Page 1 - Clear Lake Mirror Reporter E-Edition 4-6-2016

Upmeyer honored
Weather
Sun returns Friday and Saturday. Look for a high
of 54 degrees on Saturday.
USPS 117-120 VOL. 146 Issue 14
Clear Lake
Mirror-Reporter
CALENDAR
Wednesday
Barkley reception
Mike Barkley, long-time
Clear Creek Elementary School
principal, will be retiring this
year after 22 years in the Clear
Lake Community School Dis-
trict. The Clear Creek staff will
be hosting a Retirement Party
for Barkley on Wednesday, April
6, at Clear Creek Elementary. sion of concern about a future pork
The party is open to the pub-
lic and will be held from 4 to 6
p.m. with a short program from
4:30 to 5 p.m.
Saturday
Ventura cleanup
The City of Ventura has
scheduled its Large Item Pick-
Up Day for Saturday, April 9,
from 7-9 a.m. The event is de-
signed for the pickup of large
items, with the following excep-
tions: no construction waste, no
solvents, no batteries, no haz-
ardous or yard waste, no truck
or tractor tires. Large items
must be at the curb by 6 a.m.
Appliances will be picked up for
a $20 charge; purchase a sticker
at Ventura City Hall and have
the appliance out at the curb by
7 a.m. E-Waste, such as televi-
sions, monitors, copiers and fax
machines can be taken to the
Ventura Community Center
parking lot between 7-9 a.m.
A $15 payment is required at
drop-off. Drop off tires at the
Ventura Community Center
parking lot between 7-9 a.m.
The $5 payment for each tire
is required at the time of drop-
off.
Art FUNdamentals
Clear Lake Arts Center
youth art program FUNd-
continued contract, with Verizon paying a monthly rental fee to the V.F.W., as well as re-landscaping the front of the building. The
More CALENDAR
on page 2
Inside
Opinion..................4-5
Weather.................... 5
Sports..................9-10
Legals..................... 13
Classifieds.........14-15
The lake level dropped
slightly to its new reading
of +5.04” above the weir.
Last year at this time the
lake measured +1.44” above
the weir.
Mail: 12 N. 4th St.,
Clear Lake, IA 50428
Telephone: 641-357-2131
Fax: 641-357-2133
Email: office@clreporter.com
Website: www.clreporter.com
@CLReporter
(641) 357-2612
www.LakeChev.com
3005 Willow Creek Ct.
Clear Lake
pg. 8
More weather on page 5.
April 6, 2016 Serving Clear Lake and Ventura since 1869 • Hometown newspaper of Wayne & Bev Kozisek $1.50
City Council urged to oppose pork plan
Clear Lake city officials were Clear Lake resident Bennett Smith
pushed Monday night to demonstrate “Over the years, the City of Clear Lake has established a political precedent of opposing large scale com- said he has a profound concern about
their concern about a pork processing mercial confinement operations within the Lake watershed and critical areas surrounding it. As this many potential negative impacts a large
facility potentially coming to Mason potential economic development project (Prestage) evolves, it may come to be that the City Council of pork processing plant will have on Ma-
City. About a dozen persons opposed Clear Lake would, in the future, consider taking a position in opposition to such a proposal as being son City and surrounding area. “I urge
counterintuitive to our community’s primary economic engine (tourism) and the preservation and en- you to oppose it,” said Smith. “I think
to the announcement that Prestage hancement of our natural environment.” it’s a very big risk to our tourism dol-
Foods of Iowa would build a $240,000 lars. This project specifically threatens
million plant where as many as 10,000 -Statement read by Clear Lake Mayor Nelson Crabb that in the long term.”
pigs would be processed daily urged the “A packing plant in this area is not
Council to pass a resolution of concern Mayor Nelson Crabb read a statement the Lake watershed and critical areas counterintuitive to our community’s a good fit,” local farmer Chris Petersen,
and submit it to Mason City officials. leaving the door open for possible dis- surrounding it. As this potential eco- primary economic engine (tourism) himself a hog farmer, told the Coun-
The subject was not on the agenda, sent. nomic development project (Prestage) and the preservation and enhancement cil. “We have invested millions in the
so Council members listened, but did “Over the years, the City of Clear evolves, it may come to be that the of our natural environment,” stated lake and have a quality of life and en-
not comment or take action on sugges- Lake has established a political prec- City Council of Clear Lake would, in Clear Lake Mayor Nelson Crabb fol- joyment in property here. We need to
tions for a resolution or other expres- edent of opposing large scale com- the future, consider taking a position in lowing the Citizens Open Forum at be proactive. This decision will impact
mercial confinement operations within opposition to such a proposal as being Monday night’s City Council meeting.
processing plant. However, following See CITY COUNCIL on page 2
the open forum section of the meeting,
Snyder gets bid for
$2 million renovation
at CL High School
Dean Snyder Construction, north of the commons, providing a Artist rendering of new Clear Lake High School entrance, courtesy of Bergland + Cram Architects, Mason City.
of Clear Lake, has been awarded secure entry to the main office.
the contract for renovation of the The current office on the CL Tel launches fiber
kitchen, commons and entrance to northeast corner quadrant of the optic network project
Clear Lake High School. building will be converted to space
The firm was the low bidder for for counseling, health and confer-
the work. Their bid of $2,104,000 ence rooms.
was accepted at a special School The kitchen will be expanded
Board meeting held Wednesday, and reconfigured for more space
March 30. It was the lowest of and serving area. New seating will
three bids received. allow up to 175 students to be
Bergland + Cram, Mason City, served during two lunch periods.
has designed a new entrance which Currently three periods are needed
will be covered and more accessible to accommodate CLHS students.
and visible. Key features of the de- The project will be funded us-
sign include an enclosed courtyard ing sales tax revenue.
Veterans team with Verizon Clear Lake’s businesses and more apart as a City,” Crabb noted.
residents will have access to high speed Businesses can be more productive
Excavation is underway outside V.F.W. Post 4868 on Main Avenue to incorporate a Verizon Wireless tower outside of the Gigabit Internet service – up to 100 with the high speed Internet, said CL
building. V.F.W. Commander Mike Nelson explained the V.F.W. was contacted more than a year ago by Verizon, asking to times faster than the typical down- Tel General Manager Tom Lovell. This
place a tower on building grounds to improve wireless reception in the downtown area. The parties have signed a five-year load speed - with a fiber optic network means faster data transmission between
project launched this week by CL Tel. other facilities, speedier credit card
new tower will be more decorative than typical cell phone towers, according to Nelson. In addition, three new flag poles and “The City is extraordinarily for- transactions, clearer video conferences
benches will be replaced in front of the building. Brick pavers will be replaced with concrete. Personalized pavers from the tunate that CLTel is committed to and webinars and better collabora-
courtyard area will be relocated to the main door.-Reporter photo. making Clear Lake a “Gigabit Com- tion with workers off-site. The higher
munity,” said Clear Lake City Ad- speeds provide more flexibility for both
ministrator Scott Flory. “This kind small and large businesses for work on
of cutting-edge technology is rarely the go and gives access to next genera-
available in Iowa and, in particular, in tion services.
a community our size.” “A fiber optics network provides
“I believe the potential for in- the broadband infrastructure that is
creased speeds and reliability will be a essential to our community’s and our
great advantage to the City as an eco- country’s economic success,” Lovell
nomic development tool,” Clear Lake said. “We want our local businesses to
Mayor Nelson Crabb said. “A greater thrive.”
number of businesses and industries More residential customers will be
today demand this kind of infrastruc- connected this spring, as well. The high
ture in making a decision to locate in speeds for residents make it possible
a community, no different than water, to telecommute to work from home,
roads, rail, or sanitary sewer. stream Netflix “buffer-free” and down-
“Being able to offer this level of load large graphics files quickly.
“lightning fast” speed will help set us
See CL TEL on page 2
What became of Alice Van Alstine?
Case summary by Jody Ewing the apartment on Sunday — the fourth was a patient
On a cold Friday night, March 26, 1976, Al- in a state institution — and reported her as missing
ice Van Alstine, a former “Minutemen” sympathizer that same day.
who’d recently abandoned the right-wing paramilitary Investigators found Alice’s car door open, the keys
This is a weekly feature highlighting some of Iowa’s un- Alice Van Alstine organization, tucked her children into bed at their in the ignition. Her six-year-old son told officers that
solved homicides in the hopes that it will lead to new tips (Courtesy Albia 29th Street Des Moines apartment and then vanished when he got up Saturday morning, “Mommy wasn’t
and potentially help solve cases. The project is a partner- into thin air, never to be seen nor heard from again. there.”
ship between this newspaper and other members of the High School) Her purse and money were found in the apartment, Detective Paul Womak said the disappearance is
Iowa Newspaper Association. and despite the near-freezing 37-degree outside tem- mysterious because, based on interviews with Van Al-
perature, she’d also disappeared without her coat or stine’s friends and relatives, she “was very close to her
shoes. family — the good mother — who for all practical
Neighbors found three of her children alone in
See COLD CASE on page 8
Drive Wise Driver Education Registration
form available
June 13th - 24th Next session starts June 13th www.olankleinceheavt.com
Monday thru Friday
 Fully certified instructors
8:30 - 11:30 pm  Follows all state requirements and DOT expectations