Don't forget, the Roland voting location is now in the Community Center on Main Street.
I'm gonna put in some plugs for people I'm voting for. (as opposed to holding my nose, and voting against somebody)
Secretary of State: Matt Schultz. He wants to institute the need to show a photo id for voting. I think that would help clean up our elections. Also, I hate that I need to show more id to buy Sudafed then vote. Matt Schultz
Attorney General: Brenna Findley. Young go getter that will fight back on some of the federal intrusions into our state. Brenna Findley
State Treasurer: Dave Jamison. He has done a great job here in Story County, and can also do so for our state finances. Dave Jamison
State Auditor: Dave Vaudt. Great job on shining the light on the financial stuff being pulled by the governor and the legislature. Dave Vaudt.
Secretary of Agriculture: Bill Northey. The past 4 years I haven't heard anything about his office. Not sure why we even have a Secretary of Agriculture. So if we have one, and he isn't causing trouble, sounds good to me. Bill Northey.
Governor: Eric Cooper. I'm a libertarian at heart. Here is an opportunity to vote for one. He's not gonna win, but I can vote for libertarian principles here. Eric is a good guy, from Ames. Eric Cooper.
US Senator: John Heiderschiedt. Another Libertarian. Don't wanna vote for a Libertarian? If you voted for me, you already did. He's not gonna win, Grassley is going to cruise to victory, what the heck, vote for John Heiderschiedt, he has only a slightly worse chance than Roxanne.
County Supervisor: You can vote for two. I know one I am going to vote for, Rick Sanders. He is a guy with a passion for the job, and is not afraid to challenge the status quo. Don't really know much about the other 3, but I am voting for Rick Sanders.
County Treasurer: Renee Twedt. Renee has a good background in handling money/financial stuff at the Kockler CPA firm in Nevada. She lives outside Story City, and I know her from her work as Treasurer for North Story Little League, of which I am a board member. She does a good job for us, and I think she would do a super job as county treasurer. Renee Twedt.
I've rattled on enough, but that is a good start for some of my faves on the ballot. And if you aren't voting for the above, just a reminder the election is on Wednesday, November 3rd.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Tuesday Oct 26 Council Meeting
Had a council meeting tonite after a one day delay due to quorum issues on Monday.
Stuff from the meeting and other tidbits...
Power outage today on the east side of town, west side only had flickers. Was caused by tree branches in the big winds of the day.
Sounds like Arthur and Bryan streets will have the concrete poured on Thursday and/or Friday. Folks on Industrial, Bryan, Arthur, and Logan, if you can get your cars off the streets, that will help. There will be a lot of cement trucks going by.
Sewer televising and smoking is done. There is damage on the sewer line on the first block of Logan. Will likely be dug up, but will be done after Bryan is open, to provide another outlet.
We approved the sale of land in the Britson Park area to some neighbors. Not a done deal yet, but will get us some seed money to get the park going if all the legal stuff goes thru.
We have an offer to buy or rent the old library business for a new business. We are still working with the potential tenant/owner to see if we can make that happen.
We accepted the resignation of city council member Erin Varley. He is not leaving town yet, but he needs to start working on his move, so he has resigned. The current council will be talking to those showing an interest in being appointed to fill out Erin's term. If you are interested, let me, a council member, or Deneen at City Hall know of your interest.
Stuff from the meeting and other tidbits...
Power outage today on the east side of town, west side only had flickers. Was caused by tree branches in the big winds of the day.
Sounds like Arthur and Bryan streets will have the concrete poured on Thursday and/or Friday. Folks on Industrial, Bryan, Arthur, and Logan, if you can get your cars off the streets, that will help. There will be a lot of cement trucks going by.
Sewer televising and smoking is done. There is damage on the sewer line on the first block of Logan. Will likely be dug up, but will be done after Bryan is open, to provide another outlet.
We approved the sale of land in the Britson Park area to some neighbors. Not a done deal yet, but will get us some seed money to get the park going if all the legal stuff goes thru.
We have an offer to buy or rent the old library business for a new business. We are still working with the potential tenant/owner to see if we can make that happen.
We accepted the resignation of city council member Erin Varley. He is not leaving town yet, but he needs to start working on his move, so he has resigned. The current council will be talking to those showing an interest in being appointed to fill out Erin's term. If you are interested, let me, a council member, or Deneen at City Hall know of your interest.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Council Meeting moved to Tuesday
We couldn't get a quorum tonite, so the council meeting is set for Tuesday the 26th, at 7PM at the Community Center. Note the time change from the usual 6. Also note that all meetings going forward will be at the Community Center.
We may barely have a quorum tomorrow, but 3 will do it. As a reminder, I don't get to vote, and don't count in the quorum.
We may barely have a quorum tomorrow, but 3 will do it. As a reminder, I don't get to vote, and don't count in the quorum.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Council Opening
Just found out today that one of Roland's city council members, Erin Varley, is resigning his position. He has accepted a new job with his employer in Pennsylvania, and will be moving within a couple months.
Erin has lived in Roland about 6 years, and has been a real asset to the community. He has helped out with Roland Days, and has a good head for working thru items that have come before the city council. As a mayor, I'm sorry to see him go off the council. And as a mayor, and on a personal level, I'm sorry to see fine folks like him and his family leaving Roland.
But it sounds like a good opportunity for him and his family. He certainly seems to have Eby Trailers on solid footing in Story City.
So, that means the remaining council will have a spot to fill on the council. I believe this is how it works....The council can choose to have an election, or the council can appoint someone. If the council chooses to appoint someone, if 10% of the people who voted in the last election sign a petition to force an election, then the appointee cannot take office, and there will be an election.
I'd rather not have an election, as that will probably cost the city a thousand dollars or more. I'd rather find somebody interested in the position who has an interest and aptitude for the position. This person will serve about 1 year, as Erin's spot was up for election in November of 2011 anyway.
So if you have an interest in being a city council member, let your name with Deneen at City Hall, or me, or one of the city council members. Stayed tuned....
Erin has lived in Roland about 6 years, and has been a real asset to the community. He has helped out with Roland Days, and has a good head for working thru items that have come before the city council. As a mayor, I'm sorry to see him go off the council. And as a mayor, and on a personal level, I'm sorry to see fine folks like him and his family leaving Roland.
But it sounds like a good opportunity for him and his family. He certainly seems to have Eby Trailers on solid footing in Story City.
So, that means the remaining council will have a spot to fill on the council. I believe this is how it works....The council can choose to have an election, or the council can appoint someone. If the council chooses to appoint someone, if 10% of the people who voted in the last election sign a petition to force an election, then the appointee cannot take office, and there will be an election.
I'd rather not have an election, as that will probably cost the city a thousand dollars or more. I'd rather find somebody interested in the position who has an interest and aptitude for the position. This person will serve about 1 year, as Erin's spot was up for election in November of 2011 anyway.
So if you have an interest in being a city council member, let your name with Deneen at City Hall, or me, or one of the city council members. Stayed tuned....
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Hydrant flushing
I had the dates wrong on the post below. Here is an email from City Hall regarding hydrant flushing. As a reminder, you can get on an email distro list from the city, to get updates on items of note like this. Just contact City Hall to get on the list. Here's the email from today:
The City of Roland will be flushing water hydrants on Thursday, October 21st and Friday, October 22nd between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. This may result in low water pressure and rusty water for a short period of time. Please check the water before you wash a load of white or light colored clothes. Feel free to call City Hall at
388-4861 with any questions. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding regarding this matter.
The City of Roland will be flushing water hydrants on Thursday, October 21st and Friday, October 22nd between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. This may result in low water pressure and rusty water for a short period of time. Please check the water before you wash a load of white or light colored clothes. Feel free to call City Hall at
388-4861 with any questions. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding regarding this matter.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Junk Pickup
Here is a link to the totals of what was all picked up on Roland on the cleanup days last month. Good job everybody! This is junk that we got out of town, and it didn't just go to the landfill, it will be recycled. Win, win.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Water
A reminder that tentatively the city will be flushing hydrants on October 22 and 23. Keep that in mind if you have some white laundry to do. The water could get a little dirtier then, as rust gets flushed thru the system.
On a completely unrelated note, I saw a chart showing average sewer and water bills of all municipal systems in the United States.
For water in '08 it was $23.45 and in '09 it was $25.66. My last water bill was $41.19 for what it is worth.
For sewer in '08 it was $31.29, in '09 it was $33.80. My last sewer bill was $30.21, FWIW.
Not sure how Roland as a whole stacks up to that national average, but I thought it worthy of putting that comparison out there.
On a completely unrelated note, I saw a chart showing average sewer and water bills of all municipal systems in the United States.
For water in '08 it was $23.45 and in '09 it was $25.66. My last water bill was $41.19 for what it is worth.
For sewer in '08 it was $31.29, in '09 it was $33.80. My last sewer bill was $30.21, FWIW.
Not sure how Roland as a whole stacks up to that national average, but I thought it worthy of putting that comparison out there.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Pre-demolition sale by the Library Foundation
Copy and paste of some info I got from the Libary Foundation.
the Foundation is having a pre-demo sale at 201 E. Ash (old Heart of Iowa administration building-katy corner from the post office)this Saturday from 10:00am-12:00pm. Free will offering. Please let your board know and anyone else who might be interested.
What is for sale:
9 hollow core doors 36 X72.5, 2 additional doors 30 X 72.5, wooden trim, bathroom fixtures, wooden paneling, counter 30 X 96in, a couple of air conditioners and a furnance, commercial glass entry doors, ceiling tiles, other misc.
the Foundation is having a pre-demo sale at 201 E. Ash (old Heart of Iowa administration building-katy corner from the post office)this Saturday from 10:00am-12:00pm. Free will offering. Please let your board know and anyone else who might be interested.
What is for sale:
9 hollow core doors 36 X72.5, 2 additional doors 30 X 72.5, wooden trim, bathroom fixtures, wooden paneling, counter 30 X 96in, a couple of air conditioners and a furnance, commercial glass entry doors, ceiling tiles, other misc.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Beggars Night reminder
Just a reminder that Beggars Night in Roland will be on Sunday, Oct 31 from 6 to 8PM. Hope you have good costumes!
Oct 11 council meeting
Not a real big docket last night. Biggest things of note: we approved an ordiance moving all future city council meetings to the community center. Hopefully that will be a more inviting place for citizens to come to our meetings, and it gives everybody a little more room, and some council members won't have to have their backs to the public.
The biggest time discussion was regarding costs of what to do with water runoff in the Britson Circle area. Our city engineer gave a couple options. One is grading the Britson Park area, to get overland flow to the SW, so the Britson Circle storm sewers would no longer have that water to deal with. That was going to be something like $45k.
The next is to run a new storm sewer up along Maple. With all the utilities in the ditch, it would have to run under Maple. I am in no way interested in that. Pretty costly too.
Another is to get easements from property owners on Duea and Logan, and run a new storm sewer direct to the creek. We are organizing a community meeting with those neighborhoods to see if that is an option. The city would have to secure a right a way for that. Not sure if those folks would be open to that, but we are going to see. If you are in those neighborhoods, stayed tuned for a future meeting date. Late October or early November I'm guessing.
The other option, which is the mostly costly, but least disruptive is to run a storm sewer south thru Britson Park, along the new portion of Arthur, and then thru the field to the south, where a future housing development would go. It is a long way, but it is all bare ground. That might run 400K.
These are the costs of doing stuff half arse through the years. And we have to decide what to fix and what to upgrade, and what to just leave. More to come on that. If you have any input, feel free to come to a council meeting, and give your opinion.
The biggest time discussion was regarding costs of what to do with water runoff in the Britson Circle area. Our city engineer gave a couple options. One is grading the Britson Park area, to get overland flow to the SW, so the Britson Circle storm sewers would no longer have that water to deal with. That was going to be something like $45k.
The next is to run a new storm sewer up along Maple. With all the utilities in the ditch, it would have to run under Maple. I am in no way interested in that. Pretty costly too.
Another is to get easements from property owners on Duea and Logan, and run a new storm sewer direct to the creek. We are organizing a community meeting with those neighborhoods to see if that is an option. The city would have to secure a right a way for that. Not sure if those folks would be open to that, but we are going to see. If you are in those neighborhoods, stayed tuned for a future meeting date. Late October or early November I'm guessing.
The other option, which is the mostly costly, but least disruptive is to run a storm sewer south thru Britson Park, along the new portion of Arthur, and then thru the field to the south, where a future housing development would go. It is a long way, but it is all bare ground. That might run 400K.
These are the costs of doing stuff half arse through the years. And we have to decide what to fix and what to upgrade, and what to just leave. More to come on that. If you have any input, feel free to come to a council meeting, and give your opinion.
Election
Usually I write about stuff that directly affects Roland. This post is about stuff that indirectly affects Roland. I wanted to talk about a couple candidates for the upcoming election.
There are two in particular that have frosted my fanny. The current Secretary of State and State Treasurer have been running ads touting something that their office does. They are using tax dollars to tout how to vote, and about the state college savings plan. Minorly annoying, but, whatever.
However, I have never seen these TV ads any other time of year. And of course, they have to put their mugs on the ad, and their names. It is a sly attempt to use taxpayer dollars to increase their name recognition. It is flat out wrong, and it is unethical.
I cannot fathom taking out ads in the Story City Herald, using city money, to tout the availability of our community center in October only of an election year. "Hi I'm Mayor Roger Fritz. Did you know you could rent the community center for private events?" Ridiculous.
I'm not going to give the current unethical elected officials another opportunity for their name to be seen. So I'm not going to even type their name here.
But I will say, if you think the actions of those elected officials is wrong, you could vote to replace them with the following individuals: vote for Matt Schultz for Secretary of State, and Dave Jamison for Iowa Treasurer.
Heck I'm gonna even put up a virtual sign for the challengers. Good luck to Schultz and Jamison.
There are two in particular that have frosted my fanny. The current Secretary of State and State Treasurer have been running ads touting something that their office does. They are using tax dollars to tout how to vote, and about the state college savings plan. Minorly annoying, but, whatever.
However, I have never seen these TV ads any other time of year. And of course, they have to put their mugs on the ad, and their names. It is a sly attempt to use taxpayer dollars to increase their name recognition. It is flat out wrong, and it is unethical.
I cannot fathom taking out ads in the Story City Herald, using city money, to tout the availability of our community center in October only of an election year. "Hi I'm Mayor Roger Fritz. Did you know you could rent the community center for private events?" Ridiculous.
I'm not going to give the current unethical elected officials another opportunity for their name to be seen. So I'm not going to even type their name here.
But I will say, if you think the actions of those elected officials is wrong, you could vote to replace them with the following individuals: vote for Matt Schultz for Secretary of State, and Dave Jamison for Iowa Treasurer.
Heck I'm gonna even put up a virtual sign for the challengers. Good luck to Schultz and Jamison.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Council meeting Tuesday night
We had a joint city council/park board meeting on Tuesday night. Twas good just to get the groups together, and chit chat a little. No real decisions made. Mostly just talked about Britson Park, and what we can do to help water along Britson Circle. After a decision is made about what to do with the water, the park area will be seeded with grass.
Just nice to get everybody in the same room, and make sure we are all on the same page.
Regular council meeting is on Monday.
Just nice to get everybody in the same room, and make sure we are all on the same page.
Regular council meeting is on Monday.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Pics of road construction
As promised in an earlier post, here are some pics of the construction on Arthur and Bryan Drives
At the west end of the existing Arthur Drive
At the west end of the existing Arthur Drive
From the middle of the future Bryan Ave looking east
From the middle of the new Arthur looking south
From the middle of the new Arthur looking north
Ghosts
Pulled this off the Roland Library's Facebook page. I'd love to go, but there will be a joint City Council/Park Board meeting at the same time.
If you're a fan of the popular television show "Ghost Hunters", have we
got a program for you! The Supernatural Research Society of Iowa, a
group of individuals with passion for the paranormal, will be
presenting a program at the Roland Community Center, 208 N. Main, next
Tuesday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. Admission is free. Get an early start to the Halloween season and hear some descriptions of ghostly investigations.
If you're a fan of the popular television show "Ghost Hunters", have we
got a program for you! The Supernatural Research Society of Iowa, a
group of individuals with passion for the paranormal, will be
presenting a program at the Roland Community Center, 208 N. Main, next
Tuesday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. Admission is free. Get an early start to the Halloween season and hear some descriptions of ghostly investigations.
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