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The
Official Newspaper of Manchester and Delaware County, Iowa
Tuesday,
September 19, 2006 | |
Kramer elected to MV school board
by Latisha Sand |
Around 207 Maquoketa Valley voters elected Tom Kramer to the school board on Tuesday, Sept. 12. Kramer beat out incumbent Gene A. Schultz, who received 124 votes.
Less than one percent of registered voters, turned out for the West Delaware School Board election. Elwyn Curtis, who currently serves as Vice-President for the school board, was re-elected with 111 votes and Cheryl Stufflebeam was elected with 96 votes.
Stufflebeam will replace Ilona Durey who has served on the board for over 15 years.
Joan C. Kerns and Steve Schwietert were elected for the Edgewood-Colesburg School Board with 65 and 67 votes respectively.
The Starmont School District re-elected one and elected two people for their school board. Dennis Kleve was elected with 155 votes, Laura Morine was re-elected with 140 votes and Tina Pech was elected with 166 votes.
Incumbent Elizabeth Benesch was re-elected with 128 votes for the North Linn School District.
Maureen McEvoy, with 140 votes, and Debra J. Zumbach, with 142 votes, were also elected to the board. |
Two local barns on foundation tour
by Latisha Sand |
In a fourth of July celebration in 1849, Clement Coffin and his son-in-law Henry Baker, as well as other area residents, erected the first two barns in Delaware County. Since then Baker’s has been torn down but Coffin’s barn is still standing, and now people will be able to see it up close and personal during the Iowa Barn Foundation’s All-State Barn Tour.
The tour, which takes place on Saturday, Sept. 23 and Sunday, Sept. 24 from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., includes two barns in Delaware County – the Coffin barn, which is now owned by Randy and Barb Fiddelke, and the Dighton barn, which is owned by Dave and Marilyn Dighton of rural Coggon.
“We never had any doubt that we were going to maintain it,” said Randy Fiddelke about their barn. “Over the years people have said ‘Why don’t you tear it down and build a new one?’ But there is too much history here.”
Looking around the Fiddelke’s barn, viewers will be able to see the original interior beams, even some that still have the bark on them.
“The beams were hand hewn instead of sawed,” said Randy. And the interior beams still have the wooden pegs holding them together. “The beams are all one long piece,” he added. “It’s at least 50 feet long so you can image how old the trees were back then.” |
LATISHA SAND / Press
Top photo, Randy and Barb Fiddelke, who own the barn built by Clement Coffin in 1849, are part of this fall’s Iowa Barn Tour. The Fiddelke’s still use the barn for hay storage and their 11 horses. Above, the only round barn in Delaware County is owned by Dave and Marilyn Dighton of Coggon. The Dighton’s had the barn restored last year (as shown in photo) and will also be on the Iowa Barn Tour. |
The Fiddelke’s bought the land that contained the barn in 1977 and have used it ever since.
“It’s obviously been re-shingled and some boards have been replaced,” said Randy. They also closed in the feed room and re-installed horse stalls. The Fiddekle’s, who own 11 horses, used to use the barn for their cattle and sheep but now they use it to hitch their horses and store hay.
This is the first year the barn will be on the tour and the Fiddekle’s were asked by the foundation to be a part of the event.
“The barn won the Iowa Barn Foundation Award of Distinction because of it’s age and because it was preserved,” said Barb. “They said it was probably one of the oldest among the state so they wanted it on the tour.”
The previous owners, Henry and Mary Duffy, lived in the original house but since then the house has been torn down. “The barn (and the land) haven’t changed hands often,” said Randy. “And we certainly don’t take it for granted.”
The tour is free and self-guided so people can take as much time as they want to go through the 69 state barns.
The Dighton’s, who were not on the barn tour last year but had their own tour after their major restoring project, had 507 people last year and are looking forward to this tour.
“Everyone is invited,” said Dave Dighton. “We have handicapped parking and the barn is handicapped accessible. We will transport the viewers with horses and trolley.”
Since last year’s remodel of the only round barn in Delaware County, the Dighton’s have updated fences and have finished the little odds and ends associated with construction and restoring projects.
Dighton’s barn was built in 1913 by Dave’s grandfather, Rob Kirkpatrick.
“The barn is a masterpiece,” Dave said last year.
Heffernen Carpentry Contractors, owned by John Heffernen of Manchester, restored the barn and the total cost of restoring was around $40,000, according to Richard Heffernen, the Delaware County representative for the Iowa Barn Foundation. The total cost for construction was just under $2,000.
The Iowa Barn Foundation, which was founded in 1997, is a non-profit corporation and is devoted to restoring and preserving rural buildings in Iowa. If the owner is eligible, the foundation pays for 50 percent of the project with member donations.
“We’ve always been fascinated and interested in old barns and we want people to preserve them,” said Randy, who has been a member of the foundation for about two years. “And the Iowa Barn Tour is a good way for people to keep people aware that there is help out there to help restore them.”
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| Several scholarships and grants available for college bound |
High school juniors and seniors and their parents have a lot of options for paying for college. But it’s sometimes hard to find out about them.
“There are tons of scholarships and grants out there,” said Lori Scovel from Northeast Iowa Community College’s (NICC) Delaware County Center. “It just depends on what you are looking for and how much you want to work.”
The West Delaware High School Guidance Councilors, Tom King and Denise Pesek, said that they have already met with students to discuss applying for colleges and FAFSA information.
“We also have scholarship information in the guidance office and use the school announcements to notify students whenever a new scholarship may become available to us,” said King.
Scovel said that NICC gives out several scholarships and grants and that going to the school of your choice and talking to their financial aid center can help people become aware of other options.
“Saving is a good thing but there are a lot of resources out there,” she said. “I really think that the opportunity is there for anyone who wants to go (to college).”
NICC’s tuition is $123 with tuition and fees per credit hour and Scovel said that people should sit down and figure out their financial situation to see what is right. A lot of people, she said, young and old go part-time.
“If the drive is there, they can do it,” she said.
Kirkwood, the other popular community college in this area, said that there are federal, state, internal and external scholarships.
“You have to apply early to be considered for everything that you may be eligible for,” said Peg Julius, of the Kirkwood Financial Aid office. “As soon after Jan. 1 as possible of the year that your student will start taking classes.”
So if a student is now a senior in high school, parents should help the child fill out the forms after the first of the year.
She said the majority of the students take the two-year program but some do go part-time and that does take longer to complete.
“Kirkwood students can apply for all federal and state aide, using the FAFSA and the Kirkwood Foundation awards nearly $700,000 in scholarships,” said Julius. “In addition to that, there are a variety of outside scholarships that students can apply for. Kirkwood students were awarded $328,000 so far this year.”
For those of the residents who have students in college already or for parents who have younger students, Julius said the sooner you start saving the better.
“It’s important to start setting money aside as soon as possible,” she said. “College costs are going to continue to rise.”
Kirkwood’s tuition goes up about two to four percent each year and Scovel said NICC’s tuition increases are up to the board to determine. For college students and their parents, just visit the college or university’s financial aid office for more options.
But to try and cut down on the confusing lingo and planning, West Delaware will be holding a College Planning Night on Oct. 3 in the middle school cafeteria at 7 p.m. Another one will be held Jan. 8, also at 7 p.m. in the middle school cafeteria.
“We will bring a presenter from the College Planning Center for these informational meetings,” said King. “Both students and parents are invited to attend.”
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