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The
Official Newspaper of Manchester and Delaware County, Iowa
Tuesday,
January 17, 2006 | |
Athletic eligibility standards to be tougher next fall
by Brian Cook |
If changes in student eligibility proposed by the State Board of Education go into effect as planned on July 1, it will mean big changes for most school districts, including West Delaware.
The State Board of Education, at the urging of Governor Tom Vilsack, changed the eligibility standards for athletes requiring students to pass all courses and be making adequate progress toward graduation. Currently the State requires that a student-athlete pass four classes to remain eligible and take a minimum of four classes.
West Delaware and all of the WaMaC Conference are on block scheduling and every two terms the student has to pass six of eight classes to remain eligible. On block scheduling, two terms equal one full year.
The proposal directs schools to check grades no less than every four weeks. If the student is not passing every class, they would have four weeks to get the grade back up and become eligible for the next four weeks. Also the students' ability to use summer school or some other means to make up failing grades for eligibility purposes will not be allowed.
Bob Murphy, assistant principal and activities director at West Delaware sees this as a major flaw in the system.
“If I'm a student in the fourth quarter and I fail and there's no summer school and I'm a good softball or baseball player – there's no summer school so I'm ineligible until four weeks into the next fall season,” Murphy explained. “I can't play!”
Murphy said another flaw with the proposed rules is that they don't take into account a person's socioeconomic background or if they are students who have English as a second language.
“There are a lot of kids who struggle because they don't have the skills to be successful because we put this standard on top of them. Because of their socioeconomic background, they may not be able to get a passing grade,” Murphy said. “We've done a good job monitoring our athletes here. I don't know why the state has to come in and take away local control.”
Murphy said West Delaware has had students who were ineligible for an entire quarter because they didn't reach the school's standards of passing out of six of eight subjects every two terms.
“They took things away from local control. Now the State Board of Education is just passing things down,” Murphy added. “If the intent was to try to make the State of Iowa look good to put a standard out there, then we did it for the wrong reasons. If we did it for the kids, then we did it for the right reasons. But I don't think we did it for the right reasons.”
Murphy also questioned why the new rules only applied to athletics instead of all activities.
There was a series of meetings held across the state on Jan. 11 allowing people to give their opinion on the new requirements. There will be another series of meetings on Jan. 26 from 1-3 p.m. in which comments will be taken.
Some of the meeting places closest to Manchester will be at:
NE Iowa Community College, 10250 Sundown Road, Conference Center, Room 2, Peosta; Kirkwood Community College 6301 Kirkwood Boulevard SW, Linn Hall, Room 203 B, Cedar Rapids; Luther College, 700 College Drive, Preus Building, Room 100, Decorah; Hawkeye Community College, 1501 E. Orange Road, Tama Hall, Room 1101 Waterloo.
Written comments can be mailed to Carol Greta at Grimes State Office Building, 2nd Floor, Des Moines, IA 50319-0146. |
Council approves preliminary street plans
by Brian Cook |
The Manchester City Council approved preliminary plans for the 2006 street improvement project, which has an estimated project cost of $551,567.
The project plans and specifications call for improvements on and along East Union Street from North Brewer Street to Anderson Street, including resurfacing of East Union Street. Plus the reconstruction of storm sewer along the resurfaced portions of East Union Street; the reconstruction of sanitary sewer on East Union street from Williams Street to Anderson Street; spot installation of utility service connections; and spot reconstruction of driveway and sidewalks.
The project also includes on Tower Drive from East Union Street north through the existing cul-de-sac, including repair to existing sanitary sewer and water mains, resurfacing and spot curb repair; spot installation of utility service connections; and spot reconstruction of driveways and sidewalks.
The assessable portion of the 2006 Street Improvements Project shall consist of spot curb repair, utility service connections, reconstruction of driveways and sidewalks. The total assessment for 69 properties is figured at $115,236.
The Council was also introduced to a proposed resolution of necessity covering the 2006 Street Improvement Project and approved a motion for a public hearing on the matter on Feb. 13 at 5 p.m.
The Council also approved a resolution adopting the final assessment schedule for the 2005 Street Improvement Project, with Councilman Jeff Ogden voting against its adoption. The 2005 total assessment was $142,577.92.
The Council also approved a contract with T&W Grinding for the compost site. The new contract of $25,000 per year for three years, is $5,000 higher than the original contract signed last year with T&W. The Council was assured that even at the higher price the City of Manchester was still getting more service at a price cheaper than it could do it itself.
The Council had concerns about people who are not citizens of Manchester taking the compost and selling it once it is ground, and if cost savings would be reflected should fuel prices decrease.
The Council also approved a resolution setting the value of the six acres for the new compost site at $18,000.
Director of Parks and Recreation, Ben Page, addressed the Council on two issues on which he is working. First he asked and received $500 in seed money for a proposed park improvement foundation.
Page said that starting a foundation, as he has seen done in other communities, people would be able to make donations to a non-profit foundation for park expenses or equipment purchases. It would also enable him to “go after” more grants available to non-profit foundations.
Page is also partnering with the City of Dyersville to offer a dual pool pass option this season. For an additional $20, on top of the $115 cost of a family pass, families could use facilities in either town.
The additional revenue collected will be split 50-50 between Manchester and Dyersville. The Council approved the plan. |
Supervisors discuss level B county road policy
by Julie Sunne |
County level B road policy was discussed at the Jan. 9 Board of Supervisors' meeting. County Engineer Mark Nahra presented a written policy on rocking level B roads. After some discussion about the wording, this item was tabled to allow the supervisors to read through the policy.
However, after further review the board did make a decision on rocking a portion of 220th Street, a level B road. Leon Goerdt asked for reconsideration of the board's previous decision not to allow him to rock a portion of the road from the 220th Avenue intersection to a building that he owns and rents out; a distance of about a half mile.
The supervisors reversed their decision after they realized that the equipment stored in Goerdt's building was tearing up the road during wet weather. Normally, they only allow rocking of those portions of level B roads that service a residence.
No snow removal and no extra blading are performed on the roads after rocking, and the individual requesting the rock is responsible for the expense.
Nahra also presented a written policy on political signs in right of ways. There have been some problems in the past with candidate signs being tacked to stop signs and placed within the right of way. The board tabled this item as well to have a chance to review the wording.
A resolution was approved to place another stop sign on the recently completed 260th Avenue, which was forgotten in last week's resolution. This sign will be placed on 221st Street, stopping traffic where it enters 260th Avenue.
In financial business, the board approved the transfer of $1,882.39 from the general basic fund to secondary roads and $19,871.14 from rural services to secondary roads. They also approved an interfund loan transfer from the general basic fund to the secondary road fund in the amount of $250,000. This is a no-interest loan that must be paid back prior to the end of the 2005/2006 fiscal year.
The fund transfers and loans are needed due to construction projects that were moved from the 2006/2007 fiscal year to the current fiscal year.
The board also approved a sales order agreement for the purchase of 14 AutoMark handicap-voting systems. The machines are state-certified and there will be some reimbursement on the $77,740 cost.
There will be no Delaware County Board of Supervisor's meeting the week of Jan. 16 due to the observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The next meeting will be Jan. 23. |
65 percent of WD project drawings completed
by
Latisha Sand
|
Roger Worm, an architect from the firm OPN out of Cedar Rapids, told the West Delaware School Board on Monday, Jan. 9 that the firm is 65 percent complete on the drawings for the new high school gymnasium and auditorium.
“The auditorium drawings are in early work,” said Worm. “By the end of January, we hope to be 75 percent complete.” And by February 13, the firm hopes to be 100 percent complete with bids going out to contractors by March 9 and April 4 the date for bid openings.
Worm told the board that the firm has gone through their second run with Alliant Energy and the estimated cost of the geo-thermal heating and cooling system has decreased from the original estimate. Now Worm will be meeting with the city and the DNR to finalize where the geothermal wells can be placed.
If the board goes with vertical wells instead of horizontal, “there will be 200 wells at 150 feet deep on the practice field with another 50 potential wells west of the gym,” said Worm. The wells, which will have a six inch core with the top of the well five to seven feet below the ground's surface, cannot be under parking facilities because the DNR is afraid of oil, gas and other car fluids leaking into the wells. If the board goes with horizontal wells, there could be up to seven miles of piping and Worm feels the school doesn't have the room.
“The board is very committed to doing geo-thermal,” said board President Gary Johnson, who is also concerned with getting the funding and the construction costs matched up. The board and Worm recently had a meeting to discuss possibilities for that to occur because, although Worm is not worried, the first estimates of the cost for the project came back higher than expected.
The West Delaware Booster Club presented concerns as to where the new concession stand at the football field would be located. Out of two possible locations one of them is in a flood way.
The southwest corner of the West Delaware home side bleachers is the first site the booster club would like the stand. However, according to FEMA, the site would restrict water flow.
“We would just like a FEMA person to come out and stand on that spot and say we can't build it there,” said the booster club presenter, “but we can't get a hold of anyone. This is for our fans and I don't want to put it on site B if we could put it on site A.”
Site B is the southwest corner of the field by the admissions gate. This site is still in a flood plain, but not in a flood way. The only problem with site B is that the club would have to ask the city to move boundaries and pedestrian traffic would be congested. If site B is selected the booster club suggested putting in an exit gate on the other side of the stand to reduce the traffic.
Either way, the club is looking at a $100,000 project. The board approved the variance to get the building permit and the club will contact Congressman Jim Nussle to help with FEMA.
The board also heard from Seedorff Masonry about fixing the school buildings. Seedorff has a program set up with various area school districts, including Maquoketa Valley, to fix various masonry problems during the workers' off time. Seedorff would do the work at cost plus five percent. For example, if the board set aside $25,000 for the company to fix the buildings, they would fix what they could for that amount of money.
“If you do all the work now you are looking at a $150,000 project,” said the Seedorff representative, who also said the company does it more of a benefit to keep their employees working.
President Johnson thought this would be a great opportunity, but board members Elwyn Curtis and Mike Ryan want to walk around the buildings with Seedorff. The discussion has been tabled until they can do so.
Mary Kelley and Ben Moser, both West Delaware instructors, updated the board on the Talented and Gifted program (TAG). There are 84 students within the TAG program – 30 elementary, 26 middle school and 28 high school students.
“Since we have more restrictive guidelines the numbers have decreased,” said Kelley. “We should have about five to 10 percent of the student population.”
TAG instructors try to focus on each individual student and one of the program's goals is to “understand that gifted students' needs cannot always be met in the regular classroom and that gifted students benefit from working with intellectual peers.”
The students mainly work within the math and reading curriculum, however, there are students in areas like science and music.
The board was also made aware of the West Delaware Year Book staff placing third in the Class B Iowa High School Press Association's Fall Yearbook Contest and winning 20 individual first, second and third place awards.
Three middle school students will attend the North Central American Choral Directors Association Regional Honor Choir March 1-4 in Omaha, Neb.
Head Start students once again have transportation to and from school. The school stopped the transportation because of new seatbelt regulations, however, the regulations were pushed back until June. The school would have had to equip seven busses with seatbelts.
High School Principal John Nordaas said cameras that were installed in the new ceilings throughout the school have helped solve four incidents so far this year. |
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