THROWBACK NEW SKIPPER What was happening 20 years ago in the Creston News Advertiser area? Find out in Throwback Thursday, page 2A.
Southwestern names new head coach to succeed Brian “Bull” Smith. Read more on SPORTS, page 9A.
creston
News Advertiser
SHAW MEDIA GROUP SERVING SW IOWA SINCE 1879 BREAKING NEWS COVERAGE AT WWW.CRESTONNEWS.COM
THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 2014
Catholic church to build $400K rerun shop By KYLE WILSON
The current rerun shop on Howard Street will likely be demolished and used for handicap accessible parking at the church. ■
CNA managing editor kwilson@crestonnews.com
Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Creston is planning construction of a new $400,000 rectory rerun rummage shop to be located directly north of St. Malachy School. The Rev. Ken Halbur said $250,000 has been raised for the project, thusfar, including a $100,000 grant from a foundation remaining anonymous at this time. This new rerun will be 7,000
square feet with 4,000 feet of retail space for gently used clothing and household items. “The current rerun shop has been a wonderful benefit to the community for more than 25 years,” Halbur said, “and we plan to continue providing that benefit, but we need something that’s
more handicap accessible and more inviting to the Creston community. It’s time.” The current rerun is located at 107 W. Howard St., directly east of Holy Spirit Catholic Church. Halbur said the building was constructed more than 100 years ago as housing and eventually of-
fice space for Catholic priests. However, priests moved out in the 1980s, leaving the building vacant. So, a group of volunteers Halbur from the Catholic church decided to start a rerun shop inside the house, selling various discounted items that would provide financial assistance to St. Malachy School.
Today, though, Halbur said the building has poor accessibility and needs several thousands of dollars in repairs. “Plus, it’s a house. It’s just not designed to be a store,” Halbur said. Halbur added no decisions have been made regarding the fate of the current rectory rerun building, but it’s likely to be demolished and used for handicap accessible Please see RERUN, Page 16
SUPERVISORS
Hearing slated for expanding swine facility
S K C A R T G LAYIN
Two tie gangs work to replace 1,500 ties each per day while local crews replace railroad crossings ■
CNA photo by JAKE WADDINGHAM
Matt Denton and Richard Rutledge with BNSF Railways use a section truck to lift and place a railroad tie at the 150th Avenue crossing northeast of Murray Wednesday morning. Two tie gangs are working ahead of Denton and Rutledge replacing the ties.
By JAKE WADDINGHAM
CNA associate editor
jwaddingham@crestonnews.com
B
NSF Railway workers Matt Denton of Thayer and Richard Rutledge of Lorimor gave the conductor on an Amtrak train a quick wave as the train zipped past at the 150th Avenue crossing northeast of Murray Wednesday morning. The two man crew was set to start setting railroad ties at the intersection once the track was cleared for them to start working. After a couple of checks via radio communication, Denton and Rutledge quickly went to work clearing and leveling the area the ties would be placed before using a section truck to lift and place the 600 to 700 pound wood ties. “We use the boom on the truck and hydraulics to take out and replace the ties,” Denton said, who has been working with the railroad for six years.
“There are some days the train traffic is too high and we can’t work” Matt Denton, BNSF Railway Rutledge has been working with the railroad since 1974. Denton controls the boom from a control panel he wears around his waist. He is able to move freely and help Rutledge spot and guide the tie as they place it in the intersection. Denton and Rutledge are following two tie gangs that are tearing across Iowa replacing the ties on the railroad. The two groups are in Union County now and working their way west toward Creston. TP07 Foreman Ray Baker said his tie gang is made up of about 40 men and will be working their way west across Iowa into Nebraska and eventually Wyoming.
FRIDAY WEATHER
crestonnews.com | online 641-782-2141 | phone 641-782-6628 | fax Follow us on Facebook
COMPLETE WEATHER 3A
Creston News Advertiser 503 W. Adams Street | Box 126 Creston, IA 50801-0126
Copyright 2014
Right now the city of Murray — which has three crossings in town plus crossings on rural roads like 150th — will have two of the crossings in town blocked off from through traffic. Sherman Street is blocked off as well as Maple Street. The rural road Denton and Rutledge were working on is also still blocked off. The crossing on 130th Avenue is still open to allow emergency vehicles access across the tracks. Once the other intersections are replaced, a crew will close 130th Avenue to replace it. Baker said the tie gang only focuses on replacing the ties. The intersections are the responsibility of the local crews. He estimated the crew will be passing through Creston and continuing west in a week or two. While crews can block off intersections to prevent vehicles from crossing while they work, they cannot stop the trains passing through. “There are some days the
CONNECT WITH US
88 64 PRICE 75¢
Areas impacted
Volume 131 No. 14
2014
If you do not receive your CNA by 5 p.m. call 641-782-2141, ext. 221. Papers will be redelivered in Creston until 6:30 p.m. Phones will be answered until 7 p.m.
train traffic is too high and we can’t work,” Denton said.
Tie grades The ties on the track the tie gangs are working to replace have not been completely replaced since 2000. There were 19,019 ties replaced during that project. The track the crews are working on typically has empty cars, putting less stress on the ties and rail. The other track, which carries full loads of product like coal, typically needs replaced every five years. “There is a system for grading ties,” Baker said. “The tie can be failing, marginal or good.” BNSF has workers who walk and ride the track every day to look at the condition of the ties. Rutledge said the railroad is susceptible to the same conditions of a roadway. The heat can cause the rail to shift or a random plank may need to be replaced at a moment’s notice. Used ties are recycled and often used for landscape projects.
The Union County Board of Supervisors will have a public hearing July 7 at 10 a.m. for an expanding swine facility in section 33 of New Hope Township in Union County. Owner Mike Taylor is proposing a new 2,480 head deep pit swine finisher confinement building at an existing swine confinement site. Written comments may be submitted to the auditor’s office until 4 p.m. July 3. Supervisors recently approved an expanding swine facility in April at Rockin G Ranch site in section 6 of the Spaulding Township, which is owned by Justin Geidel. The site scored a 520 on the master matrix.
Saxton building houses ag agency By BAILEY POOLMAN
CNA staff reporter bpoolman@crestonnews.com
Roger Saxton purchased land west of Hardee’s on New York Avenue with no plans. But, after the building was finished, Southern Iowa Resource Conservation and Development came and set up shop. “I bought it (the land) from the city,” said Saxton, landlord and associate broker at Stewart Realty. “The city had some excess properties for Saxton sale and I liked the location, and it’s a pretty spot.” The building, located at 609 New York Ave., was finished May 1. According to Saxton, the structure was built to be interchangeable. Please see SAXTON, Page 2
Join us...
Friday, June 20 - Saturday, June 21, 2014 6:00 PM to 2:00 AM
Panther High School Track - Creston, IA Luminarias can be purchased at First National Bank-Creston & Afton, Creston News Advertiser, Okey Vernon Bank or until 8PM at the Relay.