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155 YEARS • NO. 15
OSCEOLA, IOWA 50213
THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2015
WORD PLAY
Supreme Court favors landowners in CCRC reservoir project
Clarke students qualify for national speech competition By AMY HANSEN OST news editor
ahansen@osceolaiowa.com
All it takes is making the right words flow one after the other. Clarke’s speech team members Timber Kent and Nick Johnston qualified for the national speech competition in June in Dallas, Texas. The Osceola Sentinel-Tribune had a chance to interview Johnston about his speech honors during a recent play practice at Clarke. “Certainly, last year, I went to Kansas City, but it will be really nice to go to Texas,” Johnston said. “I’ve never been that far south and west before. So, it will be kind of exciting because Texas is kind of it’s own place.” Johnston, a junior, will compete in a category called domestic extemporaneous speaking. Last year, he qualified in international extemporaneous speaking. Kent qualified as a freshman this year to go in international extemporaneous speaking. During competition, Johnston will have to walk into a room, draw a question and have 30 minutes to prepare with pre-gathered resources. Then, he has to answer the selected question in a five to seven minute speech. “It’s obviously a lot of thinking on your feet, but also, structure a good speech,” Johnston said. “ … Still, it’s going to be rather difficult to make a speech in that time.” This summer, competitors from across the nation will descend on Dallas, Texas, to engage in the national tournament, which is
By AMY HANSEN OST news editor
ahansen@osceolaiowa.com
The highest court in the state of Iowa has issued their verdict in the case of the Clarke County Reservoir Commission’s (CCRC) reservoir project. The Iowa Supreme Court sided in the favor of the appeal from the local landowners and not the CCRC. The judgment was issued Friday, April 10. “We will read the opinion and figure out what the reservoir agency has to do,” said attorney Ivan T. Webber, the CCRC’s legal counsel on its reservoir project, during a phone interview the afternoon of Monday, April 13.
Contributed photos
Above, Nick Johnston, left, and Timber Kent show their speech awards during a recent competition. Right, Johnston poses with his speech awards.
through National Speech and Debate Association. It was formerly known as the National Forensic League. Johnston said there will be four competitors representing Iowa in domestic extemporaneous speech. “It’s pretty exciting to get to go,” he said. Meeting new people One of the things Johnston said he’s looking forward to the most is meeting new people from across the nation. “I went to nationals last year, and the different cultural experiences of everyone,” he said. “Just sitting down in a hallway talking with people who have accents. All these sorts of things. Stories of how they got there.” To prepare, Johnston watches the news and keeps up with current pol-
The original plan
itics. While there will be informational resources at Kent’s disposal, he said it’s better to have an understanding and basic knowledge of the many topics beforehand. “It’s not like acting where you have a script. Every
The plan was for the CCRC to have a reservoir project in northern Clarke County that could provide a water supply for Osceola and Southern Iowa Rural Water Association (SIRWA) with an 816-acre lake, which could provide 2.2 million gallons of water per day. West Lake, the current water source, doesn’t meet the needs of Clarke County and SIRWA. The total project cost for the reservoir in the CCRC reservoir project is estimated at $37.6 million. Funding for the project includes many sources, especially funding from the local-option sales tax.
time you go in, it’s going to be something different,” Johnston said. “So, it’s kind of hard to prepare but it’s still possible at the same time — just keeping up with events, kind of knowing the questions before they come. If that makes any sense.”
OCMS debuts leasing website to help new business owners By AMY HANSEN
OST news editor ahansen@osceolaiowa.com
Starting a new business can be a daunting, risky venture, but Osceola Chamber Main Street (OCMS) is offering a way to smooth the start up. OCMS received a $5,000 business innovation grant from Main Street Iowa in 2014 and is using it to set up a short-term leasing website. The website is called www.yournewstorefront. com. The website allows a person the option to lease commercial property in Osceola for a short-term of 1 day to 90 days. SINGLE COPY PRICE: 75¢
Copyright 2015
SINGLE COPY PRICE: 75¢
“They could go s o m e where, try it for up to 90 days and then see if they w a n t e d Lumsden to open it permanently, which is our ultimate goal,” said Derek Lumsden, executive director of OCMS. “Or, for a new start up businesses to
do the same thing — come in, try out the market and then see if it’s worth having a permanent presence in Osceola.” How does it work? Lumsden said it works similar to Hotels.com. Business owners can sign up for certain dates that they want to come in and depart, and then be charged per square foot on the space. If a person rents for 30
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2014 local ruling On April 8, 2014, Judge Sherman W. Phipps of the Fifth Judicial District of Iowa ruled CCRC’s ongoing Squaw Creek Watershed project is for a public use, public purpose or public improvement as defined in the Iowa Code. Therefore, CCRC may use the power of declaratory judgment and eminent domain in the reservoir project. Eminent domain is the government’s power to take private property for public use by a state. Declaratory judgment is a court review for acquiring land for a public project. It authorizes CCRC to purchase land from voluntary sellers and exercise eminent domain for
days or less, it’s 10 cents a square foot. If a person stays up to 90 days, it’s four cents a square foot. So, from 31 to 90 days, it’s four cents a square foot. Basically, the short-term leases start out as only $10 per 100 square feet of space, with utilities included. If business owners stay longer than a month, the lease prices drop to $4 per 100 square feet of space. All of the listings are in Osceola’s downtown district and are accessible by major highways and pedestrian traffic. “We did it primarily for Please see STOREFRONT, Page 4A
Weather Your Local Weather Thu
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involuntary sellers within the area of the watershed project.
Appeal An appeal from local landowners was filed May 6, 2014, in Clarke County Courthouse on the judge’s ruling in the CCRC court case. However, the CCRC had the power to purchase land during the appeal process. Purchase agreements from local landowners were being worked out in the past couple of months. In December 2014, Iowa Supreme Court agreed to hear the appeal filed by local Clarke County landowners against CCRC. The appeal date in February was scheduled much sooner than expected when it comes to the process of moving things along in the legal system. The appeal was about if CCRC has the right to the power of eminent domain with its ongoing reservoir/ watershed project. Iowa Supreme Court set the oral argument for the appeal on eminent domain to be heard Feb. 18, 2015. It takes a period of a few months for the court to issue a judgment.
What next? During a phone interview, Dave Beck, project coordinator for the CCRC’s ongoing reservoir project, said all questions should be addressed to Webber. “They’re in the process of evaluating the court’s decision and what’s their next step,” Beck said. Beck sent the legal judgment papers from the Iowa Supreme Court to the Osceola Sentinel-Tribune, and their content will be included in updates as this story progesses. The CCRC’s monthly meeting is scheduled 9 a.m. Thursday, April 16, at Clarke County Development Corporation. When it comes to any chance of an appeal from the CCRC, Webber said the Iowa Supreme Court has the final say in state law. When asked how big of a blow this could be to the CCRC, Webber responded, “We’ll have to study that.”
Don’t Forget Music by Rick Burk will be at Osceola Eagles Lodge 7-11 p.m. Friday.
70/49
More sun than clouds.
afternoon. Highs in the low 70s and Highs in the low 70s and CHECK OUT OSCEOLAIOWA.COM FOR DAILY UPDATED NEWS, DEATH NOTICES AND SPORTS. lows in the mid 40s. lows in the upper 40s.