The Spring Valley City Council met in regular session October 9, with all members present (Tony Archer, Todd Jones, Mayor Jim Struzyk, Jessy Betts, Mike Hadland and City Administrator Deb Zimmer). The council held a public hearing on the proposed Solicitation Ordinance. Zimmer explained that, “We’ve had several complaints this year, and in the past, about what we’d call … [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!"
Wykoff discusses voting, streets, and school
A regular meeting of the Wykoff City Council was held on October 11, with all members in attendance: Rocky Vreeman, Mary Tjepkes, Mayor Al Williams, Clerk Becky Schmidt, Mary Sackett, and Richard Gleason. The council discussed the proposed change to an entirely mail-in voting system, in which voters would not come to a polling place. Rosanne Strain addressed the council on … [Read more...]
The whole place is Ace
Todd Jones knows hardware. It’s in his blood. His family ran the hardware store in Spring Valley since 1965, and for many years it operated as a Coast to Coast Hardware store, then due to a merger became a True Value store. Todd took over the family business in 2003, and in 2013 the store moved to the current location at 630 North Pleasant in Spring Valley (next to Kwik Trip … [Read more...]
Kingsland OK’s facilities plan
The Kingsland School Board met in special session October 2 at 6 p.m., with all members present (Doug Plaehn, Ann Oeltjen, Deb Larson, Tiffany Mundfrom, Jackie Horsman, Heather Betts, and Interim Superintendent James Hecimovich). The only item on the agenda was the Facilities Plan. A motion was made by Mundfrom, and seconded by Horsman to direct the administration to … [Read more...]
Spring Valley plans street project in 2018
The Spring Valley City Council met in regular session September 25, with all members present (Tony Archer, Todd Jones, Mayor Jim Struzyk, Jessy Betts, Mike Hadland and City Administrator Deb Zimmer). No visitors had signed up to address the council. Brian Malm, representing the firm of Bolton & Menk, was on hand to explain the preliminary plans for Spring Valley’s … [Read more...]
Police Chief Mosher hangs up his badge
Tom Mosher has spent his career in law enforcement, and as he prepares to end that career, he recently reflected on his experiences. After serving as the entire police force for Fountain and Ostrander, and working with the Fillmore County Sheriff’s office, he has many favorite memories to talk of. When asked the question of why he is retiring, Tom explained that his pension … [Read more...]
New owners “meating” customer needs
The brats are just as delicious as ever, but the “Kraut” is on the side now. That’s one way to summarize what’s happening at Valley Butchery and Meat Market in Spring Valley. Another description would be: the more things change, the more they stay the same. The business has a new name, but was known for the past 50 years as Kraut’s Locker. Effective July 1, Ken and Janell … [Read more...]
Kingsland to seek transportation bids
The Kingsland School Board met in regular session September 18, with Doug Plaehn, Ann Oeltjen, Jackie Horsman, Heather Betts, and Interim Superintendent James Hecimovich in attendance. Deb Larson and Tiffany Mundfrom were absent. The board discussed the option of seeking bids for the district’s transportation needs, and voted to seek and accept bids. Plaehn pointed out that … [Read more...]
Ostrander to fill mayor and police vacancies
The Ostrander City Council met on September 13 in regular session, with all members present (Erin Volkart, Pam Kunert, Clerk Chris Hyrkas, Heidi Jones and DJ Start). Sarah Chounard addressed the council, saying she’s aware the current water tower will eventually be moved to a different location, and she asked, “Could I purchase the lot the water tower (currently) sits … [Read more...]
Spring Valley 2018 budget previewed
The Spring Valley City Council met in regular session September 11, with all members present (Tony Archer, Todd Jones, Mayor Jim Struzyk, Jessy Betts, Mike Hadland and City Administrator Deb Zimmer). No visitors had signed up to address the council. The main items discussed were preliminary 2018 budget review, and asbestos removal options for the “Kasson farm” at 2500 Tracy … [Read more...]