IG Holiday Open House
Ida County Historical Society
Area churches
is this Sunday
planning for holidays
set special services for Thanksgiving
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Ida County’s Official Newspaper
Courier Ida County
Vol. 42, No. 46 Ida Grove, Iowa
w ww.idacountycourier.com
Wednesday,, November 15, 2017 Wednesday
Conserva on District plans Source Water Team mee ngs
News GLIMPSE HMH inpa ent unit dona on Page 3
Teacher of the year Page 5
Dairy farm tour Page 7
O-A/BC-IG XC all-conference Page 8
4-H Special Sec on-Inside
Upcoming Events Holstein Fire & Amb. Dance Saturday, November 18 6:30 pm
Photo by: Amy Forbes | Ida County Courier
Veterans: Students from BC-IG Elementary thank area veterans for their service during the Veterans’ Day program on Nov. 10 at the BC-IG Elementary School.
Holstein Vets’ Mem. Hall
IG Kiwanis Club Breakfast
Arthur elects new mayor—
Sunday, November 19 9 am-1 pm
Incumbents retain seats in city elections
IG Community Hall
Ida Grove Holiday Open House Sunday, November 19 1-4 pm
FREE Thanksgiving Day Meal Thursday, November 23 12 Noon Westminster Presbyterian Church, Ida Grove
3-Day Forecast Wed 11/15
49° | 25° Sunny
Incumbent mayors and councilpersons in several city elections retained their seats, according to unof icial election results from the Ida County Auditor’s Of ice. Arthur voters elected Gary Chase as its new mayor. Current Mayor Randy Fineran did not seek re-election. Battle Creek was the lone
47° | 40° Partly Cloudy
Fri 11/17
51° | 29°
Peters collected 34 votes and Saf ire Petersen received 74 votes. A total of 134, or 27.69 percent, of Battle Creek’s 484 registered voters cast ballots in the election. Arthur voters cast 31 votes for Mayor Gary Chase. Incumbent council members Anita Schlender and Kristy (continued on page 2)
Housing development plans come before Ida Grove council ❚ by MIKE THORNHILL
Thurs 11/16
city with contested races for mayor and council. All the incumbents retained their seats. Incumbent Mayor Lloyd “Doc” Holmes garnered 58 votes to challenger Charles Pierce’s 56 votes. Incumbent councilpersons Myra Meek (104 votes), Todd Riessen (83 votes) and Judy Schau (76 votes) were re-elected. Challengers John F.
The Ida Grove City Council discussed housing development in the community and the city’s comprehensive plan progress Nov. 6. The council continued discussions on Jan Hewitt’s proposed housing development
on seven acres of property he owns between West Fifth and West Seventh Streets. Hewitt asked the council in October to consider a plan whereby ive to six houses or possibly apartments could be built (Hewitt would not build the houses, only make lots avail-
able). JEO Engineering said the potential cost to add streets and sewer and water lines would be around $300,000. The council noted, in order to recoup its cost on the project over a 10-year period, the (continued on page 3)
Bridget Durst, the area Conservaton District of Iowa (CDI) Source Water Facilitator from Spencer, informed the Ida County Board of Supervisors at their Nov. 7 meeting that two kickoff meetings regarding Source Water Teams will be held: Dec. 5 for Ida Grove at the Ida Grove Recreation Center and Dec. 12 for Holstein at the Lohff-Schumann Memorial Community Center. Each meeting will begin at 11:30 a.m. The Source Water Team is one of seven steps recommended by the Conservation District of Iowa for source water protection plans, and the participation is voluntary. The goal is to reduce the level of nitrates that have been detected in the Ida Grove and Holstein water systems, said Durst. Durst told supervisors that recent tests found nitrate levels to be a concern in both Ida Grove and Holstein water
source wells. Ida County supervisors were supportive of the idea of Source Water Team formation, but no action was required at this meeting. “The Iowa Source Water Agricultural Collaborative was formalized in 2016 with the goal of providing Iowans information and resources to protect their drinking water sources. Approximately 2,790,000 Iowans, or 91 percent of the population, source their water from community water supplies. Of the community water supplies that draw from groundwater, 41 percent are considered susceptible to contamination originating from the land surface,” stated a report by Iowa Source Water Agricultural Cooperative. Other partners are Iowa Corn, National Wildlife Federation, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, (continued on page 3)
Moving forward with sale of city property—
Holstein council to stay with current ATV ordinance ❚ by DEB LOGER
Big topics discussed at the Nov. 6 Holstein City Council meeting were the city’s ATV ordinance and the sale of city land located at the intersection of Highways 59 and 20. For the ifth month, the topic of changing the city’s ATV/ UTV/Gator use ordinance came up for discussion. Following discussion and two votes, Mayor Connie Ludvigson stated, “Hearing no new motions, the current ordinance stays as is and the topic goes off the agenda.” Sheriff Wade Harriman opened the discussion, stating it was the council’s job to
set the ordinance and his department’s job to enforce it. “We’ve had issues with ATVs and golf carts in Holstein. But you aren’t alone; other cities in the county have experienced unauthorized use. We are rarely in the right place at the right time to catch the offenders. I’ve talked to one individual who ignored me, and we will be issuing citations for any future violations.” “We need to stop the people that are violating the ordinance,” said councilman Danny Gebers. “Our ordinance says they may be used for ag purposes. (continued on page 2)
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VT ribbon cutting: VT Industries in Holstein held a ribbon cutting Nov. 8 to officially open its 82,000 square foot addition to its architectural wood door manufacturing facility. The addition accommodates the relocation of and expansion of the veneer production line. As part of the expansion, VT also renovated its existing production facility, constructed a new parking area and added a building adjacent to the current facility for the automation team. The expansion is bringing up to 60 new jobs to the area and allows for the production of 20,000 doors a week or a million doors a year. Cutting the ribbon was VT President and CEO Douglas Clausen. Assisting him were third generation Clausen Family leadership members Trisha Schmitt, vice president of corporate marketing, and Aaron Clausen, continuous improvement/lean leader. Other company officials and employees and community business and government leaders attended the ribbon cutting.
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~Thank You~
Thank hank you to everyone who a ended and supported upported our Annual Harvest Dinner. It was a great success; we are very grateful to each and every one of you and we look forward to seeing you next year. —Ba le Creek First Presbyterian Church Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love Endures forever. Psalm 107;1