News
ALL-STATE:
• Happy Thanksgiving!
The offices of the Osceola Sentinel-Tribune will be closed for Thanksgiving. The staff wishes everyone a safe, happy and healthy holiday!
CD’s Pedersen, I-35’s White, Arzani named to all-state teams page 6 www.osceolaiowa.com
155 YEARS • NO. 47
OSCEOLA, IOWA 50213
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2015
SINGLE COPY PRICE: 75¢
CCRC still waiting to hear back from engineers on task order for reservoir By AMY HANSEN
OST news editor • ahansen@osceolaiowa.com
There could be a wash of changes coming for Clarke County Reservoir’s (CCRC) watershed project. During a Nov. 17 Osceola City Council meeting, Mayor Fred Diehl, who also represents the city on the CCRC, spoke publicly during the meeting’s mayoral comments section. “We’ll have bought and purchased a majority of the land,” he said. “Now, there a couple of hitches and we are, because of this legislative ruling or law or whatever you want to call it, we are going to change our plans. I don’t want to, and I am very much opposed to it. But, I may get outvoted.” Diehl said the potential upcoming plan would “shrink” the reservoir by half. This would potentially avoid using eminent domain in the project. Eminent domain is the government’s power to take private property for public use by a state. The actual project CCRC is in the process of building a reservoir project located in northwest Clarke County. The reservoir is to provide a water supply for Osceola and Southern Iowa Rural Water Association (SIRWA) with an 816-acre lake, which could provide 2.2 million gallons of water per day. West Lake, the current water source, doesn’t meet
the needs of Clarke County and SIRWA. Funding for the project includes many sources, especially funding from the local-option sales tax. However, there have been many legislative setbacks, including the most recent one from July. The recent Iowa law on eminent domain created language that changed the law on use of eminent domain for the creation of public water supply surface water reservoirs throughout the state. This doesn’t stop the CCRC from purchasing land from willing sellers in the project area, which is currently going on. Meetings A CCRC meeting was held Wednesday, Nov. 18. However, the commission’s engineers weren’t at the November monthly meeting, so no new logistics and updates on the task order were available yet. The next CCRC meeting is planned 9 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 17. “Hopefully, we’ll hear from the engineers,” said project coordinator Dave Beck. In other CCRC news: • CCRC approved a letter of request to Clarke Board of Supervisors to issue local option sales tax revenue bonds for expenses of implementing the project. • CCRC approved “binding agreements” with Clarke County Board of Health conceding building sites and septic systems.
Contributed image
This is a graphic design of Boyt Harness Company’s building addition.
Expanding out Council approves site plan for Boyt Harness addition By AMY HANSEN
OST news editor ahansen@osceolaiowa.com
The E. Eddy Saylor Business Park is the place to be in Osceola. During a Nov. 17 Osceola City Council meeting, the site plan for the Boyt Harness expansion project was on the agenda to be discussed. Boyt Harness Company, the hunting industry standard for gun cases and firearm storage and transport, is located at 1 Boyt Dr., in the business park. “We’d recommend approval,” said Ty Wheeler, city administrator/clerk. Wheeler said the site plan was reviewed and approved by the city’s planning and zoning officials. He added, storm water issues have been reviewed by the city’s engineers and there were no concerns. Boyt Harness According to Boyt Harness’ website, since 1901, Boyt has worked hard to provide rugged and dependable equipment, accessories and clothing
“We’re excited about the addition and bringing some more jobs here and growing our business.” — Curt Borcherding
Boyt Harness
for all hunting and shooting enthusiasts. “I just would like to thank you all for the consideration of what you’ve done in helping us bring our Texas operations to Osceola, Iowa,” said Curt Borcherding, who represented Boyt Harness during the council meeting. “I appreciate everything you guys have done. We’re excited about the addition and bringing some more jobs here and growing our business.” The new addition would be out to the west of the current building. Borcherding said the building’s addition would make it become an “L” shape. In the property description site
plans, the expansion project is labeled lots 9 and 10 in the E. Eddy Saylor Business Park plat 1. The building addition height is marked as 16.5 feet and the floor is labeled as 40,120 square-feet. Work begins? The plan is to begin dirt work in the next couple of weeks, but pad work might not be done until after winter, Borcherding said. “If we can get the footings in in time, we’ll put up the building over the winter, and then do the pad work after winter, obviously, in the spring,” he said. The site plan was unanimously approved by Osceola City Council.
Seid gives positive review of Clarke students during school’s construction phase By AMY HANSEN
OST news editor • ahansen@osceolaiowa.com
The past couple of months have been a period of adjustment at Clarke Community High School. Since the beginning of the school year, students and staff have dealt with the remodeling and construction that is taking place within the Seid building. Throughout the transition period, Superintendent Steve Seid said he has noticed one important thing — middle and high school SINGLE COPY PRICE: 75¢
Copyright 2015
students have done well adapting to the interruptions of the school’s layout. “It just kind of verified to us, even though we knew it, really how good our kids are here. And, how they’re flexible and do what they need to do,” he said. Worked on Right now, construction is being done on many things. The cafeteria is being expanded and the former main office is now going to be a seating and welcoming area. The computer lab is now going to be the main office. The main entrance will be changed to coming into the auditorium and it will have handicap accessibility, card Please see CONSTRUCTION, Page 4 Construction work is taking place at Clarke Community High School’s former main office.
Index Church Directory .........9 Classifieds ........... 12-13 Editorial ........................4 Neighbors ....................5
Weather Local 3-Day Forecast Obituary .......................3 Public Notices ...........11 Record .........................2 Sports....................... 6-7
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47/30 Mainly cloudy and rainy. Highs in the upper 40s and lows in the low 30s. Sunrise: 7:14 AM
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Mostly cloudy. Highs in the mid 30s and lows in the low 20s.
Mix of sun and clouds. Highs in the upper 30s and lows in the mid 20s.
Sunrise: 7:16 AM
Don’t Forget New editorial
Check out a new “Back in Time” editorial column on page 4.
Sunrise: 7:17 AM
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OST photo by AMY HANSEN