A number of Easter egg hunts are planned in Ringgold county again this year.

Information has been received for hunts at Clearfield, Diagonal, Kellerton, Tingley and Mount Ayr. Clearfield hunt

An Easter egg hunt will be held at the Clearfield elementary school Saturday, April 3, at 3 p.m., sponsored by the Clearfield Lions Club.

The hunt is for children through age nine.

Diagonal hunt

The Diagonal Youth Fellowship’s annual Easter egg hunt will be held Saturday, April 3, at 1 p.m. at the Diagonal city park.

In the event of rain, the event will be moved to the United Church of Diagonal.

The hunt is for toddlers through fifth graders.

Kellerton hunt

An Easter egg hunt will be held in Kellerton at 10:30 a.m. following a biscuit and gravy breakfast at the Kellerton CommunityBuilding.

The hunt is for children ages one through 11.

Mount Ayr hunt

The annual Easter egg hunt in Mount Ayr will be held Saturday, April 3, at 10 a.m. on the Ringgold county courthouse lawn. Hunters will meet in the shelter house.

Age groups for the event include one and two years old, three and four years old, five and six years old and seven and eight years old.

A number of groups are participating in sponsoring the event as an advertisement in today’s Mount Ayr Record-News shows.

Tingley hunt

The Tingley Lions Club is sponsoring an Easter egg hunt Saturday, April 3, at 1 p.m. for youngsters fourth grade and under.

Hunters are to meet at the community building.

  A six-day search for a missing Clearfield man ended on a positive note when Gregory Wayne Crittenden, 56, of Clearfield, was found at 9 a.m. Thursday, March 25.

According to Taylor county chief deputy Gaylen Goodvin, Crittenden went missing on Friday, March 19. He volunteered to take off work early from the Fansteel/Wellman Dynamics plant in Creston where he works about 10 a.m. that morning.

Crittenden was seen about noon that day in Corning, but then went missing and family members turned to the Taylor county sheriff’s department for help when he had not returned home Saturday morning.

A snow storm had moved across the county Friday night, dumping five inches of snow or so on the area.

Crittenden was driving a gold 2004 Pontiac Grand Am when he went missing and did not have have a cell phone, family members noted.

Taylor county sheriff’s department officers patrolled the gravel roads in the county and the Iowa Highway Patrol provided a plane for an aerial search of the area early in the week, but Crittenden’s vehicle was not found.

“We knew he liked to fish so we looked around ponds in the area but we focused our search between Lenox and Clearfield, thinking that this is the area he would probably be located in,” Goodvin said.

Thursday morning at 9 a.m., Nathan Nickel of Clearfield found Crittenden walking along Highway 25 near the intersection with 200th Street near the home of Fred and Lisa Wilson of rural Clearfield. This about some three miles south of Clearfield.

Nickel took Crittenden home and he was then transported by Lenox ambulance to Allgent Health Mercy Hospital in Corning, where he was treated and released, officials noted.

From what sheriff’s department officials have pieced together, Crittenden became disoriented and drove down the dirt road. He became stuck in the mud there, in a spot out of sight of vehicles traveling on Highway 25 or Yellowstone Road, the next gravel road to the west in Taylor county.

Goodvin said that Crittenden had been told to stay with his vehicle in incidents where one was stuck and lost, so kept warm by running the car heater until the car ran out of gas.

He had some liquids with him in the vehicle and told officers that had also had some melted  snow to drink.

Crittenden told the officers that he tried to walk away from the site one time, but fell down and because of some medical conditions he has, had to struggle to make it back to the car.

He finally was able to walk out to the highway on Thursday morning, where he was found.

“We don’t know how the Highway Patrol plane could have missed his vehicle stuck in the middle of the road and we are kicking ourselves that we didn’t widen the search area to the south by another mile or we might have discovered him sooner,” Goodvin said.

The road was just a mile south of where the searchers had been, using four-wheel vehicles to check the dirt roads after searches of gravel roads and ditches did not turn up the vehicle.

The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office along with the Iowa State Patrol, Taylor County Emergency Management and Taylor County Conservation Board participated in the searches for Crittenden.

“At least this incident ended up having a positive ending,” Goodvin said.

  With the legislative session winding down the budget bills are the focus for the Iowa legislators and representative Cecil Dolecheck and senator Kim Reynolds reported on the latest action at a legislative coffee Saturday in Mount Ayr.

In the last coffee of the session, Dolecheck and Reynolds talked about flaws they have felt have been part of the process this year.

The Democrats finally released information on the total budget Friday, March 19 -- a week before the legislature hoped to be able to finish up its work.

“The budget for 2010 will be about $6 billion,” Dolecheck noted. “The governor will tell you is it $5.3 billion, but that doesn’t include the $692 million in one-time federal stimulus money and the $103 million from cash reserves that will also be spent.”

Last year spending totaled $6.1 billion so the budget does show some attempts to cut things, Dolecheck noted. The problem is that there is almost $1 billion in one-time funds being spent this year which will leave a big hole in the budget for next year.

“The cash reserve fund which the state uses to make sure it has money to pay its bills on time will fall to $72 million when it would be $500 to $600 million or one- tenth of the budget if it was filled to the level the statues call for,” Dolecheck said.

“We have already spent down all the other possible reserve funds  and this level of spending is just unsustainable,” Dolecheck noted.

Another problem with the budget is the underfunding of the Medicaid program. 

“Typically the amount for Medicaid is short changed by $50 to $70 million until the final figures are known later in the year,” Dolecheck noted. “This budget underfunds Medicaid by $200 million, which means the legislature will have to find more money for a supplemental appropriation next year.”

Republicans offered $293 million in savings ideas that were not taken this year, Dolecheck noted. Some of the ideas they offered last year finally made it to the cuts made this year after the state spent money for consultants who came up with many of the same ideas Republicans had already offered.

Policy in appropriations bills

Dolecheck and Reynolds were also upset with the number of policy measures that keep showing up in appropriations bills.

One example was the education budget where Democrats first placed language that would have forced school districts to retroactively pay teachers teacher salary supplemental funds cut by the across-the-board budget cut.

An amendment was passed that stripped the retroactive language from the bill but still makes teachers a protected class in the future, making them exempt from cuts which other governmental employees might receive.

“I do not agree with placing policy in the budget bills and we are seeing more of this all the time,” senator Reynolds said. “It seems unreasonable that if the state did not fulfill it’s funding obligation we could mandate schools to.”

Dolecheck said he would be battling in the House to try to get the language removed from the appropriations bill, but wasn’t certain how much of an impact his efforts would be as a member of the minority party.

Another section of the education bill would make the Iowa Association of School Boards subject to the open meetings and open records laws.

The organization, funded by the school boards across the state, is being investigated for possible misuse nepotism, fraud, misuse of taxpayer dollars, financial crisis and conflicts of interest, Dolecheck noted.

Reynolds noted the transportation bill as another example of policy being placed in budget bills.

A measure that would make anyone 17 and under to use a seatbelt in back seats couldn’t make it through on its own merits, but then was added to the transportation budget bill.

“I have a problem with skirting the regular process to get policy issues passed,” Reynolds noted.

The justice system budget will mean big increases in fines for people in the justice system.

The budget increases fines from 50 to 300 percent. The hike in fines is expected to raise $15 million with $8 million coming from increase fees as part of the process.

“I’m not sure the right way to balance the budget is with fines and fees,” Dolecheck said.

Senator Reynolds noted that an example of the big jump in fines and fees would turn a seatbelt violation which now totals $93 to $171 under the extended fine schedule.

Dolecheck also reported on the tax credit bill which has been approved by the House Ways and Means Committee.

The bill creates a tax credit review committee and repeals a number of tax credits while cutting funding for a handful of others by 10 percent. The bill also suspends the film tax credit program until July 1, 2012.

Dolecheck supported an amendment that raised the cap on the beginning farmer tax credit. The fund had been cut to $3 million but there already were $3.3 million in funds being taken advantage of in five year programs to help beginning farmers get started. The cap was raised to $6 million because the program is expected to grow over the next few years.

“I support any effort to review state tax credits to ensure they are doing what they were intended to do,” Dolecheck said. “I believe any legislation crafted to address tax credits should not result in a tax increase and this bill is a tax increase. When the state’s tax liability goes down -- as it does under the bill -- someone’s tax liability goes up. The bill raises taxes by $115 million”

The budgets for Health and Human Services, Economic Growth and the Department of Natural Resources are also among those moving through the legislature.

Senator Reynolds noted that he had been chosen to serve on the conference committee for the texting bill.

The House and Senate have different ideas about who would be affected by the bill and the two sides are having trouble reconciling their views.

The Senate bill would prohibit texting and reading on telephones while driving while the House would not allow drivers under 17 to use a cell phone at all.

  The Breakfast with the Master program will be held each morning beginning Monday, March 29, at the First Chrsitian Church in Mount Ayr again this year.

The community services will begin with breakfast each morning at 6:30 a.m., followed by a short worship.

Theme for the week is Christian community with several churches in the community hosting a day of the schedule.

On Monday, March 29, the Free Methodist Church is hosting with the topic of discussion “Christian Community.” Breakfast will be sweet rolls, doughnuts, oatmeal and dry cereal, fresh fruit, coffee and juice. The United Baptist-Presbyterian Church is helping with the rolls and doughnuts. The Free Methodist Church is in charge of cleanup.

On Tuesday, March 30, the Mount Ayr Parish United Methodists are hosting the morning with the discussion topic “Worship is Christian Community.” Breakfast will be biscuits and sausage gravy, cold cereal, fresh fruit, coffee and juice. The United Baptist Presbyterian Church is in charge of cleanup.

Wednesday, March 31, the United Church of Diagonal is hosting the activities with the discussion topic “Prayer in Christian Community.” Breakfast will be pancakes and ham, cold cereal, fresh fruit, coffee and juice. The Assembly of God has the cleanup duty.

Thursday, April 1, the Advent Christian and United Baptist-Presbyterian Churches are hosting the day with the theme “Service in Christian Community.” Breakfast will be egg casserole, English muffins, cold cereal, fresh fruit, coffee and juice. The United Methodists, Advent Christian and First Christian Churches are to bring the casseroles. Wishard Chapel United Methodist Church is in charge of cleanup.

Friday, April 2, the Lighthouse church is hosting the day with the discussion topic “Evangelism in Christian Community.” Breakfast will be coffee cakes and doughnuts, oatmeal and cold cereal, fruit cup, coffee and juice. The Lighthouse Church, United Methodists and United Baptist-Presbyterian Churches will be providing the coffee cakes and doughnuts and the Lighthouse Church will be in charge of cleanup.

Saturday, April 3, the First Christian Church is hosting the morning with the theme “Fellowship in Christian Community.” Breakfast will be cook’s choice, oatmeal and cold cereal, coffee and juice. The United Methodist Church and First Christian Church are in charge of cleanup.

For the first time in several years, a Mount Ayr Community high school individual speech contest student has advanced to all-state.

Erin Budach received straight division I ratings  in radio broadcasting at the state individual speech contest in Glenwood Saturday as one of three MAC students to earn straight division I ratings.

These students are eligible to be nominated to take part in the all-state speech festival at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.

Budach was selected for the honor and will be performing Monday, March 29, at 3 p.m. at the festival.

Also receiving division I ratings but not advancing to state were Jake Glendenning and Mayumi Fernandez.

Fernandez performed the piece, “Lady of Shalott” by William Shakespeare and Jake Glendenning performed in improvisation.  His improv selections were being a used car salesperson and a CIA agent who was on a cruise and it does not go well.  

Tom Hosfield performed “How Facebook Became Awkward” in after dinner speaking and received a II rating.  He also performed a selection from “Seeking Wild” by Christopher Durang and received a II rating.  

Alex Wallace performed the story “A Baker’s Dozen” by Alan Shepard and received a II rating for his efforts.  Alex Sobotka and Jake Glendenning performed in radio news announcing but were unfortunately disqualified.  

“These students worked very hard and represented Mount Ayr Community well,” said speech director Bethany Knox. “They should be very proud of themselves.”  

  An alternative design for the North Taylor and Hayse Street sewer extension project, opening bids for property and casualty insurance, an arbitrator’s salary decision, Judge Lewis Park seasonal contracts and a grant application to help purchase a law enforcement vehicle were all topics for the Mount Ayr city council at its regular meeting Monday night.

Sewer extension design

Is there a less costly way to provide sewer service to homes on North Hayes and North Taylor Streets in Mount Ayr?

Heath Pickins from the Howard R. Greene engineering firm was on had to discuss an alternative design for the project with the council Monday night.

Pickins’ estimate for the cost of constructing a low pressure system instead of a gravity flow system was that construction costs could be cut in almost half with the low pressure system.

With professional fees, contigencies and the Community Development Block Grant paying $418,000 of the gravity flow system costs, the city cost would be some $425,970.

The preliminary estimate for the low pressure system with professional feeds, additional design fees of $36,000 and contingencies and a reduced CDBG total of $282,804, would mean the city cost would be $288,196.

The grant will pay some 49.5 percent of the costs for the project and would be smaller with the reduced project costs.

Pickins estimated that the operation and maintenance costs for the gravity flow system would be some $62,985 over a 10 year period while the maintenance costs for the low pressure system would be $77,767.

The gravity flow project is about ready to go to bid, but Pickins said that he felt design and other work on the low pressure system could be completed so that it too could be constructed yet this summer.

With the gravity flow system, sewage would be collected like it is in much of the rest of the community.

With the low pressure system, each property would have its own grinder pump station that would have to be maintained and provided with electricity. The electric costs would not be great, but would need to be hooked up to the property owner’s electric service and they would pay for the electricity on top of their sewer bill.

Brent Ricker, who had asked for the alternate plan to be studied, joined the conversation by telephone from the hospital, where he has been hospitalized.

He said he felt the project could be done more inexpensively than the Howard R. Greene estimate and Pickins agreed that there was a lot of “contingency” built into the project that probably would not have to be spent.

After some discussion about the route of the lines, he said he felt that even the estimate of additional design fees might be high.

He noted that the estimate includes costs for building the grinder pump stations, piping the sewage to the collector line and providing additional electrical service for the pumps if needed.

The sewage would be gathered in a two inch low pressure pipe and pumped up to meet a gravity flow sewer line for the projects on both streets. Five clean-outs for the system where water could be put in to clean out the line are also projected.

Pickins noted that the city would need to determine how property owners would be charged for the construction of a grinder pump station once the present project is completed. With the gravity flow system, it would just be a matter of hooking up to the line but with the low pressure system, a pump station and connections would have to be built at much more cost to the city.

“In the end, either system would work for you, but the council needs to determine if they want to make a change from the current gravity flow plan,” he said.

Council members have been interested in the possible low pressure system, which is being used in more areas where the terrain or lack of users make it much more economical than a gravity flow system.

Council members decided that before they made a decision they would like an opportunity to talk with some of the residents who would be effected by the change in plans.

The matter will be discussed at a later meeting and Pickins be notified of how the city wishes to proceed.

Opening insurance bids

Phil Tyler and Lois Ibbotson from Tyler Insurance were on hand to provide bids for city property and casualty insurance for a three year period.

Tyler Insurance brought the only bids to the council this time -- bids from Continental Western  Insurance and Employer’s Mutual Insurance.

Phil Tyler began by reviewing the city’s coverage with the council -- noting that the city has some $9,518,462 in real property coverage.

He noted some of the actions his firm had taken to update the city coverage over the three years that Tyler Insurance has handled the city’s insurance.

The bid from Continental Western Insurance was $40,322 for the coming year while the bid from Employer’s Mutual Insurance was $39,943.

Tyler pointed out the differences in the policies to the council, noting that both offers had some advantages and disadvantages when compared with each other.

As part of the discussion it was noted that the city needs to be added as an additional insured on the county auto policy and county umbrella policy for the law enforcement vehicles that the city owns and the sheriff’s department uses.

Bob Shafer from Shafer Insurance also attended the meeting. He noted that he was unable to secure a bid on insurance for the city this time around.

After a good deal of discussion, the council voted 4-0 to accept the bid from Employer’s Mutual Insurance Company through Tyler Insurance Company for the next three year period.

Arbitrator’s salary decision

So much for trying to hold the line on salaries for city workers who are members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local #55.

The union and the council had not been able to agree on the pay levels for the coming year, so the matter had been taken to binding abitration.

The city council’s position was that there be no raise for city employees for the coming year, citing what was happening in governments across the state and the 17 percent increase in health insurance costs the city is facing.

The union position was that they wanted a 25 cent an hour raise, which is about half of what they have been receiving the past several years.

“A wage freeze is unprecedented in this community and is not called for in this instance,” arbitrator Charles E. Boldt ruled. “The city has the ability to pay the proposed increase with no diminution in interests and welfare of the public.”

He ruled that the union’s position of a 25 cents and hour increase was “most reasonable” of the two proposals.

Judge Lewis Park contracts

The first two of the seasonal contracts for Judge Lewis Park were approved at the meeting. Neither of the contracts had increases in pay over last year.

Mike Still was hired as recreation director for the summer at a contract of $4,900 beginning April 1. Still Mowing was hired to do the mowing of Judge Lewis Park at a cost of $5,500 from May 1 through September 1.

Chandra Drake was hired to be the manager of the Judge Lewis Park swimming pool for $10 an hour and as swimming lesson coordinator at $1,000 for the summer.

Law enforcement vehicle grant

The city of Mount Ayr is seeking  a USDA Rural Development community facilities grant to help with the purchase of a law enforcement vehicle.

As part of the process, a public meeting for comments on filing for the grant was needed and that hearing was held Monday night.

There were no comments from the public about the grant application proposal so the council approved a resolution authorizing the application.

The money would be used to purchase a vehicle that the city provides as part of its countywide law enforcement effort.

  Liquor licence renewals

Two liquor license renewals were also approved by the council Monday.

A Class C liquor license with outdoor service privilege was approved for Rumors Bar and Grill and a Class C liquor license and catering privilege was approved for the Mount Ayr American Legion.

  It’s off to Florida and Disney World for the Mount Ayr Community high school band for spring break.

A total of 51 band members will perform at Downtown Disney’s Waterside Stage and visit other Disney World parks in a trip beginning Sunday morning, March 14.

The MACHS band sent in an application to Disney World to be eligible to attend. Disney World required a DVD of the band playing two selections and a picture of the concert band in full uniform.

Based on the application packet, the MACHS band was accepted to perform at the Waterside Stage at Disney Worlds’ Downtown Disney on Wednesday, March 17 at 6:15 p.m.

On Sunday, March 14  at 7  a.m. the Mount Ayr Community entourage, with Supreme Travel tour manager Susan Singerhouse, will board two chartered buses from the Nicol’s Five Star Bus Company.  Loading will take place at the high school parking lot, with the buses to pull away at 8 a.m.

The group will arrive on noon Monday, March 15 at Cocoa Beach for shopping at Ron Jon’s Surf Shop and time on the beach.  At 4  p.m. they will depart Cocoa Beach and will check into the Hampton Inn and Suites Lake Buena Vista in Orlando, FL.

Tuesday, March 16 the students will board the buses and spend the day at Epcot Center.  Attractions at Epcot include Future World and  World Showcase, ending the evening with the fireworks and laser light show “Illuminations: Reflections of Earth.”

Wednesday, March 17  is performance day with the band traveling to Disney Worlds’ Magic Kingdom.  

In the evening they perform at Downtown Disney at the Waterside Stage. Their selections will include “Music From Titanic,” “Cable at Night,” “America the Beautiful, directed by Dana Morris, and “Andrew Lloyd Webber:  A Concert Celebration.” After the concert the band will stay at Magic Kingdom for the rest of the evening and watch the “Spectro Magic Parade” and “Wishes Nighttime Spectacular.”

Thursday, March 18  the students will travel to Disney Worlds’ Animal Kingdom in the morning, and then take in the Disney’s Hollywood Studios (formerly known as MGM Studio) portion of the park Thursday afternoon.  In the evening the Mount Ayr Community group will watch the show “Fantasmic.”

After the show, the students will board the buses and head for home.  Arrival at Mount Ayr Community high school is set for Friday evening, March 19.

  Building project updates and some  resignations were among items handled by the Mount Ayr Community school board at its regular meeting Monday, March 8.

Other details of the meeting are included in the regular edition of the paper.

Building project updates

Discussions on the progress of the building projects, approval of some change orders and approval of a reduced pay application took a good deal of time early in the meeting.

Nick Bruck from Construction Services Inc. was on hand for an update on the building project.

“The focus of work now is to complete the punch list at the elementary school and start demolition,” Bruck said. Plans are for the demolition to begin Monday, March 15, contingent on getting the salvage items out of the building and all the asbestos cleaned out.

Bruck said that contractors had until April 1 to get the punch list items completed but hoped to take advantage of the days when there would be no school.

Board members asked questions about the drainage problems that plagued the elementary school the first two days that the building was used.

The first day’s problem was fixed by jetting out the sewer lines at a cost of $4,000 that the district will not be billed.

The next day’s problem was found to be rags shoved into a drain line causing a blockage that had to be “snaked” out.

Since those two efforts the district has not had anymore problems with flooding from stopped up sewer lines. Again the work will not be charged to the school, Bruck said.

He noted that all the garbage was being put down the disposal in the first days of school and that he system was not designed for this.

The board briefly discussed the slab warranty for the high school addition. Jordison Construction has agreed to lengthen the warranty time from five years to six years for structural concrete problems that might develop because the concrete slab was not poured to specifications in all areas.

Board member Duane Schafer is still pushing for a seven year warranty and the matter will be discussed at a future board meeting, it was determined.

Board members still had question about the sealing of the concrete in the elementary school bathroom floors and the caulking of joints in the middle school gym wall.

Bruck brought three change orders to the meeting. Number 56 had to do with a sidewalk at the high school that has to be redone because of state inspection issues with the ramp.

Number 60 is for an additional exit sign at the elementary school that was required by the state fire marshal.

Number 61 is for revised door hardware at the main electrical room at the elementary  school.

The board approved the three change orders.

Bruck also brought a new pay application for funds to pay contractors for work completed.

The project architects suggested that the district not pay Direct Office Solutions the money listed because of problems with lockers which do not close, are beat up or need paint touch up.

The architects also suggested that the school district withhold $12,000 of a $52,000 payment to Jordison Construction.

After some discussion, the board decided to follow the recommendations of the architect and reduced the pay application amount by the amounts suggested.

A pay application in the amount of $188,711.74 was approved by the board after a lengthy discussion.

A motion to hold the amount for the lockers but to go ahead and pay for the concrete work because there is enough other work left with the firm to take care of any problems lost on a 3-2 vote with Larry Giles and P. J. West voting for the motion and Rod Shields, Jim Uhlenkamp and Duane Schafer voting against.

When the amount was lowered to include the deduction for the concrete firm, the measure passed unanimously.

In other building discussion it was noted that the stage floor in the 1936 building was being taken up to be used in the Princess Theater building.

Other salvage items from the building will be held for an auction to be held later in the spring, it was noted.

Personnel items

Two resignations and a change in resignation for a third employee were brought to the board Monday night.

Dana Morris, who has been the fifth through eighth grade band instructor, co-choir director and marching band flags director, has resigned her position at the end of the current school year.

Morris has been a teacher in the school district for the past four years. She plans to move from the area. The board accepted her resignation with regret.

Bethany Knox, who has been speech coach for the past two years, has asked to resign from this portion of her contract. She is an elementary school special education instructor.

The board accepted the resignation with the stipulation that a replacement be found. Otherwise Knox will need to serve another year in the position.

The board also approved a change in the date of the resignation for R. B. Davenport, who is resigning his custodial position.

The resignation will take effect April 16 instead of an early date in March originally approved.

The new date will put Davenport in a different quarter for his retirement and will mean less time that a substitute bus driver is needed in the district this year.

Mount Ayr Community’s Raider jazz band will take part in the Iowa Jazz Championships for the 14th time in the last 19 years after qualifying as second at the Dick Bauman jazz festival in Audubon Thursday, Feb. 25.

The Iowa Jazz Championship brings 60 of Iowa’s finest high school jazz ensembles (15 from each of the four Iowa High School Music Association classes) to Des Moines Tuesday, April 13, for the state competition.

A first or second place at the southwest Iowa jazz contest at Audubon would give the Raiders an automatic advancement to the state championships and the band took second. The team had already been named a wild card band with their performance at the Simpson College jazz festival earlier in the year.

Other jazz bands taking part in the same class with the Raider band included Elk-Horn Kimballton, East Mills, Sidney and Treynor.

“The students put on an amazing show at the Audubon high school auditorium and impressed everyone in the audience,” director Greg Storhoff said. 

“The soloists were incredible, our intonation was right on and our rhythm section scored an almost perfect ballot,” Storhoff said. “It was a great day.

Selections played by the band were  “Bari Bari Good” featuring Jake Glendenning, Jesse Penick, Alex Wallace and Matt Kerns,  “I’ll Always Smile in the Spring” featuring Jordan Klejch and Maggie Jennett and “Children of Sanchez” featuring  Jordan Klejch, Dustin Pritchett and Shannon Fox

The band had six band members named outstanding soloists for the day. They included Jordan Klejch, trumpet; Alex Wallace, vibes; Matt Kerns, alto saxophone; Jesse Penick, baritone saxophone; Jake Glendenning, baritone saxophone, and Dustin Pritchett, trombone.

Members of the rhythm section that scored so high included Alex Wallace, vibes; Ariel Dickerson, trap set; Charmaine Johnson and Maggie Jennett, piano; Ashley Phelps and Braydee Poore, bass guitar; Cacey Wilson, guitar; Katelyn Sobotka, congas, and Caitlin Giles, auxiliary percussion.

Other members of the jazz band include:

Flute: Jamie Novak and April Shields.

Alto saxophone: Adam Sickels, Karl Kerns, Taylor Lynch, Jessie Ricker, Madi Hosfield, Jennifer Blair.

Tenor saxophone: Shannon Fox, Korey Beaman, Erin Dolecheck.

Clarinet -- Hannah Saville, Hannah Fletchall, Logan Wimer, Ian Abarr.

Trombone -- Johnathan Triggs, Emily Fox, Josh Case, Grace Fernandez.

Trumpet -- Annie Uhlankamp, Jasper Abarr, Jena James, Tom Hosfield, 

The next performances of this award winning band will be March 7 at the Mount Ayr First Christian Church and April 26 at the Merrill V. Perry spring band concert.

  Looking into a grant to help with slip lining sewer lines, looking at an alternative to the Taylor/Hayes sewer extension project, an update on other grant projects, possible summer work help, approval of the proposed 2010-11 budget, roof repair and a tree trimming complaint were all part of a three-hour discussion for the Mount Ayr city council at its meeting Monday night.

I-Jobs sewer work

The new I-Jobs bill has allocated $35 million to go to communities with populations less than  10,000 for water quality and wastewater projects. Jeremy Rounds from the Southern Iowa Council of Governments was on hand to talk about projects the city of Mount Ayr might have they would like to apply for under the program.

The council suggested that the city apply for funds from the program to slip line the sewer lines around the square area.

If the slip lining is done to the sewer lines there, streets and alley would not have to be dug up as much, saving a good deal of time and expense.

It was decided to seek a grant for a $400,000 project that would slip line the sewer lines around the square and a block or more off the square. The work would be done as far as the money would go.

Funds for the program will be based on median household income, estimated user rates as a percentage of household income, per capita debt of the system and the unemployment rate, among other factors.

The amount of grant and loan for the projects has not been determined but the council decided to go ahead and see if they could land the grant from the program, knowing they could reject it if the terms were not what the council wanted. The loan for the program is at 3.25 percent, which is better than the city could bond for.

Council members also asked about seeking a grant under the program to build a new clear well and water storage facility for the city to replace the water treatment plant building at the old reservoir.

If enough information can be gathered before the March 30 application deadline, a submission of a grant for this project may also be made.

Taylor/Hayes sewer extension

Rounds also reported on the sewer project to provide sewer service to North Taylor and North Hayes Streets in Mount Ayr.

After a long delay, the environmental study has been completed and a notice in this week’s Mount Ayr Record-News provides a comment period for the project.

The project has a Community Development Block Grant of $418,000 which would be matched by a loan to the city left over from the loan taken out when the city sewer treatment plant was expanded. The next step in the process would be to take the sewer project to the bid phase.

At the meeting, however, some council members were having second thoughts on spending that much money on gravity flow sewers to serve 19 homes.

“It will take 84 years to pay for the improvements through sewer use charges,” council member Gerald Cannon noted.

City council member Brent Ricker said he thought the city would be better off changing to a system that had grinder pumps at each residence that hooked into a pressurized sewer line that would take the sewage to join up with the city sewer system gravity flow lines.

This would be a system like is used at Sun Valley Lake and in small town sewer projects that the Southern Iowa Rural Water Association is designing for small communities around the area.

“I think it would be a major waste of money to run the gravity flow lines in the area when the homes can be served much more inexpensively,” Ricker said.

Jeremy Rounds said that the alternatives were ones that should have been raised years ago and the option was discussed when the decision to go with the gravity flow lines was made. Low income home owners in the area were promised that they would only have a $500 hook up charge and monthly sewer bills when the lines were placed.

Possibilities of the city purchasing the pumps and then giving them to the property owners or taking on the maintenance of the pumps itself was also discussed briefly.

When council members discussed using a different engineer on the project, Rounds cautioned that changing engineers might mean that the grant would have to be turned back. In any case, changing the plan would mean that a new facility plan would need to be developed and approved by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Rounds suggested that the council talk with the current engineering firm, Howard R. Greene, about what a rough cost estimate would be for the design, construction and operating costs for 20 years for the alternative plan as compared to the plan currently in place. The council should also ask what the change would do the the facility plan for the project.

The council decided to seek this information from the Howard R. Greene firm and discuss the project further at the March 15 meeting.

That way a determination could be made on whether the project could be completed for less than the $400,000 which would be the city’s share of the larger project now designed and ready to bid.

Grant project updates

Rounds also gave updates on two other grant projects.

He noted that he had been working with the committee that has been raising funds for a new aquatic center at Judge Lewis Park and noted that they were having trouble getting large amounts of funds raised.

He noted that some bills have been presented and will need to be paid. He recommended that engineering work beyond the bathhouse element that the Federal Emergency Management Administration grant has been received for be stopped until the group can come up with the money to pay for it.

The pool house building that will double as an emergency shelter should be able to move ahead if matching funds can be found.

Rounds said that the committee may need to steer the design for the aquatic center so it does not cost so much.

He noted that Corning did their center for about $2 million, which is a good deal less than initial estimates for the Mount Ayr pool.

The work on the housing rehabilitation grant that the city received is moving forward without any hitches, he noted.

Bids for remodeling work on four homes that qualify for the program should be ready soon, he said.

Summer help

Council member Kirk Greenman, city superintendent Chuck Waske, city clerk Pam Poore and mayor Don Solliday had prepared a list of summer projects for the city that they though were feasible with the crew the city has.

They included regular projects like getting the swimming pool ready to a number of street projects as well as some sewer line work.

Poore told the council that she had applied for Summer Youth Training Program help where 18 to 21 year old youth would work on city projects for the summer.

Council member Kirk Greenman also noted that the county has used an I-Jobs program where more experienced people work for  a short period without cost to the city.

There was a long discussion about projects, with the council agreeing to seek some SYTP employees and look into some I-Jobs employees to help over the summer.

One of the jobs the SYTP employees would be used for is replacing brick paving with the major job to be done between CGI Foods and Pamada on Fillmore Street.

The council discussed the mowing that is done by the city crew each summer and  and decided to keep having city employees do the mowing at the airport, old lake and city properties around town with the big mower but to seek bids for the city property mowing jobs where a smaller mower is needed.

The city will need to purchase a new mower to be able to do these jobs and if bids are inexpensive enough, the city will hire out this mowing to save city crew time for other projects.

The council also will look into the possibility of having some of the summer pool staff help with the painting of the swimming pool which will need to be done this summer -- a project done about every five or six years.

Budget approval

A hearing was held on the Mount Ayr city budget for the 2010-11 fiscal year and the budget was approved.

No one attended the meeting to discuss the budget and no written responses to the budget were received.

The Mount Ayr city budget calls for revenues of $4,059,816 for the year of which $511,037 would come from property taxes. Levy rates would be $15.04 per $1,000 of assessed valuation for regular property and $3 per $1,000 in assessed valuation for ag land in the city limits.

The amount raised by property tax compares to $604,030 raised in 2009 and $501,905 estimated for the current year.

The budget calls for expenditure of $1,075,473 for public safety, the majority of which is for the new bathhouse/storm shelter at Judge Lewis Park in Mount Ayr.

Public works budget is $440,175, culture and recreation budget is $220,486, community and economic development budget is $341,571, the general government expense is $110,275, debt service is $174,183, and capital projects budget is $15,000. Expenditure for business type enterprises is $1,843,157.

The budget calls for expenditures over revenues of $204,950 for the year with the ending fund balance dropping to $891,967 from the current projected $1,096,917 at the beginning of the fiscal year.