The City of Atlantic’s Personnel and Finance Committee discussed for 45-minutes, Wednesday, the issue of whether to sell the Senior Center as is, fix the roof and sell it, or fix the roof and hold onto the building. In the end, the committee decided to punt the matter to the full City Council for further discussion and action at their next meeting.

City of Atlantic Personnel and Finance Committee

The Atlantic Elks Lodge was sold late last year to Bev Moffatt. Representatives with the Lodge said they learned in late December that the Senior Center might be available for purchase as their new home. The Elks are looking for a place to hold their bingo and other events, and have offered to buy the Senior Center as is, make the necessary repairs to the roof, and share the facility with Senior Citizens during the day, as is currently the case.

City Administrator John Lund says a realtor told him the fair market value of the building, as is, would be $59,000 to $63,000. If the City pays for the roof repair, that would up the value to between $86,000 and $88,000. The roof has been leaking since last August, and must be replaced. The cost of that project was estimated at $36,255.

In addition to the roof factor, the City receives about $2,000 per year in revenue from the Senior Center. Operating costs range from $4,244 to $4,323. Officials say payback on the roof “Is not mathematically feasible from ongoing revenues. The Fund balance for the Senior Center Fund at the end of FY 2018, was $11,069. The City admits the building has not been a high priority on physical updates, and while the structure itself is solid (minus the roof issue), it could use additional investment.

John Lund says the City Council could activate levy a 13.5-cent tax (per thousand dollars valuation) to pay for the roof repair, and accordingly lower the employee benefits levy by the same amount. Those funds ($30,000), combined with the remaining balance of the Senior Center Fund, would allow the roof to be repaired. And, the Council could use the Elks to use the facility without charge in the evenings. It would no longer be rented out for other purposes, and still allow the Senior Center to be used from 10:30-a.m. to 3-p.m. as it is today.

The Committee had a hard time deciding whether to recommend to the Council that the City sell the building outright to the Elks, or fix the roof. Lund said the building would be better off under the Elks’ control/ownership. He said the building would be on the tax rolls – earning money for the City – it would be under better management, and their Fair Market Value offer, is very reasonable. Council/Committee person Chris Jimerson, who sits in on the Committee, says it would be a “win-win.” The Elks get a new place, and the Seniors still have a place to go to that’s easily accessible and familiar to them.

Council/Committee person Kathy Somers said she didn’t want to sell the building because the City wouldn’t be able to control what goes on there, with regard to Seniors being allowed to sharing the building, and it may, in the future may be useful to the City as a Police Station if necessary, or used for parking space if the second floor of City Hall ever gets modified as discussed over the past several years (Including the addition of an elevator).

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A former worker at Sioux City’s wastewater treatment plant has pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to tamper with wastewater sampling and testing. The Sioux City Journal reports that 69-year-old Patrick Schwarte entered the plea Wednesday in federal court. He faces up to seven years in prison when he’s sentenced at a later date for conspiracy to defraud the government and falsifying information required under the federal Clean Water Act.

Prosecutors say chlorine was added to wastewater on days that E. coli samples were taken. The samples then showed plant discharges into the Missouri River met federal limits for levels of fecal coliform and E. coli. The chlorine was reduced after the tests, saving the city money.

The city fired Schwarte and the plant superintendent in June 2015 after the Iowa Natural Resources Department began an investigation.

ALBIA, Iowa (AP) — Animal rescue officials in Iowa say they’ve found one dead steer and rescued seven other ailing animals from a rural southern Iowa property. The Animal Rescue League of Iowa says in a news release that its response team helped Monroe County officials rescue three horses, one burro, a steer and two dogs that were left in freezing weather with no food, water or shelter. One dead steer was found on the property.

The group says two of the horses were underweight and the steer was suffering pain from neglected hooves and a hind injury. The burro’s halter had been on so long it had rubbed the hair away and had to be cut off. Charges are pending against the animals’ owner.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — Sen. Joni Ernst is denying allegations leveled by her ex-husband that she had an affair with a subordinate while she served in the military. The Des Moines Register reports that the Iowa Republican answered questions Wednesday from reporters about that and other allegations at a town hall event on the University of Northern Iowa campus in Cedar Falls.

In the court documents, Ernst’s ex-husband, Gail Ernst, accused her of having an affair with one of her soldiers while she was deployed as a company commander. She said Wednesday when questioned that she cares “about all of my soldiers” that the allegation was not true.

Ernst also accused her ex-husband in divorce documents of having an affair and physically assaulting her during an argument before she was elected to the Senate.

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have arrested an 18-year-old suspected of stabbing to death a Burlington resident. Des Moines County court records say Kaylee Wilson is charged with second-degree murder. She’s being held pending $500,000 bail. She’s accused of stabbing 23-year-old Mallery Doak on Tuesday afternoon during a fight in front of Wilson’s Burlington home. The records don’t list the name of an attorney who could comment for her.

A criminal complaint says the two had been arguing in instant messages over a man who’d fathered one of Doak’s children. Wilson reported that Doak threatened her for spending time with the man and said she was headed over to Wilson’s house. Wilson told investigators that she then armed herself with a kitchen knife and hid it in her waistband awaiting Doak’s arrival.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Democrat J.D. Scholten, a former minor league baseball player who narrowly lost his bid to defeat Republican Rep. Steve King in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District, says he’s keeping his political options open but will help create an Iowa nonprofit organization that fights poverty. The group, called Working Hero Iowa, will encourage eligible people to apply for the Earned Income Tax Credit, which can benefit low-income workers. Scholten is partnering with California entrepreneur Joe Sanberg, who heads a similar group.

Scholten says 50,000 families qualify but don’t complete tax returns to get the credit. The average eligible family receives about $2,300 in credits. Scholten announced his plans Wednesday at the Iowa Capitol amid speculation about his next move, saying “November of 2020 seems pretty darn far away to me at least.”

OTTUMWA, Iowa (AP) — An Ottumwa woman has been given five years of probation for stealing from dependent adults. Wapello County District Court records say 43-year-old Malia Ollom was sentenced last week to 25 years in prison, but the sentence was suspended. She’d pleaded guilty to ongoing criminal conduct after prosecutors dropped several other charges. Authorities say Ollom worked for Crest Services and was responsible for managing the finances of adults under her supervision. Police were contacted about irregularities that occurred in the clients’ accounts between May 2017 and January 2018.

Authorities say that among the incidents, Ollom fraudulently obtained and used a credit card using information from one of her clients and stole more than $5,700 from another by forging the victim’s name on checks.

The Harlan Police Department reports two, recent arrests. On Tuesday, 45-year old Desra Douglas Humphrey, of Minneapolis, was arrested following a call for a gas drive off. Humphrey was cited for theft 5th and driving while suspended. And, on Sunday, 34-year old Paul James Keane, of Panama, was arrested following a traffic stop in the 1200 block of Chatburn Ave. Keane was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with prohibited acts penalties, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, operating while intoxicated, and turning from improper lane.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Less than two weeks after Congress repudiated his comments, Rep. Steve King will hold the first of his promised 39 Iowa town hall meetings. King announced Wednesday he would delay a planned meeting Thursday but would hold another event Saturday morning in the small northwest Iowa city of Primghar. Although he has been elected to Congress nine times, King has rarely held such meetings. He prefers private gatherings with groups, saying public meetings attract out-of-state protesters who object to his conservative views on topics like immigration, race relations and abortion .

King promised to hold meetings in each of his district’s 39 counties after narrowly winning re-election last November. On Jan. 15, the House voted 424-1 to rebuke King for his comments about white supremacy. King supported the measure of disapproval.

Sheriff’s officials in Cass County today (Wednesday), released a report on an accident that took place over a week ago. The accident happened at around 12:25-a.m. January 12th. Authorities say a 2006 Dodge Ram owned and driven by 34-year old Rodney Dean Hackwell, of Walnut, was northbound on Marne Road, when the vehicle slid out of control and struck an oncoming 2004 GMC Denali driven by 35-year old Anthony Thomas Flug, of Marne. No injuries were reported. Damage from the collision amounted to $20,000 altogether. Upon investigation, Sheriff’s Deputies arrested Hackwell for OWI/2nd Offense. He was taken to the Cass County Jail and released later that day on his own recognizance.