(Atlantic, Iowa) – Atlantic School District Facilities Director Russell Peck, Wednesday, provided an annual report to the School Board on Operations and Maintenance of those facilities.

The rooms to be carpeted were also painted prior to the installation of carpet, and a preschool room which needed painting. He also spoke about HVAC projects.

He said they had some Capital Project Plans, which included a maintenance truck.

He said they also got another snowblower, sweeper and blower in a good deal.

Peck said they’re going to have to address removing the District’s 15 or so Ash Trees, which are susceptible to the Emerald Ash Borer, and a potential liability. A majority of the trees are around the Middle School. They’ll save money, he said, if they purchase a dump trailer (new or used) to load the trees. The only alternative would be to hire someone for the project.

DES MOINES, IA – The Iowa Business Council (IBC) has released its final quarterly Economic Outlook Survey (EOS) for 2023. The report measures IBC member expectations for sales, capital spending and employment for the next six months. If the index measures above 50, sentiment is positive. The fourth-quarter survey’s overall economic outlook index is 59.65, a decrease of 0.27 index points from the 2023 third-quarter report.

The fourth-quarter survey reveals minimal changes in the overall outlook index although several categories experienced larger shifts. IBC members retain a positive sentiment regarding Iowa’s overall economy. Q4 sales expectations among IBC members decreased 4.01 to a value of 57.89. Capital spending expectations increased by 6.40 to 67.11, while employment expectations decreased by 3.19 to a value of 53.95.

Concerns relating to workforce attraction and retention remain the number one concern with 74% of surveyed IBC executives listing it as a primary business challenge. Tied for second at 53% were an unfavorable business climate (national supply chain, infrastructure, and regulations) and the cost of products and service inputs. From a workforce perspective, 85% of IBC executives surveyed report that it is somewhat to very difficult to currently hire employees, down from 90% from the third-quarter survey. “Iowa’s economy is in a strong position as we enter 2024,” stated Phil Jasper, President of Raytheon, and Chair of the Iowa Business Council. “Our members remain optimistic about the future growth prospects here in Iowa that will lead to high-quality jobs and innovations throughout our state.”

“With the start of the legislative session, we look forward to working with members of the Iowa General Assembly and Governor Reynolds as we all work towards creating a more prosperous state for everyone,” said Iowa Business Council President Joe Murphy.

The Economic Outlook Survey has been completed by IBC members on a quarterly basis since 2004. The report provides insight regarding the projected trends for the state of Iowa, which can be used for business and economic planning. The reported trends have a state-wide impact, especially when considering that IBC companies have a presence in all 99 counties. To review previous Economic Outlook Surveys, please visit www.iowabusinesscouncil.org/news/eos.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Atlantic Community School District Technology Director Roger Warne, Wednesday, provided the School Board with his annual review of technology improvements in the district, and a cost estimate of the anticipated new tech and improvements this year. Warne said last Summer, they installed 16 new cameras and systems at Washington Elementary.

He said the original camera system, which is still in use, is a great system, but there are things Warne doesn’t like about it due to the costs associated with the system. Other cameras and systems were added to the Middle School office over the Christmas break, as well as at the EOC office. At the High School, access point (AP) nodes were replaced because they were coming to the end of their useful life. The improvements were made possible in-part because they were “E-Rate” eligible.

Warne said there are 26 AP’s at Washington and Schuler that will need to be replaced this Summer. The current AP technology is no longer supported by the company who supplied the devices. The District’s share of cost for the Access Point devices will run about $5,000-to 10-thousand dollars. Roger Warne said last summer they went around and replaced the point of entry control boxes and software, because they were out of date.

Roger Warne

He said one of the big things as far as the District’s Capital Improvement Projects Plan (CIP) is to rollover all the rest of the certified staff laptop computers.

He said he also needs to start replacing Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) [battery back-up power] for computers – which is also E-Rate eligible. The current UPS batteries are losing their power memory

He says his goal is to be able to keep everything running, especially when the power flickers, which causes some computers to “blurp” their displays. The district could look into generators, but those are very costly. He also plans to replace some of the computers switcher units, which are more than 10-years old.

Another thing Roger Warne says he’s working on, is “Event response.”

He said they will use a company to train their staff on how to respond to potential e-mail viruses and cyber threats. Warne said it’s also a good time to consider replacing student Chrome Book laptops, because the costs are only going to go up.

Board President Kristy Pellet said the district should probably plan for $500,000 in technology expenditures in the future. Warne’s current expenditures amount to approximately $300,000.

(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston say a vehicle that was parked in an alley in the 200 block of W. Mills Street, was struck by an unknown vehicle at around 7-a.m.,Tuesday. The vehicle left the scene. The vehicle that was hit, a 2017 VW Jetta registered to a man from Creston, sustained $4,000 damage.