Wednesday September 5, 2007
The Akron 75¢ Volume 6 • Number 36 What’s Happening
Salt sales
The A-W Athletic Booster Club annual salt sale continues with delivery Sat., Sept. 15. Contact Todd Colt, 5682020, to place an order.
Farmers Market
The Sept. 5 and 12 nights are open at the Farmers Market in the Akron City Park. If you would like to set up a food stand, contact Cristi at 568-8750. The Sept. 19 food stand is Carlsen Funeral Home and the last Farmers Market stand on Sept. 26 is the Akron Museum.
History books
You can still preorder Akron’s history book. Orders will be taken until Sept. 15. Contact City Hall or stop by the Quasquicentennial booth at the Scarecrow Festival Sept. 15 to order your book. If you don’t pre-order, there are no guarantees there will be many extra books.
School Board candidates
Anyone interested in being a write-in school board candidate for Akron-Westfield District No. 3, please call Hometowner for campaign assistance.
City Elections
See Akron City Council ad for city council candidates on Page 2.
Hometowner
Hometown newspaper of Arvin and Dorothy Finzen
Scarecrow Festival
Create a scarecrow or two for the 2007 Great Akron Scarecrow Festival & Contest, which is Saturday, Sept. 15. Or rent a booth to sell your crafts, food or wares. Festival proceeds raised go for community betterment. For more information, see story on Page. 16.
Akron, Iowa 51001
No ethanol plant for Akron
Akron Riverview suspends plans By Julie Ann Madden On Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 28, the Akron community learned Akron Riverview Corn Processors LLC. suspended further project development of its proposed ethanol plant, which would have been located at 170th Street and Iowa Highway 12 south of Akron. Citing unfavorable “market conditions,” Akron Riverview officials also stopped the preparation of its registration statement for the sale of its securities. “Akron Riverview Corn Processors LLC (official) intends to monitor market conditions and will proceed with the preparation of its registration statement and further project development at a later date if it deems it
appropriate and advantageous,” according to a press release from Little Sioux Corn Processors LLLP, which owns Akron Riverview subsidiary. With ethanol prices at $1.60 a gallon and $3 per bushel corn, it’s making it real difficult to get financing, said Plymouth County Economic Development Director Gary Tucker. “It’s a sign of the economy.” On June 15 of this year, Akron Riverview officials announced they had exercised options on the real estate for their 100-milliongallon ethanol plant site. The sale of the two parcels, which were owned by Robert and Margaret Lias and Mary Wohlenberg respectively, was to have been finalized within the next 30 to 60
days. Plymouth County Auditor Recorder JoLynn Goodchild said the sales were recorded in her office on Aug. 30. The suspension of Akron Riverview plans may also halt both Plymouth County’s Urban Renewal Area creation and road improvements near Akron. According to Tucker, Plymouth County Supervisors will probably complete the legal proceedings on their planned Urban Renewal Area but will also stop the process. Therefore, if Akron Riverview continues with the project, the county would just have to hold a public hearing to
See ETHANOL Con’t on Page 4
Q-pop for pup
First National Bank gave out “bomb” popsicles at the Quasquicentennial Parade on Aug. 11. Even puppies enjoyed the treat in the hot summer weather, which was followed by nearly a week of rain. Labor Day Weekend was sunny and in the high 80s.
Board fixes weed woes in Union County
By Julie Ann Madden At a distance it may look pretty with its flowers brightening up the landscape; but up close, it’s noxious weeds, according to a South Dakota Extension Office’s pamphlet, “Noxious Weeds of South Dakota.” Weeds causing Union County landowners the most grief this year are the Canada Thistle with its lavender, pink or white flowers; Leafy Spurge with small green flowers surrounded with yellow-green bracts; and Purple Loosestrife with its five-to six-petalled purplemagenta b l o s soms.
Looking Back
Due to Labor Day holiday, there is no “Looking Back” feature in this edition. Look for it next week.
Your locally owned hometown newspaper now in its sixth year
Other plants considered noxious weeds in South
Dakota include field bindweed, perennial sow thistle, hoary cress, Russian knapweed, saltcedar, musk thistle, plumeless thistle, bull thistle, scotch thistle, Flodman’s thistle, absinth wormwood, dalmation toadflax, yellow toadflax, houndstongue, spotted knapweed, diffuse knapweed, tansy, St. Johnswort, puncturevine, mullein, burdock, giant knotweed, chicory, poison hemlock, and wild hemp. Controlling weeds in Union County is the responsibility of a “Weed Board.” From 2004-2006, the Union County Commissioners supervised the Weed Board. Prior to that weed control was through the Union County Extension educator, according to Janet Lingle, Union County Extension secretary who has worked with the Weed Board for the past 26 years. Union County still has a “Weed Board,” but it is now its own entity with the responsibility for controlling all noxious weeds in the 12 townships. Each township is charged for chemicals, equipment usage and for labor of spraying, explained Lingle, adding they spray township roads, county roads, state highways in Union County and along Interstate 29 south of Beresford to the Iowa line. The Weed Board is made up of a member from each Union County Commissioner’s district and two county commissioners. Milton Ustad and Dale Neely are the two commissioners on the Weed Board. Ustad serves as chairman. Ustad and Neely report the board’s activities and needs directly to the Commissioners. The other members are Don Gray, vicechairman; Janet Lingle, secretary; and members: Curt Winquist, Randy Ronning, Dean Bosse, and Terry Booe Sr. The Weed Board’s budget for the 2007 fiscal year was $112,223, said Lingle. Their expenses include salary, chemical purchases, any equipment and/or equipment repairs needed, travel and meeting expenses, and basic office supplies. “It’s the same (dollar amount) as last
year,” said Lingle, “and we requested the same amount for 2008.” The Weed Board hires a spraying crew under the supervision of Christopher Velk, who is a University of South Dakota student. The sprayers are Jesse Sporrer, Korey Potratz, Brenden Huber and Josh Jeffery. The spraying crew, including Velk, began spraying the townships the end of May and early part of June this year. Velk also investigates weed complaints. Once Velk inspects the property or area in the complaint, a letter is sent to the property owner giving them 10 days to control the weeds. Then it’s inspected again. If the crew ends up doing the work, property owners must pay. “It’s a bad year for weeds,” said Lingle. “If you don’t control what you already have, next year it’ll spread even more.”
Call: 712-568-2208 • FAX: 712-568-2271 • E-mail: akronht@hickorytech.net • Website: www.akronhometowner.com