Council Discusses Main Street Tear-Downs

FOUR BUILDINGS AT MAIN & 11TH WOULD COME DOWN

City Attorney David Morain outlined a plan of action for the Grand Junction City Council to remove four buildings on Main Street at the Monday, Aug. 8, council meeting.

Morain noted that of the four properties on the south side of Main at 11th Street, “some are more run down than others but all are eyesores.” The council has discussed using the site of the four buildings as a new community center, and Morain noted that clearing out the buildings “will be a heck of a project. You will run into a lot of headaches. The four lots each have possible background issues—mortgages, problems with creditors, or a judgment lien on a property.”

Morain has been in contact with Area XII Council of Governments (COG) for assistance on the project. Further, he has directly communicated with the owners of the properties—Keith Light, Wayne Tomlinson, Kim Rueter and Duane Delp.

Morain said Rueter had earlier indicated the cost of his building would be $10,000, but since then “he is ready to play ball. All he wants out of the building is the safe.”

The Delp building—the fourth one from the intersection of 11th Street and Main—is presently used by Donna Delp as the Hair Junction salon. Council member Pat Fagen and Linda Hoffman noted they have been in discussion with Donna Delp about moving her business to the Dustin Fouch building at the northeast corner of Main and 13th Streets, next door to the post office.
Morain said the Delp building “is not perfect. It has structural issues, but we do have permission to go in and inspect it. If it is an unsafe building, that might hasten their degree of agreeability.”

Mayor Jerry Herrick said he approached the Greene County Board of Supervisors for possible help for tear-downs, but no funds are available. But Herrick has also been in discussion with officials of LDC Grand Junction ethanol plant for funds to support the rehabilitation of Main Street.

Herrick has been exploring the creation and availability of the “Dreyfus funds,” which he said were created when the LDC Grand Junction plant was built in relation to tax abatement granted Louis Dreyfus Commodities. He said it has been difficult to determine who controls the funds and how they are dispersed, adding that no funds have even been distributed to Junction Township or the East Greene Community School District. He has been communicating with the Greene County Board of Supervisors about the funds since they are under the county’s jurisdiction as the LDC Grand Junction plant is in rural Greene County, but it is less than one mile from the city’s northern border.

City Clerk Rita Jenkins noted that the Greene County Foundation, which supports a wide range of projects throughout the county, does not distribute any funds for “tear downs” but only for building projects.
Morain also addressed the asbestos issue involving a tear-down, pointing out that the inspection process can be as much as $500 per building and there are samples taken based on the number of rooms, which are $10 each. So, for example, 30 samples could cost an additional $300.

Morain also roughly outlined the process for inspection, remediation and posting a demolition notice, and added a remark “about jumping through hoops from beginning to end.”

Earlier in the meeting, Ken Paxton, executive director, Greene County Chamber Commerce, discussed with the council the town’s rehabilitation efforts. In addition to the county supervisors, Herrick has been in discussion with chamber officials about helping moving the town forward. Following up on those discussions, Paxton noted that Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge has a “deconstruction class” that is geared toward teaching students how to properly tear down buildings. He said these students could help Grand Junction accomplish its goals. He urged Herrick to put a plan together addressing to present to ICCC officials regarding the town’s tear-down efforts.

Council agreed to move forward with the tear-down project. “We are not doing our job as city leaders if we don’t do something,” said Herrick.

“We have to move forward,” said Fagen. “It is hazardous, it’s dangerous. We need to find what revenue streams will lessen the burden.”

The first step is to inspect the properties, but it was agreed to not instruct the city’s usual inspector, Wayne Emmett of Grand Junction, to inspect but to use an inspector who lives outside of town. Morain said he would contact the city inspector in Jefferson.

Herrick has also been discussing with the council access to funds that were created when the LDC Grand Junction plant opened. These “Dreyfus funds,” he said, were

RESIDENTIAL TEAR-DOWN PROGRESS

Morain also updated the council on progress in tearing down the dilapidated barn and house at the corner of Fifth Street and West Hager Street. The property is known as the “Grundon property” and would have been initially platted on the western one-half of Block 14 of the corner of Fifth Street and M Street in West Grand Junction. M Street was later changed to Hager Street.

The property has been slated as a tear-down for awhile, but Morain noted there has been a slight glitch in communicating to the property owners of record. Apparently, the information about the property at the county auditor’s office and the county assessor’s office does not match up. One piece of information indicates the property went from Grant Grundon, after his death, to his son and two daughters. The share that went to his son, Gerald Grundon, who is deceased, then passed on to Gerald’s widow, Betty Grundon. However, said Morain, there is no information about the sisters of Gerald Grundon (Grant Grundon’s daughters), and if they are also deceased, and if so, who is the executor of each of their estates.

That hurdle could be overcome, Morain explained, by using a little known state statute, 675A.10A where “the city can take title to properties that are unstable or unsafe.” The next steps would be to publish the information as per the statute as a legal proceeding in the local newspaper and do some title searching to determine if there are any mortgages or liens on the property.

“Scranton looked at using this statute but they didn’t and now they wish they had,” said Morain. The property fell into the hands of an out-of-town owner who has made no effort to improve it.

DRAINAGE PROGRESS ON SANDOE STREET

Greene County Engineer Wade Weiss met with the council regarding a drainage problem on land owned by the Union Pacific Rail Road at Sandoe Street and North 17th Street.

At issue, is the need for new drainage tile that runs under the railroad and the adjacent right of way. The water is not draining properly and remains standing. “Springtime is the biggest problem,” said Councilmember Barb Walker. “The water stays there a long time.”

Weiss noted that a town municipality is not in his jurisdiction, But Weiss did offer to help move the process along and to share any pertinent information that the county engineer’s office has to help the city improve the drainage.

He and the council discussed hiring Mer Engineering to look at the problem and determine what type and size of tile is needed.

Weiss was not aware that the railroad owned the property where the drainage problem occurs. “They came through years ago and bought all the land [small parcels north of the tracks] up,” Herrick explained.

The council is looking at how to fund the improved drainage. The Union Pacific wants to close one of the railroad crossings in town and if they do that, the town would be compensated financially. Herrick said the funds coming from the railroad could offset the costs of drainage repair.

The city is looking at closing either 13th Street or 19th Street. If the 19th Street crossing is closed, that would be a setback for residents there, noted Councilmember Pierre Kellogg, but they would gain by having the nearby drainage problem alleviated.

“We need to do it,” said Kellogg. “Whatever it takes, even it means closing the crossing.”

“We’ll catch some flack,” said Herrick. “There will be some complaining.”

Later in the meeting, Terry Hoefle, chief of Grand Junction Fire Rescue, expressed concern about closing off 19th Street as an access route to that part of town if there is a fire or rescue call. Council members also noted that 19th Street serves as a route for area farmers to move machinery.

In other business, the council:

*Discussed with Morain the current city ordinance against pit bulls. Three families currently have pit bulls and are in violation of the ordinance. The city took one family to court but the judgment went against the city, said Jenkins. She pointed out that some people try to say they don’t have pit bulls but have some other breed, but it’s really a pit bull. “The American bulldog is a pit bull.” She suggested rewriting the ordinance “so we have the exact wording.”

*Approved a Class E liquor license for Casey’s, 504 Sixteenth Street North. The Class E license will allow Casey’s to sell “hard liquor” in addition to its current beer and wine sales. Council approved 3-0 with Kellogg, Walker and Linda Herrick voting yes; Walker abstaining; and Councilmember Dave Kersey was absent.

*Herrick updated the council about the progress of the problem at the South Pumping Station on Sunset Drive. Earlier this summer, an increased level of discharge from the sewer system had put the town in violation with the Department of Natural Resources. Herrick said a camera placed down in there had determined that there is a leak, but the leak is actually in the county drainage tile which caused damage to the city tile. So that created the leak and the county is responsible.
Herrick said normally, the flow from the water tower and wells is between 79K and 115K a day but due to the problem at the South Pumping Station the city is pumping 1 million gallons of water a day—10 times as much.

*Hoefle’s fire and rescue department report noted that there was a trailer house fire in the previous month.

Kennedys Named GJ ‘Yard of the Month’

FIRST YARD HONORED IN MONTHLY SHOWCASE

The yard of Jerry and Janice Kennedy at Elizabeth and 15th Streets was selected as the July “Yard of the Month” by the Grand Junction Horizons Club.

Yard of the Month is selected from a list of semifinalists each month that meet the criteria for the honor—proportionality and balance among ornamentals, shrubs, flowers and trees; perspective from various angles and frontage streets; not overly done or too “busy” looking; general upkeep and ongoing improvement; and overall aesthetic.

“We want to thank the Naked Ladies Garden Club of Grand Junction for suggesting and supporting the Yard of the Month idea and to the Jefferson Garden Club for serving as our monthly judges,” says a Grand Junction Horizons spokesperson.

“The Kennedy’s yard truly embraces the concepts of aesthetic and perspective in creating and maintaining what clearly qualifies as great looking lawn,” said the spokesperson. “It is a beautiful yard on its own, but when viewed in context of the open spaces to the south across Elizabeth Street and the sloping landscape and tree lines of Mt. Calvary Cemetery to the east, and to the adjacent yards and homes, it helps to make for a really top-notch neighborhood.”

To nominate a yard in Grand Junction for Yard of the Month, contact any Grand Junction Horizons member or send an email to eyeongj@gmail.com with “GJ Yard of the Month” in the message line.

Cooklin, Gannon Earn Diamond ‘High Honors’

EG PITCHER NAMED ALL-STATE SECOND TEAM

Graduated seniors Tyler Cooklin and Katlynn Gannon closed out the summer baseball and softball seasons for East Greene by earning all-state recognition. Cooklin joined an elite group of baseball athletes by being named to the Class 1A All-State Second Team by the Iowa Newspaper Association.

Gannon, a catcher and senior leader on a young East Greene softball squad that saw great improvement throughout the season, was named All State Honorable Mention by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union.

Cooklin, an outfielder and pitcher, helped lead the Hawks to their third straight 1A District baseball title and a berth in the substate game at Marshalltown, where they came up two runs short of advancing to the state tournament. Unheralded English Valleys (North English) beat the Hawks 6-4 and advanced to the tourney at Principal Park where they gave heavily favored Martensdale-St. Mary’s a run for its money, falling 2-1 in the opening round. MSt.M continued on with its nation’s longest unbeaten streak—set and broke during the district and substate rounds—to win its second straight 1A tourney with a 5-4 win over Kee (Lansing) in the championship game.

The Hawks struggled early in the season, dropping a number of conference games they were expected to handle, and finished in sixth place among eight teams in the Rolling Hills Conference with a 5-9 mark. However, they were just behind Orient-Macksburg and Glidden-Ralston at 6-8, so a win in their season finale over co-champion Iowa Christian (a shared program with Ankeny Christian) would have put them in tie for fourth-place and technically an “upper division” finish in their inaugural season in the Rolling Hills. Alas, Iowa Christian got the upper hand and won 8-4 to tie Elk Horn-Kimballton/Exira (another shared program) for the Rolling Hills title with a 12-2 mark.

As it was, the Hawks put together a four-game winning season and won four of five games heading into district tourney action. The Hawks had the home field advantage, hosting the first round games and a semifinal matchup at Walt Anderson Field in Rippey, which moved them on to State Center where they upset state-ranked Northern University (Cedar Falls) to win the district title, 6-4.

And the Rolling Hills proved to be a group of formidable opponents. Orient-Macksburg, Walnut and East Greene all won district titles and advanced to substate, with O-M downing Nishnabotna, 13-3, to make it on to state. Nishnabotna was a qualifier in last year’s state tournament. Walnut fell to state-ranked Coon Rapids-Bayard, 2-0, which ended years of frustration in post-season setbacks, to return to the state tournament for the first time since 2007. It was the Crusaders’ fourth state tournament appearance. CRB won its first round game at state and almost upended MSt.M in the semifinals, falling by just one run, 5-4.

The Hawkettes ended their season on a high note with a two-game winning streak, a come-from-behind win 6-5 over O-M that ended on a sharp “heads up” double-play between Gannon and first baseman Jolee Wessling, and a drubbing of rival Glidden-Ralston, 14-2 in 3 innings.

EG hosted a first-round regional softball game at Dutton Field in Grand Junction against Ar-We-Va “under the lights” and put forth a good effort, falling 11-9, to end the season at 4-13.

Gannon was named second team all-conference in the Rolling Hills and freshman outfielder Chelsi Wilkens was named all-conference honorable mention. Gannon was also named to the Class 1A All-District Team for the Central District by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union. Twenty players are honored in each of six geographic districts by the IGHSAU in Class 1A: Central, West Central, North Central, Northeast, South and Southeast.

The Hawks reaped a number of post-season honors. Rolling Hills All-Conference recognition went to: Cooklin, senior, first team, outfielder; Wes Onken, senior, first team, first baseman; Aaron Lyons, senior, second team, outfielder; and Reed Ostrander, honorable mention.

Three of the Hawk seniors were also named to the all-district team. Similar to the IGHSAU, the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association names all-district teams, honoring 15 players on the first team and 15 on the second team for five geographic districts: Northeast, Northwest, Central, Southeast and Southwest.

Cooklin and Onken were both named first-team Central All-District and Lyons was named to the second team. Cooklin was named as an outfielder. He batted .478 for the season. Onken was named to a utility position, which honors his performance as both a pitcher and first baseman. He batted .380 and was 4-4 on the mound. Cooklin was 5-4 as a pitcher. Down the tournament trail, he was the winning pitcher against Colo-Nesco in the first round at Rippey and in the upset of Northern University in the district championship. Onken got the win in the semifinal round victory over Madrid at Rippey and Cooklin took the loss against English Valleys.

Lyons was named to the second all-district team as an outfielder and was known for his clutch plays from centerfield in key games. His batting average for the season was .373.

Onken will be heading to Coe College in Cedar Rapids this fall where he will be a member of the KoHawks baseball team. Coe finished the 2011 season ranked No. 27 among all NCAA Division III baseball teams this season.

EYE ON GJ SAYS: Hats off the all the Hawks and Hawkettes for great seasons. Along with Gannon, senior Jasmine Kinney was a steady force at shortstop for the Hawkettes along with seniors Tia Lowe, who played the first part of the season, and Molly Neese, who played third base for the latter two-thirds of the season. Great job, seniors, and thanks for all your efforts wearing on behalf of East Greene in softball, track, volleyball, basketball and cheerleading.

EG bids farewell to Cooklin, Lyons, Onken and fellow seniors Zach Dearborn (pitcher and shortstop) and Rob Ritchie, a key reserve on the baseball team. They have been part of a remarkable run in EG Hawk athletic success along with seniors Schyler Bardole in football, track and basketball; Bret Kersey in football and wrestling (as part of the JS/PC/EG shared team); and Nic Nicolaisen in football and basketball that saw the Hawks finish third among eight teams in District 7 8-man football and qualify for the state playoffs; finish as runner-up in the Rolling Hills to state tourney qualifier Elk Horn-Kimballton/Exira in the basketball with a 15-3 conference record and 18-5 overall; score points at the state track meet for the first time in many years; and win a third straight district baseball title and a trip to the substate. These senior baseball players played key roles on the EG state tournament team of 2009, when they were sophomores. EG’s track points this year were earned by Ostrander, but Dearborn, Bardole and Lyons were standout sprinters for the Hawks and were part of the successful 4 x 100 and 4 x 200 relay titles for EG the last several track seasons.