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LOCAL ENTERTAINMENT, A9-12
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Thursday, August 27, 2015
SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851
DIXON | PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
Dozens apply for director job Application period over; official plans to narrow field to 3 or 4 BY BRENDEN WEST bwest@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5529 @BWest_SVM
DIXON – The city could be a little more than a month away from hiring a new department head. Interim City Manager David Nord said Wednesday that nearly three dozen applications for the public
works director job were received before the application process closed Friday. City workers will sort through resumes to select a group of finalists and set up interviews with standout candidates. After that, a committee will conduct interviews throughout September. Nord is hoping to have the position
filled by early October. “Over the next week or 2, we’re going to be contacting the folks we’d like to have in for an interview,” he said. “They’re going to be interviewed on a number of topics based on various areas of public works.”
‘‘
We’ll take input [from the council] as far as things they’d like us to ask candidates, or topics to address. But as far as the hiring process, that’s crafted by me.
’’
David Nord, interim city manager
DIRECTOR CONTINUED ON A2
ERIE STUDENTS WARM UP FOR FOOTBALL AT LOCAL CHURCH
DIXON PARK DISTRICT
Official: Advocacy group is necessary Possible referendum, initiatives have board seeking support BY BRENDEN WEST bwest@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5529 @BWest_SVM
Philip Marruffo/pmarruffo@saukvalley.com
Logan Wheeler (left) watches as he knocks Bryce Rosenow out of a game of nine-square Wednesday afternoon at Erie Christian Church. The church lets the youngsters do homework or play games on its property between the end of the school day and the start of football practice.
SUBLETTE | TORNADO RECOVERY
Woodhaven clean-up costs $500K-plus Lee County official wants to buy mobile command center for future disasters BY CHRISTI WARREN cwarren@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5521 @SeaWarren
By the numbers
SUBLETTE – A little more than 2 months after an EF-2 tornado ripped through the southern portion of the Woodhaven Lakes campground, more than $500,000 has been spent on recovery efforts. In the storm, 900 properties were damaged, and 1,400 lots received tree damage, the Woodhaven Lakes Association reported. No one was seriously injured during the storm, although it displaced many. Residents who weren’t in the campground at the time of the storm weren’t allowed on to their property until
$1.00
Since the EF-2 tornado ripped through Woodhaven Lakes campground June 22 in Sublette:
900 1,400 $500K 5,500
properties found to be damaged lots show tree damage spent on cleanup
brush piles picked up
about a week afterward. Once they were, property owners started lining up at the front gates at 6:30 a.m., even though they wouldn’t be opened for 2 hours more. The campground has 6,144 lots, and about 300 proper-
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9,500 15,000 50,000
hauled away
loads of debris
mature trees found damaged or destroyed cubic yards of mulch made from trees
ties were occupied when the tornado touched down. When the sirens went off, the residents scrambled, looking for the best place to take cover as the twister barreled through. They huddled in comfort stations – 14 con-
ABBY ................... A8 BUSINESS ........... A7 COMICS ...............B6
CROSSWORD....B11 LIFESTYLE ........... A8 LOTTERY ............. A2
crete bathhouses scattered throughout the campground. “They’re the safest structures on the grounds,” one longtime resident said the next morning. Immediately, first responders, and locals who lived outside the campgrounds started flooding in, searching through the wreckage and making sure everyone was OK. It’s because of emergency situations like this, and ones the county hasn’t yet faced, that Kevin Lalley, director of the Lee County Emergency Management Association, has his sights set on acquiring a 26-foot-long trailer that would serve as a mobile command post.
DIXON – Park Board Chairman Ron Pritchard says an advocacy group for the city’s parks is not a new topic of discussion. The need for one, however, might be unprecedented. With the board considering a referendum – which, if passed, would either increase the Park District’s tax rate or incorporate more taxable property within the district – board members feel they can use all the help they can get. Executive Director Deb Carey said the National Recreation and Park Association has “easy-to-follow” guidelines to establish a group such as Friends of Dixon Ron Pritchard Parks. Other Park Board public entities chairman says have used advo- he and Executive cacy groups to Deb Carey have lobby support list of potential members for for a number of advocacy group initiatives. Pritchard said he and Carey have discussed a list of people who would serve the district well, and he also urged board members to come up with suggestions. The district would establish the group as a subcommittee through a resolution or ordinance. “This is something that I think at long last is greatly needed,” Pritchard said during Wednesday’s regular board meeting. “It’s a group of people that love the parks. That’s the reason why we’re all here.”
WOODHAVEN CONTINUED ON A5
NATION/WORLD .. A7 OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6
ADVOCACY CONTINUED ON A3
Today’s weather High 79. Low 58. More on A3.
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