YARDS OF THE MONTH
HAWKEYE 10 SPLIT
The Creston Image Enhancement Committee honored three for September yards of the month. See photos from each of the yards on page 14A of today’s newspaper. >>
Panther volleyball earns split in conference triangular with Atlantic and Lewis Central Tuesday evening in Creston. LC stays in contention for Hawkeye 10 title. More on page 10A.
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
Union County tax levy drops again, ranked fifth now
Local contractor Wayne Feldhacker and wife Alicia refurbish former Panther Lanes, open all-ages gaming center. ■
By BAILEY POOLMAN
CNA staff reporter bpoolman@crestonnews.com
CNA photo by IAN RICHARDSON
Family Fun Center, which opened Sept. 19 at 301 N. Cherry St. in Creston, offers games, bowling, concessions and free wireless Internet.
New fun center in Creston emphasizes ‘family’ By IAN RICHARDSON
CNA staff reporter irichardson@crestonnews.com
F
or owners Wayne and Alicia Feldhacker, the most important word in their new business’s title is “family.” When the couple opened Family Fun Center Sept. 19 at 301 N. Cherry St. in Creston, they did it with the intention of providing a place where all ages could have some fun. “That’s the purpose, that’s what our desire is, that’s what our hopes are,” Wayne said, “that we could create a place where families could enjoy things together.” Wayne, owner of Feldhacker Contracting LLC, and Alicia, who manages the company’s office, said over the years they have seen a need in Creston for places where local children could have something to do. When Panther Lanes came up for sale, they saw their chance to make that happen. “We came in, looked at it, pondered and talked to the Lord,” Alicia said, “and it was like, ‘It’s time.’” The Feldhackers bought the building in June, and the work began. Wayne brought in companies to refurbish the bowling lanes and fix the pinsetter ma-
CNA photo by IAN RICHARDSON
Gabriel Lovell, 9, plays “Cruis’n USA” in the arcade at Family Fun Center while Faith Willis, 14, tries her hand at “Pac-Man.” The arcade features 14 video gaming machines, as well as air hockey, darts, foosball and more.
chines. The Feldhackers knocked out a wall in the northwest corner of the building and moved the arcade area into that space. Wayne is currently working on finishing birthday party rooms on the south end of the building. The center’s arcade now features 14 video gaming machines, ranging from “Pac-Man” to extreme racing, as well as an air hockey table, foosball table, dartboard, claw machine Please see FUN CENTER, Page 2
CNA photo by IAN RICHARDSON
Wayne, right, and Alicia Feldhacker are the owners of Family Fun Center. The couple opened the new business to provide Creston residents young and old with a family-friendly place to have some fun.
Union County’s tax levy dropped again for the 201516 fiscal year. The county is now ranked fifth in the state of Iowa for highest tax levy, but this is the third drop since holding the highest county tax levy in the state in the 2012-13 fiscal year. “I’m delighted,” said Lois Monday, chairperson for Union County Board of Supervisors. “At least Monday we’re not one. It’s been a long, hard draw.” Currently, the tax levy rate for Union County is at $13.35 per $1,000 of valuation, which is lower than Clarke, Decatur, Wayne and Lucas counties. Clarke has the highest tax levy in the state at $15.32 per $1,000 of valuation. The tax levy is made up of county, city, townships, schools, hospital, assessor, and agricultural extension, as well as other entities. Union County leads in the five-county area for tax levies. Taylor, Ringgold, Adams and Adair counties rank seventh, 14th, 19th and 37th, respectively. Adair County has the lowest tax levy rate of the five counties at $10.31 per $1,000 of valuation. The lowest in the state of Iowa is Ida County at $5 per $1,000
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Decreasing debt has contributed in lowering the tax levy rate in Union County. “Your tax levy is made up of all of the taxing entities,” said Sandy Hysell, Union County auditor. “The debt service is part of the tax levy, the county’s tax levy, because we have to levy to make the bond payment. That levy goes through the county. So, once you have bond payments that are starting to get paid off, you can lower part of your levy.” The debt levy was at $2.14 per $1,000 of valuation last fiscal year, and this fiscal year it is $2.04 per $1,000 of valuation. “All of those budgets that all of these taxing entities have to put together make up your tax levy, so depending on where you live in the county is what levy you will be paying,” Hysell said. The county supervisors carried a large amount of the overall debt. Original bonds for county supervisors, which were for the CHS bean mill plant and road projects, were set at $515,000 in 2007, $4,245,000 in 2009, $3,980,000 in 2010 and $3,300,000 in 2011, which added up to a total county debt of $12,040,000. Since then, county supervisors have made payments to each of the bonds, and now the total debt is at $5,525,000. That is a difference of $6,515,000. “That’s very good. We take it a step at a time,” said Dennis Brown, Union County supervisors board member. “We’re going in the right direction.”
DNR investigates grease spill in Osceola OSCEOLA (AP) — Officials are investigating a grease spill in southern Iowa that’s been linked to a fish kill. The state Department of Natural Resources says Osceola Foods, a food processor in Clarke County, reported Sunday morning that a pumping station failed. As a result, grease-water mix spilled into a ditch that leads to White Breast Creek, south
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of valuation.
Debt service
of Osceola. Officials believe the mixture may reach the creek. DNR says the mixture left small dead fish along a 1,500-foot stretch of the ditch. Straw bales were used to block the ditch as part of a cleanup effort. Test results show various levels of dissolved oxygen levels in the tributary system. The agency says it will continue to monitor cleanup efforts.
46TH ANNUAL MADISON COUNTY
COVERED BRIDGE FESTIVAL
October 10 & 11, 2015
* Live Music * Covered Bridge Tours * Arts & Crafts * Parade * Craft Beer Garden & Wine Sampling www.MCCoveredBridgeFestival.org