Following a study by Snyder and Associates Engineers firm in Atlantic of street conditions in the city, Street Superintendent Derald Andersen and Snyder’s Dave Sturm created a list of priorities for fixing the worst streets. City Administrator Doug Harris told the City Council during their meeting Wednesday night, there are six sections of streets in the proposed improvement program, which need to have an asphalt overlay this year, and one section needs to be reconstructed. The plan also calls for the seal-coating of 52 blocks of streets.

Harris says without seal-coating, the road surface begins to oxidize and water seeps into the cracks, which causes the road to quickly deteriorate. He says the City doesn’t have the money to just “Let the roads go and then rebuild them.” Therefore the plan is to use a new process to “micro-seal” 10 blocks and see how effective that is. The roads selected for the micro-seal, should be good for 10-years before milling and an overlay is needed. Harris said the cost of the Street Improvement Projects this year amounts to $945,000.

He said the City has options when it comes to bidding-out the overlay projects. He said the because current contract the City has with PCS Concrete and its asphalt subcontractor Henningsen Construction is not yet complete, the City could ask for a “Change Order” which allows the price to be held, but the engineering for the added projects would need to be done. Harris expects to gather additional information for presentation to the Council during their next meeting, and a possible vote.

During his report to the Council, Harris was asked by Mayor Dave Jones, if there would be a sewer rate increase this year, to which Harris replied “No.”

Officials with the AHST Community School District have announced AHST and the Walnut Community School District will officially begin Whole Grade Sharing of grades 7-through 12 beginning in the fall of 2014. The Walnut School Board approved the 4-year sharing agreement at their regularly scheduled meeting this past Monday. The AHST Board approved the same agreement during their meeting on Wednesday.

The process of Whole Grade Sharing began in Sept. 2013, when both districts passed a resolution to enter into negotiations for sharing. Following  a a period of public comment, a draft Whole Grade Sharing agreement was presented in Dec. 2013, during separate public hearings to patrons of both districts.

All students in grades 7-through 12 will be served at the AHST secondary school. The name of the secondary for extracurricular activities will be AHSTW. The mascot will be the Vikings and Lady Vikes, with the colors remaining blue, red and white. Walnut will reimburse AHST for 80-percent of the district cost per pupil by the state, to educate their resident students.

AHST also approved the expansion of programs and staff. Next year, the AHSTW secondary will have a full-time Agricultural Education and Industrial Technology program. AHST is also adding a full-time TAG (Talented And Gifted) program teacher, a secondary Language Arts teachers, a Student Services Coordinator, as well as increasing staff in the Special Education and Title 1 departments.

Persons with questions about the Whole Grade Sharing agreement may contact AHST/Walnut Community School District Superintendent Jesse Ulrich.

(8-a.m. News)

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Subzero cold and chilling winds have forced many Iowa and Nebraska schools to cancel classes or delay opening by a couple of hours.  The National Weather Service says temperatures across Iowa on Thursday morning were as low as minus 12 in Mason City, with a wind chill of minus 37. In Davenport the wind chill was minus 29. In Sioux City the wind chill was minus 26 around 6 a.m. A wind chill of minus 25 was reported for Des Moines.

You can find a list of school late starts on kjan.com. Under the “Community Hub” on the right side of the home page, click on “Cancellations.”