley talked about a road groomer. This piece of equipment would supplement a maintainer by more evenly spreading aggregate across the road, reducing time for a project and increasing the area coverage. Gunsolley asked Greg Mobley to go to Wapello county to obtain specs for this piece of equipment. Eventually Gunsolley would like to fabricate a couple of these road groomers. Pennington asked Gunsolley to contact him prior to purchasing the materials to make this piece of equipment as he has a piece of old equipment he would donate.

Pennington expressed his concerns with the J55 crack filling project. He asked if the road will last for another five years. Gunsolley replied that it would. Pennington said he has reservations because a few cracks have not been filled on the road. Pennington asked who approved the crack filling project prior to Denko beginning. Gunsolley replied Steve Trullinger was the crew member assigned to approve the project. Pennington said Gunsolley may need to start double-checking work to ensure accuracy. Gunsolley noted the purpose of delegating is so he can focus on other projects. If he has to follow his employees around, Gunsolley said, there will be projects not being completed.

  Gunsolley reported that the J55 and P46 sealing should be complete this week. Denko will be moving to P27 north of Redding next.

Todd Bedier has called Gunsolley regarding Mabel Rice’s property. He said willows on the dam of a pond need to be taken care of. Gunsolley asked the supervisors if this situation falls to his department. Inloes stated several years ago the county entered into an agreement with NRCS stating the county would be responsible for maintaining dams throughout the county. It was noted the county cannot afford to take on a project like the one identified by Bedier. Dredge suggested visiting with Wayde Ross to get ideas on how to handle this situation.

Gunsolley reported the Braby box was on the third-to-last pour Monday. The final pour may be on next Monday to complete the box project. Backfill will begin late next week. Within the next two weeks this road will be re-open.

Pennington said he feels the bridge to the prairie chicken area near Kellerton needs to be repaired before the Vivian Wells bridge. A bridge on a gravel road needs to take priority to a bridge on a dirt road, he added. Gunsolley said a culvert will be purchased to replace the bridge near the prairie chicken site. Gunsolley also noted there are other bridges in the county that taxpayers live near that need repaired. Inloes mentioned there are three other accesses to the prairie chicken area. Dredge and Inloes feel the Vivian Wells bridge should take priority. The flood also damaged the bridge near Lil Rinehart’s residence.  The priority for those bridge repairs will be the Lil Rinehart bridge followed by the bridge near the prairie chicken area.

Southern Iowa Trolley

Steve Bollee with the Southern Iowa Trolley met with the board to discuss current operations. Bollee reviewed a purchasing policy that will be used within the organization. Pennington questioned the process this particular organization uses in paying claims prior to board approval. Bollee discussed it would be difficult to get board approval of all claims as the board meets once a month. Bollee said Southern Iowa Trolley pays a significant amount for rent now that they have separated from Area XIV Agency on Aging. The organization was looking for an alternate location but has now decided to stay where they are.

Recycling meeting

The board met with city mayors to discuss a recycling program. Present were Diagonal mayor Lowell Johnson, Delphos mayor Rebecca Caldwell, Mount Ayr mayor Don Solliday, Mount Ayr council member Deloris Stutzman and Tingley mayor Nancy Jarred. 

Inloes explained to the mayors $1.45/ton of the tipping fee at the landfill is set aside for a recycling fund. There was roughly $180,000 in this fund which took 10 years to build. Therefore, the committee decided to divide the balance among Wayne, Decatur and Ringgold counties. A total of $32,103.60 was paid to Ringgold county.

Now, the county as a whole has to decide what to do for a recycling program. Inloes asked about having a county-wide recycle program.  However, the problem with rural pick up is most people throw trash in the bins rather than recycling items. Everyone agreed this would not be a good option at this time.

Johnson reported Divine Waste started a recycling program in Diagonal. He said roughly 50 percent of people use Divine Waste in Diagonal.  Solliday said Mount Ayr may go with a curb-side pick-up program. Both Tingley and Delphos also have a recycling program in place, Jarred and Caldwell reported. Residents in each town are responsible for fees associated with the recycling programs. County auditor Amanda Waske said she had spoken with Ellston mayor Tim Creveling who reported the majority of the town uses Divine Waste who instituted a recycling program there as well.

Inloes said he had talked to six or eight counties to see what they do. Clarke county does curb side two times per month through Waste Management. Murray has implemented their own system through Waste Management. Decatur county has a truck with roll-off bins. Their cost is close to $40,000 for a recycling program. Lucas county brings in four trailers and parks them around the county. They haul everything to Oskaloosa. Inloes suggested the county divide the check by populace amongst cities based on the 2010 census figures and distribute the funds accordingly. The mayors present agreed to this solution, and  Waske reported checks will be issued to towns in two weeks. 

Ringgold county is among 15 Iowa counties declared disaster areas as the result of recent heavy rains and subsequent flooding.

Governor Terry E. Branstad has issued a third proclamation of disaster emergency for these counties: Appanoose, Clinton, Davis, Decatur, Des Moines, Jefferson, Keokuk, Lucas, Marion, Monroe, Ringgold, Van Buren, Wapello, Warren and Wayne. 

This latest proclamation of disaster emergency also activates the Iowa Individual Assistance Program for those counties, which provides grants for households with incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level. In addition it authorizes the use and deployment of state resources to those 15 counties. This proclamation contains provisions to assist the Iowa Department of Transportation in requesting federal emergency relief funding for the repair or reconstruction of federal highways and bridges throughout the impacted counties.

FEMA will begin conducting damage assessments jointly with the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division and local officials.

The Iowa Individual Assistance Program provides grants of up to $5,000 for home or car repairs, replacement of clothing or food, and for the expense of temporary housing. Original receipts are required for those seeking reimbursement for actual expenses related to storm recovery. The grant application and instructions are available at the “Disaster Assistance” link on the Iowa Department of Human Services website: www.dhs.iowa.gov.

The proclamation can be viewed at www.homelandsecurity.iowa.gov. 

  The Amercian Legion posts of Ringgold county are planning a dedication ceremony for the  Ringgold County Freedom Rock at 1:30 p.m. on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27.

Legion posts participating in the dedication are the C.A. Herrington Post #167 of Redding, the Dewey Post #516 of Tingley, the Emmet Liles Post #541 of Ellston, the Kellerton Post #676, the Morris-Herrold Post #395 of Diagonal and the Ringgold Post #172 of Mount Ayr.

Weather permitting the dedication will be held outside on the community center lawn. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs.

The ladies of the United Church of Diagonal traditionally sponsor a Memorial Day free-will offering lunch at the community center, starting at noon. Everyone is welcome to attend the lunch.

The Legion posts of Ringgold county are proud to take part in this dedication and hope the citizens of the county will attend to honor all veterans of Ringgold county.

  Rumors have recently been flying about a Hollywood movie to be filmed in Mount Ayr in the near future. Based upon information from the movie’s associate producer, it can be confirmed the rumors are true... maybe.

Mike Beecher, associate producer on the film project, told the Record-News this week that he and his associates are working on a full-length feature film about the life of a young Ronald Reagan in his hometown of Dixon, IL.

The movie is based upon a book by Mike Chapman of Newton entitled “Lowell Park.” The book examimes the years Reagan spent as a lifeguard at Lowell Park, a popular swimming spot on the Rock River near Dixon. According to legend, Reagan saved 77 lives over the course of seven summers.

More importantly, Beecher said, the book focuses on a time in his life when the young Reagan began forming his deep personal and family values that led directly to success throughout his life, culminating in his election for two terms as President of the United States.

Beecher said the production team is still in the process of finalizing financing for the movie before details of production can be set.

“We meet regularly,” he said, “and I’m encouraged by our progress over the past month to six weeks.”

One major investor in the project is California businessman Paul Ramsey, a name familiar to most people in Ringgold county. And Beecher credits Ramsey with putting the idea of Mount Ayr as a possible location for the film into the producers’ minds.

Beecher said plans are to film the movie in two locations: Illinois and Mount Ayr. “We like the Mount Ayr location for its setting and time period,” he said. He added Mike Chapman had visited Mount Ayr to gather information for an article he wrote on Ramsey’s connection to Mount Ayr for a recent edition of the Iowa Journal. As yet, however, other members of the production team have not visited Mount Ayr to scout specific locations.

Beecher said filming a movie in Mount Ayr will create jobs, at least part time, in the community. He also mentioned the economic impact to area restaurants and other businesses. “We want to become a member of the community while we’re there,” he said, “and we hope to be a part of the community’s memory when we’re gone.” 

Beecher said if financing comes together, he hopes to begin filming yet this summer with a projected release date sometime in 2014. “It will be a full-length feature film with worldwide release,” he said. And even if Reagan is a Republican icon, he sees the movie itself as a bi-partisan story that stresses family values over politics.

“But it’s not a done deal,” warned Beecher. “We still have a lot of work to do.”

Near the bottom of Monday night’s Mount Ayr city council agenda was the item entitled “Decision on direction to proceed with residential garbage removal.” The discussion lasted nearly 45 minutes and at times became heated.

City superintendent Brent Wise opened the discussion with a review of his research on the feasibility of the city taking over the garbage collection service. He explained the startup costs associated with the service, such as the purchase of a truck and the addition of one city employee. The majority of those costs could be covered, he said, if the city chose to refinance the general obligation bonds on the wastewater facility, a move that could save the city about $90,000 over the term of the bonds currently set to expire in 2026. In addition, the refinancing would likely shorten the term of the bonds.

The main drawback came in the area of recycling. Wise said the closest facility that can accept the city’s recyclables is in Des Moines. 

“What it boiled right down to,” he said, “was financially does it make sense.” At worst case scenario, he explained, the city would be flat on revenue, but with the refinanced bonds, the city will likely be able to set aside enough money to sustain the program.

Three representatives from Waste Management attended the meeting. Carl Niemann, Director of Public Sector Services, told the council his company is still prepared to honor the existing agreement with the city and to hold its current rate for the first year. Niemann also said the length of a new contract could be shortened to less than the current five-year contract that is set to expire June 30.

Doug Tucker, district operations manager, said he wanted to clarify an issue that has come up in previous garbage discussions. He explained that a pickup truck had been originally used to pick up the recycling in the city, but recently a second garbage truck has been used for that purpose. Some residents may have mistaken the recycling truck for the main garbage truck and have complained that their recycling is being thrown in with the garbage. “Waste Management does not throw away recycling,” he said. “Our collection vehicles often multitask.”

Niemann also explained that Waste Management will assume full control over the recycling facility in Creston, and if Mount Ayr does choose to take over the garbage service, the recyclables could be delivered to Creston rather than Des Moines.

Next to speak was Tim Newton representing Divine Waste in Mount Ayr. Newton reminded the council that his company is conducting curbside recycling in the county, and it already has a recycling facility in Mount Ayr.

He then asked for a copy of the current contract with Waste Management. He said that the contract stipulates a letter will be sent to Waste Management if there is an issue with the recycling, and he asked for a copy of that letter considering the fact the city had received a number of complaints about recycling being thrown into the back of garbage trucks. 

Considerable discussion then ensued concerning the number of complaints the city had received and the action they had taken in response to those complaints.

“I stated I was not going to address Waste Management with something that I didn’t have any validation of that type of action,” said city superintendent Brent Wise, in reference to recyclables being thrown into the back of a garbage truck. “That particular day when we received four complaints, I and one other employee got in our truck and followed them and never saw a thing go wrong for an hour. Now whether or not it did or didn’t, I don’t have any proof of that, and if I don’t have any proof of that, wouldn’t it be errant on my part to state that there was when I didn’t have any validation that there was.”

Again, Newton asked for a copy of the letter addressing the complaints with Waste Management.

“We don’t have a letter,” said Wise. “We did it by phone call to inquire what was going on, and they clarified that they were using the smaller truck to pick up recycling.”

Newton then asked Wise to elaborate on his contact from the Department of Natural Resources concerning a possible SWAP grant to assist the city with recycling if it chose to take over the garbage service. Newton claimed that the DNR had told him they had no knowledge of contacting Wise about the grant. “They had no idea how that could possibly be,” said Newton, “because they don’t contact people in order to see if they would be interested in applying for a SWAP grant.” He asked Wise to furnish him the name of the person who had contacted him.

“Is this an attack on me, Tim?” asked Wise.

“No, it’s not an attack on you,” replied Newton.

“Well, let me just clear something up,” said Wise. “If this is the type of conversation we’re going to have, I’m not having any more of them.”

“I wouldn’t want to have any more of them either, if I was you,” said Newton.

“We’re going to stop this right now,” said Wise. “This is how it’s going to work – if you have something to present, by all means present it.”

“At the last meeting we had you kind of put it out there that you were accountable to the people in this town, and you want to make sure you are doing the highest and best for the people of this town,” said Newton. “From where I’m sitting as a business owner and consumer in this town, I see that the mayor spends a lot of time here running the city... And you being the city superintendent with your time I’m just curious how you put the city of Mount Ayr first over and above the city of Lenox that you are the mayor of.”

“That’s irrelevant,” said councilwoman Deloris Stutzman. “What he does outside of this job is irrelevant. He can be mayor of Lenox if he wants. It has nothing to do with this.”

“You’re absolutely correct,” said Newton. “It has nothing to do with this other than the time and energy that would be given to...”

“Can you tell me one day I was needed here that I wasn’t here?” asked Wise.

“I don’t have any idea,” replied Newton.

“Okay, then stop the allegations,” said Wise. “When you feel you have something that has some merit, then bring it on, but from this time forward... I don’t understand why you’re attacking me.”

“I’m not attacking you,” said Newton. “What I’m saying is the amount of time and energy that I see Don [Solliday] spending on this job, I would question how you could possibly...”

“The time he spends?” said councilman Wes Mathany. “Do you know how many hours he’s been putting in a week? Do you have any clue? Any clue whatsoever?”

“Tim, do you have a bid for us?” asked councilman Mack Greene. “That’s what we want tonight.”

“I would absolutely like to bid,” replied Newton, “but I’d like to get some things cleared up.”

“We all know what’s going on here in the city,” said Greene, “and we don’t have a problem with it. Let’s get to the point – we’re talking garbage tonight.”

Newton then brought up that Mayor Solliday had told him that providing reference letters to the council was a waste of time.

“That’s not exactly what I said,” replied Solliday, “but you can interpret it however you want to. I told you that you could have handed those out to the council, and they would have time to look at them, but they didn’t have time at the council meeting to look at those letters. It was a waste of council meeting time, in my estimation. That’s what I told you.”

“No, you told me that my letters were a waste of time,” said Newton.

“You can say whatever you want to, but I know what I said,” replied Solliday.

“I know what you said too, and I have it on tape recorder too in case anybody would like to have a copy of that,” said Newton.

“All you’ve ever come in here with is something negative, never anything positive, to push your business, that I can see,” said Solliday.

“Tim, I don’t think you could work with the council even if you got the contract,” added Stutzman, “because you’ve alienated everybody here.”

“I’ve never heard you present anything that didn’t run somebody else down,” said Solliday. “That just turns me off.”

“Okay, Don, how have I run anybody down?” asked Newton.

“Well, you’ve done it a few times tonight,” replied Solliday. “And if you think you haven’t, you need to listen to your tape.” 

“Here’s what we’re going to decide tonight,” said Stutzman. “We’re going to decide about a garbage contract. If we decide we’re going to do it ourselves, fine. If we don’t, then it has to go out for bids or we can keep the same as what we have. But that’s a decision we’re going to make tonight. And you can carry on about what people said or didn’t say or what you taped or didn’t tape, but we’re still going to get down to the fact that we’re going to decide what we’re going to do about a garbage contract.”

“This personal business has nothing to do with the garbage contract, absolutely nothing,” said Mathany.

“I believe that it does,” said Newton. “I brought up about the letter first, that doesn’t seem to be a concern.”

After more give-and-take between Newton and the council, city attorney Richard Wilson stepped in. “Mr. Mayor, we’ve gone on and on and on about these things,” he said. “I think it’s about time to rule Tim out of order because we’re not talking about the direction to proceed with residential garbage removal. We’re getting far removed, and unless he wants to stick to that as an issue, I would suggest you rule him out of order and he can no longer sit at this council table.”

“Here’s the deal, Tim,” said Stutzman. “When we close this meeting tonight, if we put it out for bids, you will be notified to send us a bid. Otherwise, that’s the end of the garbage conversation.”

Newton then reminded the council of the educational efforts by his company in area schools and in the community. But the discussion soon returned to the earlier conversation between Newton and Solliday.

“I will make a tape recording of the conversation, Mayor, where you said you would make sure that we would not get the contract,” said Newton.

“I don’t think I ever said that,” replied Solliday.

“Now you are out of order,” interjected Stutzman.

“Are you going to stick with this [agenda item on garbage service], or are you going to keep bitching and moaning?” asked Solliday. “Because of you’re going to keep bitching and moaning, you’re out of here.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong,” said Newton. “Did you or did you not tell me the letter of recommendation from the Mount Ayr Park board was not 100 percent?”

“Yes I did,” replied Solliday, “but forget about the complaints. Tell us what you’re going to offer the city in the way of a garbage contract.”

“We would like to pick up the city’s garbage and recycling,” said Newton, “and would like to bring recycling to the whole city.” Newton repeated his point about bringing revenue to the city and doing business in the city.

He then brought up the fact that he had invited council members to tour his recycling facility, but no one in taken him up on his offer. Councilman Mathany said he had attempted to make contact with Newton to set up a tour, but the tour was never arranged. Newton said he was unable to reach Mathany on the phone number he was given. 

After another several minutes of argument, Mayor Solliday asked for council discussion leading to a decision on the future of garbage service in the city, Councilman Gerold Cannon asked if the council could hold a special meeting next week so they could discuss the decision with clear minds. Other council members agreed. The council asked the representatives from Waste Management and Tim Newton if they had any objections to postponing the decision until next week. After neither expressed an objection, a special city council meeting was set for Tuesday, May 14 at 7 p.m.

The state appeal board has ruled on the protests of the FY 2014 budgets for the Ringgold County Hospital, the county assessor, the county agriculture extension board and the E911 board.

The state board denied all objections and upheld the budgets for the hospital, assessor and extension, but it ruled the E911 service board FY 2014 surcharge must be reduced. 

E911

Among the petitioners’ five formal objections to the E911 budget, the appeal board denied four and acted on one to result in a reduction of a surcharge rather than an elimination of the surcharge as petitioners had asked.

The board ordered a $5,307 reduction in the FY 2014 surcharge, from $22,000 to $16,694 in round numbers.

The board ruled the E911 surcharge of $22,000 included in the FY 2014 budget was beyond the 25 percent carryover limit mandated in Iowa Code.

According to the board’s finding, Iowa Code dictates “if money remains in the fund after fully paying obligations ... the remainder may be accumulated in the fund  as a carryover operating surplus. If the surplus is greater than 25 percent of the approved annual operating budget for the next year, the program manager shall reduce the surcharge by an amount calculated to result in a surplus of no more than 25 percent  of the planned annual operating budget.”

(The accompanying graphic provides detail to the board’s ruling.)

In addition, the appeal board ordered the county E911 service  board to begin using official Department of Management online forms when submitting future budgets for certification. The petitioners had argued the budget published in the newspaper was not the same as the budget approved, and as a result, its adoption should be overturned. The panel ruled as follows: “The Ringgold County E911 Service Board budget was prepared using forms other than those provided by the Department of Management. This resulted in the ending fund balance on the notice of public hearing being incorrect and the forms not being available online at the time of the public hearing. However, this does not effect the propriety of the budgeted expenditures adopted by the Service Board.”

In their ruling, the appeal board stated the petitioners did not adequately satisfy the burden of proof requirement to justify a change in FY2014 expenditures. They also ruled the E911 service board coordinator adequately satisfied the  burden of proof requirement for the increases in the FY2014 expenditures.

The final order stemming from the E911 Service Board budget appeal stated: “Based on the information provided by the  involved and the Iowa Code, the State Appeal Board requests the E911 program manager under the Homeland Security and Emergency  Management Division of the Department of Public Defense reduce the Ringgold County E911 Service Board surcharge in accordance with Iowa Code Chapter 34A. The State Appeal Board also directs the Ringgoid County E911 Service Board to use the required Department of Management online budget forms.”

Hospital, assessor, extension

In its other three rulings, the appeal board stated the petitioners had not satisfied the burden of proof nececssary to justify a change in the FY 2014 budgets as adopted. In addition, they found the responsible entities had satisfied the burden of proof for increases in their budget.

However, in their final order concerning the hospital budget, the appeal board included a paragraph addressing the financial status of the hospital: “The increasing deficits of the hospital’s ending fund balance do not reflect favorably on the hospital’s ability to continue as a viable, on-going entity. The hospital should investigate alternatives to return the hospìtal to a sound financial position.”

A 1960s beach party theme and a picnic dinner to go along with it will be offered by the Ringgold Singers in their annual spring concert Friday, May 10.

The concert hot dog picnic supper will begin at 6:30 p.m. with the program to follow 7 p.m. at the Mount Ayr American Legion building. Admission is $7 with $1 refunded at the door for those wearing Hawaiian, beach or 1960s attire.

As well as songs by the Ringgold Singers as a whole, there will be many small groups and some audience participation blowing bubbles to “Tiny Bubbles,” doing the limbo to “Limbo Rock” or singing “Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer.”

Camille Jackson is again directing the group this year and there will be an accompaniment by Sheri Hymbaugh, Nancy Sackett and Carolyn Houts on piano, Jim George on guitar, Dennis Hemann on bass and Darren Jones on drums.

The entire Ringgold Singers chorus will sing “Bandstand Boogie,” “Blue Velvet,” “Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer,” “Best of the Beach Boys” and “What A Wonderful World.”

The men will sing “Walk Like A Man” and “Love Potion #9” while the women will sing “1960s Party Line,” featuring such favorites as “It’s My Party,” “Chapel of Love,” “Lollypop” and “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’.”

A small group of the women will do “Itsy Bitsy Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” and other small group or solo numbers will include “Release Me,” “She Has You,” “Little Old Lady from Pasadena,” “Peppermint Twist,” Chad and Jeremy’s “A Summer Song,” “Marianne,” and “Tiny Bubbles.” Instrumental numbers will feature Sammy Crawford on trumpet for “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” and the band for “Limbo Rock” and “Wipe Out.”

“We invite young and old to come and share in the music and the fun,” Jackson invited.

Members of the Ringgold Singers this year include: 

Sopranos: Sue Beck, Judy Cunning, Janet Hickman, Kathleen Myers, Selina O’Connor, Linda Phipps, Lynda Rolfe and Vicki Zollman.

Altos: Carolyn Houts, Jodi Lawrence, Pat Meester and Shannon Weiman.

Tenors: Dick Jackson, Chuck Weiman, Jim Hullinger, Jay Meester and Larry White.

Basses: Rob Rolfe, Mark Hickman, Rod Zollman, Jim Norman and Alan Smith.

A number of other people will also be helping out with the program or the fun for the night including a group of youngsters helping with the 60s Party Line number.

Advance tickets are on sale at the Mount Ayr Record-News. 

The Iowa Street Rod Association’s second annual Mother’s Day Weekend Hot Rod Run will make a stop in Mount Ayr Saturday.

The group will be in Mount Ayr around noon for lunch and then participate in a Poker Walk from 1:30-2:30 p.m. with awards to follow at 2:45 p.m..

The caravan will start the morning in Ames and travel through Des Moines, Newton and Knoxville. They will stop in Winterset for a photo at 10:30 a.m. before heading on to Mount Ayr for the afternoon.

The public is invited to examine the cars and talk to the drivers on the square.

  A baccalaureate service for county graduating seniors is once again being sponsored by the Ringgold County Ministerial Association and planned by a committee of senior students.  

The service will be held on Wednesday, May 15 at the United Baptist-Presbyterian Church at 7 p.m.  A part of the program will include the Son Dogs christian band, several students from the committee and special vocal selections by Maggie and Chantelle Jennett.  Pastor Skip Rushing of the United Methodist Church Larger Parish will give the baccalaureate address.  

Students serving on  the committee are Dylan Doman, Caitlin Giles, Madison Hosfield, Jena James, Maggie Jennett, Braydee Poore, Zane Sickels, Jacob Still, Johnathan Triggs and Logan Wimer.  Pastor Ed Shields represents the RCMA. The ladies of the church will act as hostesses for a reception following the service.  Each church who belongs to RCMA is asked to donate three dozen cookies.

The Mount Ayr city council met in regular session Monday, May 6 during which they approved a request to close off some sections of streets for upcoming special events and proceeded with the vacation and disposal of sections of Washington and Douglas streets. Another main item for discussion was on the direction to proceed with the residential garbage removal service. (A separate story on the front page details that discussion.)

Street closure requests

Doug Still, representing the Ringgold County Outdoor Alliance, asked the city’s permission to temporarily close some sections of Taylor and Madison streets for the Ayr Days barbecue contest and the washer tournament event. Still said he had visited with the Ringgold County Sheriff’s office who told him they approved of the way the events were handled last year. Still outlined the areas to be blocked off for each event and commented that everything had run pretty smoothly last year. The council voted to approve the temporary closing of the streets for the events.

Vacation of city streets

The council authorized city attorney Richard Wilson to begin the process by which the city would vacate and dispose of sections of Washington and Douglas streets as requested by resident Randy Gregg. Wilson asked that Gregg provide him with specifics of the sections he has asked to be vacated so that Wilson can proceed with the legal description. Once the legal description has been completed, the city must hold a public hearing prior to accepting bids on the vacated sections. Bidding on the vacated property would be open to anyone interested.

City superintendent’s report

City superintendent Brent Wise discussed a long list of items with the council:

• interviews for a new member of the city crew were to be held this week. The city had received six applications for the position.

• Wise updated the city on a number of issues related to the recent heavy rains including the malfunction of a grid system at the wastewater plant. He also mentioned the city jetter is not functioning properly.

• Wise also asked council approval to seek other professional opinions on the engineering plans for the water system project. He said he had some concerns with the engineering provided by the current project management.

• Maintenance of city streets was a major topic of discussion. Wise said he has had several companies come in to analyze the city’s needs in this area. He said he would like to focus attention to West Street that has surface and drainage issues. The council asked Wise to seek bids for the project but agreed West Street as well as others need a lot of attention.

• Wise also asked council guidance pertaining to a city zoning ordinance that restricts garage heights to no more than 15 feet. He said a number of building projects had been approved that exceeded the height limitation, and he could find no evidence of variances being issued for those projects. He said if the ordinance is not being enforced it should be modified or removed altogether. The council asked Wise to investigate possible modifications for the ordinance and report on them in an upcoming council meeting.

• May 8 has been set as a Bike to School day, and Wise informed the council he plans to participate in the event to show support from city hall.

Other business

In other action the council:

• approved the 10th and final drawdown request for the bathhouse/FEMA safe room project in the amount of $119,202.60.

• approved a resolution to provide for a notice of public hearing on the proposed plans, specifications, form of contract and estimate of cost for the 2013 water system improvement project and the taking of bids.

• approved a class C liquor license renewal application from Lefty’s Club Tavern.

•  approved a resolution to provide a notice of public hearing on the proposed plans, specifications, form of contract and estimate of cost for the 2013 Water System Improvement Project. The resolution also authorized the taking of bids. 

  The Clearfield Dissolution Commission held a public hearing Monday, April 29 to gain input and answer questions about the ongoing process to dissolve Clearfield Community school district effective June 2014.

Commission chair Doug England opened meeting by introducing commission members Sara Deskin, Gina Knox, Becky Kerns, Bob Cameron, Michele Sobotka and Patty Parrish. He then turned the floor over to Clearfield superintendent Joe Drake, who briefly reviewed the dissolution process for the approximate 35 community members in attendance. He explained the decision to dissolve the district did not come easy, but the board recognized the district simply had too few students to remain viable. The Clearfield board had approached neighboring school districts to seek their interest in reorganizing with Clearfield, but the districts declined the invitation. At that point a dissolution commission was appointed to accomplish two tasks: to draw the boundaries that would distribute Clearfield district land to contiguous school districts and to divide the assets of the district. The dissolution plan would be reviewed by the Clearfield board as well as the boards of the four contiguous school districts, and if approved by each district, the plan would be put to a vote by Clearfield district patrons. If the plan passes that vote, the district would officially dissolve June 30, 2014. 

At that point the meeting was opened for questions and concerns from the audience. 

Questions focused on two main topics: the students’ ability to attend the school of their choice and what would become of the Clearfield school building and its campus.

Clearfield Mayor Sherry Brown compared the current dissolution discussion to the decision 25 years ago to close the Clearfield high school. She said at that time many friendships were broken, and many people had hurt feelings. She urged the commission to listen to the students and accommodate their wishes as best way they could.

Commission member Gina Knox reported that in a survey of current pre-kindergarten through sixth grade students, nine preferred attending Mount Ayr, nine preferred attending Diagonal and 11 preferred attending Lenox.

A large map displayed at the meeting revealed patron preferences as to which neighboring school district with which they preferred their land to be assigned. The map indicated a large majority of patrons in the west side of the district preferred Lenox while a large majority on the east side preferred Mount Ayr. Although new district boundaries have not been finalized, it appeared the town of Clearfield itself would likely be split between the Lenox and Mount Ayr districts.

It was also noted that unlike 25 years ago, the state of Iowa now allows for open enrollment for students living in one district to attend school in a contiguous district. As a result, regardless of where boundaries are drawn, students would still have the option to attend the school of their choice. However, under the open enrollment statute, students must furnish their own transportation to the neighboring school district.

The question then was asked whether buses from all four school districts would be allowed to pick up students in the town of Clearfield. Dissolution committee attorney Rick Engle explained state law restricts school districts from crossing the boundaries of a neighboring district to pick up students. For example, if land in the town of Clearfield was split between two school districts, the third school district could not run a bus into the town. However, he added, a school district could sign a letter of intent to allow another school district to run a bus that crosses district boundaries. Drake said he intended to bring such a proposal to the Mount Ayr school board at its May meeting. Nielsen added the letters of intent do not bind future boards from prohibiting neighboring buses from crossing district boundaries.

The other main topic dealt with the future of the Clearfield building and surrounding campus. Drake explained the Clearfield board has control of the building site until the district dissolves in June 2014. Individuals or groups may approach the board with plans for the future the building, and the board is free to entertain offers for its transfer to new ownership prior to dissolution. However, if no one steps forward with a viable plan for the building, ownership of the building will transfer to the neighboring school district within whose boundaries the building sits.  The dissolution plan sets aside an amount of money to cover the cost to the new district for demolition of the building, but the plan also includes a request that the neighboring district postpones demolition until June 2015, thus providing an additional year for an individual or group to offer a plan for the building’s future. Commission members cited the town of New Market that had turned its old school building into a combination of a community center and apartments. Many in the audience expressed interest in retaining some if not all of the current building for recreation, community activities and a storm shelter. Commission members urged the community to come up with a plan for the building prior to June 2014 so that the Clearfield board would have control over the final decision on the building.

A series of hearings on the protests to the 2014 budgets for the Ringgold County Hospital, the county assessor’s office, the county extension council and the E911 board were held Tuesday, April 22.

Personnel from the state treasurer’s office, the state auditor’s office and from the state department of management officiated at the hearings.

Speakers representing the protest and those representing the agencies whose budgets were under protest were allowed opening comments followed by rebuttal from each side. Hearing officers were also free to ask questions or to seek clarifications as needed.

The protest on the hospital budget was heard by Luke Donahee from the state treasurer’s office, Carrie Johnson from the Iowa Department of Mangement and Susan Dalhstrom from the state auditor’s office.

Speaking on behalf of the protesters was Kevin Kilgore and hospital adminstrator Gordon Winkler  presented opening remarks and Teresa Roberts, hospital chief financial officer, was also present to answer financial questions.

The E911 budget protest was heard by Lisa Oakley of the Iowa Department of Managment and by Donahee and Dahlstrom.

Kilgore presented opening remarks in support of the protest, while Merle Walter, E911 director, presented support for the budget as adopted.

After a lunch recess, Johnson, Donahee and Dahlstrom conducted the hearing concerning the county agricultural extension council budget.

Again, Kilgore represented the protesters while Chris Eaton, chair of the extension council, spoke in support of the adopted budget.

The final hearing centered on the budget for the county assessor’s office. Johnson, Donahee and Dahlstrom again conducted the hearing.

Kilgore represented the protest while county assessor Neil Morgan provided support for the adopted budget.

A panel consisting of state auditor David A. Vaudt, state treasurer Michael L. Fitzgerald and department of management director David Roederer was scheduled to hear the recommendations provided by the hearing officers in a meeting Tuesday, April 30. As of press time, no word of final decisions in any of the protests has been received by county auditor Amanda Waske. 

  Ringgold County Secondary Roads Department is announcing road repairs will be performed over the next three weeks starting the week of May 6.  The repairs will be on the following roads in this order:

1. County Highway J55 from County Highway P46 to Decatur county line.

2. County Highway P46 from County Highway J55 to Mount Ayr.

3. County Highway P27 from Redding to State Highway 2.

4. County Highway J43 from County Highway P27 to Maloy.

5. County Highway P33 from State Highway 2 to Diagonal.

6. County Highway J20 from US Highway 169 through Tingley.

The road work consists of crack filling and fresh oil will be on the roads.  The roads will be closed to the public as the oil sets up, but roads will be back open during overnight hours.  The public will have to use alternate routes during the road work.  

If you have any questions, please call the engineer’s office at 641-464-3232.

  The Diagonal Maroons archery team will hold its annual supper and fundraiser Sunday, May 5 in the south gymnasium. Doors will open at 4 p.m.

Special guest will be Matt Stutzman, silver medalist at the 2012 London Olympics. Known at the “Armless Archer,” Stutzman competes at the highest levels of world-class archery using only his legs and feet. On his return visit to Diagonal, he will entertain the audience with inspirational stories of his overcoming his handicap and of his competition on the world stage. In addition, he will perform trick shots and have his Olympic medal on display.

Prior to Stutzman’s presentation, the archery team will host several games, raffles and a smoked pork supper with all the fixins.

Cost for admission and meal is $6 for adults $4 for students in grades K-12. Admission without the meal is $4 for adults $2 for students in grades K-12.

Volunteer school board members spend thousands of hours each year analyzing budgets, monitoring student achievement data, adopting effective policies and making key decisions to ensure that each Iowa student receives an excellent education. The Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB) invites communities to celebrate and thank their local school board members during School Board Recognition Month in May 2013.

This year’s theme, “Building Brighter Futures,” recognizes that Iowa’s volunteer school board members are providing innovative leadership, through responsibilities ranging from strong financial stewardship to ensuring high-quality curriculum, to make sure all students are able to grow and prosper through their education.

This special month is an opportunity to highlight the excellent work being done on behalf of students and to thank the more than 2,000 men and women who govern Iowa’s public education system.

Please take this opportunity to notice what your schools and board have offered your children this year, and to acknowledge your district leaders. Visit IASB’s website at www.ia-sb.org to learn more about Iowa school boards.

IASB is a private, nonprofit organization representing Iowa’s 348 school districts, nine area education agencies and 15 community colleges. 

The storms that rolled through Ringgold county this month have proven to be crippling to the county secondary road system. Zach Gunsolley, Ringgold county engineer, has been assessing the damage from the rain event.

“We had a laundry list of items that needed addressed throughout the county before this rain hit,” said Gunsolley. “This floodwater has added new problems and amplified old ones. It has proven to be a sucker punch to the secondary roads department’s budget.”

Gunsolley said there are many locations where gravel was washed away by floodwater overtopping the road. Many bridges and culverts have lost soil around them from flash flooding. Five locations were closed during the flooding, including a bridge that has been closed due to flood damage. Another bridge was closed this past Monday after flood damage was discovered during inspection. Gunsolley said earth and riprap are needed to repair areas around the bridges and culverts before they are damaged further.

The secondary roads department has been assessing bridge and culvert damage on a case-by-case basis. “Assessing the total flood damage across our entire road system will take time,” said Gunsolley.

As the week wears on, county road crews continue to discover new problems from the flooding.

Gunsolley asks that people be careful when traveling on county roads as not all roads, especially dirt roads, have been inspected after the recent flooding. “After each rain, please use caution as erosion will continue to worsen at problem areas until we have a chance to make necessary repairs,” Gunsolley added. 

Gunsolley asks the public to contact the Engineer’s Office at 464-3232 to report a county road problem, and to exercise patience as the secondary roads department works to make repairs to the secondary roads system.

Ringgold County Hospital board members met for their regular meeting with several topics for discussion.

Notice of Protest of 2014 Budget

A recent notice of protest of the 2014 RCH budget was received. The required hearing was scheduled to be held April 23 at 9 a.m. in the assembly room at the courthouse.

Administrator Gordon Winkler outlined the process for board members. The hearing will be composed of three individuals who are fact finders for the state, and this board will hear objections and oversee the process. Fifteen minutes will be allowed for the petitioner first and then representatives from Ringgold County Hospital to present. The petitioner will then have a 10-minute rebuttal opportunity, and each entity will be allowed a five-minute summary. 

The state tax board will be provided all information for consideration, and a decision will be made.

Winkler encouraged the finance committee to attend the hearing.

Medicaid expansion debate

The ongoing debate in the Iowa legislature regarding the Medicaid expansion portion of the Affordable Health Care Act and potential impact on Ringgold county and the hospital was revisited. 

Additional information was supplied to the board including a printout comparing the Medicaid expansion proposal and current options available from state and federal programs. This printout was provided by the Iowa Hospital Association who also strongly supports the expansion. 

Administrator Winkler reiterated Ringgold County Hospital’s own position in support of opting into the Medicaid expansion and indicated Governor Terry Branstad remains opposed to state participation.

Nursing Report

Director of Nursing Kathi Schuster reported on two items of interest. 

In response to indicated concerns, staff is working to improve the timeframe for patients presenting for emergency room care. It was noted that all chest pains are monitored with an EKG within the first 10 minutes of an ER visit and all visits are intended to be handled in a timely manner. 

On RCH’s Mercy Quality Scorecard, Schuster remarked that a catheter-associated infection reported in November was the first since 2009.

Schuster also announced July 25 as the date for the Hospital Golf Tournament. This year’s tournament theme is “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” a baseball-inspired theme that will be carried out in several ways throughout the tournament. Lunch and dinner will be provided, with the Cattlemen’s Association serving an evening meal of  prime rib.

Finance Report

Finance director Teresa Roberts indicated an increase in volume in March, but the hospital remains 12 percent under budget.

There were no capital expenditures to report and operations show a positive cash flow. 

Roberts mentioned a tool that estimates cost reports being used by the finance department to provide a speedier response time for Medicare determinations. This tool is beneficial for planning Medicare reimbursements and is efficient in assuring proper payments are received.

Refinancing search

In a discussion facilitated by both Winkler and Roberts, information on the hospital’s search to find refinancing options was shared. Raymond James is the company presently working with the hospital on finding refinancing possibilities, and a new option may be available with a USDA direct loan. Current rates for this type of loan are at three percent, which would be significant and might help offset the prepayment penalties which will not be negated. Several items would need to be addressed and agreed to by the USDA, a requirement which may or may not be achievable. Winkler and Roberts will continue to explore all routes for refinancing and will report to the board as the opportunities develop.

Miscellaneous business

Miscellaneous notes of interest were shared with the board. 

The upcoming Community Health Fair is set for Wednesday, May 1 from 4-6 p.m. Area residents are encouraged to participate in this free screening. 

A newsletter on health has been started for interested community members. It is presently emailed, and anyone is invited to add their email to the list if they would like to receive the newsletter.

Old business

Correspondence continues with Davida in regard to dialysis care, and interest is still expressed for purchase of the old hospital building.

Staff appointments

Initial appointment to the staff was approved for Dr. Jerry Phipps, and a reappointment was approved for Dr. Mark Belz, nephrologist. 

Braydee Poore finished in second place in the boys high jump competition at the 2013 Kansas Relays in Lawrence, KS.

Poore jumped 6-6 to claim the runner-up spot in the 86th running of the Kansas Relays, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious track and field events.

According to Mount Ayr boys track coach Brad Elliott, Poore was among the favorites in a four-state showdown of top prep high jumpers. “Due to the cool/windy conditions, Braydee came in at a routine height of 5-10 for him to get the blood flowing, he said. “He sailed over the bar flawlessly on his way to three attempts at 6-08. After clearing 6-06, it looked as if Poore was the favorite with a more than adequate clearance. He was the only jumper without any misses at all of the heights leading up to 6-08.”

Kai Rowden of Olathe North (leading jumper in Kansas) was the only jumper to clear 6-08 on his way to the 2013 Kansas Relays High Jump title. Three jumpers cleared 6-6, but Poore finished in second place as he was the only jumper with no misses to that point. 

Twenty-eight jumpers from high schools in Kansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Colorado and Iowa accepted invitations to compete in the event.

“This was a great performance by Braydee,” added Elliott. “Not only did he have a solid shot at winning the event, he gained valuable large meet experience as he prepares for this week’s Drake Relays.” 

The Ringgold county board of supervisors met in regular session Monday, April 22.

Road damage

County engineer Zach Gunsolley updated the board about damage caused by the recent heavy rains across the county. He said a number of bridges, culverts and roads had been damaged and will require repair before other scheduled repair and maintenance projects can proceed. (A related story can be found elseware on the front page of this week’s Record-News.)

In a related item, Alva Parker appeared before the board to announce he would not grant easement on adjacent property for work to begin on a bridge near his home in the northern part of the county.

According to the supervisors, Parker told them the bridge was OK the way it was. He asked the supervisors to restrict the bridge to one-way access and to paint the bannisters.

The bridge is an estimated 60 years old and was on the county’s list of bridges needing repair and maintenance. The project would be a joint effort between Union and Ringgold counties.

Veterans Affairs Commission

The supervisors named four new members to the Veterans Affairs Commission: Jack Cook, Lyle Minnick, Kathy Kilgore and Larry Ford. They will join current member Shirley Wallace.

The supervisors were pleased to have six people interested in positions on the commission, and they said they had wanted to include all six applicants to create a seven-person board. However, the state mandates a maximum of five commission members. The supervisors said they would contact the other two applicants, Charlie Case and Jim Hullinger, if future openings occurred on the commission.

Letter of support

The board also approved a letter of support for the Public Health Agency’s grant application aimed at purchasing new equipment to make Medicaid billing more efficient.

Other business

In other business the supervisors;

• approved the insurance rates for FY 2014. The rates reflect a 7.5 percent increase over current rates.

• reviewed and approved the Return-to-Work policy for the secondary roads department. The policy reflects changes in workman’s compensation requirements coming in July.

Representatives from the Iowa State Board of Appeals held a series of public hearings in response to formal protests regarding the recent certification of the fiscal year 2014 county budget. (Specific details were not available at press time.)

The hearings took place in the assembly room at the Ringgold county courthouse on Tuesday, April 23.

A series of four hearings were held, beginning at 9 a.m. with the Ringgold County Hospital budget. A hearing on the E-911 service board budget was set for 10:45 a.m. In the afternoon, the hearing for the Agricultural Extension Board budget began at 1:15 p.m. followed by the county assessor budget hearing at 3 p.m.

The hearings stem from a series of protests submitted to the state board of appeals by 10 county residents concerning certification of the FY 2014 county budget. 

The hearings served only as a fact-finding mission after which the information will be presented to the state appeals board for its final judgment in the matter.  

Effective June 30, First Federal Savings Bank and Page County State Bank will merge to form PCSB Bank. 

PCSB will continue to serve the communities of Clarinda, Creston, Corning, Lenox and Mount Ayr. According to a press release, the Whitmore family has owned Page County State Bank for over 50 years and First Federal Savings Bank for over 25. 

“This merger will allow us to leverage our resources providing our fellow community members, farmers and business owners with innovative technology, the latest products and services, and the best bank employees in the area,” stated  Cynthia Alvarez, vice president and director of marketing in the press release. “We would like to stress that this is not your typical merger. We have owned both institutions for decades and felt this would be the best time to join forces in order to strengthen our footprint and continue to be the premier family-owned community bank of choice in Southwest Iowa.” 

Two winners for the 2013 Arion Award were announced at Monday’s Merrill Perry Band Concert. Jennifer Blair and April Shields were presented the award by John Thorpe, president of the Mount Ayr Lions, sponsor of the award. The award honors the top senior band member each year. 

First-degree murders charges have once again been filed against Edward Eugene Gray, Jr., in connection with a body found in a remote area in Ringgold county in 2007.

Gray, whose latest address was listed as the federal penitentary in Leavenworth, KS, is scheduled to appear for arraignment April 22 in the Ringgold county courthouse. He is currently being held in the Ringgold county jail under an $800,000 cash bond.

The charges stem from the discovery by deer hunters of unidentified human remains on December 3, 2007. The body was located in Liberty township north and east of Mount Ayr.

The Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation, the Iowa State Patrol and Ringgold county sheriff’s officers investigated the incident and termed it “suspicious” in nature.

In May 2008, after an autopsy and investigation of evidence, the still unidentified body was said to be a Caucasian or Hispanic male between 5’3” and 5’6” inches tall. A ring was also found on the body. The authorities asked the public’s assistance in providing information in the case.

Using information provided by Collins Lee Straight, officers arrested Gray June 3, 2008 at the Ringgold county courthouse when he appeared to answer to a charge of possession of drug paraphenalia. The indictment stated the victim had been driven to a remote area by Gray and another unidentified individual for a drug deal. The victim was then murdered and his body dragged to an area with trees and grass for concealment.

Gray was arraigned June 23, 2008, but those charges were later dropped pending further investigation.

On November 24, 2008, Collins Straight was identified as the second individual involved in the the murder, and he was charged with first degree murder. Straight was already in custody at the Ringgold county jail under different charges at the time of his arrest.

On October 17, 2012 a second arrest warrant was issued for the arrest of Edward Gray on first degree murder charges.

In his preliminary hearing, Gray appeared before magistrate James Pedersen in Mount Ayr on March 30, 2013, at which time the $800,000 cash bond was set.

Gray is set to appear for arraignment April 22 before judge Paul K. Huscher at the Ringgold county courthouse. 

Approval of contracts for city mowing projects and seasonal park and pool personnel and public input concerning the city garbage collection service were among agenda items at the Monday, April 15 meeting of the Mount Ayr city council.

Mowing contract

The council approved the low bid from Mark Budach and Joe Catanzareti for mowing city-owned property the season.

City superintendent Brent Wise had created a bid package in which he had designated three different locations for mowing: the airport, the old lake and a collection of sites including the sewer plant, the city shed and the two water towers. In addition, the airport and old lake locations were divided into two different sections to designate the frequency of the mowing needed. Those sections were termed “yellow” and “blue” in the bidding instructions.

Budach and Catanzareti bid $110 per time for the airport yellow section and $60 per time for the airport blue section. Tanner Rinehart bid $149 for airport yellow and $99 for airport blue, and Greg Cannon bid $160 for airport yellow and $110 for airport blue.

Budach and Catanzareti bid $160 per time for the old lake yellow section and $240 per time for the old lake blue section. Rinehart bid $215 for lake yellow and $330 for lake blue. Cannon bid $250 for lake yellow and $370 for lake blue.

For the collective sites Budach and Catanzareti bid $98 per time, Rinehart bid $98 and Chris Ambrose bid $95. Cannon did not submit a bid for the collective sites.

Park and pool contracts

The council approved the recommendations provided by the Mount Ayr park board for swimming pool employees and Little League coaches for the coming season.

Hired as swimming pool manager is Daniel Showalter, and Chandra Poore was hired as swim lesson coordinator. Hired as lifeguards were Rhett Murphy, Hannah Glendenning, Jesse Ricker, Logan Wimer, Becca Pennington, Kylee Klommhaus, Trevor Shelley, Jordyn Grose, Lew Knapp, Megan Doubleday and Amanda Cannon.

Those approved as little league coaches are David Greene, Mark Gregg, Bill Schaefer, Beth Larsen, Jill Ehlen, Tyler Hosfield, Matt Henle, Matt West, Radonda Gregg, Thad Streit, Pat McAlexander, Angela Reynolds, Cory Fleharty, Renae Still, Jody and Skip Rushing and Jordyn Grose.

Divine Waste support

Tim Newton, owner of Divine Waste, briefly appeared before the council in reference to the discussion at the last council meeting pertaining to the city’s garbage service contract. “First I’d like to apologize for the last meeting,” he said. “I’m very passionate about this subject as you guys know, and sometimes that might not always come off right. I did not mean to offend anybody, but I want you guys to know that my intention is the same as yours, and that is for the best for the city of Mount Ayr and the county. That is what I truly care about.”

Also in attendance at the meeting were three city residents who sp   Approval of contracts for city mowing projects and seasonal park and pool personnel and public input concerning the city garbage collection service were among agenda items at the Monday, April 15 meeting of the Mount Ayr city council.

Mowing contract

The council approved the low bid from Mark Budach and Joe Catanzareti for mowing city-owned property the season.

City superintendent Brent Wise had created a bid package in which he had designated three different locations for mowing: the airport, the old lake and a collection of sites including the sewer plant, the city shed and the two water towers. In addition, the airport and old lake locations were divided into two different sections to designate the frequency of the mowing needed. Those sections were termed “yellow” and “blue” in the bidding instructions.

Budach and Catanzareti bid $110 per time for the airport yellow section and $60 per time for the airport blue section. Tanner Rinehart bid $149 for airport yellow and $99 for airport blue, and Greg Cannon bid $160 for airport yellow and $110 for airport blue.

Budach and Catanzareti bid $160 per time for the old lake yellow section and $240 per time for the old lake blue section. Rinehart bid $215 for lake yellow and $330 for lake blue. Cannon bid $250 for lake yellow and $370 for lake blue.

For the collective sites Budach and Catanzareti bid $98 per time, Rinehart bid $98 and Chris Ambrose bid $95. Cannon did not submit a bid for the collective sites.

Park and pool contracts

The council approved the recommendations provided by the Mount Ayr park board for swimming pool employees and Little League coaches for the coming season.

Hired as swimming pool manager is Daniel Showalter, and Chandra Poore was hired as swim lesson coordinator. Hired as lifeguards were Rhett Murphy, Hannah Glendenning, Jesse Ricker, Logan Wimer, Becca Pennington, Kylee Klommhaus, Trevor Shelley, Jordyn Grose, Lew Knapp, Megan Doubleday and Amanda Cannon.

Those approved as little league coaches are David Greene, Mark Gregg, Bill Schaefer, Beth Larsen, Jill Ehlen, Tyler Hosfield, Matt Henle, Matt West, Radonda Gregg, Thad Streit, Pat McAlexander, Angela Reynolds, Cory Fleharty, Renae Still, Jody and Skip Rushing and Jordyn Grose.

Divine Waste support

Tim Newton, owner of Divine Waste, briefly appeared before the council in reference to the discussion at the last council meeting pertaining to the city’s garbage service contract. “First I’d like to apologize for the last meeting,” he said. “I’m very passionate about this subject as you guys know, and sometimes that might not always come off right. I did not mean to offend anybody, but I want you guys to know that my intention is the same as yours, and that is for the best for the city of Mount Ayr and the county. That is what I truly care about.”

Also in attendance at the meeting were three city residents who  Approval of contracts for city mowing projects and seasonal park and pool personnel and public input concerning the city garbage collection service were among agenda items at the Monday, April 15 meeting of the Mount Ayr city council.

Mowing contract

The council approved the low bid from Mark Budach and Joe Catanzareti for mowing city-owned property the season.

City superintendent Brent Wise had created a bid package in which he had designated three different locations for mowing: the airport, the old lake and a collection of sites including the sewer plant, the city shed and the two water towers. In addition, the airport and old lake locations were divided into two different sections to designate the frequency of the mowing needed. Those sections were termed “yellow” and “blue” in the bidding instructions.

Budach and Catanzareti bid $110 per time for the airport yellow section and $60 per time for the airport blue section. Tanner Rinehart bid $149 for airport yellow and $99 for airport blue, and Greg Cannon bid $160 for airport yellow and $110 for airport blue.

Budach and Catanzareti bid $160 per time for the old lake yellow section and $240 per time for the old lake blue section. Rinehart bid $215 for lake yellow and $330 for lake blue. Cannon bid $250 for lake yellow and $370 for lake blue.

For the collective sites Budach and Catanzareti bid $98 per time, Rinehart bid $98 and Chris Ambrose bid $95. Cannon did not submit a bid for the collective sites.

Park and pool contracts

The council approved the recommendations provided by the Mount Ayr park board for swimming pool employees and Little League coaches for the coming season.

Hired as swimming pool manager is Daniel Showalter, and Chandra Poore was hired as swim lesson coordinator. Hired as lifeguards were Rhett Murphy, Hannah Glendenning, Jesse Ricker, Logan Wimer, Becca Pennington, Kylee Klommhaus, Trevor Shelley, Jordyn Grose, Lew Knapp, Megan Doubleday and Amanda Cannon.

Those approved as little league coaches are David Greene, Mark Gregg, Bill Schaefer, Beth Larsen, Jill Ehlen, Tyler Hosfield, Matt Henle, Matt West, Radonda Gregg, Thad Streit, Pat McAlexander, Angela Reynolds, Cory Fleharty, Renae Still, Jody and Skip Rushing and Jordyn Grose.

Divine Waste support

Tim Newton, owner of Divine Waste, briefly appeared before the council in reference to the discussion at the last council meeting pertaining to the city’s garbage service contract. “First I’d like to apologize for the last meeting,” he said. “I’m very passionate about this subject as you guys know, and sometimes that might not always come off right. I did not mean to offend anybody, but I want you guys to know that my intention is the same as yours, and that is for the best for the city of Mount Ayr and the county. That is what I truly care about.”

Also in attendance at the meeting were three city residents who spoke in support of Newton and his company. 

Iona Triggs was first to speak. “I am here to ask the city not to take the job of garbage disposal,” she began. “I feel we should hire Divine Waste to be the garbage carrier. They already do a lot of work here in Mount Ayr and the county, and they are set up for that job and the city is not set up for it. I don’t think it’s financially wise for the city to take this on.” As a local business, Triggs added, Divine Waste is more responsive to customer needs than is a large corporation like Waste Management. She related a story about how Waste Management had refused her request to remove some items left behind in a rental property. She said she then called Tim Newton for assistance, and he came right away. “We are encouraged to shop here at Mount Ayr,” she continued, “and you [the council] don’t seem to take this advice. Tim gives back to this community by hiring local people who live in and support this county. He buys his gas for its trucks here, and he supports our local businesses. Does Waste Management give back to help our county?” She went on to cite Newton’s involvement in community organizations and events.

Vera Moore echoed many of Triggs’ sentiments. She added she had quit her efforts to recycle because Waste Management had just thrown her recyclable materials in with the rest of the garbage. In addition, she pointed out that many recent major projects have been awarded to outside contractors rather than to local people who she claims could have done the work. She said she would like to see Divine Waste receive the garbage contract rather than outsource it.

Cindy Dugan said she had enclosed a letter to the city council with her water bill that expressed her opinion on the garbage issue. She related an incident concerning a discarded vanity top she had set out for garbage collection. She said she had attached the required tags, but the item remained untouched for two weeks. She said she received no communication from Waste Management on why they would not pick it up. She said she finally had to break up the vanity into pieces and put them in the dumpster for pick up. She also complained that Waste Management workers often did not completely empty dumpsters, and items left at the bottom of dumpsters would begin to create an odor, especially in the summer. “I just don’t think they’re doing us the service we’re paying for,” she said, “and I don’t want to pay an increase” if the city would choose to stay with the Waste Management for the garbage collection service. “I would rather see it [the contract] come local where if there is a problem, a complaint, a question, you have somebody you can get ahold of.”

Water system project

The council approved a series of resolutions associated with the water system improvement project. The first resolution set the wheels in motion for a public hearing on the plans, specifications, form of contract and estimate of cost for the project as well as the taking of bids. Carl Ehlers from MSA, the project management firm, reported advertisements seeking bids will be published in newspapers, plan rooms, the MSA website and other locations this week. Bids will be opened at May 16 and a public hearing on the project will be held May 20.

The council also approved other resolutions and policies that are legal formalities typically associated with projects using Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds.

SICOG

Two representatives from the Southern Iowa Council of Governments (SICOG) were on hand to handle two different pieces of business.

Andrew Collings explained a grant opportunity from the Iowa Department of Transportation that would pay 85 percent of the cost to create zoning ordinances for the city airport. Collings explained that, beginning in the next fiscal year, updated ordinances will be required in order to receive state funding for airport improvement projects such as resurfacing of the runway. Currently Mount Ayr has no such ordinances. The zoning project will cost $15,000, but if the grant application is approved, the cost to the city would be limited to $2,250. The council gave Collings the go-ahead to seek the grant and, if approved, begin the ordinance project.

Lucas Young reported progress on current housing rehabilitation projects in Mount Ayr. One project has been completed, and Young brought a payment request to the council. Total cost of the project was $41,175, over 90 percent of which will be paid for through a Community Development Block Grant. The city’s share of the project is $3,000.

Young asked council approval for the awarding of contracts for two projects already enrolled in the rehabilitation program. One crontract was approved for DWB Construction in the amount of $41,919 for work on a residence at 307 W. Maple. A second contract went to Fredericksen Construction in the amount of $29,700 for work on a residence at 305 W. Walnut. Young also said he was seeking one additional house project to be included in the program.

Superintendent’s report

Brent Wise was not present at Monday’s meeting, but a printed copy of his report was reviewed by the council.

Wise wrote that he was in the process of reviewing city streets to achieve their longer life expectency. His first priority will be Columbus Street from the Bennett lift station west to the Fillmore and Tyler/Van Buren street area.

Wise also included mention of at least two water leaks, including the leak he was working on during Monday’s meeting. He said the city crew was able to use recently purchased shoring equipment during work on the leak.

During the fire at Heartland Energy Solutions last week it was discovered that a fire hydrant at the site was not operational. Prior to the beginning of Wise’s tenure as city superintendent, the city crew had been told not to repair the faulty hydrant. Wise stressed the hydrant will be repaired or replaced, and he will investigate whether other hyrdrants in town may also be faulty.

Randy Gregg has approached the city about purchasing or obtaining an easement on two platted but unused city streets that run through his property. At the council meeting, city attorney Richard Wilson recommended the city officially vacate and dispose of the property to put it back on the tax rolls.

Wise reported he had received information from City Carton about a recycling program should the city decide to take over the garbage collection service. He also had an inquiry from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources if the city was interested in applying for a SWAP grant that could partially fund a garbage truck, recycling bins and other items. Wise said he would bring a formal proposal pertaining to the garbage collection issue at the first council meeting in May.

Other business

The council received a resignation from city worker Ben Graham. “We’re losing a very good employee in my estimation,” said Mayor Don Solliday, and council members agreed. The mayor appointed a committee consisting of councilwoman Deloris Stutzman, city superintendent Wise and the mayor to review applications for a new city worker, conduct interviews and bring a hiring recommendation to the council.

The council approved a request from the entry sign committee for the construction of two additional signs, one on Highway 169 north and a second sign advertising the city’s historic square to be erected on property owned by David Cunning on Highway 2. The $3,300 cost for the signs will be split between the Mount Ayr Chamber of Commerce and the city. It is estimated the signs will be in place by fall.

A Class C liquor license was approved for American Legion Post # 172.

The council also decided not to change property insurance coverage for the old water treatment plant until the new water system was up and running.

By Madison Hosfield

Katie Routh, daughter of Joe and Julie Routh of Mount Ayr, is a 1998 graduate of Mount Ayr high school who is now pursuing her own career in the culinary industry.  She discovered this passion through a lot of different schooling, traveling and impromptu decisions.  Katie has led a very successful and happy career in doing what she loves.

Routh studied dietetics at Southwest Missouri State University for one year when she discovered through her food prep curriculum that she wanted to cook instead of be a dietician.  After this realization, she looked into culinary school in Keystone, CO where she went to further her education for another three years.  

This was a great experience, as she got to spend most of her time working in restaurants and learning hands-on rather than sitting in a classroom.  She had hoped to someday work in a tech kitchen to cook with her dietician studies, but she pursued otherwise.  

Routh is now in charge of the restaurant at the Henry A. Wallace Country Life Center located in Orient.  The restaurant is open on Fridays for lunch and dinner, and starting in May, the first Saturday of every month.  She also works at the Henry A. Wallace Center in Des Moines for dinner every Thursday starting in May.  

The Henry A. Wallace Country Life Center is a beautiful place, which Routh enjoys very much.  Its country location attracts many people to the adventure of touring the farm and dining in such beautiful scenery.  The interesting part about her restaurant is that all the vegetables incorporated into the meals are home grown from the farm at the center.  There are over 20 different vegetables grown, with many different varieties within each vegetable group.  Routh says she believes having home grown food helps her business, as it also helps showcase the successes Iowa has to offer.  

When the restaurant isn’t open, she offers cooking classes and many educational programs for kids.  This variety of different things that happen in the restaurant is Routh’s favorite part of her job.  

“I’m not just cooking but teaching the public and engaging with citizens,” she said.

Her customers are very diverse and range from young adults to older generations, and there is even a daycare that visits the farm every once in awhile.

It was easy for Katie to get started in the business, as she built many relationships with the chefs through culinary school.  After school, she enjoyed all the traveling she did with her job.  She stayed in Keystone for a year and then moved to North Carolina and landed a job in a restaurant.  Routh says she never had any sort of plan when making a move.  

“It was an adventurous experience.  It was exciting and scary at the same time not having a job before I moved somewhere,” she said.

She says that if you enjoy what you do, the risk of moving with no plan was always worth it.  

Her restaurant is a non-profit organization, and there is someone in charge of every different thing that goes on at the farm.  

Routh was recently featured on Iowa Public Television. She was paired with a farmer from Ditmars Orchard near Council Bluffs for the show.  Routh thinks these sort of things are important to highlight all the different cool things Iowa has to offer.  

Routh highly enjoys her career and never considered getting out of the culinary industry.  Although her perception of what she wanted to do changed, she loves what she does.  Having so much variety in her job with cooking, programming, private events and educational classes really calls for an exciting day-to-day life for her.  It’s amazing how having such a passion for something can lead you to so many different places and opportunities. 

A number of administrative and departmental reports were received by the Mount Ayr Community board of directors at their meeting April 8.

Elementary principal report

Elementary principal Chris Elwood reported a 95 percent attendance rate at parent-teacher conferences held March 12 and 14. In addition, 30 children and their parents attended the three-year-old screenings held March 29.

Elwood said attendance at the K-3 spring concert was “fantastic,” but he said he would like to look at ways to help alleviate the number of people who are unable to find a seat because of the large crowd. Elwood said he estimated 75 to 100 people were either standing against the walls or waiting in the halls during the program.

Elementary students will finish Iowa Assessments this week, and students in grades 3-6 will begin taking MAP assessments during the week of April 29.

The elementary staff will be making a decision on adopting a new reading curriculum during their afternoon in-service April 10. That afternoon Kris Quick and Elwood will also conduct an in-service for elementary associates.

Author Tim Smith who writes under the pseudonym “Buck Wilder” will visit the elementary on Monday, April 29. Smith presents a motivational and entertaining presentation that inspires elementary-aged children to read, use their imaginations and, most importantly, to believe in themselves.

Elwood reported he had completed class schedules that provided for self-contained classrooms in fifth and sixth grades for the coming school year. The new schedule allows for a 90-minute uninterrupted literacy block and an additional 45 minutes of instructional time each day. The self-contained arrangement will also make it easier for teachers to teach across the curriculum and get to know their students on a more personal level.

Secondary principal report

Middle school and high school principal Lynne Wallace reported a 64 percent attendance rate for recent parent-teacher conferences in her building. That number fell below the 90 percent attendance at fall conferences, and Wallace said she would continue to seek ways to improve attendance in the spring.

The Smarter Balanced English/language arts/literacy assessment has been completed as a pilot test before the implementation in the 2014-15 school year. The assessments are much different from some some of the fill-in-the-oval tests in the past. For example, the Smarter Balanced assessments may require students to read several paragraphs and then type in a summary of what they’ve read, or students might have to find all of the grammatical errors and then have to type in the correct form. Another part has a students listen to a passage without seeing the text and then answer questions based on their recall and comprehension of what they’ve heard. Wallace reported there are very few multiple-choice questions, and students feel this test is far more difficult than either the Iowa Assessments or MAP. Shaun Kniep and Kim Curry have been administering the assessments.

Eric Neesan, an AEA regional supervisor, will talk to secondary staff about Response-to-Intervention (RTI) and national and state expectations at their April 10 in-service. Wallace summarized RTI as a program for early detection of learning problems in the classroom, diagnosis of the problems and customization of instruction to correct the problem before failure occurs.

Wallace said she is in the process of reviewing resumes, transcripts and references of 28 applicants for the eighth grade social studies and high school government, world history, geography and economics position. Interviews will be scheduled in the next few weeks.

A reward day has been set for April 19 for the 63 students who achieved a year’s growth in reading, math and science on the Iowa Assessments. Wallace said the date was chosen so students would have an extra day to prepare for prom.

A total of 26 students attended the Career and Technical Education Day at Southwestern Community College April 5. The students were able to explore SWCC programs in agriculture, automotive mechanics and repair, welding, business, business systems networking, carpentry and building trades, electrical technology and health sciences.

Summer projects

Elwood and Wallace reviewed their list of summer maintenance projects along with estimated costs.

At the elementary, the projects include:

• new carpet in fourth-grade classrooms - $2,300

• replace locks on classroom doors - $10,000

• paper walls and epoxy the floors in the southeast entrance/waiting area - $1,200

• epoxy the floors on the outside and inside of the locker rooms - $1,200

• replace the sidewalk along the north side of the kindergarten rooms  - $500 

• stain the gazebo and make stairs and handrails for the gazebo  - $300

• brickwork by the north entrance - $200

• replace the glass in the display case by the office  - $1,000

• replace doors in kindergarten rooms and doors at the end of the kindergarten hallway - $8,000

• fix sinks in kindergarten bathroom so they drain properly - $200 

• two new basketball hoops for the playground - $5,000

Total - $29,950

At the secondary building, the projects include:

• exhaust fan for the art room for the kiln and outlet - $350

• repair or replace the control system for the HVAC - $8,000

• sewer replaced by the middle school - $5,000

• use of camera to diagnose sewer problem - $300

• sewer dug up and fixed by a kitchen/concession stand (if needed)  - $2,000

• replace the exterior doors by the music, art, gym, ag and shop and replace one frame - $9,126.58*

• rest of halls painted - $500

• paint entry door frames and doors that are remaining - $3,260

• replace hallway carpet throughout 80s part of the building, three middle school classrooms and walkoff carpet - $29,832.86*

• installation of carpet - $7,990.30*

• replace closures on east and west entry doors - $5,882.15*

• add outdoor lights by the ag room - $1,500

• replace the water fountain in the FFA/shop area - $600

• re-key doors and/or replace door handles - $21,000

• refinish three gym floors - $4,100

Total - $99,441.89

Dollar figures with * designate items for which bids have been approved. In addition, another project to asphalt the walkways to the athletic fields did not have a cost estimate at the time of the meeting.

Technology report

District technology director Kim Curry reported the wireless upgrade to the speed of  50 mbps would take place after July 1.

The Raider Tech Squad made $620 by selling 155 bags of kettle corn last month. The fundraiser officially eliminated the negative balance in the Tech Squad activity account.

Curry reported on some of her projects with elementary students. First-graders have been blogging on a secure site called kidblog.org, and they are beginning to find letters on the keyboard and being able to start typing. Third grade students are also blogging, and Curry said she was trying to get them to focus more on writing about what they are reading to help make sure that the district has books in the library that all students are interested in. Third-graders are also learning to apply what they’ve learned with the typing program they are currently using.

Curry also said she hoped to get new laptops ordered by May so she would have time to get them ready for the opening of school next fall.

Maintenance report

Head custodian Clint Poore said he and his crew were beginning work on some of the summer projects listed above. In addition, he said a hydrant by the baseball field is leaking underground and will need to be dug up and repaired, some fencing needs repaired and some reseeding needs to be done after the winter snow removal.

Transportation report

Transportation director Dick Still reported district buses had been driven a total of 11,711.5 miles in March at a total cost of $4,975.04. In addition, other vehicles in the district’s fleet had been driven a total of 5,884 miles at a total cost of $1,427.26.

Food service report

Food service director Tawnya Jones reported March receipts totaled $37,974.33 as compared to expenditures of $34,131.26. For the school year, the food service shows receipts of $294,196.94 and expenditures of $263,656.10.  

  Mount Ayr senior Braydee Poore has been invited to compete in the high jump at this week’s Kansas Relays.  

The Kansas Relays, along with the Drake and Penn Relays, are considered to be the most prestigious track and field festivals in the nation.  “This is an extremely high honor for an athlete,” stated Mount Ayr activities director Delwyn Showalter in a press release, “and to the best of our knowledge, Braydee is the first Mount Ayr high school student to receive an invitation to compete at Kansas.”

Poore holds the Mount Ayr school record in the high jump with a jump of 6-7, set at the ISU Boys Classic earlier this spring.  In 2010 he finished ninth in the state with a jump of 6-0.  In 2011 he was the Class 2-A state champion with a jump of 6-4.  Last year he placed fourth in Class 1-A, clearing 6-4.  Next month he will seek his fourth trip to the state meet.

Information about the Kansas Relays, including history, schedule of events, and list of the 2013 competitors can be found at www.kuathletics.com/sports/c-relay/kan-c-relay-body.html.  Additional historical information is available at http://kuhistory.com/articles/the-great-race/.

  Hershberger Track at Memorial Stadium (Kansas University, Lawrence KS) will be the site of the 86th annual Kansas Relays on April 17-20.  The high school boys high jump will take place at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 19.

The Mount Ayr boys track and field coach is Brad Elliott.

Firefighters from across the county were stretched to the limit last week as they responded to two structure fires and seven grass fires in the course of only five days.

Heartland Energy

County law enforcement officials responded to reports of smoke late Wednesday evening. Upon discovery of a fire in the east building on the Heartland Energy Solutions site, firefighters from the Mount Ayr, Diagonal and Ellston fire departments responded at approximately 10:45 p.m. and remained on the scene until 4 a.m. Thursday.

Fire fighters from Mount Ayr, Diagonal, Kellerton, Tingley and Ellston were called back to the building at approximately 6:45 a.m. when smoke reappeared.

Mount Ayr volunteer fire chief Mike Wimer explained that in cases of structure fires, all departments in the county have a mutual aid agreement regardless of the site of the fire.

Mount Ayr firefighter Bill Stull suffered a broken right leg Thursday morning. Stull, who was still hospitalized as of press time Tuesday, reported he and another fire fighter were nearly done with their work when a section of the ceiling collapsed, pinning and twisting his leg.

Wimer estimated the building suffered 20-30 percent fire damage but 100 percent smoke damage. Damage was contained to the east building.

Tuesday morning Judy Shaha, office manager at Heartland, said as of that morning no damages estimates were available. Officially, the incident has been labeled an “accidental fire of undertermined origin.”

Shaha said the fire started in a storage area on the west side of the east building, also known as the “blade building.” Shaha reported plastic had not melted on the blade molds, and most equipment had been moved to the east end of the building or outside under cover.

“It’s really the best of the worst,” she said, in reference to the lack of damage to equipment. She added Heartland still had enough finished blades on hand to outfit four turbines while the blade facility is brought back on line.

Johnson house

After a long night at the Heartland fire, firefighters were once again called out just before noon Thursday to a house fire at the residence of Peggy Johnson on Highway 169 south of Mount Ayr.

Firefighters from Mount Ayr, Diagonal and Ellston found smoke rolling from several windows in the house. Chief Wimer estimated the home as a total loss. Although the structure is standing, the interior was gutted by the fire. The origin of the fire is still undetermined and under routine investigation.

Johnson, the director of the Ringgold County Neighborhood Center, reported no one was home at the time of the fire.

She said investigators believe the fire may have started in the bedroom or laundry room along the north wall.

Although the interior of the house was gutted, she said she was able to save a tub of photographs she had been working on for scrapbooks.

Johnson is currently residing in a motel in Lamoni. But she said she would like to rent an RV to live in at the site and eventually plans to rebuild if possible.

To assist Johnson, office aides Debra Hoffman (515-720-3532) and Alice Dillenburg (641-464-3352) are asking for help, either in housewares or cash donations. Items may be left at the Neighborhood Center in Mount Ayr.

Grass fires

As if two serious structure fires in less than 24 hours weren’t enough, Wimer reported county firefighters had also responded to a total of seven out-of-control grass fires around the county between Wednesday and Sunday.

At one point Wimer said he had been without sleep for 39 hours, and other firefighters were in the same condition.

Sheriff Mike Sobotka said warm spring temperatures together with dry fields combined to make last week a prime time for fires. He urged county residents to use caution when beginning what they think will be a “controlled burn.”

He added county residents should thank not only the volunteer firefighters for their importance service, but also the employers of the volunteers who allow them to drop everything and respond to emergency needs.

The Mount Ayr Community schools board of directors approved the 2013-2014 budget, a number of sharing agreements, three quotes for summer work projects and contracts for the next school year as part of its regular meeting Monday, April 8.

2013-14 budget.

After a public hearing, the board approved the district as presented for the coming school year. The budget estimates collecting $3,678,113 through utility replacement and property tax. The levy rate for next year is just over $16.56 per $1,000 valuation, the same as 2012-13.

As part of his presentation during the public hearing, superintendent Joe Drake provided board members a list of estimated levy rates for most schools in southwest Iowa. The comparison revealed Mount Ayr’s levy rate of $16.56 per $1,000 valuation was similar to levy rates in neighboring districts. For example, the 2013-14 estimated levy rates included $13.03 at Bedford, $15.67 at East Union, $16.99 at Lenox, $17.15 at Central Decatur, $18 at Lamoni, $18.01 at Diagonal and $21.66 at Clearfield.

Sharing agreements

Following a recommendation from activities director Delwyn Showalter, the board voted to renew the sharing agreement with Diagonal for baseball for the 2013-14 school year, but they also voted to discontinue sharing agreements in any sport administered by the state on a coed basis, meaning the boys and girls district and state competitions are held together. The sports affected are bowling, cross country and track. 

The situation arose this season when, because of the sharing agreement currently in place with Diagonal for boys track, the boys team was bumped up to Class 2A, even though only two Diagonal athletes are currently out for track. As a result, the boys and girls track teams must travel to different sites for their state-qualifying district meets. Showalter added that Mount Ayr could have hosted a Class 1A district meet, but now families and track fans will be required to choose to follow either the boys team or girls team as they travel to different sites.

Director Duane Schafer asked Showalter if this decision would negatively impact relations between the school districts and sharing arrangements in other areas. Showalter replied he felt the Diagonal administration understood the situation and discussions about the issue had been cordial. He also stressed the decision would not jeopardize the opportunity for Diagonal students to participate in track. He explained the state requires no minimum number of participants to form a track team; therefore, Showalter said, Diagonal track athletes could continue to use Mount Ayr facilities, practice with Mount Ayr athletes and travel to meets with Mount Ayr teams. The only difference would be the Diagonal athletes would compete in Diagonal uniforms rather than Mount Ayr uniforms. Showalter also pointed out this decision would have no effect on current or future sharing arrangements in football or baseball.

The board approved a new sharing arrangement with the Bedford school district. Under the arrangement, Mount Ayr Spanish teacher Gilberto Castrege would provide instruction to Bedford students via the Iowa Communications Network system. Bedford has agreed to pay $200 per pupil per semester as well as any associated ICN costs.

The sharing agreement with the Creston school district for the services of Eric Ehlen was renewed. Under the terms of the agreement, Ehlen teaches one class in Mount Ayr and spends the remainder of his work day teaching in Creston. In turn, Creston pays 80 percent of his salary and covers 80 percent of transportation costs.

The board also renewed a number of 28E sharing agreements with Southwestern Community College in Creston. The agreements cover the following courses: Art Appreciation, Composition II, Health Careers, Welding Career Academy, Business Systems Networking, Electrical Technology, Auto Repair, Carpentry and Building Trades and a large number of online courses. In addition, a new course was added for Mount Ayr students. Digital Engineering will become part of the Business Systems Networking offerings.

Summer work contracts

The board approved bids for  work on a number of summer projects. Maryville Glass had the lowest bid for replacement of vestibule doors on the east and west sides of the high school building. The board accepted their bid of $5,882.15 over a bid of $10,172 from Doors, Inc.

The bid of $6,129.99 from Maryville Glass for replacement of doors at the elementary was also accepted. Doors, Inc. had bid $8,046 for the same project.

Maryville Glass also won the bid for replacement of the shop doors on the south side of the high school building. The winning bid was $9,126.58. Doors, Inc. had bid $10,708 for this project.

The Outpost in Ellston won the contract for new carpeting for three classrooms and hallways in the secondary building. Their bid of $29,832.86 was accepted over a bid of $36,551.15 from Offsprings in Mount Ayr.

The contract for installation of that carpet was approved for Ryan Still at $7,990.30. A second bid of $8,000 was received from Doug Still.

Personnel

The board approved 2013-14 employment contracts for noncertified employees, certified employees and two district principals.

The board also approved a number of resignations at Monday’s meeting. They include Mary K. Overholtzer in middle school science and talented and gifted, Michael Longley in third grade and Joan Moore as half-time Title I reading. Other resignations came from secretary Kathy Triggs and special education associates Tina Maxson, Debbie Graham, Sharon Allen and Ryan Gregg. 

The board voted to hire John Larsen as assistant varsity volleyball coach, Brandie Ruggles as middle school volleyball coach and Aaron Riley and Kurt Wallace as summer driver’s ed teachers.

In the course of the personnel discussion, the board voted to receive and file the superintendent’s recommendation for a certified staff reduction. The certified staff member has requested a hearing in closed session concerning the reduction. The hearing will be held April 30 at 6 p.m.

Other business

The board approved a resolution that satisfies the state’s requirement for a school start date waiver. Districts must formally approve the waiver in order to begin school before Labor Day if they can show a negative educational impact to the later start date. Superintendent Drake explained possible impacts could include avoiding the delay to the end of the school year due to weather and facilitating dual credit courses for high school students with colleges.

Acting upon a request from the Clearfield school district, the board voted to accept land from the Clearfield district as the result of its dissolution. The extent of the land will be determined later as dissolution plans evolve.

The board will once again host its annual staff appreciation breakfast on May 8. During the breakfast staff members will be recognized for their years of service to the district.

Superintendent Drake and elementary principal Chris Elwood recently have been informed about changes to the SFL program for next year. Longtime director Marci Bjustrom has decided to resign at the end of this school year, and the Diagonal district, who has managed the entire SFL program since its inception, has asked Mount Ayr schools to take over direction of the Mount Ayr portion of the program. Drake and Elwood said they would bring recommendations to the board after they have studied the situation further.

Surveys seeking Clearfield school district patron input concerning the district’s dissolution are due April 15.

The surveys have been distributed by the Dissolution Commission that was recently appointed by the Clearfield Community school board of directors to begin proceedings toward dissolution of the Clearfield district after the 2013-2014 school year.

The commission has the responsibility to write a dissolution plan that will include the distribution of the district’s assets and liabilities (including the school building and site) among neighboring contiguous districts - Bedford, Diagonal, Lenox and Mount Ayr.

In addition, territory currently within the boundaries of the Clearfield district will be reassigned to the neighboring districts. 

Commission chair Doug England has sent a survey to each voter and landowner with land currently in the Clearfield district asking for their preferences for reassignment of their property. Parents are also asked which district their children currently attend, or if not yet school age, their preference of which district they would like their children to attend.

Residents have until April 15 to return the survey to the Clearfield district office or to any Dissolution Commission member.

Commission members include Sara Deskin, Doug England, Gina Knox, Becky Kerns, Bob Cameron, Michele Sobotka and Patty Parrish.

The commission will review the surveys and attempt to accommodate patron preferences as they develop the dissolution plan that will be presented to the Clearfield board of directors. If approved by the board, the plan will be taken to Clearfield voters for their approval.

A letter accompanying the surveys states the reasons for dissolution. “After years of declining enrollment and state budget limitations,” it states, “...the district cannot continue to operate and stay compliant with Iowa code.”

Over the past weeks, the Clearfield board had approached the contiguous districts to seek their interest in reorganization with the Clearfield district, but as the letter states, “for a variety of reasons the neighboring districts declined our invitation,” thus forcing the decision for dissolution. 

All Clearfield district patrons are strongly encouraged to return the surveys by the April 15 deadline so the commission can begin work on the dissolution plan. 

On Thursday, February 14, 13 Ringgold county residents or former residents boarded a plane in Des Moines. Thirty hours later they stepped foot in Johannesburg, South Africa, the beginning of a two-week adventure of a lifetime.

Included in the group were Brandy Anderson, Rhonda Brand, Clare Magers, Chad and Jennifer Main, Bill Priest, Bruce and Michell Ricker, Blake Ricker, Lindsay Ricker, Cyndi Sobotka, and Drexel and Lora Wall.

The group comprised the Ringgold County Mission Team affiliated with Dr. Jim Blessman and his wife Beth through their humanitarian mission, Blessman Ministries. Headquartered in Urbandale, Blessman Ministries has built an African headquarters on the 3,000 acre Shikwaru Game Farm located three hours north of Johannesburg. The ministry hosts between seven and 12 two-week mission trips per year at its compound in South Africa.

The Ringgold county connection to Blessman Ministries is a natural: Dr. Blessman grew up in Clearfield and his parents, Leroy and Betty Blessman, were lifelong county residents. 

During their time in Africa, the Ringgold mission team aided the Blessman ministry personnel with several tasks. They took part in three optical outreaches, during which the missionaries matched pairs of donated eyeglasses with local children and adults. Main said she especially enjoyed watching their faces light up when they could see clearly for the first time. The team also worked in one feeding center and visited a local school.

One highlight of the trip for the Ringgold team was taking part in directing a three-day Holy Spirit Camp for 83 children at a nearby feeding center. The team conducted seven activities including water balloon volleyball, creating Holy Spirit doves out of papier-mâché, learning to play music on plastic recorders and a challenge course that taught teambuilding skills as well as other activities. One of the favorite activities was a “polar plunge,” where the children would jump into a water trough filled with ice water. During the three days, several of the missionaries slept at the village with the children, an adventure in itself. Ricker recalled listening to the beating of drums and dancing in the village most of the night.

The Ringgold team had also transported 10 suitcases of donated items from family and friends in Iowa. These items included homemade eyeglass cases and dolls as well as articles of clothing, toys, personal hygiene products and many others, which are donated to the children’s church. The church leaders reward children with play money if they do such things as read their Scripture, bring a friend to church and other tasks. The children may then “buy” the donated articles with their earned “money.” Main and Ricker both agreed they liked the reward system better than just handing out the articles to the children. “They have a sense of achievement,” said Ricker. “Handouts are just not good for their self-esteem.” Main concurred. “It’s not like  ‘Oh, there’s another group of Americans coming next week so let’s wait for them to bring us more stuff,’” said Main. “That would just create a poverty cycle.”

The team also brought donations of money raised via several fundraisers conducted prior to the trip. For example, Main and her husband Chad held a free-will offering open house at their newly renovated home with all the proceeds donated to Blessman Ministries to further their humanitarian activities.

When not working with the ministry, the Ringgold team had plenty of opportunities to experience Africa up close. They participated in what is known as a “lion walk,” where they literally walked with lions while holding on to their tails. They were able to ride elephants and enjoy a safari at the Entebeni Big 5 game farm. Several of the Ringgold team participated in a big-game hunt on the Shikwaru Game Farm, and meat from the animals was donated to the feeding centers. A photo safari and authentic bush dinner were also a part of the Shikwaru experience.

The day-to-day living arrangements for the team were part of the adventure. While the lodge built by the Blessmans to house their many missionary visitors was top-notch, African wildlife was just outside their windows. Ostriches, wildebeests and many other animals roamed freely throughout the area. Main recalled three monkeys that somehow got into the lodge, and it took several of the Ringgold team members to finally shoo them out.

Blessman began his medical training at what is now known as Des Moines University and earned his M.D. at the University of Iowa. He practiced medicine in Des Moines for many years, helping to found and direct the pain center that is part of Des Moines Mercy Hospital. His first ministry was to found seven free medical clinics in Iowa. After several years of short-term medical mission trips to other countries, the Blessmans decided to focus their ministry to the children of South Africa in 2004. The Blessmans now split their time between Iowa and South Africa.

Over the years Blessman Ministries has received much support from Iowa groups and businesses. A few years ago the CYF youth group and their sponsors from the First Christian Church in Mount Ayr assisted the Blessmans on one of their eyeglass outreach ministries in New York City. Meals from the Heartland furnishes much of the food served by the Blessmans to South African children, and Kum and Go even has sent over Des Moines Menace soccer uniforms, shoes and balls for the children. Currently Iowa farmers and researchers and students at Iowa State University are working to improve local crop yields with modern agricultural practices. The Blessmans and their African ministry were featured in a special report, “From Iowa to Africa,” that aired on KCCI TV in Des Moines in 2012.

Today, Blessman Ministries are committed to meeting the physical, spiritual and practical needs of the Limpopo province in South Africa. The ministry feeds 5,000 children a day through drop-in centers, churches, social service agencies, orphanages and feeding centers. They are also dedicated to raising up pastors and church leaders through local African churches and showing and teaching the love of God before or after feeding the children. A relatively new outreach targets job creation and helps families attain self-sufficiency through micro enterprises including sewing, chicken raising, farming, brick making, construction skills, computer technology and well digging. “Feeding the children is not the goal,” explained Ricker. “ It is only step one. The goal is to raise up healthy, happy, financially successful Christian leaders for Africa.”

The Ringgold team has created a Facebook page devoted to its trip. The page, “Mission Trip to South Africa from Ringgold Co.,” contains hundreds of pictures and journal entries of the team’s time in South Africa. 

Main and Ricker both stressed getting involved in a mission trip such as theirs is not as complicated or costly as one might think. They estimated an approximate cost of $1,200 per person plus airfare. Both highly recommend the experience, and both plan to return on a future mission trip if at all possible. “I go because mission trips are exciting, adventurous, rewarding and just plain fun,” said Ricker. “It benefits us as much as the people we are ministering to.”

Mission trip presentation set for Sunday

A presentation about the recent Ringgold County Mission Trip to South Africa will be held Sunday April 14, from 12:00 to 12:30 p.m.

at the First Christian Church in Mount Ayr. 

A potluck lunch furnished by First Christian at 11:30 a.m. will precede the noon presentation. The community is invited to both the potluck and presentation. 

Dr. Bruce Ricker and mission participants will give a 30-minute PowerPoint program and answer questions. The presentation will cover everything from getting “kissed” by an elephant and walking with lions to feeding hungry children and doing a Holy Spirit camp for 83 orphans and vulnerable children. 

The Ringgold Mission Team also has a Facebook page, “Mission Trip to South Africa from Ringgold County.” Team member Cyndi Sobotka reports over 7,500 visits to the Facebook page so far. 

The city of Mount Ayr is prominently featured in the March/April edition of the Iowa History Journal.

The feature article, written by Mike Chapman, traces the founding and naming of the town, but it focuses more on recent efforts to revitalize the community. 

Civic cooperation is the main theme of the article. Through cooperative efforts among city government, the local chamber of commerce, local volunteers, Iowa State Extension, charitable organizations such as Dekko Foundation and the South Central Iowa Community Foundation and generous benefactors, Mount Ayr is depicted as a community that is “alive and well.”

Highlighted in the article are a number of recent community betterment projects, including the Princess Theater, Teen Center, Lucky Lanes bowling alley, Ringgold County Hospital, Mount Ayr Inn and the Historic Square beautification project.

The article also features the influence of California businessman Paul Ramsey and the efforts of local volunteer Michell Ricker in a number of revitalization projects.

Chapman focuses on Ramsey’s boyhood ties to the community, his development at Lesanville and his investment in the development of Ramsey’s Supper Club and Heartland Energy Solutions as well as many of the other projects listed above.

Ricker is quoted throughout the article about her family’s decision to return to Mount Ayr in 1996, the importance of cooperative spirit within the community and the influence of Ramsey in so many of the revitalization projects. “Mr. Ramsey has modeled for all of us the ‘I can’ spirit, and a spirit of community investment has caught on,” she says in the article. 

Representatives from the Iowa State Board of Appeals will hold a series of public hearings in response to formal protests regarding the recent certification of the fiscal year 2014 county budget.

The hearings will take place in the assembly room at the Ringgold county courthouse on Tuesday, April 23.

A series of four hearings will be held that day, beginning at 9 a.m. with the Ringgold County Hospital budget. A hearing on the E-911 service board budget is set for 10:45 a.m. In the afternoon, the hearing for the Agricultural Extension Board budget will begin at 1:15 p.m. followed by the county assessor budget hearing at 3 p.m.

The hearings stem from a series of protests submitted to the state board of appeals by 10 county residents concerning certification of the FY 2014 county budget.

      Appearing as signees on all four protest petitions are Jerry Cooper of Mount Ayr, Pamela G. Cooper of Mount Ayr, Lillian Robertson of Diagonal, P.G. Potts of Diagonal, Ronald D. Abbott of Diagonal, Marvin Sobotka of Diagonal, Rex Sobotka of Diagonal, Galen E. Baker of Clearfield, Cynthia J. Baker of Clearfield and Kevin Kilgore of Diagonal.

Hospital budget protest

The petition cites three specific objections to the hospital budget:

1) the adopted budget invokes a larger property tax levy rate than the hospital is allowed to collect.

2) Restricted Funds line 9 from Iowa Department of Management (IDOM) Form 676 Adopted Budget Summary has no carryover balance; Restricted Use Funds lines 2-8 are transferred to the general fund rather than being expended (and accounted for) in their own fund.

3) IDOM Form 676 Adopted Budget Summary provides no actual budget balance for any fund or as a total (lines E and F).

The petition states the belief that the interests of the taxpayers of Ringgold county will be best served by minimizing budget growth and reducing levy rates rather than continuing to overtax to support increased budget growth.

E-911 budget protest

The petition cites four specific objections to the E-911 Service Board budget:

1) The adopted budget represents a two-year budgeted expenditure increase of 639 percent.

2) The FY 2014 adopted budget is not posted on the IDOM website. FY 2013 budgeted carryover balance represents 308 percent of surcharge revenues.

3) IDOM Form E-911-1 has no actual fund balance.

4) The E-911 Service Board budget is not accounted for in the county budget (Service Area 1 line 16).

The petition asks that the E-911 surcharge be zeroed by the program manager as a matter of excessive fund carryover balance.

Extension budget protest

The petition cites three specific objections to the agricultural extension budget:

1) The FY 2014 adopted budget represents a 12.9 percent increase in property taxes to fund a 19.9 percent increase in personnel costs.

2) Carryover balance represents 64 percent of tax revenues.

3) IDOM Form A674 has no actual fund balance.

The petition asks that the agricultural extension levy be reduced to a rate necessary to effect a 25-percent fund carryover balance.

Assessor budget protest

The petition lists five specific objections to the county assessor’s budget:

1) The budget was not adopted at the public hearing as required by Iowa Code 543-2.1.

2) Special Appraiser Fund FY 2012 (actual line 63) overspends FY 2012 (estimated line 60) by $207 in violation of Iowa Code 24.15.

3) The adopted budget represents a 9.5 percent budget growth.

4) IDOM Form 673 provides no actual budget balance for any fund actual budget balance for any fund or as a total (lines E and F).

5) The taxable valuation list is incorrect based upon input from the county assessor.

The petition asks that the adopted budget be reverted to last year’s budget amount to reflect failure to certify the budget at the public hearing.

Other protests reportedly denied

The group submitted two other budget protest petitions to the state board of appeals, but both have reportedly been denied due to lack of qualified signatures.

A petition protesting the certification of the FY 2014 county budget as a whole has reportedly been denied by the state appeals board because of an insufficient number of signatures, according to information communicated to county auditor Amanda Waske. A letter to that effect is currently being sent to all involved parties. 

A second petition protesting the Sun Valley Lake Rural Improvement Zone budget has been reportedly denied due to lack of eligible resident signatures, according to information communicated to Waske. A letter to that effect is currently being sent to all involved parties. 

The Mount Ayr city council renewed its insurance package with EMC Insurance, its contract with the Sportsmen’s Club and a pump maintenance contract with Central Pump and Motor as part of its agenda at this week’s regular council meeting.

Insurance

Phil Tyler, the city’s insurance agent, brought renewal figures for the various insurance coverages the city carries. During his presentation, Tyler explained fewer and fewer companies are still willing to write coverage for cities and municipalities for a number of reasons, and only one, EMC Insurance, the city’s current carrier, had submitted bids.

Tyler presented the following renewal quotes for council consideration:

                Current Renewal

Property                $15,454 $21,637

Liability                  $6,239   $7,508

Crime                     $248      $305

Inland marine          $2,164   $2,072

Auto                  $4,472   $4,668

Work Comp        $14,516 $17,019

Umbrella                  $2,485   $2,694

Linebacker*             $983   $1,305

Total                $46,561 $57,208

* Linebacker is another term for directors and officers coverage.

Tyler offered a number of reasons for the 40-percent increase in property coverage. EMC paid out $29,000 in city property claims for 2012. The loss ratio for 2012 was 185 percent and has averaged 108 percent over the past three years. Tyler said a typical loss ratio would be closer to 50 percent. 

Tyler also attributed increases in property insurance in this part of the state to recent catastrophic weather events, such as tornadoes and hail. In addition, inflation has hit the construction industry causing repairs and replacements covered by property insurance to cost more.

Another reason for the increased premium is the value estimated for city property in the new policy. That value rose from $11.6 million in 2012 to $13 million in 2013. Part of that increase is attributable to the two-percent inflation guard included in the policy, but the majority the increase is directly related to the new replacement cost estimate for the old water treatment plant. According to Tyler, in the current policy the replacement value of the plant is under-insured by nearly $1 million. Because the city plans to demolish the old treatment plant at some point in the near future, Tyler suggested insuring the plant for actual cash value rather than for replacement costs or eliminating property coverage on the plant altogether. Liability coverage on the plant would remain intact.

The city’s liability coverage includes water companies, campgrounds and impoundments and swimming pools. Once the old treatment plant is taken off-line and the new water system project is completed, liability coverage to cover water companies could also be eliminated. 

The increase for workmen’s comp coverage results from a number of factors. According to Tyler, the National Council on Compensation has dictated a 3.7 percent overall increase for Iowa workmen’s comp rates effective April 1 with a seven-percent additional increase effective September 1. Tyler said that was the largest single-year workmen’s comp rate increase he had ever seen. However, since the council is renewing its policy now, it will not see the additional seven-percent increase until renewal at this time next year. 

Beyond the mandated increase, Tyler attributed the higher premium to both a 15-percent increase in city payroll and an increase in the modification factor from 1.34 to 1.41. The modification factor is based on a three-year average of workmen’s comp claims. Tyler reported the modification factor will begin to decrease next year based on zero city workmen’s comp claims in 2012, plus the city will receive a dividend check for approximately $2,000 based on the zero workmen’s comp claims.

At the end of Tyler’s presentation the council voted to accept the insurance package as presented.

Sportsmen’s Club

Matt Routh and Scott Stutzman, representing the Sportsmen’s Club that oversees and maintains Loch Ayr, appeared before the council to discuss renewal of its contract with the city. They reviewed projects and improvements at the lake and asked about city supplies of copper sulfate used to treat algae in the lake as well as gravel supplies to maintain the lake roads, especially on the east side. Routh said the Sportsmen’s Club would like to renew its current contract with the city for another year, and the council approved the request.

In a related matter, the council approved Stutzman’s request to combine lots numbered 13 and 14 into one lot due to the narrow nature of the lots.

Pump maintenance contract

The council approved city superintendent Brent Wise’s request to renew the pump maintenance contract with Central Pump and Motor. Wise explained eventually the city crew could perform some of the maintenance included in the contract, but for now he wanted to be sure that all maintenance and repair was covered by a qualified facility. Cost of the contract is $1,450.

City superintendent’s report

Wise covered a number of items in his report to the council:

• He said he had been in contact with road improvement companies to get input for planning upcoming city street projects. He hopes to have bids ready in May.

• Wise has set an April 11 meeting with City Carton to get their input on a recycling service if the city should choose to initiate its own garbage collection service.

• Wise reported on a drainage culvert that has popped out of place for the third time. He has contacted Ringgold county engineer Zach Gunsolley to enlist his aid in examining water volume issues in that area. Wise said repair of the culvert and maintenance of the drainage ditch are only the beginning of a more comprehensive ditch renovation project he would like to undertake in the future.

• A call for bids to handle city mowing projects will be published this week. Unlike prior bids, the city will create a bid packet that will contain specifications to be covered in the bids. Interested bidders will be asked to come to city hall to obtain a packet.

• The old bathhouse at the Judge Lewis Park swimming pool has been demolished, and Wise said he would contact Jeff Sickels to assist in removal of leftover debris and cleanup at the site.

• Wise said he would like to get started with an update and recodification of the city zoning to provide clarification in that area.

• The lift station near the baseball field may need some attention. Wise said the station handles a tremendous amount of water runoff, and a significant rain could create big problems. He added that particular lift station has not been updated in some time.

Other business

In other business the council

• signed a professional services agreement with MSA for services related to the new water station project. The agreement covers everything from preparation prior to bid letting to completion of the final project. A public hearing is scheduled for the next council meeting to set bidding dates for publication.

• approved a drawdown request from Oakview Construction for the bathhouse/FEMA safe room project. The request was for $20,892.40.

• approved a Class C beer permit for Greggo’s restaurant.

• approved closing city hall April 17 so that city employees Pam Poore and Amanda Cannon may attend the Data Tech User Group meeting.

(A visit from Tim Newton with Divine Waste concerning the ongoing discussion of garbage collection service is covered in a seperate story.) 

Near the conclusion of Monday’s meeting, Tim Newton, owner of Divine Waste of Mount Ayr, addressed the council in regard to the ongoing discussion about garbage collection service for the city. He provided a proposed contract for the service as well as additional letters of recommendation from his current customers.

During his presentation Newton stressed the importance of awarding a contract soon so the contractor would have the required time to purchase receptacles and other materials necessary to run the service. He contended if the council postponed its decision too close to  the end of June, the contract would necessarily default to Waste Management because no one else, including the city, would be prepared to take on the service.

Newton also contended the current contractor, Waste Management, did nothing to improve the community. In contrast, Newton said, his company has a long history of community involvement including a scholarship fund, a toy drive and sponsorship of Ayr Days and the County Fair. “We buy our fuel here, we buy all of our supplies here, we buy our parts here, we have our equipment worked on here,” he said. “We try to spend all of the money we can right here, in the city and in the county.”

Newton also stressed his company’s recycling capabilities. He explained Ringgold county currently shows negative growth in recycling based on the DNR’s goal of increasing recycling by 50 percent. In other words, according to Newton, the county actually records less recycling rather than more. Newton said Divine Waste is opening a recycling center and has invested a considerable amount of money in bringing a recycling program to the county. He claimed the recycling center would create four to six jobs with the possibility of more in the future. He said he is currently working with the DNR to bring a similar program to Mount Ayr, so the city and county could become leaders in the state for their recycling efforts.

Newton then addressed negatives of the city’s current recycling program. He said he has seen and heard stories of recycling bins being emptied into the back of garbage trucks. He contended the county eliminated its large recycling bin because Waste Management was not sorting and weighing the contents properly.

He added that he had talked to people who had called city hall to request recycling bins only to be told the city was no longer handing out the bins because recycling was not cost-effective. 

At this point the discussion became contentious.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” replied city clerk Pam Poore. She explained that there was no cost associated with the recycling program, which is included as part of the existing contract.

“Yesterday I just had someone tell me that,” said Newton.

“That’s not true,” said mayor Don Solliday. “He didn’t come in and ask for one, either that or we might have been out.”

“No, he called city hall, and they told him it was not cost-effective to do recycling,” said Newton.

“That is a lie,” said Solliday.

“Is it a lie also that people have come in and said they’ve seen them putting the recycling in the garbage?” asked Newton.

“Yes, we’ve had that complaint,” said Solliday. “We’ve had some complaints about you too.”

“I’ve had some complaints about you too, Don,” Newton shot back.

“And you come in here and jump on our new man [city superintendent Brent Wise] and give him a bunch of crap,” said Solliday. “I’m upset about that because the council gave him the job to look into going into the garbage business as a city. It wasn’t his idea, but he was trying to do his job... you were kind of rough on him.”

“I thought we had a good talk,” replied Newton. “I thought it ended up being a very understanding and beneficial talk. I wasn’t jumping on anybody, just bringing some stuff to the surface, because there are many things in his figures that just aren’t there and would need to be there. Brent’s never run a garbage company, and I don’t think anybody else has either. It’s easy to do when you’re working with taxpayer money to go into business and take that risk because you’re not risking your money, you’re risking the taxpayers’ money.”

“I want to stop right there,” said councilman Wes Mathany. “It’s not easy to do. We have as much invested in this community as anyone else at this table.”

“We’re going to make as good a decision as we can with the facts we have on the table,” said Solliday. “And that’s what we intend to do. Personalities are not going to enter into it.”

“When it comes to garbage,” said Wise, “I understand you have a great deal of passion to get this [contract]. No different than I have a great deal of passion to do the absolute best that I can for not only these people sitting here but the people in this community. That’s what I was hired to do. And if I can’t do that or I fail at that, then hold me accountable, no different than we are attempting to hold Waste Management accountable because the rates are at a level that is undesired. Now we don’t know, because we haven’t had a contract with you, on how you’re going to be able to perform, so if it does come to a bid situation you will definitely know it will go to a bid situation, but it’s up to these people here.”

“That’s why I’m here talking to them,” said Newton. “It has to be acted upon in order to make that happen. The contract has been breached, and it should be put up for bid per Iowa code.”

“You believe it’s been breached,” said Wise, “but I don’t think anyone here has actually seen or have witness to a breach.”

“All I can tell you is what I was told,” said Newton. He repeated his point about the need to put the contract out for bids as soon as possible.

Wise said he doubted he would have bids specifications ready for council approval by the next board meeting.

“You’ll be the first to know when it comes up for bids,” said Mathany. He said the council would examine all cost estimates closely before making any decision.

“We’re Lynn’s, we’re local, we listen...”

Ringgold county marked the end of an era Friday, March 29 with the closing of Lynn’s Sinclair at the corner of Highway 2 and Taylor Street in Mount Ayr.

In December 1988 Lynn and Kathy Rinehart and Rich and Donna Routh bought the two-bay full service gas station at the location from the Sierp Oil Company. The original structure had been built in 1954 by the Phillips Petroleum Company.

With Rinehart as manager, the station remained open as a full service station with oil changes and tire repair until October 1, 1989, when the station was closed and later demolished. A new, modern convenience store was built on the corner location, and exactly a year later, on October 1, 1990, Lynn’s Texaco officially opened for business.

The store was associated with the Texaco brand until 2003 when it became affiliated with the Sinclair brand. In 2008 the Rineharts bought out Donna Routh’s interest to become full owners of the business.

Looking back on his quarter century in business, Rinehart fondly recalled many stories.

“Back in the glory days of pheasant hunting,” he said, “we had a number of ‘stars’ walk through our doors.” He mentioned professional golfer Fuzzy Zoeller and sprint car champion Steve Kinzer as two examples. Lynn’s was also a favorite stop of former Iowa State basketball coach Larry Eustachy when he would pass through town on recruiting trips.

Rinehart also spoke with pride about a number of firsts associated with his business. “We had the first canopy-covered gas island in the county,” he said, “and the first ATM machine, too.” At one time, he said, Lynn’s was the top lottery sales outlet in the state of Iowa, thanks in large part, he said, to Roberta Campbell’s winning of $100,000 in the lottery with a ticket purchased in his store.

Rinehart smiled as he recalled many of his now legendary advertisements. “It all started with a Christmas ad,” he said. “Alan [Smith] came to the house and took my picture standing next to a full-size cardboard cutout.” He said the advent of digital photography and Photoshop has greatly enhanced his creative choices.

He also recalled once when he set the price for premium gas one penny too high to create some buzz. “Gas was getting close to $2 per gallon,” he said. “Premium should have been $1.99, but I set it at $2 and had to talk someone into buying premimum that day. Alan came and took a picture of the first day gas broke the $2 mark in the history of Ringgold county.”

Since the announcement of the store’s closing, Rinehart says he has received countless emails, calls and notes wishing him well and recalling great memories of Lynn’s. Many have come from his several hundred employees from over the years.

To put some rumors to rest, Rinehart said the Casey’s General Store company is not involved with the closing of Lynn’s or obtaining the property. “I had heard the rumor so much I had to call them to ask if it was true,” he said with a smile. While Casey’s showed some initial interest, he said, the property is too small for what Casey’s had in mind.

So what’s next? Rinehart simply said he’s keeping his options open. After 25 years of 4 a.m. wake-ups, he’s enjoying a few days off as he works with suppliers to clear the store of merchandise. “I’ve had a couple offers,” he said. “I’ll find something to do.”

Without a doubt, many Ringgold county residents and those just passing through will miss the friendly smile and creative wit Rinehart brought not only to the corner of Highway 2 and Taylor Street but also to the business community as a whole.

But all things must pass... as stated in an addition to Lynn’s favorite slogan: “We’re Lynn’s, we’re local, we listen, we’re locking the door.” 

The Ringgold county board of supervisors approved an 18-month tax abatement for the Mount Ayr American Legion, approved fuel contracts and agreed to move up a road project in action during the past week.

Medicaid expansion, education reform and a fuel tax increase for the main topics of discussion at the recent legislative coffee in Mount Ayr on Saturday.

Ernst opening remarks

State senator Joni Ernst opened the discussion by describing action in the Senate over the past few weeks. She admitted the Senate had not accomplished much of consequence in that time because of the illness and absence of one Democrat senator. In her opinion, the Democrat leadership in the Senate hadn’t been eager to bring any controversial bills to the floor for fear of not having enough votes to pass them. Now that the senator has returned, Ernst predicted a busy end to the legislative session.

Ernst said the Senate was behind on education reform legislation because Senate leadership had decided to write their own bill rather than use the House-passed bill as a starting point for reform discussion. She said the resulting 70-page bill will likely be passed out of the Senate with only a day and a half of discussion in the education subcommittee. She said many senators were still unsure about costs associated with the bill as well as other details. 

She felt the Senate bill would maintain the $35,000 per year starting teacher salary as recommended by Governor Branstad, a number of different pathways to develop teacher leadership, provisions for online learning opportunities for students and the $4,000 per year Iowa Tuition Grant for Iowa graduates who stay in Iowa to teach. She also predicted the Senate would recommend a four percent allowable growth in state aid to schools as compared with the two percent in the House version.

Medicaid expansion was also up for debate in the Senate, but Ernst said not much discussion had taken place so far.

Dolecheck opening remarks

State representative Cecil Dolecheck opened his remarks by restating the principles that House Republicans have put forth in this legislative session: 1) we’re not going to spend more than the state takes in, 2) we’re not going to use overpayment from taxpayers to pay for ongoing expenditures and 3) we’re not going to underfund property tax credits.

The budget process in the House is moving along well, according to Dolecheck. The nonpartisan transportation bill passed unanimously out of the House. The education appropriations budget included a couple changes from the governor’s original proposal. The House budget cuts $1 million from the Iowa Tuition Grant because, according to Dolecheck, based upon the number of applicants for the program, only $1 million will be needed this year to fully fund the program. The House also decided not to fund the $5 million tuition set-aside program for state universities. The tuition set-aside program uses a percentage of each student’s college tuition to help fund grants and scholarships to underprivileged students. 

The House also modified two other provisions from the governor’s education reform recommendations. The House version provides for an additional certification on a high school graduate’s transcript showing workforce or college readiness. The House also lowered the target salary for starting teachers to $32,000 per year because the original $35,000 target would create burdens for a number of school districts.

Dolecheck said two nonpartisan bills dealing with gun ownership easily passed the House. One bill protects the privacy of gun owners by not allowing access by the media or other outside entities to lists of people with gun permits. The other bill makes it illegal for one person to purchase a weapon and then transfer it to anyone who is barred from gun ownership, such as a convicted felon.

Another bill requested from the Department of Human Services (DHS) was passed with bipartisan support. This bill allows state officials the ability to recover funds from the overpayment of Medicaid claims. In addition, it requires recipients of Medicaid funds to report any overpayment. Current Iowa law does not allow for such recovery of Medicaid fraud and abuse.

Medicaid expansion

After opening remarks, the floor was opened for questions from the audience. Karleen Stephens, superintendent of the Diagonal school district, asked the legislators to explain the governor’s reluctance to consider Medicaid expansion in order to insure more underprivileged children. Senator Ernst said the governor prefers a program such as Healthy Iowa that will cover individuals living at 100 percent of the poverty level and below, approximately 89,000 Iowans. Under the Healthy Iowa plan, those above the poverty level will still have the ability to purchase private insurance through provisions in the Affordable Care Act. Ernst cited three main issues with Medicaid expansion: 1) what would happen to those who may lose a job and yet not qualify for Medicaid, 2) Medicaid reimbursement has decreased over the years and 3) it’s unknown if the federal government reimbursement promised under Medicaid expansion would be discontinued sometime in the future. There’s no guarantee, she said, that states could opt out of Medicaid expansion if that should happen. She added she had never heard a doctor say he’d rather have reimbursement from Medicare rather than from private insurance. In fact, because of low reimbursement rates, some doctors are now putting a cap on the number of Medicaid patients they are willing to serve. She said she has not heard much discussion about Medicaid expansion in the state House, and the legislature may need a special session to tackle the issue.

Barbara Hutton asked who are the main supporters on either side of the Medicaid expansion issue. Ernst replied the governor obviously supports the Healthy Iowa program. The Iowa Hospital Association favors Medicaid expansion because they would rather see some reimbursement rather than having to write off many of their care expenses to charity. She added she sees Medicaid expansion becoming a political issue for those legislators seeking higher public office. She recounted a recent public forum on mental health services that became a political rally in favor of Medicaid expansion. She also stated she has heard stories of people moving across the border to Iowa from neighboring states simply to receive increased assistance benefits. The entire system is broken, she said.

Road issues

Karleen Stephens asked what the legislators were hearing about improving the state’s roads. Dolecheck said very few legislators don’t realize something needs to be done, but some may not vote for it regardless. Dolecheck said he feels at this point there are enough votes to pass a fuel tax increase in both the House and the Senate, but the House leadership has so far honored the governor’s request to pass education reform and property tax reform prior to addressing other issues. Dolecheck said he personally doesn’t feel the fuel tax increase should take a backseat to any other issues facing the state. He said he remains cautiously optimistic and contended something would be done prior to the end of the session. He made a distinct connection between the rebound in the ag economy and the improvement in the Iowa economy overall, but he added the road issue is one of those political footballs where legislators’ votes are going to be used against them regardless of which way they vote. “I’m not an individual who likes to raise taxes,” he said, “but at some point in time, as a leader or representative or senator, you’ve got to do what’s best and make that decision and defend it. If it takes you out of office, it takes you out of office, but if in your heart you know it’s the right thing to do, you’ve got to do it.” Stephens expressed her appreciation for Dolecheck’s frankness. “We don’t have enough of that,” she said. “Even though we’re different political parties, I just appreciate someone saying that I am going to vote my heart, and if they send me home, they send me home, but I’m going to do what’s right. I think that’s to be admired.”

Final forum

Saturday’s forum marked the last legislative coffee scheduled during this legislative session, which is due to adjourn the first week in May. But both Ernst and Dolecheck expressed the belief the governor will likely bring the legislature back into session to handle Medicaid expansion and possibly other issues. 

At a recent Mount Ayr school board meeting, Valle Smith presented the 2011-2012 Annual Report to the Public that documents student academic achievement for the 2011-12 school year, the most recent year for which statistics are available. The report documents a wide range of performance data as well as demographic statistics for the Mount Ayr district. 

Most of the statistics measure student proficiency in various subjects as ranked on a percentile basis. According to the report, “proficiency” in Iowa translates to reaching the 41st percentile on the Iowa Assessments (formerly known as the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and the Iowa Test of Educational Development). The term “percentile” is defined as the percentage of a student’s peer group (grade level) that a student’s score surpassed. In other words, a fourth grade student in Iowa who is considered “proficient” in reading will test at a level better than at least 40 percent of other fourth-grade students across the nation as a whole.

One set of statistics compared grade-level proficiency across the past five years of data. In other words, rather than following a group of third graders through fourth grade, fifth grade, sixth grade, etc., this data targets five different groups of third graders (and other grades) over five years. Obviously, each different group of students brings its own unique talents and challenges, so proficiency numbers can vary widely from year to year. Yet an average of numbers over a period of years can show trends and help grade-level educators target specific skill sets for improvement.  

In addition, Smith pointed out the 2011-2012 proficiency levels could be significantly different as compared to the past four years because of a total revision of the tests. The following numbers will provide the previous four-year average with the 2011-2012 results.

        4-year    2011-12

average

Reading

Grade 3 82.25 88

Grade 4 91.75 69

Grade 5 84.75 65

Grade 6 73.00 70

Grade 7 67.50 66

Grade 8 67.75 64

Grade 11 83.00 95

Math

Grade 3 85.50 86

Grade 4 93.25 90

Grade 5 88.00 78

Grade 6 86.75 81

Grade 7 77.25 92

Grade 8 79.25 77

Grade 11 80.50 88

Science

Grade 3 88.25 92

Grade 4 93.00 88

Grade 5 86.25 82

Grade 6 88.50 91

Grade 7 80.00 84

Grade 8 80.50 82

Grade 11 85.75 90

Another set of statistics in the report compares Mount Ayr students’ level of proficiency to those of students in our region (within the Green Valley Area Education Agency service area) and across the state of Iowa. Because of the possible effect of the test revision, these numbers may provide a clearer picture of Mount Ayr student performance when compared to other students who all took the same tests.

2012-2012                  Rdg.  Math Science

3rd grade

Mount Ayr 88 86 92

Region         74 75 82

State                 76 75 83

4th grade

Mount Ayr 69 90 88

Region         71 74 84

State                 73 77 83

5th grade

Mount Ayr 65 78 82

Region         72 73 77

State                 73 77 76

6th grade

Mount Ayr 70 81 91

Region         61 65 76

State                 64 70 74

7th grade

Mount Ayr 66 92 84

Region         66 75 71

State                 67 78 70

8th grade

Mount Ayr 64 77 82

Region         63 70 75

State                 65 73 75

11th grade

Mount Ayr 95 88 90

Region         82 78 85

State                 83 81 85

Much more information is available in the report in the district’s central office or on the district’s website.

Breakfast with the Master, Ringgold county’s traditional Ringgold Ministerial Association-sponsored series of breakfasts and worships to prepare for Easter, will continue this week at the First Christian Church in Mount Ayr through Saturday, March 30.

Breakfasts begin each morning at 6:30 a.m. followed by a short worship. Many of the churches in the county are taking part in one way or the other in the breakfasts this year.

A freewill offering is taken for the breakfasts, with money over and above the cost of the breakfasts going to help with needs of area residents during the year.

Theme for the breakfasts this year is “It Is Finished.” Each morning there will be a breakfast followed by music and a short message.

Remaining schedule includes:

Thursday, March 28 -- Theme: Separation between God and Man. The United Baptist-Presbyterian Church will host the breakfast of egg casseroles provided by several of the churches. Mike Maddy will be the speaker  and the church will provide greeters, special music and the cleanup and set up crew.

Friday, March 29 -- Theme: The Plan of Salvation. The United Church of Diagonal will be the hosts for the breakfast featuring donuts and fruit cups. Ed Shields will be the speaker. The church will provide the greeters and special music and join with the Community of Christ in providing the clean up crew.

Saturday, March 30 - Theme: Death is Defeated. The First Christian Church will host the cooks’ choice breakfast in the final day of the event. Chris Conklin will be the speaker and the church will be providing greeters and special music and join with the Free Methodist Church in providing the clean up crew.

Alan Smith will be master of ceremonies for the week and Virginia Scott is coordinating the food for the event.

Kids will have plenty of chances to stock up on candy and prizes Saturday as three Easter egg hunts have been scheduled around the county.

Mount Ayr

The Mount Ayr Easter egg hunt will be held Saturday, March 30 at 10 a.m. on the Ringgold County Courthouse lawn. 

The hunt will be divided into four age groups: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 and 7-8. Plus there will be drawings and eggs for everyone. 

Children should meet at the shelter house on the courthouse lawn.

CGI Foods and the SOS Committee are sponsors of this year’s event.

Free movie

Following the hunt at 11 a.m., cartoons and the movie “Hop” will be shown free of charge at the Princess Theater.

Sponsor of this event is Lawhead Dental in Mount Ayr.

Kellerton

A breakfast and Easter egg hunt are scheduled at the Kellerton community center.

The breakfast will run 9-11 a.m. with the Easter egg hunt set to begin at 10 a.m.

The hunt is open to kids aged two-11.

Tingley

An Easter egg hunt will be held Saturday at Tingley, beginning at 2 p.m.

The hunt is open to all children through fourth grade. Participants should meet at the grocery store.

Included in the hunt are several marked dollar and quarter eggs.

The hunt is sponsored by the Tingley Lions Club.

High tech egg hunt

Ringgold County Conservation will host an unusual Easter egg hunt Saturday, April 6 beginning at 9 a.m.

Participants will use global positioning (GPS) devices to find eggs at the Kellerton Bird Conservation viewing area.

More details are available in an article on page 8 in this week’s Record-News.  

  A Mount Ayr man has died as the result of a traffic accident  in  Decatur county Friday.

According to the accident report from the Iowa State Patrol, on March 15 Robert Erickson, 77, was driving a Buick LaSabre eastbound on Highway 2 in Decatur City at approximately 11:40 a.m. An eastbound Dodge Ram pickup driven by Lathum Saxton, 39, of Leon attempted to turn left into a parking area when it was struck by Erickson’s vehicle. Both vehicles ended up in the north ditch facing east.

Both men were transported by ambulance to the Decatur County Hospital in Leon, where Erickson was pronounced dead.

Neither driver was wearing a seatbelt, according to the patrol report.

According to the patrol, charges are pending in the accident.

Ringgold County Cares is gearing up for the next big packing date. The fourth annual pack-a-thon to pack 100,000 meals is set for April 5-7 at the United Baptist-Presbyterian Church. With more than $15,800 needing to be raised, Ringgold County Cares already has achieved half of their goal.

“It is vital to raise the entire amount to pay for the supplies, as well as the cost of shipping it to the hungry overseas,” said Ron Schafer, project coordinator. 

Ringgold Country Cares is a non-profit organization that partners with Outreach, Inc. from Union. They are a dedicated packing station providing a soy-rice fortified meal to Africa and other parts of the world that suffer from hunger. Outreach, Inc. sells supplies for the meals at 25 cents per meal. However, Ringgold County Cares has negotiated a rate of 18 cents a meal due to the large amount of supplies that were ordered. 

“We can’t do this on our own,” said Schafer. “Because of your donations and commitment of time, more than 96,000 meals were packaged last year.”

It takes 10-12 people to run a table effectively. The table usually runs one or two hour shifts during the event. On average, 2,160 meals are packaged in one hour per table. 

The event will run from 4 p.m. to midnight on Friday, April 5. Packaging will resume on Saturday, April 6 at 7 a.m. and go until 7 p.m. Saturday evening. Volunteers will finish the work from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

It costs $400 to run one table for one hour. In the past, groups that signed up to work would raise the money to purchase the food and materials for the shift. Volunteers don’t have to participate in a group. 

“We also get a lot of individuals who volunteer as well,” adds Schafer. “We are asking any individual who wants to participate to bring $10 to help cover the costs.” 

Last year, a few groups challenged each other to see who could pack the most meals in a designated time period. The Mount Ayr football team challenged the Lenox football team, as well as Clearview Home went up against Mount Ayr Health Care Center. The football teams alone packaged over 25,000 of the meals during their time period. At this time, football teams from Lenox, Bedford and Mount Ayr will be challenging each other. 

Other groups like 4-H groups, church groups, civic groups, businesses and families are encouraged to volunteer their time and help raise money. 

Schafer also noted that if the fee would prohibit someone from participating, something will be worked out so they can still help. Just give him a call to set up a time. 

“Challenge yourself to spread the word,” Schafer encourages. “Use your voice to inform others of the event and ask them to join. Call your friends, text your neighbor, tweet your family or post old classmates to come out and volunteer.”

Tax-deductible donations may be sent to Melanie Jackson, 1429  250th Street, Maloy, IA 50836. To sign up to volunteer or sponsor a table, contact Ron Schafer, 801 S. Henderson Dr., Mount Ayr, IA 50854, call 641-414-1527 or email schafer@mchsi.com. 

People can also follow Ringgold County Cares on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RinggoldCountyCares. 

The Mount Ayr city council approved the purchase of a different street sweeper but postponed a firm decision on the future of the city’s garbage removal contract in their regular meeting March 18.

Street sweeper

City superintendent Brett Wise received council approval to purchase a street sweeper to replace the one currently in use. Wise said the current sweeper, estimated to be a 1970s model, simply doesn’t do a good enough job anymore. As a replacement, he has located a 1998 model that is being traded in from the city of Washington. For a price of $31,500, the unit will be completely refurbished, including replacement of the roller bearings, and will include operator training. As for the city’s current sweeper, Wise said it could be traded in or might possibly be worth more as scrap. The new sweeper will be delivered in May, but payment will be postponed until July, the beginning of the new fiscal year. The city had already accounted for the purchase of a new sweeper in its recently-approved budget.

Garbage removal contract

After several weeks of discussion and a series of meetings with garbage collection contractors, the council voted to send a letter to Waste Management giving them three months notice of the city’s intent not to renew the existing contract that expires June 30. In the meantime, the council will continue to explore options for the future of the garbage collection service. If the council should decide during that time to continue service with Waste Management, the terms of the existing contract will continue unchanged. Superintendent Wise repeated his warning that under the existing contract the city will lose money unless it approves a rate increase from the current $16.50 per month.

Tim Newton of Divine Waste brought letters of recommendation for his service from local businesses and restated his company’s interest in bidding for the city’s garbage removal contract.

Booster station project

Carl Elshire from MSA Professional Services informed the council his company had received the construction permit for the booster station project from the Department of Natural Resources. 

To get the project off the ground, Elshire brought the contract for construction services for council approval. He explained the contract had three components. The bidding and negotiation component would answer contractor questions and provide clarifications on specifications about the project during the bidding process. The construction administration component would review shop drawings, especially on the pump station, to ensure adherence to project specifications. The resident project guide component would furnish an on-site project manager to meet with contractors and oversee construction on a regular basis.

Elshire said he would immediately begin working with city clerk Pam Poore to get the bidding process underway. Once the call for bids was published, he estimated an open bidding period of approximately three weeks. Once contracts were awarded, he estimated another eight weeks for completion of fieldwork prior to installation of the new pump station. He said design, manufacture and installation of the pump station would take considerably longer, but he estimated completion the project prior to the end of the calendar year.

City superintendent report

Superintendent Wise updated the council on a number of items on which his department is currently working.

• The recently-installed lighting fixtures on the west side of the square are currently not functioning. They continue to trip the breaker whenever they are connected to the power source, and Ed Rotert, the project electrician, believes there is a short in the system somewhere. He and Wise will continue to investigate the problem.

• Wise has contacted two companies to discuss repairs to city streets in the coming months. In the meantime, the city crew is filling potholes with rock, but he stressed this work is strictly a temporary fix.

• Soil and sludge samples from the wastewater treatment plant have been sent to the lab, and Wise said sludge from the plant should be ready for land application when weather permits.

• Wise has met with the aquatic center/FEMA safe room committee to coordinate efforts to continue that project. His department will help run new water lines and phone lines, install a culvert under a sidewalk and assist Jeff Sickels in removing the old bathhouse structure. It was noted all work associated with the FEMA grant must be completed by May 17.

• The street crew has finalized locations and will install trail signs along city streets as part of the Healthy Iowa Initiative project. In addition, signs will be posted at the Little League fields to alert people to the location of the FEMA safe room.

• Wise said there is considerable work yet to be done in replacement of valves in the city water system. He has asked a number of companies for price estimates and hopes to have that information within the next few days.

• Wise also updated the council about wastewater certification for the city crew. He said applications for testing had been submitted, and they’re now waiting for testing dates. He added the city had until April 30 to have at least one employee certified.

Other business

Vicki Sickels, representing Ringgold County Public Health, requested the council authorize Becky Nardy, from the Southern Iowa Council of Governments (SICOG), to assist Public Health Agency with grant applications. Because the city is a member of SICOG, the authorization for Nardy’s services had to come from the city.

The council approved advertising for mowing bids using the same specifications as last year.

They also approved the settlement agreement and release stemming from a wrongful termination claim by former city employee Ted F. Wood.

A Class C beer and Sunday sales permit was approved for Smith Oil company.

Superintendent Wise said he would investigate a handful of resident questions, including removal of the tree affecting a sewer line, replacement of a curb at an abandoned driveway, the condition of the roadway near the camper dump site and securing the flag above city hall. 

Breakfast with the Master, Ringgold county’s traditional Ringgold County Ministerial Association-sponsored series of breakfasts and worships to prepare for Easter, will be held again this year at the First Christian Church in Mount Ayr Monday through Saturday, March 25-30.

Breakfasts begin each morning at 6:30 a.m. followed by a short worship. Many of the churches in the county are taking part in one way or another in the breakfasts this year.

A goal of having 100 or more people take part each morning has been set for this year and the county community is encouraged to take part. A freewill offering is taken for the breakfasts, with money over and above the cost of the breakfasts going to help with needs of area residents during the year.

Theme for the breakfasts this year is “It Is Finished.” Each morning there will be a breakfast followed by music and a short message.

Schedule for the event this year includes:

Monday, March 25 -- Theme: Life and Ministry of Jesus. The Mount Ayr Assembly of God will host the Monday breakfast of sweet rolls plus the cereal, fruit and drinks available each day. Doug Rohrer will be the speaker, the church will provide greeters and clean up and set up crews and Frank Hudson of the Community of Christ has special music.

Tuesday, March 26 -- Theme: Teaching of the Disciples. The United Methodist Church Larger Parish will be the host for the Tuesday breakfast featuring biscuits and gravy.  Skip Rushing will be the speaker, the churches will provide greeters and special music. They will join with the Ellston, Tingley, Kellerton and Beaconsfield United Methodist Churches to provide the cleanup and set up crew.

Wednesday, March 27 -- Theme: Old Testament Prophecies of Jesus. Wishard Chapel will be the host for the pancakes and sausage breakfast on Wednesday. Bill Armstrong will be the speaker and the church will provide greeters and special music. The Mount Ayr Restoration Branch will join in helping with the cleanup crew that day.

Thursday, March 28 -- Theme: Separation Between God and Man. The United Baptist-Presbyterian Church will be the hosts for the breakfast of egg casseroles provided by several of the churches. Mike Maddy will be the speaker  and the church will provide greeters, special music and the cleanup and set up crew.

Friday, March 29 -- Theme: The Plan of Salvation. The United Church of Diagonal will be the hosts for the breakfast featuring donuts and fruit cups. Ed Shields will be the speaker, the church will provide the greeters and special music and join with the Community of Christ in providing the clean up crew.

Saturday, March 30 - Theme: Death is Defeated. The First Christian Church will host the cooks choice breakfast in the final day of the event. Chris Conklin will be the speaker and the church will be providing greeters, special music and join with the Free Methodist Church in providing the clean up crew.

Alan Smith will be master of ceremonies for the week and Virginia Scott is coordinating the food for the event.

Ringgold County Hospital board of directors met in regular session following the public hearing on the fiscal year 2014 budget. 

Teresa Roberts began the meeting with the financial report although much of it had been previously discussed and explained in the budget hearing meeting. 

She noted that online payments are being incorporated into the electronic system which will provide more options for paying bills. Single payments as well as recurring payments will be available.

Medicaid expansion, part of the Affordable Health Care Act, continues to be a topic of discussion as it is under consideration in the state legislature. 

Administrator Gordon Winkler shared information from his day spent attending the Iowa Hospital Associations Legislative Day. Winkler sat in on the Senate Human Resources debate and also had the opportunity to speak with state senator Joni Ernst. The bill was caucused by both parties and passed out of committee by a vote of 8-5 along party lines. The bill will be debated in the next few weeks.

Governor Terry Branstad did introduce a plan called Healthy Iowa, but Winkler said it appears to reflect more of a position statement than a plan with substance.

Winkler reiterated earlier meeting discussions with regard to the potential negative impact for health care providers if Iowa does not opt into the Medicaid expansion. Compared to the current Iowa Cares program supported by Governor Terry Branstad but set to sunset in 2013, the Medicaid expansion would cover an estimated 150,000 Iowans as opposed to the estimated 89,000 covered under Iowa Cares.

In further discussion regarding impact to Ringgold County Hospital, county funds and residents, it was explained that Iowa Cares does not provide mental health care which makes funding those expenses fall to the county from property tax funds and takes away funds for other areas. The Medicaid expansion would cover mental health costs for eligible Iowans. Under Iowa Cares the only cost covered is that of patients admitted to the hospital from the emergency room. Other charges are not covered and rural areas like Ringgold county are sorely lacking in adequate funding to cover necessary care for those uninsured community nity members.

The bottom line for this scenario is that Iowa is looking at the Iowa Cares plan with limited eligibility and coverage and one that would have to be waivered by the government to continue past 2013. However, Iowa dollars have already paid into the Medicaid expansion, and if Iowa does not opt into the plan, those dollars will go to other states. In addition, with the Iowa Cares program Iowa receives 60 percent funding from the federal government to cover the approximate 89,000 eligible Iowans and opting into the Medicaid expansion plan would provide 100 percent coverage for an approximate 150,000 eligible Iowans.

In further discussion of potential federal impact on hospital funding, it was reported that sequestration will go into effect April 1 and will affect Medicare claims with dates of service or discharge on or after April 1. This change will reflect a two percent reduction to the provider, but will not affect beneficiary payments such as co-pays or deductibles.

On a positive note, Ringgold County Hospital sponsored a free health care screening day that included for the first time not only lab screening but also fitness screening. This screening was available to both hospital employees and public participants and was offered by the Cardiac Rehab and Physical Rehab departments as part of a health and wellness marketing plan. The fitness screen will be offered on a quarterly basis and lab tests are offered annually. Good attendance at the event was reported.

New board member Mike Hopkins reported on the Mercy board orientation he recently attended and remarked that it provided a good opportunity to become familiar with the operation of health care facilities, with additional information on legal and financial aspects as well as physician recruitment and other topics of interest.

Dr. Jerald Phipps has been officially welcomed to the staff at Ringgold County Hospital and favorable response has been received from patients and from Dr. Phipps as he settles into his position.

Old business reports included continuing efforts to find a buyer for the old hospital facility, with at least one interested party, and the ER situation remains short staffed as efforts to remedy the problem continue.

Teresa Roberts took the floor again as the board asked for updates on refinancing the current bonds that have both high interest rates and hefty prepayment penalties. Roberts explained a new HUD program that is in its first year and will provide refinancing to approximately 6-12 selected hospitals. Roberts explained the program has some restrictive elements that might prevent RCH from taking advantage of the program; however, RCH also meets much of the outlined criteria. It was decided to continue to explore the program in an informal way at this point to gather more information before the board makes any firm decision on going forward with paperwork to apply for the program. 

The Mount Ayr Community school board declined a request from the Clearfield schools to consider reorganization, heard a report of student academic performance, approved bids for buses and for upgrades to the high school’s wireless network and approved a spending reduction plan as part of its regular meeting held Monday, March 11.

Clearfield reorganization

After considerable discussion, the board voted unanimously to decline further consideration of a request from the Clearfield schools to reorganize with the Mount Ayr district.

Superintendent Joe Drake, who serves as superintendent of both the Clearfield and Mount Ayr districts, explained the Clearfield district had come to the point where a dwindling student population could no longer financially sustain the district. If Clearfield can not find an adjoining district with which to reorganize, the district would begin the process of dissolution. He said the Clearfield board had approached the Lenox and Diagonal school districts, but both had declined consideration of reorganization. The Bedford district will consider the request at its meeting this week.

Drake presented a list of potential advantages and disadvantages for reorganization. Among the advantages were the opportunity to gain increased student population and to increase the district’s total assessed value, which would decrease the total tax levy by having more land value to spread the tax burden. He pointed out, however, during a reorganization landowners who border neighboring districts could choose to opt their land out of the newly reorganized district and into the adjoining district. In addition, reorganization would increase the district’s geographic area thus requiring an additional bus route. Drake added a reorganization would not guarantee a certain number of new students because some could open enroll out to a neighboring district anyway.

Clearfield board members Patty Parrish and Becky Kerns attended Monday’s meeting not only to help explain Clearfield’s situation but also to thank the Mount Ayr board for their past working relationship.

Student progress report

Valle Smith presented the annual report of student progress that includes a wide variety of data on student achievement through the 2012 school year. The 30-page document not only tracks student achievement trends over a period of years but also provides context for district demographics and explains some state and federal performance requirements.

The report tracks overall student performance in reading, math and science and breaks the data down into subgroups such as gender and socio-economic status.

The report indicates Mount Ayr students in grades 3-11 generally perform at or above regional and state levels in reading proficiency, math proficiency and science proficiency. In addition, composite ACT scores are at the state average of 22.1.

A more detailed discussion of the performance data will appear in a future issue of the Mount Ayr Record-News.

Bids approved

The board approved a bid for two new school buses that would be paid for in part by the recently-received Clean Diesel School Bus Rebate program grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. The board voted to accept the bid of $95,138 each from the Thomas Bus Company. The board received a second bid for $94,763 from the Blue Bird company, but they chose the slightly higher bid at the recommendation of transportation director Dick Still and superintendent Drake. Still explained most of the district’s bus fleet were Thomas buses, and the district had always been very satisfied with their longevity and performance.

The board also approved a bid of $14,312.27 from Communication Innovators for purchase and installation of new wireless access points throughout the secondary building. The project will replace 32 existing access points that can no longer handle the building’s Internet service needs. The district received a second bid of over $16,000 for the same project. Technology director Kim Curry said replacement will begin once school is out for the summer so as not to interrupt Internet service for students and staff.

Spending reduction plan

Superintendent Drake presented his plan to reduce spending for the next school year if state aid does not cover projected increased expenses. He told the board the tentative plan was necessary because notices needed to be sent to district staff by April 1 if their positions were affected by potential cuts.

Even though the state legislature has not yet set allowable growth for schools for next year, Drake said he based his plan on two percent allowable growth. With that “new money,” the district would still be short approximately $66,808 to cover contracted staff salary and benefits for next year.

The plan included the elimination of the librarian position that is currently shared with Bedford. Drake explained Kim Curry had agreed to take on library responsibilities along with her current duties as technology director. She has agreed to obtain additional certification in that area. That move would save $7,600.

Drake estimated the district could save $18,000 in replacing a retiring teacher and $24,000 by not filling two open classified positions. Another $17,344 would need to come from cuts from the teaching staff, but Drake pointed out that number did not equal one full-time teacher.

Drake added any allowable growth above two percent would reduce the necessity for some of the planned reductions, but he said factors such as the number of employees opting into the district’s insurance plan would also affect the need to amend the reduction plan.

Budget

Drake presented the district budget and tax levies for the coming school year. The budget estimates collecting $3,678,113 through utility replacement and property tax. The levy rate for next year is just over $16.56 per $1000 valuation, similar to this year.

The total general fund levy would raise $2,733,281, the management levy would total $250,000, the physical plant and equipment levy would raise $76,157 and the debt service levy would total $618,675.

A public hearing on the budget was set for April 8 at 6 p.m.

Personnel

The board approved the resignations of Roberta Campbell and Lyle Main, both of whom are accepting the district’s new early retirement incentive for classified employees. 

The board also approved the resignation of Janet Auge from her elementary teaching contract at the end of the current school year. Auge’s husband Brad was relocated early in the school year to the Kansas City area to assume management of a Hy-Vee store there.

The board approved hiring Brandie Ruggles as middle school track coach for $1,458. The additional coaching position resulted from higher-than-expected numbers out for track this season. Tori Braby was hired as varsity volleyball coach for the 2013-14 school year for $2,332.

Athletic sharing

Activities director Delwyn Showalter reminded the board it was time to reconsider the athletic sharing agreement in baseball and track with Diagonal for the next school year. He said he had some concern with the agreement for track. He explained that while only two Diagonal students were out for track this year, the sharing agreement had bumped Mount Ayr into Class 2A. As a result, the boys and girls teams cannot compete at the same district site; plus Mount Ayr can no longer host a district meet. He told the board he has discussed the issue with Diagonal administration, and they fully understand the problem. Unfortunately, it appears the number of Diagonal students interested in track may not get any better next year. The board will make a decision about the future of the sharing agreement at the April meeting.

Other business

Prior to the regular meeting, the board met in closed session to conduct evaluations of elementary principal Chris Elwood and secondary principal Lynne Wallace. The board took no action coming out of closed session.

Superintendent Joe Drake presented criteria for a proposed Mount Ayr Community Schools Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame would recognize individuals and groups who have made considerable contributions and/or brought honor and recognition to the district. Recognition categories include “friends” of Mount Ayr Community School, coaches/sponsors, teams/groups, individuals and distinguished graduates. Potential inductees could be nominated by anyone at any time, and nominees would be reviewed by a Hall of Fame selection committee who would vote on the final inductees. The board will review the criteria and act on the proposal at the April meeting.

After approving language changes dealing with “collaboration” as mandated by the state legislature, the board approved the 2013-14 master agreement with the teachers.

Superintendent Drake reported progress is being made to address problems with the commons floor. Apparently the bonding company has been in contact with the flooring subcontractor, who is now seeking information about the size and extent of the needed repairs.

Ringgold County Hospital has announced Dr. Jerald J. Phipps has joined the staff of the Mount Ayr Medical Clinic at the hospital. 

Dr. Phipps comes to Mount Ayr from Boone, where he has practiced for the past 20 years. 

An Iowa native, he grew up in Boone, graduated from the University of Iowa and received his medical degree from Des Moines University. After completing his residency at the University of Illinois at Rockford, Dr. Phipps  returned to Boone and a family practice clinic there.

“Family practice is what I love,” said Dr. Phipps. “It’s great taking care of people of all ages. From when they’re babies to when they’re in nursing homes, every time of life brings its own challenges.”

Ringgold County Hospital’s modern facility was just one of the things that attracted Dr. Phipps to his new position. “I was ready for a change,” he explained. “And when I visited RCH, I was immediately taken with how welcoming and friendly everyone was. The hospital itself is gorgeous, and the people are wonderful. It’s really a perfect fit for me.”

When he’s not caring for patients, Dr. Phipps is an avid traveler who also enjoys hunting and fishing. An umpire and coach, he has spent many volunteer hours with little leagues, as well as high school softball and baseball teams. He hopes to get involved with the Mount Ayr teams this spring and summer.

For more information on the services offered at the Mount Ayr Medical Clinic or Ringgold County Hospital, call 641-464-3226 or visit www.rchmtayr.org. 

Jim and Ann Werner of Diagonal have been named Iowa Master Farmers by Wallaces Farmer magazine.

They are among four families from across the state to be honored.

“It’s a tremendous honor,” said Ann. “It has a lot to do with conservation and the family. We have made a strong effort to protect the land. We’re very humbled by the honor.”

According to a press release from the magazine, the Werners have raised cattle for 40 years. In that time, they have worked diligently to improve feed efficiency and land sustainability. 

Four years ago they began testing yearling bulls and heifers at a feed intake monitoring barn. EID-equipped bunks, readers and scales under the bunks and electronic chips in ear tags are used to collect individual data.

Of their 2,000 grazing acres, they have dedicated 29 acres to filter strips along streams. They also fence off most ponds to reduce erosion and prevent mortalities. Since the 1970s, the Werners have restored ditches by placing round hay bales in them and letting cattle trample them in to hold the soil.

To reestablish an older hay field, the land is cropped for three years. Planting is done on the contour. Planters are driven across wide, grassed waterways, and crop rows channel runoff directly into the waterways and prevent ditches outside the grass.

Farming at the Werner operation is a family affair. Their daughter, Bonnie Larson, and husband Will live nearby and handle most of the paperwork. The Larsons, along with daughter Becky Hays and her husband, Craig, operate Critical Insights, a carcass ultrasound company. Becky also owns Ultra Insights Processing Lab near Maryville, MO.

Werner’s son, Clint, works on the farm and manages crops. In addition, Clint, his brother Joe and his wife Heather, operate Werner Feed Efficiency Testing Center, where cattle from throughout the Midwest are tested and receive official feed efficiency data. 

A total of four “I” ratings were earned by Mount Ayr high school students competing in the state speech contest Saturday at the Nevada high school. 

Maggie Jennett started the morning off with her acting piece entitled, “Willie the Angelic Child” by Walter Ben Hare. She received I ratings from all three of the judges for an overall I rating.

Jennett also performed a prose piece entitiled, “Lulu and the Brontosaurus” and received a I rating from all three judges for a I rating. Based upon her performance at the state meet, Maggie Jennett has qualified for the All State Speech Contest to be held at the University of Northern Iowa on March 25.

Allison Wallace presented a poetry piece entitled, “The Naming of Cats” and received I ratings from all three judges for an overall I rating. 

Matt Poore performed in improvisation. He had to act out the characters of a secretary and a bus driver and his situation was selling used bikes. He received a I rating from all three judges for an overall I rating.

Lew Knapp performed an acting piece called “368 Friends” by Bradley Walton. Lew received a II rating from all three judges for an overall II. 

Jacob Sobotka competed in radio broadcast. Jacob received a I rating from one judge and the other two judges gave him a II for an overall II rating. 

By Madison Hosfield

Tyler Hayse, son of Peter and Sally Hayse of Maryville, MO and grandson of Preston and Katie Hayse of Redding, has broadened his small town roots to the big city lights of Hollywood. With a lot of courage and spontaneity, this twenty-one-year-old boy from the Midwest took a leap of faith and moved halfway across the country to pursue a career he had always thought to be interesting.

After graduating from Maryville high school in 2010, Tyler started his post-secondary education at Northwest Missouri State University. After studying graphic design for three semesters at the university, Tyler got the sudden notion to pack up and leave for Hollywood to chase an acting vocation. He was unsure what he wanted to do with himself at the time and decided he could study graphic design at any time in his life. With the idea that he could get into acting more easily while he was still young, he made the quick move to California within a month of deciding.

With never being in any school plays or having any sort of acting background, he had zero acting credits when he got to Hollywood and literally had to work his way up from the bottom. The one credit he had to put on his resume was the lead role in his aunt Shaun Kniep’s “Mother Goose” play in seventh grade. Although he had no acting accountability, that was nothing to

slow him down in making his way to auditions.

Hayse located himself in North Hollywood in the Valley, which he classified as the more “preppy” part of Hollywood. When making the big move, he expected it to have more of the “big city” feel, more like New York City. Living in the Valley, he appreciates that he still gets the small town feeling, as there really isn’t much traffic at night, and it’s a little more peaceful.

Hayse took awhile to get settled in Hollywood before branching out into auditions. When he first moved west, he worked at a funeral home from March until July just to get his finances built up a bit. This definitely wasn’t his ideal job, so once he started becoming busy with acting, he committed his time to that.

Tyler first got started by signing up to be an extra in various movies and shows. While being around a lot of different people, he talked to everyone and started discovering websites that had information about auditions. He said asking around was the main way he learned how to get involved. He began taking acting classes when he could on the weekends simply to improve his skills.

Tyler’s days are never “normal” as each day is always different for him. He usually spends most of his time searching the web for auditions, but the days he actually has an audition or acting gig, he is very busy. 

Audition days consist of waking up, memorizing his lines, going to the audition and waiting in line forever just to perform a few lines. He admits that he still has huge stage fright to this day, but it’s something he just has to overcome when placed in front of the camera. Hayse says you can always tell whether your audition went well or not by the way the producers react. The longer you’re in the audition room, the better.

As of now, Hayse has no agent. He says a good agent is hard to get, and he wants the best possible. So with that, he wants to wait awhile and build up his resume and SAG (Screen Actors Guild) in order to attain a prime agent.

“I love being somebody else in front of the camera,” Hayse replied when asked what the best part of his career has been. He said he just enjoys the acting, the freedom and the number of people he has met, including numerous famous people. He moved to California knowing absolutely no one, so it was definitely a big change. 

The most lucrative kind of acting he has done has been his involvement in Scientology videos. He’s had many different opportunities and experienced various types of acting as he has been in music videos (“Hall of Fame” by the Script), scientology films, TV shows (“Tattoo Nightmares”), and even showed up to a live “Rugrats” musical audition.

The main thing most people would worry about when making such a drastic decision in their lives would be the risk of losing everything, having no money, being unsuccessful or feeling alone.

       Hayse says “the risk” has, without a doubt, been worth it. “Even if I fail, it’s something I’ll never forget and I’ll never regret it,” he said. “It’s been a great experience.” 

Hayse has considered taking a break from acting and finishing his degree in graphic design sometime, but it will just depend how well his current career goes and where life takes him. The main thing he misses about the Midwest is not being in constant city all the time. It sometimes gets pretty old driving for four straight hours and still being in the city. He stated that he wasn’t afraid of much while moving except for leaving his family and something happening while he was gone. 

Although there were some things he was worried about, he said, “I couldn’t wait. I didn’t want to be working on the farm the rest of my life, without having tried this.”

His advice for anyone wishing to pursue such an adventure? “Ask around,” he said. “It’s been a great experience and I figured it out all on my own, but I suggest talking with people who have done the same before making such a big decision.”

Hayse is definitely starting to work his way up in the acting industry and is having a very successful adventure. This individual story goes to show that absolutely nothing is impossible. Hayse had a dream, so he followed it. He looks forward to what the future holds and fully enjoys just living each day at a time and seeing what life has in store for him. 

A report published in a recent US News and World Report, “Best Nursing Homes,” the state of Iowa ranks ninth nationally in the number of five-star (highest ranking) nursing homes in the nation as of January 2013. And of the state’s 103 top-rated homes, two are right here in Mount Ayr.

Clearview Home of Mount Ayr and Mount Ayr Health Care Center both received five stars in overall excellence based upon data from Nursing Home Compare, a consumer website run by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

“Clearview Homes is once again extremely pleased and proud to be included in this group of homes who have proven to be leaders in the health care profession,” said Joe Routh, administrator of Clearview Home. “Our staff’s attention to their residents’ needs, cares and social well-being is to be commended. To be recognized as a Five-Star Home the past three years speaks highly of the staff at Clearview Home.

“These results compiled by CMS confirm the belief that Clearview Home and their staff take their commitment ‘to providing professional, compassionate, skilled and quality tender-loving care’ to their residents very seriously.”

“Mount Ayr Health Care Center was very pleased to hear of our recognition among best nursing homes in Iowa,” said Bob Hinz, administrator of Mount Ayr Health Care Center. “Our mission is to strive to provide a home-like atmosphere while giving medical and supportive care to those who can no longer provide adequate care for themselves.”

CMS sets and enforces standards for nursing homes and collects information from states and from nursing homes to provide ratings from one to five stars in three different categories: state-conducted health inspections, nursing and physical therapy staffing and quality of medical care. The totals are then combined to arrive at an overall rating.

Both adminstrators were quick to point out while making the list is a nice recognition, the definition of  “quality care” is constantly evolving and does not easily fit one measure or another.

“Quality improvement is a constant process, and we take it very seriously in everything we do,” said Hinz. “Although we are honrored in making the ‘Best Nursing Homes 2013,’ we understand there is always room for change, improvement and continued ways to better serve our residents and community.

“Mount Ayr Health Care Center is currently participating in a new Quality Initiative which is helping facilities, including ours, focus on key elements that are leading to improved care outcomes for our residents.”

Routh agreed.  “In addition to the Five-Star rating, Clearview Home is very proud of their most recent inspection and survey by the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals,” he said. “This four- to five-day inspection by a team of three to four surveyors in our home is based on being in compliance with over 1,000 state and federal rules and guidelines. Once again, Clearview Home and their staff achieved a deficiency-free survey from this regulatory agency.”

Only one other area nursing home, Worth County Convalescent Center in Grant City, MO made the five-star list. 

In all, 3,036 nursing homes across the nation were designated as five-star facilities in January 2013.

Of the top 20 states identified in the survey, all have populations greater than Iowa’s. The top state, California, had 312 five-star rated nursing homes, while Wyoming and Alaska had the fewest with five each.

Of states contiguous with Iowa, Illinois ranked third overall with 156 five-star facilities, Wisconsin 10th with 100, Minnesota 14th with 79 and Missouri 15th with 78.

While the rankings provide an overall snapshot of nursing home quality, both CMS and US News stress nothing can substitute for in-depth visits by potential residents and their families. 

Hinz directly addressed the same issue. “We understand that there are many choices and decisions that must be made when one is considering long term care for themselves or for their family members,” Hinz said. “While there are several pages on the Internet one can look through or Nursing Home Compare lists that one may look at when making decisions, we encourage everyone to visit the facility before making such decisions. Our home-like atmosphere, friendly staff and the happiness of our residents speak more clearly than websites and stars on a page. Come visit or volunteer and see the good care and services being provided.”

In conclusion, both administrators spoke with pride about their ties to the community.

“It has been the privilege of this family-run business, Clearview Homes, the past 50 years to care for the needs and health concerns of our area seniors and elderly,” said Routh. “From 1963 to 2013, as well as the future, we will continue to strive to make Clearview Home your ‘Home Away From Home.’ We appreciate the past relations with our residents and their

families and look forward to meeting their needs in the future.”

“In our small community,” said Hinz, “there are times when we care for our own families and close friends, and we take pride in the care that is provided at Mount Ayr Health Care Center.”

More detailed information about other nursing homes included in the list and methodology used to compile the list is available at http://health.usnews.com/best-nursing-homes. 

The Mount Ayr city council discussed a possible increase in garbage rates, hired a recreation director and approved the summer mowing bid for Judge Lewis Park as part of a relatively short agenda at its regular meeting this week.

Garbage rates

The council briefly discussed the possible need to increase the fee charged to residents for garbage pickup. While the current rate of $16.50 has not changed since 2008, the amount charged by Waste Management to the city has steadily risen during that time. In fact, in the past year alone the city absorbed three rate increases. A renewal of the contract with Waste Management for another year would include another two-and-a-half percent increase. City superintendent Brent Wise said the current fee charged to residents would not cover the increased cost of the city.

Over the past several weeks the council has discussed their alternatives heading into a new contract year for garbage service. They may renew the existing contract with Waste Management, send the service out for bids or take over garbage collection as a city-run service. Wise said he had already met with Tim Newton with Divine Waste and had scheduled a meeting with Waste Management to gather information so the council may make an informed decision. Mayor Don Solliday appointed Deloris Stutzman and Wes Mathany to act as a subcommittee to bring a recommendation to the next meeting. The council agreed to postpone talk of a rate increase until they have made the decision about the service itself.

Rec director/park mowing

The council approved the recommendation from the city park board to hire Eric Ehlen as a city’s recreation director for the summer. Ehlen was the only applicant for the position and will be paid $5,500.

The council also approved the recommendation from the park board to accept Ehlen’s bid to handle the mowing at Judge Lewis Park. He will be paid $5,225 for that service.

SICOG update

Jeremy Rounds, representing the Southern Iowa Council of Governments, appeared before the Council with information about the aquatic center project and Smart Comprehensive Plan Process. Rounds brought a payment request from Oakview Construction in the amount of $73,451.15 for their work on the bathhouse/FEMA safe room project. Of that total, $31,520.28 will be paid with federal funds, $4,202.70 will come from state funds and $6,304.07 will come from local funding from the aquatic center committee. The balance of $31,424.10 will also need to come from funds raised from the aquatic center committee.

In addition Rounds said he was planning to resubmit an application for a $75,000 Land and Water Conservation grant from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. A similar grant proposal was not funded last year, but Rounds said he had made some tweaks in the application and hoped for a better outcome this year.

Rounds told the council progress on the Smart Comprehension Plan process was behind schedule, but he hoped the first draft of the project would be completed shortly. At that time he would seek feedback from the council and the public prior to delivery of a final draft yet this spring. The project is intended to update the city comprehensive plan that dates back to 1994. 

City superintendent report

Superintendent Wise reported on a number of items during his report:

– Snow removal over the past couple weeks went well considering the challenge of the amount of snow and the timing of its arrival. Councilman Brent Ricker added he had heard nothing but compliments about the city’s handling of the snow removal.

– The alarm communication system at the lift station near the cement plant is malfunctioning. The unit is under warranty and will be replaced, but in the meantime city workers will monitor the station daily.

– Electrical power to the recently-installed streetscape lights along the west side of the square will be completed this week.

– DNR inspectors have approved improvements to the city dog pound and local veterinarians and the sheriff’s department have been informed stray dogs may once again be taken to the city pound.

– The new permit from the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) requires the city to complete new monitoring and reporting procedures at the wastewater plant. Wise said meters at the plant are being recalibrated to help with this requirement. In addition, the organization also has requested a compliance schedule from the city to show progress on required improvements to the wastewater plant.

Other business

In other business, the council

– held a public hearing on the fiscal year 2014 city budget. As no one was present to speak for or against the budget and council had received no correspondence, they voted to approve a resolution adopting the budget as presented.

– held the third and final reading of an amendment to the city ordinance pertaining to council member compensation. The ordinance now sets compensation at $50 per meeting attended, up from the current $25. The amendment will go into effect after the next city council election.

– approved a Class C liquor and outdoor service license for Rumors Bar and Grill.

– considered installation of electricity at the recently erected shelter at the Old Lake. Wise will look into the possibility.

– heard a report from city clerk Pam Poore concerning city funds held in certificates of deposit. Poore said she did not renew two CDs totaling $200,000 because of their poor interest rates. She said the funds would receive more interest in the city’s checking account. A third CD is scheduled to renew in November.

– heard from councilwoman Deloris Stutzman that she had received a letter from a resident thanking them for addressing a water meter issue on her property. 

Parent-teacher conferences will be held next week in the Mount Ayr and Diagonal school districts.

Mount Ayr

Conferences will be held from  from 3-7 p.m. on March 12 and 14 both at the elementary and middle/high school.

Middle/high school principal Lynne Wallace reported the middle/high school had an outstanding 90 percent of parents attend fall conferences, and she hopes to have a similar attendance this spring.

In response to a survey of parents following the fall conferences, Wallace said her building will make a few changes in scheduling conferences.

“This spring we are making a few changes to conferences to meet the needs of more parents,” she said. 

In the fall survey, 70 percent of parents said that they liked the scheduled  appointment times. Tuesday, March 12 will be for scheduled conferences. 

One difference will be that parents can notify the school of which teacher they would like to conference with instead of the seminar teacher. They may still have a scheduled conference with one or two teachers then drop in to see other teachers they wish to see.

Thursday, March 14 conferences will be for parents who want to drop in and visit with several different teachers. 

Because 64 percent of parents indicated they prefer having the conferences in the classrooms instead of the commons for privacy reasons, all conferences will be held in the classrooms both days.

It will also be the parent and the student’s choice whether they want student-led conferences or just have the parent attend conferences.

To encourage attendance and to reward students for attending conferences, students  attending conferences will receive a 10-point bonus coupon that they can give to the  teacher of their choice to improve their grade.  This was done for the first conferences and the students liked it.  For parents who attend conferences but their child does not, those students will receive a five-point bonus coupon.

Elementary principal Chris Elwood reports conferences in his building will also run from 3-7 p.m. both days. All conferences at the elementary are pre-scheduled.

Because of the extended days for conferences, there will be no school Friday, March 15. Spring break will then run through Wednesday, March 20. Because of days missed due to snow, school will be held Thursday and Friday, March 21-22.

Diagonal

Conferences in the Diagonal district are also scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday, March 22 and 24, but run from 1 p.m. through 7 p.m. both days.

Spring conferences are student-led, where students have the opportunity to share their Outcome Portfolios and well as their grades with their parents or guardians.

At the secondary level, conferences will be scheduled with a single teacher.  Parents will have the opportunity to visit with other teachers as they choose beyond the scheduled conference time. 

Student dismissal both days will be 1 p.m.

Spring break at Diagonal matches Mount Ayr’s. Classes will not be in session from Friday, March 15 through Wednesday, March 20.  

The Ringgold county board of supervisors has set the county budget hearing for Monday, March 11, at 10 a.m. in the courthouse assembly room.

The budget estimate carries a  county rural levy of $13.66 and a county urban levy of $8.39 per $1,000 taxable valuation.

The levy would raise $3,359,198 in property taxes, up from $2,701,818 in the current budget and up from $3,059,549 in the fiscal 2011-12 budget. This represents a 4.78 percent average annual increase.

The budget calls for total revenues of $9,728,046, compared with $8,271,288 in the current year and $8,983,273 for fiscal 2011-12.

Expenditures are projected at $10,333,830 for the coming year, $605,784 below projected income.

The expenditure total compares with $7,645,803 in the current year and $9,256,238 in fiscal 2011-12.

The budget says that the beginning balance of $3,652,148 projected at the start of the new fiscal year will decrease to $3,046,364 by the end of the fiscal year.

In comparing the projected expenditures for the coming year, there are a few decreases but mostly increases when compared to the current year.

The largest increase will come in the roads and transportation line item, an area of continued headache for the county. The fiscal year 2014 budget devotes $4,611,010 to roads and transportation as compared to $2,672,941 in the current year and $2,758,368 in fiscal 2011-12.

Other increases include public safety and legal services up to $1,328,046 from $1,050,346 in the current year; capital projects rising to $420,000 from $8,000 in 2012-13; physical health and social services at $911,393, up from $827,117 this year; county environment and education up to $246,562 from $228,517 this year; government services increasing to $257,775 from $222,756 in the current year and administration rising to $1,576,873 from $1,508,272 in the 2012-13.

The most notable decrease comes in the line devoted to mental health, mental retardation and developmental disabilities. The new budget allows $66,113 for these services, down from $748,314 in the current year. The decrease was caused by uncertainty in levels of state funding for the coming year.

Other decreases come in the nonprogram current line item at $11,000, down from $79,540 this year, and in debt service, down to $193,315 this year from $300,000 last year. 

Road funding, education reform and Medicaid expansion were the main topics of discussion at the Legislative Coffee held Saturday in Mount Ayr.

Road funding

The majority of the audience at the coffee were interested in talking about funding for maintenance and repair of county roads.

Kevin Kilgore opened the discussion by presenting the highlights of a talking paper he had created concerning the issue. Citing a number of sections from Iowa code, he said he had detected errors in the way the county road budget was designed and approved. He also questioned the formula by which counties receive road funds from the state as well as the costs associated with salaries and benefits for personnel in the road department.

Paul Dykstra, owner of area hog confinements, questioned why 100 percent of property tax doesn’t go to maintain infrastructure in the county rather than half going to education. He said he understands confinements such as his can be hard on roads and bridges with large trucks coming and going. “It’s a sacred cow – education,” he said, “but it seems like there’s a tremendous amount of money poured into that system as the population continues to go down. I don’t know if the balance of where our money is being spent is correct... there needs to be a shift of that money to where it’s actually needed.” He asked the legislators if there was any way to change that balance. Sen. Ernst replied the increased costs associated with certain education reforms would be covered by the state rather than by local property taxes. She said the plan would help property tax payers but not really shift any more money to roads.

Ringgold county supervisor Kraig Pennington asked if there was any chance the fuel tax would be increased this year. Ernst replied Gov. Branstad’s priorities in this legislative session are property tax reform and education reform. “Once this is taken care of, then some of these other issues will follow,” she said. She added that part of the problem lies with Iowa having more urban legislators than rural legislators. “Right now a number of them [urban legislators] are saying, ‘no, our roads are fine here, and my constituents are happy. Why would I raise the fuel tax on them when my roads are good.’” Ernst said a proposal to raise the fuel tax passed through the Senate Transportation Committee last year. She said she felt a similar proposal could pass through the Senate again this year, but she had doubts about passage through the House.

Dolecheck said a bill would be introduced in the House Transportation Committee this week proposing a fuel tax increase. If passed and signed by the governor, the bill would raise fuel taxes three cents in the first year, three cents in the second year and then four cents in the third year. Dolecheck said Gov. Branstad had told him personally he would not veto the measure if it got to his desk.

Ringgold County engineer Zach Gunsolley asked if legislators understood rural counties are having to bond their way out of this problem because of lack of state action and the underfunding of rural areas as compared to urban areas. Even if property tax reduction is a focus of Gov. Branstad, he said, do they understand property taxes go up when bonds are passed? “Are they okay with two different classes of Iowans?” he asked. Dolecheck returned to the urban versus rural issue. He said it’s very hard to convince those with good roads to pay more. Ernst added urban people make the argument that it’s farm implements ruining our roads, and therefore the farmers need to pay more. 

Colby Holmes, a Ringgold County Farm Bureau member, added rural Iowans need to make the case to friends and relatives in the urban areas that good rural roads are in their best interests as well. He congratulated Ernst and Dolecheck on their efforts to persuade their fellow legislators to help raise money for roads. “They’re always in our corner,” he said.

Education reform

The other main topic of discussion was the effort to reform education. Dolecheck said an education reform package passed through the Iowa House last week and was sent on to the Senate for their consideration. 

Dolecheck summarized the highlights of the package and focused on a few changes from the governor’s recommendations. He said the House version set minimum teacher salaries at $32,000 per year as opposed to the $35,000 in the governor’s original plan. He said the change reflected pushback from rural districts that said the higher salary would create a compression factor in their salary schedules that would be difficult for them to afford.

The House version also included what’s called the Iowa Certificate Program that replaces the Diploma Seal Program in the governor’s proposal. The certificate, based on completion of competency-based requirements, would be above and beyond a high school diploma. The House version also eliminated state payment of ACT testing for all high school students.

Dolecheck said the House version also allows for more school choice in the form of private schools and home schools, parent-taught drivers education and independent accreditation for private schools.

The reform package called for two percent allowable growth in state aid to schools as compared with four percent favored in the Iowa Senate. He said school districts may now prepare their budgets for the next school year with the knowledge that their allowable growth will not be less than two percent. Dolecheck said the House preferred the term “state supplemental aid” over “allowable growth” because increased costs for certain provisions in the reform package would be picked up by the state rather than added to local property taxes.

Dolecheck said the reform package will now be taken up by a Senate-House conference committee to hammer out the final proposal.

Now that the House reform package has been sent to the Senate, Ernst said she didn’t know what the Senate proposal would look like, but she said Senate Democrats will likely replace the House bill with one of their own design. She predicted, however, that several provisions dealing with private schools and home schools would likely be struck out of the Senate version.

Medicaid expansion

The topic of Medicaid expansion was raised during Ernst’s discussion of a redesign of the state’s mental health funding. She said her subcommittee as well as the Iowa House had approved the supplemental for transition funding to 26 counties, but the measure had not yet been debated on the floor of the Senate. Ernst said one concern she had about the measure was that funding was coming from the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) rather than from the state’s general fund. She explained that since the money was not coming from the general fund, it may not be eligible to pay outstanding Medicaid bills the counties currently have on their books.

Gov. Branstad has stated repeatedly he does not favor an expansion of the Medicaid program, which is part of the Affordable Care Act. Instead, he prefers a continuation of the Iowa Cares program. In the year 2000, Ernst said, 250,000 Iowans were enrolled in the Medicaid program. Today that number stands at 400,000. If the state would accept the Medicaid expansion, an estimated additional 150,000 Iowans would be eligible for Medicaid coverage. The federal government has said it will fully fund the first three years of the Medicaid expansion and then cover 90 percent of the costs in subsequent years. The main concern, she said, is what happens if the federal government is unable to meet this obligation.

Ringgold County Hospital administrator Gordon Winkler asked representative Dolecheck if the House had yet considered Medicaid expansion. Dolecheck responded the House would likely wait for recommendations from Gov. Branstad before proceeding with crafting a bill. Winkler reminded legislators the Iowa Cares program would sunset at the end of this year. A decision to redesign Iowa Cares or adopt a Medicaid expansion will need legislative approval soon. He said hospitals have already been assessed approximately $500 billion to help fund the Affordable Care Act for the next few years. “If we don’t do something,” he said, “our state hospital revenues and state taxes are then going to fund it in Illinois and other states around us. We’ve already paid our share.”

Ernst added some states are looking at taking Medicaid funding and using it as a stipend for people to purchase their own private health insurance. Since not all physicians or facilities accept Medicaid, this would allow individuals more choice for their healthcare needs.

Other issues

Ringgold county assessor Neil Morgan brought up the ag productivity formula. He estimated the state of Iowa assessed value will be up over 40 percent. After the rollback that takes average value increases down to four percent statewide, he said Ringgold county assessed values would be down approximately eight percent to a level less than what they were in 1989. As an example of the disparity of values across the state, Morgan said an acre of pasture in Dubuque county is valued at $80 income per acre while an acre of pasture in Ringgold county is valued at five dollars income per acre. 

Dolecheck said he would prefer a system where no county would receive less in revenue due to the rollback. Morgan invited the legislators to attend a hearing at the Iowa Department of Revenue in early April to discuss the issue.

In a side note, Dolecheck said he was introducing a bill to add “algae-culture” (the agricultural production of algae) to the official definition of “agriculture.” He said the addition is in response to research into using algae to produce ethanol, a developing industry that could mean jobs and increased revenue for the state of Iowa.

The next Legislative Coffee is planned for 1 p.m. Saturday, March 23 at the Extension Office. The events are sponsored by the Mount Ayr Chamber of Commerce. 

On Sunday, Jan. 27 members of the Michael D. Hartsook family met with individuals who were responsible for the recovery of Hartsook’s body from a lake in Sarpy county, NE last July. And a number of Ringgold county residents were instrumental in that recovery.

A group called the Ringgold Community Water Emergency Team (RCWET) consists of a number of local residents who participate in water rescue and recovery whenever the need arises. Approximately a dozen active members take part in regular training exercises both on a local and regional level to hone their skills in water rescue.

The group consists of both divers and shore personnel. Divers include Mike Wimer, Bob Galloway, Dave Wolfe, Nikki Sobotka, Zach Schafer, Alex Rotert, Ed Rotert and Daniel Stull. Wes Zollman is currently a diver in training. Shore personnel include Vera Haley, Eddie McCreary, Doug Gooding and Bill Stull.

The Ringgold county team is part of a larger group called the Midwest Regional Dive Association (MRDA). This group consists of divers and shore personnel representing the Red Oak fire department, the Clarinda fire department, Adams county EMS, the Cass county sheriff’s department along with the Ringgold county fire and sheriff’s departments.

Each member organization adds a unique benefit to the group. The Red Oak and Clarinda groups furnish search and rescue boats equipped with side scan sonar. Adams county furnishes emergency management. Ringgold county has a portable air compressor system that can refill scuba tanks on site.

Despite their individual capabilities, once on the site of a water emergency, all members become one well-organized team. 

Shore personnel, including those in boats, set up a grid system of ropes that help divers organize the search area to make sure no area is left unsearched. The 600-foot-long ropes are connected to car wheels filled with cement that are dropped to the bottom of the body of water. The end of each line is marked with a buoy. Each rope is spaced about an arm span from the next so divers can comb the bottom of the lake while maintaining their organized location via contact with the ropes. Once they reach the end of the rope, they or another diver will move to the next set of ropes to continue the search.

Diver and certified dive trainer Ed Rotert explained that divers stay submerged on average 20-25 minutes, depending on conditions. Keeping track of air pressure in tanks and time in the water is the sole responsibility of the “scribe,” one of the shore personnel. Divers go into the water with approximately 3,000 pounds of air pressure. Safety precautions dictate divers must exit the water when their tank pressure falls below 1,000 pounds.

Rotert said the shore personnel provide other crucial support to the dive team. Not only do they set up the rope reels and arrange the grid system of ropes and buoys, they also  help divers with equipment and guide them in and out of the water safely. They also man the search boats to monitor diver safety and communicate with the divers. All divers wear a full-face mask equipped with communication equipment. A back-up diver is in each boat in case a diver needs assistance.

Rotert said RCWET first organized in 2006 following a drowning at Sun Valley Lake a few years ago. 

Rotert had become certified as an open water diver in 2005 and has since received certifications in advanced open water and full face mask with communication gear. He is now a certified dive instructor and conducts training for local divers as well as those across the region. 

Members of RCWET must first be members of either the fire department or sheriff’s department for insurance purposes. Then they must commit to attendance at a series of trainings and meetings throughout the year. Rotert estimated the regional team meets between eight and 10 times per year so that members can become familiar with each other. Without that familiarity and trust, Rotert said, the group cannot function.

Those wishing to become dive certified must also complete that training. While members of the fire department get a discount on their training, Rotert estimated out-of-pocket costs of approximately $500 for dive training. In addition, RCWET pays $250 for members to receive their Public Safety Diving Association certification. 

RCWET receives no assistance from the county or any other government agency. Instead, the group receives money from donations and grants and from performing “pond fixes,” which Rotert said make for good training. Any money earned is used to benefit the entire MRDA.

Rotert said RCWET does not respond to water emergencies on its own. Whenever an alert goes out for assistance, all MRDA members, regardless of location, respond immediately. Within a matter of minutes, each group assembles and begins transport to the emergency site. Unless called back prior to arrival, the whole MRDA team assembles at the site and begins organizing the rescue mission. The dive team responds to any requests within a 200-mile radius of Clarinda. In 2012, the team responded to four dive recoveries in Iowa and Nebraska. Rotert said the MRDA team has responded as far west as Lincoln, NE and as far east as Lake Red Rock near Pella. Rotert said RCWET gear is stored in a trailer. Once an alert goes out, his team hooks up the trailer and heads to the site. Last year Rotert said MRDA responded to four calls in Iowa and Nebraska, including the one in Sarpy county.

The MRDA team was requested by the Sarpy county sheriff’s office for a dive recovery for a possible drowning victim from July 1, 2012 who hadn’t been located by other local dive teams. MRDA responded on July 3 and battled 100 degree weather for nearly 10 hours. A systematic grid of 96,000 square feet was searched before the body of Michael Hartsook was recovered.

Ironically, Hartsook’s mother, Connie Palmerton, had ties to Ringgold county. She had met with Rotert prior to the rescue, and Rotert promised her the MRDA team would not leave until they had located her son’s body. Several hours later it was Rotert who found the body, bringing the ordeal to an end.

At the January reunion, Hartsook’s family donated $2,500 and a plaque to MRDA to show their appreciation and support for the recovery. Even though six months had passed since the tragedy, the family wanted to meet with the members of the dive team to bring them one step closer to closure. They wanted to share Michael’s birthday with those who were able to recover him from the lake that day.

The Ringgold county board of supervisors received some good news at its meeting this week as bids for resurfacing of several sections of county roads came in under predicted costs.

The combination of the three winning bids for three different types of surfacing totaled $1,013,000, below the engineer’s estimate of approximately $1.2 million. The projects will still require spending for filling cracks and patchwork prior to the application of resurfacing, but the total project should still come in under estimates.

The projects include approximately 35 miles of county roads:

• approximately six miles of P46 (Sale Barn Road) from the south Mount Ayr city limit to just past the intersection with J55.

• J55 from the intersection of P46 to the Decatur county line.

• J20 from Highway 169 through the town of Tingley.

  • approximately seven miles of P33 (Old Highway 66) north from Highway 2.

  • approximately one mile of J43 from P27 to the town of Maloy.

• P27 from Highway 2 south to Redding.

The supervisors approved the awarding of contracts for the winning bids from Sta-bilt of Harlan, Fort Dodge Asphalt and Blacktop Service of Humboldt.

Construction should begin in late spring, weather permitting, with completion in late summer.

Budget released

The supervisors also completed their annual budget estimate for fiscal year 2014. They set a public hearing for the budget for Monday, March 11 at 10 a.m. in the courthouse assembly room.

Public notice of the budget appears on page 15 of today’s Record-News.

Tax suspension

Last week the board also approved a request from the Iowa Department of Human Services to suspend collection of all taxes on two parcels of property within the county. The action does not forgive the taxes. The total tax bill must be paid whenever title to the parcels is transferred to a new owner.

The spring play at Mount Ayr Community high school will be presented Friday and Saturday, March 8-9 at 7 p.m. each night.

This year’s play, “Donovan’s Daughters,” is set in 1895 Seattle, where there are 10 men for every woman in the territory -- excellent odds for Shamus Donovan, an Irish fisherman with five daughters to marry off. 

Several town council members immediately fall for the younger daughters, but unfortunately, a family tradition says the oldest must marry first. But the oldest daughter is Katherine, a wild cat! In a woman-starved town like Seattle, there has to be someone desperate enough to take on Katherine, they reason. Using William Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew” as a guide, the men give Danny O’Brien, a federal marshal, advice on how to tame the wild Katherine. Add to the mix two feuding Indian tribes, three dim-witted lumberjacks and a botched kidnap scheme, and you have all the elements for one of the most energetic romances the West has ever seen.

The cast includes:

The Donovans

Shamus – Johnathan Triggs

Abigail – Madison Hosfield

Katherine – Taylor Still

Bridgette – Erin Dolecheck

Maeve – Maggie Jennett

Moira – Hannah Fletchall

Alana – Kylie Wilson

Seatilites

Patrick – Dawson Knapp

Asa – Matt Poore

Judd – Jacob Sobotka

Clive – Braydee Poore

Danny – Hagan Willis

Villains

Darien – Zane Sickels

Agatha – Allison Wallace

Spector’s Young Ladies

Elsa – Jena James

Clair – Caitlin Giles

Lucy – Emily Fox

Julia – Shelbie Greene

Marie – Jazmine Spurrier

Bethany – Christiana Overholtzer

Rachel – Neesie Brand

Megan – Adrian Richards

Bonnie – MaKayla O’Mailia

Sarah – Ica Hauge

Young Lumberjacks

Larry – Lincoln Lutrick

Moe – Rhett Murphy

Albert – Kyle Dolecheck

Gus – Wyatt Jackson

Indians

Running Bear – Grant Staats

Lilly Blossom – Natasha VanHeeswyk

Skulking Fox –Lew Knapp

Morning Dove – Leah Klejch

Soaring Eagle – Ben Saville

The crew for the production includes:

Director - Mrs. Shaun Kniep.

Assistants to Mrs. Kniep – Logan Wimer and Hannah Glendenning.

Lights – Quentin Chumbley, Laura Davison, Kirsten Dolecheck

and Maddie Mobley.

Makeup – Shaley Miller, Taylor Wilson and Miranda Waugh.

Costumes – Jennifer Blair, Cheyenne Gillespie and Ashley Paxson.

Set and props – Casey Paxson, Tyler Triggs, Connor Giles, Lincoln Martin, Tucker Winemiller, Jed McCreary, Shane Swank, Jake Ricker, Joe Ricker and Zach Vanderflught.

Sound – Dylan Doman, Bailea Stark and Jay Blair. 

At its most recent meeting, the Clearfield Community School board of directors directed superintendent Joe Drake to contact contiguous school districts to inquire if there is any interest in reorganization. 

The decision to seek reorganization followed a presentation by Rick Engel, the district’s legal counsel, who discussed in detail the process of reorganization and dissolution for Iowa school districts and answered board questions.

A number of budget hearings for county groups are coming up in the next two weeks around Ringgold county.

Hearings for the Mount Ayr city budget and the Ringgold County E-911 Service Board are set for Monday, March 4. Hearings for the Ringgold County Ag Extension Council, the Sun Valley Sanitation District and the Sun Valley Rural Improvement Zone will be held Wednesday, March 6. 

Mount Ayr city budget

The Mount Ayr city council has set the public hearing on the fiscal year 2014 budget for Monday, March 4, at 6 p.m. at city hall.

The proposed budget calls for expenditures of $3,243,561 for the coming year, down from $3,989,302 estimated in the current year but up from the $2,431,396 for fiscal year 2012.

Total revenues for the fiscal year are estimated at $3,373,722, down from $3,973,330 for the current fiscal year but higher than the $2,602,755 for fiscal year 2012. Estimated tax levy for the year will be $15.44 per $1,000 taxable value and $3 per $1,000 taxable value on agricultural land. The levy rate is down slightly from the $15.56 last year.

The levy will raise $580,998 for the new budget year, up from $575,310 in the current year and $573,243 in fiscal year 2012.

The biggest increase in income projected is $1,424,140 in charges for services, up from $1,373,750 in the current year.

Many line item expenditures have been reduced in the new budget.

The budget calls for spending $288,749 for public safety, down significantly from $757,690 in the current year. The public works budget will be $405,010, down from $416,500 in the current year.

Culture and recreation budget will be $213,771, down from $346,665. Community and economic development totals are set at $318,511, down from $332,546. General government expense will be $126,331, up from $112,008. Debt service will be $166,163, down from $172,826. Capital projects budget will be $6,000, downsignificantly from $21,979 in the current fiscal year.

Business type enterprises will cost $1,666,572, down from $1,701,971 in the current year as well.

Beginning balance as of July 1, 2013 is estimated at $1,135,853 and will end at $1,266,014. This compares with the $1,151,825 estimated at the start of the current fiscal year.

E911 Service Board

The hearing on the budget for the E911 Service Board is set for Monday, March 4, at 4 p.m. at the Ringgold county courthouse assembly room.

The budget calls for expenditures of $187,150 for the coming year, up significantly from $40,050 in the current year and $29,258 in fiscal year 2012.

Estimated ending fund balance for June 30, 2014 will be $71,069.

Ringgold County Extension

Budget hearing for Ringgold County Ag Extension is set for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 6, at the Ringgold County Iowa State University Extension office, 101 N. Polk.

Budget calls for expenditures of $131,488 for the coming year, down from an estimated $218,950 for the current year but more than the $207,530 spent in fiscal year 2012.

Of the total, $81,839 will be raised by taxation with a tax levy of 30 cents per $1,000 taxable valuation.

The extension council’s estimated beginning balance is $70,479 and estimated ending balance will be $52,480.

Sun Valley RIZ budget 

Hearing on the budget for the Sun Valley Rural Improvement Zone is set for Wednesday, March 6, at 3 p.m. at the Sun Valley Lake Community Center. Community Center.

The budget calls for expenditures of $1,051,368 for the coming year, down from $1,796,859 in the current year and $1,599,219 in fiscal year 2012.

None of the funds to be used comes from a levy by the RIZ though the dollars come from taxes which go to the RIZ instead of other county taxing agencies.

The budget calls for $706,224 in general expenditures and $345,144 in debt service.

Estimated ending fund balance for June 30, 2014 will be $61,067.

Sun Valley Sanitation District

Hearing on the budget for the Sun Valley Sanitary District is set for Wednesday, March 6, at 2 p.m. at the Sun Valley Lake Community Center.

The budget calls for expenditures of $316,037 for the coming year, nearly identical to $316,788 in the current year and up slightly from $305,180 in fiscal year 2012.

The proposed taxation rate is $1.49 per $1,000 valuation.

The budget calls for $248,500  in general expenditures and $67,537 in debt service.

Estimated ending fund balance for June 30, 2014 will be $891,032.

Ringgold County Hospital

The public hearing for the fiscal year 2014 budget for the Ringgold County Hospital is set for 5 p.m. Monday, March 11 in the hospital conference room, Room C.

Expenditures are estimated at $16,398,531, down from $17,422,987 in the current fiscal year and from $18,900,543 in fiscal year 2012.

Proposed taxation is $4.69 per $1,000 valuation, which will raise an estimated $1,243,452.

The estimated beginning fund balance on July 1 is a negative $1,255,589. The fund balance at the end of the fiscal year on June 30, 2014 is a negative $1,929,350.

Kellerton city budget

The Kellerton city council has set the public hearing on the fiscal year 2014 budget for Tuesday, March 12, at 7 p.m. at city hall.

The proposed budget calls for expenditures of $215,817 for the coming year, down from $221,647 estimated in the current year and down from the $247,900 for fiscal year 2012.

Total revenues are listed as $229,339, up from $222,133 this year but down from $248,867 in 2012.

Estimated tax levy for the year will be $14.05 per $1,000 taxable value and $3 per $1,000 taxable value on agricultural land. 

The levy will raise $40,168 for the new budget year, slightly less than the $40,664 in the current year but slightly more than the $39,604 in fiscal year 2012.

The biggest increase in income projected is $32,206 in intergovernmental, up from $28,980 in the current year.

The budget calls for spending $6,200 for public safety, down from $6,860 in the current year. The public works budget will be $29,610, down significantly from $40,060 in the current year.

Culture and recreation budget will be $6,701, up from $4,575. General government expense will be $43,092, up from $41,493. Debt service will be $5,109, identical to this year. 

Business type enterprises will cost $125,105, up from $123,550 in the current year.

The fiscal year will begin with an estimated balance as of July 1, 2013 of $190,518. The estimated end balance on June 30, 2014 is $204,040. 

The Mount Ayr city council received renewal information on the city’s insurance coverage, extended a building lease with Heartland Energy Solutions and continued discussion about the feasibility of a city-operated garbage service at its regular meeting this week.

Insurance

Phil Tyler, the agent responsible for the city’s property, casualty and workers’ compensation insurance coverage, was on hand to explain the renewal process as well as the likelihood of increased premiums, especially for workers’ compensation coverage. 

Tyler walked the council through changes in the insurance industry and the mechanism used to set workers’ compensation rates. He explained these rates are set by the National Council of Compensation (NCC), which examines the rate of losses and the severity of losses each year. Based upon their research, he said the NCC has set an average four percent rate increase effective April 1 with another seven percent average increase effective July 1. 

Tyler agreed to prepare for the seeking of bids for the next three years of coverage, and a decision to award the coverage will be made at the April 1 council meeting.

Heartland building lease

Charlie Sharp, representing Heartland Energy Solutions, appeared before the council to request a short-term extension to the existing five-year lease on a city-owned building on South Cleveland Street. The original agreement set February 23, 2013 as the date by which Heartland would agree to purchase the property and March 31 as the end date of the agreement overall. 

As part of his presentation, Sharp provided a detailed review of Heartland’s progress in designing and producing an energy-efficient wind turbine system. Sharp said his company is in the process of arranging a financial package, including a letting of stock, that will raise the capital necessary to begin full-scale production of the turbines. He predicted by 2016 Heartland could employ up to 170 people and turn out 200 turbines per year. Heartland currently has 22 employees.

He told the council ownership of the property was an important piece of the arrangements for financial support, but he asked the council to extend the lease for nine to 12 months to allow the financial arrangements to finalize. Kim Greenland, president of the local branch of Great Western Bank, spoke in support of Sharp’s request. “We have had a great working relationship with Heartland,” he said, “and there’s a lot of players who have come to the table to help with financing. It’s imperative they keep the ability to buy that building and have it as part of their financial package.”

Councilman Brent Ricker asked Sharp if Heartland would consider increasing the amount it pays the city for use of the building if an extension were granted. After some discussion, Sharp and the council agreed to extend the existing lease with an option to purchase for up to 12 months, and that Heartland would take over payment of approximately $10,200 in property taxes on the property for the period of the lease.

Garbage service

As part of his regular report, city superintendent Brent Wise discussed the feasibility of the city operating its own garbage service. He listed a number of startup costs such as purchase of a truck and garbage receptacles and ongoing expenses such as landfill fees, fuel and wages. The only difference would be whether the city would hire a full-time or part-time employee.

With a part-time employee, Wise estimated a first-year cost of $233,205.25  to  begin  the service. In sub   vice. In subsequent years the cost would drop to $128,579.17. With a full-time employee, the first-year cost would be $258,475.81 and $154,607.85 in subsequent years. He compared those numbers to the $152,498 the city currently pays in a combination of landfill fees and the service contract with Waste Management. 

Wise told the council the current garbage rate of $16.50 does not cover the cost of the contracted service, and he predicted a rate hike would be necessary if the contract with Waste Management were renewed. Wise added that his numbers reflected only residential service, and the addition of commercial accounts could add several thousand dollars in revenue.

The city has until March 31 to make a decision to renew the existing contract with Waste Management, put a new contract out for bids or perhaps begin the service on their own.

Superintendent’s report

Besides his presentation on the garbage service, Wise shared a list of other issues with the council:

• He asked the city’s approval to purchase a three-quarter ton pickup with a flatbed to replace two pickups in the city’s fleet. One pickup has been totaled, and Wise said he would use the proceeds from the insurance settlement and a trade-in of a second pickup to help finance the purchase. Council approved spending up to $15,000 for the replacement pickup.

• Wise said he and Amanda Cannon had met with representatives from ACCO to discuss a leak issue at the swimming pool. At its last meeting, the council had approved spending approximately $4,700 to install a lining in the surge tank, but Wise said ACCO felt the repair might not be necessary. ACCO will inspect the tank to make sure it doesn’t leak. The other pool issue concerned an eight-inch pipe that Cannon said she thought should have been replaced under the repair contract. ACCO had given Cannon an estimate of almost $2,500 to make the repair. After the recent discussion, ACCO agreed to repair the pipe and surrounding concrete for $1,458.50.

• The council approved Wise’s request to purchase excavation equipment. At the top of the list were new shoring supports that would ensure worker safety. Wise estimated a cost of $7,000 for a system that would meet the city’s needs. Other items on the list included a cordless impact wrench, portable power saw and other miscellaneous tools.

• Wise presented a quote for 5.5 cents per gallon from Justin Kounen to haul sludge from the waste treatment plant for land application this spring and fall.  As accumulation of sludge in the plant continues to be a problem, Wise said eventually the city should consider a new pump or take steps to water down the sludge so it can be more efficiently removed.

• Wise informed the council of a break-in at the water plant. While nothing was damaged or taken, he said, the incident was reported to the Sheriff’s Department and is currently under investigation.

• Wise provided a number of updates: 

- two water main leaks have been repaired.

- the DNR water inspection went well.

- he had met with a representative of the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities to discuss safety topics. He felt a long list of modifications to city safety procedures would be needed.

- all valves at the Bennett lift station have been installed, but one compressor at the station has quit. The station is now operating on only one compressor. Wise said rather than purchasing a new compressor at this time, he would see if the other compressor could be rebuilt.

- he had informed a property owner that fire damage to a house would need to be cleaned up before the city would approve rehabilitation funds for a different house.

Other council business

• The council approved a raise for utility clerk Amanda Cannon. Mayor Don Solliday told the council the request was his and had not been requested by Cannon. Solliday said he felt Cannon had been carrying a lot of responsibility beyond her job description and was doing a great job. The approval raised Cannon’s wage from $14.35 per hour to $15.25 per hour.

• The city accepted settlement from Hy-Vee and Smith Oil for first violations of the tobacco ordinance. The amount in each case was $300.

• The council approved the second reading of the ordinance raising city council compensation from $25 to $50 per each meeting attended. The compensation would be paid twice a year.

• The council set a public hearing on the proposed fiscal year 2014 city budget for 6 p.m. March 4.

U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley met with students at Mount Ayr Community high school Tuesday afternoon and spent over an hour answering their questions on current issues.

Grassley open the session by explaining he hosts between 25 to 30 student interns in his Washington DC office each year and invited interested students to inquire about becoming an intern.

Johnathan Triggs open the student questions by asking about what programs the government is currently working on to provide financial assistance to college students. Grassley replied that he agrees with Pres. Obama’s goal to keep financial aid accessible in order to make college more affordable to more students. In turn, however, he said colleges should do all they can to keep tuition rates down to reach the same goal. He reminded students that Pell grants and guaranteed student loans are the most commonly used federal programs to obtain money for college.

Jake Sobotka followed up the question by asking if Grassley felt the increased interest in student financial aid was a result of Pres. Obama stating he wanted everyone to have access to a college education. Grassley said he agreed that Pres. Obama’s focus on education has heightened awareness of problems with financial aid, but he added that there is currently a reevaluation of whether we as a nation have pushed a college degree too much. He said it’s unfortunate when a student racks up four years worth of student debt and then can’t find a job. Colleges, he said, should also carry some responsibility to alert students that jobs may not be available in certain majors.

Emily Fox asked Grassley what he would like to see Pres. Obama do in his second term. Grassley replied he would like to see him do what he promised to do all along: bring transparency to the executive branch. Grassley said he had repeatedly asked for information from the executive branch and had received nothing. “I’ve been stonewalled by this administration more than any other,” he said. “I’ve been stonewalled before by Republicans as well as Democrats but never like I have with this administration.”

Casey Paxson inquired about the future of Social Security. Grassley said social security may not be around for Paxson’s generation unless something very dramatic is done quickly. Those changes, he said, cannot come overnight. Rather they must be planned five to ten years into the future to allow those already approaching retirement to make necessary preparations.

Bailea Stark asked Grassley what he felt about teachers carrying guns. Grassley said those decisions should be left up to each individual school district based upon their needs. The needs of a school in Chicago are quite different from your school here in Mount Ayr, he said.

Zach Lemon stated that some Iowans have complained they can’t monitor public officials, and he asked Sen. Grassley what he would do to improve transparency in government. Grassley stated the public’s business should be public, and increase transparency leads to increased responsibility.

Jasper Abarr asked if Sen. Grassley had any plans to get the nation out of debt. Grassley replied that he feels the country should allow the drastic cuts scheduled to take place March 2 to go ahead as planned. He said the scheduled cuts have been the law of the land for 18 months, and it’s too late now to make reasonable long-term decisions. He credited the House of Representatives with coming up with plans to avoid the cuts, but he blamed the Senate and the White House for not offering plans of their own.

In reference to gridlock in Washington D.C., Jake Sobotka asked Grassley if he felt the system of checks and balances in the government should be changed to allow for more legislation to pass more quickly. Grassley replied he was not in favor of any changes to the Constitution in this area. He said the Constitution was written to protect the people from the government and changes of that type could eliminate some of those protections.

Matt Poore asked Grassley if there were any plans at the federal level to prevent mass shootings such as the one at Sandy Hook. As a supporter of the Second Amendment, Grassley said he was not in favor of legislation banning certain types of guns. He reminded students a gun ban was in place at the time of the Columbine shootings. He added that no law could prevent a person from stealing a gun if they had the mind to. He said he would rather plug holes in existing legislation so people who shouldn’t have guns do not get guns. He said mental health issues also need more attention.

Quencey Vos asked Grassley’s opinion of the recent nuclear tests in North Korea. Grassley said the world should hold North Koreans accountable for their promises. He reminded the students, however, the political leadership of the nation is comprised of only one percent of the people, and we should not judge them by the actions of their leaders.

Hannah Fletchall asked Grassley if he was in favor of drug tests for welfare recipients. Grassley said he did not want legislation at the federal level to institute such tests, but he would vote for such a measure as a private citizen. He stressed, however, welfare is important to help people provide food, clothing and shelter for their families. Drugs, he said, provided none of those necessities.

As part of the discussion, Anthony Kinsey stated he felt it was unfair for kids to suffer if their parents would lose welfare because of drug use. Grassley agreed the most important priority should be to protect children.

Jake Sobotka asked Grassley about the situation in Syria, specifically whether Russians were supplying the government with helicopters. Grassley said he was unaware the Russians had supplied helicopters in the recent past, but he said Russia has not been helpful in determining and supporting United Nations sanctions against the Syrian government. He said he believed the country should have been supporting the rebels in Syria, but he was unsure if it were too late for the support to do much good at this point.

Noah Larson asked whether Grassley supported alternative fuels such as solar and wind power over fossil fuels such as coal and oil, Grassley said he supported all of the above. He explained to the students he was author of the wind energy tax credit, but he still felt it was silly not to use all of our resources. He stated he believed in a four-part energy policy: 1) make available all fossil fuels in this country, 2) all types of alternative energy, 3) conservation and 4) nuclear power.

Linda Sickels asked why the Department of Homeland Security has been buying up all the ammunition in the country. Grassley said he was unaware of any such program. He attributed any ammunition shortage to gun owners buying large quantities out of fear for a federal crackdown on guns and ammunition.

Tracee Knapp asked why Grassley hadn’t voted for the most recent Violence Against Women legislation. While in favor of the goal of the bill, Grassley said he did not agree on certain provisions in the bill that would allow certain offenders to be tried in tribal courts.

John Larson asked Grassley what he would’ve said if he had delivered the recent State of the Union address. “First of all,” Grassley replied, “it would’ve been half as long.” But he said he felt Pres. Obama spent too much time discussing guns and immigration and too little time discussing jobs and the economy. He said he would’ve stressed tax reform, debt reduction and a moratorium on federal regulations.

Pam Cross asked Grassley about immigration reform. Grassley said he felt real reform would come within the next few months. He said he favored finishing the border fence, hiring more border patrol, expanding the E-Verify system so employers could check the legal status of potential employees, stiffening penalties for those who hire illegal aliens and providing an easier path to legal immigration.

Jacob Beamgard asked Grassley how he thought Obamacare would affect small business. Grassley replied that those businesses with fewer than 50 employees will not be affected at all by the legislation. However, those businesses with just over 50 employees may likely reduce their workforce to under 50 or cut more workers back to part-time status. He also said as a government gets more into healthcare, he feared private health insurance might someday become unavailable.

Matt Poore asked if Grassley would try to become more bipartisan to get things done in Washington. Grassley pointed to his record of bipartisanship over his long career. Specifically he recalled his cooperation with Democratic Sen. Baucus of Montana in running the Senate Finance Committee between 2001 and 2011. He said he and Sen. Baucus would meet one hour per week to agree on the agenda for the coming week. During that 10 years, he said, only a handful of bills made it out of his committee without bipartisan support.

Lew Knapp brought up tensions between Iran and Israel. Grassley said he feared if Iran gained nuclear capability they would likely try to destroy Israel.

Johnathan Triggs asked Grassley if he would support changing the law whereby only natural born citizens can become president. Grassley said he did not support any change in that direction.

Jake Sobotka returned to the issue of bipartisanship and asked Grassley if he felt maybe it would take a third-party to break the gridlock in Washington. Grassley said he felt the news media was distorting the lack of bipartisanship. He agreed there was some lack of cooperation, but not as much as the media portrays.

Cody Stackhouse asked Grassley’s opinion on capital punishment. Grassley said he favored reinstatement of the death penalty.

Anthony Kinsey asked Grassley’s opinion about the legalization of the production of industrial marijuana. Grassley said he was aware that some states had already legalized production, but he didn’t want the industrial marijuana to become a cover for something different. He said before he would support the legalization of medical marijuana he would want assurance that it needs FDA tests for effectiveness and safety. As for the legalization of recreational marijuana, he said he would need proof that marijuana is not a gateway drug to heavier drugs and narcotics.

Tracee Knapp said she realized Grassley was an avid runner and asked when was the last time he ran. “Sunday and Monday,” he replied, and ask Knapp how she knew he was a runner. Apparently Knapp had joined Grassley on a run while at the Republican national convention last summer. Grassley said he runs three miles four days a week except during an Iowa winter when he resorts to work out on an elliptical machine.

At the end of his presentation Grassley aided the students with a school spirit contest. They filmed Sen. Grassley as he introduced a cheer from the students. 

Editor’s note: This is the final part of a three-part series focusing on infrastructure maintenance in Ringgold county, specifically roads and bridges. The first part documented the need for infrastructure improvement. The second part examined the current level of funding for county roads. This final installment will summarize proposals for increasing revenues as well as the possible ramifications if revenues remain at current levels.

Iowa legislators and local government officials are well aware of the dilemma they face in addressing the aging road and bridge system in the state.  All agree funding for roads and bridges has for decades lagged far behind the amount necessary to keep up with basic maintenance and repair, let alone allowing for significant improvement. Each year the condition of roads and bridges across the state continues to deteriorate, and government officials responsible for efficient and safe transportation must make a politically difficult choice: raise revenues or reduce services.

In response to a 2006 Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) report that identified the “perfect storm” in road maintenance needs, the Iowa legislature created the Transportation Moves the Economy in the 21st Century Fund (TIME-21) in 2008. The legislation creating the fund also included a number of proposals to increase road revenues. Unfortunately, most of those proposals were never implemented, and what little increased revenue generated by TIME-21 has not kept up with skyrocketing costs, thus perpetuating the “perfect storm.”

In a discussion of the future of Iowa roads and bridges, it may be useful to review some of those proposals a second time.

Increased fuel tax

The increased revenue from the TIME-21 legislation came primarily from increased registration fees and other fees on Iowa vehicles. According to the DOT, the state collects approximately $440 million in fuel taxes as compared with approximately $780 million in vehicle registrations, licenses and other fees. The state’s fuel tax provides 34 percent of Iowa’s budget for roads and bridges, while in many states fuel taxes account for anywhere from 50 to 70 percent of road funds.

Iowa’s fuel tax rates have not changed since 1989 and currently rank in the bottom third among states nationally. Currently fuel is taxed at 21 cents per gallon for gasoline, 19 cents per gallon for ethanol blends and 22.5 cents per gallon for diesel fuel. According to DOT estimates, had prices kept up with inflation reflected in the Consumer Price Index, fuel taxes would be 34.8 cents per gallon for gasoline, 33.1 cents per gallon for ethanol blendds and 39.2 cents per gallon for diesel. Moreover, if prices had kept pace with Iowa’s Construction Cost Index, tax on gasoline would be 49.7 cents per gallon, 47.2 cents per gallon on ethanol blends and 55.9 cents per gallon for diesel.

One recommendation to generate revenue to come out of the TIME-21 report was an across-the-board increase in the state’s fuel tax. The report estimated increased revenues of $21 million per year for each cent of tax increase. From a consumer standpoint, a University of Iowa report estimates the average Iowan would pay an additional $4.75 per year for each one cent increase.

Besides increased road revenue overall, proponents of a fuel tax increase cite one main side benefit: capturing more revenue from out-of-state motorists who pay no registration fees in the state. A 2007 DOT study revealed Iowa drivers accounted for 80 percent of road usage and pay 87 percent of Road Use Tax Fund (RUTF) revenue. In comparison, out-of-state motorists account for 20 percent of road usage but pay only 13 percent into the RUTF.

Short of an across-the-board fuel tax increase, the TIME-21 report also offered more limited proposals such as an increased tax on diesel fuel only and/or the elimination of the ethanol fuel tax reduction. Another proposal recommended adding an automatic annual adjustment to fuel tax rates based on inflation.

Some argue the fuel tax is the fairest way to raise money for roads because it is a use tax - the more you drive, the more you pay. An increase in the state fuel tax, however, is not popular with a majority of Iowans. A February 13, 2013 poll conducted by the Des Moines Register showed 63 percent of those surveyed opposed a 10 cents per gallon fuel tax increase while only 35 percent were in favor.

Ringgold county engineer Zach Gunsolley has estimated the county could receive approximately $400,000 per year to the county’s Secondary Road Fund and approximately $90,000 per year to the county’s Farm-to-Market account if a 10 cent per gallon fuel tax were adopted. And while he would welcome any increased revenue to his department, Gunsolley stated an increased fuel tax may not provide as much revenue to Ringgold county has some might anticipate. “Because of the variables in the tug-of-war between rural and urban,” he said, “I don’t see that as the shoo-in because you can’t be guaranteed that you’ll get what you think you’re going to get.”

Other proposals

While the idea of increasing the Iowa fuel tax captures the most headlines and creates the most controversy, it is only one of a number of proposals to generate increased road fund revenue across the state. A 2011 DOT report listed a number of other proposals that had received some degree of support from the public: a one cent tax per bushel of corn/soybeans that would be spent on local roads in the county from which the revenue was generated, an increase of the fee for new vehicle registrations from five to six percent, raising the cost of a driver’s license, a fee tied to vehicle miles traveled, a sales tax on fuel purchases and a flat fee charged on high-fuel-efficiency/alternatively fueled/hybrid vehicles. Another proposal would create segments of toll roads similar to the Kansas Turnpike and others found mostly in eastern states. 

County bond issue

An increase in the fuel tax would require passage through the Iowa legislature, and according to legislators Cecil Dolecheck and Joni Ernst, discussion of this issue is currently not a top priority in this legislative session. Without state action to generate needed road revenue, the burden of the cost to repair and maintain county roads falls upon residents through increased property taxes.

A $9 million bond issue was brought before the voters in Ringgold county in November 2011, but it was defeated with only 48 percent voting in favor of the bond. According to Gunsolley, the revenue generated by the bond would have been dedicated entirely to repair and maintain approximately 50 miles of the 75 miles of the county’s seal coat roads. At the time, Gunsolley had estimated the   bond   would   have   increased residental property taxes $145 per year per $100,000 valuation, $290 per year per $100,000 commercial valuation and approximately one dollar per acre on an average parcel of farm ground.

“The best bet for local jurisdictions right now seems to be bonding,” Gunsolley said, “because you know 100 percent of that bond goes back to the road or the school or whatever it is you voted to bond for.”

Ramifications for Ringgold county

If additional road funds do not become available either through state or local means, county roads and bridges will continue to deteriorate while the costs to repair or replace them will continue to rise.

“At current funding levels,” Gunsolley said, “we can’t sustain all 75 miles [of seal coat roads]. We can try to keep up as best we can, but we’re going to continue to lose ground every year.”

Gunsolley cited increased costs of materials as a major obstacle facing his department. For example, in 1998 seal coat oil cost 68 cents per gallon; today it’s above three dollars. That figures to a 341 percent increase over 14 years, or a 24.4 percent average annual increase. Revenues during the same period have remained relatively flat.

The county recently rejected a bid of $975,000 to complete a two-inch “mill and fill” project for 6.65 miles of County Road P33 because the project came in 20 percent over estimates from 2012. The county is currently seeking bids to resurface approximate 35 miles of county asphalt-paved roads at an estimated cost of $1.37 million. However, even if the bids come in at or under estimates, Gunsolley stressed these projects can be considered only preventative maintenance. “We’re not fixing the road… we’re not making the existing road better,” he said. “We’re preserving the existing road from getting worse.”

“Fixing” a road would entail paving it with new concrete, and ideally, all seal coat roads in the county could be paved. However, that’s an accomplishment Gunsolley said would likely never be completed because of funding issues. He compared the asphalt pavement resurfacing project currently out for bids to a recently completed paving project on six miles of County Road J20 from Ellston to the Decatur county line. That paving project cost approximately $600,000 per mile to construct eight inches of concrete on top of a six-inch stone base along with tiling to drain the base. In comparison, the resurfacing project will cost approximately $40,000 per mile for the application of a thin maintenance overlay of micro-surfacing, slurry seal or single seal coat to the existing asphalt pavement surface.

Road rock is another commodity subject to cost inflation. In fiscal year 2002, rock cost $7.20 per ton. Today it’s $10.70. In addition, fuel costs to haul the rock have also increased.

The county has 673 miles of gravel roads, and $360,000 has been budgeted to purchase gravel for this fiscal year. At $10.70 per ton, the budgeted amount will buy approximately 34,000 tons of rock. If all rock were spread evenly over all county roads, each mile would receive only 51 tons. While that number may sound like a lot, Gunsolley said that several decades ago each mile in the county might receive up to 300 tons of gravel per year. Because of the eroded buying power, the road department has gone to “spot rocking” stretches where road conditions could compromise public safety.

Bridges in the county are also a concern. Of the total 234 bridges in the county, 10 are closed due to structural problems such as deficient deck boards, girders and pilings. Another 111 have posted weight limits. Gunsolley said he was actively investigating which bridges could successfully be converted to steel pipe culverts or to concrete box culverts. He cited lower costs for installation and maintenance as well as the elimination of state-mandated bridge inspection costs as advantages for culverts over bridges. Gunsolley said installation of culverts could average approximately $40,000 each as compared to several hundred thousand for a bridge. He added, however, not all bridges in the county can be replaced with culverts because many streams’ drainage basins are too large. In other words, repair and maintenance of bridges will continue to be a challenge for the county.

Summary

This series has attempted to provide some background to the subject of infrastructure maintenance in the state of Iowa in general and in Ringgold county in particular. The first part addressed the condition of our infrastructure, the second part explained current state funding, and this third part addressed possible solutions as well as the effects on Ringgold county of further inaction to address the funding issue.

Three facts remain clear: 1) The need to address the deteriorating conditions of the roadways and bridges in Iowa is well documented; 2) The lack of funding available to address those needs is also well documented; 3) Government officials both on the state and local levels now face two difficult choices: increase revenues or decrease services. 

Iowa residents, including those in Ringgold county, must be prepared for the effects of both choices. Ultimately, Iowans must face two difficult choices of their own: pay up or put up.

Farmer/author/storyteller Michael Cotter will present stories about farming, farmers and their community 7 p.m. Thursday, Mar. 14 at the Princess Theater. The presentation is sponsored by the Mount Ayr Chamber of Commerce, the Princess Theater and the Mount Ayr Lions.

Tickets are available at the door for $10.

The Lions will serve a roast beef and pork loin dinner from 5-7 p.m. at the First Christian Church prior to the performance. Cost is $8.00.

According to a press release, Cotter is a “third-generation southern Minnesota farmer, dad and storyteller.  He is a combination of pride in straight corn rows and concern for a healthy environment.  His Irish-Catholic heritage gives  him the gift of compassion and understanding, blended with a little blarney,  and his gentle nature invites his audiences to look deep within themselves to find their own stories.  He believes in farming, in people and in the healing power of storytelling.”

Cotter is host of “Remember When” on KAUS radio in Austin, MN and founder and host of the video production “Stroies of Healing.”  His books include “Memories: A Collection of Personal Stories,” “A Storyteller is a Soybean,” and “Growing Up on a Minnesota Farm.” His stories are also available on the CDs “Stories of the Land,” “People of the Earth,” “Dad’s Stories and Farm Memories,” “Minnesota Seasons” and “Amazing Grace and Minnesota.”

  He has appeared at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN. He also gave the keynote address at the Texas Storytelling Conference in Fort Worth. 

The Mount Ayr Community school board reviewed reports from various district departments at its recent meeting.

Elementary principal report

Elementary principal Chris Elwood reported on a number of topics. He said Ringgold county sheriff Mike Sobotka had toured the district’s buildings with emergency personnel Sunday, Jan. 27.  Approximately 50 people from the sheriff’s office, EMTs, fire department and state patrol toured the resource center, elementary and high school buildings to help make everyone aware of the layout of each building.

Elwood and secondary principal Lynne Wallace met with Kathy Lockard, a certified trainer for the Olweus bullying prevention program. Lockard will also present information at the next district study committee meeting.

The district set aside February 15 for an all-day professional development session. The morning session was at the elementary and spent on “The Daily Five” and the Iowa Core. In the afternoon the staff participated in an “intruder in the building” drill with personnel from the sheriff’s office. Elwood said a drill with students will be held in the near future but without participation from sheriff’s personnel.

Students who’ve met their Raider Reader at-home reading goals will attend a movie at the Princess Theater February 26, 27 and 28. In addition, students who met the criteria for the second quarter reward day enjoyed going to Lucky Lanes last week for bowling. The SOS group helped fund that activity.

Elwood also presented a list of summer custodial projects for the board to review. Major items on the list include $20,000 to pave the northeast playground, $20,000 to replace doors and windows in kindergarten rooms, $3,000 to replace locks on all classroom doors as a safety precaution, $2,300 for new carpet in fourth-grade classrooms. Superintendent Drake said the projects could all be funded with money set aside for capital projects.

Secondary principal report

Lynne Wallace said staff in her building will review the Iowa Core Curriculum to determine which standards and benchmarks are currently being taught and how teachers can best monitor which students have mastered those goals. Math, science and language arts teachers will also analyze the recent ITBS and ITED test results to determine which skill areas need to be re-taught for specific students.

Wallace reported on a meeting with Eric Neesan, the AEA regional supervisor concerning a program called “Response to Intervention.” The RTI strategy seeks to detect learning problems early and customize instruction to correct those problems before failure occurs. She added Neesan had conducted an RTI Building Evaluation Survey with her staff.

U.S. Senator Charles Grassley spoke to students in grades 7-12 February 19 from 1:45-2:45 p.m. Wallace said Grassley plans to speak briefly to the students and then he’ll open the floor to questions from the students.

Wallace reported Mount Ayr is the recipient of a free site license for NBC Learn K-12, a multimedia collection of over 14,000 videos, documents and images. The resources are aligned with curriculum as well as correlated with standards and the common core.

Major summer projects at the secondary building include $17,850 to replace carpet in the 80s building and $11,152 to replace doors to the music, art, ag and shop rooms and the gym. Another project for $18,000 to replace carpet in the library, Mr. Budach’s room and Mr. Showalter’s room could be included this year or postponed to next year depending on available funds. Again superintendent Drake said most projects could be funded with available money. 

Board member P.J. West asked administration to consider improving the walkways to the football field among the projects. Board member Brandi Shay also requested installation of railings at the football bleachers.

Wallace followed up Elwood’s comments about the Olweus program and their meeting with Kathy Lockard. She also mentioned the emergency personnel toured the middle/high school building. Wallace completed her report by listing a large number of recent student accomplishments in sports, community service, academics, music, speech and FFA.

Technology report

Technology director Kim Curry reported she, superintendent Drake and representatives from Communication Innovators and the Extreme Networks met to discuss problems with wireless connectivity at the high school. 

She said the district is currently trying to match its new technology with an old and outdated wireless system. She said the only option to fix the problem would be to upgrade the wireless access points throughout the building. She has received one quote to upgrade the system, but the board tabled any action until additional quotes are available.

Curry has been working with first-grade classrooms to teach students how to operate and take care of their computers. The students have been creating books and composing their own journals to apply what they are learning about proper computer usage.

Curry also presented results from the first semester 1:1 Laptop Survey from students and staff. She said overall the survey showed improved satisfaction with district technology with most negative comments coming about Internet access, an ongoing problem she is in the process of correcting.

Custodial report

Lead custodian Clint Poore reported bleachers on the south side of the gym have been repaired and updated to a roller system to retract and extend them more easily. Poore has updated the security alarm panel so updating codes can be done electronically instead of manually. He has also been in discussion with secondary principal Lynne Wallace to prioritize summer project work.

Food service report

Food service director Tawnya Jones reported a surplus of $3,861.16 for the month of January, but the service is still running a deficit for the year. Superintendent Joe Drake told the board he and Jones were continuing to search for ways to trim food service expenditures including not hiring substitutes and purchasing food through the food co-op. In addition, the position opened with the resignation of Jackie McVey would not be filled for the remainder of the school year.

Transportation report

Transportation director Dick Still reported 15,639 miles were covered by district buses in January for a total cost of $9,028.10. The districts other vehicles recorded 7,121 miles at a cost of $1,148.05. 

The Mount Ayr Community school board of directors received word of the awarding of a federal bus grant, adopted the 2013-2014 school calendar and covered a wide range of other items at its regular meeting Monday, Feb. 11.

Bus grant

The Mount Ayr district has been chosen as a recipient of a Clean Diesel School Bus Rebate Program rebate from the Environmental Protection Agency. The district now has 90 days to submit a purchase order for two new buses with delivery between July and October. During that time the buses to be replaced by the new ones must be scrapped. Mount Ayr was the only Iowa school district granted such a rebate from over 1,000 applications nationwide.

The rebate is $30,000 each for two buses with capacity of at least 65 passengers. Each bus costs approximately $95,000, so the district is still responsible for roughly $65,000 for each bus. Superintendent Joe Drake explained district buses are purchased through the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL) fund. The fund has a current balance of $10,000, but another $70,000 will come into the fund in the spring when the district receives its tax revenues. The $80,000 total in PPLE combined with the $60,000 in grant money leaves a balance of roughly $55,000 for the district to fund from other means. Drake presented a couple options to the board including using its unspent balance authority to fund the one-time expenditure.

School calendar

The board approved the school calendar for the 2013-2014 school year.

Under the calendar, students will begin school Tuesday, Aug. 20 and get out Friday, May 23. Christmas break will run for two full weeks from Monday, Dec. 23 to Friday, Jan. 3. As in years past, the week-long spring break coincides with the Southwestern Community College break and will run from Friday, Mar. 14 through Friday, Mar. 21. Makeup days for inclement weather are May 27, 28, 29, 30, March 21 and March 20 in that order. Parent-teacher conferences are set for November 5 and 7 in the fall and March 11 and 13 in the spring.

The number of days in each semester is unbalanced for the coming year. The 86-day first semester will end prior to Christmas break. The second semester will total 94 days. Superintendent Drake said the decision was made to end the semester prior to Christmas because students would have only three days of school prior to semester tests in January if the two semesters were equal. He and secondary principal Lynne Wallace agreed that arrangement would not benefit students.

Teachers will have full-day professional development running August 13, 14, 15 and 19 prior to the beginning of school. January 3 and February 21 are also set aside as full professional development days. Early-dismissal professional development days are set for September 18, December 13, January 17 and April 18.

Personnel

The board accepted the early retirement request from high school social studies teacher Pam Cross. They also accepted the resignations of Joe Catanzareti as middle school boys basketball coach, Mark Budach as assistant girls basketball coach and Jackie McVey as a food service employee.

The early retirement policy for classified employees was approved. Under the policy classified employees age 55 or older on or before June 30 of the current year and who have completed 15 years of service to the district are eligible to receive an early retirement incentive. The incentive will be figured at 10 percent of the employee’s current year’s salary less supplemental pay or extended contract pay. In addition, any employee with 10 continuous years of service and who has accumulated a minimum of 105 sick days by the end of the retirement year will be reimbursed at minimum wage for the balance of the unused sick days. Part-time employees will have their sick day pay prorated to regular working hours. Under the policy eligible employees must submit their requests on or before February 28 of this year.

District study committee

The board formally approved the list of members comprising this year’s District Study committee. They include Brenda Adams, Stacy Andresen, Joe Drake, Patty Eaton, Chris Elwood, Jess Frost, Jodie Geist, David Greene, Chantelle Jennett, Marcy Bjustrom, Ranae Klinkefus, Jeremy Larsen, Kim Lutrick, Leslie Murphy, Jeremy Newton, Angela Reynolds, Martha Ricker, Skip Rushing, Kristi Sackett, Duane Schafer, Brandie Shay, Delwyn Showalter, Valle Smith, Alan Smith, Michelle Sobotka, Carroll Taylor, Lynne Wallace, Allison Wallace, Morgan Weeda, Aaron Riley and Matt Poore.

Superintendent’s report

Superintendent Drake discussed two financial items as part of his report. First he reviewed the spending reduction plan by which the district’s unspent balance remains just over $1 million. He recommended the district keep its unspent balance authority between $1-1.1 million to cover unforeseen emergencies or appropriate one-time expenditures. Depending upon the percentage the state sets for allowable growth, Drake said he could not accurately predict any budget adjustments for the coming year to maintain the unspent balance.

Drake explained the effect the allowable growth figure would have on district finances. Drake explained the district is already committed for an additional $156,976 in certified staff salary and benefits and another $30,000 and classified salary staff and benefits for the 2013-2014 school year. He said those numbers could fluctuate based upon resignations and the number of employees signing up for district health insurance. If the state would agree to provide a four percent increase in allowable growth, the district would receive $189,208, more than enough to cover the approximate $187,000 in salaries and benefits. On the other hand, if the state would approve only two percent allowable growth, new money coming to the district would total $115,168, nearly $72,000 short of the salary/benefit amount. Any shortfall in new money, Drake said, would require cuts to the district budget. He recommended not only board members but also all community members contact their legislators to lobby for higher allowable growth.

Drake also presented his preliminary budget for the coming school year. Again, he cannot finalize the budget figures until state money is set, but he said he does not plan to increase the tax levy from its current $16.57 level.

Drake also reported district health insurance premiums decreased two percent for the coming year.

Other business

The board approved a number of resolutions pertaining to the issuing of $6,615,000 in general obligation school refunding bonds. The resolutions approved the paying agent, bond registrar and transfer agent; the tax exemption certificate; continuing disclosure certificate; and authorization of the issuance of bonds.

A request from the 2014 junior class parent committee to use the high school gym, auditorium and commons area for prom activities was approved. In addition, the board approved the committee request to use a school vehicle to accompany buses to Omaha for the after-prom celebration. The vehicle would be used in case of the need to return anyone to Mount Ayr because of illness or other emergency.

The board approved the posting of no parking signs adjacent to the bus loading lane running the length of the west side of the high school. Drake said patrons have gotten into the habit of parking in the lane during evening events. Vehicles parked in this lane would prevent access for emergency vehicles to that side of the building. 

By Madison Hosfield

The life span of a sniper in the Russian army is extremely unpredictable. But to have that life end up in a small town in southwest Iowa was even more unpredictable for one Russian girl in particular.

The roots of some families branch farther than you would think; this is true for one family especially. Dr. Daniel Weddle and his family have an interesting background that will leave you wanting to learn more.

Angelina Gritsenko, mother of Dan Weddle of Mount Ayr, was born in Mariupol, Ukraine in 1923 where she grew up as a Russian girl. Around the age of 16, Angelina started attending the University of Kiev in Ukraine. During her fourth year of college, the Battle of Stalingrad in World War II broke out and she became part of the Red Army. Along with about 2,000 others, Angelina was trained to be a sniper, a person who picked off enemy officers. 

The Russians tried to fight the Germans before they reached Stalingrad, but they were out-mastered. The Russians were camping in a low valley when the Germans surrounded them with their tanks on an early, wet, rainy morning. The Germans started shooting, and many Russians were wounded and lost their lives. One of the many injured was Angelina Gritsenko. She was knocked unconscious and lay in her spot for hours, not able to get away.

While the Germans continued on in the valley to gather survivors, Angelina had woken up and collected herself. She knew when the Germans came back and discovered she was a sniper, she would have no life to look forward to. 

She soon encountered a Soviet nurse who had lost her life. Without second thought, she traded papers with the nurse, attempting to save her life. Angelina Gritsenko was now Angelina Sorochenko.

The Germans gathered the survivors and started them on their march from west of Stalingrad to nearly Poland to reach the prisoner camp. This was close to a death walk as they had little to nothing to eat. When they got close to town, the guards let them scrounge for food in trash cans or wherever they could find. Although Angelina did not, some of the prisoners even took place in gathering food from a deceased horse carcass and became very sick. As long as she could keep up on the walk, she was okay.

One particular encounter Dr. Weddle’s mother had on the march was with a German officer. While they were resting, a couple of SS soldiers came upon the group and whispered something in the guard’s ear. While doing so, they pointed towards Angelina, and she started becoming a bit nervous. The guard approached her and told her there was a wounded German officer, and due to the fact that she was identified as a nurse, she needed to take care of him. She did so, the best she could, and went without being questioned.

They had walked as far as they needed and were put on a train to ride the last little way to their work camp in Poland. Here, they worked producing ammunition for the Germans. The prisoners of war were given little food; soup twice a day is what their meals usually consisted of, if it could even be called soup. It contained water, a couple pieces of potato and cabbage. Due to working so hard and not having enough food to keep her strength up, Angelina got rundown and could no longer effectively work. She was sent to Dachau, a concentration camp in southern Germany. 

Dr. Weddle’s father, Victor Weddle, was part of an artillery unit where he drove a truck hauling ammunition. He was originally from Worth County, MO when he was drafted to become an American GI in 1942. His travels took him to southern Germany, which was in the same proximity as Angelina at the time.

After the Americans eventually liberated Dachau, Angelina and Victor came in contact while they were both staying at Tell Am See,

a lake near Munich. “There was a lot of stuff to be done, but there was also a quite a bit of leisure time. That’s when my parents met,” said Dr. Weddle with a chuckle.

The war ended in 1945, and Angelina and Victor started their life together. The two got married in Munich in 1945 and had their first child in March 1946. That summer, Victor was to be sent home. Being a part of the motor pool as a GI, Victor stole a jeep for a short while and drove his wife and son to LeHavre, France. Here, Angelina and her son boarded a boat to New York City.

Without knowing any English, besides the form of English the American GIs used, Angelina spent a few days in New York City with her son before her husband reached them. Angelina was in awe by New York City and couldn’t believe all of the food and people. Her husband finally reached them in New York after about a week, and the three of them headed for the midwest.

She kept the name of Angelina Sorochenko, the identity of the nurse, until she got married, even signing her marriage papers as Angelina S. Weddle. Dr. Weddle added his mother never referred to herself as a sniper, but as a sharpshooter. If anyone ever complained about life as an American, Angelina was the first to get after them after living in harsh conditions for three years as a prisoner of war. 

Angelina passed away in 1974, leaving behind a great story to tell. 

Editor’s note: This is the second of a three-part series focusing on the issue of infrastructure maintenance in Ringgold county, specifically roads and bridges. This week’s subject is extraordinarily complex issue of road funding coming to the county. Regardless of the complexity, an understanding of the sources of revenue available to the county is crucial to any plan to address the county’s deteriorating infrastructure. 

For fiscal year 2013, Ringgold county engineer Zach Gunsolley reported a budget of $2.956 million for the county road department, and like all other Iowa counties, Ringgold county relies overwhelmingly on state funds to construct, repair and maintain its roads and bridges. In fact, 79 percent of the secondary roads budget come from a variety of state sources. The other 21 percent comes from local property taxes.

State funds coming to the county flow from the Road Use Tax Fund and the Time-21 Fund. All money received from the state, with the exceptions of “farm-to-market” dollars and proceeds from local property tax, are held in the county account under the direction of the board of supervisors and comprise the county’s road budget.

The Farm-to-Market Fund along with some federal funds are under the control of the state department of transportation and federal officials and are not figured in the county budget. 

Road Use Tax Fund (RUTF)

The RUTF was established by the Iowa legislature in 1949 at the beginning of the heyday of road construction in Iowa. As time has passed, however, a larger share of the RUTF has gone to the state and the cities and less has gone to counties. 

The state legislature has established the current formula by which funds are to be distributed: 47.5 percent to primary roads (under state jurisdiction), 24.5 percent to secondary roads (under county jurisdiction), 20 percent to city streets and eight percent to farm-to-market roads, also under county jurisdiction. 

Money collected in the RUTF comes from a number of sources. Governor Branstad’s Transportation 2020 committee estimated revenues for Fiscal Year 2011 at $470 million (39 percent) in annual vehicle registrations, $430 million (36 percent) in fuel tax, $240 million in new vehicle registrations and $70 million in drivers’ license fees, title fees, trailer registrations and other minor sources.

Registration fees are based upon vehicle type, weight and model year, so estimating a “typical” fee for a resident is difficult. However, other taxes and fees can be broken down more easily. Motorists currently purchasing fuel at an Iowa pump pay 21 cents per gallon in fuel tax for regular gasoline, 19 cents per gallon for ethanol-blended gasoline and 22.5 cents per gallon for diesel. (The Iowa fuel tax has remained unchanged since 1989, when gas prices hovered near one dollar per gallon.) Drivers’ license fees range from $20 to $65, title fees are $25 and trailer registrations run from $20 to $30.

The state divides RUTF money coming to the county into two different funds. 

• Secondary Road Fund (24.5 percent of RUTF) 

Nearly two-thirds of the secondary roads budget for Ringgold county comes from the state Secondary Road Fund. For fiscal year 2013, this fund accounted for $2,024,000 of the $2.956 million county’s road budget. Secondary Road Fund money is distributed to all 99 counties, but Ringgold county receives less than 1/99 of the total funds due to deficiencies in funding factors such as population and traffic compared to larger counties. 

• Farm-to-Market Fund (Eight percent of RUTF)

Ringgold county receives about the same amount of money each year in the Farm-to-Market Fund.for fiscal year 2013 It is estimated the county will receive $641,000.

The Farm-to-Market Fund is set aside specifically for construction, repair and maintenance of the state’s farm-to-market road system. In Ringgold county, roadways designated with a “P” or “J” prefix are farm-to-market roads, regardless of surface type. When established by the Iowa legislature, these roadways were intended not only for agriculture but also for the movement of people and the efficient access to goods and services in rural areas.

Unlike money in the Secondary Road Fund, money set aside in the Farm-to-Market Fund is controlled by the state department of transportation. Counties must send plans and specifications for projects to the state for their approval before funds are released. 

Another difference between the Secondary Road Fund and the Farm-to-Market Fund is the fact that counties are required by law to expend their funds within three years or the funds are redistributed to other counties. In addition, counties may borrow ahead up to five years worth of funding.

TIME-21 Fund

For fiscal year 2013 Ringgold county received $221,000 from the TIME-21 fund. 

This fund was created by the Iowa legislature in response to the DOT’s 2006 report revealing the impending “perfect storm” in highway maintenance needs versus available revenue. Its goal was to generate additional revenue through a series of proposed “alternative funding mechanisms,” such as increased gas tax, increased license and registration fees, the implementation of certain toll roads and user fees, to name a few. 

Unlike the RUTF, proceeds from this fund are split among the state, counties and cities at a 60-20-20 ratio. Under the legislation, most county funds coming from TIME-21 would be targeted toward repair or replacement of deficient bridges and, to a lesser extent, to maintenance of the farm-to-market road system.

Since its inception, the TIME-21 has generated some additional funding, primarily because of increased registration fees for certain vehicles. Unfortunately, in large part due to a worsening of the “perfect storm” and because most of the proposed “alternative funding mechanisms” were never fully implemented, the TIME-21 fund has fallen far short of its original predicted revenues. The fund fell $151.7 million short in Fiscal Year 2012, and  by 2018, the year TIME-21 had originally been predicted to become fully funded, the shortfall estimate had grown to over $1.5 billion.

Despite receiving $221,000 for this fiscal year, Gunsolley estimates the county would likely have received more had the additional revenues been divided by the existing RUTF formula instead TIME-21 because of the difference in the funding formula ratios.

Transfer of Jurisdiction Fund

Over the past 10 years, Ringgold county has averaged approximately $64,000 per year from the Transfer of Jurisdiction Fund. In 2003 the state transferred jurisdiction of a number of roadways to the counties. To help counties assume the added responsibility for repair and maintenance, the legislature set aside funds to ease the transition. That funding mechanism, however, expires at the end of June, and the money will then be divided among all 99 counties by the Secondary Road Fund formula. Again, because of the funding ratio, Ringgold county will likely receive less than $64,000 in years to come.

Farm-to-Market Extension Fund

The county received $26,400 in the Farm-to-Market Extension Fund this year. This fund is separate from the Farm-to-Market Fund. 

Extension funds are earmarked for costs associated with maintenance and repair of farm-to-market roads that run through towns with populations of less than 500 people. In Ringgold county, all towns, with the exception of Mount Ayr, fall into that category, and each town, with the exception of Benton, has a farm-to-market road running through it. 

Ringgold county gave towns the choice of allowing the county to maintain their farm-to-market roads or to receive the state funding via the county to maintain them through their own city services. Delphos, Diagonal, Kellerton and Maloy have chosen to maintain their own stretch of farm-to-market roadway and therefore receive a portion of the extension funds from the county.

County property tax

In fiscal year 2013, $619,100 in rural property taxes was budgeted for county roads. This amount figures to approximately 75 percent of the rural basic line item on the tax bill and generates approximately one dollar per acre for an average county parcel with average production capacity. Only taxes on rural property are provided to the Secondary Roads Department - no properties within city limits currently pay county taxes that go to county roads.

Federal funds

In fiscal year 2013, Ringgold county also received $208,000 from the Surface Transportation Program fund and $241,000 from the Highway Bridge Program fund from the federal government. 

Much like the state’s Farm-to-Market Fund requirements, any projects using federal funds must meet strict federal guidelines and can be used only for paving and bridgework respectively.  According to Gunsolley, the average-sized bridge in Ringgold county currently costs about $500,000 to replace.  With the current level of funding for bridges, he remarked, it would take over 400 years to replace all of the county’s bridges.

Need vs. Revenue

As stated last week, the Iowa County Engineers Association has estimated a cost of $4.8 million per year simply to maintain the current status of roads and bridges in Ringgold county. If all the above funding sources were combined in fiscal year 2013, the total money available to Ringgold county is an estimated $4,000,000 in round figures, about $800,000 short of the Association’s estimate. Moreover, as has been shown, inflation of construction costs continues to skyrocket, so this deficiency is likely to rise year after year. As a result of this yearly shortfall that has occurred over the past several decades, the state and counties face two difficult choices: raise revenue or reduce services.

The  final installment of the series in next week’s Record-News will examine various proposals to increase state road revenues as well as what Ringgold county residents may expect if more revenue doesn’t become available. 

The Clearfield Lions Club will host representatives from Lions International leading up to publication of a feature story in the organization’s official magazine.

The Clearfield Lions plan a community celebration to welcome the visitors Saturday, Feb. 16 beginning at 11 a.m.

According to Gaylen Bell, president of the local chapter, he received a call from Lions International asking how such a small town as Clearfield could have the largest Lions chapter in the state.

After a number of phone conversations and exchanged pictures, the organization officers decided to visit Clearfield to see the chapter for themselves. A feature story in the Lions International magazine will chronicle their visit.

“This is truly a great event for the entire area,” said Bell. “Approximately 1.4 million Lions members worldwide receive this magazine.”

As part of the celebration, the Clearfield Lions will serve a free soup dinner that Saturday. Bell said his chapter hopes to host at least 100 visitors that day, and he extends an invitation to all Lions and area residents to be part of the Clearfield event. A community picture will be taken on Main Street during the celebration. 

The Ringgold county board of supervisors covered a number of financial and transportation items during its meeting Monday, Feb. 11.

The supervisors voted to increase the surety bond for the county treasurer’s and extension offices. Bonds were increased from $50,000 to $300,000 for the treasurer and from $50,000 to $250,000 for extension. Surety bonds help insure for losses due to official malfeasance.

County engineer Zach Gunsolley gained board approval to seek bids for one culvert project on county road P33. The board also approved a Transportation Safety Improvement Program grant from the Iowa DOT to educate the public about weight limits and other restrictions on county roads and bridges. The amount of the grant is $37,080. 

As part of Gunsolley’s time with the board, Sgt. Rod Riner was on hand to discuss Iowa Department of Transportation vehicle enforcement. He answered supervisors’ questions about posted weight limits on county bridges and other issues related to county roads. Riner informed the board any vehicle that violates a posted weight limit is subject to citation for a moving violation.

Van Maanen, Sietstra & Meyer, P.C., Certified Public Accountants recently released an audit report on the Mount Ayr Community school district.

  The district’s revenues totaled $9,587,432 for the year ended June 30, 2012, a 0.2 percent decrease from the prior year.  Revenues included $4,157,311 in local tax, charges for service of $1,020,488, operating grants, contributions and restricted interest of $1,651,996, unrestricted interest of $11,766 and other general revenues of $2,745,871.

  Expenses for district operations totaled $9,438,512, a 0.7 percent increase from the prior year.  Expenses included $5,277,988 for instruction, $2,584,052 for support services, $1,135,210 for other expenditures and $441,262 for non-instructional programs.

  A copy of the audit report is available for review in the district secretary’s office, in the office of the auditor of state and the auditor of state’s web site at http://auditor.iowa.gov/reports/reports.htm. 

From property to the pool, the Mount Ayr city council discussed a variety of issues at its regular meeting this week.

Property issues

The council approved two resolutions accepting contractor bids for construction as part of the housing rehabilitation project funded by Community Development Block Grant funds. Lucas Young of the Southern Iowa Council of Governments presented three projects for approval, but the council chose to table one pending notification to the property owner to clean up another property inside the city limits. Approved were a bid of $32,975 from Frey Construction for a property at 500 N. Hayes and a bid of $34,700 from Fredricksen Construction for a property at 507 N. Taylor. Tabled was another bid from Fredricksen Construction for property at 305 W. Walnut.

The council approved six additional tax abatement applications.

• $25,500 – Larry and Karon Giles for the bathroom addition with walk-in closet.

• $40,000 – Joe and Debbie Murphy for a storage building at the corner of Jackson and Taylor streets at the Southwest Builder Supply site.

• $105,000 – Van Buren square LLC for a new home at Lot #1.

• $105,000 – Van Buren square LLC for a new home at Lot #2.

• $3,800 – Dennis and Kathy Hemann for a new front porch and roof.

• $158,000 – Helen Schardein for a new home.

The council also approved a resolution finalizing the exchange of property between the city and the Van Buren Square project. The city will exchange four feet of property in an alley for four feet of property owned by Van Buren Square. The exchange will center utilities down the middle of the alley.

Swimming pool repairs

Amanda Cannon, the city’s certified pool operator, brought bids from ACCO to repair two leaks at the city swimming pool located in Judge Lewis Park. One leak comes from the surge pit located in the chemical room underground. ACCO estimated $4,724.70 to provide a permanent lining to the pit. The other leak comes from an eight-inch cast iron pipe connected to the pit. Cannon told the council she had assumed the pipe would have been replaced as part of the city’s original contract with ACCO for pool repairs. She said she has tried to address the problem with the company, but they feel the pipe was not included in the contract. City superintendent Brent Wise said he wanted to meet with representatives of ACCO to inspect the pipe and to discuss terms of the existing contract. The council approved repairs to the surge pit but took no action on the pipe issue pending Wise’s meeting with the company.

Garbage service

Superintendent Wise reported his research on the costs for the city to begin its own garbage collection service. He said he had researched current landfill and recycling costs and the costs to purchase a garbage truck and receptacles as well as the costs to add an additional full-time city employee. He provided two options to the council. The first option included a garbage truck with no automatic loading arm with residents furnishing their own garbage receptacles. The second option included a garbage truck with an automatic arm with the city furnishing standard garbage receptacles. He estimated first year cost for option one at $228,988.31 including all landfill fees, employee wages and a new renewal fund that would be used to purchase a new truck every seven years. The second option was estimated to cost $234,578.31 for the first year. After the truck was paid off, operating expenses fell to $147,920.35 per year. In comparison to current costs, he said the city would see a 40 percent increase in the first year and an 11 percent savings in subsequent years. Wise also told the council he had contacted Murray and Leon, both of whom have provided a city-managed service. Murray plans to eliminate their service and contract with Waste Management beginning soon. On the other hand, Leon plans to continue their service mainly because of a price increase and the elimination of three city employees if they eliminated their service. Wise said he saw both pros and cons to the idea of a city-managed garbage system, but he had no recommendation for the council. He asked the council simply to consider his research as they make their decision about garbage service.

In a related matter, Tim Newton of Divine Waste appeared before the council to repeat his company’s desire to contract the city’s garbage service if the existing contract with Waste Management is not renewed. City attorney Richard Wilson told the council that if the existing contract is amended or otherwise changed, they must seek bids for the service. Newton said Divine Waste would be interested in submitting a bid.

City superintendent’s report

Superintendent Wise brought the council up-to-date on several projects.

He asked the council to reconsider the plan to purchase another older pickup to replace the one that has been totaled. Rather than replace that pickup, he said, he would rather the city maintain only three pickups and create a reserve fund that could cover the cost of a replacement pickup every three years. In the short term he recommended the city combine the insurance money from the totaled truck together with city funds to purchase a newer pickup with a flatbed to replace the city’s three-quarter ton pickup. He said the flatbed would be more versatile for projects like hauling hydrants, valves and other heavy equipment. The council took no action but will consider the request in a future meeting.

Wise reported all lift stations are currently functioning properly, and he recommended a change in the routine the city uses to monitor the stations. Currently each station is visited each day by a city employee. With the improvements to the lift station system already installed, Wise said station functions such as pumps and compressors can be monitored via the Internet. He recommended the stations be monitored personally every Monday, Wednesday and Friday by city personnel, thus freeing them up for other projects. He added that personal inspections should still be conducted on any day with at least one-quarter-inch precipitation, any day after a repair or any day after significant snowmelt. In addition, the city’s water and sewer plants would still be inspected on a daily basis. He said he has contacted the Department of Natural Resources and has gained their approval for the plan. The council also approved the plan.

Wise had some questions for the council concerning snow removal from last week’s snowfall. Considering it was Wise’s first snowfall after assuming the superintendent position plus the fact the city crew has had little experience with snow removal, he told the council he felt his department could improve their handling of snow removal, and he took responsibility for the late response to last week’s snow. He asked the council what they consider the priority for snow removal and if it was the city’s responsibility to remove the snow piles around the town. Council members told Wise snow removal around the square normally comes first, and the city removes snow piles to various locations such as Judge Lewis Park, the sewer plant or Henderson Street.

Wise updated the council on a number of other issues.

• He said several water meters have been replaced or repaired and he had a chance to read meters last week to help acclimate himself to the city’s system.

• Six loads of waste have been transferred to Des Moines, and the sludge holding tank at the sewer plant is now operating properly. Wise said additional removal of solids could wait until spring when they could be land applied by the city. Wise added he was seeking DNR assistance to further study issues with the sludge holding tank.

• A small shed has been purchased from Southwest Builders to cover improvements at the wastewater plant.

• The DNR has scheduled an inspection of the water plant, but Wise said he foresees no problems.

• A representative from Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities will be in town soon for safety training and to review the city’s safety manuals.

• Wise also updated the council on plans for professional development for himself and the city crew.

Budget discussion

City clerk Pam Poore presented an updated copy of the proposed city budget. Some discussion surrounded a proposed $20,000 cut from the general funds for the street department. Mayor Don Solliday said he was concerned routine maintenance projects could be postponed if sufficient funds were not budgeted. Superintendent Wise said he recommended the cut because dollars were tight in other areas in the budget, and he felt his department could get by with less money this year. Eventually $10,000 was added back into the general fund for the street department. Poore said her next task would be to finalize the budget in the computer and present it to the council for a public hearing. The official budget must be certified with the state by March 15.

Other business

In other business the council approved: 

• the first reading of an amendment to the city ordinance setting compensation for city council members. If approved, the amendment raises compensation to $50 per meeting attended and would not go into effect until January 2014.

• a drawdown request for the bathhouse project by Oakview construction for $50,119.15.

• the adoption of a new city logo that matches the design on the new welcome signs. The logo will be placed on city equipment and letterhead. 

U.S. Senator Charles Grassley will meet with students at Mount Ayr Community high school Tuesday, Feb. 19 between 1:45-2:45 p.m.

The stop in Mount Ayr is part of Grassley’s meetings with Iowans in 16 counties during the Senate’s upcoming February recess week, including 10 town meetings and question-and-answer sessions with students at four high schools, employees at a manufacturing plant and members of the Des Moines Rotary Club.

“I look forward to these meetings to listen to comments and respond to questions,” Grassley said.  “Representative government is a two-way street, and it’s strengthened by dialogue between elected officials and the people we represent.  Going to every county every year for face-to-face meetings is part of my effort to keep in touch with Iowans.”

Grassley has held at least one meeting with Iowans in every one of the state’s 99 counties since 1980, when he was first elected to serve in the U.S. Senate.

The Senate is not meeting in Washington during the week of President’s Day, observed on February 18.

Area stops on Grassley’s February 16 schedule include: 

• 9:45-10:45 a.m. - Wayne county town meeting at Wayne county courthouse, 100 North Lafayette in Corydon.

• 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. - Decatur county town meeting at Leon Community Center, Northeast Room, 203 Northeast 2nd Street in Leon.

• 1:45-2:45 p.m. - Q&A with Mount Ayr Community high 

The Ringgold county board of supervisors worked on budget items for much of their recent meetings.

Monday they spent considerable time talking with sheriff Mike Sobotka and chief deputy Rob Haley about issues concerning county law enforcement and budgeting.

Sobotka explained his department has trouble communicating with the dispatcher when they are in remote areas within the county. He asked the board to consider erecting repeater towers or purchasing other equipment to lessen the problem.

As part of his budget discussion, Sobotka recommended fees charged to jail inmates be increased to help offset cost related to their incarceration. In response, the board passed a resoluton “to increase the inmate jail fees to $40 per day.  In addition, inmates that are sentenced on Ringgold county charges to multiple days and do not serve them consecutively shall be charged $50 per day.  The fee for the isolation cell shall remain in the amount of $175 per day.”

Last week the board received budget requests from the Ringgold County Development, the Rural Iowa Crisis Center and county engineer Zach Gunsolley.

Board members also attended the county assessor’s conference board meeting to hear the budget proposal from assessor Neil Morgan. At the close of the meeting, the assessor budget was approved by a 2-1 vote, with county school boards and mayors voting yes and the supervisors no.

In other action, the board considered a request from McMillen Two, LLC, for a $10,000 forgiveness on their taxes for this year. Due to an untimely filing of paperwork with the assessor’s office, the reduction did not appear on the tax billing.  County attorney Clint Spurrier told the board the forgiveness could be granted if McMillen Two could show documentation proving they are financially unable to pay the $10,000. The Ringgold County Development supports the granting of the reduction in order to keep business and jobs in the county. The board will set a meeting with representatives from McMillen Two and Ringgold County Development in order to reach an agreement.

Near the conclusion of last week’s meeting, county resident Kevin Kilgore addressed the board about his concerns with the calculation of county valuations and the status of the deputy auditor position. 

Editor’s note: This is the first of a three-part series discussing the issue of infrastructure maintenance in Ringgold county, specifically roads and bridges. The series will focus on 1) conditions as a whole, 2) funding and 3) challenges facing Ringgold county.

Ringgold county, like most rural Iowa counties, has seen its infrastructure system of roads and bridges deteriorate over time. County boards of supervisors have been forced to fill here and patch there to try to keep on top of the ravaging effects of time, weather and use on their roads and bridges. 

Unfortunately, local governments find themselves in a Catch-22: as the need for repairs in infrastructure has grown, the cost for those repairs has skyrocketed  just as the funds available to purchase those repairs have decreased or, at best, remained flat.

In Ringgold county alone, Steve DeVries with the Iowa County Engineers Association has estimated a cost of $4.8 million just to maintain the current condition of county infrastructure. No improvement - just maintenance, just status quo. In contrast, Ringgold county engineer Zach Gunsolley reported his budget for Fiscal Year 2013 as $2.95 million. The drastic imbalance between those two numbers is at the heart of the infrastructure dilemma.

Solutions to the problem of infrastructure repair and reconstruction are few. For example, in response to a question about the road issue at a recent constituent meeting, state senator Joni Ernst asked those in attendance, “What can we do about it?” The room remained silent.

Citizens approach local governments for answers, but all those elected officials can do is point to the imbalance between the obvious needs versus the available dollars. Public officials are forced to make tough and often unpopular choices: raise revenue via increased taxes and fees or cut expenses by reducing maintenance or closing roadways or bridges.

So what happened to create this crisis? Did it happen overnight? The answer is no.

 The “perfect storm”

In a 2006 report to the Iowa legislature, the Iowa Department of Transportation described what it termed a “perfect storm” of factors negatively impacting state, county and city governments’ ability to maintain and improve Iowa roadways.

The “perfect storm” was a combination of:

1) a large and aging roadway system. Surprisingly, Iowa ranks fifth nationally in number of bridges and 13th in miles of roadway, yet the state ranks 30th in population and 26th in land area.  The system of over 114,000 miles and 25,000 structures was created mainly during the 1940s, 50s and 60s and was already in need of heavy reinvestment. In 2008, Iowa ranked 34th in the nation in deficient bridges, 43rd in urban interstate condition and 46th in arterial highway condition.

2) increased demands on the roadway system. Between 2005 and 2007, large truck traffic increased three percent, or the equivalent of 152 million miles over those two years alone. Much of the increase was attributed to the emergence of the renewable fuel industry. The DOT estimated an increase of 600,000 truckloads of renewable fuels being shipped out of Iowa-based production facilities per year.

3) flattening revenue from both state and federal sources available for roadway maintenance connected to the economic slowdown.

4) increased construction cost inflation rates that reduce the buying power of limited funds. For example, between 2004 and 2008, the cost index had increased 67 percent.

Ringgold county is not immune to at least three factors causing the “perfect storm.”

1) The county has an estimated 870 miles of roads, including 524 miles of gravel, 146 miles of hard surface and 200 miles of dirt. Each mile, regardless of surface, requires some degree of maintenance. In addition, the county has appoximately 260 bridges.

3) The county is scheduled to lose over $65,000 per year in state funding originally given to counties when jurisdiction over certain roads was transferred from the state to counties. The transition fund is set to expire after this year.

4) The county recently experienced first-hand the inflation of construction costs. A two-inch “mill and fill” project for County Road P33 was originally estimated at $800,000. Gunsolley revised the estimate to $860,000 last fall to try to account for inflation. When bids were opened for the project, the lowest bid was for $975,000, 20 percent over the original estimate and 13 percent over the estimate less than six months old.

Funding needs

The 2006 DOT report projected a $27.7 billion shortfall in funding all current and future needs for the coming 20 years. Even after identifying only the most critical needs, the shortfall remained an estimated $4 billion or $200 million per year.

The challenge of finding the money to address the “perfect storm” is the subject of the second part of the series appearing in the next edition of the Record-News. 

The annual pops concert will be held on Friday, Feb. 8 in the MACHS auditorium.  There will also be the Annual Florida Spring Break Trip Bake Sale before and after the concert in the MACHS Commons, where all profits go into the student band account.

The high school jazz band will open the program with the four competition songs, including  “Artistry For Trumpets”; “Tiger of San Pedro,” featuring Braydee Poore on bass and Caitlin Giles, April Shields and Allison Wallace on a vibe-flute-alto sax trio, Cameron Young on trap set, Lew Knapp on Timbales and April Shields flute solo; “As If To Say Goodbye” with soloist Madi Hosfield on alto; and “Out Back Behind the Barn” with Jennifer Blair on bari sax solo.   Jazz band awards will be given at the end of their program.

Members of the jazz band include Jasper Abarr Trevor Anderson, Jennifer Blair, Laneesa Brand, Samantha Crawford, Erin Dolecheck, Emily Fox, Erik Freed, Caitlin Giles, Madison Hosfield, Wyatt Jackson, Maggie Jennett, Holly Karr, Lew Knapp, Jed McCreary, MaKayla O’Mailia, Braydee Poore, Matthew Poore, Blake Roberts, April Shields, Grant Staats, Quency Vos, Allison Wallace, Bailey Webb, Alexandra Young and Cameron Young.

The middle school choir girls will sing “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” and the middle school choir will perform “Selections From the Lion King” with soloists Amber Cox, Logan Kelley and Gavin Dine.  

Members of the middle school choir include Molly Anderson,  Adrianne Bennett, Mercadez Birkenholz, Alex Booth, Kayla Brown, Laura Campbell, Mandy Chumbley, Shaniece Conklin, Amber Cox, Gavin Dine, Brianna Dory, Nathaniel Fletchall, Kaylee Goodson, Breanne Haley, Madyson Henson, Logan Kelley, Micheala Mueller, Amarillo Reyes, Katie Sickels and Brylea Stark. 

The high school and middle school choir girls will sing “Beautiful,” and the high school choir will sing “Hit Me With Your Best Shot/One Way or Another” with soloists Cheyenne Percifield, MaKayla O’Mailia and Erin Dolecheck.  

Members of the high school choir include Laneesa Brand, Samantha Crawford, Kirsten Davis, Melody Davis, Erin Dolecheck, Leigh James, Lew Knapp, Cassidy McAtee, MaKayla O’Mailia, Cassie Osborn, Christiana Overholtzer, Cheyenne Percifield, Kevin Ralston, Adrian Richards, Allison Wallace, Miranda Ward and Justice White.

The middle school concert band will play “Lion Sleeps Tonight,”  “Main Theme From Star Wars” and “Eye of the Tiger.” Members of the middle school band include Bailey Anderson, Molly Anderson, Adrianne Bennett, Cauy Bickel, Mercadez Birkenholz, Alex Booth, Cassie Brand, Kayla Brown, Laura Campbell, Shaniece Conklin, Amber Cox, Gavin Dine, Brianna Dory, Logan Eaton, Addyson Flammang, Nathaniel Fletchall, Kaylee Goodson, Breanne Haley, William Hunt, Mitchell Jennett, Dylan McAlexander, Jacob McCreary, Megan Reasoner, Abbey Schafer, Ashton Sheil, Katie Sickels, Mason Smith, MaiLynn Taylor, Bradley Wurster, Lucas Wurster, John Young, Kirsten Young and William Young.
The high school concert band finishes the concert with “Selections from Les Miserables,” including “Work Song,” “I Dreamed a Dream,” “Master of the House” and “Do You Hear the People Sing?” 

Possible litigations against the city, a public hearing for a property exchange, property tax abatements and project updates were among agenda items at the regular city council meeting held Tuesday, Jan. 22. The meeting had been postponed from Monday because of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

District 12 State Representative Cecil Dolecheck and District 12 State Senator Joni Ernst met constituents Saturday at the legislative coffee sponsored by Iowa State extension. The event, sponsored by the Mount Ayr Chamber of Commerce, was the first of the new legislative session.

Both legislators began the session by introducing themselves and listing their committee appointments for the current session. 

Dolecheck serves on the house appropriations, education, local government, natural resources and education budget committee of which he is chair.

Ernst’s assignments include  transportation, veterans, local government, natural resources and environment standing committees as well as the administration and regulation budget subcommittee.

Ernst outlined the two top priorities in the Senate for the new session: education reform and property tax reform. She reviewed Governor Branstad’s five-point education reform proposal:

1) teacher leadership and compensation, which includes a targeted $35,000 base salary for Iowa teachers along with a mentorship program for select teachers; 

2) the Teach Iowa Initiative, a program to reward high achieving teachers a total of $20,000 over five years in return for remaining in Iowa over that time; 

3) a teacher development/evaluation system tied to student achievement; 

4) the Iowa Promise Diploma Seal, a promise to employers and higher education that Iowa high school graduates are fully prepared for technical jobs or further academic work; and 

5) increased access to online learning opportunities especially in rural areas for advanced coursework.

“There’s a lot going on in this bill,” said Ernst. “I know we’ll see a number of changes, and we need to make sure that what we’re doing is not only a good step for what’s going on in the urban areas but also in rural areas.”

Although she supports the bulk of the reform proposal, she expressed some hesitation about the power the proposal gives to the State Department of Education. “There’s a lot of power given to the director [education director Jason Glass],” she said. “I would rather see some of that come down to the local level. Our school administrators know where they’re weak and where they’re strong, and I think they could develop a mentorship plan that would meet the objectives of the governor.”

Dolecheck echoed Ernst’s focus on education reform and property tax relief. He reviewed the governor’s stance on the current controversy on which should come first – setting the allowable growth percentage for state aid to schools or passing education reform. Dolecheck said leadership in the house has set its goal to have both accomplished within 30 days after the governor submits his budget in the middle of February. “I know that only gives school districts one month before they have to certify their budgets March 15,” he said, “but we’re going to try our best to meet that goal.”

After their opening remarks, Dolecheck and Ernst opened the floor to questions from the approximate 15 members of the audience. 

Many questions surrounded education reform. Barb Hutton questioned which should come first – an increase in teacher salary or increased accountability for student performance? Ernst said she understood the reasoning behind the question, but she still supported the governor’s plan. “It’s a good starting proposal,” she said. “We’ll continue to manipulate it a bit to make sure it is working for all school districts.” 

Judy Hensley asked how much input local boards of education had in the development of the proposal. Ernst said that representatives from school boards, superintendents, principals and parents were part of the task force that crafted the proposal. She pointed out that regional school boards were not part of the plan, but the state would continue to study the sharing of services such as superintendents and financial officers between districts.

Dolecheck added he considered the changes to the professional development model of great importance. He said too often teachers go to professional development meetings and come home with great ideas, but they don’t know how to implement them back in their local schools. “We can continue to do things the way we’ve done it for 20 years,” he said, “but will probably end up, as the axiom says, with the same result. We can do better. Going to a professional development class for a half-day isn’t going to get it done.”

Keith Miller suggested schools focus more on the basics. “I’ve seen students whose basic spelling and math is atrocious,” he said. “And they’re doing everything on computers now. Part of the time, I’m told by the students themselves, that students are on Facebook and they’re playing games and some other student even took a test on the computer for one of them.” Dolecheck explained the recently implemented Iowa Core Standards seek to set basic proficiency standards in writing, reading and math. “Will we ever go back to the policy we had in the past -- probably not,” he said. “Society has changed and methods have changed. Future adults in Iowa and across the nation are probably never going back to doing things without computers.”

Ed Johnston asked about any discussion of increasing transportation funds to counties. Ernst said the issue of an increase of the gas tax has not been talked about yet, but maybe it will come up later in the session. Dolecheck added the governor did not mention transportation in his State of the State address. “The governor wants to make sure we work on property tax and education reform,” he said, “and I think the leadership is waiting to see how that goes. Then we’ll go from there with it.” Dolecheck added that if legislation wasn’t introduced to address the issue, he would introduce it himself. 

Raymond Shields said that if the state doesn’t act, the counties will be forced to raise property taxes. He added that county engineer Zach Gunsolley had predicted even if a 10-cent gas tax would pass, Ringgold county could receive only $400,000 in state funds. “That’s going to be a Bandaid on the problem,” he said. “It’s not going to be enough to fix the problem we’re in.” 

County supervisor Royce Dredge added a recent road project came in $175,000 over projected cost. 

Dolecheck also brought up the need to maintain bridges as part of the discussion. “We have to maintain the gravel,” he said, “and we have to maintain the roads and bridges so we can have access to the farm-to-market road system so school buses can cross them and fire trucks can cross them to get to somebody’s house.” Dolecheck concluded the road discussion with a prediction. “I haven’t seen a proposal out there,” he said. “There’s been no legislation introduced, but there will be.”

Mental health issues, especially in light of recent debates about gun violence in America, came up briefly in the discussion. Miller asked what focus was being placed in the legislature on mental health as part of any debate on gun ownership in the state. Ernst was quick to agree that mental health is at the heart of the discussion at the statehouse. “There’s an epidemic that we need to take care of,” she said.  She said only $3 million was targeted for mental health transition funds in last year’s budget. “That’s not enough to fund the three largest counties, none of those being in southwest Iowa,” she said.

County assessor Neil Morgan asked the legislators about a new agriculture adjustment rule to assess farmland values that may be proposed to the legislature this term. He said his office has used a state-approved computer program to figure values for the past 17 years. A new program to determine values using the changes required by the adjustment rule might cost up to $250,000. Even if the new program is used, the rule calls for county assessors to make judgement calls on the quality of the ground. He said that requirement alone would create 10 times as much work as is currently necessary because land use continually changes as farmers fill in ditches and make other improvements. “It’s a dumb idea,” he said, “even if it didn’t cost so much.” Morgan asked the legislators to look into the issue and consider the impact it could have on Ringgold county and other rural areas of the state.

The next legislative coffee is set for 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16 at the Ringgold County Extension office. 

The Ringgold County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, Jan. 28. The main discussion surrounded county road projects with County engineer Zach Gunsolley. 

[The issue of infrastructure maintenance is one that continues to plague not only Ringgold county but all of rural Iowa. A more detailed discussion of the county’s road maintenance needs will appear in next week’s Record-News.]

Gunsolley brought to the board construction bids to complete a two-inch mill-and-fill project on County Road P33. The low bid for the project was $975,000, a full 20 percent over the $800,000 estimated in the county’s five-year plan. Gunsolley told the board other counties are finding construction bids coming in considerably over original cost estimates. He attributed the overruns in part to vast swings in the cost of asphalt, which no one can accurately predict. The board followed Gunsolley’s recommendation to reject all bids for the project.

The supervisors spent considerable time discussing how to best maintain county roads and how to prioritize maintenance projects. Supervisor Kraig Pennington questioned where the county should first turn its attention. “I don’t know if we have a plan for P68 [the Beaconsfield road],” he said. “Every road needs something done. It seems we’re working this way [pointing to the west], and we need to do something that way [pointing to the east].” Supervisor Royce Dredge said the board could really not make any firm decisions until bids came in for other road projects already in the planning stages. After continued discussion about priorities in light of available funds, the board authorized Gunsolley to seek bids for resurfacing projects for county roads J20, J43, J55, P27, P33 and P46. Total estimated cost of the resurfacing projects is $1.37 million for approximately 35 miles of roadway.

Gunsolley also asked for a resolution to allow a width variance on the Monroe 13 bridge. He explained county ordinances require bridges on gravel roads to have a width of 33 feet. The Monroe 13 bridge currently has a width of 16 feet. County crews are set to begin a reconstruction and repair project on the bridge, and without the variance they would be required to reconstruct the bridge to the mandated 33 feet at considerable cost. The bridge is currently posted as a one-way bridge and serves area residents satisfactorily, Gunsolley explained. The supervisors approved Gunsolley’s request for the variance.

The supervisors voted to table another request from Gunsolley to amend the 28E agreement with the city of Kellerton for maintenance on roads in that immediate vicinity. The supervisors asked for more time to review the proposal and to gather more information prior to making a decision.
In other business the board received budget requests from Ringgold County Development and from the Rural Iowa Crisis Center. 

The Diagonal city council met in regular session Monday, Jan 14.

The council reaffirmed Diagonal’s Urban Revitalization Plan and waived the second and third readings. The plan designates all properties within the corporate boundaries of the city to be part of the revitalization district. Residential and commercial properties are then eligible for a tax abatement on the new value added by construction or improvement. Percentage of taxes abated under the plan include 85 percent in the first year, 70 percent in year two, 55 percent in the third year, 40 percent in the fourth and 25 percent in the fifth.

The council appointed Patrick Greenwood of Lamoni to a one-year term as city attorney.

They also approved Zach Gunsolley to write the city’s grant application to the Alliant Energy Foundation for the “Freedom Rock” project.

The council authorized city clerk Julie Malcolm to make certain payments prior to council approval when they come in conflict with council meeting dates.

The council designated the Diagonal Progress as the city’s official newspaper.

Mayor Lowell Johnson informed the council the city would need to stay with its current street lighting as Alliant gradually updates to LED lighting.

The council also discussed what to do with houses that had water turned on but no one was living in them. The council agreed a minimum just be charged. The current minimum landfill charge is $1.25 for one person. 

The Mount Ayr elementary Winter Concert for fourth, fifth and sixth grade students will be held on Monday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. in the elementary gym.

Fourth grade songs will be: “A Song for the Children,” “Do Wah Diddy Diddy” and “This Flag We Fly.”

Ffith grade songs include “One Moment in Time,” “Fifty Nifty United States” and “American Every Day.”

Sixth grade songs are “Abraham, Martin and John,”  “Free Like Me” and “One Nation.”

Fifth grade band pieces include “Rolling Along,” “Hot Cross Buns,” “Go Tell Aunt Rhodie,”  “March Steps.” “Listen to Our Sections,” “Lightly Row,” “A Mozart Melody”  and “Old MacDonald Had a Band.”

The sixth grade band will play “When The Saints Go Marching In,” “Starlight” and “Battle Creek March.”

Together the fifth and sixth grade bands will play “Hard Rock Blues.”

Director for the concert is Carol Cason. 

More details concerning the high speed chase and gunfire incident last week have been released by the Iowa Department and Public Safety and the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office.

Chance Newton, 16, of Kellerton faces two counts of attempted murder after leading law enforcement on a pursuit through Ringgold and Decatur counties and shooting a weapon at several officers.  Additional charges are pending.

According to the state patrol, Ringgold county law enforcement received a report of a stolen blue Ford Focus early Monday, Jan. 14. The car reportedly belonged to Newton’s sister.

Then at approximately 5 a.m. Tuesday a Ringgold county sheriff’s deputy located the stolen car.  When attempting to stop the vehicle, the driver, now identified as Newton, led the deputy on a short pursuit, but the deputy soon lost sight of the stolen car.

At approximately 6:20 a.m., Newton and the stolen vehicle were relocated in Kellerton. Again, Newton evaded officers and a second pursuit began.  Law enforcement from the Ringgold and Decatur County Sheriff’s Offices and the Iowa State Patrol followed Newton eastbound on Highway 2 to Leon.  The pursuit then continued north on Highway 69 out of Leon at speeds approaching 120 miles per hour, according to Decatur county sheriff Herbert Muir.  The pursuit ended when Newton lost control and crashed along 240th Avenue, just north of 150th Street in rural Decatur county.

As officers drove upon Newton’s crashed vehicle, Newton fired his shotgun.  Several rounds struck both a Decatur county deputy’s car and a state trooper’s car.  According to Muir, two shots went through the windshield and driver’s window of the Decatur county vehicle and another two shots hit the roof and windshield of the trooper’s car. Muir said the trooper was forced to lie down in his seat to avoid serious injury. No officers involved in the pursuit returned fire. The officers driving the vehicles that received fire were transported for medical treatment; their injuries were non-life threatening.

After firing at the officers, Muir said Newton grabbed a rifle and  fled on foot into a nearby field. A number of personnel from the Decatur and Ringgold county sheriffs’ departments and state patrol officers set up a perimeter around the section in which the incident occured. Deputy Shannon Arends and his dog K-9 Murphy from the Ringgold County Sheriff’s Office and another officer and his dog from the state patrol began to track Newton across farm fields.

At approximately 9 a.m. Newton was located roughly one and a half miles away from the crash scene hiding in a van behind a rural farm house.  He was taken into custody without incident.

Muir reported Newton is currently being held in a state institution. 

Disneyland in southern California calls itself “the happiest place on earth.” If that is true, the second happiest place may well be located on South Henderson Street right here in Mount Ayr, the home of Ringgold County Supportive Services (RCSS).

RCSS is a day facility for adults with intellectual disabilities. According to an informational brochure published by RCSS, its primary goal is “to provide its members with activities and resources that assist them in becoming more independent members of society while improving their quality of life as a whole and to gain self-esteem and confidence in achieving personal goals.” However, it’s the nurturing environment and caring people that set RCSS apart from similar facilities.

Director Cathy McGahuey doesn’t consider those who attend RCSS as clients, members or other similar titles. “To me they’re individuals, just like you and me,” she said. “They may not all have the same abilities, but we still try to give them choices and opportunities.”

Daily activities

McGahuey explained a typical day at RCSS runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Some days are longer depending upon the activity, such as trips to the county or state fair or the production of their annual play. 

The day begins with a group discussion where individuals can share personal events or activities as well as get a preview of the day’s planned activities from the staff. The discussion is followed by a morning activity that usually involves learning independent living skills such as balancing a checkbook or following directions. McGahuey said activities are tailored to individual abilities and interests. Also included in morning activities is an exercise period that may include active games, videos and even dances. 

Each individual brings his or her own lunch, and microwaves and cooking facilities are available. The lunch period also includes a quiet time during which some individuals may choose to rest while others may work on computers or be involved in other quiet activities. In the afternoons individuals often get out into the community. They visit nursing homes to work on crafts and play games. They may visit the library or go bowling. Some even work on science experiments of their choice. Individuals take part in an annual staffing that includes RCSS staff, their guardian and their case managers to set personal goals.

Besides the regular activities, McGahuey explained individuals participate in special activities on their birthdays and at Christmas. Individuals get to choose a treat to celebrate their birthdays, and they often choose a favorite activity such as fishing, visiting a farm to see baby animals or other outings. At Christmas individuals draw names, go shopping and wrap presents for each other. Christmas is celebrated at McGahuey’s house with a special visit from Santa Claus.

McGahuey was especially proud of the variety of quality community-based experiences enjoyed by RCSS individuals, including hiking, picnics, shopping, a buddy program with elementary students and restaurant dining along with attendance at many community events. McGahuey said the response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive.

McGahuey said she and her staff are currently trying to arrange smaller groups to add to the variety of activities based on individual skills.

Not all individuals spend five days a week at RCSS. Some work part-time in their home communities and come to RCSS on alternate days.

History

Services in Ringgold County for citizens with intellectual disabilities were once offered by Innovative Industries in a building in downtown Mount Ayr. Due to concerns about the health and safety of the individuals due to the condition of the building, the facility was eventually closed and plans were in place to transport individuals to the Innovative Industries headquarters in Creston. Many individuals and their families did not want to go to Creston, so on February 1, 2000 the beginnings of RCSS opened at the 4-H building on the Ringgold County Fairgrounds. In October of that year the new building on South Henderson Street was opened and has been in continuous service ever since.

Admissions

In 2000 RCSS serviced eight individuals. Today that number has grown to 21. Individuals at RCSS come from Ringgold, Decatur, Clarke and Taylor counties. Thirteen of the 21 current individuals are Ringgold county residents.

Based upon federal guidelines, RCSS has four criteria for admission: 1) individuals must be 18 or older; 2) they must be diagnosed with a mental disability; 3) they must be able to function on a six-to-one ratio of clients to staff; and 4) they must have secured a funding source or have methods of self funding. McGahuey explained since 2006 most individuals at RCSS have come under what is known as a Federal ID (Intellectual Disability) waiver that is funded through Medicaid. All funds associated with the staffing and operation of RCSS come from the federal government to the county. In general, RCSS is a line item in the county budget much like the roads department or sheriff’s office, except RCSS is not funded through the county.

Transportation to and from RCSS is provided by the trolley service or family members or other authorized people may provide private transportation. This “community choice option” allows reimbursement for travel expenses. 

Staffing and leadership

RCSS is governed by a board of directors who oversee the budget and programming of the facility. Members of the board currently include Becky Fletchall, Central Point Coordinator; community representatives Becky Caldwell and Chandra Poore; family member representatives Jim Routh and Judy Hensley; Kathy Lerma, case manager representative and Kraig Pennington, Ringgold County Board of Supervisors representative.

RCSS currently has a staff of five, including McGahuey, who began work with RCSS in November 2000 as a staff member. They include Denise Golliday (2000), Jo Ann Pollock (2005) and Elizabeth Creveling (2005) as full-time staff and Chanelle Cole (2012) as part-time. All staff have been trained in first aid, CPR, prevention of dependent adult abuse and medication management. McGahuey said she and her staff welcome volunteers, especially for special events like trips to the state fair. Because of the requirement for the six-to-one staffing ratio, RCSS is considered at full capacity.

McGahuey also said RCSS accepts donations of money or items to benefit the individuals. In the past these items have included furniture and craft supplies. In addition RCSS conducts occasional fundraisers such as their annual play to purchase items for the facility.

RCSS is accredited through the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) and recently completed an accreditation visit from a CARF surveyor. McGahee said facilities such as RCSS have 700 standards they must meet to qualify for accreditation. She said the surveyor was highly complimentary of the RCSS facility in programming and praised the facility for its wide variety and quality of service. She especially was impressed by the scrapbooks designed and created by each individual to show their own personal activities throughout the year.

So, in the new year if you have resolved to volunteer or get more involved in your community, give RCSS some thought. It may not be Disneyland, but it is most definitely warm and sunny inside. 

The Mount Ayr speech team advanced four events to the state large group speech contest after district competetion last weekend.

Those advancing to state included:

• Group improvisation team of Johnathan Triggs, Braydee Poore, Jacob Sobotka and Matt Poore. The boys’ situation was “finding what was lost.” The judge said the boys “had good scene development taking a ‘vague’ scene and turning it into something specific.” He also said they developed their characters well.

• Group improvisation team consisted of Taylor Still, Maggie Jennett, Allison Wallace, Tyler Triggs and Hagan Willis. Their scene was “wrestling alligators.” Tyler Triggs was the alligator. The judge stated the kids had “good energy,” and she “enjoyed it a lot!” 

• The ensemble acting team of Caitlin Giles and Emily Fox also advanced to state. This is the first year the girls have gone out for speech. Their piece, “Dear John,” was well received by the judge. He stated the girls did a “very nice job with initial characterization -  large personalities.”

• The MKIS radio broadcast team of Taylor Still, Allison Wallace, Maggie Jennett, Matt Poore, Leah Klejch, Ica Hauge and MaKayla O’Mailia are advancing to state. The judge said the kids had “good enthusiasm throughout” and the broadcast was “easy to follow and listen to.” 

Also participating, but unfortunately not advancing on to state was the group improvisation team of Caitlin Giles, Emily Fox and Lew Knapp. Their scene was “washing windows 80 floors up.” The judge said the kids had “nice facial expressions and were fun to watch with lots of energy.” 

“Sniper Games,” the short film by Lew Knapp and Wyatt Jackson, also received a II rating. The judge said the boys had lots of “interesting shots and angles and had good choice of sound effects and costuming.” 

Those advancing to state will go to Waukee on February 2.

    The remains of a walk-out basement is all that remains of a rural home after a fire Sunday afternoon. Firefighters were called to 2905 270th Street at approximately 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19. By the time firefighters arrived, they found the home of Adrian and Norma Wolfe fully involved in the fire. The home is considered a total loss.  Norma Wolfe, her four-year-old son Avery and her sister, Mallory Wintern, were home at the time of fire, but according to authorities, all escaped without serious injury. They were transported to Ringgold County Hospital by ambulance and private vehicle for treatment of smoke inhalation. Adrian Wolfe was out of town at the time of the blaze. According to authorities, the fire is believed to have begun in the garage area but cause and other specific details are still under investigation. They report the home had working fire detectors that operated properly at the time of the fire. Firefighters from the Kellerton, Mount Ayr, Ellston and Tingley responded to the call, along with Kellerton first responders and an ambulance from Ringgold County Hospital. A Ringgold county deputy sheriff also responded to the scene.

In their first meeting of the new year the Ringgold County Hospital Board swore in new trustees, Mike Hopkins and Jen Main. New officers for 2013 were appointed: Kathi Braby, chair; Vicki Sickels, vice-chair and Bill Armstrong, secretary.

Kathi Schuster gave the patient care report citing numbers up again due in part to the flu season that is

well underway. In an effort to keep flu cases down, the hospital has posted signs asking visitors to refrain from visits if they are ill and providing masks for waiting room patients.

Teresa Roberts shared the financial report. Utilization is up and revenue is up with overall revenue

numbers still 5.63 percent under budget but showing improvement. Under budget areas in surgical and outpatient care were attributed in part to holiday schedules. Cardiology and respiratory therapy showed peak usage with respiratory directly related to the early flu season. The nursing department has remained under budget by 11percent for the month and 12 percent for 2012.

RCH’s self-funded insurance has taken a heavy hit this year with insurance claims.

A huge savings on the financial side is the completion of the transition to the new Electronic Health Records system. The old and new systems have both been fully available while the changes were being

applied and this month RCH was able to finalize implementation of the new system and eliminate the $15,000 in monthly charges for the old system. Additional grant funding is anticipated with the new system now in place when final documentation is submitted.

A new stress test monitor has been purchased replacing the old monitor and the ultra sound machine had its power supply replaced.

A grant has been provided to help pay for telecommunications and Internet through a government program designed for rural areas. On that same note, Ringgold County Hospital is the first to be part of the Iowa Rural Health Telecommunications Project set up through the Iowa Hospital Association which will benefit RCH by using the state’s fiber optics network.

Good news for helping alleviate the current physician overload was administrator Gordon Winkler’s announcement that Dr. Jerry Phipps has signed a contract to accept employment with RCH as a family practice physician. Insurance applications necessary prior to Dr. Phipps seeing patients are underway and the estimated arrival time period for the new staff physician is mid-to-late February.

Winkler also reported on the continued efforts to make long-term changes in the way staffing is handled in the emergency room. Ringgold County Hospital struggles along with most other small hospitals to maintain sufficient physician staffing and met Wednesday, January 22 to explore alternatives. 

Options being considered include:

• Mid-level coverage which would provide nurse practitioners and physician assistants during daytime hours and physician coverage for night hours.

• 24/7 coverage which would utilize nurse practitioners and physician assistants full time with local physicians covering the on-call and provide backup as needed. Physician rotation would staff all physicians rotating 24 hour shifts

• Winkler noted that nurse practitioner and physician assistant availability is much greater.

On short notes of interest, jail meals will no longer be provided by RCH after February 9. This will provide a cost report improvement provide a cost report improvement for the hospital. 

New inquiries have also been received regarding the old hospital facility, and Winkler will share information as it is received with the board in the ongoing efforts to sell the property.

Dialysis has been a topic of discussion for several board meetings, and Winkler again addressed the concerns. He noted that he is in discussions to find ways to continue to provide dialysis locally and improve the cost report implications for RCH.

Ringgold County Hospital is working on continuing to provide oncology/hematology clinics since Dr. Robert Schreck is no longer available for RCH clinics.

A hot topic in the news with significant potential impact for Ringgold County Hospital is the ongoing debate of the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Health Care Act of 2010. Under that plan, Medicaid is set to expand eligibility to age 19-64 and income-based on federal poverty level guidelines only. The catch that has come up for Iowa is the section of the act that allows states to opt in or out of the Medicaid expansion.

Governor Terry Branstad is resistant to the Medicaid expansion, citing his preference for the Iowa Cares Program. While the Iowa Cares Program provided a bridge for care at its inception, that program will sunset December 31, 2013, and it is not expected to find federal waivers offered again based on the federal government’s support of the Medicaid expansion. The Iowa Cares Program is limited in its benefits and creates travel constraints for many, particularly in rural areas.

The Medicaid expansion is to be covered 100 percent by federal funds for the first three years, then

move to 90 percent federal/10 percent state funding after the three years. In terms of what it provides to Iowa, this expansion would cover an estimated 150,000 Iowa residents as opposed to the 65,000 now eligible under the Iowa Cares Program. Further reasoning behind support for the Medicaid expansion comes from the $1.3 billion in Iowa dollars mandated from Iowa providers to fund the Affordable Health Care Act which will be reallocated nationally to those states opting into the Medicaid expansion portion of the act. These will be lost funds to Iowa if this option is not legislatively supported.

In old news Winkler and Roberts both spoke about the board’s request to look into refinancing current hospital bonds. After meeting with bond representatives, it appears that no options are available for refinancing at this time. 

A rural Kellerton youth was involved in a high-speed chase and gun incident Tuesday morning.

According to published reports, 16-year-old Chance Newton stole his sister’s car early Tuesday morning. A Decatur county sheriff’s deputy spotted the car and attempted to pull it over. The car led sheriff’s officers and state patrol on a high-speed chase east of Interstate 35 in Decatur county. Newton eventually lost control of the vehicle along 240th Avenue north of Leon.

Newton then allegedly fired multiple shotgun blasts at officers, hitting a patrol car and a sheriff’s vehicle. The officers were taken to the hospital with what were termed “non-life-threatening injuries.”

According to authorities, he then fled the scene on foot and was captured at 9 a.m. at a farmhouse about one-and-a-half miles from the crash scene.

Newton has been charged with two counts of attempted murder.

Further details were not available from the Iowa State Patrol or the Decatur county sheriff’s office by press time Tuesday afternoon.

The Mount Ayr Community board of directors met Monday, Jan. 15 in regular session. Agenda items included the presentation of bids for general obligation bonds to refinance the district debt, the presentation of an early retirement policy for classified staff and updates on various district projects.

Debt refinance

At a recent meeting the board had approved the plan to refinance its current debt at a lower interest rate to save money. At Monday’s meeting Matthew Gillaspie from Piper Jaffray reported on a bid of $6,755,000 in general obligation school refunding bonds from FTN Financial Capital Markets from Memphis, TN at a total interest rate of 1.594 percent. Gillaspie calculated the district will save $670,894.33 if the district accepts the bid. He also shared with the board a timeline of the refunding process along with a series of printouts explaining other bidders for the bonds, the amortization of the new bonds and other details associated with the bonding project. At the conclusion of Gillaspie’s presentation, the board approved a resolution directing Piper Jaffray to sell the bonds to FTN.

State aid predictions

Drake presented a preview of the impact of state aid “new money” on the district’s budget for next year. If the state legislature should approve zero percent allowable growth for next year, the district will receive approximately $41,128 more in state funding than what it received this year. Drake explained the district is already obligated for approximately $120,000 in increased contracted salaries and benefits for next year. As a result, the district could face a budget shortfall of nearly $79,000 in that area alone. If that were to occur, Drake said he would need to recommend reduction in expenditures for the coming year. However, Drake pointed out any allowable growth above zero percent approved by the legislature would greatly improve the district’s budget outlook. For example, a one percent increase in allowable growth would provide the district $78,148, a two percent increase would provide $115,168, three percent would equal $152,158 and a four percent increase would yield $189,208. Drake said he predicted the final allowable growth set by the legislature would fall somewhere in the middle of those numbers. Drake added, however, that unknown increases in other expenses, such as insurance, would also further negatively impact the district’s budget.

Early retirement policy

Superintendent Joe Drake presented a sample of an early retirement policy for classified personnel. The policy is similar to one already in place for certified staff. Under the policy an employee must be age 55 or older on or before June 30 of the current year and have completed a total of 15 years of service to the district. The employee will receive 10 percent of his or her current salary less supplemental pay or extended contract pay. In addition, an employee with 10 years of continuous service and an accumulation of a minimum of 105 sick days will be reimbursed for the balance of the unused sick days. The balance will be figured at a minimum wage pay rate. The two amounts added together will comprise the lump sum amount of the early retirement incentive. In addition, the classified employee will be eligible to continue participation in the district’s group insurance plan at their own expense until age 65, pending approval of the insurance carrier. The board will review the policy and consider action at its next meeting.

Allowable growth funding

Superintendent Drake informed the board the district has an opportunity to receive funds for allowable growth in three areas: increased enrollment, limited English proficiency (LEP) and at-risk programming. The board voted to request $54,036 for increased enrollment, $2,642 for LEP and $160,424 in at-risk funds.

Superintendent’s report

Drake shared two letters pertaining to difficulties with two district building projects. The first letter dealt with ongoing sewer problems in the new addition to the high school building. The letter stated the project bonding company, Granite RE, denied responsibility for any additional costs associated with the project because the two-year limit of the performance bond had expired. The letter stated the project had been officially completed in March 2010, but the bonding company had not been informed of any problems until December 2012. Drake estimated costs to repair the problem would run approximately $1,500 and $2,000.

The second letter came from Western Surety, the bonding company for work on the high school commons floor project. Because the project contractor, Betts and Beer Construction, has gone out of business, the district is seeking restitution for costs needed to repair the floor. The letter requested copies of several documents pertaining to the project for company review prior to any potential settlement.

Drake also shared the results of a recent bus inspection. He said the items cited in the inspection report were fairly typical, and that all items had already been repaired or in process of repair.

Other business

The board handled two personnel items on the agenda. Sara Deskin, a teacher’s aide, was moved from probationary status to full-time status. Her salary will rise from $9.70 per hour to $10.21 per hour. The board also approved the hiring of David Groves as a bus driver to replace R.B. Davenport, who retired recently. Groves will be paid $5,439.04 for the remaining 92 days on the contract.

The board recognized the ceremony dedicating the Ron Scott Duals wrestling tournament. They commended organizers for their hard work and said they had received several compliments on district facilities from attendees at the tournament. 

The Ringgold county board of supervisors toured county roads, approved township trustees and heard financial updates in business this week.

Road tour, discussion

The supervisors joined county engineer Zach Gunsolley Friday to gain a better understanding of the needs of the roads department. By the time they had finished the full-day tour, they had traveled every paved road in the county along with several gravel roads, spending time in each of Ringgold county’s 17 townships.

As part of the day’s business, the board approved the hiring of Curt Jackson as a temporary seasonal employee in the secondary roads department.

The information they learned on the tour was useful as a number of county residents attended the Monday board meeting to express their concern with the condition of county road P-68 in the eastern part of the county. While neither the supervisors nor Gunsolley said they had immediate answers for their concerns, all agreed to take their concerns under advisement as the board works on plans for road improvements across the county.

County trustees, clerks

The supervisors approved the slate of township trustees and clerks.

In Athens township they approved Allan Dolecheck, Roger O’Dell and Tom Giles as trustees and Nancy Grose as clerk.

In Benton township, Kevin Jackson, Greg Mobley and Robert Davison will serve as trustees with Marci Johnson as clerk.

Clinton township will have Rusty Faubion, Dale Walkup and Steve Knapp as trustees and Donna Melvin as clerk.

In Grant township, the supervisors approved Colby Holmes, Alan Bentley and Brian Bickel as trustees with Marla Bickel as clerk.

Trustees in Jefferson township are Spencer Lombard, Charles O’Kelley and Jim Werner with Melinda England as clerk.

Liberty township will have Bob Sobotka, Mark Triggs and Scott Drake as trustees with Susan Winemiller as clerk.

Trustees in Lincoln township include Trent Johnston, Roy Davenport and Jerry Brown with Shawna Fletcher as clerk.

Lotts Creek has Danny Karr, Jim Coulson and Terry Bishop as trustees and Laurence Bishop as clerk.

Trustees in Middle Fork are Tom Sackett, Walt McGinnis and Charles Abarr with Kristi Sackett as clerk.

In Monroe township Bill Daughton, Richard Jackson and James Smith will serve as trustees and Linda Swanson will serve as clerk.

Trustees in Poe township include Steven Trullinger, Warren Angus and Melvin Gray with Cathy McGahuey as clerk.

Rice township trustees are Guy Fisher, Bob Buck and Greg Roberts. Doug Greene will serve as clerk.

In Riley township, only two trustees were named: Robert Richardson and Terry Barnes. The supervisors are still seeking a third trustee for the township. Michele Beck will serve as clerk.

In the Tingley township, Alan Ibbotson, Ken Weeda and John F. Overholser will serve as trustees with Teena Petersohn as clerk.

Union township trustees are Kevin Greenland, Scott Derscheid and Ron Creveling. Angie Hynek will serve as clerk.

Washington township will have Kenneth Schaefer, John Whittington and Steve Newton as trustees with Jerry Stephens as clerk.

In Waubonsie township trustees are Wendell Wallace, Ron Mobley and Paul Glee Mobley with Mary Swank as clerk.

Other business

In other business, the supervisors:

• received an overview of the county’s health insurance plan from Lois Ibbotson with Tyler Insurance.

• received a budget request from MATURA.

• approved an economic development service contract for the Excel Engineering gas line project.

• approved retaining attorney Patrick Greenwood to defend the appeal of the Jefferson township trustee appeal.

• received the December and semi-annual reports from county treasurer Debbie Cannon 

The Mount Ayr Community school board received a number of administrative reports during its January meeting.

Elementary principal’s report

Elementary principal Chris Elwood said he had conducted a thorough walk-through of the elementary building with sheriff Mike Sobotka, chief deputy Rob Haley, Afton police chief John Coulter and custodian Josh Hanawalt. They identified lines of sight into classrooms through closed doors and through windows to locate “safe zones” within each classroom. Because the fifth and sixth grade classrooms and the lunch room are highly visible from the street, window shades in those areas will now be lowered full-time. He also said the north entrance to the elementary building will be locked full-time, and parents will be instructed to drop off all students on the south side of the building. If students are dropped off on the north side, they will need to walk around the building to the south entrance. Elwood said he has also rearranged his office so that he has full sight of the south entrance. He is still investigating the replacement of door locks and devising an emergency plan for students on the playground.

The elementary will hold a staff-only crisis drill during their professional development time February 15. A drill that includes students and staff will be held sometime in February.

The district is currently investigating the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program for implementation next year. Elwood explained Olweus is a whole-school program that has proven to prevent or reduce bullying throughout the school setting. East Union currently utilizes a program, and Elwood reported the principal there recommends it. He said the program has three main goals: 1) to reduce existing bullying problems among students; 2) to prevent the development of new bullying problems; and 3) to achieve better peer relations at school. Elwood and secondary principal Lynne Wallace will meet with an Olweus trainer later this month to better understand the program and to answer any questions they may have.

Six elementary teachers attended the Iowa Core Math Training in Creston. Six other teachers will attend the Iowa Core English Language Arts Training soon. Elwood said the Iowa Core will be the topic of discussion at the January District Study meeting.

Secondary principal’s report

Middle/high school principal Lynne Wallace also has been focusing on improved safety in her building. She has also met with Sobotka, Haley and Coulter to set up emergency safe zones for students in her building. All entrance doors to the secondary building will now be locked during school hours, with the exception of the east office doors. Teachers have also been instructed to keep their classroom doors locked so they can simply be pulled shut in emergency. Wallace said all staff and students have been emailed a sheet informing them where to go in an emergency and including a list of procedures to be used during a lockdown. A series of lockdown mini-drills held throughout the school day have helped students learn where to go in case of an emergency. The drills have also revealed a number of problems, including the inability to hear the intercom in the gymnasiums and in the band room when the band is playing. The district is in the process of addressing those problems.

Wallace shared the numbers of students who qualified for the ITBS/ITED rewards this year. A total of 24 percent of seventh graders, 29 percent of eighth graders, 62 percent of freshmen, 54 percent of sophomores and 47 percent of juniors met the criteria to receive the reward. The criteria included scoring at a minimum of the 41st percentile and no lower than eight percentile points below last year’s score. Wallace said she is in the process of reviewing the qualification criteria, which may change for next year.

All teachers in grades seven through 12 gave some sort of semester test, including 52 comprehensive tests, 22 projects and seven written papers along with an employee evaluation, singing to peers and physical fitness tests.

Wallace thanked the ShopKo Foundation for its donation of $2,500 to the Mount Ayr middle/high school. The donation was presented during ShopKo’s recent grand opening.

Wallace also informed the board there will be a Project Lead the Way/Programs of Study advisory committee meeting January 23 at 6 p.m. This annual meeting with local business people will allow teachers Scott Giles and Kurt Wallace to discuss topics related to courses they teach. They can receive feedback from business on what they need to do or keep doing to ensure the success of students when they go out into the business world.

Custodians report

Head custodian Clint Poore listed a series of projects he and his staff are currently working on. These include emergency enhancements such as repairing the high school intercom system and changing door locks. Several maintenance projects included cleaning and shampooing carpets; scrubbing and buffing tile floors in the commons, art room, south hallway and FFA room and painting the hallway by the boys locker room along with redoing the pirate mural by the boys locker room entry doors. The floor the main gym was also scrubbed over Christmas break.

Poore also reported the sewer line that runs under the commons had backed up again. He said these backups affect all plumbing in the kitchen area and in the south part of the building, thus creating a sanitary problem.

Technology report

Technology director Kim Curry reported that tests are ongoing to pinpoint problems with the school’s wireless network. She has been in contact with technology specialists from Extreme Networks, the makers of the district’s wireless equipment. Curry told the board she thought it was time for the company to step up and fix problem.

Curry also mentioned her elementary technology integration meetings with teachers. Her goal is to meet with each teacher for 30 minutes to help them integrate technology into the regular classroom routines and lessons. She also said the new flatscreen TVs and Apple TVs have been very popular with teachers and students alike.

Curry gave the board notice that the time was quickly approaching for the replacement of laptops for the middle school 1:1 Initiative program. The current laptops are four years old and hard drives and logic boards are beginning to fail. To this point, the cost of repair or replacement has been covered by district insurance, but she said premiums will likely rise as more and more computers go down.

Food service report

The district food service financial report showed a negative balance for the month of December and continues to run in deficit for the school year. In December the service showed revenue of $33,417.79 and expenditures of $40,773.35. For the school year to date revenues total $168,549.98 as compared to expenses of $184,459.27. At the board meeting superintendent Drake said he would meet with food service director Tawnya Jones to find ways to deal with the shortfall. He said he would likely recommend changes in the food service for the next school year.

Transportation report

Transportation director Dick Still presented his monthly vehicle report. In December district buses traveled 10,192 miles with expenses including fuel totaling $7,144.81. Other district vehicles such as vans and cars traveled 3,137 miles at a cost of $1,276.89.

Most know eating healthy food and staying active will increase chances of not only living longer but having a higher quality of life. Ringgold County Public Health offers Mount Ayr resident Oleta Jones as a living example of this truth. At age 74 years Jones is a great example of how walking and biking can be enjoyed by all ages. 

  Jones has a route she bikes around town during warm weather, and when it gets colder she walks during midday when temperatures are warmest. She wishes there were more walking trails with soft surfaces like grass or dirt as they are easier on her joints.

“People all say they don’t have time,” she said, “but don’t we all have the same 24 hours in a day? For health reasons it is worth it to get out and walk or bike once a day. It is great for the heart and lungs.”

She also offered advice for the younger generation: “These town kids need to be walking to school and their parents can walk with them. Drink more water too!”

Jones said she reads a lot about health and why healthy behaviors are important.

She was quick to deflect praise while insisting she notices a lot more people are walking and biking around town than she remembers in the past. 

  Ringgold County Public Health (RCPH) continues their work on a Community Transformation Grant to reduce the impact of chronic diseases. During the course of this work many local residents with healthy lifestyles have become evident. The methods they use to stay healthy are usually time tested, simple yet not easy, but worth it in the long run. Be active. Eat and sleep well. Drink plenty of water. Just like grandma said as she made you eat your green beans, “You are what you eat!” Then after eating she made you go outside to play. Little did we know how smart our grandmas were.

  If you would like more information on walking, biking, or healthy eating call Ringgold County Public Health at 641-464-0691 or visit us on the web at www.rcph.net and www.facebook.com/rstop. 

Mount Ayr Community students will compete Saturday, Jan.  19 in the district large group at Clarke high school in Osceola.

The following students are representing Mount Ayr:

Group improvisation - Braydee Poore, Jacob Sobotka, Johnathan Triggs and Matt Poore. This will mark the third year of competition for Braydee Poore, Triggs and Sobotka. Matt Poore joined their team this year after the other members graduated.

Group Improvisation - Taylor Still, Maggie Jennett, Allison Wallace, Tyler Triggs and Hagan Willis. This group began working together last year. They added Hagan Willis this year.

Group Improvisation - Caitlin Giles, Emily Fox, Wyatt Jackson and Lew Knapp. These two seniors and two freshman have been involved in speech contest before.

Radio Broadcasting - Taylor Still, Allison Wallace, Maggie Jennett, Matt Poore, Leah Klejch, Ica Hauge and MaKayla O’Mailia make up the MKIS radio station. Hauge and O’Malia are new to the team this year.

Short Film - Lew Knapp, Wyatt Jackson, Ethan McGill and Trevor Anderson are part of the short film, Sniper Games. The short film has to be written, performed and edited entirely by the students and has to be done within a five-minute time frame. The short film must tell a complete story with beginning, middle and logical ending. 

An update on progress at the contamination site, appointments to city boards and the first report from new city superintendent Brett Wise were among items on the agenda at this week’s Mount Ayr city council meeting.

Contamination site update

“We’re 99.9 percent sure we’re done.” Those were the words of Jeff French from Hazard Waste Management, Inc. in reference to his work to clean up the site contaminated from the dumping of tack oil last year. 

French reported a series of meetings and other communication with officials at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources in December that may have finally brought the project to an end. 

On  December 19, French, mayor Don Solliday, city attorney Richard Wilson and city manager Justin Kounen met with DNR contaminated site supervisor Dan Cook, DNR Region 4 field office supervisor Jim Sievers and environmental specialist Alison Manz to hammer out a satisfactory solution to the ongoing controversy. 

In Cook’s opinion, no further removal of contaminated soil would be necessary if the a water sample showed no further contamination and city had a plan in place if further contamination appeared. Two days later French was instructed by Sievers to submit a water sample for DNR approval. Sievers said if the sample passed, no further action would be required by his agency. 

French sampled the water December 25 and sent the sample to Keystone Laboratories in Newton. The resulting report showed all elements of contamination in the sample were under legal limits, and French told the council he was simply waiting on an official document from the DNR stating no further action would be necessary. Once the document arrives, the final step will be to backfill the site. The council thanked French not only for the removal of the contamination itself but also for his diligence in gaining the DNR’s approval for the cleanup.

New superintendent’s report

Brent Wise attended his first city council meeting as the newly hired city superintendent. Wise told the council he had spent his first week with the city crew to help familiarize himself with the various systems and locations. “We have three incredible staff members,” he said, in reference to the city crew of Justin Kounen, Ben Graham and Cody Jay. He also complimented city clerk Pam Poore and assistant Amanda Cannon for helping him as he acclimated to his new position.

He reported on progress on the lift station upgrade project, including a glitch in the upgrade at the Bennett lift station. Three-phase motors currently run the station but the control panel ordered to operate the station was designed for a single phase motor. Wise said he had two options: 1) send the control panel back for refitting, or 2) replace the motors with single phase motors. Based upon the age of the existing motors, Wise recommended the replacement with single phase motors and to use the three-phase motors as emergency backups. Cost to replace the motors was $550 each for two motors.

Wise also reported the wastewater treatment plant continues to show a high level of solids, an issue he said does not put the plant in jeopardy but needs attention nonetheless. He recommended two possible short-term solutions: 1) land apply a portion of the solids now, or 2) extract some of the solids and let them dry for spring application. Wise said he had been in contact with the Fluidyne company to investigate a permanent solution to the problem. Fluidyne oversees systems at the plant.

Wise informed the council that new DNR regulations will require the addition of new lab equipment to monitor affluent at the wastewater plant at a cost between $1,000 and $1,500. He added, however, that with the addition of another piece of equipment the plant could qualify to conduct a self-analysis for state-mandated reports. He said the self-analysis could lower lab expenses from approximately $12,000 a year currently to between $4,000 and $5,000 per year. Weiss told the council it could recoup the cost of the new equipment in the first year alone. The council took no action on the recommendation.

Wise also reported on a number of other smaller items. He told the council he and Justin Kounen were preparing to take the exam to qualify for their water operators license in the spring. He also reported on a surprise visit from a USDA inspector at the city dog kennel. The inspector will return in February to ensure the kennels have been cleaned and painted and that washable bedding has been installed. The inspector would not recertify the kennel until improvements have been made.

Council appointments

The council approved a number of board and commission appointments.

Roland Jackson, Vicki Sickels and Lorraine Haver were appointed to the Low Rent Housing board.

Collus Lawhead, Doug Hymbaugh and Mike McClain will serve on city board of adjustment.

Doug Still, Matt Henle and Chandra Poore will comprise the park board.

Michelle Byer was appointed to fill Jean Johnston’s seat on the zoning commission. This appointment will expire December 31, 2013.

Council members were also assigned positions on a number of city committees.

Gerald Cannon will be mayor pro tem for the coming year. He will also serve as water and sewer liason with Brent Ricker.

Ricker will serve as council representative on the parks and recreation board and on the employee relations committee with Deloris Stutzman.

Stutzman also will be the council’s representative on the landfill and emergency management commissions.

Mack Greene was assigned as the law enforcement and fire department representative. Greene will also serve with Wes Mathany as street maintenance representatives.

Other business

In other business, the council:

• set a public hearing for 6 p.m. January 22 on the proposal for a deed exchange between the city and the Van Buren Square project. The proposal calls for an exchange of approximately four feet of land on the north of the alley running through the Van Buren Square property for four feet of land on the south side of the alley. The exhange would center city utilities down the middle of the alley way.

• approved the sixth drawdown request from Oakview Construction for $132,433.80 in connection with the FEMA shelter/bathhouse project at Judge Lewis Park.

• passed a motion to amend the city ordinance for compensation of council members from the current $25 per meeting attended to $50 per meeting attended. The proposed change will require three public readings prior to taking effect in January 2014.

• heard from mayor Solliday that he had been in contact with city attorney Richard Wilson concerning a bill from former city consultant Kevin Stocker for $18,000 to cover hours he had worked beyond his contracted time. Solliday told the council that he had documentation where Stocker had repeatedly told the council that he would not charge them for extra hours. In Wilson’s opinion, Solliday said, the city does not owe more than the contracted amount.

• discussed a request to hook up the new lighting on the west side of the square. Superintendent Wise said he would look into the matter immediately.

• set the next regular Council meeting for Tuesday, January 22 because of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. 

The Ringgold county board of supervisors reviewed a change in state law concerning funding of emergency management budgets, and approved a resolution concerning livestock confinement operations in meetings this week. In other business, committee assignments were made and resolutions passed as the board enters into a new year.

Emergency management budget

The supervisors discussed a new law that changes the way county emergency management budgets are funded.

Senate File 413 creates local emergency management commissions that will set emergency management budgets in each county. These commissions will be comprised of a representative from the board of supervisors and a representative of the county sheriff’s office, as well as the mayors from each town in a county. For Ringgold county, therefore, the commission will consist of 12 members whose responsibility it will be to “adopt, certify and provide a budget.” 

The supervisors, however, are concerned with the method of funding laid out in the law. According to the Senate file, the budget may be funded by one or a combination of the following methods:

• a county-wide special levy

• a per capita allocation funded from city and county general funds

• an allocation computed as each jurisdiction’s relative share of the total assessed valuation within the county

• a voluntary share allocation

In short, the commission may use general funds or assign a specific levy without oversight or control of the board of supervisors, whose responsibility it is to maintain the county budget. The supervisors are concerned the commission could allocate funds not accounted for in the annual budget, thus creating the possibility of a shortfall.

Confinement resolution

The supervisors adopted a “construction evaluation resolution” at its meeting this week.

Under state law, only counties that have adopted such resolutions may submit a recommendation to the Department of Natural Resouces to approve or disapprove a confinement feeding operation strurcture.

Operational resolutions

David Inloes was named chair of the board, with Kraig Pennington vice chair.

The supervisors changed the time and frequency of board meetings. Rather than meeting twice a week for half days as has been past practice, the board approved a resolution to each Monday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The supervisors voted to approve claims every other Monday of each month and approve payroll on the alternate Monday.

Heading into the new year, the board also announced the observance of eight federal holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and the Friday following and Christmas Day. In addition, the courthouse will close at noon on Christmas Eve. When a holiday falls on a Saturday, the courthouse will be closed the preceding Friday. If it falls on Sunday, the courthouse will close the following Monday. In all, the courthouse will be closed nine full days.

The board reappointed the Mount Ayr Record-News and the Diagonal Progress as official newspapers. In addition, the Record-News was named as the offiical newspaper for the county treasurer for the printing of delinquent taxes for the tax sale.

The supervisors designated US Bank of Mount Ayr and Great Western Bank of Mount Ayr as official depositories for various county departments. The board approved desposits not to exceed $6 million in each bank for the county treasurer, deposits not to exceed $100,000 in each bank for the county recorder, and deposits not to exceed $300,000 in each bank for the county sheriff.

The board approved the hiring of Dee Sobotka as deputy auditor.

Mileage reimbursements were set at the meeting. County employees, with the exception of Public Health, will be reimbursed 10 cents less than the federal rate for calendar year 2013. In addition, parking fees will be reimbursed up to $10 and meals up to $30 per day.

Citizen appointments

The supervisors approved several appointments to county boards and commissons.

Gary Smith was named as director of veterans affairs and representative of MATURA general relief until June 30.

Brenda Sue Adams was named weed commissioner. Dr. Bruce Ricker as county medical examiner with Al and Jan Rusk, Peggy Drake and Ron Schafer named as deputy medical examiners.

Doug Frost was appointed to the county conservation board.

Several positions were filled on the board of Ringgold County Supportive Services. Named as members from outside the agency were Chandra Drake, Becky Caldwell, Becky Fletchall and Kathy Lerima. Named as RCSS client family members were Judy Hensley and Jim Routh. Drake’s and Hensley’s terms end December 31, 2013. The others expire on the same date in 2014.

A number of appointments were made to the county compensation commission. Named to represent agriculture were Monte Akers, Dick Jackson, Richard A. Taylor, Dale Walkup, Mark Triggs, Kyle Shaha, Justin Akers and Craig Willis.

Representing home owners are Douglas Campbell, Tom Kelly, Ed Minnick, Joe Routh, Lowell Johnson, Larry Jarred and Marilyn Johnson.

Appointed as representatives for real estate brokers and sales personnel were Wanda Hosfield, Dan Cunning, William French, Doris Klejch, Norma Shields and Ted Smith.

Representing bankers and auctioneers are Marlene Tull, David Green, Kim Greenland, Tracy Barnes, James Smith, Stephen Taylor and Kelly James.

Supervisor assignments

A main responsibility of the supervisors is to serve on a variety of county boards and committees.

David Inloes was named as a representative on the following: the Clarinda Treatment Facility, E-911, Safety Committee, Southeast Iowa Response Group, Workforce Development and WRD Landfill. In addition, Inloes was named as an alternate to the following: Area XIV Agency on Aging, ATURA, MATURA, Public Health, Ringgold County Supportive Services and the Southern Iowa Council of Governments Project Board.

New supervisor Kraig Pennington was named as representative to the following: DECAT, Emergency Management Commission, MATURA, Public Health, Ringgold County Supportive Services and Transit Trolley Advisory Council. Pennington was also named as alternate to the Clarinda Treatment Facility, E-911, Empowerment, Fifth Judicial District Correctional Services, Ringgold County Development Corporation, Southeast Iowa Response Group and Workforce Development.

Royce Dredge, another newly sworn-in supervisor, drew these representative assignments: Area XIV Agency on Aging, ATURA, Fifth Judicial District Correctional Services, Interagency, Pioneer Cemetery, Ringgold County Development Corporation and the Southern Iowa Council of Governments Project Board. Dredge will be an alternate on DECAT, Emergency Management Commission, Interagency, Transit Trolley Advisory Council, WRD Landfill and the Safety Committee.

New Mount Ayr city superintendent Brent Wise began his duties January 2.

He comes to Mount Ayr after having served as the wastewater manager at Michaels Foods in Lenox since 1999. In that capacity, he was in charge of the company’s new activated sludge plant and oversaw maintenance, lab analysis and operational adjustments at the plant.

Wise said he had worked with the Mount Ayr city council briefly in the past. When the city needed a certified operator to complete required wastewater reports for a short period, Wise stepped in to provide those services while the council searched for a permanent employee with the required operator credentials. 

After the services of Kevin Stocker were recently terminated, the city once again advertised for an employee with the necessary operator certification.

“I wasn’t actively seeking a change,” Wise said, “but I was intriqued by the position.”

He contacted mayor Don Solliday to inquire about the responsibilities of the position, and Solliday encouraged Wise to apply.

Wise said he was attracted to the Mount Ayr position because it affords him the opportunity to get actively involved in city projects.

“I enjoy city government,” he said. “I have a passion for that focus. I want to be involved and try to make a difference. I want to be progressive and proactive. That’s what drives me.”

Wise’s involvement in local government includes stints on the Lenox city council and school board. He currently serves as the Lenox mayor.

Wise emphasized accepting the Mount Ayr position was an “extremely difficult decision,” but after spending time with city employees, he is looking forward to his new responsibilties. “We are going to make a great team,” he said.

As city superintendent, Wise said he wants all residents to feel free to approach him with concerns and ideas. “I believe in complete transparency,” he said. “I will discuss any topics they feel are important.”

Wise and his wife Kris currently live in Lenox with their three daughters, Kyan, 12; Kylian 10; and Kalee, 8. 

As 2013 has now arrived, it is a time not only to look forward but also to look back.

This year marks the 149th consecutive year of publication for the Mount Ayr Record-News. (Other area businesses commemorate their years of service in special advertisements running on pages 6 and 7 in this edition of the Record-News.)

To mark the occasion, here is a history of the Record-News as compiled by local historian Sharon Becker. This account appears on the IaGenWeb Project website.

“The Ringgold Record, was established in April of 1863 with W. R. Turk, publisher, and I. S. Beall as editor. The Ringgold Record was a weekly news and political paper that was succeeded around the first of June in 1866 by George B. Roby who was both publisher and editor. The paper was sold to D. D. Pratt, editor and proprietor. 

In 1873 George R. Stephens bought half interest in the Ringgold Record. The Twice-A-Week News was also published in Mount Ayr.

The 1875 History of Ringgold County, Iowa noted, “The Record is a newsy, enterprising Republican sheet of four pages, eight columns to the page, published weekly, and enjoys a prosperous business and a liberal patronage.” 

In 1887, Mr. Robert Williams and Rev. J. H. Tedford purchased the Ringgold Record and combined its publication with the Ringgold County Republican. After a period of several years, Rev. Tedford purchased Mr. Williams’ interest in the paper and was the editor until 1907, operating with his son Henry “Howard” Tedford when Sam Spurrier bought a half interest. Then, Rev. Tedford and Mr. Spurrier purchased the rival newspaper, The Twice-A-Week News (published from circa 1892 to 1907), combined the papers and renamed the publication The Record News. Rev. Tedford sold out his interest to Mr. Spurrier in 1910, and Mr. Spurrier continued to edit the paper as late as 1936. Spurrier and his son, Franklin Spurrier, owned the newspaper for 55 years between them from 1911 to 1966.”

From 1966 Jack Terry owned the Record-News for 15 years until selling an interest to Alan Smith in 1981.
Smith became sole owner the following year and had been editor and publisher of the Mount Ayr Record-News for the last 30 years before selling the newspaper business to Tom Hawley in August 2012. 

New hours of operation will go into effect January 12 at the Diagonal post office.

Retail hours will run 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Saturdays. 

Customers will have access to mail receptacles 24 hours per day. Post office box mail will be available by 9 a.m. Monday through Friday and at 9 a.m. Saturdays. 

The Mount Ayr school district is in stable financial health, according to a recent report issued by the Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB). The report was shared with the district board of directors by superintendent Joe Drake at a recent meeting.

The report examines fiscal year 2011, the last full year for which statistics are available.

As might be expected, the district receives the vast majority of its revenue from a combination of state aid and local property tax. The state provides 45 percent of the district revenue while local property taxes provide an additional 36 percent. The remaining 19 percent comes from the federal government (nine percent) and “other local and other sources” (10 percent).

On the expenditure side, salaries account for 60 percent of district expenses while benefits account for another 14 percent. The combined salary/benefit ratio is right at the state average of 73.5 percent. The next highest expenditure is for purchased services at 11 percent. Supplies take seven percent with property and other expenses accounting for four percent each.

The report highlights a figure called the financial solvency ratio, which the IASB defines as a measure of a district’s general fund financial health. In short, it’s a measure of how well a district can meet unexpected short and long term demands on cash. IASB recommends a target range between five to 15 percent, based on a formula comparing general fund balances and general fund revenues. The Mount Ayr district has seen considerable fluctuation in this ratio over the past few years. In fiscal year 2004, the district’s ratio was just below eight percent, well within the target range. However, just two years later, the district’s financial solvency ratio had dipped to below negative-six percent. Since that time the ratio has shown relatively steady improvement. In fact, since fiscal year 2009, when Mount Ayr showed a zero percent financial solvency ratio, the district’s ratio hit eight percent in 2011, again well within the recommended target.

Enrollment is another factor tied to district finances since much of state aid is based upon enrollment figures. The report listed Mount Ayr enrollment in fiscal year 2007 at 677 students. Enrollment steadily decreased to a low of 598 students in fiscal year 2010 before rising to 608 students in fiscal year 2011.

Also included in the enrollment figures was a comparison of students open-enrolling out of the district and open-enrolling into the district. Since fiscal year 2008 numbers of students opting out of the district has steadily increased from roughly 25 students to 44 students in fiscal year 2011. The number open-enrolling into the district has remained relatively steady over the same period with 35 students choosing to come into the district in fiscal year 2011. These enrollment figures are important to district finances because the majority of state aid follows the student. In fiscal year 2011 the Mount Ayr district gained $205,905 in state aid from students enrolling into the district but lost $258,852 from students enrolling out of the district, a difference of almost $53,000.

Drake is in the process of investigation the open-enrollment issue to find reasons for the higher number of students opting out of the district. 

The new year marks the 75th anniversary of Diagonal high school’s boys state basketball tournament in 1938.

The March 24, 1938 Mount Ayr Record-News ran a front page story on the town celebration:

“A celebration unparalleled in the history of Diagonal was held yesterday in the town’s main street in honor of the Diagonal Maroons, state basketball champions of Iowa, and their coach, O.C. (Pop) Varner.

“Weather conditions were ideal. At one o’clock crowds started gathering for the big event, and by the time the program started the streets were jammed. All town schools were dismissed, the court house was closed and business was quiet while the ‘holiday’ was observed.

“The program, part of which was broadcast over stations KMA, KRNT and WMT, started at 1:30. Andy Woolfries, popular sports announcer, served as master of ceremonies.

“Governor Nelson G. Kraschel headlined the speaking program. Other speakers were Dr. E. J. Watson of Diagonal; Geo. A. Brown, secretary of the Iowa High School Athletic association; Vera F. Dickens, county superintendent of schools, and Harry G. Knapp, principal and football coach of the Mount Ayr high school.