The
Graphic - Advocate Wednesday
| AUGUST 28, 2013|Volume 124| Issue 35
Rockwell City Office 712-297-7544 • advocate@iowatelecom.net - Lake City Office 712-464-3188 • lcgraphic@iowatelecom.net SCC Sports on page 10
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Lohrville building options unresolved at board meeting
Grilling for Dance Teams
Volunteers prepared picnic meals outside of the SCC Elementary School during the Open House on Aug. 20, to raise money for the SCC dance teams. (Graphic-Advocate photo by Ken Ross)
Filing open for city elections
From Monday, Aug. 26 to Thursday, Sept. 19, individuals interested in running for city office in the Tuesday, Nov. 5 election are able to file nomination petitions with city clerks. These petitions may be obtained from the city clerk or the county auditor’s office. City clerks will file the names of candidates with the county auditor’s office on Friday, Sept. 20. In Rockwell City, terms are for four years for the mayor and for the five council members. Terms expiring at the end of this year include Mayor Phil Heinlen, and council members David Dawson and John Hepp. In Lake City, terms are for four years for the mayor and for the five council members. Terms expiring at the end of this year include council members Tamela Green, Kim Kramer and Terry Himes. In Manson, the mayor’s term is for two years and terms are for four years for the five council members. The five park board members also have four-year terms but none will be up for election this year. Terms expiring at the end of this year include Mayor David George, and council members Daniel Poppinga and Steve Smothers. In Lohrville, terms are for four years for the mayor and for the five council members. Terms expiring at the end of this year include council members Christopher Kavanaugh and Tami Mohr. In Lytton (filed in Sac County), terms are for two years for the mayor and for the five council members. Terms expiring at the end of this year include Mayor Brian Pibal, and council members Jeff Ellerbrock, Larry Coon, Tim Huddleson, Nelda Bartels and Nick Albright. In Farnhamville, terms are for four
years for the mayor and for the five council members. Terms expiring at the end of this year include Mayor Frank Morgan, and council members Gary Hall, Barbara Gregg and Jeff Kicklighter. In Jolley, terms are for two years for the mayor and for the five council members. Terms expiring at the end of this year include Mayor J.R. Johnson, and council members Phillip Rastetter, Donald Eldridge, Rod Johnson, Marvin Ashbrook and Doug Aden. In Knierim, terms are for four years for the mayor and for the five council members. Terms expiring at the end of this year include council members Jeff Nelsen, Kenneth Schreiber and Richard Larsen, Jr. In Pomeroy, the mayor’s term is for two years and terms are for four years for the five council members. Terms expiring at the end of this year include Mayor Gene Becker, and council members Daniel DeVore and Brian Meyer. In Rinard, terms are for two years for the mayor and for the three council members. Terms expiring at the end of this year include Mayor Steve Miller, and council members Kevin Mosher, Linda Barmasse and Kenneth Sibbitt. In Somers, terms are for two years for the mayor and for the five council members. Terms expiring at the end of this year include Mayor Thomas Lawman, and council members Helen Schroeder, Daniel Goodwin, Tom Beacom, Jerry Lawman, and Lance Peed. In Yetter, terms are for two years for the mayor and for the three council members. Terms expiring at the end of this year include Mayor Cathy Jo Lietz, and council members Rodney Hart, Norman Roller and Mark Lietz.
By Ken Ross Graphic-Advocate Editor At the Aug. 19 joint meeting of the Southern Cal and Rockwell City/ Lytton School Boards, the S. Cal Board did not totally abandoned the idea of finding a buyer for the Lohrville building that housed an elementary school until May of 2012, but finding an alternative to expensive demolition seems more remote than before. The district received two bids for the building earlier this year but has not accepted either one pending assurances that the building will actually be used rather than being left as a liability for the city of Lohrville. The school district has stopped communication completely with the director of Fort Dodge Youth Development, which had submitted a bid for the building with plans to create a seminary and residential Christian based youth shelter. Questions were raised during public meetings in Lohrville about the director’s criminal record and about the organization’s financial ability to follow through with its plans. The other bid was from a Missouri based contractor G.W. Duncan. Research by Lohrville citizens, spearheaded by Ann Gemberling, raised the possibility that the contractor would simply strip the building of salvageable material and then abandon it, leaving the city worse off than before. At the Aug. 19 board meeting, Gemberling noted that officials in Lima, Ohio, are frustrated trying to get something done with an old school building purchased by the Missouri based contractor. Meanwhile, the school district and the city of Lohrville are cooperating in an effort to prepare for the likely need for demolition. Some of the expense, although likely only a fraction of the potential $350,000 to $500,000 demolition expense, might be paid for through a federal grant. The city of Lohrville has taken
the first step toward obtaining the grant by agreeing to pay for a study regarding asbestos and other hazardous material. Tami Mohr, Lytton City council member, reported at the Aug. 19 meeting that the report had not yet been completed, but was expected to be completed that week. She also noted that the issue of building demolition costs has been raised recently in the Reader’s Watchdog column of the Des Moines Register as a problem that affects school districts across the state, with specific mention of the situation in Lohrville. There was a question raised about using an Iowa Central Community College demolition and recycling program to reduce costs. The program was used for part of the demolition of a quarterblock building south of the square in Rockwell City but Jo Grodahl, a Rockwell City businesswoman,
By Ken Ross Graphic-Advocate Editor Parents of students at the South Central Calhoun Middle School are receiving letters informing them that their children’s school has been designated a School in Need of Assistance as a result of not meeting the Annual Yearly Progress (AYP)
goals for the second year in a row, Middle School Principal Marc DeMoss informed the joint meeting of the Southern Cal and Rockwell City/Lytton Boards on Aug. 19. The AYP goals are based on a formula regarding progress made toward the federal No Child Left Behind objective of having all students in all schools proficient in math and reading by 2014. This is measured by performance on standardized annual testing. When the composite score on these tests does not show the school being on a trajectory to meet the 100 percent proficiency goal, the school is put on a watch list and federal requirements kick in, such as the need to inform parents of the situation. The high school in Lake City had been on this watch list but after meeting the trajectory goals two years in a row, the high school was removed from the list.
pointed out that the city needed to step in and arrange completion of the demolition of that project. She noted that the ICCC program was limited in what it could do, even for a project that was much smaller than the demolition of the Lohrville building would be. One of those limitations is hazardous material removal. Asbestos had to be removed from the Rockwell City building before the ICCC students could work on the building. The S. Cal Board has not totally given up on the idea of selling the building intact. Mark Schleisman, S. Cal Board vice president said he doesn’t want to spend a large amount of money to create a vacant lot. Schleisman is also a member of the South Central Calhoun Board that will take over assets and liabilities of the merging districts on July 1, 2014. Supt. Jeff Kruse has talked to G.W. Duncan on the phone. Kruse told
those in attendance at the Aug. 19 meeeting, “I’ve talked to him briefly. He was curious as to when we were going to make a decision, I told him we would be discussing this at the Monday meeting. I don’t know if he would hold that bid another time.” Kruse added, “I kept telling him that your biggest issue is that you have never come up here to talk to us face to face. People don’t know enough about you. If you came up here we could have a conversation.” S. Cal board members have indicated that they would only be interested in selling to a buyer with development plans, not just any buyer for the purpose of getting out from under the obligation. Jim Brown, president of the S. Cal and the SCC boards, said, “We have a moral responsibility when a building is closed not to simply abandon the building but to get this situation resolved.”
School starts
Aug. 20, the day before school began at South Central Calhoun Schools, the SCC Elementary School in Rockwell City held an open house, providing an opportunity for students and parents to meet staff and get their locker assignments. (Graphic-Advocate photo by Ken Ross)
SCCMS declared ‘School in Need’ In response to a question about how many schools are on the list, DeMoss said, “I would imagine by next year it will be a large proportion. I just
can’t believe people will be hitting a 100 percent proficiency in math and reading.”
Auditions slated for Meridien Singers
Tryouts for the Manson Meridian Singers will be held Thursday evening, Sept. 5. Audition times will be from 6:45 until 9 pm that evening. Auditions are being held for singers new to the group, along with singers who may have previously sung with the group for one or two seasons. Members who have sung for at least three seasons or more and are interested in singing in this 43rd annual season need only to contact director Jerrold Jimmerson prior to Sept. 1, but no audition will be required this year. Copies of the audition material, a tentative calendar for the season, and a sign-up sheet for audition times are all available at the Collmann/Agents,
Inc. in Manson during normal business hours through Wednesday, Sept. 4. This short 10-minute audition consists of vocal warm-ups, singing a portion of a prepared piece of music included in the audition packet, and a short section of another piece for sight-reading purposes. For additional information call 712-4692797. First rehearsal for the new group is scheduled for Thursday evening, Sept. 19, starting at 7:30 p.m. All rehearsals will be held at the MNW Junior-Senior High School Vocal Music Room in Manson. The 43rd annual show is scheduled for Saturday evening, Feb. 8 and Sunday afternoon, Feb. 9, 2014.
Reading fun in Lohrville
Shown above are participants of the Kids Summer Reading Book Club at the J.J. Hands Library in Lohrville. From Wednesday, July 10 through Aug. 14, brave kids came to the ibrary to explore what goes on Beneath the Surface! Friends of the Library members read “How to eat Fried Worms” by Thomas Rockwell. Every week included reading more chapters of the book, checking the worms in the worm farm, doing an activity and making a snack. Activities included the longest worm relay, worm obstacle course, worm comparison, and watching the movie version of the book. Some of the snacks included worm pizza, worm piles, dirt cake, and frozen worm cubes. Stay tuned for information about the after school program, The Best Kids Book Club Ever starting in September!
Future truck stop
The goal is to have the truck stop off Hwy four near Hwy 20 in operation before winter arrives. Concrete has been poured for the entrance drive. (Graphic-Advocate photo by Ken Ross)
Checking out new cars
The Olberding kids checked out the new cars at the Rockwell City Elementary during a Test Drive for Kids in conjunction with the Aug. 20 open house. During the promotion sponsored by Champion Chrysler of Rockwell City and Chrysler Motors, the elementary school received a donation for every person who test drove a new car, such as the Olberding kids’ mother, Heather. A similar test drive promotion sponsored by Champion Chrysler and Dodge will take place before the football game in Lake City on Sept. 6 with the funds raised going to the Titan Athletic Boosters. (GraphicAdvocate photo by Ken Ross)