News

By Mary Zielinski
Work on the Wellman Golf Course’s $75,000 sewer relining project likely will start in September after the order to proceed is approved at the September 7 council meeting. The key step for the project, a resolution for a $75,00 loan agreement, was approved by the council Monday, following a brief public hearing for the agreement. An equally brief public hearing regarding the plans and specifications also was held.
However, the second reading of the ordinance to amend city zoning along Madison Avenue, between 14th and 15th Streets from R-1 (low density, single family residential) to C1-B (peripheral business district commercial was tabled to the August 23 meeting. The tabling was to allow the reading to go before the full council; there were only three present Monday.
The rezoning has raised a few objections from some residents, although the commercial aspect, at present, is only the construction of a rental storage facility.
In other business, the council:

Read more…

Residents along 1st, 2nd, 3rd Streets and 10th Avenue in Wellman, were notified at 2 a.m. that Smith Creek was out of its banks and flooding was imminent.
Wellman Volunteer Fire Fighters, despite having two feet of water in their own building, were out notifying and rescuing residents from their homes.
Wellman had 6 inches of rain within a few hours Monday night.
City Administrator Dave Ross said at least three people had 8-10 feet of water in their basement and city officials were still trying to assess damages as of press time Tuesday.
Ross said the fire department will be looking at immediate and long term solutions to the flooding of their building. “It’s ugly down there,” he said.
Ginkgo Avenue, on the south end of town, was closed as water was over the road between 1st and 2nd Street, blocking the southern entrance to Wellman.
City Clerk Donna Wade said she hadn’t seen it this bad since the floods of ‘93.
Mayor Ryan Miller signed a disaster declaration Tuesday to facilitate the city’s obtaining state and federal disaster funds.
Ross said the American Red Cross delivered emergency clean-up kits to City Hall which are available to anyone with damage.
For a short period of time the wastewater treatment plant was bypassed because it was 100 percent underwater. Ross said the DNR was notified.
City and fire crews spent the rest of Tuesday assessing and evaluating damages.

By Mary Zielinski
Iowa Mennonite School (IMS) expects to cut its energy costs by at least $465 annually, thanks to cooperative assistance from three sources. An $11,850 Iowa Power Fund Community Grant from the Iowa Office of Energy (OEI), aid from Farmers Electric Cooperative in nearby Frytown and expertise from Central Plains Solar brought the recent installation of solar array at the rural high school.
Monday, members of the Kalona Chamber of Commerce learned more about the IMS project and the state’s goal to reduce energy use in Iowa by 30 percent in the next 15 years.
The IMS solar power is very similar to the one installed more than a year ago at Washington Township Elementary School (financed in part by a Washington County Riverboat Foundation (WCRF) grant). The IMS project is an example of the type of community grant the OEI is very interested in providing, explained Roya Stanley, OEI executive director, who was a guest speaker at the meeting.
The IMS project, though, also became an on-going learning experience for the IMS students, especially in physics, chemistry and economics classes. In fact, it was IMS physics teacher, Dick Yoder-Short, who was instrumental in obtaining the OEI grant for the school. Farmers Electric provided rebates ($23,000) and donations of time an labor. The labor from the array assembly to digging in the underground wire was a school project.
Yoder, who also spoke at the meeting, noted that Principal Tony Miller also worked in finding if it was feasible for IMS to do a solar panel.

Read more…

By Mary Zielinski
For Galen Graber of Wellman rooting for the home team at the World Cup soccer tournament meant alternating between Brazil and the United States. Born in Indiana, Graber spent a decade, starting at age 10, in Brazil with his siblings and missionary parents. He not only learned the languages (Portuguese and Spanish), but also became a soccer fanatic, both as a player and a fan.
“I grew up with it,” he said, noting he played in high school and college (Goshen College in Indiana where he met his future wife, Ruth Brenneman of Wellman). He stressed that “It is a very nuanced game with considerable complexity.”
This year, the 2010 World Cup in Johannesburg, South Africa marked the fourth time Graber has been at the games and was a trip that proved the most difficult “in logistics and costs.”
Aside from “being expensive to get there,” he found that prices for lodging in Johannesburg had skyrocketed (a guest house room went from $51 during the normal season to $730) and figuring out public transportation to the stadium proved elusive.
But none of that took away from the joy of seeing 14 top flight soccer games in 18 days, encountering a multiplicity of languages and cultures, and adding one more continent to his goal of visiting all seven (he has three to go).
His first tournament was in 1994 with the USA as host and Brazil the first place winner. In 1998 he went to France where the French won, followed by Brazil in second place, and 2006 saw him in Germany where Italy won. While he did not see the final matches in South Africa where Spain won, Graber was not disappointed in any of it, even if it took six hours by car to get there.
When it came to tickets, he had bought well ahead, going through the United States Soccer Federation, of which he is a member. As expected, tickets for the first games tend to be far more reasonable, like $80 versus as much as $800 for the finals.

Read more…

The Mid-Prairie Golden Hawks girls’ softball team may have been unranked going into the playoffs but they ruled Wednesday, July 14 following a win over Pekin 4-0 to earn a trip to the Class 2A State softball playoffs in Ft. Dodge.

At left, Rachel Miller and Kaitlin Kaalberg get in a celebratory hug Wednesday.

Mid-Prairie was defeated by Ft. Dodge St. Edmond 5-2 in the first round at state Monday, July 19; however, Mid-Prairie played two more games Wednesday.
(Photos by Ranee Fladung)

By Mary Zielinski
In less than a half-hour Monday, the Wellman council approved four ordinances, held a second reading of a fifth and tabled the second reading for a sixth.
The tabling was the second reading of the ordinance to amend city zoning along Madison Avenue between 14th and 15th Streets. The proposed change, going from R-1 (low density, single family residential) to C1-B (peripheral business district commercial), has been opposed by some residents and the first reading passed by a 3-2 vote. With one council member and the mayor absent, the council tabled the second reading that may have resulted in a 2-2 vote. The issue will be on the August 2 meeting agenda.
The council had no problems with the second reading of the ordinance to enter into a franchise agreement with Interstate Power & Light Company for the city’s electrical service, nor with the ordinance setting a public hearing for 7 p.m. August 2 regarding the sewer loan agreement. The agreement is for an amount not to exceed $75,000 for a sanitary sewer relining project.
The other three resolutions were setting 7 p.m. August 23 for a public hearing regarding another sanitary sewer project (the reverse osmosis one for which bids will be opened at 1 p.m. August 19), and two resolutions certifying property tax money due to the city for installation of water curb valves.
The council changed its second August meeting to August 23 to accommodate the August 19 bid letting, allowing the council to take action and possibly award a contract four days later.
The council also received a brief presentation from the East Central Iowa Council of Governments regarding its services to 66 municipalities in its seven-county area.

By Mary Zielinski
A major change in Wellman’s summer recreation program brought a number of people to Monday’s council meeting, specifically to see if some alternatives are possible. Previously, the city had a program that charged “$35 a week,” explained City Clerk Donna Wade. Now, with the completion of the Parkside Activities Center, the program will become a function of the Center (operated through a contract with the Washington Y) with a $70 weekly charge. Unlike the city program, the Parkside one will be day-long and have a number of structured activities and field trips. It also will be available longer.
“It really a Day Camp,” said Wade, noting that the city one was more a few hour recreational activity.

Read more…

By Mary Zielinski
As part of its Downtown Revitalization project, which includes addressing drainage issues, the Kalona council Monday approved a $13,478 contract with Terracon of Wellman. The city building inspector Jim Pope will serve as the project inspector, said City Administrator Ryan Schlabaugh.
Schlabaught also provided an update about Kalona’s applications for a $550,000 grant from Vision Iowa to aid with the revitalization work, noting that Kalona will do negotiations with VI. Kalona met with the state group May 12 and expects to get a decision probably in July.
Schlabaugh ntoed tht project costs have gone up since the original grant request was made.
He noted that work is progressing on the paving of the Community Center west parking lot, a first time effort that dislodged the septic tank system for the post office and also found some other fuel tanks in the ground.

Read more…

By Mary Zielinski
Although the Kalona city council Monday officially approved the contract with All-American Concrete (approximately $2.6 million), no one had an actual copy of the document. However that will be done this week. In the meantime, All-American has started paving work on the west parking lot of the Kalona Community Center. It will be followed by work on A Place, including storm sewers, and the alley west of the main street. By the time work starts on the streets, the parking lot is expected to be done, offering parking for downtown businesses.
Parking was an issue brought up by property owner Stuart Yoder who again asked the council to permit parking on C Avenue between 4th and 5th Streets. Yoder has previously made the same request after no parking was instituted.
The council members said they would review the request after the downtown revitalization project is done.
The city’s brush pile has been fenced and those wishing to use it need to do so during its posted hours. Regulations regarding what can be left there are available at the city hall.
Cleanup costs for the area exceeded $10,000, noted council member Ken Herington.
The council also set 7:30 p.m. May 17 for a public hearing to mend the 2009-10 budget. The amendment mainly is to cover costs of projects such as the pool repairs, community center renovations and the revitalization project.

By Mary Zielinski
“We’re only going to do this once and we need to do it right,” council member Ken Herington said, urging accepting the low bid of $2,652,398 for the city’s $2.8 million downtown revitalization plan. The council met in special session Monday.

“We’re only going to do this once and we need to do it right”

The bid, from All-American Concrete of West Liberty, is about ten percent higher than estimate, but the entire council was in agreement to proceed and not attempt rebidding.
“It would be a minimum of two months,” said Herington, adding there is “no guarantee the bids would be any better.”
City Administrator Ryan Schlabaugh said there is a $282,872 “gap” in the revenues as a result of the bids, but that the city could cover it from Washington County Riverboat Foundation (WCRF) municipal allocations and from LOST revenue.
Schlabaugh said that the WCRF allocation “is about $130,000 per year” and that starting with the third quarter of 2011, the majority of the funds could go to the revitalization project. All the previous and current WCRF allocations already are earmarked for the project. Council members later suggested 75 percent of the allocation, leaving the other 25 percent for other city projects. The WCRF also awarded Kalona a $1,050,000 grant last fall, to be paid over five years.
However, the city hopes to obtain final funding from Vision Iowa. It has applied for a $550,000 grant and will meet with VI again May 12.
Schlabaugh explained that the Revitalization Committee and the council’s Finance Committee also reviewed possible cutbacks in the project, if it became necessary. Items could include changes in seasonal lighting and some lighting for the parking lot, leaving the A Place surface as chip and seal rather than asphalt or concrete, changes in the gateway entrance signs and banners for the downtown. There also could be further local support, as there has been for the purchase of downtown sidewalk quilt blocks.

Read more…