Year in Review: Part 3
By CHAD DRURY – Ottumwa Courier, Iowa (TNS)
As the year 2024 comes to a close, here’s a look back on a year’s of news that appeared in the pages of the Ottumwa Courier. These headlines were curated by Courier staff, and come from reporting by the Courier and our news partners. Part 3 covers the months of July, August and September of 2024.
July
RAGBRAI strolls into Ottumwa, area communities
RAGBRAI LI saw about 18,000 bicycle riders pedal into Ottumwa July 25 as one of the five overnight stops on the the shortest RAGBRAI route in its history.
It was the fifth time Ottumwa has hosted the event, which brought in more than $800,000 in revenue for community. Ottumwa also was a host in 1984, 2000, 2009 and 2016, so it was about due to host the event as RAGBRAI officials chose a southern trek for the ride.
The event also passed through Agency, Eldon and Fairfield on its way to Mount Pleasant. Cyclists entered Ottumwa through Blackhawk Road and into Greater Ottumwa Park. There were over 30 entertainment acts involved in the event, and over 200 volunteers donated their time to various aspects of the event.
“The volunteer network has been a challenge, but nothing out of the ordinary. I will put our volunteer network up against anyone’s around,” said Marc Roe, a member of the executive board, prior to the event. “We tend to be a last-minute community, because people want to make sure they have the free time to do it. We all get stressed out about it, but in the end, everything has played out.”
Wapello, Appanoose counties share engineer
Wapello and Appanoose counties entered into a 28E agreement to share an engineer in the wake of former Wapello County engineer Jeff Skalberg taking the same position in Grundy County.
Brad Skinner, the Appanoose County engineer, and will be paid 60% of this $169,000 salary by Wapello County, as well as $500 per month in administrative duties. Skinner’s main role will be to lead the county’s secondary roads department and recruit someone to take his place when he retires in a couple years.
By state law, counties are required to have an engineer, and the shared route has become more popular as it becomes more difficult to find qualified engineers to serve that role. Many engineers who graduate from colleges go into the private sector because salaries tend to be higher.
City of Ottumwa sets golf cart ordinance in motion
The city of Ottumwa, on a 3-2 vote, approved the first reading of a golf cart ordinance to its code, addressing a need that residents felt was missing when it came to operating alternative vehicles in the city. The first reading signaled passage as two more readings followed.
The ordinance was structured similarly to the City of Pleasant Hill golf cart ordinance. In Ottumwa, golf carts must follow state law when it comes to safety features such as headlights, turn signals and orange triangle signage, and can only operate at 30 mph. They also can’t be operated on arterial highways such as U.S. Highway 34 or Highway 149, but they may cross those highways.
August
James named Iowan of the Day
The body of work of Ottumwa resident Crystal James spoke volumes to the Iowa State Fair Blue Ribbon Foundation as she was selected as one of 10 Iowans of the Day during the fair in Des Moines.
James was a 35-year teacher in the Fairfield and Ottumwa school districts, but has been known for extensive volunteer work over the decades, having worked with the local women’s and children’s shelter, various care centers and local fine arts. She’s also served as a judge for multiple speech contests through the Iowa High School Speech Association.
James was nominated by 90-year-old Beverly Michael, a longtime friend who was selected as an Iowan of the Day in 2023. Being an Iowan of the Day meant James received four admission tickets to the fair, four grandstand concert tickets, use of a golf cart, VIP parking, accommodations at the downtown Des Moines Marriott and $200 cash.
Fahrney Elementary opens its doors
The Ottumwa Community School District opens its most recent elementary Aug. 14, as Fahrney Elementary School greeted families and students on the city’s south side.
The building is an attachment to Douma Elementary, and houses students in grades 3-5. Because of the new elementary, students who start at Douma will not have to leave that campus until sixth grade.
The 55,000-square foot addition could take in about 350 students, and was the latest push by the school district to create a neighborhood school feel on the south side, similar to what it experiences with the north side elementaries.
IHCC completes Ottumwa, Centerville improvement projects
Indian Hills Community College completed the third project of a 2021 bond referendum to improve its campuses, as it opened the new Center for Fine Arts and Welcome Center on its Ottumwa campus.
The Center for Fine Arts added 4,225 square feet of new construction and over 9,600 feet of renovation as part of the St. John Auditorium. The new facility made needed upgrades in sound and technology to address issues for the choir and band. Dressing rooms and new showers also were part of the project.
The welcome center creates a one-stop-shop for students coming to campus and is easy to find at the west end of campus.
The Irma Winslow Education Center in Centerville was perhaps the most transformational in the bond referendum. It replaced various buildings that were over 50 years old to create one academic center for students on that campus.
Busing, cell phone changes at OCSD
The Ottumwa Community School District imposed two new major changes to start the school year at the end of August, as it instituted a cell phone ban district-wide for students, as well as impactful changes to the busing system which created chaos in its rollout.
The cell phone ban was imposed to try to reduce bullying from social media while also creating a better learning environment for students. District officials later touted the system was working even though it was a bit difficult early on, especially for high school students.
The bus system created some upheaval as the district reduced the number of bus routes while also issuing guidelines for which students could and could not be picked up or taken to school, and those who had to walk to school. Parents were frustrated by the rollout, which saw late buses, and traffic problems, specifically at Douma Elementary School.
September
New apartment complex is approved despite resident concerns
A city rezoning on North Elm Street drew plenty of concerns from residents in that area for many reasons, the biggest of which is that the rezoning was necessary to develop a nine-apartment complex for the homeless.
Throughout the three-reading process that stretched into September to rezone the property, which was used as a family crisis center, residents raised issues that also included the lack of proper notice that the property was going to be rezone. Their complaints forced the city to alter the way it issued proper notices when rezoning properties, increasing the radius rate from 200 feet to 500 feet for notification, as well as using larger signage.
The city will be working with Central Iowa Shelter and Services to create nine multi-family apartment units. None of them are meant to be permanent housing for the homeless, as CISS will work with residents to get them back on their feet.
Reid, local option tax, prevail in special election
Resident Dan Reid defeated Cyan Bossou in a special election to fill a vacancy on the Ottumwa City Council, while voters also approved the redistribution of the local option sales and service tax that will last until Dec. 31, 2035.
Reid, who was new to politics, defeated Bossou by 107 votes in a low-turnout election to fill the seat vacated by Sandra Pope, who resigned late in 2023. Bossou was appointed to the seat shortly after.
Reid will now hold the seat until November 2025, when it will come up for a full term.
The local option sales and service tax passed overwhelmingly in Ottumwa, as well as Wapello County.
Barr sentenced to prison
Former Evans Middle School sixth-grade teacher Zachary Barr was sentenced to two concurrent five-year prison sentences after pleading guilty to charges of enticing a minor under 16 years of age, as well as sexual exploitation by a school employee.
The resolution in the case came six years and three months after the case began in June 2018, when Barr was arrested.
Police took over the conversation, posing as the daughter, where Barr solicited “semi-nude and nude photographs of the victim while having sexual conduct related conversations with the victim,” according to documents filed in court by investigators. Investigators said Barr also sent nude photos of himself to the girl, who was 13 at the time.
Three other charges were dismissed as part of the plea agreement, though Barr could have faced 22 years in prison if charged on all counts. Upon release, he will be subject to a lifetime of parole-like supervision and have to register as a sex offender.
Des Moines family charged with felonies for forcing teens to pose with nooses
Jerry Paul Nelson, Danise Helyne Nelson and Jennifer Jean Nelson, all of Des Moines, were charged with three felonies and five misdemeanors after forcing a pair of teens to pose with nooses in a mock hanging at Lake Wapello State Park in northeast Davis County.
According to court documents, the teens were 16 or 17 years old, and one of them had Asperger’s Syndrome and “stated he wasn’t comfortable doing the act but did so to keep the peace.”
Filings said the two teens were instructed to bring a chair outside from a cabin at the park, place it beneath a tied noose and then pose for photos with the noose around their necks.
Jefferson County attorney defends Brady-Giglio decision
Jefferson County Attorney Chauncey Moulding placed sheriff Bart Richmond on the Brady-Giglio list, which identifies officers whose credibility is in doubt.
According to a motion written by Moulding defending his decision, he said “this was due to actions taken by [Richmond] to conceal or withhold legally relevant information from [the Jefferson County Attorney’s Office] related to an internal investigation, which placed [Richmond’s] judgment, credibility, and truthfulness in doubt.”
Moulding placed Richmond on the list in June, and prosecutors are required to disclose information relating to the credibility of state witnesses during criminal trials. Richmond’s inclusion on the list means that if he were to testify as a state witness, Moulding would be obligated to provide the defense with impeachment information.
Centerville residents sue city over DNR surcharge, water use overbilling
Residents in Centerville sued the city over allegedly imposing an illegal tax on sewer bills, and that the tax is being applied in a discriminatory manner.
The suit stems from a months-long controversy over a line item on city wastewater bills labeled “DNR Surcharge.” The city has said the surcharge helps fund improvements mandated by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
The last imposed surcharge was in 2009, and was modified in 2013.
(c)2024 the Ottumwa Courier (Ottumwa, Iowa)
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