Celebrate Families

BOONE, Iowa---Nice weather should greet families that turn out for the first ever Family Fun Fest in Boone County, Celebrate Families Saturday at the Boone Middle School. The Middle School will be packed with groups that want to share information about what they have for the whole family. The middle school youth leadership program Ricochet challenges parents to try their obstacle course while texting, with the focus on distracted driving. County Sanitarian Mike Salati will have information on Radon and test kits to give to families. And, a free pancake breakfast will be served beginning at 7:30.

Teen Maze In Boone

BOONE, Iowa---Several Boone County service organizations have partnered to bring a new learning event to 7th graders from Boone, Greene and Story Counties. Kiwanians from the three counties along with Youth and Shelter Services, local law enforcement, educational institutions and others will present the Maze to 7th graders next week. An open house for parents, school and community officials is planned for Tuesday afternoon from 3:00 until 5:00. The Teen Maze will be set up in the Community Building at the Boone County Fairgrounds.

Redistricting

UNDATED, Iowa---Proposed new maps of Congressional districts and the Iowa Senate and House Districts have been released. The proposed maps combine Congressmen Tom Latham and Steve King in a district and Congressmen Bruce Braley and Dave Loebsack. The new State Senate District for Jerry Behn would be Boone, Green, Hamilton and portions of Story and Webster Counties. The House Seat held by Chip Baltimore would shift west and would include much of Boone, Greene and portion of Webster Counties. The House Seat held by Lisa Heddens would be the Eastern portion of Boone County, the northwest portion of Story County, Hamilton County and a portion of Webster County.

City Waiting on Sewer Project

BOONE, Iowa---Work is expected to begin next week on the remaining portion of the third phase of the Boone sanitary sewer rehabilitation. City Administrator Luke Nelson says the contractor will be working on 8th Street from Benton to Clinton. Nelson says the work will certainly be an inconvenience for residents, but should not hinder traffic. The next segment of work is expected north of the underpass at Linn and 11th Street. So far, Nelson says the DNR has not approved of the updated plan to fix the bottleneck. The city hopes to have that portion completed by early summer.

Supervisors Adopt Ordinance Amendments

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone County Board of Supervisors rarely waive readings on ordinances and ordinance amendments but did so twice on Wednesday. The Board first waived the third consideration on the Floodplain Management Ordinance and then followed that by waiving the third consideration on the amendment eliminating Conservation Overlay language from the Zoning Ordinance. Brian Berge wanted to make sure that waiving the third reading to rescind the language of the Conservation Overlay, wouldn't create a loophole to allow the matter to resurface.

School Board Moves Ahead on Demolition

BOONE, Iowa---As expected, the Boone School Board has taken action to retain the DLR Group as the consultant to assist the district with the demolition of the Bryant and Lowell Elementary Buildings. DLR personnel have been assisting the district in preparation of the expected project, but a formal contract had not been addressed until this week. The Board has also formally accepted the bid of Iowa Environmental Services to work with the district on asbestos abatement. A public hearing on the proposed demolition will be held at the next regular meeting, April 12th.

RAGBRAI Entertainment

BOONE, Iowa---The Register's Annual Bike Ride Across Iowa will overnight in Boone on July 26th and local organizers have announced the entertainment that's been signed for the downtown stage. Dale Blue will kick things off that evening. Damon Dotson and his band will follow and will lead up to the main attraction, Hairball. Denny Hamman has been heading the committee working on entertainment and says he likes what they've been able to put together. Besides the main stage downtown, local bands are being secured to perform at the Herman Park Pavilion. Hear more of the announcement here.

Audit Report

BOONE, Iowa---Boone County has had the State Auditor conduct the annual audit for a number of years, and the recently completed report for the 2010 Fiscal Year has just been released. Local tax revenue in Boone County was just under $40 million. The County retained just over $7 million to finance operations. Total County operations were at $18.6 million. $6.5 million went to roads and transportation. $2.8 million was spent on public safety. The audit report was released Tuesday.

Weekend Fatality

BOONE, Iowa---A 23-year old Perry man has died as a result of injuries sustained in a single vehicle accident Saturday morning near Luther. Sheriff Ron Fehr reported that Ventura Chavez-Emiliano was on 270th Street a mile east of Luther when he apparently lost control, struck a culvert and flipped his pickup. Fehr says the accident occurred about 5:30 AM Saturday and remains under investigation.

Plan and Zoning Recommends Expansion

BOONE, Iowa---The City of Boone is considering an expansion of it's Southeast Boone Urban Renewal District. It's one of several districts in the city referred to be some as TIF districts. The proposed expansion will be considered at a public hearing when the Council meets April 4th. City Administrator Luke Nelson says said the expansion to include the north central, north west and west central portions of the city is being considered to make another possible revenue source available for ongoing sanitary sewer work. The Boone City Plan and Zoning Commission recently met and considered the plan and have recommended the Council proceed with the expansion.

Park Commission Waits on Trail

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone Park Commission has refused to accept work on the city's Senholz Recreational Trail that runs past the Linwood Park Cemetery. The trail was reconstructed last year after being removed due to the on going sanitary sewer rehabilitation project. The work was considered unacceptable and Commission members wanted the job done correctly. The matter recently went to binding arbitration and City Attorney Alan Schroeder told Commission members the contractor has been told to either grind down the imperfections on the whole trail or pay the city $25,000. The contractor for the project, CTI, has until April 4th to make a decision.

Flood Management Ordinance Amended

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone County Board of Supervisors began amending a county ordinance this week, besides the controversial Conservation Overlay matter. The Board began the process of updating the county's Floodplain Management Ordinance, originally adopted in 1993. The amendments are necessary to keep Boone County residents eligible to purchase federal flood insurance, if they so choose. Supervisor Tom Foster says it doesn't affect all Boone County residents, but after the flooding that's occurred over the years, residents need the option to get the insurance if they want. The ordinance amendment is being considered on the same time frame as the amendment to the Zoning Ordinance. The next public hearing for both will be Wednesday March 30th.

RAGBRAI Committee Chooses Logo

BOONE, Iowa---You've seen it on the KWBG slide show and it is official. The Boone RAGBRAI Executive Committee this week officially selected the logo for the July 26th visit to Boone. The logo features a rider with a locomotive background and after climbing out of the Des Moines River Valley at "Twister" Hill on County Road E-18, riders will certainly be Chuggin' into Boone. Committees continue to meet and volunteers are still be sought. The City is hosting a RAGBRAI site for the overnight visit in Boone. Check it out here.

Supervisor Hold 1st Hearing On Overlay Repeal

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone County Board of Supervisors approved a first consideration to rescind a section of the county zoning ordinance. The Supervisors held their first public hearing on the ordinance amendment Wednesday, and quickly took action. Chairman of the Board Tom Foster said he would vote to remove the language from the ordinance because it was what the public wanted. He pointed out to those attending the hearing that two more hearings are going to be required. The second consideration will be part of the Board meeting on March 30th and the third on April 6th.

Celebrate Families

BOONE, Iowa---Organizers are planning the 1st Boone County Family Fun Fest, Saturday, April 2nd at the Boone Middle School. Kathy Pinkerton, Decat Coordinator, and Kelly Wooden, Drug Free Communities Coordinator, say that the focus is on the family and all family members. The day will begin with a pancake breakfast and will be followed by a chance to visit with many different agencies and organizations to find out what's available for families in Boone County. There's no charge to attend, and whole families are encouraged to plan and spend some time at "Celebrate Families".

JumpStart Boone

BOONE, Iowa---Boone Mayor John Slight is pleased the City Council has continued to move ahead with a program to help Jump Start Boone. Slight says early discussion were directed toward a program for commercial properties, but since then has grown to include residential properties. Slight says the program requires an improvement that would increase the valuation by at least 10%. In turn, the City will offer property tax rebates as an incentive. The program could run for 10 years.

Highway 30 Construction to Begin

AMES, Iowa---The Iowa Department of Transportation says road construction on US Highway 30 from University Boulevard on the east end to the Erickson Curves on the west end will begin next week, weather permitting. The project will be a major reconstruction of the highway and will result in head-to-head traffic in the construction zone. Many people that travel the highway have complained about the condition of the road. Work actually began on cross overs last summer.

Habitat for Humanity Groundbreaking

BOONE, Iowa---Habitat for Humanity of Boone and Greene Counties will be breaking ground on their 18th home in April. Executive Director Erich Kretzinger says the ceremonies are planned for April 10th at 1317 Tama Street in Boone, the site for the next home. This home will be the first under the new partnership with the Boone Community Schools Building Trades Program. Habitat is also focused on trying to complete two additional homes this calendar year.

Supervisors to Consider Ordinance Amendments

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone County Board of Supervisors will address two ordinance amendments this week during their regular meeting Wednesday. The first will update the county's flood plain management plan. The second will address the elimination of a section from the county zoning ordinance. Section 4.13 specifies language for a Conservation Overlay. The County Zoning Commission has recommended the language be rescinded following the receipt of petitions with more than 1,200 signatures. The first public hearing on the flood plain management will be at 9:00 AM and the public hearing on the zoning ordinance will be held at 10:00 AM.

Diabetes Alert Day

BOONE, Iowa---Susanne Kersey, RN CDE for the Diabetes Education Program at the Boone County Hospital will guest on the KWBG Talk to the Expert/Health Talk Program, Tuesday and will provide information about Diabetes Alert Day. Diabetes Alert Day is called a one-day "Wake-Up" call to the American Public to find out their risk for developing Type 2 Diabetes. Talk to the Expert/Health Talk airs at 9:05 AM Tuesday on KWBG.

Park Commission Reschedules

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone City Park Commission has rescheduled their meeting from last Monday to Tuesday evening at 7:00 at the Park Office. The agenda remains fairly light for the meeting, with the primary items being the repair of storm damage from last year. The project is expected to be funded by FEMA. The Commission will also received the Arbitration decision over the matter of the recreational trail near the Linwood Park Cemetery.

Behn Supports Power Plant Legislation

BOONE, Iowa---State Senator Jerry Behn (R) Boone is the ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee. Behn was a supporter of legislation that moved through the Committee two weeks ago, streamlining the regulatory process for any business planning on developing a nuclear power plant. Since then, the catastrophe in Japan has led many people to question the direction of the Iowa Senate. Behn says one issue that's been raised is the amount that would be charged back to cover the cost of plant development, whether the plant is built or not.

School District Goals

BOONE, Iowa---Boone School Superintendent Brad Manard has been making the rounds of community and civic organizations to present the School Districts Goals and Concepts for Boone High School. On Tuned In this month, Manard says the School Board is faced with a decision about the future of the High School. Discussion has focused on an addition and remodeling project with the eventual demolition of the oldest part of the building. Manard next presentation will be Monday for the Boone City Council.

Jump Start Boone

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone City Council will hold a public hearing on the Boone Urban Revitalization Plan when they meet Monday. The plan has been proposed as a method that will help revitalize economic activity. The proposal being considered would basically make available tax rebates for property improvements with a taxable valuation increase of at least $10,000. The proposal would affect residential and commercial property.

Suspect Caught

Madrid, Iowa---Boone County Sheriff Ron Fehr says Deputies and Madrid Police Officer responded to an alarm at Van Wall Equipment east of Madrid about 1:00 AM Thursday. Fehr says they discovered a burglary in progress. He says one suspect escaped on the High Trestle Trail, but a second man, 38-year old Jeffrey A. Webb of Polk City was taken into custody. Additional charges include possession of stolen property and possession of burglary tools. Fehr says the suspects used ATVs on the trail to approach the business. One of the recovered ATVs was reportedly stolen in Perry about 2 weeks ago. Fehr says the investigation is continuing.

Passport Law Changing

BOONE, Iowa---Boone County residents have been picking up passports in the County Recorders office at the rate of about 400 per year. But with a new law taking affect in May, something will need to change. Supervisor Tom Foster says the new law does not allow an office that handles other vital records like birth certificates to issue passports. Foster says because the Recorders office is one room and the staff is small, a change will need to be made. He says the Board feels the service is needed at the Courthouse and they will try to put together a plan to keep it there.

Parent Meeting for Kindergarten

BOONE, Iowa---Parents that plan to enroll their children in kindergarten or optional kindergarten in the Boone School District will be meeting at the Boone Middle School on Tuesday, March 22nd at 6:30 PM. The program is expected to last about and hour and a half and children do not need to attend. Those parents that can not attend or have not submitted their child's name are encouraged to contact either the Page or the Lincoln Elementary buildings.

St. Patrick's Day Safety

BOONE, Iowa---St. Patrick's Day has become a popular night to celebrate Irish Heritage, even for those that aren't Irish. Boone Police Department Commander Chuck Pepples says the department is urging the public to keep the streets safe this year. Pepples says drink responsible and have a designated sober driver before heading to the parades or the pub. During the same time, other agencies are taking part in a sTEP or special Traffic Enforcement Program, focusing on seat belt usage, speeding and driving sober.

15 Year Old Charged

BOONE, Iowa---A 15 year old Perry youth has been charged with 2nd Degree Arson by Boone County Authorities. Sheriff Ron Fehr reported that Detective Sargent Kenny Kendall had investigated the March 4th incident, in which a vehicle, taken from Ames was abandoned and burned in Boone County. Devon B. Hall was taken into custody Tuesday. Hall is being held in the Juvenile Detention Facility in Eldora. He had been arrested early Sunday morning by Boone Police following a Criminal Mischief investigation. Fehr says Kendall's investigation is continuing.

Charges Pending in Accident Case

BOONE, Iowa---Boone County Sheriff Ron Fehr says charges are pending following an accident investigation from Tuesday morning. Fehr says took the call about 6:30 in the morning about a man entering a home on Highway 17 near Luther. The suspect tried to lay down and sleep. 19-year old Guadalupe Diaz of Davenport was taken to the Boone County Hospital. Fehr says the charges will depend on the lab results. Diaz' vehicle was in the ditch, but no injuries were reported.

Water Meter Replacement Program

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone City Council's Utility Committee is expected to recommend the Council allocate more money to continue a regular water meter replacement program. The Committee was presented with a plan to replace residential water meters on a 10 year rotation and larger meters on a 5 year rotation. Staff have been replacing residential meters to take the old telephone service reads out of service. That has been completed. The program to replace meters is estimated to cost $135,000 a year.

Secondary Road Projects

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone County Board of Supervisors will be consider plans for the next bridge project for the Secondary Road Department. Due to declining revenues, the Secondary Road Department has had to drop to one bridge project a year. Plans under consideration this year will be for a bridge on Little Beaver Creek in Peoples Township. Last year, a bridge was redone in Beaver Township. County Engineer Bob Kieffer has said the actual dollars received for bridge work has declined and the cost of the work keeps increasing.

Conservation Board Reviews Trail Rules

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone County Conservation Board is one of several entities working on establishing rules and regulations for the High Trestle Trail. Five communities and four counties have been addressing the rules and regulations so there's consistency along the trail. Since most counties have comparable regulations for parks, there's already some consistency. Individual communities, including Madrid are adopting their regulations. The Boone County Conservation Board wants to be consistent with the Madrid and with the other counties. Work on rules and regulations is expected to continue.

FastTrac Program Begins in a Week

BOONE, Iowa---First Step FastTrac, a trademarked program for entrepreneurial training begins in a week on the Boone Campus of Des Moines Area Community College. Classes will be held on the Boone Campus, Tuesday evenings until May 24th. Dave Cook will facilitate the program and says it's exciting that the program is being made available locally. Previously anyone wishing to participate needed to travel to Newton. Besides that, the cost of the program is reduced because of a grant from the Iowa Foundation for Microenterprise and Community Vitality. A Boone business, Specialty Leathers is also providing scholarship assistance to those that would like to attend. Information is available from Dave Cook at 515-460-1424. Registration is being handled by DMACC at 515-964-6800.

Ogden Economic Development

OGDEN, Iowa---There's still enthusiasm about economic development plans for the City of Ogden. City Administrator Donovan Olson says among other things, the name of the Ogden Community Development Corporation has been changed to Ogden Legacy. He says it's all part of the effort to bring new focus to the communities efforts. Olson says there currently a couple of projects that are being worked on, one a downtown wellness center and the second a project involving Boone County producers that are willing to participate in a marketing plan for produce to organized camps in Boone County.

County Budget Adopted

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone County Board of Supervisors were able to adopt the Boone County Budget for the 2012 Fiscal Year, during a special meeting Monday morning. The original hearing was to have been held on March 9th, but had to be moved due to a missed publication. The budget calls for a 5% increase in property taxes being sought by the county. The urban rate will remain unchanged while the rural rate will increase .10 per thousand dollars. Budgets for the County and the cities in the county need to be submitted by Tuesday.

Supervisors Set Public Hearings

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone County Board of Supervisors have set public hearings on two different ordinance amendments. One, the controversial Conservation Overlay and the second the County Flood Management Plan. The Conservation Overlay proposal is to rescind section 4.13 from the County Zoning Ordinance. The Flood Management Ordinance will be updated for new FEMA maps and language making residents eligible for Federal Flood Insurance. The hearings will be held during regular Supervisors meetings, March 23rd, 3oth and April 6th with the Flood Ordinance at 9:00 AM and Zoning at 10:00 AM.

Daylight Savings and Smoke Detectors

BOONE, Iowa---Boone Fire Chief Justin Adams says the Boone Fire Department encourages everyone to take time and replace their batteries in their smoke and carbon monoxide detectors this weekend. He says making it a habit when you change your clocks to daylight savings time and back in the fall will keep your detectors operating properly. Adams also says if you have a detector installed prior to March 2001, it's time to invest in a new one. The general life of a detector is 10 years. He encourages people to look for the new detectors that detect fires two different ways.

Community Theatre

BOONE, Iowa---Boone Community Theatre will begin two weekends of performances of "On Golden Pond" Friday night at the Boone Community Theatre and Playhouse. Performances were pushed back a week because of the weather, illness and the recent death of longtime community theatre participant John Davies. Evening performances will be held Friday and Saturday the 11th and 12th and again Friday and Saturday the 18th and 19th. Curtain goes up at 7:30. Sunday the 13th will be a 2:00 matinee. All tickets are $10.00 and are available at the door or online.

School Board Drops Tax Rate

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone School Board has set the public hearing on the district's budget for a regular board meeting on April 12th. Boone Superintendent Brad Manard says the proposed budget seeks about a $1 million decrease in property tax dollars in the next year, which will effectively reduce the tax rate by more than $2. Manard says the difficult decision made by the Board and Administration 4 years ago have now come around to the benefit of the district and patrons.

City Begins Next Phase in NSP

BOONE, Iowa---The City of Boone is moving into the next phase of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP). Federal stimulus funds were received and used by the City to purchase foreclosed on properties. Those homes have now been rehabilitated, and are now going up for sale. City officials say that potential buyers will need to meet income guidelines. The City has worked with the Region XII Council of Governments. Boone Mayor John Slight says it was nice to get to this point, even though he and the Council have had quite a few concerns about all the change orders tied to the rehabilitation work.

Watershed Planning Update

BOONE, Iowa---Boone County residents interested in participating in some of the planning being done for watershed improvement in the Don Williams Lake Watershed, can participate in a public meeting Thursday evening at 6:30 at the Don Williams Park Office. Several Boone County organizations, including Soil and Water Conservation, Keep Boone County Beautiful, Boone County Conservation and others, along with property owners in the watershed, have been involved in a number of assessments. That information will be reviewed and the next steps in the planning process will begin.

Audit Improvements Recognized.

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone City Council received a very positive audit report from Kevin Houston during their meeting Monday. Houston's firm conducts the city's audit and he noted improvement in several categories in the past couple of years. Houston noted there are still a number of capital projects that have not been closed out, some about 10-years old. Boone Mayor John Slight says Boone Finance Officer, Ondrea Elmquist has already begun the work to try and resolve some of those outstanding projects.

Annexation Proposal

BOONE, Iowa---An anticipated proposal from businesses in the Boone Industrial Park to the Boone City Council, addressing possible annexation did not materialize. Businesses in the industrial park have been meeting with some city representatives to try and resolve concerns about an annexation study that's currently underway. The study does identify the industrial park for possible annexation. So far, a proposal under review was consider unworkable by legal counsel. The City has offered a voluntary annexation over an extended period of time. Details have not been made available to the City Council.

Supervisors To Set Public Hearings

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone County Board of Supervisors will be setting public hearings Wednesday for two ordinances. One will be on the recommendation from the County Zoning Commission to rescind a section of the zoning ordinance dealing with Conservation Overlays. The second will be the County Flood Plain Management Ordinance dealing with the new FEMA flood maps and mandates that will apply to Boone County.

Baltimore Economic Development Bill

BOONE, Iowa---The Iowa Legislature had a funnel deadline last week and many bills were eliminated from this session. Many bills also continued moving forward and one supported by Boone Representative Chip Baltimore creates a public-private partnership for economic development. Baltimore, a Republican, serves on the House Economic Growth Committee and says he's excited the bill is still alive. He says it received bipartisan support coming out of committee and will hopefully do the same on the House Floor this week.

School Board to Continue Demolition Process

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone School Board will continue to move ahead with the possible demolition of two vacant elementary school buildings. The Bryant and the Lowell buildings have been offered for sale, but the School Board has insisted that who ever buys the buildings have a project that will be a benefit to the neighborhoods and the community. Some district patrons have recently questioned the decision to proceed with possible demolition. Plans for demolition have been approved, but bids have not been received.

Expansion Proposed for Urban Renewal District

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone City Council will be considering an amendment to the Southeast Boone Urban Renewal District. The proposal calls for including an area of north central and northwest Boone. The Council will set a public hearing for their first meeting in April, but before that, will hold a meeting with other taxing entities, the school district, the county and hospital and so on, to explain the proposal. The consultation meeting is planned for March 15th.

Boone Budget

BOONE, Iowa---Boone City Administrator Luke Nelson said this week that he feels pretty good about the proposed budget for the City of Boone. Nelson says the Council had wanted to keep the actual rate unchanged and that was accomplished. He says the actual tax asking will vary a little from the current fiscal year. Nelson noted that a couple of capital projects are still in the budget, but a couple of others had to be pushed back. The City Council will conduct it's budget hearing on Monday.

Fair Board Fund Raiser

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone County Fair Board annual pancake feed will be held Friday afternoon and evening and Saturday morning. The Fair Board has hosted the pancake fundraiser for several years and always designates the proceeds to a specific project, usually in the community building. The Boone Lions Club will donate the cooking expertise and 4-H clubs take turns in helping out. Tickets are $5 and are available at the door. More information is available here.

United Budget Work Continues

BOONE, Iowa---The Board of Directors of the United Community School District will continue try and implement necessary budget reductions in an effort to complete the district's proposed budget for the 2012 Fiscal Year. The focus has been on reducing expenditures by as much as $400,000. The Board will consider contract reductions for Principal and Business Manager. The formal public hearing for the budget will also be set during the meeting Thursday evening.

Annexation Proposal

BOONE, Iowa---City Administrator Luke Nelson says he expects the Boone City Council will receive a proposal in lieu of involuntary annexation at the next City Council meeting. The divisive issue has been driven by an Annexation Study being conducted for the City by Snyder and Associates a contract engineering firm. Nelson says the proposal going to the Council was generated by legal counsel for Industrial Park businesses, including Fareway Stores, Incorporated a mainstay of the Industrial Park. Nelson says the businesses and the City Council have agreed that any proposal be made available for review by the public. The next City Council meeting is Monday, March 7th.

Ogden Council to Review Ordinance

OGDEN, Iowa---The Ogden City Council will spend the next couple of weeks reviewing a proposed ordinance that will deal with "Small Wind Energy Conversion". SWEC means small wind generators that can be mounted on the roof of a house, barn or garage. City Administrator Donovan Olson says a resident has expressed an interest in the program and the ordinance is being prepared to handle the activity. Olson says residents are encouraged to find out what's in the ordinance and more about the wind generators before the Council's meeting in April.

Supervisors Review Options for CIE

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone County Board of Supervisors have been investigating options to try and deal with shortfalls in reimbursement from the Central Iowa Expo. The Central Iowa Expo was created to oversee the site east of Boone that hosts the Farm Progress Show. Fund raising for the site has fallen short of expectations and off year activities have not generated the kind of income needed to meet the debt obligations.

Zoning Commission Holds Public Hearing

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone County Zoning Commission held a public hearing Monday as a result of a petition opposed to a section of the county zoning ordinance. The Conservation Overlay section became controversial last year, when it was applied for the first time to a parcel of property being subdivided for a minor subdivision. The matter involved a moratorium, a proposed amendment to the zoning ordinance and a petition drive with more than 1,200 signatures. The Zoning Commission has voted to recommend to the Boone County Supervisors that they amend the Zoning Ordinance to eliminate the section on Conservation Overlay. The matter will probably go the Supervisors on Wednesday, March 9th.

Hospital CMS Hearing

BOONE, Iowa---The Boone County Hospital Administrators will be arguing for the right to continue operating a skilled nursing unit on the 3rd floor of the hospital. About a year ago, the Kansas City Regional Office determined the service need to stop because the floor wasn't full of patients all the time. Last year, an Administrative Law Judge ruled that the Hospital did have grounds to appeal the determination, setting up the hearing planned for next week. The skilled nursing service was closed down as a result of the initial ruling by CMS.

Relay For Life

BOONE, Iowa---Boone County Relay for Life is planning a big kickoff for the 2011 Relay, currently scheduled for June 3rd and 4th. Angie Johannsen, Publicity Co-Chair, says the March Blitz is an effort to generate more team participation. The Blitz will begin Friday at 6:30 PM at The Gigglin' Goat in Boone and Sunday at 2:00 PM at Spinning Wheels in Ogden and finally at 6:00 PM Sunday at the Tiger Bowl in Madrid. Johannsen says several other fund raisers are already being planned.