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AROUND NORTH IOWA
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CLARION: A spokesman for the local extension office said the newly announced reorganization plan...
GARNER: The school board voted to cut a high school teacher and kill the elementary...
WEBSTER CITY: The city council is divided over how much to raise water and sewer...
HAMPTON: County extension director Bev Peters talked about the big changes coming to Iowa's extension education system that were announced May 1. The 99 county directors in Iowa will be replaced by 20 regional directors by the end of 2009. Each county will still have an extension office, but the executive functions will be regionalized. Currently there are several vacancies in the system (including Wright County), and Iowa State University is offering liberal retirement benefits in an effort to thin those ranks even more. The county extension directors that remain will be able to apply for one of the 20 regional jobs. Franklin County will be included in the Mason City cluster of five offices. Peters said she has been with Franklin County Extension for 38 years and wasn't sure what her plans would be.
HUMBOLDT: The county extension director said he will probably be out of a job on July 1 due to the reorganization of the ISU Extension Service. He has been in his post for seven years. Humboldt, Wright, Hamilton and Webster Counties will be one of the 20 new clusters across the state, he said. One person will be hired to oversee those four counties.
CLARION: A spokesman for the local extension office said the newly announced reorganization plan will be good for places like Wright County. Much of the money previously spent on a county director will be made available for programming and services. For the Clarion office, that means $36,000 for local programs. Wright County has been without a local extension director since the retirement of Leroy Jensen.
IOWA FALLS: The county extension director said he knew changes were coming to his office, but not the extensive changes that were announced May 1. The 12-year employee says he may apply for one of the 20 new regional extension director posts. Hardin County will be combined with Boone, Marshall and Story Counties to form a cluster.
ALGONA: The new regional office for ISU Extension will be located here. It will cover Kossuth, Hancock, Winnebago, Emmet and Palo Alto Counties.
GARNER: The school board voted to cut a high school government/economics teacher and kill the elementary and high school at risk programs for budget reasons. Many people spoke up in support of the five-year veteran teacher. But the superintendent said, "We are becoming a small district. We lost 23 students this year and 29 students last year. We will not even come close to bringing in the same number of kindergarten students (as we are graduating). We have to adjust our staffing levels accordingly."
NORTHWOOD: Scholarships for graduating seniors will each total $6,100 this year. The money comes from the casino along Interstate 35.
BRITT: Primera Foods announced a preliminary timetable for the re-opening of the old ConAgra plant. In August the firm plans to start grading eggs that will be placed in cartons for grocery stores. In November the plan is to start an egg breaking operation. In February the company wants to start drying eggs. The "hen fruit" will come from a new poultry operation being built near Corwith.
OSAGE: A candle-making business that started in St. Ansgar as a hobby has grown extensively. The Milkhouse Candle Company operation recently moved to a larger space in Osage. The firm's candles are a mix of soy wax and beeswax. They are sold across the U.S., in Canada and in the United Kingdom.
WEBSTER CITY: The city council is divided over how much to raise water and sewer rates. The proposal so far increases the base monthly water bill from $4.36 to $6.46 with additional increments rising from $3.17 to $4.50 -- increases of between 40 and 50 percent. The minimum sewer charge would climb from $14.50 to $17.95. Large users complained that the new rates were too hard on them, and the minimums should be increased. But others said the new minimums (nearly $24.50 per month) would be hard on senior citizens. By comparison, the new minimum rates in Belmond are $16.50.
HAMPTON: The fire department's new rescue truck has been delayed thanks to the current economic downturn and the financial problems of General Motors. The GM plant where such trucks are built has been closed twice, so the September delivery date has been pushed back until at least the end of the year.
CLARION: The union representing city employees has agreed to a pay freeze for the 2009-10 fiscal year. Workers will get one more paid holiday.
NORTHWOOD: Two city council members complained that minutes of meetings are not complete and do not include enough details. They said decisions are being made by concensus (without a vote) and are not being recorded. Equipment is being purchased and salaries set without official votes being taken. In addition, without better descriptions of what is being said, the minutes are incomplete and the public cannot learn the "why" behind council actions. The city clerk said she prepares two sets of minutes and bills -- a cut-down version for publication in the newspaper and a more complete one for council members. One council member said such minutes do not meet the requirement of allowing the public to know what is going on.
HANCOCK COUNTY: Law enforcement officials said there is no truth to rumors that strange men have been driving around Britt and Garner, talking to children and/or taking pictures. "I'm not sure how these rumors started," said one officer. "There have been no actual reports." However, authorities did say the rumors provide an opportunity for parents to talk to their children about strangers.
CLEAR LAKE: The developer who purchased the old Lincoln Elementary School revealed his plans for the area. He will have the building remodeled into condominiums and then build additional town homes on the site.
LAKE MILLS: The city council was very pleased when the low bid on a storm sewer project was almost 30 percent under the estimate. The engineer said the work would cost $1 million, but the low bid was only $706,000.
ALGONA: The school board held a public hearing to discuss building a new middle school onto the existing high school. Former State Senator Berl Priebe expressed concern over the plan. "Some time ago I was flying with a school advisor, and I asked him what the worst thing he had ever recommended was. He told me the worst idea he had ever had was recommending junior high and high school combined in one building. He said that the school district saw teen pregnancy increase, more bullies and the creation of gangs."
HAMPTON: The school district has been accepted into a five-year program by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide free breakfasts and lunches to any child under the age of 18 during summer. School officials reviewed the operation of similar programs in other schools and found that participation often drops off after July 4. So Hampton will try it for the month of June and first two weeks in July. There are no forms to fill out. Children just need to be at the high school between 7:15 and 8:15 for breakfast and between 11:15 and 12:15 for lunch.
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©Belmond Independent 2009
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