ANOTHER HOT DAY IN MAQUOKETA.....LOW 80'S....A DOZEN DEGREES OVER NORMAL
FOR THIS TIME OF THE YEAR.
THE MAQUOKETA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MONTHLY MEETING WAS HELD AT NOON TODAY AT THE MAQUOKETA COUNTRY CLUB. CITY MANAGER BRIAN WAGNER
WAS THE GUEST SPEAKER. MOST OF HIS REMARKS WERE ABOUT THE FIRE
MESS DOWNTOWN. MUCH OF WHAT HE TALKED ABOUT HAS BEEN MENTIONED AT CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS. NO STUDY HAS BEEN DONE TO DETERMINE IF THERE REALLY IS AN ASBESTOS PROBLEM. I HEARD WEEKS AGO THAT STUDY WOULD COST ABOUT $8,000 AND THAT THE CITY HAD NO FUNDS FOR THAT. STACY DRISCOLL, CHAMBER DIRECTOR, WHO JOINED IN ON TODAY'S PROGRAM WITH BRIAN, SAID THE ESTIMATED COST FOR A STUDY WOULD BE IN EXCESS OF $30,000. IT WAS POINTED OUT THAT THERE WAS NO ASBESTOS FOUND IN THAT 15 PERCENT OF THE RUINS CLEARED AWAY AT THE SOUTH EDGE OF THE "SMILES ON MAIN" DENTAL BUILDING, SO THAT WORK COULD BE DONE ON A NEW WALL FOR IT. THERE, THE TESTING WAS DONE AS DEBRIS WAS BEING CLEARED AWAY. IF A LOAD TESTED FOR NO ASBESTOS, IT WAS HAULED AWAY TO AN ORDINARY DUMP SITE. IF THE LOAD HAD SOME ASBESTOS, IT WAS TO BE HAULED TO A SPECIAL SITE FOR ASBESTOS. AS IT TURNED OUT, THERE WAS NO CONTAMINATION IN THAT AREA. WOULD THE OTHER 85% TURN OUT THE SAME? BEST GUESS IS, PROBABLY NOT. AND THE CITY MANAGER SAID HE HAS BEEN TOLD BY THE DNR THAT IF THERE IS ANY ASBESTOS FOUND, THE ENTIRE DEBRIS WOULD HAVE TO BE HAULED AWAY TO A SPECIAL SITE, AT THE ESTMATED COST OF $500,000-PLUS. SO, THE FEELING IS, WHY WASTE THE $30,000 FOR TESTING. ASBESTOS WILL SURELY BE FOUND SOMEWHERE IN THE RUINS! AS I SEE IT, THE ONLY ANSWER.....COME UP WITH THE HALF-MILLION DOLLARS AND HAUL IT ALL AWAY. SOON! INITIALLY, THERE WERE 5 BUILDINGS WITH THE PROBLEM. NOW THERE ARE 3. DR. ATIENZA HAS GONE AHEAD AND SOLVED HIS PROBLEM. THE CORNER BUILDING IS APPARENTLY NO LONGER AN ISSUE AS THE SUB RESTAURANT OWNERS HAVE, OR ARE ABOUT TO, SELL THEIR BUILDING FOR A NEW BUSINESS. SO THAT LEAVES THE HALLMARK, FLOOR COVERING AND FURNITURE BUILDINGS WITH THE PROBLEM. BREITBACH'S HAVE ALREADY INDICATED THEY WOULD GIVE THEIR BUILDING TO THE CITY AT NO COST. I WOULD ASSUME THE OTHER TWO WOULD DO THE SAME. SO, AFTER THE $500,000 CLEAN-UP, THE CITY WOULD OWN A LARGE LOT IN DOWNTOWN MAQUOKETA'S MAIN BLOCK. IT MIGHT BE A GREEN SPACE FOR QUITE AWHILE BEFORE BEING SOLD BY THE CITY. BUT CERTAINLY BETTER THAN A BLACK SPACE FOR MAYBE MANY, MANY MORE MONTHS. MY IDEA IN THE SEPTEMBER 5THE DAILY REPORT WAS FOR THE CITY TO COME UP WITH HALF, AND DONATIONS (BY ANY BUSINESS, CLUB, CITIZEN) THE OTHER HALF. THESE DONORS WOULD PROBABLY NEVER GET THEIR MONEY BACK, BUT THE CITY MIGHT EVENTUALLY GET THEIR $250,000 BACK. IT IS TIME TO TURN IN THE SONG BOOKS AND PASS THE PLATE.
AND WHAT ABOUT THE CORNER BUILDING IF IT GETS OPEN? MIGHT BE A PLUS, AND NO PROBLEM IN THE FUTURE OF THAT AREA. BUT IF IT WOULD NOT FIT IN WITH A DEVELOPER'S PLAN TO THE NORTH, THE DEVELOPER WOULD JUST HAVE TO TRY TO BUY THE BUILDING. IN ANY CASE, I WOULD HOPE SOME DAY THE NEW OWNER WOULD TAKE OFF THE METAL SLANTED ROOF ON THE BUILDING, AND
RESTORE THE ROOF TO THE ORIGINAL APPEARANCE. IT REALLY LOOKS ODD NOW.
AND WHAT ABOUT A "STREET SCAPE" PROJECT FOR DOWNTOWN MAQUOKETA.
THE CITY MANAGER TODAY TALKED A LITTLE ABOUT IT AND PASSED AROUND
SOME DRAWINGS ON HOW IT WOULD LOOK. LIKE IN MANY OTHER COMMUNITIES
THAT HAVE DONE THIS (ESPECIALLY DEWITT), THE "LOOK" IS GREAT!
WAGNER SAID ESTIMATED COSTS ARE IN THE MILLIONS. GOOD IDEA FOR THE FUTURE, (AND THERE IS SOME FUNDING FOR A PROJECT LIKE T HIS) BUT NO NEED
TO DO MUCH THINKING ABOUT IT UNTIL THE FIRE MESS IS GONE, GONE, GONE.
WHAT ABOUT THE OLD CITY POOL? THE CITY MANAGER ALSO BROUGHT IT UP IN HIS NOON TALK TO THE CHAMBER. SINCE I HAVE LISTENED TO ALL THE ANGLES, THE PLUS AND MINUS POINTS, THE COMMON SENSE ANSWER! BULLDOZE IT IN! CONVERT THE LAND INTO A PARKING LOT FOR THE NEARBY CITY BUILDING AND GOODENOW FOOTBALL FIELD, AND PUT THE IDEA OF AN OUTDOOR POOL ON HOLD FOR A FEW YEARS WHILE CITIZENS ENJOY THE NEW INDOOR POOL.
ONE MORE THING BROUGHT UP AT THE MEETING TODAY. CHAMBER DIRECTOR DRISCOLL SAID THE CHAMBER IS SEEKING INPUT FROM CITIZENS ABOUT NEXT YEAR'S (2009) HALLOWEEN TRICK OR TREAT DAY AND HOURS. I GUESS YOU ALREADY KNOW MY FEELINGS......IT SHOULD BE ON HALLOWEEN DAY, REGARDLESS OF THE DAY OF THE WEEK AND FROM 5 TO 7 P.M. THIS YEAR, IT WILL BE THE LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON OF OCTOBER 26TH. THIS YEAR, ON OCTOBER 31ST, DESPITE ALL THE HYPE IN STORES, ETC...THE MAQUOKETA KIDS WILL JUST HAVE TO PRETEND THERE IS NOTHING SPECIAL ABOUT OCTOBER 31.
SORRY TO RAMBLE...AND I KNOW MANY OF YOU DISAGREE ON ISSUES MENTIONED TODAY! IS THIS CALLED THOUGHT PROVOKING? ANYWAY, I'LL TRY NOT DO THIS AGAIN FOR A LONG TIME. ONE FURTHER NOTE. THE MAJORITY OF THE READERS OF THIS REPORT LIVE OUTSIDE MAQUOKETA NOW, BUT I ALSO KNOW THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE RIGHT HERE IN TOWN THAT CHECK IN DAILY.
NOW...TO NEWS FOR TODAY'S DAILY REPORT:
THE MAQUOKETA SCHOOL BOARD MET LAST NIGHT. BILL SCHWENKER WAS NAMED PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD FOR THE COMING YEAR. BRIAN TABOR REMAINS
THE VICE PRESIDENT. BARB McKEON, BOARD SECRETARY AND SHOENTHALER, BARTELT AND KAHLER AS THE BOARD'S ATTORNEY. BOARD MEMBER MARTY HUDRLIK WILL CONTINUE AS THE DISTRICT'S REPRESENTATIVE ON THE JACKSON
COUNTY CONFERENCE BOARD. BOARD MEMBER MARK PAPE WAS NAMED TO THE FACILITY IMPROVEMENT COMMITTEE WITH DELWOOD.
UNEMPLOYMENT RATES FOR JACKSON COUNTY AND THE SURRONDING COUNTIES
WENT UP IN AUGUST COMPARED TO JULY. FOR THE STATE OVERALL, THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE WAS UP FROM 4.3 TO 4.6 PERCENT.
IN JACKSON COUNTY, THE RATE WENT FROM 4.4 PERCENT IN JULY TO 4.7 PERCENT IN AUGUST.
THE CITY OF MAQUOKETA REQUIRES ALL DOGS AND CATS OVER AGE 6 MONTHS TO BE LICENSED WITH THE CITY EACH YEAR. THE DEADLINE IS NOVEMBER 1.
A LATE FEE AFTER. GET THE LICENSE AT CITY HALL FOR $5 PER ANIMAL.
SENIOR CITIZENS AGE 55 AND OLDER, PAY ONLY $1.
IOWA SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE BILL NORTHEY WILL BE IN MAQUOKETA
AT THE FARM BUREAU OFFICE AT 4 P.M. ON OCTOBER 1ST. NORTHEY HAS SAID
HE WANTS TO MEET IOWANS IN ALL 99 COUNTIES TO TALK ABOUT THE STATUS OF AGRICULTURE IN THE STATE, AS WELL AS TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. THE MEETING WILL BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
OUR AIR-CONDITIONER IS OUT HERE AT KMAQ. A NEW COMPRESSOR IS ON ORDER.
ANOTHER REASON YOU ARE GETTING A HOT REPORT TODAY!
BE GOOD!
DENNIS VOY
