TAG SEARCH RESULTS FOR: "Oskaloosa"

Several Area Schools In Good Playoff Position at Midway Point of Football Season

Posted on by KBOE Administrator

Five weeks of high school football are in the books and we are starting to learn who the contenders are in every district in the state.

For our listening area, there are several teams who seem to be look to push towards the playoffs.

Oskaloosa (3-2) made the playoffs in 2016 after a great 7-2 regular season after a couple of down years. They are looking to repeat the dose here in 2017, and their road map is identical. Wins in their last four games will clinch the #2 spot in Class 3A District 5 and send Osky to the postseason. Their biggest challenge will be in Week 8 against Washington, who sits at 4-1 on the year.

Pella (4-1) also sits pretty as one of the top teams in Class 3A District 6 along with Norwalk (4-1). Those teams will battle for what will likely be the District 6 Championship in Week 7.

In Class 2A, PCM (4-1) should run away with the District 6 Title once again, following up a dominant run in 2016. District 6 is fairly weak after the Mustangs which has to door wide open for someone to grab that second spot. After EBF’s (3-3) tough loss to Albia last Friday, Central Lee seems to be in the best shape to snag that #2 slot and an automatic playoff berth. Do not rule out a wild card team either, as Centerville (2-3) snuck into the playoffs last year after having a high district point differential.

In Class 1A District 4, Sigourney/Keota (2-3) is looking to bounce back after a couple of tough weeks to start the year. Their playoff aspirations likely rest on their Week 9 matchup on the road at Wilton (5-0) as Iowa City Regina (3-2) will run away with the district. Don’t sleep on Louisa-Muscatine (2-3), as they still have a road to the playoffs they can follow as well.

Class 1A District 5 seems to be locked up for Pella Christian (5-0) and Pleasantville (5-0) to make it back to the playoffs. They will meet in Pleasantville in Week 7 to likely determine the district champion and who will get home field in the first round.

Chaos is the name of the game in Class A District 6, as Lynnville-Sully (5-0), Pekin (6-0), and New London (4-0) are all rolling so far this year. A huge matchup will be featured in our Game of the Week on 104.9 FM KBOE and kboeradio.com this Friday, as Lynnville-Sully hosts Pekin. Winner of that matchup sets themselves up nicely to get into the playoffs and potentially win the district while the loser will need to win out. New London gets their crack at the top when they host Lynnville-Sully in Week 7 and travel to face Pekin in Week 8.

In 8-Player District 5, Moravia (5-1) seemed to have the best chance to make the playoffs, but a slip up last week at HLV (4-2) has the Mohawks desperate. A Week 8 duel at Colo-Nesco (4-1) will in all likelihood decide who gets the only other playoff berth at stake barring any upsets to HLV. Melcher-Dallas (4-1) has played well this season and have a route to the playoffs, but will be a solid underdog in their matchups with HLV and Moravia in Weeks 8 and 9.

Newton (5-0) has looked great in Class 4A so far this year, but the Cardinals have benefitted from the weakest schedule in the state’s largest class. They have two top teams in Southeast Polk and West Des Moines Valley in as opponents in District 4 and will need to beat at least one of them to have a chance at the postseason. That doesn’t include tough matchups against Indianola and Fort Dodge that the Cardinals will be also find themselves as underdogs.

The playoffs begin October 27th, but we will be able to track every single movement of our area teams between now and then. Check kboeradio.com or radiokmzn.com for weekly looks at the area playoff picture.

Mahaska Health Partnership CEO Takes Leave

Posted on by KBOE Administrator

The Mahaska Health Partnership Board of Trustees announced that CEO Jay Christensen has taken an extended leave of absence effective Tuesday, September 19th.

Board President David Langkamp stated it’s business as usual at the hospital. “We have tremendous people working at MHP. The Executive Team will continue to oversee day-to-day operations with consultation from the Board of Trustees.

“Mahaska Health Partnership providers and staff remain committed to our community’s health and well-being and will continue to focus on maintaining a strong health center in Oskaloosa,” Langkamp stressed.

Mahaska Health Partnership, located in Oskaloosa, is 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.

Information provided by Mahaska Health Partnership press release. 

A Glimpse Into Oskaloosa History

Posted on by KBOE Administrator

Driving through Oskaloosa Downtown square, you are immediately take back by the beautiful brick buildings and intricate detailing on the facades.

The first resident of Oskaloosa was William Canfield in 1844. From there, a trading post was erected and by 1853 the small town of 13 cabins grew to over 1,000 residents. Oskaloosa transformed into a mining mecca within a span of two decades.

By 1873 Penn Academy – later named William Penn College- was built and later that same year the first band stand was constructed. Within five years, the first courthouse was built on what is now the east side of the square – which is still in use to this day! In 1903, the Carnegie Library was opened and the YMCA that was once in the square was dedicated by President Teddy Roosevelt.

Fast forward over a century later and you can see the history behind each stone and brick in downtown Oskaloosa. Recently, the city council and Oskaloosa Main Street approve the Facade Improvement Project. This project addresses the restoration of 18 downtown building on the north side of the square to preserve the non-historic and historically significant buildings.

One building in particular that is currently being restored is at 120 North Market Street. This building was once distinguished by having a front blue boarded facade with tan brick work on the second story.

Images from the architectural plans for the facade improvement project for 120 N. Market Street. (oskaloosaiowa.org)

After crews removed the lower blue tinged wood, a dated store front sign was revealed.

“Iowa Dress Club, Inc.”

After a little bit of digging, going through archived photos and requesting information from the Iowa Historic Preservation, the response was scarce. The Iowa Dress Club, Inc. building dates back to roughly the year 1900. Back when this building was first founded, the address was 303 A Avenue East. The store specialized in dry cleaning services as well as selling wedding dresses and other forms of attire.

As you glance through the downtown square of Oskaloosa, one cannot help but wonder all the memories and history each building holds under the surface.

 

Editor’s note: Hoping that with the updating and restoration of the facades, I can provide you with more information and background of the timeless treasures and hidden gems of Oskaloosa. 

Featured image is provided by the Wilcox Library Digital Archives.

 

OPD Exceeds Fundraising Goal

Posted on by KBOE Administrator

“We have received an overwhelming response from the community,” said Police Chief Jake McGee at a final check presentation on Monday morning.

Chief McGee accepted a $5,000 donation from the Southeast Iowa Regional Board of Realtors on September 11th.

The Oskaloosa Police Department decided to begin their fundraising for a new K-9 unit back in June. The department set a goal to raise $40,000 to purchase and train a canine, buy a specific K-9 vehicle and appropriate training for the officer.

Oskaloosa Officer, Austin Rogers, spent an extensive amount of time for his K-9 research and will be the handler. McGee noted that having a K-9 is a huge commitment for an officer. “The dog is a part of your family, it comes home with you,” said McGee.

The OPD is expecting the new vehicle, and K-9, to last seven to ten years. This vehicle will only be driven on one shift. By purchasing a specific vehicle, will actually help save money for the department in a long run with no longer having to replace other patrol cruisers that were used for a K-9.

This is the third K-9 for the police department. Nash was the K-9 for Lt. McClun from 2003 to 2012 and Quest served from 1996 to 2003.

Officer Austin Rogers will head to Indiana in the spring for a 6-week training camp. Where he will be matched with a shepherd that is a year to a year-and-a-half old.

Chief McGee noted that it could be a German, Dutch or Czech Shepherd – but it will be a shepherd from overseas. Officer Rogers will work 7 days a week for 6 weeks in the spring of 2018. McGee wants Rogers and the dog to be back for about a month to ensure they are both ready for demonstration sometime in the summer of 2018.

According to Chief McGee, the department received donations from all over state of Iowa. “We received dollar donations from kids that came in and giving it to our receptionist,” said Chief McGee.”We had kids with lemonade stands donating their proceeds.”

Chief Jake McGee receives a donation from the Southeast Iowa Regional Board of Realtors at Taso’s Steakhouse

 

Oskaloosa Football Builds Confidence with Route of Fort Madison

Posted on by KBOE Administrator

Just two short weeks ago, the Oskaloosa football team stumbled in a highly anticipated season opener against the three-time defending state champion Pella Little Dutch. But on the first week of district play, Osky seems to be finding their groove.

The 58-14 drubbing of Fort Madison is a similar score to the 49-0 win the Indians picked up on the Bloodhounds’ home field last year. That’s a great sign for Osky supporters as their team looks to get back to the playoffs.

Quarterback Seth Howard looked in the zone against Fort Madison, going 15 for 24 for 257 yards and 3 TDs. He also ran ten times for 110 yards and 3 TDs. This kind of performance is sure to excite fans of the Indians as an athletic quarterback who can find his targets downfield will make Osky tough to beat.

Howard will be the first to say he couldn’t do it without his targets, as several players got into the act offensively. None more so than Cole Henry, who caught four passes for 38 yards and two touchdowns. The 6-foot-7-inch junior will be a threat in short yardage, especially in the redzone, all season long. Alex Chapman led Osky with 127 receiving yards on four receptions. Tanner DeKock had three catches and a TD on the day as well.

Complementing the improved passing game was a rush attack that got going behind the Blake VanVeldhuizen-led offensive line. Casey Hill was the main beneficiary, rushing 13 times for 60 yards and a TD. Tyler Miller also had his best day in the backfield so far this season, gaining 47 yards on 6 carries with a rushing TD as well.

Defensively, Osky starting a little slowly, but eventually were able to surround the Hounds and not allow any big plays. Keaton DeKock and Cole Kraber had seven tackles each. Turnovers also played a factor as Alex DeJong picked off two more passes to increase his season total to four and Calvin Silvers had a fumble recovery.

All in all, there didn’t seem to be a lot of holes for Coach Jake Jenkins and the Indians last Friday, but there will be stiffer tests in Class 3A District 5. Mount Pleasant will host Osky this Friday and they are no pushover, as they nearly upset Washington, falling 16-14 on the road.

You can hear that game live on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, radiokmzn.com, and the KMZN mobile app starting with the pregame at 7 PM on Friday as Mount Pleasant and Oskaloosa battle to stay in the mix at the top of District 5.

 

 

Story By Emery Songer

Oskaloosa High Looking Forward to Homecoming

Posted on by KBOE Administrator

This year’s Oskaloosa High School Homecoming is fast approaching. Its theme is “A Hero’s Homecoming,” and students are already gearing up for the week’s events.

As soon as Homecoming Week kicks off on Monday, September 18th, students are able to display their school spirit by participating in the first of five dress-up days taking place during the week. Each day has a unique theme:

  • Monday: “Marvel Monday,” – dress as their favorite superhero
  • Tuesday: “Too Cool Tuesday,” – “preppy” dress code
  • Wednesday: “Whirl of Life Wednesday,”- Freshmen dress up as babies, Sophomores as teenagers, Juniors as adults, and Seniors as senior
    citizens
  • Thursday: “Tourist Thursday” – bucket hats and Hawaiian shirts encouraged
  • Friday: “Spirit Friday,” – wear your favorite Oskaloosa attire

Of course, the High School Student Council has also prepared a few events for the entire
community to take part in during the week. On Monday the 18th, following the JV home football game,
12th-grade girls will duke it out in the gender-swapped Powder Puff Football game at the Lacey
Complex football field. On Tuesday the 19th, 12th-grade boys will engage in their own role-reversed
game, Powder Puff Volleyball, right after the girls’ varsity game in the spectator gym at the high
school. Admission for both Powder Puff events is 100{99cd714f394079a7f0ed2eb1518dd31342ff3ceb5b6c267c3ad8acd5b5a7d66b} free!

On Thursday, September 21st, the annual Homecoming Parade will push off its first float at 6:30 PM Be sure to find a good spot to cheer on the football team, marching band, and many more extracurricular groups and clubs!

Or, if you have your own float or convertible you’d like to drive in the parade, contact the school at 673-3407 or email Kim Gile at gilek@oskycsd.org. After the parade, head down to the Community Stadium on North 1st Street to see which two lucky Seniors will be crowned Homecoming King and Queen.

Finally, on Friday, September 22nd, Homecoming will come to a close as the varsity football team battles the Solon Spartans at 7:30 PM at the Lacey Field. After the game, high school students are invited to the Homecoming Dance, starting at 9:00 PM. The dance will last until midnight, giving students plenty of time to dance their hearts out.

Be sure to thank your nearest Student Council member this Homecoming, as none of these events would be possible without these committed students. Remember to be safe and have a blast during this week of fun!

Parking Regulations in Downtown are Slated to Change

Posted on by KBOE Administrator

A topic at many city council meetings within the past two months has been the issue centered around parking in the city, specifically in the downtown square. On Monday, September 5th, the Oskaloosa City Council opened the floor for public comments where five residents stepped forward. 

Each of those that made comments owned businesses around the square and were in attendance at the meeting to share their thoughts about the changes that council intends to make regarding the regulations that are currently in place.

Julie Wells, owner of Julie’s Cafe on S. Market, stepped forward first and addressed her concern with the council.

“We’re concerned with the two-hour parking. The concern that 72-hours, that it would go to if you got rid of the 2-hours, would be too long,” Wells stated while in attendance with her husband Terry.

This is not Wells’ first time addressing the council about their plans to alter the parking regulations. As she has was before the mayor and council members a month ago on August 7.

Other business owners also approached the council: Debbie Sedrel from Merle Norman Cosmetics; Glenda Booy from True Value; Brian Meyers from Brown Shoe Fit; and Jerry Slobe with Timeless Treasures.

“I talked to five business owners today,” Slobe said as he addressed the city council, “and they were all opposed to taking the signs down.”

The aforementioned businesses were Brown Shoe Fit, Taso’s Steakhouse, Big Ed’s BBQ, True Value and MidWestOneThree.

After hearing from the public, the council began the regular agenda. One of the last items in the agenda was the consideration of parking regulations and two-hour central business district parking. The council quickly came to an agreement on the third and fourth piece, but had questions themselves regarding the first and second piece.

Councilman Doug Yates, noted that the decision to enforce or not was a split decision after the community had been surveyed.

Tom Walling had mentioned that the city, “only got five complaints in a year. Yet we heard five complaints tonight, easy.”

The initial idea was to take all of the parking signs down to reduce the number in downtown, however, realized it was too costly and unnecessary. Other questions arose about enforcing the limits and regulations.

City Manager, Michael Schrock, suggested that they do sporadic enforcement. Once or twice a month sometimes more or less to transition to consistently enforcing the limits.

After nearly a half hour discussion on the item, the council came to an agreement after some advice from Police Chief Jake McGee.

“I think two hours is too short, that’s based off my experience from the people that get tickets. ”

With Chief McGee’s experience over the years, he knows that visitors – or the average shoppers – are the ones that normally get ticketed. Because the normal offenders know when enforcement goes out to chalk and the call goes around, most vehicles get moved.

When asked by Mayor David Krutzfeldt, Chief McGee said that most cities around Oskaloosa have three-hour parking rules.

In conclusion, the city council agreed to move the two-hour parking limit to a three-hour limit starting at 9 AM until 5 PM. 

This is, however, only the first reading of the regulation changes. Yates would like the public to voice their thoughts about this change as the next month progresses and the city council finishes the reading of the changes to parking.

Oskaloosa Volleyball Falls on the Road To Grinnell

Posted on by KBOE Administrator

The Oskaloosa volleyball team was back in conference action on Tuesday night, but it didn’t end the way the Indians were hoping as they fell in straight sets on the road to Grinnell, 25-14, 25-23, 25-19.

Oskaloosa was behind the 8-ball early in all three sets, but battled back in the second and third sets to hang around until late. Several attack errors and an outstanding team defensive effort from the Tigers combined to frustrate several of the Indian attackers.

Josie Bunnell would get going late to log a game-high ten kills. Emily Richmond and Baylee Crawford both would have four kills in the match with Emma Kelderman adding three kills. Jolie Yang would serve up three aces for the Indians.

Grinnell had a very balanced offensive strategy. Junior Macy Harris led the way with nine kills in the game. Kiana Kies was a great option down the stretch for the Tigers, logging seven kills and two aces. Hope Nelson had six kills and Nicole Popp had five for the victors.

The win moves Grinnell to 4-3 overall and 1-1 in the Little Hawkeye Conference. They will next be in action next Tuesday, September 12th, on the road against Newton.

Oskaloosa falls to 3-7 overall on the season and 0-2 in Little Hawkeye Conference play. The Indians are back in action this Saturday against several teams at the Southeast Polk Tournament. Their next conference game will be next Tuesday, September 12th, at home against Dallas Center-Grimes. You can hear that game starting around 7 PM on 99.5 FM and 740 AM KMZN with a live video stream with the help of the Oskaloosa Video Production program on radiokmzn.com and MCG Channel 7 in Oskaloosa.

In other volleyball scores in the area Tuesday night:

Albia 25-25-25, Centerville 20-20-14
Central Lee, Donnellson 25-25-25, Cardinal, Eldon 17-11-13
HLV, Victor 22-26-25-25, Lynnville-Sully 25-24-19-19
Pekin 25-25-25, Louisa-Muscatine 16-12-11
Pella 25-15-25-23-15, Pella Christian 20-25-18-25-9
Southeast Polk 25-25-16-23-15, Ottumwa 14-21-25-25-6
EBF 22-25-25-25, Clarke 25-22-18-10

YMCA Will See A Modern Upgrade in Facilities

Posted on by KBOE Administrator

The Mahaska County YMCA has been serving the Oskaloosa and the Mahaska County area since 1896. It’s been housed at the current location for the last 50 years at 414 N Third Street. Recently, the YMCA along with the City of Oskaloosa and the Oskaloosa Community School Board have sought out to improve facilities by relocating and building.

The current building has 42,000 square feet and is equipped with a weight room, cardio studio, gymnasiums, exercise rooms, racquetball courts and a 4-lane 25-yard pool. Plenty of activities that are held at the Mahaska County YMCA include after school programs, various weight, dance or aerobic classes and youth sports.

In addition to the occupied building on Third Street, they provide early childhood services in the former Webster School building and the Kids Corner Child Care building. The YMCA operates the largest early child care program in the community and is the administrative leader in the 4-year old preschool partnership program.

All three of the buildings combined, the facility maxes out at around 74,000 square footage. With the capacity that the YMCA’s after-school program is at they are overflowing with families and children on a waiting list to get on.

“With this project wrapping up the conceptual design,” Michael Schrock, City Manager, said. “The next phase of the project is schematic design.” To move into this phase fully, money needs to be spent.

Within the schematic design includes meeting with financial advisories and attorneys to lock in the 28E agreement, said Schrock.

The new host site of the YMCA will be located on Green Street near the Lacey Recreation Complex. The projected cost of the new facility is set currently at $19.65 million, and square footage is set around 60,000.

Tom Richardson, School Board President, questioned how they would manage to operate efficiently using 15,000 less square feet.

The lack of adequate space, aging facilities and increasing maintenance have all proven to be difficult to keep up with. With the restraint on expanding and adding membership, the YMCA has not been able to generate enough revenue to sustain the facility, repairs and operational development.

“We don’t know if we can afford a two floor facility,” continued Schrock. “We are more interested in providing the right amount of square footage and amenities.” As the list of the desired amenities were read off to the board members , Schrock added, “There’s a whole laundry list, actually.” The essential amenities, however, include the gymnasiums, aquatics and child care.

The amenities that are noted in the conceptual massing plans include a gymnasium, youth gym, locker rooms, aquatics, community or multi-purpose room, kids zone, playground, and a child care center. Future expansion on intended areas will be possible with the conceptual design of the building.

The big question with this project is the price tag, but the bigger question is how will this almost 20 million dollar project be funded. The revenue generated from a 20-year local sales tax referendum, portions of a one-cent infrastructure tax from the Oskaloosa Community Schools, grants, and various donations will pay for the construction of the YMCA.  The need to fundraise and secure two to three million dollars in grants or other sources is imminent.

As Schrock thumbed through possible slides of what different components of the YMCA facility will look like, all board members in attendance seemed to be in agreeance that they would like to see a conservative yet modern approach to the appearance of the new building.

By building a new facility, the YMCA has the opportunity to grow and expand internally. Membership units is an important part to their livelihood. A membership unit could be an adult, couple, family, senior, college, or youth members.

YMCA Board Member, Debbie Guild, shared the prospective growth that the Mahaska County YMCA is hoping to see. Having new facilities built with amenities the YMCA would expect to see 1,025 new memberships. “In the first year, we could see a member growth of 500 units…,” Guild said. “That’s 50 percent in the first year, 30 percent in the second and 20 percent in the third.”

“I think there’s a sense in the community that this, at least to my friends, that this project has died. so i just ask us all to try to spread this to your peer groups and help reignite enthusiasm for it again,” said Guild.

The City of Oskaloosa, the Oskaloosa Community School District and the YMCA Board will all look towards Gro Development to revise the conceptual plan and establish the schematic design documents, as well as bid letting and general contractor selection.

Oskaloosa High School Gym Remodel Project Set To Begin

Posted on by KBOE Administrator

The Oskaloosa Community School Board met on Monday, August 28 to discussion to new gym remodel. The initial board meeting was to approve the plans and specifications of the gym remodel. Carl Drost spoke of the details that the project manager has put in to the notes and plans of the remodel as he requested to read the plans prior to the meeting. All on the board felt as though the manager and the company would be working with the school’s and children’s best interest in mind.

In the specifications it noted that someone, like an architect, would go to construction meetings and do walk-throughs of the property during construction. Drost had a different idea in mind.

“I would love to do it, if I’m still on the board that is,” Drost continued. “Someone needs to be there everyday.”

Even School Superintendent, Russ Reiter, agreed that it would be helpful to have a faculty walk through and encouraged members of the board to view the changes being made occasionally.

“We would encourage any and all board members to walk through whenever they want as long as they have their hard hat and show your presence.”

The tentative schedule for the remodel has many of the outside structural changes scheduled for this fall while the smaller, more cosmetic like alterations — such as painting or patching — will be completed in the spring. An estimated completion date was noted on or around the 15th of April.

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