|
| 
The
Official Newspaper of Anamosa, located in Jones County, Iowa
Anamosa News
Since 1855
 Thursday, February 18, 2010 |
A Vision for Anamosa: University of Iowa Students Work with City
By Michelle Phillips |
Sustainability of small-town life may seem like something taken for granted, but Anamosa is getting a lesson in sustaining its quality of life from some University of Iowa (U of I) graduate students.
The students are working on master’s degrees in urban and regional planning and having been working with community leaders who call their committee group Vision Anamosa. The goal of the students, who are working with Anamosa and other communities through a class called “field problems,” is to figure out what types of things the community wants to focus on. In Anamosa, they determined revitalizing downtown, maintaining economic development and increasing recreational activities while sustaining the natural environment.
U of I associate professor Paul Hanley said the class helps students analyze real life situations. “Field problems is the final course of the core curriculum. It is designed to, one, provide practical experience analyzing problems, conducting research and making policy recommendations for sustainable planning; two, help develop the management and teamwork skills expected of a professional planner, lets the students experience the client-planner relationship; three, gives the student the opportunity to prepare a professional quality report by which prospective employers can judge their capabilities.”
|
Photo, L-R: University of Iowa students Lucy Joseph and Rob Laroco look over responses about their likes and dislikes of Anamosa they collected from Strawberry Hill fifth graders. The students shared the information with Vision Anamosa committee members, KC Kiner, Rose Rohr, Sharon Minger and City Administrator Pat Callahan. The students are working on sustainability in the community. |
Anamosa was recommended to the university by East Central Iowa Council of Governments, and the only financial requirement is mileage for the students to get back and forth from Iowa City to Anamosa, according to City Administrator Pat Callahan. He said the partnership was enticing because of the varied backgrounds of the students. “What we are hoping to get out of the process are ideas for downtown Anamosa and the trails system,” explained Callahan.
“We are writing a plan for two environments,” said student Robert Laroco. “We want to incorporate basic sustainable practices into the plan, and we want to create a plan that represents the residents of the city. This means taking their suggestions and observations and translating them into practice and policy.”
The students work in teams to achieve those goals and meet with the committee to discuss ways of involving the public. In the case of Anamosa, the students have set up a series of workshops to gather information and ideas and finding out the likes and dislikes of area residents. The scheduled times for the workshops are February 18, 23 and 27 at the Anamosa Library and Learning Center. The workshops are open to anyone in the community or rural areas near Anamosa.
The students have already started to get some information from residents, and met with fifth grade students at Strawberry Hill Elementary last week. U of I student Lucy Joseph said she was surprised by the things they learned from the class. Joseph and Laroco asked the kids what they liked, disliked and what they would like to see improved.
“Once we got all their ideas, the fifth graders had the opportunity to design their own town,” said Joseph. Some of the things they wanted to see were: More kids activities, like a new movie theater, skate park, mall, homeless and pet shelters, an elderly center, more art activities, preservation of historic buildings and local history.
“We honestly didn’t know what to expect, but the kids were so excited to see their vision come to life when creating their own downtown. We had a lot of fun meeting with each student because they really felt they, too, have a say in what happens in the community that they live in,” Joseph reflected.
Once the gathering process is complete, the students will work on a plan to implement some of the ideas they receive. It will then be up to the city whether they choose to pursue the suggestions.
Laroco said one of the lessons he has learned from the experience is the importance of building working relationships within the community. “I grew up in a small town in northeast Iowa called LeMars, where the sense of community is very similar,” he said. “While working in Anamosa I’ve realized that being a part of the community will be the greatest satisfaction of my career.”
|
String of Break-ins Targets Anamosa Business Community
By Michelle Phillips |
Business owners in Anamosa have been hit hard in the last two months by a string of seven break-ins.
“Recently, we’ve had some complaints from businesses on the outskirts of town,” said interim Anamosa Police Chief David Burkholder. The two reports came on February 11 after Bard Concrete had cash stolen from its location on Highway 64. Barron Motors, just a couple of blocks away, also reported missing cash as well as items from the store.
Other break- ins over the past two months include:
December 16, Hot Shots at the corner of Ford and Main streets reported goods and cash stolen. On December 24, both Theisen’s on Chamber Drive and Eden’s Ltd. on Mechanic Street reported break-ins. Goods were stolen from both businesses, and some cash was also taken from Eden’s.
On January 25, Eden’s was broken into a second time with the robber taking only goods.
Kids R Us Daycare on Maquoketa Street reported goods stolen on February 1.
Investigations continue in all of these thefts, with the exception of the Hot Shots case, in which there is a suspect in custody.
“We have some leads, and we’re following up on some good information,” said Anamosa police officer Amy Ford, who is assigned to the majority of these cases. She said the economy is to blame in these incidents, which mainly involve cash, tools and flat screen TVs.
Ford said the Anamosa Police Department is keeping on eye out for the goods. “We are in constant contact with area pawn shops and other law enforcement in the area. She said Dubuque and Linn counties have contacted the department to compare notes on similar incidents they are investigating, but Ford said the break-ins don’t appear to be related to one another or thefts in other counties.
Ford said there are suspects in all of the cases.
Burkholder and Ford both had tips to help protect your business:
• Don’t leave cash in your building.
• Make sure you have deadbolt locks.
• Do not leave expensive items in plain view.
• Contact the police department through Jones County Dispatch at 319-462-4371 if you see or hear anything.
Ford is also asking that residents contact the police if they see someone out waking around at three or four in the morning. “They could just be out for a stroll, but we’d still like to talk with them and get an idea of who’s out late at night.” |
Lieutenant Governor Makes Stop at Bennett Machine and Fabricating
By Michelle Phillips |
Iowa Lieutenant Governor Patty Judge made a stop at Bennett Machine and Fabricating (Bennett) on February 12 as part of the “Moving Iowa Forward” tour.
Bennett President Don Kopp first spoke to the crowd that consisted mainly of Bennett employees and media. Kopp gave a brief history of the shop that makes mostly parts for large equipment. He stressed that Bennett had seen both upswings and downturns since it was established in 1973. He added that Bennett employs 78 people between production and office workers.
Kopp said in 2008 Bennett hired 200 people and was shocked by the low retention rate of employees. “Employees are our most valuable resource,” he said and added that it is important to keep employees happy. Kopp said the opportunity for training and advancement along with giving the employees the tools they need for success has been necessary.
|
Iowa Lieutenant Governor Patty Judge and Bennett Machine and Fabricating President Don Kopp take a look at a piece of robotic machinery. In the foreground are heavy equipment parts produced at the plant in Anamosa. |
“We support I-JOBS and we support bringing jobs to Iowa and keeping jobs in Iowa,” he told the group.
Marty Kelzer, Jones County Economic Development Director, told the crowd that he has worked closely with Bennett to help keep its spots filled. That includes connecting Bennett with employees that may have been laid-off from another business in the county.
Kelzer said the county was proud to have completed two large projects in the last few months, Jones Regional Education Center in Monticello and Jones Regional Medical Center in Anamosa.
“I would encourage the state to continue programs that will help our community,” Kelzer told Judge and said he and the community are disappointed by the state budget cuts that have led to lay-offs at Anamosa State Penitentiary.
Judge took the podium and blamed the flood and recession for some the state’s financial issues. “The last couple of year’s have been extremely difficult for our state,” she said. “Those two events left no corner of the state untouched.”
Judge said that the hope of the governor’s office is to increase jobs thought the I-JOBS program, a bonding measure that is aimed at restoring Iowa’s infrastructure. The $130 million borrowed will be repaid with gambling revenues over the next decade.
She told the group that creating jobs us important and family business is a driving force in Iowa.
“The governor doesn’t believe, nor do I believe, we should stop moving forward,” she stated.
Judge called for continued funding of the Iowa Power Fund, which focuses on renewable energy. She said it is important for Iowa to focus on research and development, or otherwise another state will take it up.
She said the governor’s office would also ask the legislature to continue funding for job training programs offered through community colleges. The programs also help connect students with potential employers.
As for budget cuts, Judge said by law the state must balance the budget. She said the Revenue Estimating Conference estimates the revenues for the coming quarter, and the budget must be figured in accordance with their findings.
She said that when revenue went down, the governor had to act immediately. “The only tool he has is to make cuts across the board. He can’t just pick and choose.”
Judge and her staff took a tour of the Bennett Machine and Fabricating facility before departing Anamosa.
|
PO
Box 108, 208 W. Main Street, Anamosa, IA 52205
319-462-3511,
FAX 319-462-4540
Copyright
Anamosa Publications
Anamosa Journal-Eureka / Town Crier 2005-2008
Thede Web
Works - Website
Questions
|