Fejervary Task Force
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❑ Folios ❑ Bylines ❑ Jumps ❑ Cutlines ❑ Headlines ❑ Refers ❑ Endlines Initials Alsene apartments Taking on big park INSIDE HOME RI man to receive award for his INSIDE Challenger Little League players take & GARDEN restoration of building — Page D1 Q-C AREA field at Modern Woodmen — Page C1 INSIDE SPORTS Weather/ A10 Big Brown delivers in stretch, wins HIGH 64 LOW 42 Preakness — Page B1 COPYRIGHT 2008 / QUAD-CITY TIMES SUNDAY,MAY 18, 2008 / $2.00 Fejervary task force: Remove animal collection Davenport would contract out petting zoo, develop an interactive eco park By Tory Brecht QUAD-CITY TIMES The permanent animal col- lection at Fejervary Zoo in Dav- enport would be discontinued in favor of a contracted-out pet- ting zoo under a recommenda- tion reached by a zoo task force. Kevin E. Schmidt/QUAD-CITY TIMES Use of Fejervary Park Davenport North High School physical science instructor Michelle Owens goes through an assignment with instead would focus on envi- sophomore Trevor Sawyer on Wednesday. Champain Nimmers works on the assignment in the foreground. ronmental education, ecology and other activities that would complement the Putnam Museum, task force members TASK FORCE said. RECOMMENDATIONS “We want it to be an interac- ■ Contract for petting zoo and tive, educational opportunity,” other animals; end city’s own- Diversity said 3rd Ward Alderman Bill ership of animals. ■ Boom, who served on the task Pursue Americans with Dis- abilities Act compliance, force. “I just think pulling all including restrooms that will these elements together will serve the entire park and make Fejervary more of a des- future park development. tination, and that’s what we’re ■ Develop plans for an eco- dilemma looking for.” centered, animal-themed, The task force will present educational-focused facility in cooperation with Putnam New Davenport schools plan may its report to the City Council Museum to create a destina- at Wednesday’s Committee-of- tion on the “hill.” the-Whole meeting at 5:30 p.m. ■ Begin the transition immedi- have unintended consequences at City Hall. Final action on the ately by contracting with area zoo’s future will have to be petting zoo; commence envi- By Sheena Dooley | QUAD-CITY TIMES approved by the entire council. ronmental programming in June; initiate search for homes Elizabeth Blade didn’t lose sleep During budget meetings ear- for the current animal collec- over her decision to pull her third- MORE INSIDE lier this year, the City Council tion by the end of the season. struggled with what to do ■ Meet with the city’s design grade daughter out of Davenport ■ Davenport’s desegregation plan about a zoo that has seen an staff and form development schools. didn’t come easily. Page A4 plans. She saw educational opportuni- increase in animal mortality, ■ What did the Supreme Court rising operational costs and ties dwindle during her daughter’s ruling mean for other Q-C school MORE INSIDE three years at Truman Elementary. aging infrastructure. districts in Iowa and Illinois? Page A4 See a list of the animals that The school was too large for her lik- Tom Stalf, director of Niabi ■ See the factors that four other Zoo in Coal Valley,Ill., served on would be relocated if the plan ing, with class sizes hovering is approved. Page A2 Iowa districts used in developing the task force as an animal con- around 25 students. their diversity plans. Page A4 After shopping around, she found sultant. He recommended that MORE ONLINE ■ Charts and graphs on Davenport’s the Bettendorf School District to be the city contract out animals See the desegregation numbers and growth from the highly respected Miller a better fit. The family transferred in racial disparities. Page A4 complete report out of Truman last year — and into Petting Zoo near Geneseo, Ill. on documents at Bettendorf ’s Grant Wood Elementary. The animals owned by the Millers qctimes.com/ multimedia. “The things she was expected to to get it right the first time, but there are hand-raised and subject know at the beginning of the school is no guarantee.” ZOO | A2 year,students who had attended Bet- When the district first tied open tendorf were already exposed to, but enrollment to its more than 30-year- she was not,” Blade said. “I attribute old desegregation plan in 2003, that to the Davenport schools.” school board members said it would Blade’s daughter was one of the keep schools from resegregating. Major area rivers 31 students last school year allowed Then last June, the U.S. Supreme to leave Davenport under its deseg- Court ruled that plans using race as regation plan. Aimed at curbing the determining factor in deciding below flood stage “white flight,” the plan used a for- where students go to school were mula that looked solely at a student’s invalid. However, its decision did race to determine who was allowed not prevent schools from using race By Thomas Geyer MORE to leave the district. Racial integra- entirely. QUAD-CITY TIMES ONLINE tion, district leaders said, better pre- In response, Davenport scrapped The Mississippi River fell Keep track of pared all students for success. its formula. below its 15-foot flood stage in Most often, the formula favored current river A split school board voted in Feb- the Quad-Cities Saturday after- levels at open enrollment requests from ruary to replace its desegregation noon, after nearly a month of qctimes.com/ minority students, such as Blade’s plan with the new formula that flooding, the National Weather special/ daughter. river_levels. decided where students attend Service, Davenport, reported. However,a new formula approved school based on their academic per- At 5:30 p.m. the Mississippi by the district this year could formance and family income. The River at Lock and Dam 15, MORE INSIDE change that, if open enrollment district expected it to continue to Rock Island, stood at 14.9 feet, Quad-City area farmers contend requests remain consistent with the limit the number of white students said meteorologist Dan Ferry. with soggy fields and a late spring past five years. According to a study leaving Davenport, Almanza said. The Mississippi River at as they try to plant corn. Page A11 by the Quad-City Times, the new for- But the district developed the new Rock Island had risen above mula, which replaced race with stu- “diversity plan” — limiting parents’ dent achievement and family flood stage April 18 and crested Park remained closed because ability to send their children to income as determining factors, will at 19.24 feet on April 29, the of floodwaters. Also, floodwa- another district — and the board make it harder for minority stu- eighth highest ever recorded ters remained over South Con- agreed to it without knowing its pos- dents and easier for white students in the Quad-Cities. cord Street on Enchanted to leave Davenport schools. sible impact, some board members It fell below flood stage May Island. Parts of Davenport’s “(This plan) is a whole new feel and district officials said. 11 before rising again back bike path along the river also for all of us,” said Julio Almanza, “My discomfort isn’t in respect to above flood stage due to rain- continued to be affected by Davenport superintendent. “We try DILEMMA | A2 fall. high water. The Rock River at Moline Showers are in the forecast fell below its 12-foot flood stage for today and Monday, Ferry Thursday and stood at 11.2 feet MORE ONLINE said, but more significant at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Ferry DOCUMENTS: Read diversity plans for Davenport, West Liberty, Des rains may be hitting the area said. Moines, Postville and Waterloo school districts. Also, read a copy of mid-week. Iowa’s open enrollment law at qctimes.com/multimedia. The Wapsipinicon at DeWitt stood at 10.1 feet, and had gone Sunday’s forecast calls for INTERACTIVE MAP: Take a look at the race breakdown of each school in QUAD-CITY TIMES below its 11 foot flood stage mostly sunny skies today, he the Davenport School District at qctimes.com/maps/minority. Friday morning. said. “It’ll be a little on the cool In Davenport, Credit Island RIVERS | A3 ArtsTravel . .H1 Local News .C1 Opinion . .A16 152nd No. Business . .A11 Lottery . .A2 Record . .C2 COMING Congressmen, their opponents release Year 217 Classified . .E1 Nation . .A5 Sports . .B1 HomeGarden D1 Obituaries . .C6 Wundram . .A2 MONDAY personal holdings — Local news.