Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department Director Bryant Rasmussen, Monday, told the Parks and Rec Board damage a vandal or vandals inflicted on the restrooms at Sunnyside Park, exceeded $1,200, not counting the labor necessary to clean-up the mess. Ramussen said he first found out about the damage last Saturday morning, from a person who made a shelter reservation for Saturday night and who wanted to make sure the facilities were clean and ready to use. He learned the paper towel holders and soap dispensers had been ripped from the walls, ripped open the toilet paper holders, and even left a feces dropping on the floor.

Sunnyside restroom vandalism photos from the Atlantic Parks & Rec Facebook page.

Ramussen and his staff spent about two-to- three hours at the Camblin Additon and Kiddie Korral restrooms at Sunnyside, before moving on and finding out the waterless restroom at the Schildberg Recreation Area (SRA) had been destroyed, including the wall heater, which in and of itself costs $1,200. The toilet was also flipped upside down, and the seat was broken-off. Only the bathhouse was left alone. Other damage included toilets being plugged-up by toilet paper and a rubber stopper, in an attempt to flood all the bathrooms.

Rasmussen said they would like to be able to get WiFi cameras installed, but NishnaNet is currently busy with the Atlantic School District’s Return-to-Learn WiFi project. He said in the interim, four trail cameras have been ordered and two more have been donated. They will be connected via an app and Bluetooth. The information can be downloaded on the app. Those camera’s have infrared sensors so their location is not given away by a flash. It’s hoped they will be installed later this week. Exterior restroom lighting will help to shed more light on persons who enter the facilities. The insides are lit by motion sensing lights.

The restrooms were closed for a while over the weekend but have since re-opened. Only the tennis court restrooms are closed, but that’s not related to vandalism. Rasmussen said the issue instead, is with a leak in the parking lot. They’re attempting to find the source of that problem.

Travis Garrett, who served as Atlantic’s Parks and Rec Director from 2008-2011, spoke at the meeting Monday evening. He mentioned as a citizen and disc golf enthusiast, they were holding a tournament last weekend, and were disheartened to see the restrooms locked-up, but everyone understood why, once they learned of the damage.

Garrett said the other disc golfers he doesn’t know what the solution is, but he wanted to offer the support of the club to aid in making those incidents of vandalism less likely to occur, by whatever means possible. He implored people to if they see unusual activity going on after dark, to “say something” to the Police Department by calling their non-emergency number. He thanked Bryant and his crew for cleaning up the mess as quickly as they could. Sunnyside Park, he said, will host another disc golf event in October.

In other business, Director Rasmussen said work continues to install the dock at the Schildberg Recreation Area. A new information kiosk has also been installed, and a three-sided enclosure to protect the trash bin has been erected. The kiosk will include local menus and walkability information added for those who wish to see Atlantic’s attractions on foot.

New signs at the SRA will be installed along the trails to better indicate mileage, flora and fauna, friendly camping tips, the fact recreational equipment is available from the Parks & Rec Department, and more. The City of Atlantic’s Street Department, he said, is closer to completing a trail at Mollett Park at the east end of E. 3rd Street Place, and the Street Department continues to work in the Bull Creek area to clear trees, in preparation for work on the washout and culvert.

The Cass County Conservation Board is holding FREE, “Mysterious Monarchs” Programs. The public programs will be held on:

• Friday August 28th 4:30PM- Lake Anita State Park Campground loop
• Saturday August 29th 2PM- Cold Springs Park Campground Shelter
• Saturday September 5th 2PM – Camblins Addition Shelter Sunnyside Park Atlantic
• Saturday September 12th 2PM- Outdoor Educational Classroom Massena- Follow Hwy 148 South of Massena, turn Left onto Tucson Rd for 1 ½ mile the park will be on your right.

Discover the Monarch Butterflies before their journey south. CCCB personnel will tag monarchs and show you how. If you would like a home tagging kit, you must attend and pre-register for the Kit. Call 712-769-2372 to pre-register. You DO NOT have to be a registered camper to attend the program.

LECLAIRE, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Bureau is investigating a boat crash that killed one person and left another in critical condition on Sunday, August 16 on the Mississippi River.

The crash happened around 7:00p.m., at Pool 14 near LeClaire. Investigators believe two boats collided killing a 52-year-old woman and critically injuring a 61-year-old man, both were in the same boat. A woman in the other boat had minor injuries.

Investigators are requesting anyone with information that may have witnessed the crash or know anything about the crash between a large black center-console boat and a blue and white 19-foot Bayliner runabout boat to contact authorities immediately.

The names of the deceased individual and the injured are being withheld at this time pending family notification. The DNR continues to investigate this fatal crash.

Anyone with information should contact DNR Conservation Officer Travis Graves at (563) 349-8953 or Travis.Graves@dnr.iowa.gov. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may do so.

SHELBY, IA – The Board of Directors of Carstens 1880 Farmstead has decided to postpone Farm Days this year until September 11 & 12, 2021,  due to COVID-19 safety considerations. The Board, at its June meeting, had decided to proceed with the Saturday evening chicken dinner/fundraiser this year.  Now plans have changed again at the farm.

During a recent Board meeting it was decided that it would be too difficult to provide physical distance for the dinner, plus the on-going COVID-19 situation could impact attendance.  The Board decided to cancel the chicken dinner plans this year.  Farm Board President Mel Hursey said “We know it is disappointing to cancel the chicken dinner.” Those who attend Carstens Farm Days know that the soil on the farm grows a large quantity of flavorful potatoes.  This year the potato harvest, or digging, will go on as planned during the traditional Farm Days weekend.

The public is invited to come to the farm and gather the freshly dug potatoes.  Gates will be open from 10 am – 4 pm on Saturday, September 12.  Potatoes will be on the ground and on a trailer as in past years.

Hursey says “Anyone who wants to have a supply of Carstens potatoes is welcome to come and pick them up on Sunday, September 13.” The Board is asking that a donation be made to the farm by anyone who gathers potatoes.  The donation will be used to help with the maintenance of the farm.  Hursey added, “Come out and see the farm, have some fun and get a supply of good spuds.”

LECLAIRE, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Bureau is requesting the public’s assistance with any information related to a serious crash that happened around 7:00p.m. Sunday, August 16 on the Mississippi River at LeClaire. Law enforcement investigators are asking for anyone with information that may have witnessed the crash or know anything about the crash between a large black center-console boat and a blue and white 19-foot Bayliner runabout boat to contact authorities immediately.

Anyone with information should contact DNR Conservation Officer Travis Graves at (563) 349-8953 or Travis.Graves@dnr.iowa.gov. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can do so. Further information about the crash will be released this week.

The Atlantic Parks and Recreation Dept. Board of Directors will receive an update during their meeting at 5:15-p.m. Monday evening, with regard to park restroom vandalism.

Sunnyside restroom vandalism photos from the Atlantic Parks & Rec Facebook page.

In a social media post Saturday, Parks and Rec Director Bryant Rasmussen said “Due to multiple incidents…over the last couple weeks, we have decided to close the Sunnyside bathrooms for the year. If other bathrooms continue to be treated [in the same manner], we will be forced to close them all. Please don’t do this, you ruin a simple bathroom that someone may really need.”  Rasmussen posted pictures of the damage on the Parks and Rec Facebook page, showing extensive damage to the facilities.

In other business, the Parks Board will hear updates with regard to: The Schildberg Recreation Area; Schildberg signage; the Mollett Trail; Bull Creek; Nishna Park, and the Park mascot campaign. Bryant Rasmussen is also expected to discuss potential grants, storm cleanup, the pool painting is completed, and more about the Walkability maps.

The meeting takes place in the City Council’s Chambers, at the Atlantic City Hall.

Champions of the Cass County Fair participated in the Best of the West competition, held in Denison on August 3rd.

• Maddy Anderson – Breeding Ewe
• Natalye Scholl – Breeding Doe
• Brock Henderson – Breeding Heifer
• Morgan Will – Market Lamb
• Makenna Potter – Market Goat
• Morgan Will – Market Beef
• 

  Photo provided by Melanie Petty

  Grant Petty – Market Hog

Four out of the six animals shown were crowned either Champion or Reserve Champion during this competition.  Cass County should be very proud of their 4H/FFA members and all of the hard work they put in to show some of the best in Iowa! C

(Radio Iowa) – If your trees are still standing after this week’s derecho, Iowans are asked to check those trees and be on the lookout for the Asian longhorned beetle as August is when it emerges from inside trees where it burrows. Samantha Simon, an invasive species coordinator with the U-S-D-A, says the destructive bug is not native to the U-S and has few-to-no natural predators.  “It likes to attack our 12 types of hardwood trees, including maples, elms, birches and willows,” Simon says. “Once a tree has the beetle, the infested tree doesn’t recover and they die. We’re looking for the public’s help to identify this beetle and to help us eradicate it.”

Asian Longhorned Beetle

Watching for the beetle and the damage it causes is one way for homeowners to protect their own trees. She notes, it’s a distinctive creature. “It measures one to one-and-a-half inches in length,” Simon says. “Its body is black with white spots and its antenna are banded in black and white. It sounds kind of gross but it’s actually really cute.” People can unknowingly spread Asian longhorned beetles by moving firewood, since they can hide inside wood. She asks that Iowans familiarize themselves with the pest and spend five minutes checking their trees for signs of them. “We ask that people take a photo or if they can capture it, if it’s alive, they can put it in a container and put it in the freezer for us,” Simon says. “It’s really important that they report it to USDA and they can do that online at Asianlonghornedbeetle.com.”

You can also call the agency’s hotline: 866-702-9938. The beetle was first spotted in the U-S in New York in 1996 and spread far quite quickly. It’s one of a group of invasive pests and plant diseases that costs the nation some 40-billion dollars each year in losses to trees, plants and crops.

(Radio Iowa) – Even with all of the rain that fell on Iowa during Monday’s derecho, the latest report from the U-S Drought Monitor shows little change from a week ago. The report shows all or parts of 11 counties in west-central Iowa are in their second week in the D-3 category, which means extreme drought. The scale only goes up to D-4, which is exceptional drought, though none of Iowa has reached that level yet this year.

The report shows much of Iowa’s western half remains under moderate or severe drought, while much of northern and east-central Iowa is considered abnormally dry. Only a smattering of counties on the southern and eastern borders are in normal territory.

The 11 counties now shown in extreme drought are: Adair, Audubon, Boone, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Crawford, Dallas, Guthrie, Sac and Shelby.

(Radio Iowa) – Vice President Mike Pence is on a campaign swing in Iowa today (Thursday), starting at a rally on the state fairgrounds to launch the “Farmers and Ranchers for Trump Coalition. Pence addressed the widespread devastation from Monday’s derecho during his speech. “I must tell you when I heard about this storm, as a lifelong Hoosier, I was taken aback to hear of the magnitude of this storm and its impact,” Pence said.

Farmer Rod Pierce speaks to VP Pence and Governor.

Pence, the former governor of Indiana, did not talk about what specific federal relief may be headed Iowa’s way, but made a general pledge. “On behalf of the President of the United States and our administration I want Iowans to know we are with you. We are going to stay with you and we will work with your governor and your senators to make sure that we bring Iowa all the way back, bigger and stronger than ever before,” Pence said, to cheers. “I promise.”

Pence met privately on the fairgrounds with half a dozen Iowans whose farms were hit by Monday’s derecho. Rod Pierce of Woodward was among the group. “We had 131 mile an hour winds. We probably lost 12-15 of our bigger grain bins. We’ve got probably 2500 acres of corn flat.” Pierce says enhanced crop insurance benefits for farmers would be helpful, along with expanded trade and ethanol production.

“We need a price down in the future here, too, not just this year,” Pearce says. Iowa Democratic Party officials, including former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, criticized Pence for not altering his campaign schedule to personally survey the damage from Monday’s storm. Pence is attending a pro-police rally in Urbandale and will be the keynote speaker at a fundraiser for the Republican Party of Iowa this (Thursday) evening.