the ogden VOLUME 141
Repor er
Our Town, Make it Yours!
Ogden Iowa
Sesquicentennial
1866-2016
OGDEN, IOWA 50212 - WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 2016
NUMBER 6
Retirees (and Kris) share thoughts - wave ‘goodbye’ TUESDAY, MAY 31, nine Ogden Community School staff members experienced their last staff luncheon. All in all, the local school system will be losing ?? years of experience - teaching, coaching, maintaining our facilities and holding down things on the business front. Their familiar faces will surely be missed. From left, Doug McComb, Dick Smith, Kris Van Pelt, Lynn Smith, Dee Savits, Brian Reimers, Dar McComb, Dave Larsen and Freda Perdue. They each provide a brief description of their careers as they say goodbye. (See page five.) -Ogden Reporter photo
Red Cross Teams Up with Ogden Fire Department Volunteers are needed Red Cross Teams Up with Ogden Fire Department to Install Smoke Alarms and Teach Fire Safety. The American Red Cross Home Fire Campaign continues in Iowa and across the country to reduce deaths and injuries from home fires by as much as 25 percent by 2020. Seven times a day someone in this country dies in a fire. The Home Fire Campaign focuses on joining fire departments and community groups to install smoke alarms in communities with high numbers of fires and encouraging everyone to practice their fire escape plans. After the tragic fire in Boxholm in January that took the lives of a mother and three children, sev-
eral fire departments in the Boone County area began working with the Red Cross to plan smoke alarm installation projects in their communities. The Ogden Fire Department and the Red Cross will be going door-to-door on Saturday, June 11 and Saturday, July 9, from approximately 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., to install free smoke alarms in homes that need them and teach people about what they can do now to be prepared should a fire break out in their home. SMOKE DETECTORS -Please turn to page nine.
Dueling Pianos, Rukkus and Motor Show highlight this year’s Ogden Fun Days Ogden Fun Days 2016, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, June 23-25, is coming together nicely. This year in particular should be a great time as Ogden celebrates its 150th birthday. Friday night Ogden Family Dental Motor Show, 5 to 9 p.m. Dueling Pianos provided by Dueling Pianos International A high-energy, all-request, sing-along, clap-along, rock-n-roll comedy piano show where the audience is just as much a part of the show as the entertainers (www.duelingpianoshows.com). Performing 8 p.m. to midnight. Presented by VisionBank.
OCSD Facilities Committee Update The community committee which has been asked to dig deeper into options for the facilities within Ogden Community School District, has met four times in addition to the three original community-wide meetings. The committee has reviewed spending comparisons to realize that in 2014-15, out of 338 school districts in Iowa, Ogden was 78th highest spending district for facilities, while only 282nd in spending for staff and educational programs; they reviewed over one million dollars in reductions over the past seven years to staff and programs; and they reviewed the enrollment trend and saw a drop of 150 students from 2004-2014. They have toured all three buildings and have reached a consensus to recommend closing the elementary and building an addition at the high school. The committee has requested additional information from a professional firm to compare cost of building an elementary addition vs. a middle school addition. They also would like options to reduce the cost of remodel needs at the middle school. School Board President Pete Bergstrom said, “The committee members now understand our facility costs are too high for our enrollment and they are wanting to see real options for possible additions and remodels. Two key points people often don’t understand is that any addition that is done must increase daily operational efficiency and must result in a net decrease of square footage overall. Both will save substantial operational dollars moving forward and will help position our school district for long term stability, which currently, doesn’t exist.”
Saturday Greg Frisbee The Rubber Chicken Variety Show. Three performances throughout the afternoon. Rukkus 8 p.m. to midnight. Presented by Ogden Water Buffaloes. Watch next week for a full schedule of all the Ogden Fun Days events. Deep in the bowels of our office, we recently came across an issue of - More Fun Days info. inside on page nine. the very first Ogden Reporter, dated June 6, 1874. It’s very fragile, and little tattered, but wouldn’t we all be at 142 years old? In celebration of our newspa The Ogden Reporter is having a 150th birthday party for Ogden in per’s birthday, we gently copied the celebration of its sesquicentennial. eight pages, and thanks to modern Stop by the office Thursday, June 23 (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) for some birthday day technology, have printed and cake and refreshments. Connie Rudy will be available between 11 a.m. and incorporated that first issue into 1 p.m. for a book signing. Copies of her book “Downtown Ogden - Past and this week’s edition for your reading Present” are available at The Ogden Reporter office. enjoyment.
A special surprise inside . . .
Help us celebrate Ogden’s birthday
And the wall comes tumbling down by KATHY PIERCE
REPORTER STAFF WRITER
A loud crash could be heard downtown Boone Sunday afternoon, May 29 when a portion of the Boone History Center’s facade came crashing down onto the front steps. “Thankfully, no injuries occurred during the collapse,” said the History Center’s Executive Director Mara MacKay. According to MacKay, the cornice has been in disrepair and was identified as critical in January 2016. They were already in the process of securing a grant for needed repairs. She explained that a USDA loan application was moving forward in the process for cornice repairs along with replacement of furnaces, an elevator upgrade, and chimney repairs. The building located at 602 Story Street, was originally erected in 1907 as a Masonic Temple and used by the Masons until 1990 when the Boone County Historical Society took over the property. It houses several galleries with historic artifacts and documents. A fundraiser was held last fall to improve historical exhibits. “Now,” MacKay says, “the Society must turn their attention to raising additional funds to address the most urgent building repairs, including the facade.” According to administrative assistant Judith McMahon, they have been cleared to continue having meetings and events in the lower level, but the upper floors will remain closed to tours until further notice. MacKay, in a Facebook posting, said “the Boone County Historical Society served 1,000 students during the month of May and continues to provide valuable education and learning resources to adults and children. The facility houses a wonderful event space in its basement which is a valuable asset to the Boone area community.” The Historical Society will be hosting an event off-site Friday, July 1 when they invite the public to help celebrate Mamie and President Dwight Eisenhower’s wedding anniversary from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Mamie Eisenhower Birthplace, 709 Carroll Street in Boone. Anyone who would like to help return the building to its original and useable condition is encouraged to visit the GoFundMe page at Boone History Center Urgent Relief: gofundme.com/z6y23wc
Luckily no one was injured when the cornice and frieze of the Boone County Historical Center broke loose and fell to the ground. -Ogden Reporter photo
CITY-WIDE GARAGE SALE Friday, June 10 & Saturday, June 11 SEE ADS INSIDE ON PAGE TWO.