Zoning Commission Meeting

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone County Zoning Commission is scheduled to meet Monday evening at the Boone County Courthouse. The last time the Commission met in November, a portion of the meeting had to be stopped because of a large crowd of property owners with concerns about a proposed amendment to the Conservation Overlay portion of the Zoning Ordinance. Since then, Boone County Supervisors have received multiple petitions requesting the language for the Conservation Overlay be removed from the County Ordinance. The Supervisors have sent the petitions to the Zoning Commission to begin that process.

Hospital Board Approves Search Firm

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone County Hospital Board of Trustees have approved retaining a search firm to assist in recruiting a couple of new family practitioners. The Board Thursday supported the request from hospital administrators. Several interested family practitioners have visited the hospital over the past several months. Hospital CEO Joe Smith says they have yet to successfully get the recruits to commit. Smith has said at least two physicians are needed for Boone County Family Medicine.

Pancake Days

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone Lion's Club Annual Pancake Days is always held the last weekend in January and is one of the organizations major fundraisers. Members serve up pancakes Friday afternoon and evening from 4:30 PM until 7:30 PM and again Saturday morning from 7:00 AM until 12:00 PM. Pancake Days are held in the Community Building at the Boone County Fair Grounds.

RSVP Seeks Volunteers for Balance Program

BOONE, Iowa---Falls are a dangerous incident for older adults and RSVP of Boone and Greene Counties is looking for a couple of interested volunteers to work on the "Matter of Balance" program. Michelle Hull says RSVP is working with Aging Resources of Central Iowa and needs volunteers to take the training workshops in February and then be willing to conduct a couple of workshops in Boone County. For information about the "Matter of Balance" coach training, contact RSVP at 433-7836.

Hospital Revenue Matches 2009

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone County Hospital is keeping pace with net revenues from a year ago. Through the first six months of the fiscal year, net revenue is at $396,000 compared to $398,000 one year ago. The budgeted balance was estimated at nearly $540,000. Financial information for the hospital is just one of the topics considered during the monthly meeting of the Hospital Trustees.

Council Finalizes Budget Numbers

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone City Council has finalized budget numbers for the 2012 Fiscal Year budget. Boone City Administrator Luke Nelson told the Council that the tax rate for the city will remain unchanged, which was a goal for many on the Council. Nelson says even with the rate unchanged, the actual property taxes will change because of other factors, including adjustment in the rollback by the State. The numbers will now be used to prepare the city's preliminary budget for a public hearing in March.

Historical Program

BOONE, Iowa---After taking the off during December, the Boone County Historical Society will resume a monthly Historical Program Thursday evening. Charles Irwin, Executive Director says to kick things off this year, he's going to use one of the videos available from the Mamie Doud Eisenhower Birthplace. Irwin says the video covers the topic of Presidential Limousines and lasts about 45 minutes. The Historical Programs are free of charge and open to the public. The presentation will be held in the lower level of the Historical Center.

Mentoring

BOONE, Iowa---January is Mentoring Month and some 90 mentors are currently volunteering through the GRIP Program through Youth and Shelter Services. GRIP stands for Great Relationships In Pairs. Barb Biersner, Program Director says mentors work with children from Boone, Ogden and Southeast Webster Grand currently. She says funding and volunteers limit the growth at this time. Biersner says the numbers couple easily double if there were enough people willing to take 45 minutes a week for a child.

Capital Improvements

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone City Council will consider approval of $5.1 million in Capital Improvement Projects for the 2012 Fiscal Year. Of that amount, officials expect to sell bonds for just over $1.6 million. Nearly $3 million will come from various grants, including $1 million for the Corporal Snedden Drive Overpass Project. Nearly $600,000 in grant proceeds will go toward improvement projects at the Boone Municipal Airport. Another $600,000 in grant proceeds is directed to the Northeast Sanitary Sewer Improvements.

Allowable Growth

OGDEN, Iowa---Governor Terry Branstad this week said he expects zero percent allowable growth for Iowa's schools. Ogden Superintendent Bill Roederer says that is not a workable amount from the state. Roederer noted that school districts with enrollment increases might get by, districts with enrollment declines like Ogden will take a hit. Roederer says it's still early in the state's budget process so they will continue to monitor what's happening. In the meantime, work will need to begin on next fiscal year budget for school districts. They need to be completed by April 15th.

Special Meeting

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone City Council will hold a Special Council Meeting, Wednesday afternoon to finalize portions of the budget. Finalizing Capital Improvement Projects and Local Option Sales Tax expenditures will bring much of the budget work to an end. The proposed budget will then be prepared and will be reviewed by the Council prior to a public hearing in early March. The Special Council Meeting will be a City Hall at 5:30 PM.

Annual Meeting

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone County Historical Society will hold their annual meeting this week. Executive Director Charles Irwin says there will be a review of 2010. He says the sanitary sewer construction work in Boone did have an impact on attendance. Irwin also says there will be an election of officers and board members during the meeting. The meeting is open to members and the public and will begin Wednesday at 7:00 PM at the Historical Center.

More Petitions for Supervisors

BOONE, Iowa---For the third week in a row, the Boone County Board of Supervisors will be expecting additional petitions directed at the Conservation District Overlay issue. The petitions that have been received ask for the Board to amend the county zoning ordinance and eliminate the language for the Conservation District Overlay. The requests have been turned over to the County Zoning Commission. The Commission is expected to meet later this month.

Emergency Managment Budget

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone County Emergency Management Commission, made up of representatives from the county and the cities in Boone County, will consider the agency's 2012 Fiscal Year Budget Tuesday evening. Emergency Management Coordinator Dave Morlan has prepared a budget with revenue at $115,000 and expenditures at just under $160,000. The published announcement indicates a budget carry over of more than $75,000. The public hearing on the budget is to begin at 6:40 PM at the Emergency Management Office on West Mamie Eisenhower.

Free Radon Seminar

BOONE, Iowa---Boone County Sanitarian and Code Enforcement Officer Mike Salati will bring his Keep Boone County Healthy Radon Seminar to Boone Tuesday evening. Salati says the seminar is free to the public and provides information about the dangers of Radon and also ways to deal with Radon. Salati says it's important for the public to be aware about the Radon problem in Iowa and in Boone County. He says not only are people not aware about the Radon problem, even if they are, they're not doing anything about it. Tuesday's seminar will be held at the Boone City Hall Auditorium and begins at 7:00 PM.

United Board Plans Special Vote

BOONE, Iowa---The Board of Directors of the United Community School District will be looking toward a special election for district patrons to decide the future of the current Instructional Support Program. School boards can institute Instructional Support Levies through board action or a vote of the district patrons. The United School Board will be meeting Thursday evening at 6:00 to conduct a public hearing on a resolution to move ahead with the special election.

Boone Parks Restoration

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone City Parks Commission wants to embark on a 10 year plan to restore the City Parks infrastructure. Commissioner Jack Murphy recently requested funding from the Hotel-Motel Tax receipts received by the City Council. The first area for improvement was the main shelter house in McHose Park. Commissioners have reported that vandalism and age have taken their toll on the facility and improvements are needed. Commission President Mike Swarts has begun working on a "Better Boone Fund Raiser" to assist with the Commissions efforts.

Homes To Be Sold

BOONE, Iowa---The City of Boone is getting close to putting some homes back on the market. The City, using Neighborhood Stabilization Grant money purchased homes that were in foreclosure and have been getting them fixed up. Earlier this week, City Economic Development Director Beth Brincks told the City Council that at least one of the homes being worked on would soon be back on the market. The majority of the money has been federal grant dollars, but the city has invested some money dedicated to low to moderate income housing. When the homes are sold, the first dollars are returned to the city and anything additional goes back to the revolving account created by the grant.

DMACC Enrollment

BOONE, Iowa---The official numbers won't be available until sometime next week, but Associate Provost on the Boone Campus of DMACC, Brian Green says another record enrollment is expected. Green says a couple of years ago, the increases were double digit percentages, but have now slowed to low single digits, and he says that's a good thing. He says space is stretched on the Boone Campus, running about 80 percent capacity or higher. Besides enrollment, Green says they've had to virtually double the number of adjunct faculty members just to keep up.

5 Charged in Vandalism Case

BOONE, Iowa---Boone Police have charged 5 juveniles with 1st Degree Criminal Mischief following an investigating into vandalism at the Cedar Pointe Golf Course in Boone last August. Police Chief Bill Skare says early in the morning on August 8th, it was discovered that thousands of dollars in damage had been done to the golf course. The investigation has taken a long time, but Thursday, three 15-year olds and two 13-year olds were charged. Skare says the case is now in the hands of juvenile authorities and will be handled in juvenile court.