Community News

The Riverside council met in closed session Monday with its special counsel Dean Spina to discuss a reply to the petition for declaratory judgement filed by Washington County October 5. The county is asking that Riverside pay the annual $175,000 that is part of the Infrastructure Finance and Development Agreement made between the county and city December 26, 2005. In March, Riverside, calling the agreement “unconstitutional” and there “void and unenforcable,” said it would no longer pay the county the $175,000 for a possible eight to ten years. The agreement was to offset the loss of TIF revenues used to repay the $9.4 million in revenue bonds the county sold (and is repaying) for the city.
Riverside had 20 days from the county’s filing and indications are the reply will be filed this week.
The $175,000 is to be paid from the $1,750,000 annual revenue received by Riverside from the Riverside Casino and Golf Resort for eight years. Funds were to be in an escrow account and the ocunty also is seeking a temporary and permanent injunction to keep the funds in that account until the dispute is resolved.

A special presentation of Wreaths Across America program was presented Monday to the Riverside Council. by Local Spokesperson Michelle Ruess. She introduced Le Ann and Mike Tyson from Iowa City who made a special slide presentation to give viewers a feeling for the extent of the program. Mayor Bill Poch stated it was late but Riverside could possibly put something together under Travel and Tourism to help.
The Wreaths Across America is designed to place wreaths on the graves of all combat veterans. All branches of services are honored Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Merchant Marines and the POW-MIA.
The organization began more than 17 years ago when Worcester Wreath Company began a tradition of placing wreath on the headstones of the Nation’s fallen heroes at Arlington National Cemetery for the holiday season. Since the, Worcester Wreath has donated 90,000 wreaths which have been placed by volunteers in a wreath-laying ceremony each December
Morrill Worcester, 12, a Bangor Daily News paper boy won a trip to Washington D.C.. It was a trip he would never forget it made an indelible impression on him , especially the trip to Arlington Cemetery In later life he recognized his success as a businessman was made possible by the enormous and ultimate sacrifice of this nations veterans.

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By Mary Zielinski
If it accepts the gift, Riverside will gain a nearly 11 acre park, courtesy of the Washington County Conservation Board (WCCB) that August 12 approved transferring Iowa Township park to city ownership. The park, which borders Mt. Olivet Cemetery at the north edge of Riverside, is entirely within the city limits.
Monday, August 17, the Riverside council authorized clerk/administrator Tina Thomas to send a letter of interest to the county, a further step in the transfer.
The WCCB approved the transfer at its meeting August 12, during which time Chairman Lyle Moen said it had been discussedby the WCCB for about a year and brought up to the Riverside Community Visioning Committee in April.
The park, which dates to 1964 and concisgs of four small parcels, has a new shelter and a reconstructed fishing pond. The shelter was repaired last year and has a new roof.
The county traded land with St. Mary’s Catholic Church for the land under the pond for a parcel that could later be used for cemetery expansion. It amounted to “no tombstones” for the park “and no pond for the cemetery,” noted WCCB executive director Steve Anderson. However, the county took care of mowing the church parcel, something that may continue with city ownership.
One of the provisions of the gift is that the area remain a park, and the DNR will see about continuing stocking the pond with fish.
County Attorney Barbara Edmondson, who attended last week’s meeting, said there should be very few problems in obtaining abstracts and a deed, adding it could be done well before the end of the year.
The county, if the transfer is approved by the supervisors, will do the abstracts.
The WCCB meeting was attended by Riverside council members Randy Sexton and Betty Kaalberg and Thomas.

Paul LaPorte was elected president of the Riverside History Center/Voyage Home museum board this month. Other officers are Phil Richman, vice-president, Carol Butler, secretary and Carolyn Hudson, treasurer. Board members include Scott Riggan, Jane Wilkinson, Brenda Mickle, Mary Jane Stumpf and Jan Musser.
The museum’s hours are now 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday and Sunday and 10 a.m.to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. It is staffed by volunteers.
Opened in May, 2008, the museum, which displays both Riverside and Star Trek history, has drawn more than 1,000 visitors in its first year.
“The museum has had visitors from locals areas and from as far away as Australia,” said La Porte. “The exhibits have changed over the past year and will continue to evolve. which helps to bring peopel back.”
Besides the Star Trek displays, current Riverside history exhibits are Invasion Iowa, the Waldschmidt-Snyder Century Farm, the Duwa Family military service to the nation, the Barnett Company, St. Mary’s Catholic Church and Trinity United. Contact Stumpf at 319-648-2174 to impart information or arrange for loan or donation of photos or items to the museum for the exhibit.
The museum is at 361 East First Street (Highway 22) in downtown Riverside.

The Wellman Heritage Society received a $400 grant from the Washington County Historical Preservation Committee Tuesday, June 2, during the regular Board of Supervisors meeting. The funds will be used to help with painting two buildings in the Society’s Heritage Park.
Other awards were to Ainsworth Community Together (ACT), $500, to help with interior and other painting of the Ainsworth Opera House; Washington county Historical Society, $300, to help with the $13,000 cost of painting the Conger House Museum in Washington; Washington County Fair Board, $1,400 to help with moving an historic farm building to the fairgrounds; Crawfordsville, $900 to help repair the town’s historic fire station, and Brighton, $500 for a plexiglass case to enclose its bicentennial quilt.
The awards were from the $4,000 allocated to the Commission by the Board of Supervisors. The Commission retained the balance for its operations.

Members of the Ladies Auxiliary to Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 6414 will be distributing Buddy Poppies Saturday, May 9 from 9 to 11 a.m. at various locations throughout Riverside.  The Poppies are given to people in remembrance of veterans who gave their life for this Nation, and usually the recipients will respond by given a donation to the VFW.  The proceeds from Poppy distributions are used to benefit disabled and needy veterans and their families.
In 1923, VFW became the first veteran’s organization to promote a nationally organized campaign for the annual distribution of Poppies which are assembled by disabled or hospitalized veterans. More than 14 million Poppies are assembled today, and VFW and Auxiliary members raise more than $15 million annually from the distributions.   The poppies were inspired by the poem “In Flanders Field,” written by Colonel John McCrae of Canada, which describes flowing fields of red flowers that grow in Flanders Field, the graveyard in France where thousands of World War I U.S. servicemen are buried.    Eventually, the Buddy Poppy became known throughout the world as a memorial flower and a reminder of the lives lost in wartime.

Riverside resident Mike Slagel representing his wife and sister-in-law who own a Scandinavian Furniture Store in Iowa City, asked the Riverside council Monday about a possible site in the city-owned commercial tract along Highway 22.
He explained that the owners would like to move the business to Riverside, where they live, but would like to purchase less than an acre. To date, Riverside has sold only acre parcels in the site.
Slagel said plans would call for a 6,000 to 7,000 square foot building and asked if the council would consider selling perhaps a half acre. His request came during citizen time and the council asked him to return at another meeting with a proposal.
In a related matter, city engineer Mike Hart said that site preparation is underway for the road into the commercial site to provide access to where the new University of Iowa Community Medical services clinic will be built. Hart said that the street site plan is “okay”. The council approved the clinic site review plan from Shive-Hattery.

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Plans for the annual Labor Day Celebration at St. Mary’s Church in Riverside are complete. Stop by and enjoy a generous meal with your choice of a Smoked Iowa Chop or Grilled Chicken Breast, along with mashed potatoes, gravy, homemade noodles, green beans, corn, coleslaw, applesauce, rolls, dessert, and drink. A hot dog children’s meal is also available. Carry-outs are available to Riverside residents by calling Betty Kaalberg at (319) 648-2061.
Enjoy the day with great entertainment, kid’s games, kid’s tractor pull at 1 p.m. – sign up starts at noon, horseshoe tournament at 1 p.m. – sign up at 12:30 p.m., crafts, Farmer’s Market, and Bingo.

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by Ranee Fladung
Sidewalk problems were discussed during the regular Riverside council meeting Monday, August 18.
Council member Todd Yahnke, after looking at the alley north of resident Mike Meinders home said he didn’t think it would make a difference to dig out the alley. “It’s a small ditch and I think he will still have the same issue of rock running down the sidewalk,” said Yahnke. 

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The Riverside community blood drive is Monday, September 8, from 3 to 6:30 p.m. in Trinity United Methodist Church, Riverside, 11 East 2nd Street. Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center personnel will be taking blood.
To make an appointment to donate, contact Terry Phillips at 319-648-2028. Walk-ins are welcome.
Donors who last gave blood on or before July 14, 2008, are eligible.
Blood donation is a safe, simple procedure that takes only about an hour. Donors must be at least 16  years old, in good health, and weigh at least 110 pounds. A blood donor card or other photo identification is required to donate. Donors 16 years old must present a signed parental consent form which is available from the blood center or for download from www.bloodcenter.org.
Controlled high blood pressure and diabetics are acceptable.

There will be new metal roofs installed on Buildings one and three at the county owned Orchard Hill complex.
The Washington County Board of Supervisors Tuesday accepted the bid of $19,585 each from Duwa Roofing & Construction, Wellman, for the work.
Orchard Hill buildings are being used by the county for he Environmental Health, Community and Mental Health Services and Veterans Affairs. The sheriff’s office also will be moved to the area which is directly west of the new county jail.
The board also approved a fireworks permit for Brett Swift, Washington.