Newton
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Daily News
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
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Newton, Iowa
Jasper County farmer wants more action from board on drainage issues
OBITUARIES Dorothy Louise Buchmeier, 93 INSIDE TODAY
By Ty Rushing Daily News Senior Staff Writer
In 2010, another property that was then managed by Easy Keep at 321 E. Eighth St. S. was cited by the Jasper County Board of Health for bed bugs and also supposedly contained roaches and black mold. “It’s a tax write-off. Anytime they shut a building down, they can use it as a loss and tax write-off — they don’t give a (expletive) about the people here,” Sholley alleged. In Sholley’s apartment, he pointed out where mold was present and where water had stained the carpets after an above apartment sprang a leak. According to Iowa Code section 526A.15, “The landlord shall: Comply with the requirements of applicable building and housing codes materially affecting health and safety and make all repairs and do whatever is necessary to put and keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition.” Easy Keep couldn’t provide an exact figure but estimated it currently manages around a dozen properties including the 124 building. The 124 building has three floors and 12 dwellings; an exact figure for occupants is unclear. Sholley said that a lot of people who stay in the building are on lowincome or fixed budgets and it would be hard for them to find another place to live in such a short measure of time. “I don’t believe in ‘slumlords’ you know? If it needs repairing, repair it. We are not in Ethiopia,” Sholley said.
Marion County resident Norman Van Zante, who farms in Jasper County, attended Tuesday’s Jasper County Board of Supervisors meeting to present his concerns to the board on drainage problems in Drainage Districts 8 and 19. Both districts are south of Galesburg and are along the South Skunk River’s banks. Van Zante said he formally came to the board with a petition to address this matter in 2011 and said he feels the issues still haven’t been properly resolved. “It’s in disrepair and has been for years. I’ve been after them for years,” Van Zante said in an interview after the meeting. He said he consulted with an attorney, who then contacted the board on the matter. According to Van Zante, the county is supposed to appoint an engineer to study the area to find solutions. Board Chair Joe Brock said they will further investigate the matter but said he felt the county had previously addressed Van Zante’s concerns. Jasper County Engineer Russ Stutt also was present at the meeting and said that in either 2011 or 2012, his office did around $20,000 in repairs to the drainage systems. He said this is around the legal spending the limit the county is allowed to meet. Stutt said they can do basic repairs on the area but aren’t authorized to do a full-scale construction project. “I thought we did quite a bit of work,” Stutt said in an interview after the meeting. “To tell you the truth, I was under the impression that the work we did had satisfied everybody in the area,” Brock said during the meeting. Brock later asked Van Zante if he could bury past issues on this matter and let the board help him resolve the current issues at hand. He said he wanted to consult with Jasper County Attorney Mike Jacobsen and Stutt to look more into the issue. “You have my commitment with this, and I’ll get started on it,” Brock said. After the meeting, Van Zante said he just wants the drainage systems to be repaired until they meet what the original specification were. One down and two to go for the Jasper County Sheriff ’s Department, as the board approved Ryan Engle as its newest deputy. Jasper County Sheriff John Halferty said Engle is a Baxter-native and prior to his appointment, he served as
APARTMENT See Page 5A
SUPERVISORS See Page 5A
Ty’s Take
Yes, Newton, there is a ‘Santa Claus’ Page 4A
Ty Rushing/Daily News Above: A damaged fire escape at an apartment building located at 124 E. Fourth St. N. and managed by Easy Keep Management is one of several factors that has forced the Newton Fire Department to label the building an “unfit dwelling.” A manager for Easy Keep said they are working to correct the problem. Below: Residents of the building claim that there are other issues with the building, such as negligent maintenance, bed bugs, roaches and what they suspect to be black mold.
Sports
Wood starts, Sturtz finishes Newton’s walk-off win Page 7A
Religion
New youth pastor excited for future Page 12A
Weather
Thursday
High 73 Low 54
Friday
High 76 Low 62 Weather Almanac
Tues., July 1
High 78 Low 62 No Precipitation Also: Astrograph Page 11A
Comics & Puzzles Page 6A
Last Monday, residents of a Newton apartment building came home to a sign from the Newton Fire Department stating their home was an “unfit dwelling.” They were told to vacate immediately and that the ownership had 10 days to appeal the decision. The property, located at 124 E. Fourth St. N. is managed by Easy Keep Management, located in Newton. In an interview Monday, the company’s management stated the only issue was a fire escape that was being serviced after being struck by a vehicle. Easy Keep said it was working on fixing the fire escape and that it is cooperating with the city. In an interview Tuesday, Newton Fire Chief Jarrod Wellik confirmed that Easy Keep had indeed been working with the city but said there were other problems in addition to the fire escape. Wellik wouldn’t specify what the issues are but provided an update on the building. “The situation is there were numerous violations of our current rental code that were unsafe for people to basically be living there,” Wellik said. “A week ago, the fire marshal (Mike Knoll) placarded the building as being unfit for human habitation due to some of those issues.” Clifford Sholley has been staying at the 124 building for the last four months to help his elderly parents. He shed some light on his experiences there. “The people that own the place don’t want to do nothing with it,” Sholley said. Sholley said he has some experience with contracting and managing property and offered his services to Easy Keep to make some repairs in the building but said they never got back to him. He also claimed the building has black mold — which is a hazard to people with allergies and lung problems — and an infestation of roaches and bed bugs.
Special to the Daily News
Dear Abby Page 6A Opinion Page 4A Obituaries Page 3A Police Page 3A Our 113th Year No. 32
98213 00008
By Ty Rushing Daily News Senior Staff Writer
City of Newton to assist with storm clean-up
Classifieds Page 9A
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Newton apartment building found to be ‘unfit dwelling’
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Monday’s severe storms created significant amounts of debris, and the City of Newton will assist residents with storm clean-up by picking up limbs, branches and tree trunks from residential homes. Limbs must be 8 feet in length or less. Wet or damaged furniture and other domestic items will not be collected. To have debris from a yard collected, place it on the curb by the evening of Tuesday, July 8. Place limbs and branches parallel to the road in a clear area away from mailboxes, water valves, etc. Additionally, if Newton residents haul their own debris to the Newton Sanitary Landfill, the City of Newton will pay the landfill fee for branches and debris for residents through July 15. Proof of Newton residency will be required at the landfill. For more information, contact Newton Public Works at (641) 792-6622 or newtongov.org.
Zach Johnson/Daily News