Hampton Chronicle Grundy Register Graphic-Advocate Eagle Eagle Grove Dows Advocate Times CWL TheConservative Chronicle Clarksville Star Grundy Journal Tribune County Butler Buffalo Tribune Center UPC CODES MID-AMERICA Register Thursday, December 17, 2015 Serving Grundy County since 1928 Grundy Center, Iowa Volume Paper What Cheer 91 - Number Vine Village 51The Leader Sigourney News-Review Sheffield Press Enterprise Pioneer www.TheGrundyRegister.com Sun New Sharon Liberal Opinion Week Keota Eagle $1 Newsstand Price BCLUW elementary and Conrad council high schoolers team up approves Urban for Hour of Code week Renewal By ROB MAHARRY school teacher Karen Hammers, Amendment The Grundy Register both groups have something to learn CONRAD- As part of “Hour from each other. Money to be put toward of Code Week” at school districts “The high schoolers really new fire station across the nation, BCLUW enjoy coming over. They realize By ROB MAHARRY elementary and high school students that they’re more of the leaders The Grundy Register teamed up to practice their coding in the social aspect of it because CONRAD- At its regular skills and apply them in a fun, they’re older, and so those fourth meeting on Thursday night, the practical way last Friday afternoon graders really look up to them,” Conrad city council approved an at the elementary school. she said. “(But) the fourth graders Urban Renewal Amendment that “The goal is just to kind of almost know more about the coding will increase the amount of Tax- encourage schools to encourage aspect of it, so it’s kind of a fun Increment Financing (TIF) for their students in providing relationship because it’s interesting the new fire station project from learning opportunities to help them for the high schoolers to see what $500,000 to $1,000,000 after a brief understand the basics of computer they already know.” Senior Derrick Franzen talks to classmates about Bernie Sanders during last Wednesday’s mock caucus at public hearing. coding through either the Hour Parker added that students Dike-New Hartford HighSchool (John Jensen/The Grundy Register photo) The hearing opened at 7:02 p.m., of Code website or coding apps,” are now beginning to learn about and no members of the public were elementary principal Mitch Parker coding as early as preschool, and he present to comment. Mayor Jeff said. hopes that BCLUW will be a leader Martin and City Clerk Denise Hoy Elementary students in third in preparing its students for a new Dike-New Hartford students get briefly discussed some concerns and fourth grade primarily worked generation of careers in Science, that Grundy County Supervisor Jim on the Scratch app with help from Technology, Engineering and Math Ross had over using TIF on a non- high school juniors and seniors. (STEM) fields. jump start on caucus season taxing entity, but Hoy wrote a letter The application allows students “It’s a fun way to learn about By JOHN JENSEN back and added that the issues had to play as popular characters from opportunities in technology while The Grundy Register Dike-New Hartford Mock Caucus Results been addressed. The hearing was movies and games like “Frozen,” having fun, and our kids really DIKE — When it comes to Republicans closed at 7:03 p.m., and a motion to selecting a president, Iowans are Minecraft, “Star Wars” and Flappy look up to the high school kids and Ben Carson, 107 votes (59 percent) approve the amendment passed by a Bird, among others, and put the middle school kids,” Parker No. 1 … literally … with our first- 5-0 vote. Rand Paul, 41 votes (22 percent) commands into a computer that let said. “It’s a fun way to connect on in-the-nation caucuses. Long before City engineer Lee Gallentine their characters perform various something that they may have in the voices of Iowa voters are heard, Donald Trump, 18 votes (10 percent) reported that almost all of the work actions. The high schoolers are common, which is an understanding however, students at Dike-New Chris Christie, 14 votes (8 percent) at the Smith Development has now there to help, but according to high of technology.” Hartford High School had their own Marco Rubio, 3 votes (2 percent) been completed, and putting sealant say during the school’s mock caucus. Democrats on an intake is the only substantial The mock caucus was the Bernie Sanders 100 percent* punch list item still not finished. He brainchild of D-NH social studies * — Only candidate with enough support to be viable added that while the actual labor and government teacher Daimien cost of the remaining work is only Bennett, who sought to show about $100, the city still needs to students throughout the school about elected office. “The personality draws some collect sales tax statements and the process that Iowa uses to pick “That opens up the door for all of the students in just like it draws lien waivers from S.L. Baumeier its delegates while also giving them these people who we never would in some of the adults that may not Co., the primary contractor on the a chance to learn a little about the have guessed would potentially otherwise participate,” he said. project. candidates running for a spot as the be running and how do we get to “We’ve got some serious issues “It’s mainly a paperwork issue eventual nominee from both the know them? How do we know to that have to be addressed as far as now,” Gallentine said. Republican and Democratic parties. be informed when we go out to that the cost of college, national debt, The council discussed the Bennett said D-NH last held a caucus?” safety — those kinds of things are ongoing and evolving plans for the mock caucus eight years ago, the last Bennett talked about the wide big issues and our kids made it new fire station and unanimously time that there was no incumbent variety of candidates this year and very clear that they want answers BCLUW high school and elementary students work together on coding approved a motion to enter into a running for reelection. He said this how their varying personalities have to them. They know that much — exercises as part of the national “Hour of Code” week. (Rob Maharry/ contract with the I+S Group of Des year’s race is particularly interesting made the election interesting to even now they want to know what these The Grundy Register photo) Moines for architectural services because Vice-President Joe Biden some who might not have followed at a fee of seven percent of the chose not to run for the nation’s top politics in the past. See CAUCUS page 3 total project. An initial payment of $2,700 to I+S Group was also Supervisors discuss Social Services’ approved for its services thus far. For future decisions involving less than $5,000 on the fire station, the contribution to new annex building building committee will be allowed By JOHN JENSEN Supervisors agreed that CSS’ com- Grundy Center eighth-graders to authorize spending without The Grundy Register mitment to provide $200,000 toward consulting the full council. GRUNDY CENTER — The Grun- the construction was adequate. Fundraising for the project dy County Board of Supervisors Mon- “We’re going to build it anyway,” join coloring book craze took up a substantial portion of day discussed County Social Services’ Supervisor Jim Ross said. the meeting, and it was eventually contribution to the new county annex “I was never under the assumption By JOHN JENSEN decided that the fire department building that will be built as soon as that you (CSS) would pay total cost The Grundy Register and BCERTS would aim to raise next year. (of the area they will use),” Supervi- GRUNDY CENTER — Think approximately 30 percent of the Todd Rickert, Grundy County’s sor Chuck Bakker said. back to kindergarten. It was an total cost of the project (which is CPC administrator, spoke to the su- Supervisors briefly discussed innocent time when we were just estimated to be between $800,000 pervisors about concerns about costs whether the building they have learning to read and often had a and $1,000,000). that County Social Services may be planned is more space than the Coun- time to … … color. The city has already received asked to pay. Rickert said the building ty needs, though Ross reminded his That innocence has come full funding from the Alexander provides great space for social ser- fellow supervisors that it is better to circle to a degree with a recent Trust Grant, and Hoy noted that vices, though after seeing initial cost build a facility larger than they need resurgence in the popularity of the Grundy County Foundation estimates he wondered if the amount now with room for additional services coloring. And Grundy Center Grant application deadline is fast CSS had agreed to fund would be than to build a facility that is too small. eighth-graders are joining in the approaching. Councilmen Todd enough. “I don’t have a problem building fun. Students recently completed Schnathorst and Brad Murty added “The budget is $200,000. Is that what we have planned now,” he said. a unit in Ronda Sternhagen’s art that with all of the local fundraising sufficient enough?” he asked. “I look at (CSS’) contribution as a classes where they created repeat- for various projects, activities and Rickert said CSS discussed wheth- gift.” pattern coloring pages. charities within the community over er they actually need a break room or a In other business, County Engineer “It’s been a real big craze in the last few years, the public might conference room in their area, though Gary Mauer told the supervisors that social media and now you can go be a bit weary.