Archive for: May 2009

June 3, 1917 – May 7, 2009
Myrna Furman, 91, of Washington, Iowa, died Thursday, May 7, 2009, in the United Presbyterian Home in Washington because of aging. Graveside services were held Wednesday, May 13, in the Beauchamp Cemetery, rural Crawfordsville, …

May 2, 1911 – March 4, 2009
Mary Virginia Eiman Stoltzfus, 97, of Roswell, New Mexico, died in her home March 4, 2009. Services were held March 9, 2009, in South Park Cemetery, Roswell. Memorial contributions may be made to the …

By Mary Zielinski
For the fourth consecutive year, Mid-Prairie students have shown that the more students are involve din extracurricular activities, the higher their GPA.

Activities and academics go hand-in-hand, the most involved do the best.

Mid-Prairie Activities Director Don Showalter, who started tracking the correlation between activities and academics fourth years ago, told the M-P Board Monday he Òwas not surpriseÓ that the positive correlation has held.
“Activities and academics go hand-in-hand,” he said, adding, “the most involved do the best.”
Part of the higher performance may be linked to the fact that students involved in activities have a much better attendance record. He found that 81 percent of all M-P students are involved in at least one activity during the year and 60 percent participate in more than one. Of the 92 students taking Advanced Placement classes, 84 (or 91 percent) were involved in at least one activity, he said.
The activities include spots, Fine Arts (band, chorus, speech, drama), FFA, FCCLA and service organizations. The success in activities, said Showalter, are linked to three things: coaching, parent, Boosters, administration and school board support, and student dedication to the activities.
“It also is very important that there is tremendous community support.”
Even more, though, he stressed that “We strive to have students fit in somewhere,” that efforts are made to guide each student toward an activity. But, he added, “Academics are the highest priority at Mid-Prairie.”
Prior to the start of the meeting, the Mid-Prairie Education Association had a brief reception to honor the board, and during the public forum faculty member Eric Thornton praised the board for being very “pro-education” and having a district where “there is a very upbeat morale.” He said part of that is because the board “thinks outside the box.”

By Mary Zielinski
In less than 24 hours after it was installed, the Bruce Alan Chapman memorial bench near the Kalona Public Library entrance was in full use. An older man found it a convenient place for an al fresco lunch, a young woman with two little children used it to wait for their ride and an older woman
sat there to read a letter.
That would have pleased Bruce who not only loved books and libraries but also had quite a record for helping the elderly and disabled. Installed last week near the handicapped parking sign and sloped handicapped library entrance, the bench is a cooperative effort “from a group, the Desktop
Publishing Forum, that’s been affiliated on line for 20 years,” said Don Arnoldy of Santa Clara, California
While some knew Bruce, “all of them know Elyse (his wife) and we discussed doing something” in memory of Chapman who was killed in an auto accident August 27, 2008.
Arnoldy volunteered to coordinate efforts that involved people on three continents and numerous countries with a consensus that an engraved bench was the right memorial, one that would provide a place for Ben, Chapman’s eight-year-old son.
Arnoldy stressed that raising funds “was not a problem,” and came quickly. He then called the City of Kalona to see about donating the bench and to find a proper location.
“There were some questions, but the library really seemed the ideal place,”
he said.

By Mary Zielinski
Bids for bridge replacement and concrete overlay on Vine Avenue (old Highway 218) came in April 21 $140,285 below estimate for the two projects. As a result, Tuesday, May 12, the Washington County board of Supervisors awarded contracts …

Several residents of Riverside have been taking an in depth look at various aspects of Riverside that may affect landscape enhancement planning as part of the 2009 Community Visioning Program. Members of the Riverside visioning committee will meet on …

May 19, 1922 – May 3, 2009
Dale “Deke” Sojka, 86, of Riverside, Iowa, died Sunday, May 3, 2009, in the Lone Tree Health Care Center in Lone Tree, Iowa, following an extended illness.
Mass of the Resurrection will be held Thursday, May 7, 2009, in St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Riverside, with Father Rich Adam officiating. Burial will be in the Mt. Olivet Cemetery. Following the committal service, there will be a time of food and fellowship in the St. Mary’s Parish Center. Visitation was held Wednesday, May 6, 2009, from 4 to 7 p.m. with a rosary service in the Sorden-Lewis Home for Funeral and Cremation Services in Riverside. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established at the funeral home in Mr. Sojka’s memory. Online condolences for the Sojka family may be sent to www.lewisfuneralhomes.com

By Mary Zielinski
Don Yoder, manager for the Kalona Valley Apartments Monday asked the council for the cityÕs help in expanding the south complex to add four to five two-bedroom units.
“We can purchase the property at 702 C Avenue,” said Yoder, “for its assessed value of $116,000.” He added that site preparation, which will include removing the house and garage, would be about another $20,000. As a result, he asked if the city could provide $135,000 essentially for site acquisition. The city donated the land, at the end of B Avenue, back in 1977 when the low to moderate income apartments were a project of the Mid-Prairie Council of Churches.
Funds could come from the city’s tax increment financing revenues, and council member Ken Herington said it is for what TIF should be used. City Administrator Doug Morgan noted that TIF accumulation may be as much as $140,000 currently.
Yoder said that federal and other grants will be sought to pay for construction costs and the earliest work could start would be next spring.
When the second Kalona Valley Apartments complex was built , the city paid for the site at 808 10th Street, Yoder noted. Costs for the first complex (south) were $360,000 and for the second, $654,000.
Yoder noted that the apartments have never been vacant. “The only time I had go advertise an apartment was this year, for three weeks.” There is consistently a waiting list that presently has 22 names. Since their inception, the apartments have been primarily for the elderly. Additionally, Yoder said, there has been federal rent subsidies that range between $40,000 and $45,000, all of which, like operating costs, goes into the local economy.
The council agreed it will consider the request and likely take action at its May 18 meeting.

by Mary Coblentz
The Wellman City Council Monday accepted a 20-foot-wide easement from Tom and Paula Buckwalter on property at the northwest corner of Wellman’s North park the couple recently purchased. The easement will allow for a future trail/path from the …

by Mary Coblentz
The Wellman Council Monday appointed Fern Bontrager to fill the council position vacated by Karri Fisher last month. Bontrager will be sworn in at city hall prior to the next council meeting.
The council also voted to hire Aaron Shumaker as the public works director for the city. Mayor Ryan Miller said, “He certainly has the skills to do the job.”
City Administrator Dave Ross said, “I have confidence he’ll do a good job.”
Mary Ellen Driscoll addressed the council regarding an erosion problem in the alley behind her house. Driscoll said that it has been a problem all the 59 years she has lived there, but has been especially bad lately. During heavy rains, gravel from the higher portion of the alley washes down, building up in front of Driscoll’s garage door. The council agreed to work with Driscoll to find a solution.

By Mary Zielinski
The Washington County supervisors Tuesday approved the fiscal 2009-10 $19,943,200 budget that will see a $7.66420 per $1,000 levy for urban areas and a $10.51430 per $1,000 valuation for rural areas. The levy is a 4.28 percent increase and was criticized by Brian Hora, Ainsworth, as being a full one percent higher than last year’s.

We held it as tight as we could

Hora said, “It is not a wise time” to be seeking more money with property tax increases, especially with carryover money.
Chairman James Miksch said the board did not take it lightly to ask for more property tax and that the county’s fund balance is lower than that recommended by the state, despite “1.9 million may seem like a lot.”
Hora, referring to the county road situation, asked how the county would spend less on them.  He suggested that more cuts should be made the budget “should be tighter.”
“We held it as tight as we could,” said supervisor Adam Mangold, noting that when it comes to road use funds that problem rests with the state, especially legislators and the governor.
County Auditor Bill Fredrick noted that a major consideration is relocating the Public Health Department, the first step of which is developing a plan for where and how to house the department for which $125,000 has been allocated.  Fredrick explained that this is from carryover designated for Public Health.

1905 – 2009
Helen McCuish Oltman, 105, of Kalona, Iowa, formerly of Newton, Kansas, and Riley, Kansas, died peacefully in Pleasantview Home, Kalona, Tuesday, April 28, 2009.
Memorial services were held Saturday, May 2, 2009, in Sharon Center United Methodist Church with Pastor Doug Cue and Pastor Yon Schoenmaker officiating. Burial was in the Greenwood Cemetery, Newton. Memorial contributions may be directed to Heifer Project International, the Sharon Center United Methodist Church, or Iowa City Hospice.