Thursday, November 03, 2005

NICE TODAY...BUT DID NOT MAKE IT INTO THE 70'S. 68 WAS THE HIGHS.

THE LAKEHURST DAM AND ELECTRIC GENERATORS, AT THE EDGE OF MAQUOKETA ON THE MAQUOKETA RIVER, HAVE BEEN SOLD AND WILL CONTINUE TO OPERATE. NORTH AMERICAN HYDRO OUT OF WISCONSIN PURCHASED THE DAM AND ALSO THE DAMS AND GENERATING FACILITIES IN ANAMOSA AND IOWA FALLS. ALL THREE SYSTEMS WERE PURCHASED FROM ALLIANT ENERGY.
THE DAM AND ITS GENERATORS HAVE BEEN IN OPERATION FOR AT LEAST 70 YEARS AND RICHARD FOREMAN, SOUTHERN REGIONAL PROJECT MANAGER, SAID THEY WILL RUN FOR AT LEAST ANOTHER 70 YEARS. CREWS ARE WORKING NOW TO REPAIR THE TURBINES AND GENERATORS ON ONE OF THE UNITS AND THE SECOND UNIT IS WORKING OKAY. FOREMAN ANTICIPATES GENERATION IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS. FOREMAN SAID THE COMPANY WILL SELL THE ELECTRICITY GENERATED BY THE DAM BACK TO ALLIANT. FOREMAN SAID HE AND THE OPERATOR, TERRI BEMMAN, PLAN TO LIVE ON SITE AND WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY. THERE IS A HOME RIGHT ADJACENT TO THE DAM.
HE SAID THEY WANT TO EDUCATE THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THE GENERATING FACILITY AND STUDENTS
ON RENEWABLE ENERGY. HE CALLED THE RIVER THEIR FUEL, BUT THEY THEY BORROW IT FOR JUST A SHORT TIME. AMERICAN HYDRO HAS BEEN IN BUSINESS FOR 23 YEARS.

NORBERT K. DANIELS, AGE 67, OF MAQUOKETA DIED WEDNESDAY AT UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS. HIS FULL OBITUARY CAN BE READ AT www.laheys.com

A LONGTIME MAQUOKETA BUSINESS IS GOING OUT OF BUSINESS. MORE LATER.

HAVE A GOOD THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY.

DENNIS VOY