Week of Aug 11 2007 - 7:00pm to Aug 18 2007 - 6:59pm

$2.75 million bond would fund building improvements
The Ventura Board of Education has received a recommendation from the district long-range planning committee to pursue a $2.75 million bond to address facility issues in the district's secondary building.
According to Superintendent Dan Versteeg, the recommendation is the culmination of over a year's worth of research and discussion by the volunteer committee of district residents. The committee reviewed and studied enrollment projections, the district's current and projected budgets, the state of the current facilities and a feasibility study conducted by Skott and Anderson Architects of Mason City.
The recommendation for the sale of $2.75 million in bonds would support extensive renovation of the original three-story portion of the high school building to improve its aging electrical and mechanical systems and handicap accessibility, as well as new construction of a science classroom and science lab.
In addition to the bond sale, the committee made several other recommendations to the Board.
The School Board is being asked to commit $100,000 of one-cent sales tax (SILO) revenue to reduce the property tax burden of the bond. In addition, the Board must conduct a change of use election at the same time as the bond vote for one-cent sales tax dollars in the Ventura district. That action would bind future Boards to the commitment of $100,000 whenever there is a debt service levy.
The committee also recommends moving fifth and sixth grades from the high school to the elementary in the 2008-2009 school year. Versteeg said the elementary school has ample classroom space to accommodate the two grades.
No date has been set for a bond vote.

Residents along and north of South Shore Drive, as well as those on Tanglefoot, now have ambulance service provided bythe Clear Lake Fire Department.
After months of debate, City Councils from Clear Lake and Mason City recently approved an Ambulance Service Coverage Agreement with Cerro Gordo County. The new plan shifted responsibility for ambulance service from the Mason City Fire Department to Clear Lake's unit. Although the new agreement had an Aug. 1 start date, a map detailing the coverage area was not available until now.
Tom Drzycimski, administrative officer for Cerro Gordo County's Planning and Zoning, explained the process of transferring the ambulance service between entities is more complex than the public realizes. Once officials identify the coverage area, work must be done to update computer data files dispatchers use. That data is then sent to an out-of-state firm for preparation.
Seven hundred and twenty residential and commercial addresses were affected by the new ambulance service agreement.
Drzycimski said while additional areas on the south side of Clear Lake may be considered for service by Clear Lake's ambulance, officials have decided to see how the new agreement works before expanding it any further into unincorporated areas of the county.
"They (city and county leaders) may go back and look at the issue again in six moths to a year. They didn't set anything formal," said Drzycimski.
Clear Lake Fire Chief Doug Meyers said his department is able to provide ambulance service to the south shore area without additional personnel or equipment.

The drive across Iowa is getting prettier by the day.
It's mid-summer and the tall grass prairie is in full bloom. Butterfly milkweed, purple coneflower, rough blazing star, gay feather ---- There're all there and it's just for you.
Living remnants of the same spectacular plant forms that once dominated Iowa's presettlement landscape are now inhabitating the right-of-ways along our interstate and primary highway systems. Regardless of whether you pass through Iowa from north to south or east to west, the rich kaleidoscope of yellows, purple, and orange is guaranteed to grab your attention.
But this summer wave of color did not happen by accident. The dramatic roadside plant show is the direct result of a common sense, labor of love and is brought to you by Iowa's Department of Transportation.
"It's taken some time, but I think Iowa roadsides now contain enough prairie acres that people are really beginning to take notice and enjoy the beauty," says Mark Masteller, Chief Landscape Architect for the Iowa DOT.
"We've began receiving a number of positive comments, especially from out of state travelers who have recently journeyed through Iowa."
According to Masteller, the color surge first gained roots during the 1970s Gas Crisis when DOT workers were forced to dramatically curtail maintenance of rural roadways. Road workers soon began experimenting with native forbs [flowers] and grasses as a cost effective way to reseed construction sites. Road commissioners liked what they saw, and the program expanded.
By the mid-1980s, native prairie grasses were being used to reseed construction sites statewide. But the project did have its critics.
"We received calls from a number of people, some of them were pretty angry," recalls Masteller. "The most frequent criticisms asked why in the world were we [DOT] destroying perfectly good grasses to seed prairie."

At noon on Tuesday, Aug. 21, the Clear Lake Mirror-Reporter Trade Expansion Campaign will come to a close. Under no circumstances will any subscriptions count for votes after the noon Tuesday deadline.
Current and new subscribers are reminded there is still time to give their favorite candidate the credit and help them earn prize money. This is the last chance to renew or subscribe at the special $45 campaign price. When the campaign ends, the yearly subscription price will return to $48 per year in county.
Workers must bring in all their supplies by noon Tuesday, Aug. 21. This means all receipt books, want-ad cards, subscription lists, etc. There will be no checks given out until all supplies are returned.
Votes will be cut in half after Aug. 17, so now is the time to help your favorite candidate while the votes are highest. Workers receive either a cash prize or commission, whichever is the greatest, according to their votes.

Standings
(votes pro-rated as of Monday, Aug. 13)
Linda Thoen 6,000,000
Garry Oehlert 5,900,000
Delores Mindrup 5,700,000
Lari Jo Hansen 4,500,000
Tracy Classen 580,000
Derek Pals 50,000

The Clear Lake Aquatic Center will operate under its regular pool schedule through Sunday, Aug. 19.
The pool will be open the following two weekends from 1-5 p.m. Those dates are Saturday Aug 25, Sunday Aug 26, Saturday,
Sept. 1, Sunday Sept 2, and Monday, Sept. 3.
The pool will also be open for the 5 p.m. lap swimming and water aerobics on Tuesdays and Thursdays through Labor Day.