DES MOINES — While some parts of Iowa continue to experience high and rising flood waters, other communities are in recovery and clean-up mode. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) encourages people to put safety first and avoid flood waters until after they recede. Many rivers and lakes in Iowa are unsafe for swimming or boating due to fast currents, floating debris, hidden obstacles, and the potential of bacteria. Boaters and paddlers should plan ahead as additional areas may become unsafe as flood waters move downstream.

State Park Impacts

Several Iowa state parks have alerts and closures due to high waters, including:

• Dolliver Memorial State Park – the entire park is closed due to the Des Moines River flooding.
• Fairport State Recreation Area – the campground and boat ramp are closed due to high water on the Mississippi River.
• Fort Defiance State Park – trails are closed due to flood debris and damage to bridges.
• George Wyth State Park – the entire park is closed due to high water.
• Great Lakes area – several state park beaches, docks and ramps are still underwater. Gull Point park and campground are closed. Existing campground reservations at Emerson Bay, Elinor Bedell, and Marble Beach are being honored, but new reservations or walk-in camping are unavailable through at least July 7. All other parks in the region remain open but caution is advised.
• Lake Manawa State Park – the park is open but Catfish Road is closed due to high water.
• Ledges State Park – the park is open but the Canyon Road, Lower Ledges Road, the Des Moines River boat ramp and Flood Pole parking lot are closed.
• Stone State Park – the west entrance is currently closed while park staff clean up debris left behind by receding floodwaters. The east entrance is open.
• Wilson Island State Recreation Area – the park is closed due to Missouri River flooding.

For latest updates, visit the DNR’s state park alerts and closure web page.

Recovery Assistance and Clean Up

For recovery assistance, visit Iowa Homeland Security’s disaster recovery web page or local emergency management teams, which should have resources to help with immediate needs. The Iowa DNR provides disaster assistance on debris management and other environmental impacts to communities, businesses and citizens. Visit DNR’s disaster recovery web page for information. Some important considerations:

Private Well Testing

Homeowners with private wells impacted by floodwaters can visit the DNR’s private well flood information web page for information on testing.

Debris and Hazardous Materials

Sorting disaster debris after flooding is important—both to keep cleanup teams safe and to ensure debris is disposed properly. Depending upon the community, household waste from a disaster may be collected at curbside or through drop-off. Either way, it’s important to separate wastes into:

• Household hazardous waste such as paints, solvents, cleaners, household chemicals and lawn and garden chemicals
• White and electronic goods including appliances, TVs and computers
• Scrap metals
• Garbage including mattresses, or plastic furniture, etc.
• Tree limbs and trimmings

Stay safe during cleanup activities. Find more information on DNR’s disaster assistance webpage, including a list of materials likely to contain asbestos and how to manage waste disposal. For general assistance, contact the local DNR field office. For questions regarding asbestos requirements, contact Tom Wuehr, DNR environmental specialist at Tom.Wuehr@dnr.iowa.gov.

Displaced Containers

Recent flooding scattered tanks, drums, cylinders and barrels onto properties adjacent to the Missouri River and its Iowa tributaries. These items may contain hazardous materials such as propane and industrial chemicals and should only be handled by trained professionals. Iowa residents are encouraged to report displaced (“orphaned”) tanks, drums or other containers found in flood debris using the online form located on the Iowa DNR Disaster Assistance website.

The next two Monday feature registration deadlines for next months Iowa Summer Games. Spokesman Cory Kennedy says the games will be held over two weekends in Ames and the surrounding area.

Kennedy says the weekend of July 18th through the 21st will include the opening ceremonies.

Kennedy on the sports facing registration deadlines the next two weeks.

For information on a sport you are interested in go to iowagames.org.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic School Board, Wednesday evening, held a Work Session in the Central Office Conference Room in the CCEOC/Link Center on southwest 7^th Street. During their meeting, the Board approved a six-percent salary increase for Superintendent Dr. Beth Johnsen, who will begin her second year of a two-year contract. The six percent is the same as the district staff members. The Board spent about 35-minutes discussing methods of self-evaluation and Board Goals.

Afterward, they agreed to accept a bid for tree removal on District property. Board President Kristy Pellett explained said they had received several bids, and..

Atlantic School Board meeting, 6-26-24 (video from YouTube)

Superintendent Johnsen said ACSD Maintenance Director Russell Peck recommended the Board accept a low bid of $14,950 from Minors Tree Service. The company expects a majority of the work could take place in two-to-three days, beginning sometime this summer.

The Contract calls for the removal of the trees and refilling the holes. The Board also accepted a bid for the replacement of all of the windows at the CCEOC.

The contract was awarded to Atlantic Glass for $34,600. Work on the project is expected to begin this summer. In other business, the Atlantic School Board set July 17^th at 5:30-p.m., as the date/time for their Board Retreat. The next regular meeting of the Atlantic School Board is set for 5:30-p.m., on July 10^th.

GREENFIELD, Iowa [KCCI-TV] — People in Greenfield are receiving some comfort in the form of quilts. Last month, the Des Moines Area Quilter’s Guild asked members to donate quilts after a tornado tore through town. The quilts came from all over Iowa.

Wednesday night, they were handed out at the Greater Greenfield Foundation Gathering Place. The guild says, even though it’s warm outside right now, the quilts can comfort people who’ve gone through a hard time.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports a woman from Ringgold County was arrested today (Thursday), at around 12:45-a.m., at Highway 34 and Mulberry Street, in Creston. 20-year-old Olivia Claire Henry, of Ellston, was charged with Possession/Purchase of Alcohol by a person under age (18, 19 or 20-years old)/1st offense. She was issued a citation and released from the scene on a Promise to Appear in Court.

And, at around 8:15-p.m., Wednesday, Police in Creston arrested 40-year-old Curtis Lee Lamasters, of Creston. He was taken into custody on a Union County warrant charging him with four-counts of Child Endangerment. Lamasters was transported to the Union County Jail and later bonded-out.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department’s Advisory Commission, Wednesday afternoon, received an update from Atlantic Splashpad Committee Member Ali Pieken. She said while work on the project located near the Sunnyside Pool has been slowed by freight issues in getting the splash pad equipment to the site, but now that the material has arrived, officials with the Hensley Group, LLC, in Muscatine, told her preparation work on the site is expected to resume on Monday.

She said “We’ll see some progress here shortly.” An official groundbreaking ceremony for the project was held last month. Earlier this month, Rob Stamp with Stamp Construction was providing an in-kind donation on dirt work for the project.

In other business, Atlantic Parks & Rec Coordinator Jeff Christensen reported to the Parks Commission the flag at the downtown City Park was recently replaced, and discussions continue with regard to replacing a weathered and aging sign at the entrance to the Bull Creek Pathway. The current sign has some broken boards.

The new sign will be acryllic and from J&J Designs in Atlantic, but questions remain about how it will be mounted/framed.

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (WHO-TV) — A Johnston man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly placing a digital camera, disguised as a pen, in the dressing room of a West Des Moines Target store. 25-year-old Blake Devens was booked into the Polk County Jail Tuesday evening. He faces a charge of placing a camera and/or electronic surveillance device-trespass /1st offense. Devens was released a few hours later. Devens’ next court appearance is scheduled for July 5th.

A criminal complaint filed in the case says Devens entered a changing room at the Target store on Mills Civic Parkway June 2nd, and a little before 1:00-p.m., and placed a “digital audio and video recording device, disguised as an ink pen, on the bench.” The complaint said Bevens also tried to put another device under the mirror but decided not to “likely due to its conspicuous placement.”

Blake Devens booking photo

A West Des Moines Police spokesperson said the investigation began when Target’s loss prevention personnel discovered the “pen” in a routine sweep of the changing room. The “pen” appeared to be suspicious. When it was taken apart it was discovered that it was a recording device.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell will join Govenor Kim Reynolds for a tour of the flood damaged areas in northwest Iowa today (Thursday). The tour is set to begin in Rock Valley around 9 a-m. They will move to a tour of damage in Cherokee and then Spencer. A federal disaster declaration has already been declared for the area, opening up federal aid to help in the recovery effort.

(Radio Iowa) – The moratorium on new gambling licenses imposed by the state legislature is set to expire at the end of this month. Racing and Gaming Commission administrator Tina Eick  says they are prepared for a discussion of their next step. “The Commission has signaled at the last meeting in June that they would be discussing what to do with any potential applications at its July 8th meeting in Altoona at Prairie Meadows,” she says. A group in Cedar Rapids announced it will seek an application. Eick says the Racing and Gaming Commission discussion will likely center on the impact of any new licenses.

“Historically what the commission has done as a part of any application process for considering new facilities or new licenses would be to conduct a new or its own specific market study at that point in time,” Eick says. She says they will have a full discussion of any issues involving new licenses. “The commission would be looking to gather as much information about any new facility and what the impact good or bad would be to a new license,” Eick says.

The I-R-G-C denied previous license requests for a Cedar Rapids casino in 2014 and 2017 based in part on concerns on the impact of the existing casinos. The I-R-G-C has all new members since that last vote was taken.

(Radio Iowa) – They say we should take the time to smell the flowers, and that can be taken literally in eastern Iowa this weekend with the Colonies in Bloom event in the Amana Colonies. Jon Childers, spokesman for the Amana Heritage Museum, says the annual self-guided tour is a must-see, must-smell experience for backyard gardeners and all admirers of beautiful botanicals. “The goal of our event is to share the gardening and flower gardening heritage of the Amana Colonies,” Childers says. “Every year, we have anywhere from seven to maybe 12 gardens. Some of these are flower gardens, some of these are vegetable gardens, and some of these are both.” The gardens on this year’s tour are spread across five of the seven villages and feature stunning colors and aromatic fragrances. As the history of the Amana Colonies predates the state of Iowa, Childers says you’re sure to see things on the tour you likely won’t see elsewhere.

“We have heirloom vegetables that people will be able to see at certain gardens, but we do have modern flowers or rare flowers that people will be able to see,” Childers says. “There’s one particular home in Upper South Amana this year where they have a lot of the native flowers. They’re really sort of into that, what natively grows in Iowa.” The self-guided tours run from 9 A-M to 3 P-M on Saturday, and they’ll be followed by a Garden Party at the Amana Heritage Museum.

“We’re going to have a party out in our yard. We’re going to have some food and drink available. We will have the museum open,” he says. “We will show our orientation video where people will be able to learn about our 300-year history here in the Amanas. We’re going to have a little bit of entertainment and some yard games and good conversation after a day of looking at the gardens.”

While multi-acre vegetable gardens were a staple in the early days of the colonies, hobby gardening didn’t become popular in the Amanas until the communal system was dissolved in 1932. Maps for Colonies in Bloom are available at the Amana Heritage Museum, the Amana Colonies Visitors Center, and at each participating garden.