NEWTON
SAVING THE WIN
Cardinals score close win in season opener / 1B
DAILY NEWS newtondailynews.com
FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2015 • WHERE TO GO WHEN YOU NEED TO KNOW
HIGH
51 28 LOW
Facebook.com/newtondailynews
@newtondnews
Owners discuss plans for former Maytag Plant 2 building By Jamee A. Pierson Newton Daily News
File photo Children sled down a Jasper County hillside. Municipalities are protected better from tort claims under a bill signed into law by Gov. Terry Branstad on Wednesday, which could have an impact on sledding and other recreational activities in Newton.
New law eases city culpability for sledding, other recreation Branstad conducts first signing ceremony of 2015 By Jason W. Brooks Newton Daily News DES MOINES — Gov. Terry Branstad held his first formal bill-signing ceremony of 2015 on Wednesday when he signed House File 370 into law. While incidents in distant parts of the state led to the city-liability debate, HF 370 could have an impact on activities in the city of Newton and other incorporated parts of Jasper County. The law protects municipalities and other governmental entities from liability for injury or damage claims stemming from recreational activities on municipality-controlled property. Negligence would be an exception. HF 370, or the “sledding law,” as it has become known amends
language in Iowa Code 670.4. The section had a long list of activities that were exempt from claims, such as kayaking and inline skating, but didn’t mention sledding, and the absence of that term is partly what set this change in motion. Several municipalities have had lengthy discussions internally and with legislators after some high-profile accidents and injury claims in recent years. At the beginning of Wednesday’s bill-signing ceremony, Branstad noted he had firsthand knowledge of a sledding mishap, referring to a January 1993 incident at a park in Des Moines during an outing with his family when a sled hit him in the face and required his jaw to be wired shut for a month. HF 570 would remove all references to specific activities
and instead insert the phrase “recreational activities” into the state law that offers some liability protection to cities, counties, and school districts when those activities take place on government-owned property. The bill passed through the Iowa legislature without a single vote against it, clearing the House by a 96-0 vote and the Senate 48-0. All four Jasper County legislators voted in favor of HF 370. “I think it’s a good improvement in our law,” Branstad told a crowd of people who assembled in his formal Capitol office Wednesday to witness him signing the bill into law. Wednesday’s signing was part of a high-profile week for the governor. He signed 14 bills RECREATION | 3A
Local city and business officials met with Phoenix Investors company leaders to discuss the future plans for the Maytag Plant 2 building Thursday. David Marks, managing director for Phoenix Investors, explained how the company will refurbish the former manufacturing plant to attract a variety of industries to the community. The company purchased the 1.8 million square foot property for $6.7 million. “Our philosophy is a little different than most people that buy industrial of this type. The philosophy of most owners is to try and lease out the space that is vacant and then promise to fix it up as part of the process. It has been our experience that it is not really the route to go,” Marks said. “What we do is invest the money upfront and refurbishing the space so that the tenant can actually visualize what the space will actually look like for their operation, whether it is manufacturing, warehouse etc.” These plans include upgrading the lighting, heating and electrical in the plant along with some plans for demolition and putting in additional loading docks. The company also plans to make exterior improvements to the parking lot and to tighten up the building from an energy efficiency stand point by re-roofing a portion of the building.
The company is currently in the planning stages and does not have an exact start date, but hopes to get renovations underway in the next two to three months to take advantage of summer weather. Marks said it is hard to pinpoint an exact time frame for the refurbishment but he expects it to take one to two years. An added bonus to the purchase and refurbishment is new jobs to the area, he said. While under construction, Marks said they plan to use a combination of outsourcing work to local contractors as well as doing direct hiring for crews. “We do expect to add direct employees to our construction department that work for us specifically at this location, as well as for certain aspects hiring third party contractors,” Marks said. Currently, the company is not targeting any specific industry or business to occupy the space. “It really just depends on what the marketplace dictates. If there is a warehousing tenant, we would be happy with them; if it is manufacturing; we would be happy with that as well,” Marks said. Phoenix Investors has recently been changing its business direction and putting more money and time into industrial building similar to the Maytag plant. “Our focus has been selling our retail portfolio assets and using those PLAN | 3A
City looks to improve Lincoln Street By Jamee A. Pierson Newton Daily News The city is looking to improve the look and safety of Lincoln Street, near Iowa Speedway Drive, by authorizing an agreement for professional services at the City Council Meeting Monday. The gravel road, with borrow ditches on the sides, posses safety concerns for fans that use it to walk to and from events at the speedway. The city would also like to improve the image it portrays to visitors. An agreement for services from Civil Design Advantage of Grimes is recommended by city staff. The preliminary design would be paid for by the Speedway TIF District in the amount of $16,700. Also on the agenda, in partnership with
additional entities, the city is working to implement the recommendations found within the comprehensive plan, Newton’s Future, that calls for the community to focus on the health of downtown and to address the aesthetics of the community. Staff recommends the city select Bolton & Menk, Inc. to serve as the consultant for the Downtown Design Guidelines and Streetscape Master Planning Project. The Newton Park Board is requesting approval to use GoFundMe.com to raise money for the annual Fourth of July firework celebration. The past few years, the event has grown from a fireworks display to a community event that features family-friendly games and activities, food vendors and live music. The
board would like to use GoFundMe.com as a fundraising tool to help increase fundraising potential and make it possible to accept online donations. In other business: • The council will hear the first consideration of an ordinance for outside parking and storage of trailers, watercraft and motorhomes. After getting public input, the council found a preference for “option 7” which is: Pull-behind items and motorhomes must be placed/parked upon hard surfaces and can be placed anywhere on the property as long as vehicles do not obstruct views. • The council will also hear the first consideration of an ordinance amending the animal protection and control regarding dogs at large. The city re-
Jamee A. Pierson/Daily News Lincoln Street runs in close proximity to the Iowa Speedway and the city is looking to make the highly foot-traveled road safer and more appealing for fans who use it.
cently amended its Animal Control Ordinance and talked about the requiring of all dog owners to have their dogs on a leash when
75 CENTS
7
98213 00008
4
leashing dogs off private property. Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com
FEATURE
WHERE IT’S AT Astrograph......................5B Calendar..........................5A Classifieds......................4B
the dog is not on the owner’s private property but did not include it in the change. It is recommended to change the ordinance to include
Comics & Puzzles...........6A Dear Abby........................6A Local News......................2A
Obituaries.......................5A Opinion............................4A State News......................7A
Blues in Schools continues
Newton program in its fourth year / 2A
Volume No. 113 No. 224 2 sections 18 pages
Thank you Joanna Peterson of Newton for subscribing to the Newton Daily News. To subscribe, call 641-792-5320 or visit newtondailynews.com.