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DAILY NEWS TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016 • WHERE TO GO WHEN YOU NEED TO KNOW
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coach Brett Jacobs and his assistant, Seth Banwell, along with the resignation of swim coach David Hook and the end-of-year retirement of 35-year music teacher Deb Stoulil. • Adopted a new three-year partnership with Buena Vista University. • Heard a report from Food Services Supervisor Cristy Croson about delinquent accounts. Due to some of the balances being from free or reduced-fee accounts, Croson received no objections from the board to starting a crowdfunding account to help reduce balances of some accounts. • Held a budget session before Monday’s meeting for discussion purposes only. A similar meeting is set for 5:15 p.m. on March 28, with the regular meeting to begin at 6:45 p.m. The district will publish a proposed 2016-17 budget in the Newton Daily News and hold a hearing on it at its April 11 meeting. The budget must be submitted to the state by April 15. Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com
City design standards approved By Jamee A. Pierson Newton Daily News
Jamee A. Pierson/Daily News To regulate work completed by city officials and private contractors, the city adopted Statewide Urban Design and Specifications (SUDAS). Public works director Keith Laube said Newton has been using these standards since 1998 when they were known as Des Moines Metropolitan Design Standards.
Statewide Urban Design and Specifications (SUDAS) were adopted for use in Newton to keep a standard for both city and private contractors when completing projects in town. This is the city’s first SUDAS update since 2014. “As a city we follow the standards set by the state called SUDAS, specifications for different design elements including the street, sanitary sewer and others. There are a few details that we modify for our use,” Newton Public Works Director Keith Laube said. SUDAS specifications are used as the construction specifications on most public improvement projects and other construction work in the public right-of-way. These include work in the
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areas of earthwork, sewer and water mains, manholes, intakes, streets, sidewalks, driveways, erosion control, demolition, traffic signals, project bidding and construction administration, city administrator Bob Knabel said in his report to the council. Additional information on contract documents and plan preparation, storm water, sanitary sewer, roadway signs, geotechnical, erosion control, parking lots, utilities, street trees, street lighting, sidewalks and bike trails and trenchless construction give the city and potential developers a design guide when preparing to do work. Within the SUDAS specifications and design manual, a few minor revisions were approved to better fit the needs of the city. SUDAS | 3A
A Colfax man accused of sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl pleaded guilty Monday to assault with intent to commit sex abuse. Jordan A. Jenkins, 23, was charged with third-degree sexual abuse May 27, 2015 following an investigation by the Jasper CounJenkins ty Sheriff ’s Office and Newton Police Department. According to court records, the victim admitted she invited Jenkins to Newton and they had consensual sexual intercourse. Jenkins denied the claim, but evidence supported the victim’s statement. Although the sex was consensual, the victim was not of the age of consent and they were more than four years apart in age. Jenkins states in his guilty plea that he “touched the victim in a way that could reasonably have been determined to be offensive and did so with the intent to commit sex abuse ... and that no injury resulted from the assault.” Assault with intent to commit sex abuse is an aggravated misdemeanor, punishable by up to two years in prison. A sentencing hearing had not been set at presstime.
Sheriff’s office assists in meth lab arrest By Jamee A. Pierson Newton Daily News OSKALOOSA — An Oskaloosa man was arrested Sunday after several methamphetamine drug labs were found in his apartment during a drug search warrant. Robert C. Williams, 32, is charged with manufacturing methamphetamine and failing to affix a drug tax stamp after the Mid-Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force, including the Jasper County Sheriff ’s Office, executed the search warrant at 4 p.m. Sunday at 206 Sixth Avenue East in Oskaloosa. The task force allegedly found Williams in possession of numerous “one pot” meth drug labs. Residents in the apartment building were briefly evacuated and were allowed to return to their homes at approximately 6:30 p.m. Additionally, animals located in the apartment were taken to the shelter by the Animal Rescue League. Also assisting the task force on scene were the Oskaloosa Police, Oskaloosa Fire Department Hazmat and Mahaska County Ambulance. Williams was taken to the Mahaska County Jail where he is being held on $100,000 cash-only bond. Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com
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WHERE IT’S AT Astrograph......................5B Calendar..........................5A Classifieds......................4B
Comics & Puzzles...........6A Dear Abby........................6A Local News......................2A
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Base cost of remolding project is $715,400 Emerson Hough is on its way back to being an everyday elementary school and another small step in that journey took place Monday night. By a unanimous vote, the Newton Community School District Board of Education hired Two Rivers Group, Inc. to remodel the 90-year-old building at a base cost of $715,400. The bulk of the work will be to replace the HVAC system, but there will also be classroom adjustments made and lockers installed to configure the building for grades K-4. Two Rivers outbid the Rochon Corporation, which is the general contractor for the district’s in-progress renovation of the new administration building, by about $110,000. Remodeling will include technology from Fort Dodge firm Woodman Controls, superintendent Bob Callaghan said, as will all upcoming new projects for Newton Schools. The other main item of Monday’s meeting was to hear a report from ad-
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Colfax man enters guilty plea in sex abuse case
File Photo A contract was awarded by the Newton Community School District Board of Education at its Monday meeting to remodel parts of the Emerson Hough building at a base cost of $715,400. The building will receive a heating and cooling system replacement as well as upgrades to help make it one of the district’s K-4 elementary schools.
ministrators comparing kindergarten assessment data to this time a year ago, when transitional kindergarten was still permitted by the Iowa Department of Education. The board was scheduled to view and possibly approve the 2016-17 district calendar at Monday’s meeting, but the approval requires a publicly advertised hearing, and an announcement had not been published in the Newton Daily News. The hearing was scheduled for the board’s next regular meeting on March 28, with a hearing announcement to be published in the interim. A Budget Committee meeting is set for 3:30 pm. Wednesday. The Berg Bond Committee meets at 6:30 p.m. March 29 and the SIAC Committee will meet at 5 p.m. April 7. All of the upcoming meetings will be at Emerson Hough. In other action Monday, the board: • Recognized Newton High School state qualifiers in girls bowling, wrestling and robotics. • Heard a personnel report that included the resignation of head bowling
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NCSD board hires firm to renovate Emerson Hough
By Jason W. Brooks Newton Daily News
Gholson, Gilman make INA state teams / 1B
Obituaries.......................5A Opinion............................4A State News......................7A
IDNR says drought is over
Water quality remains an issue / 2A
Volume No. 114 No. 212 2 sections 14 pages
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