(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic School Board held a Special Session this (Wednesday) evening at the Achievement Center. During their session, the Board approved a low bid from Electronic Engineering, for portable radios (Walkie-Talkies), which will be paid for through a Homeland Security Safety Grant amounting to $200,000 ($50,000 for each of the district’s 4 buildings). Interim Superintendent Dr. Beth Johnsen said District Technology Director Roger Warne recommended the Board approve Electronic Engineering’s bid.

Johnsen said purchase of the radios includes staff and administrator training in their use. In other business, the Atlantic School Board reviewed proposals from three professional search firms, with regard to the hiring of the District’s next, full-time Superintendent. They previously received proposals from McPherson & Jacobsen, Ray & Associates, and HYA. Finance Director Lisa Jones said money for the hiring of a search firm would come from the School Board’s budget.

Atlantic School Board Special Session, 9-25-24

HYA had the highest bid at approximately $18,000, including a consultation fee. The other two firms were pretty much in the same ballpark price-wise, and slightly lower.  The Board discussed the possibility of saving the costs associated with going through a professional search firm only to possibly come full-circle and offer Dr. Johnsen the full-time job. Johnsen has indicated she would be willing to stay in the position if the Board wishes.

In the end, though, the Atlantic School Board voted to table a decision on hiring a firm for a couple of weeks, until they can talk with the public and others, and attempt to justify expense of having an outside consulting agency, or explore other options.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Members of the Atlantic Park Advisory Commission met this (Wednesday) afternoon. Parks and Rec Coordinator Jeff Christensen remarked he’s continuing to see vandalism in some of the City’s Parks, in Mollet and Cedar Park. He said the vandalism he’s seen this year alone is more than the past three years, and measures were being taken to try and catch the perpetrators.

Splash Pad representative Ali Pieken said the concrete shade structures for the different pad features have been erected on the concrete pad, and they’re still on-track for the Pad features to arrive at the end of October or early November. They’ll turn it on for testing and then winterize the Splash Pad until it’s officially turned on until the grand opening next year.

Board Chairman Kevin Ferguson said he’s spoken with the Junior Federated representatives about new signage along the Bull Creek Pathway, and the estimated cost ($600), but to date, has not heard back on a commitment to move forward. Chelsie Rush with the YMCA reported on Sunnyside Pool Finances. The information was from the YMCA’s side of things only, and not the City. It included payroll and management expenses and loss amounts to. Revenue from RAGBRAI (approximately $10,000) helped to bring the net loss down by that same amount.

Atlantic Splash Pad shade structures installed (9-25-24) – Ric Hanson photo

Atlantic Public Works Director Kirk Knudsen reported on the condition of the asphalt on the trails around the Schildberg Recreation Area, and the costs for the materials, transported the materials, and other costs associated with laying down. He noted that with the City of Atlantic’s downtown street projects coming up next year, there will be an asphalt plant nearby, which could help to lower the costs of transportation.

Jeff Christensen remarked the Nishna Valley Trails group is hoping for another grant to resurface with asphalt or concrete some of the trails next year, as with years past. The City would be willing to provide the labor for the trail surfacing. Christensen said he would get some numbers together to present to NVT President Dave Chase.

(Sioux City, Iowa) – A crash late Wednesday morning on U-S Highway 75 near Sioux City, resulted in the death of a woman from Plymouth County, and blocked both lanes of traffic for about 4 1/2 hours. The Iowa State Patrol says that a little before 10:30-a.m. a Chrysler Voyager minivan was struck by a 2000 International tractor-trailer near the intersection with County Highway C-70, or about a mile north of Sioux City.

According to the crash report, the minivan’s driver, 64-year-old Joann Martin of Hinton died in the crash that happened when the van was traveling westbound on C-70 and was attempting a turn to go southbound on Highway 75. The patrol says the minivan pulled into the path of a semi going northbound on the highway and was struck by the semi on the driver’s side.

Following the impact, both vehicles crossed the highway’s median and entered the southbound lanes, where the semi overturned and blocked the roadway. Joann Martin died at the scene. The driver of the semi, 53-year-old Scott Mitchell, of Hornick, wasn’t hurt. Southbound traffic was re-routed into Hinton while the crash was being investigated and the scene cleared.

(Radio Iowa) – University of Iowa Health Care is looking for volunteers to take part in a national study of a drug that shows promise in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Del Miller, the U-I’s principal investigator for the study, says they’re looking for people between the ages of 50 and 89 who are just starting to show signs of a problem.

Miller says, “These would be people that have either mild memory impairment or have a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.” U-I-H-C is among nearly 50 sites nationwide taking part in what’s dubbed the BenfoTeam study, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging. The drug is called benfotiamine and Miller hopes it will slow the symptoms or even reverse them.

“If a person decides to be a part of this study,” Miller says, “they would come in for their initial visit, and part of that would be doing some testing of their memory and other brain functions to see if they would meet that criteria.” Volunteering for the study will involve a commitment of more than a year of visits to Iowa City and Miller says it will -not- require a lot of invasive procedures.

“It’s in a duration of 72 weeks,” Miller says, “and so there are visits staggered throughout the study. Early on, it’s more frequently, and the first visit is more of a screening visit to see if the person is appropriate for the study.” For more information and to volunteer, call the study coordinator Karen Smith, at 319-353-5158.

Alzheimer’s is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. In Iowa, more than 62,000 people have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia, and there are nearly 100,000 family members and friends caring for their loved ones with the disease.
https://www.benfoteam.org/

(Des Moines, Iowa)  – The Iowa Insurance Division has issued a cease-and-desist order against William Campbell and All or Nothing LLC, a Clive, Iowa limited liability company doing business as All or Nothing Roofing and Construction.  The order claims that Campbell and his company have acted as an unlicensed public adjuster by soliciting business and offering services that require a public adjuster license in the state of Iowa.  All or Nothing LLC and Mr. Campbell have 30 days to request a hearing on the cease and desist order.

A public adjuster is any person who, for compensation, acts on behalf of an insured, during the investigation, negotiation, or settlement of a first-party claim for loss or damage to real or personal property of the insured. Iowa law requires public adjusters to be licensed.  It is important for property owners to know that if a disagreement with their insurance company arises over the cost and scope of repairs, the homeowner or a licensed public adjuster, not the contractor doing the work, needs to communicate and negotiate with their insurance company.  A contractor may provide information, such as damage reports and repair estimates, to the homeowner and, if asked, to the insurance company, but may not represent or negotiate on behalf of the homeowner.

Many times, contractors solicit business, especially after major storms, by offering services that fall under the definition of public adjusting. If an insured property owner has become involved with a contractor who has made these types of promises or commitments, the Iowa Insurance Division encourages the public to report it by emailing storm-chaser-scams@iid.iowa.gov. Deputy Commissioner Jared Kirby says “Dealing with damage from a storm is stressful for those impacted. Unlicensed storm-chasers may attempt to create expectations on settlement values or scope of repairs that do not align with the language of the insurance policy which can cause delays to claim resolution and added expense to consumers.”

It’s important for Iowans to make certain that any service provider working on storm restoration is a reputable company and provides the consumer with proof of insurance, proof of contractor registration and references to allow the consumer to make an informed decision regarding who will be chosen to perform the repairs.  Iowans with questions or concerns regarding their insurance policy or claim can file a complaint with the Iowa Insurance Division.