STREET CLOSURE New York Avenue between Fremont Street and Sumner Avenue in Creston will be closed for street work betwen 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Friday.
ATHLETE OF YEAR Creston’s Alex Nielsen and Haylee LaMasters are announced as finalists for the 2015 South Central Iowa Athlete of the Year Awards. See more on page 7A >>
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Green Valley Lake continues to combat algae issues By IAN RICHARDSON CNA staff reporter
irichardson@crestonnews.com
In late summer and early fall, swimmers wanting to take a dip in Green Valley Lake can have one tiny problem. More accurately, they can have a lakeful of microscopic, bluish-green, toxin-releasing problems. Those problems are cyanobacteria, also known as bluegreen algae. This algae can produce toxins, called microcystins (pronounced microSIS-tins), that, when present in high levels, can cause poisoning after skin contact or ingestion. Green Valley Lake was under warning this morn-
ing, with new test results set to come out this afternoon. With four warnings this year, Green Valley has had the highest number of all tested Iowa State Park beaches, according to data from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The DNR tests Green Valley Lake for microcystin levels every Tuesday. When concentration levels are above the World Health Organization’s guideline of 20 micrograms per liter, workers post a notice at the beach and send out a press release noting that swimming and direct contact with the water are discouraged. Fishing is still safe, as long as the fish are cleaned well and the
This year, Green Valley Lake has had the most microcystin warnings of all DNR-tested Iowa State Park beaches. ■
guts, especially the liver, are discarded. High microcystin levels are most common in warm, slow-moving, phosphorusand nitrogen-rich water. Alan Carr, park ranger at Green Valley, said the nutrient-rich farmland in Green Valley Lake’s watershed contributes to the high levels. “We’re just a very fertile lake, partly because we’re just getting some fertilizer off the crop ground, but it’s also just very nutrient-rich soil on its own,” Carr said. “We just happen to be located in some
of the richest soil in Union County.” What are long-term solutions to keeping levels low? One option, Carr said, is putting m o r e plants in the water. “If we c o u l d Carr get some emergent vegetation to grow in the shallow areas, it’ll absorb some of those nutrients as they come into the lake,
making it less available to be used by the blue-green algae,” he said. Carr said Green Valley hasn’t seen too much success with it yet, mostly due to unfavorable weather conditions, but it is a work in progress. He said renovations to the lake a few years ago also have helped by dredging the lake and removing the carp, which are known for stirring up sediment that keeps other plants from growing. Mary Skopec, the Iowa DNR’s IOWATER and stream monitoring coordinator, works with the lab testing for microcystins in Iowa lake water. She said the science on microcystins is constantly progressing, and scientists have
learned much in just the past couple of years. “One of the things that we always tell people is stay tuned because we’re learning a lot,” she said. Skopec said microcystin poisoning is now being tracked by the Iowa Department of Public Health, and she said people should report their symptoms if affected. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, microcystin poisoning can cause a variety of symptoms, including gastrointestinal issues, allergic reactions and liver damage. For the latest warnings, call the DNR’s beach monitoring hotline, 515-725-3434, or visit www.iowadnr.gov/Recreation/BeachMonitoring.
Two UCDA homes sell in one week With first debate, GOP looks to narrow vast field
By KELSEY HAUGEN CNA staff reporter
khaugen@crestonnews.com
Three of the four Union County Development Association (UCDA) houses on South Elm Street are officially off the market. “The timing worked out well,” said Wayne Pantini, U C D A executive director. “The housing market is very good right now – I think Pantini it’s the best it’s been since before the housing crisis.” The project has been executed through a partnership between the city of Creston, Southern Iowa Council of Government (SICOG), UCDA and Southwestern Community College (SWCC). The first house, 505 S. Elm St., was sold in 2013 for $92,500. The next two houses, 501 S. Elm St. and 507 S. Elm St., were sold in July – both in the same week. The last one available, 403 S. Elm St., is still under construction. “Our ultimate goal is to provide lab space for the carpentry program,” Pantini said. Another goal is to reinvest in the South Elm neighborhood. “When we first started this initiative ... there were some very dilapidated homes in the (South Elm) area, so we sought the opportunity to clean it up,” Pantini said. “With it being a main corridor from the highway to uptown, we wanted to invest in the neighborhood because it’s what people first see when they come into the area. It’s their first impression.”
501 S. Elm St. The 964-square-foot house at 501 S. Elm St. has two bedrooms, one bathroom and an unfinished
CNA photos by KELSEY HAUGEN
Above, the 982-square-foot house at 507 S. Elm St. was listed for about a year before selling in July for $109,195. This house has two bedrooms, two bathrooms and an unfinished basement. Below, the 964-square-foot house at 501 S. Elm St. is nearly complete and was sold in July for $105,000. It has two bedrooms, one bathroom and an unfinished basement.
basement. There are still finishing touches to be done, but it has sold for $105,000. Pantini said there is no official close date yet, but a purchase agreement has been established that is supposed to be honored by Oct. 1.
507 S. Elm St. The 982-square-foot house at 507 S. Elm St. has two bedrooms, two bathrooms and an unfinished basement. It was listed for about a year before it sold for $109,195. Pantini said the closing date should be Aug. 18. “The stars lined up,” Pantini said. “We showed this one many, many times and finally found the right
person that it fits well with and who qualifies for it.”
403 S. Elm St. The fourth house, which is under construction, will be 1,200 square feet with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and an unfinished basement. “Students will be working on the house starting Aug. 26, and it should be finished by May of 2016,” said Dennis Downey, SWCC carpentry instructor.
The $100,000 range None of the four houses will have garages – a decision made to keep the listings right around $100,000. “That’s a cost we’re not going to put up front, so we
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can allow the buyer to get into the house at an affordable price,” Pantini said. In Creston, there are plenty of high-end and low-end housing options, but not as many middle-ground choices. So these UCDA houses are somewhat unique in their pricing. “From a private builder’s perspective, the margins are very thin,” Pantini said. “When you’re building at this level of a market, one of the reasons you don’t see many (middle-priced houses) is because with the cost of building, labor and everything figured in, it’s very hard for the builder to make money.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — The political veteran with the right resume, but perhaps the wrong last name. The rookie senators and their focus on foreign policy and individual rights. Governors with experience — and baggage. The never-been-elected outsiders, and of course, the billionaire showman. For the Republican Party, the narrowing of that vast field of presidential hopefuls begins in earnest Thursday with the first debate of the 2016 campaign. At stake for Republicans: not only picking the candidate to represent them in the general election, but also selecting the direction the party will take as it seeks to regain the White House. “You’re starting off with a lot of candidates who have an initial group of support that reflect a particular element of the party, but nobody is close at this point to putting together a majority coalition,” said David Winston, a Republican pollster.
As in the 2012 Republican primaries, the GOP faces a tug of war between those eager for a candidate with broad general election appeal and those who think the key to winning is nominating a fiery conservative. But this time, the field of 17 candidates is both larger and more seasoned, making the choice Republicans will ultimately make less certain or inevitable than in past elections. While Republicans say they relish their options, it’s doubtful many expected the summer surge of businessman and r e a l i t y Trump television star Donald Trump. The real-estate mogul will stand at center stage during Please see DEBATE, Page 2A
Iowa cropland value declines 6 percent from a year ago DES MOINES (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture says Iowa cropland value dropped the sharpest in the United States in the past year, falling 6.3 percent as low grain prices weakened the value in the nation’s leading corn producing state. Cropland value fell to $8,200 an acre after climbing to $8,750 last year. Iowa cropland values shot up more than 56 percent from 2011 to 2014.
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Cropland values declined in 10 states while the others remained static or grew. Texas saw the biggest jump at 9.5 percent to $1,840 an acre. Nationally, cropland grew an average of 0.7 percent. New Jersey has the most valuable cropland at $13,500 an acre after a 3.8 percent increase. California is second at $10,690 and Arizona third at $8,320 an acre. Iowa is fourth.
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