Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Water Levels

June 30, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---Boone County Emergency Management Coordinator Dave Morlan says the good news for Boone County residents is that water levels on the Des Moines River north of Boone are declining rapidly. The downside, the level at Lake Saylorville is not dropping as quickly. Morlan says US Highway 30 west between and Boone and Ogden is expected to remain closed for another week.

Road Resurfacing

June 30, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---Boone County will undertake a road resurfacing project on County Road E-26 or or 170th Street between Kale Road on the east and P-70 or "H" Avenue on the west. The $807,000 project has been planned for some time and will include recycling and resurfacing that road. County Engineer Bob Kieffer says the road will remain open to traffic during construction, but residents need to remember is will be a construction zone. Work is expected to be completed within the month, weather permitting.

Supervisor Meeting

June 30, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone County Supervisors have a second meeting this week, Thursday at the courthouse. The meeting is required to begin the new fiscal year and will include action on various appointment and approval of the budgeted appropriations. All wages and salaries are also approved. The other big meeting is right after the first of the calendar year and is the organizational meeting.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Wagon Bridge Decision

June 29, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone County Board of Supervisors decided to close the historic "Wagon Bridge" west of Logansport to vehicular traffic. However, the Board included the word temporary in their resolution to allow them time to try and come up with a plan to preserve the structure. The Supervisors were greeted by a roomful of residents opposed to closing the bridge. A petition with some 600-signatures opposed to closing the bridge was also presented to the Board. County officials says the bridge sustained substantial damage when it was struck by a tree during spring flooding.

Highway Closed

June 29, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---As expected, the Iowa Department of Transportation closed US Highway 30 because of the rising flood waters of the Des Moines River. Unfortunately, Boone County authorities report a problem with people moving the road closed signs and trespassing. This year, an existing construction project on the Highway 30 bridge over the Des Moines River has created a concern by contractors. Officials say the DOT has instituted a zero tolerance for those moving or going around barricades.

Ice Cream Truck

June 29, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone City Council's Public Safety and Transportation Committee is again being asked to allow an ice cream truck street vendor in Boone. The Committee is considering a request from Curt Nichols to allow his business to operate. It's been a couple of years since the last vendor operated in Boone. The Public Safety and Transportation Committee meets at the City Hall Wednesday afternoon at 5:00.

Monday, June 28, 2010

June 28, 2010 4:50
Boone County Emergency Management Coordinator, Dave Morlan, notified the KWBG Newsroom that the DOT has decided to close Highway 30 between Boone and Ogden at 7 pm on Monday evening. Originally, the thought was the water would not be high enough to create issues that would necessitate the closing until 2 or 3 am on Tuesday morning. However, water at the edge of the roadway late Monday afternoon forced officials to make the closing call earlier than anticipated.

Flood Warning

June 28, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---Heavy weekend rains have pushed the Des Moines River at Stratford to near record levels, causing major flooding through Boone County. Boone County Emergency Management Coordinator Dave Morlan says all indications are that US Highway 30 will be closed west of Boone by late Tuesday. The decision will be made by the Iowa Department of Transportation. Morlan says it does appear that the river level will not cause the closure of Old Highway 30.

Story Street Closing

June 28, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---Plans did call for closing Story Street at the intersection with 6th Street as part of the on going sanitary sewer rehabilitation Monday morning, but heavy weekend rains pushed that up a couple of days. City officials closed the street Saturday morning. City Administrator Luke Nelson says with luck and cooperation from Mother Nature, they hope to have the work completed in 7 working days. Photos of the damage from the Saturday morning rains can be seen elsewhere on our website.

Wagon Wheel Bridge

June 28, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---The old county bridge west of Boone across the Des Moines River has not been usable since mid-March and Tuesday, the Boone County Supervisors will hold a public hearing about permanently closing the bridge to vehicular traffic. The issue of the "Wagon Wheel Bridge" has been before the Supervisors for several years. The cost of preserving the structure is prohibitive and so is the cost of building a new bridge. Following the public hearing, the Supervisors will consider action to close the bridge to traffic.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Story Street Closing

June 25, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---Efforts by Boone officials to keep Story Street open during the sanitary sewer rehabilitation project will not be possible. City Administrator Luke Nelson says the plans to bore pipe under Story Street is not working. Nelson says beginning Monday, Story Street will be closed at 6th Street so the project can proceed. He says the closing will be for a week with the intersection open for the 4th of July weekend. Work will continue after the holiday weekend and weather permitting will be completed by July 7th.

Gospel Fest

June 25, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---Those attending the annual Herman Park Gospel Fest in Boone Saturday will need to be cautious, due to extremely warm conditions. The National Weather Service has indicated that the Heat Index will be in the dangerous category Saturday afternoon and evening. Those attending the Gospel Fest are encouraged to use caution and prepare for the extreme conditions. Organizers have scheduled a dozen groups to perform beginning Saturday at 1:00 PM. The Herman Park Gospel Fest is free to the public, a goodwill offering will be accepted.

Hospital Building

June 25, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone County Hospital Board of Trustees have directed administrators to begin developing a proposal that would eventually allow for the sale of the former Heartland Health Center. The building currently houses the activities of the Boone County Family YMCA. The discussions would allow the building to become the property of the "Y" of Greater Des Moines. No final decisions have been made, but Trustees would like to see a proposal when they meet in July.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Hospital Revenue

June 24, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---Boone County Hospital revenues picked up during the past month and have set the stage for another pretty successful year. Net revenue through May exceeded the budgeted amount by some $350,000 and was ahead of the 2009 pace. Net income was over $625,000, which did trail budget projections but was ahead of last year's amount of more than $578,000.

Wind Generators

June 24, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone City Building Department Staff has recommended that the City Council change the city's Zoning Ordinance to allow Small Wind Energy Conversion Systems with the city. The staff also recommended that the City Council revisit the proposed ordinance change in another year. The formal request to change the ordinance was made by Solar FX, an Ames based company. The Small Wind Conversion Systems are actually small, roof mounted wind generators.

Gospel Fest

June 24, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---The annual Herman Park Gospel Fest will be held in Boone Saturday. Organizers, Harold and Betty Holmes have a slate of a dozen gospel acts performing during the event. The free event continues to attract an increasing crowd. The gospel performers will also perform at a variety of churches in central Iowa on Sunday. The Herman Park Gospel Fest will begin at 1:00 Saturday afternoon.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Grant reductions

June 23, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---A very popular city subsidized program, called the Personal Property Protection Program will continue next fiscal year, but will offer smaller grants to residents who make efforts to protect their basements from sewer backups. Initially grants of up to $5,000 were made available to residents cover the cost of disconnecting perimeter drain tile. That amount continues to be reduced and will be at $2,000 in the next fiscal year. The grant is expected to still cover a substantial portion of the costs.

Special Election

June 23, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---The three candidates that expressed and interest in being appointed to fill and unexpired term on the Boone City Council, have submitted petitions and will be on the ballot for a special election in July. Kevin Hicks, Travis Stevenson and Steve McCoy were seeking appointment to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Glen Thompson in early March. Due to a variety of reasons, including an illegal secret vote by the Council, a special election is required. The election is only for the residents in the city's 4th Ward, or northwest part of the city.

Airport and Federal Funds

June 23, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone Municipal Airport is one of a seven airports in Iowa to share in nearly $2.4-million in Federal Aviation Administration Grants. The Boone Municipal Airport Commission submitted the grant request for the apron rehabilitation project, which is part of the overall improvement plan for the airport. Over $500,000 will be used for the project according to Senators Tom Harkin and Charles Grassley.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Police Dog

June 22, 2010

As part of last night's city council meeting, the council was introduced to the Police Department's latest member, officer Shocker. The new police dog is following in the footsteps of Rommel, who passed away some time ago. Slight says that not only does the dog need to be effective for drug enforcement, but represent the department with PR opportunities with our youth. He hopes to continue to see Shocker used as a visible presence on the force. He also said that as of last night both Shocker, and his handler Officer Frasier are on the job.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Demolition

June 15, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---Boone City Administrator Luke Nelson says demolition of three downtown buildings is now scheduled to begin July 5th. Nelson says it's about a month later than anticipated, but the availability of additional grant money to help cover some of the cost will be worth it to tax payers. The buildings were damaged by fire in February 2009. The demolition contract calls for the preservation of many items from the Mason Building at 801 Story Street. Some of the material will be used to develop a kiosk in McHose Park at the Theodore Roosevelt statute.

Social Hosting

June 15, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone County Board of Supervisors quickly approved a third consideration of a social hosting ordinance during their meeting Tuesday. The ordinance was developed by the Boone County SAFE Coalition with the help of law enforcement and the Boone County Attorney Jim Robbins. The ordinance offers law enforcement civil penalties to use against people that host parties for underage youth. Earlier, Boone Police Chief Bill Skare says it's another tool for law enforcement to use. He said he prefers criminal charges if possible, but sometimes the evidence is just not available. Ogden and Madrid are still moving ahead to adopt similar ordinances. Boone has already adopted it's version.

Recreational Trail

June 15, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone Park Commission has voted once again, unanimously, not accept grinding a solution to problems with a recreational trail near the skate pond. The Commission and other city officials have not been satisfied by the work done by CTI, the contractor that reconstructed the trail after the sanitary sewer rehabilitation work was completed. By contract, CTI is permitted to deal with the problem by grinding down the bumps. The city is currently withholding $20,000 in funds. Park Commission John Griener says the Commission might not win, but the work is just not acceptable.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Habitat Seminars

June 14, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---Habitat for Humanity of Boone and Greene Counties will begin a series of seminars Monday, geared for those that want to be home owners and current home owners. Erich Kretzinger, Executive Director of the local affiliate says the board is interested in expanding it's service to the residents, not just partner families. Kretzinger says the first seminars deal with personal financial and credit issues. He says there will be five seminars over a ten week period.

Special Election

June 14, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---Friday is the deadline for interested candidates to submit papers to be on the ballot in a July special election. The special election will be held July 13th and will determine who will represent the city's 4th Ward. Council member Glen Thompson submitted his resignation in March. The Council did selected an appointment, but did it by secret ballot. When the matter was reconsidered, an appointment was not possible because of the lack of action within a specified time frame. Additional information for candidates is available at the city's website.

Weekend Accidents

June 14, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---Boone County Sheriff Ron Fehr reports that deputies investigated a number of weekend accidents. One, last Friday evening west of Ogden did send one-driver to the hospital. 18-year old Bianca Aughenbaugh of Jefferson collided with a vehicle operated by 26-year old Kyle Watson of Decatur at the north junction of US Highways 30 and 169. Aughenbaugh was taken by Boone County Ambulance to the Greene County Medical Center in Jefferson. Watson was not injured.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Primary Election

June 9, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---Boone County voters followed the statewide trends in Tuesday's Primary Election. Voters supported Terry Branstad and Roxanne Conlin. Voters also supported the campaign of Chip Baltimore over that of Bill Yewell of Ogden to challenge Donovan Olson in the November General Election. Boone County's unofficial election results can be seen here.

Salary Increases

June 9, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone School Board this week, did approve salary increases for the District's Superintendent, Administrators and Central Office Staff. The action includes salary, benefits and other stipends. Superintendent Brad Manard received a 2.53% package. Administrators received a 3.2% package increase, larger because of a freeze in the 2008 salary. Central office support staff, not covered by a negotiated agreement or contract receive between $.15 and $.75 per hour.

Building Demolition

June 9, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---The planned start of demolition of three downtown buildings in Boone is being slowed because of the availability of additional grant dollars to cover some of the costs. Boone officials had dedicated some of their Neighborhood Stabilization Grant funds for the demolition of the Mason Building at 801 Story Street. Now, City Administrator Luke Nelson says additional grant dollars are available which is good. The bad news, a historic review needs to be completed before demolition can proceed. Nelson told the City Council this week, work should begin by the end of the month.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Construction Issues

June 8, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---The city's sanitary sewer rehabilitation project at 6th and Story Streets came to a standstill late last week, when the site was being prepared for boring. City Attorney Wayne Schwartz told the City Council that the contractor apparently struck and old cistern dating back to the 1880's. Unfortunately there was liquid in the tank and it had an odor of fuel. Testing is being done to determine exactly what was found and to determine the best way to treat the problem.

Social Hosting

June 8, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---As expected, the Boone County Board of Supervisors did approve a second consideration on a social hosting ordinance. The ordinance creates an infraction, punishable by fines. The ordinance is being encouraged by the Boone County SAFE Coalition and law enforcement. Earlier, Bill Skare, Director of Public Safety in Boone said the preference would be for criminal charges against those allowing young people to drink alcohol.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Relay for Life

June 4, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---The 2010 Boone County Relay for Life kicks off Friday evening at 6:00 at Goeppinger Field in Boone, Iowa. Hundreds are expected to participate in the annual fund raiser for the American Cancer Society. Some of the highlights include the lighting of luminaries and a release of lighted balloons at dusk. The forecast does call for rain and thunderstorms to redevelope by early Saturday.

Disaster Assistance

June 4, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---Since tornadoes and flooding struck the state in 2008, Boone County residents and governmental entities have received over $2.5-million. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and State of Iowa Disaster Recovery have reported that nearly $659,000 went to some 222 residents for housing assistance. Governmental entities received some $1.4-million in reimbursement for everything from debris removal to infrastructure repairs.

Safe Routes to School

June 4, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone City Council is expected to consider a bid received for a Safe Routes to School project when they meet Monday. The City, Boone Schools and others pursued the grant money from the state for improvements around the Franklin Elementary Building and the Boone Middle School. With on going construction at both locations, the project has been delayed to coincide with the completion of both projects. The work is expected to exceed $200,000.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Fireworks

June 3, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---KWBG listeners stepped up Thursday, pledging more than $2,000 to the City's 2010 4th of July fireworks display. This year, the City Council had to reduce the amount of dollars made available for the show. Since then, Boone Mayor John Slight has started a program to collected pop cans, but that will still be short of the $10,000 needed to pay for this year's show. Donations will still be taken by the City and can be dropped off at City Hall or with a utility bill. The annual fireworks display is held at the Boone Speedway on the south side of the city. Photos of the live broadcast are available at KWBG's Fan Page.

Building Demolition

June 3, 2010

OGDEN, Iowa---The Ogden City Council this week took yet another step toward dealing with downtown nuisance abatement's. The Council approved a resolution to proceed with the demolition of the "Rattray" Building and is in the process of completing acquisition of the "Johnson" Building. The Council has been working for sometime to deal with the abatement or possible demolition issues, but hopes are that work will be done this summer. At the same time, efforts are being addressed to redevelop the available downtown property.

Hospital Smoking

June 3, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---Boone County Hospital Chief Executive Officer, Joe Smith, hopes smoking issues will finally come to an end at the hospital. Over the years, the Hospital Board has supported limitations on smoking to the point that employees have been walking across to the street to smoke. The newest step is the prohibition of smoking by employees during work hours, regardless of whether the employee leaves hospital property. The Hospital will continue to provide smoking cessation assistance.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Boone gets Grant

June 2, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded a $291,000 to the City of Boone for the final phase of the city's sanitary sewer rehabilitation project. The City Council held off on the final phase earlier this year, to have more time to pursue other funding sources, like the EPA. Council members had a concern about increase utility rates and the ability of the public to handle the rates. The city is currently under a consent order to complete the project by this November or face penalties from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Efforts to gain and extension have not been successful.

Ogden Sewer Project

June 2, 2010

OGDEN, Iowa---The Ogden City Council has approved a contract with Fox Engineering for a sanitary sewer rehabilitation project that will be funded by a Community Development Block Grant. The project includes trunk sewer lines on the east side of the city and will include cleaning, televising, new flow meters and eventually repairs and lining installation where necessary. The project will be over an above the million dollar storm sewer line that will be under construction later this year.

IOWATER Training

June 2, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---Volunteers are still be sought to take part in the IOWATER training at the Don Williams Recreation Area. Lisa Anderson, Boone County Environmental Education Coordinator says those that are interested can still attend Thursday. The class is from 4:00 until 9:00 and does have a $20 fee which is reimbursed at the end of the class. Volunteers are needed to complete the training and collect information that will help with long range planning for the future of the Don Williams Watershed.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Fertilizer Spill

June 1, 2010

STRATFORD, Iowa---Quick action by a farming operation in southern Hamilton County averted what could have been a bad fertilizer spill late last week. According to the Iowa DNR, the incident occurred about a mile north of Stratford on Westrum Farms when a fertilizer tank overturned into a dredge ditch. A dam was quickly constructed downstream and the contaminated water was pumped out an land applied on a nearby field. Because of the quick action by Westrum Farms and the efforts to prevent contamination from moving downstream, no enforcement action is expected. The spill would have affected the South Skunk River.

Social Hosting

June 1, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone County Board of Supervisors have approved the first consideration of a new ordinance that will give law enforcement additional charges to deal with "Social Hosting". The ordinance is similar to one adopted by the City of Boone and is the same as the ordinance being proposed to both the Madrid and Ogden City Councils. The ordinance is the work of the Boone County SAFE Coalition and local law enforcement. It gives law enforcement a charge to use when there is not enough evidence to charge adults responsible for hosting parties for underage youth with a criminal offense. Supervisor Bill Lusher says the ordinance is something that should have been in place a long time ago.

Ledges Accident

June 1, 2010

BOONE, Iowa---An accident in the Ledges State Park, south of Boone, sent two-children to the hospital for treatment of injuries. Sheriff Ron Fehr reported Tuesday that 19-year old Nathaniel Jennings of Boone was driving on the "Canyon Road" through the water crossings when he lost control and struck the two-children. 6-year old Destiny Pabst of Ames and 4-year old Austin Willis of Boone were taken to the hospital for treatment of what were described as non-serious injuries. Fehr says Jennings was cited for reckless driving. The accident occurred about 7:00 Monday evening.

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