The Kingsland School Board held a “work session” meeting on February 5, with all members present (Doug Plaehn, Ann Oeltjen, Leah Stier, Jackie Horsman, Tiffany Mundfrom, Heather Betts, and Interim Superintendent James Hecimovich). The board has adopted a process in which much of the discussion and “hashing out” on issues is done during work sessions, and then decisions are … [Read more...]
Rich Wicks
Reporter
rich@fillmorecountyjournal.com
What's an Iowegian doing writing for the Journal? That's a mystery. All
we really know is that Rich lives in Cresco (Iowa), and when he's not
working, he can often be spotted chasing his wife and kids around the
neighborhood, hollering, "Uff da, slow down!"
PeopleService addresses Ostrander concerns
A regular meeting of the Ostrander city council was held on February 6, with all members in attendance (Pam Kunert, Mayor Pat Nesler, City Clerk Wendy Brincks, and Heidi Jones and DJ Start). Rick Whitney (PeopleService) addressed the council regarding issues that he’s heard have been concerns, related to PeopleService’s work at the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). He … [Read more...]
Canton Veterans Memorial taking shape
In small towns, it can be a challenge to find enough people and/or funding to get things done. This is an ongoing challenge regarding the Canton Veterans Memorial, but Nick Prestby is spearheading the efforts. And, he expects 2018 to be the year when things really take shape. He said, “My projection is to try to get it all done before the big five-year celebration in … [Read more...]
Get wild at Maple Springs
Things are a little bit wild at Maple Springs Campground, and that’s just fine with new owner Andy Goemaat. But as he explains, there’s a big difference between wildlife and wild life. Andy stated, “I had been looking for a while to buy a campground, and everything kind of fell through until I ran across this one. I wanted one that was kind of quieter and family-oriented, … [Read more...]
Kingsland looks to play nine-man football in 2018
A possible change to nine-man football was discussed during the Kingsland School Board meeting on January 17, with all members present (Doug Plaehn, Ann Oeltjen, Leah Stier, Jackie Horsman, Tiffany Mundfrom, Heather Betts, and Interim Superintendent James Hecimovich). Mundfrom asked what would happen if the team made the playoffs, and it was explained that the team would then … [Read more...]
Wykoff to offer open gym and walking
Approximately 10 citizens were in the audience for the Wykoff City Council meeting that was held on January 8, with all council members in attendance (Rocky Vreeman, Mary Tjepkes, Mayor Al Williams, Deputy Clerk Luann Hare, Mary Sackett, and Richard Gleason). City Clerk Becky Schmidt was absent. Richard Gleason updated the council on his efforts at arranging for Wykoff … [Read more...]
Spring Valley sets 2018 fees and appointments
The Spring Valley City Council met in regular session January 8. Members present included Tony Archer, Todd Jones, Mayor Jim Struzyk, Jessy Betts, and City Administrator Deb Zimmer. Mike Hadland was absent. No visitors had signed up to address the council. The council approved Resolutions 2018-01 through 2018-07, naming the city’s official newspaper, bank depository, … [Read more...]
Ostrander to fill council and maintenance vacancies
A regular meeting of the Ostrander City Council was held on January 2, with all members in attendance (DJ Start, Pam Kunert, Mayor Pat Nesler, newly hired City Clerk Wendy Brincks, outgoing City Clerk Christine Hyrkas, and Heidi Jones). City Attorney Jennifer Gumbel addressed the council with her ideas regarding how to deal with the issue of developing a Feed Lot ordinance, … [Read more...]
Grabau’s trains will move you
You can’t call Boyd Grabau just another model train hobbyist. That would be like calling Paul Bunyan just another lumberjack. What Boyd has done with his hobby is far beyond what most train lovers would ever imagine. In his own words, “Like I tell everybody, it’s not a hobby, it’s an obsession!” For the past 30 years, Boyd, a lifelong resident of Spring Valley, has been … [Read more...]
Kingsland approves tax levy and bond
The Kingsland School Board met in regular session December 18, with all members present (Doug Plaehn, Ann Oeltjen, Leah Stier, Jackie Horsman, Tiffany Mundfrom, Heather Betts, and Interim Superintendent James Hecimovich). Prior to the regular meeting, the board held the annual truth in taxation public hearing. Although no citizens attended the hearing, Business Manager Amber … [Read more...]