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Renovations Completed for McMillen Building

Posted on by KBOE Administrator

Oskaloosa Downtown Development, LLC (ODD) will host an Open House at the McMillen Block Building (formerly Swim’s), 210 1 st Ave. E., Oskaloosa, Friday, Oct. 13, from 4-7 pm. ODD is celebrating the restoration and re-opening of the building which was damaged by a fire May 11, 2015. The Open House will begin with a ribbon cutting at 4 pm, followed by public tours of the first-floor commercial space and upstairs apartments until 7 PM.

The McMillen Building was constructed in 1881 by local physician Dr. B.F. McMillen. Over the years it has served the community as a meat market, laundry, grocery store, hardware store and Swim’s Sporting Goods.

“We’re excited to see what’s next for the McMillen Building and what type of business will open up in the space,” said Jim Hansen, president of the ODD Board. The first floor is 4800 square feet and has been gray-boxed. It is ready for custom finishes to suit the next occupant.

The second floor that was once office space, has been extended and converted into four two-bedroom
apartments. With cooperation from neighboring building owners, ODD was able to extend the second
floor across the whole 120 feet of the first floor. This allowed for four two bedroom apartments, which are
about 1000 sf each. They feature exposed brick original to the building and large windows on the north
and south which offer natural light in the living area.

The restoration process involved stabilizing the structure, removing the fire and water-damaged debris,
shoring up the walls, stabilizing the shared foundation walls, installing energy efficient windows, rebuilding
the roof, interior walls and the HVAC systems, and constructing apartments on the second floor.

Thanks to the cooperation of neighboring building owners, all three buildings are safer and meet today’s
building code standards. The cost was shared by putting in one sprinkler system across all three
buildings. The owners also worked together to solve egress issues that were common to both Brickhouse
and McMillen as they create upper story housing.

“I can’t say enough good things about this project,” said Mayor David Krutzfeldt.

This project was possible because of the support and partnership of many. It was funded by grants from
Main Street Iowa, Brownfield and Workforce Housing tax credits, tax increment financing from the City of
Oskaloosa, a contribution from the Oskaloosa Housing Trust Fund, contributions from Doug and Kathy
Swim, and private contributions.

“We also owe thanks to Steve Hicks from MidwestOne Bank, for working through the financing,” said Hansen.

“We are grateful to Doug and Kathy Swim for their cooperation and contribution to the project, as well as the owners of the neighboring businesses who were impacted by the fire,” said Hansen.

“ODD is proud to play a part in preserving, restoring and maintaining our historic downtown,” said Hansen. “We see a growing demand for upper story apartments in the downtown. We are also excited to see business growth and an increasing number of events in the downtown.”

“Our downtown has been called by many one of the most beautiful anywhere,” he said. “Our predecessors built the downtown with a vision for the long-term future of the community. It’s our responsibility to create a new vision and plan to maintain buildings like McMillen for future generations to enjoy.”

According to Mayor Krutzfeldt, the insurance company thought it would just be best to demolish the building. But the Oskaloosa Downtown Development stepped up and saw an opportunity. “Let’s repurpose it such a way that we can improve our downtown housing situation and also offer retail on the first floor,” said Krutzfeldt. “That kind of vision makes for a tremendous community partner.”

Iowa DNR Releasing Trout for Fall Urban Fishing Program

Posted on by KBOE Administrator

Seventeen lakes across Iowa are gearing up to receive trout this fall. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will release between 1,000 to 2,000 rainbow trout at each location as part of its cool weather trout program that brings trout to areas that cannot support them during the summer months.

“Grab your neighbors, friends and kids and try trout fishing this fall,” said Joe Larscheid, chief of the Iowa DNR Fisheries Bureau.  “It’s time well spent. The fish are here, easy to catch and good to eat.”

The fall urban trout stockings are a great place to take kids to catch their first fish. A small hook with a nightcrawler or corn under a small bobber or small simple spinners such as a panther martin or mepps is all you need to get in on the fun.

Bringing trout to cities and towns offers a “close to home” option for Iowans who might not travel to northeast Iowa to discover trout fishing. A family friendly event is often paired with the stocking to help anglers have success and fun while fishing.

The popular program is supported by the sales of the trout fee. Anglers need a valid fishing license and pay the trout fee to fish for or possess trout. The daily limit is five trout per licensed angler with a possession limit of 10.

Children age 15 or younger can fish for trout with a properly licensed adult, but they must limit their catch to one daily limit. The child can purchase a trout fee which will allow them to catch their own limit.

2017 Fall Urban Trout Stocking Schedule

Oct. 14, Lake of the Hills, Davenport, 10:30 a.m.

Oct. 20, Sand Lake, Marshalltown, Noon

Oct. 26, Banner Lake (South), Summerset State Park, Indianola, 11 a.m.

Oct. 26, Big Lake, Council Bluffs, 2 p.m.

Oct. 27, Ottumwa Park Pond, Ottumwa, 11 a.m.

Oct. 27, Lake Petocka, Bondurant, Noon

Oct. 28, Discovery Park, Muscatine, 10 a.m.

Oct. 28, Heritage Pond, Dubuque, 10 a.m.

Oct. 28, Wilson Lake, Fort Madison, Noon

Nov. 1, Bacon Creek, Sioux City, 1:30 p.m.

Nov. 2, North Prairie Lake, Cedar Falls, Noon

Nov. 2, Moorland Pond, Fort Dodge, Noon

Nov. 16, Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake, Ames, Noon

Nov. 17, Prairie Park (Cedar Bend), Cedar Rapids, 10 a.m.

Nov. 17, Terry Trueblood Lake, Iowa City, 11 a.m.

Nov. 18, Scharnberg Pond, Spencer, Noon

Nov. 22, Blue Pit, Mason City, 11 a.m.

Find more information about trout fishing in urban lakes on the DNR trout fishing webpage.

Local Apprentices Could Find Training In New Hiawatha Center

Posted on by KBOE Administrator

Tuesday, Gov. Kim Reynolds joined apprentices, instructors and Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of Iowa members for the grand opening of the new training center located in Hiawatha.

ABC’s 10,155-square-foot facility will expand access for more students to receive hands-on learning as apprentices.  ABC is working hard to address the worker shortage and curb the skills gap through craft training and safety training programs. The organization also unveiled a virtual reality trailer, which will be used at job fairs and high schools throughout the state to showcase real-world experiences in the trades.

“There has never been greater opportunity for those seeking a rewarding path in a skilled trade,” said Ginny Shindelar, ABC’s vice president of education and training services. “Our apprentices enter the workforce right away, get paid to learn career skills on the job and even work toward owning a business.”

Gov. Kim Reynolds’ administration has placed a significant emphasis on overcoming the workforce crisis and closing Iowa’s skills gap. She was on hand to tour the new training center and virtual reality trailer and praised ABC’s efforts.

“Employers across the state routinely say it’s hard to hire enough skilled workers. But with organizations like ABC and this training center, we will overcome the skills gap and give more Iowans an opportunity for a well-paying career, not just a job,” said Reynolds.

Last year, ABC of Iowa trained over 1,300 apprentices. For the current year, 1,100 are enrolled. Coupled with those expected to register for the winter term, the organization anticipates training over 1,400 apprentices this academic year. ABC’s students learn new skills, get paid to further their career through earn-and-learn programs all without accruing massive student loan debt.

Local companies in both Pella and Oskaloosa are listed under Registered Apprenticeships including Cunningham, Inc., Affordable Services, LLC., and Francis Electric. That list, along with contacts for the apprenticeship, can be found at Iowa Workforce Development.

 

Associated Builders and Contractors of Iowa is a non-profit construction trade association that boasts the largest apprenticeship-training program in the state. With more than 540 member firms statewide, ABC fosters the principles of freedom of choice through the merit construction philosophy. ABC members build commercial buildings, industrial plants, municipal and public works projects, roads and highways, homes and provide an array of construction services. For more information, visit www.abciowa.org.

Text to 911 Now Available in 81 Iowa Counties, Including Mahaska

Posted on by KBOE Administrator

At the last Emergency Management Agency meeting on September 21st,  Jamey Robinson the EMA/911 Administrator, said that the Mahaska County  911 Communications and dispatch center can now receive text messages during an emergency. Robinson noted this would be crucial for the deaf/mute community, as well as children or others who may not be in a safe position to speak on the phone.

Mahaska County is joined by almost 80 percent of the counties in Iowa to have this feature. State officials say by the end of the year, ALL of Iowa’s 9-1-1 dispatchers should be able to respond to text messages. Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management director Mark Schouten says text-to-9-1-1 service already has been used in Iowa when a call would have put someone in danger.

“We’ve had cases of a suspected intruder into a home; a domestic assault incident; a sexual assault in progress; and a child who used it to report being kidnapped,” said 

Schouten, though, cautions a CALL to 9-1-1 is preferable because the dispatcher can get crucial information more quickly, like your location. Pin-pointing the physical address from which a text is sent is not yet perfected. If text-to-9-1-1 is not available in a city or county, a “bounceback” message will be sent.

Counties that have yet added this feature include Franklin, Hancock, Henry, Jefferson, Johnson, Lee, Marion, Monona, Plymouth, Pottawattamie, Ringgold, Scott, Van Buren, Washington, Webster and Winnebago.

Large Schools Look for Momentum Heading Into Volleyball Playoffs

Posted on by KBOE Administrator

We are within a week of every school beginning their trek to the Volleyball State Tournament at the US Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids. The schools in Class 3A, Class 4A, and Class 5A will not have it easy to get there.

All first round games in these classes will be on Wednesday, October 18th at 7 PM.

In Class 3A Region 6, PCM (9-16) will have to go on the road to face West Marshall (27-10). The bracket is fairly loaded, so if PCM finds a way to get past West Marshall in the quarterfinals, #12 Iowa Falls-Alden could be awaiting them.

Staying in Class 3A, Region 8 involves four South Central Conference teams in the bottom half of the bracket. Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont (19-13) get Albia (10-19), a team they just beat in four sets on Tuesday night. Winner of that matchup will see either Davis County or Centerville. EBF has not lost to any of those teams all season.

Class 4A Region 4 is loaded with four area teams of the six in the bracket. Oskaloosa (11-17) will have to go on the road to play Knoxville (14-19). The Indians have made a habit out of winning road games in the playoffs. The two teams have not seen each other this season. You can hear that game live on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN and radiokmzn.com.

Awaiting them is #4 Pella (28-5) for the semifinals on Tuesday, October 24th. Pella hasn’t dropped a set in two matches with Knoxville this season and swept Oskaloosa in the only meeting between those two teams so far this year.

On the other side of the bracket, Newton (3-20) will be a big underdog on the road against Carlisle (12-13) in the first round. Bondurant-Farrar (17-10) awaits the winner in the second round. B-F is one of the few teams to beat Pella this year which could be a factor if those two teams hold serve and meet in the regional final.

Region 6 in Class 4A has Grinnell (8-19) on the road to face Clear Creek-Amana (19-16) as an underdog. Winner of that match will get #7 Center Point-Urbana (30-9) in the semifinals.

Finally, Ottumwa is our lone Class 5A school and they are in the Region 5 bracket. The Bulldogs (13-16) will host Des Moines North (0-19) in a fairly easy matchup. Should they take care of business there, they will go on the road to face #12 Waukee in the semifinals (23-18). #5 Linn-Mar and #15 Cedar Rapids Prairie are in the other semifinal in a loaded bracket.

The trek to state all begins with the first round, which will take place on Wednesday, October 18th at 7 PM. We will have continuing coverage of the brackets on the No Coast Network.

MidAmerican Energy Tops The Ranking Chart for Customer Satisfaction

Posted on by KBOE Administrator

MidAmerican Energy Company’s customers have recognized the company’s ongoing commitment to deliver an exceptional customer experience. Based on customer responses, the company ranked No. 1 in the Midwest Large segment for overall customer satisfaction among natural gas companies for the third consecutive year, according to the J.D. Power Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study.

Overall residential customer satisfaction was measured by examining six factors: safety and reliability; billing and payment; price; corporate citizenship; communications; and customer service.

“Our culture is Customer First, so having our customers recognize us as the best is a tremendous compliment,” said Adam Wright, MidAmerican Energy vice president of gas delivery. “Our employees are committed to providing this essential service in a safe, reliable and affordable fashion, and they deserve the credit for this excellent result.”

In the J.D. Power study, MidAmerican Energy received a score of 767 on a 1,000-point scale – a 36-point improvement from last year. This score ranks the company No. 5 among 85 natural gas companies nationally on overall customer satisfaction. Results of the study were based on more than 61,000 online interviews conducted between September 2016 and July 2017 among residential customers of 85 large and midsize natural gas companies in the U.S.

About MidAmerican Energy Company
MidAmerican Energy Company is an energy provider serving 760,000 electric customers and 742,000 natural gas customers in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and South Dakota. It is headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. Information about MidAmerican Energy is available on the company’s website, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube pages, which can be accessed via www.MidAmericanEnergy.com.

1-Year-Old Dies in Accidental Drowning

Posted on by KBOE Administrator

On Sunday, around 3 PM Mahaska County Sheriff’s Office and Mahaska Health Partnership were dispatched to a location just east of Pella (2292 Adams Avenue) in reference to a drowning victim of a 1 year old male.

Family members had started CPR on the victim prior to deputies arrival. Deputies and emergency responders continued the efforts while en route to MHP hospital. Upon arrival to the hospital, however, the victim was declared deceased.

The preliminary investigation into this matter indicates that this subject died from accidental drowning in a farm pond. An autopsy has been scheduled with the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office in Ankeny.

Accidental Weapon Discharge Leads to Injury

Posted on by KBOE Administrator

On Sunday, October 8,  shortly before midnight, the Ottumwa Police responded to the Ottumwa Regional Health Center on a report that a patient arrived at the hospital with a possible gunshot wound.

Preliminary investigation suggests that the injuries to the patient were caused by an accidental discharge of a firearm into the ground which caused the bullet to fragment into pieces. The bullet fragment then struck the patient in the foot resulting in minor injury.

This incident occurred in the 200 Block of Clayton Street in Ottumwa. If anyone has information about this shooting they are requested to contact the Ottumwa Police Department at 641-683-0661.

Several Area Football Teams Still Have Playoff Pulse Heading Into Stretch Run

Posted on by KBOE Administrator

The football season is winding down with just two weeks of the regular season remaining. Even though there’s just two games left for most teams, there’s dozens of playoff implications that can come into play for several teams still hanging around for a postseason berth.

In Class 4A District 4, the Newton Cardinals improbably started their season 6-0. But a loss to Southeast Polk last week has put them in a dire position, needing to win both of their remaining games to squeak into the playoffs. With powerhouse West Des Moines Valley on deck, it would be a monumental feat for the Cardinals to be playing postseason football.

The same cannot be said for the Oskaloosa Indians, who will be looking to cinch up a playoff spot out of Class 3A District 5 in Washington this week. Osky has a very easy road map: beat Washington and you’re in, lose to Washington and you need to hope to get a wild card. A Week 9 matchup with West Burlington/Notre Dame should not deter the Indians should they get past the Demons.

Also in Class 3A, Pella is well on their way to another district title after holding off Norwalk last week. The Dutch are the only unbeaten team left in District 6 and have favorable matchups at North Polk and at home to Nevada to wrap up their season.

In Class 2A District 6, PCM is rolling through their schedule. After a tough non-district loss to undefeated Pella Christian in the season opener, the Mustangs have won six straight and are big favorites against Davis County and Clarke as they wind down a season where they’ll be named District 6 Champions.

Class 1A District 4 is pretty self-explanatory for Sigourney/Keota. There’s one open playoff spot after Iowa City Regina and the Cobras need to beat Wilton and Wapello the last two weeks of the season to clinch it. A win over Wapello this week would effectively eliminate them from the race and leave it between S/K and Wilton, and they will meet in Wilton to decide the automatic berth in Week 9.

District 5 in Class 1A is monopolized by a couple of area teams. Pella Christian is still undefeated after they knocked off Pleasantville on the road last week. PC should waltz to the district title. Pleasantville has to beat Woodward-Granger this week to clinch their spot in the playoffs.

Class A District 6 has been a fun one to follow all year and Lynnville-Sully is on their way to winning the district title. The Hawks started 8-0 last year before losing in Week 9 to Montezuma. Now, after gutsy wins over Pekin and New London, L-S gets a bye before seeing the Braves again looking for retribution on their way to the playoffs and a first round home game. Pekin faces off with New London this week to determine the #2 seed out of this district, while the loser hopes to get one of the wild cards.

Finally, 8-Player District 5 is chaotic. All we know is that HLV is sitting pretty at 5-0 in the district after a big win over Colo-Nesco. HLV faces Melcher-Dallas this week. If M-D were to drop this home game, they will likely fall out of the playoff race. Moravia is also hanging around. Their matchup this week with Colo-Nesco will factor heavily into that #2 seed. A Melcher-Dallas win this week would create even more chaos, however, as all four teams could end the week with hopes of the playoffs going into Week 9. There are no wild cards in 8-Player football so these matchups are huge for these schools.

We’ll be following the action closely the last two weeks of the season, so be sure to join us for Scores and More Presented By Bubbl’r after the games go final Friday night on 104.9 FM KBOE, 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, kboeradio.com and radiokmzn.com.

Interim CEO At Mahaska Health Partnership Announced

Posted on by KBOE Administrator

The Mahaska Health Partnership Board of Trustees named Chief Nursing Officer Chris Jepsen the organization’s Interim Chief Executive Officer during a special board meeting on Monday, October 9.

“After careful consideration, the board unanimously decided to offer her the Interim CEO position due to her past experience as well as her current working relationship with the senior team at MHP,” said MHP Board of Trustees President David Langkamp. “Chris brings outstanding qualifications with more than 30 years of healthcare leadership experience and we have great confidence in her ability to lead.”

Jepsen previously served as administrator of Parkland Health Center in Bonne Terre, Mo. She spent much of her career working for both large and small hospitals in Nebraska and Missouri in various leadership roles. Jepsen has a Masters of Nursing degree and is currently set to complete her Master’s of Health Administration.

“My husband, Gary, and I moved to Oskaloosa in August when I accepted the position of Chief Nursing Officer,” Jepsen said. “People have been so warm and welcoming to us. We feel embraced by the Oskaloosa community and are so happy to be here.

“I’m very passionate about providing high quality healthcare and I look forward to new challenges as I enter a slightly different role at Mahaska Health Partnership.”

Mahaska Health Partnership, located in Oskaloosa, is a non-profit health system accredited by the Joint Commission. It is guided by its mission to provide exceptional customer service and health improvement, linking the science of medicine with the humanity of compassionate care. For more information about how Mahaska Health Partnership is making healthcare personal, visit mahaskahealth.org.

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