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Alzheimers Night at
West Central Valley

MENLO

Thursday,
February 11, 2016

Mikayla Askren, left, and Kay Rader addressed those
attending the Alzheimers Night event.

by Mikayla Askren
Special to The Herald

For the past two years I

have joined the Walk to End
Alzheimers and $3,000 has
been raised for the Alzheimers
Association to help advance
research and to provide and
enhance care and support for
all those affected. This is being
done in honor of my best friend,
my grandpa, who recently passed
away in November.
My grandpa is my biggest
role model, as well as my grandma, who is the strongest and
most caring person I know. This
disease has had a personal affect
on our family, and I promised
myself I would do as much as I
could to find a way to defeat and
end this disease not only for my
grandpa, but also for everyone
who has been affected.
I plan to raise as much money
as I can for the Alzheimers
Association, and by the time

news@thestuartherald.com

Copyright 2008 SH&B, LLC.

Assessment Discussions
with Stuart City Council
By Nick Sellman
Special to The Herald

A thank you photo from the Askren family includes,
from left, John Askren, Michael Askren, Priscilla Askren, Mikayla
Askren, and Kay Rader, development director from Greater Iowa
Alzheimers Chapter.

REDFIELD

The Stuart city council held

their regular meeting Monday,
February 8 at the city council chambers. There were 18
items on the agenda, but the
one item that led the discussion was the assessment notices
received by business owners in
connection with the Downtown
Infrastructure
Improvement
Project.
The meeting opened with
approval of the minutes from
three meetings in January, the
financial statement as of January
31 and payment of current bills as
presented. Also approved were
the renewing of liquor licenses
for Dollar General and Kum &
Go.
Steve Curtis of Faller,
Kincheloe & Co, PLC, Certified
Public Accountants, presented
to the council the 2015 City
audit. Mr. Curtis stated that the
city was in good financial shape
in the general fund, the urban
renewal fund and the sewer
fund. The General Fund has
$1,000,000, the Urban renewal fund has $400,000 and the
Sewer fund has $800,000. These
numbers are very good for a
city this size, stated Mr. Curtis.
However, one down note is that
the city has a list of debts total
$10,000,000 and that is quite
a bit for a city this size. The
council approved the audit.
Lauren Volz of Shaw-Belden
Insurance made a presentation
for renewal of the citys property insurance. The council voted
approval.
Mayor Dick Cook opened
the public hearing concerning
the Resolution of Necessity for
the Downtown Infrastructure
Project. The city received four
written notices from business
owners concerning the assessment they had received and a
number of owners were present
at the meeting to discuss with
the council how these assessments were determined. Forrest
Aldrich, Veenstra & Kimm, was
present to discuss the formula
that was used for the assessments
and to answer a number of other
questions and to explain the project itself.
The area of the project
will be the downtown area on
North Second, from Fremont to
Gaines, and on North Division
Street from Front Street to North
Second, explained Aldrich.
The work that will be done
includes sanitary sewer improvements, storm sewer replacements, street lighting and hot
mix asphalt milling and overlay
on North Division, and concrete
work on North Second. At this
point, the estimated cost for the
project is 2.7 million dollars.
The city will provide two million
dollars from other funds and the
balance will be from the assessment, the formula that was used

is similar from other city street

paving projects.
The assessments that were
sent out are the max that the can
be assessed and when we receive
the bids in March, those assessments can be reduced by the
council. As for the payment process, the assessment can be paid
off completely at the end of the
project or part of the amount can
be paid and the balance will be
added to the owners property tax
and paid over a period of time,
say 10 to 15 years, explained
Aldrich.
A number of questions were
asked about the assessment process, whether or not business
owners can protest the assessment amounts. Another question
concerned how the project will
be done.
One street will be completed
before the second is started,
stated Aldrich. We want to keep
areas open for the downtown
businesses.
Councilman Neal Crawford
stated the council is working
very hard to make sure this is
a fair process, As a downtown
business owner, I want this to be
a cost sharing process and that
we can end up with a downtown
area that we can be proud of.
Mike Dickson stated, I am
concerned about the citys debt
limit. Your auditor told you
tonight that the 10 million dollar
debt is a lot for a city this size
and now we are talking about
adding another two million to
that.
Crawford responded to the
debt question, We have a number of qualified people working
on the citys financing and they
are doing a fine job and I do not
have any concerns about that.
Aldrich stated the project will
be finished in late 2016. Bids
for the project will be received
no later than March 8 at 2 p.m.
At the March 14 regular council
meeting, the sealed bids will be
reviewed.
On that same meeting date,
March 14, there will be a public
hearing for the proposed 20162017 city budget and a public
hearing for the EMS Building
Project. The hearing for the EMS
project will include proposed
plans, specifications, form of
contract and estimate of cost.
The council approved the
payment of $175 to Ed Leedom
for work done on the Code of
Enforcement Report.
S&C
Properties,
LLC.
requested a review of the TIF
agreement in place for the Stuart
Motor Lodge. The council forwarded the request to the citys
bond attorney.
Mayor Dick Cook stated two
terms on the Stuart Preservation
Commission have expired and
need appointments. Mayor Cook
recommended Mary Rittell and
the council approved. Nadine
Avey and Robert Cook will be
Associate members.

of the walk on September 17,

2016, I plan to have raised an
additional $2,000. On Friday,
February 5, 2016, I started my
fundraising and planned a night
to honor Alzheimers at the basketball game at West Central
Valley High School.
Special guest Kay Rader,
development director from
the Greater Iowa Alzheimers
Chapter, came to speak and gave
some facts about Alzheimers
disease and what the chapter
does.
We had a bucket challenge
for 67 seconds (every 67 seconds
someone in the United States
develops Alzheimers), which
raised $520.13, as well as a freewill donation bake sale, which
raised $496.51, bringing the evening total to $1,016.64.
My thanks to my family, who
is always there for me and my
biggest support system. I also
personally thank everyone who
donated, and who has helped me. Faller, Kincheloe & Co., PLC, sale of capital assets and $40,000
Certified Public Accountants, loan repayment.
Des Moines, have released Disbursements for the year
an audit report on the Stuart totaled $2,502,915 a two perMunicipal Utilities, Stuart, Iowa. cent increase from the prior year,
The Stuart Municipal Utilities and included operating disbursereceipts totaled $2,681,434 for ments of $2,125,292 and debt
investment earnings, $675,000
the year ended June 30, 2015, service of $377,623.
from bond and note proceeds,
a two percent increase from the A copy of the audit report is
and $194,273 from other general
prior year. The receipts included available for review in the utility
receipts.
$2,371,460 in charges for ser- departments office, in the office
Disbursements for the year
vices, miscellaneous operating of Auditor of State and on the
totaled $3,761,481, a 50 percent
receipts of $191,916, $2,831 in Auditor of States web site at
decrease from the prior year,
interest on investments, $6,202 http://auditor.iowa.gov/reports/
and included $1,048,422 for debt
in rental income, $69,015 for index.html.
service, $978,622 for capital
projects and $496,818 for public
Wrestling Sectional Winners Photos
works. Also, disbursements for
business type activities totaled
Page 10
$339,521.
A copy of the audit report is
Basketball Tournament Brackets
available for review in the city
Page 10
clerks office, in the office of
the Auditor of State and on the
Auditor of States web site at
Wedding Guide and
http://auditor.iowa.gov/reports/
index.html.
Senior Health and Living Special Sections

Stuart Municipal
Utilities Audit Released

Roy Sargent Building

Destroyed by Fire

Photos by Shellie Weed and Jeff Howard

On Wednesday, February 3,
2016 at 11:54 p.m., firefighters
from Menlo, Stuart and Casey
fire departments were called to
the scene of a structure fire in
Menlo. When the crews arrived,
Menlo Fire Chief Ben Gilman
said the Roy Sargent Building,
512 Sherman Street, was fully
engulfed in flames. Firefighters
remained at the scene for more
than eight hours extinguishing
the hot spots.
Built in 1975, the building
contained the inventory, paint
shop and cabinet finishing portion of the company. Kevin
Sargent stated that although only
a couple of pieces of equipment
were in that building, the entire
inventory was lost.
The main shop of Roy Sargent
Building, 506 Sherman Street,
housing the offices, doors, and
cabinet building areas, was
undamaged.
Gilman stated the firefighters
were very fortunate to contain
the blaze to only the one building as the Coon Valley Co-op
Telephone Association building
sat only a few feet away.
Sargent praised the firefighters. Hats off and kudos to the

fire departments. How they were

able to save the Coon Valley
Co-op Telephone building is
beyond me!
Two firefighters, one from
Menlo and one from Stuart, suffered minor injuries when they
slipped on the ice. They were
treated for their injuries at a hospital and released.
Family member Pat Sargent
also fell on the ice and was
taken by Stuart Rescue Unit to
Mercy West where he was diagnosed with a concussion and
fractured back and released later
on Thursday with plans to see
an orthopedic surgeon later this
week.
An independent investigator from the Sargents insurance
company, was at the scene on
Friday and declared the cause of
the fire as undetermined.
In addition to the three fire
departments, Menlo Fire and
Rescue thanked the Stuart
Rescue Unit, City of Menlo,
Alliant Energy, deputies and dispatchers from Guthrie and Adair
County Sheriffs offices and the
Iowa State Patrol, all of whom
assisted at the scene.

I and II Ratings for

WCV Speech Team

The West Central Valley

Speech Team coached by Nancy
Bauch and Jackie Draper participated in the state large group
speech contest at Waukee on
Saturday, February 6.
Receiving a I rating was
Ensemble Acting, Cassidy
Wagner and Nataya Hostetler.
Although receiving a I rating,
to be selected for the All-State
Speech Festival on February 20,

the event has to be nominated by

the judges that watched the performances at state, and this event
was not chosen.
Receiving II ratings were
Group Improv A, Caroline Doud,
Nataya Hostetler, Gabe Wagner
and Tim Draper, and Group
Improv B, Beth Smith, Bridgeen
Graham, Daisy Miller, Tristin
Winfred and Julian Wagner.

Weather Not Fit for

Man Nor Beast

City of Stuart
Audit Released

Faller, Kincheloe & Co., PLC,

Certified Public Accountants,
Des Moines, have released an
audit report on the City of Stuart,
Iowa.
The Citys receipts totaled
$4,351,966 for the year ended
June 30, 2015, a 19 percent
decrease from the prior year.
The receipts included $664,590
in property and other city tax,
$1,178,971 from tax increment
financing, $701,819 from charges for service, $236,226 from
operating grants, contributions
and restricted interest, $464,478
from capital grants, contributions and restricted interest,
$138,313 from local option sales
tax, $96,807 from hotel/motel
tax, $1,489 from unrestricted

Coming Soon!!!

Photo by Maureen Hoskinson

Farmers still care for livestock in blizzard