Top news stories of 2009
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| Balloons fly over Creston during the 2009 Hot Air Balloon Fun Flight Sept. 18. The fun flight, all of the scheduled competitive flights and night glow took place. It is the first time in at least 14 years the weather was that cooperative during the annual Balloon Days weekend. (CNA file photo) |
As 2009 comes to a close, we reflect back on the stories that broke this year. While the Creston area was not without its controversies, disasters and weather woes, the positive side of the news could also be found among the pages of the Creston News Advertiser.
The following, listed by month, are our top local picks for 2009:
January — Boil advisory for drinking water issued
This story may have started in late December 2008, but it remained a topic of concern well into 2009.
A water boiling advisory was issued Dec. 30, 2008, because of high turbidity, or cloudiness, levels in the Creston water supply.
The problem began when the filtration system at 12-Mile treatment plant failed Dec. 27. This allowed silt and dirt from the lake to enter the water supply.
At that point, turbidity levels remained in the safe range, but were higher than usual. City officials, working with the Iowa Department of natural Resources (DNR), decided to allow water with the higher levels to enter the public water system.
A water sample taken Dec. 28 showed turbidity levels of 1.6 units, which is above the level of 1.5 allowed by the DNR.
Since Creston Water Works supplies Southern Iowa Rural Water Association (SIRWA) with the majority of its water, many communities outside the city were also affected.
Affected areas included the cities and surrounding rural areas of Creston, Sun Valley, Cromwell, Macksburg, Thayer, Afton, Shannon City, Arispe, Kent, Tingley, Grand River, Beaconsfield, Delphos, Redding, Maloy, Benton, Conway, Gravity, Sharpsburg, Nodaway, Clearfield, Lorimor, Prescott, Murray, Ellston, Kellerton, Diagonal, Blockton, Mount Ayr, Bedford and Lenox.
Though the advisory was lifted for Creston Jan. 7, many SIRWA customers were still under the advisory until the final order was lifted Jan. 11.
February — Fansteel addition to aid local economy, war effort
Fansteel Wellman Dynamics certainly isn’t feeling the recession’s sting.
A 52-foot by 100-foot addition to the facility’s east side became operational by April. The addition comes along with an incredible boost in Fansteel ‘s number of employees, sales and annual payroll. For example, the company had just more than 200 employees in 2003, while they basically doubled that number by this year.
Mike McCullough, Fansteel Wellman Dynamics manager of sales and marketing, credits these employees for the company’s current upswing.
Back in 2003, Fansteel’s annual sales topped off at just more than $18 million. This year they’ll reach more than $60 million. The company’s annual payroll has also seen an upshot.
McCullough said the addition will be primarily used to produce a series of castings for Bell Helicopters of Fort Worth, Texas. Most of these castings will go toward the Boeing V-22 Osprey, a military helicopter with some real impressive traits, said McCullough.
March — Sickels, Christensen trial, guilty as charged
The second-degree sexual assault trial of former Creston Police Chief James Christensen and former Creston Assistant Police Chief John Sickels began March 3.
Christensen and Sickels faced charges stemming from an incident involving an employee of Crestmoor Golf Club, which occurred in the early morning hours of April 18, 2008.
Both men were charged, and fired from their jobs in June 2008 after an Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation review of the incident. Hearings held by the Creston Civil Service Commission sustained the terminations.
The trial lasted seven days and the verdict came shortly after 10 p.m. March 12 after eight hours of jury deliberation.
Sickels and Christensen were both sentenced to 25 years in prison for their roles in the sexual assault.
Fifth District Chief Judge Arthur E. Gamble handed down the mandatory sentences May 20 in Polk County District Court.
The ex-police officers must serve 70 percent of the sentence before they are eligible for parole. Upon their release, Sickels and Christensen will remain under supervision as if on parole, have five years of supervision by electronic monitoring device and must submit DNA to the state’s DNA database. Both men will remain in the custody of the director of the Department of Adult Corrections and be listed on the sex offender registry for life.
Both men have filed appeals that are pending.
April — Lenox featured in remake film
They weren’t typical quiet springtime days in Lenox.
For weeks, the town was abuzz with preparations for making the city a backdrop for two weeks of filming of a movie remake.
Crews from Overture Films moved north from several weeks of filming in the Macon, Ga., area. Final meetings were scheduled and starting April 17, scenes were filmed in and around Lenox for the remake of “The Crazies.”
George Romero, director of the original version of the horror film in 1973, was the remake’s executive director. Breck Eisner, who directed the film “Sahara,” directed the new version.
The full-length feature film is scheduled to be released early 2010.
August — Council raises rent on traveling merchants
At its Aug. 18 meeting, the Creston City Council unanimously voted to establish and carry the first reading on a resolution that would significantly increase the fees paid by outside entities looking to do temporary business in the city.
After two more readings, the ordinance was passed and fees jumped to $50 per day, $150 per week, $500 for six months and $1,000 per year. Prior to that fees were $10 per day and $100 per year.
Many felt it was the Maid-Rite trailer, which stops in Creston Wednesdays in the parking lot on the corner of Russell Street and Sumner Avenue, that sparked the debate over the license requirements.
Other businesses that have yearly peddler’s, solicitor’s or transient merchant’s licenses in Creston include Dellsmart.com, Sack’s Ice Cream and Cowboy Connection. The owners of Maid-Rite and Sack’s Ice Cream said they will not be returning to Creston after their licenses expire.
Mayor Warren Woods said the decision to establish this resolution came as a request through the Creston Chamber of Commerce.
During an earlier council meeting, Woods said local businesses had made specific complaints about the Maid-Rite trailer. Other council members acknowledged receiving complaints about the license fees from local restaurant owners.
August — King cited, found not guilty
Following two days of testimony, a not guilty verdict was returned 2:55 p.m. Sept. 1 in the disorderly conduct trial of Union County Board of Supervisors Chairman Mike King.
The verdict came after testimony from 11 witnesses.
King was charged with disorderly conduct in April after the review of a confrontation he had with Union County Jail Administrator David Danielson April 13.
According to the Creston police report, at 2:50 p.m. April 13 King argued with another individual in a loud and raucous manner in a public area of the Union County Courthouse and the argument caused unreasonable distress to the courthouse occupants.
Danielson verified he was the individual King was arguing with.
Danielson said the argument started because King did not want him to attend a health insurance meeting.
September — 4-for-4: Balloons abound in full-flight weekend
It was all about the weather. Warm temperatures and calm winds prevailed over the Sept. 17-19 weekend making the 2009 Creston Balloon Days one of the best in the 32 years of the annual three-day event.
Balloons dotted the skies over Creston for all four of the scheduled flights.
“It’s the first time in 14 years,” said Balloonmeister Rob Bartholemew during the Sunday morning pilot’s breakfast and banquet held at Supertel Inn and Convention Center.
The skies were blue and winds moderate as the balloons took to the sky Friday evening, passing over Creston High School’s Panther Field.
Likewise, the Saturday morning and afternoon flights were a spectacular sight. Night Glow was held at dusk at Creston Municipal Airport with more than 20 balloons lighting up the evening sky.
Sunday morning, winds stayed within flight range, with many of the pilots taking the final test of the event.
Few balloon events go off without a hitch. This year’s event was no exception.
Roger Lanning, chairman of the Balloon Days committee, said the balloon of pilot Rick Goosey caught on fire Saturday morning when a propane line developed a leak.
“No one was hurt, but he has some repairs to do,” said Lanning. “Many pilots would have packed up and gone home after that, but he stayed the rest of the weekend and came out to watch the other events.”
Lanning said the fire was extinguished using bottled water and the fire department did not have to be summoned. Goosey’s basket and burner unit sustained some damage, but the balloon envelope was spared.
Lanning said 58 pilots competed this year.
October — THINK signs
In early October, the Creston Police and Union County Sheriff’s departments put in the first set of THINK signs at the intersection of Highway 34 and Clover Avenue. Each sign represented a person who died because of an accident on the road.
“This is for any type of accident fatality, not just drunk driving,” said Creston Police Sgt. Pat Henry.
On the front they say, “Think! X marks the spot,” and on the back, “Why die?”
The first three signs put up were for Kalita Moore, 17, Chris Lowe, 21, and Jolynn Kimball, 15, for a fatal motor vehicle crash at the intersection of Highway 34 and Clover Avenue in June 2007.
Henry was inspired to put up THINK signs in Union County after he saw many of them while on vacation in South Dakota.
“You see three of them in the same spot,” Henry said, “and it really does make people stop and think about what happened there.”
But, the location of those signs was short lived.
The THINK signs put up by Union County law enforcement are a hazard, distraction and generally unappealing to highway travelers. This is according to a written statement from the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT).
On Nov. 4, law enforcement received a letter from the DOT stating the signs are in the state right of way and must be removed, or put to the fence lines on major highways. This is regarding the Guide to Iowa Outdoor Advertising Sign Regulations, page one, General Prohibitions, 1.
“They’ve classified the THINK signs as advertisements and that’s where it falls under the rule that says you can’t have them out there,” said Henry. “The right of way is their property, and we have to have permission to put anything on it. We tried to go along with that, but our dilemma was there was numerous places the fence was out of sight from the road where we wanted to put the signs, which correlated with where the markers and fatalities occurred.”
Money for these signs was from an Iowa Department of Health grant. The locations of the fatalities were provided by the DOT.
November — Gurung sets house on fire
Smoke billowed from the third floor of the house at 1005 E. Howard St. on the morning of Nov. 10 as a potentially dangerous situation unfolded inside.
With guns drawn, Creston officers crouched behind bushes and stood near trees surrounding the house, not knowing what might happen next.
After Creston police officers attempted to serve a search warrant in regard to a reported assault at the residence of Helen “June” Propst and Anil “Neil” Gurung 7:09 a.m. that morning, Creston firefighters were called to the scene because of smoke coming from an upper-floor window.
The sole occupant of the house at that time was 45-year-old Gurung, who apparently set the house on fire after he saw officers enter the residence. According to court documents, when officers attempted to go up the stairs where Gurung was standing, he threw a red gas can down the stairs toward them and yelled. Officers retreated from the residence, and soon after, smoke could be seen coming from the house.
Because of the volatility of the situation, firefighters were unable to enter the house to extinguish the fire as it continued to fill with smoke. Approximately 45 minutes later, Gurung exited the house through a second-floor north window and was taken into custody by Creston police without incident. Firefighters then moved in to extinguish the fire.
Creston Fire Chief Todd Jackson could be heard explaining that the stairway had been destroyed by fire and firefighters could not access the upper floors from the interior. Using the department’s ladder truck, water was injected through upper windows.
The house and contents sustained an estimated $100,000 in damages.
Gurung was charged with first-degree arson, a Class B felony, and assault of a police officer, a Class D felony. Charges for the original assault are still pending further investigation.
December — Blizzard
School wasn’t an option, businesses closed their doors and travel was not recommended as a Dec. 8-9 massive snowstorm crippled the majority of Iowa.
After covering portions of the state in snowfall amounts upwards of 1 foot, wind gusts of more than 50 miles per hour created a blizzard the National Weather Service called “extremely dangerous” with “life-threatening conditions.”
The howling winds helped create windchills ranging from 10 to 20 degrees below zero and limited visibility to near zero in many locations. Snow drifts 8 to 15 feet high blocked roadways throughout Union County.
The area received approximately 12 inches of snow on top of snowfall received just days before.
Year-long — Construction, expansions dot the community
Sewer
In case you’ve missed the street closings and construction equipment, the second phase of Creston’s east side sewer project is under way.
Work began in September on the project, which will replace about 12,000 feet of sewer line in a frequently flooded area bordered by Cherry Street on the west; Ash Street on the east; Montgomery Street on the south and Carpenter Street on the north. Additional work was also being done between Prairie and Seneca streets near Pine Street.
The work was bid to Havens Construction of Liberty, Mo., for $1.2 million, and will be financed by a $524,000 grant from the Iowa Department of Economic Development as well as a $1.45 million loan from the state revolving fund (SRF).
St. Malachy
It indeed, was a dream five years ago of St. Malachy and Holy Spirit Parish officials to be able to build an addition to the growing local school for preschool through eighth grade.
Now, it’s a reality. A groundbreaking ceremony for the 6,300-square-feet building was conducted in March and students moved in the middle of November.
Fifteen years ago enrollment at St. Malachy was around 120. Last year’s enrollment was up to 145, and this year’s is 178 with a chance to exceed 180 next year.
“When we were at 140 kids, we had to do something,” St. Malachy Principal John Walsh said. “Now, with our active recruiting committee helping us get to 180 or beyond, that’s exciting, but we need the space.”
The $763,640 project, buoyed by a $305,000 Dekko Foundation grant and significant corporate and private donations, includes classrooms, a science lab, computer lab in a new library and chapel.
Meanwhile, across town another school was realizing its dream.
Mayflower Heritage Christian
If children attending Mayflower Heritage Christian School feel like a million bucks sitting in class these days, there’s a good reason.
That’s the price tag on their new building, with spacious classrooms and a bright environment featuring windows to see both outside and inside. As you enter the 9,300-square-feet facility adjacent to Crest Baptist Church on North Poplar and Townline streets, you are surrounded by classrooms and a hallway leading to the foyer and music room.
A brand new building not only accommodates their needs and more, but the design is easily adaptable to future expansion on the north side if needed.
Expansion at Crest Baptist Church was merged with plans for the new school. A $300,000 grant was offered by the Dekko Foundation if the church was able to obtain financing for the rest of the $996,000 project, and develop a 15-year usage agreement with Mayflower.
The school is supported solely through tuition, donations and volunteers besides the staff of five full-time and five part-time instructors.
Park-to-Park Trail
Concrete work was completed in October on eight-tenths of a mile along Duane E. Mitchell Marsh, connecting Creston’s Park-to-Park Trail with the road (140th Street) directly south of the newly-built spillway at Green Valley Lake.
The recreation trail first connected Adams Street near McKinley Park north through Greater Regional Medical Center’s parking lot and on past Southern Prairie YMCA and Southwestern Community College property along Green Valley Road.
This latest phase leaves the northern edge of the surfaced trail close to the entrances for nine and a-half miles of grass trails around Green Valley Lake. Those trails are suitable for hiking and mountain bicycles.
There are now approximately four miles of paved trails between McKinley Park and Green Valley State Park, with completion of this latest segment. And, there are plans for extension of the existing trail within McKinley Park.
Long-range plans at Green Valley State Park call for a recreation surface of the grass trails, such as crushed rock, but Green Valley Park Ranger Alan Carr said in the current financial condition of all state departments, that project is on hold.
Hospital
Greater Regional Medical Center held an open house in April for its new cancer center. It was the final phase of a multi-year construction project that included a new emergency room, rehabilitation services and main entrance opened in 2008.
