The stories of the decade

(Above) Three persons were killed when Mercy Medical Center’s Air Med helicopter crashed north of Ventura in 2013.

by Marianne Gasaway

Looking back on the year just passed has become a tradition at the Mirror-Reporter, but ranking stories from a decade is an exercise we have never tackled.  The staff of the Mirror-Reporter decided to take on the challenge and compile our list of the top 10 stories considered to have been the most newsworthy 2010-2019.   

Did we nail it?

We invite you to let us know what other events you consider to be the most influential in the last decade.  Send us your favorites via letter, email, or on Facebook.

#1 A well kept secret

The biggest story of the decade occurred in 2015.  Well, it was actually the same story which topped the 2014 year in review. In February, the McKesson Corporation, the largest pharmaceutical distributor in North America, was introduced as the future tenant of a 340,000 square foot building under construction in the city’s Larry Luker Memorial Industrial Park.  Clear Lake city officials made the announcement to coincide with an agenda released by the State of Iowa’s Economic Development Commission which identified McKesson as an applicant for $4.6 million in state tax credits, as well as a $170,000 forgivable loan. The state incentives, offered through the High Quality Jobs Program, were awarded.

More than 100 people packed the Council Chambers at City Hall to hear the announcement of the “mystery company” which would create 164 jobs with an average salary of $39,000. It was reported the $65 million project is expected to have an estimated impact of $310 million over the next 10-years.

City Administrator Scott Flory said there was great due diligence done in pursuing McKesson, but recruitment efforts were complicated by the company’s insistence that its identity remain anonymous. None of Clear Lake’s City Council members knew the company when they approved a local incentive package which included a $1.675 million, 10-year forgivable loan used for land acquisition and site development, and a property tax rebate with an estimated cumulative value of not to exceed $7.3 million over a 20-year period.

#2 Medical helicopter crashes

The year 2013 started with a tragedy which shocked North Iowans.  Three people were killed Jan. 2 when Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa’s Air Med helicopter crashed north of Ventura. The Mason City hospital-based helicopter crashed while en route to Emmetsburg to pick up a patient. The accident was reported to a 9-1-1 dispatcher at approximately 9 p.m.  The three people on board — a nurse, Shelly “Shell” Lair Langenbau; a paramedic, Russell “Russ” Piehl; and a pilot with the helicopter service owned by Med-Trans, Gene Grell, were killed in the crash, according to officials at Mercy-North Iowa. There was no patient on board.

The helicopter had been in the air only a short time when the accident occurred about 30 miles from take-off. Light freezing drizzle was reported in North Iowa that night. Fog and mist were reported at 8 p.m. at the Mason City airport, according to KIMT Chief Meteorologist Adam Frederick. The temperature was 27 degrees. Overcast conditions were reported at 9 p.m. The helicopter, owned by Med-Trans of Dallas, Texas, crashed along a fence line about one mile north of Ventura near the intersection of County Road S-14 and 260th Street. It was in transit from Mason City toward Emmetsburg at the time of the accident.

Neighbors in rural Ventura said they heard the helicopter sputtering and then heard a loud explosion and saw a burst of flames.

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#3 Build it and they will come

The Clear Lake City Council bought into the “build it and they will come” philosophy in January 2019 and it paid huge dividends for the city by year end.   The group voted unanimously to spend an estimated $1.7 million to fund the first two phases of improvements to North 32nd Street, north of Highway 122, just east of Interstate 35.

The preliminary plat for the Courtway Park Subdivision was passed in June by the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission.  The 64-acre tract of land which formerly was occupied by Andrews Prestresssed Concrete, is located on the north side of State Highway 122 between I-35 and North 32nd Street.

The first project announced for the area was a 31-door terminal and small office for Old Dominion Freight Line.  In October it was announced that a GrandStay Hotel and conference center, along with a Jethro’s BBQ restaurant, will anchor the new Courtway Park development on 5.8 acres east of Interstate 35.  Completion for the hotel and restaurant projects is expected no later than November 2020.

#4 Icons come down

It was tough to pick just one, so the loss of four local icons comprise our fourth top story of the decade.  The sale and closing of two elementary school buildings and demolition of the Barrel Drive In and city water tower located near City Beach were all critical changes to the local landscape.

The evolution of Sunset School actually appeared in three year-in-review rankings between 2010 and 2018.  The school was a constant in the news during 2010. In February that year, the Clear Lake School Board voted unanimously to accept a preliminary offer of $200,000 from Life-Line Resources for the purchase of the building.  Life-Line offers mentoring and role modeling for youth.  Just a few weeks later, the school district’s plan to sell to Life-Line drew criticism from neighbors at a public hearing. The matter was tabled by the School Board. In May, the board voted unanimously to accept Lifeline’s offer, with the sale of the building subject to a change in zoning, which must be approved by the city. Ultimately the area was rezoned as Low Density MultiFamily Residential, a zoning distinction shared by neighboring properties. In November, the city’s Board of Adjustment gave its unanimous approval to the request for a conditional use permit, however, the decision by the Clear Lake Board of Adjustment was challenged in Cerro Gordo County District Court.  A ruling was eventually issued in the city’s favor, however the decision was appealed.  With still no decision from the court, Lifeline withdrew its purchase offer in April 2013.

The building held onto its educational roots through 2019.  In June 2018, the Clear Lake School Board approved the sale of Sunset to Jim Sulentic and Brent Dahlstrom. The developer agreed to not close on the property until the school district had completed an addition at Clear Creek Elementary for preschoolers who had been attending classes at Sunset. The students began attending classes at Clear Creek Elementary in 2019.

Lincoln School came down in 2012 after developers and the city successfully reached agreements to facilitate development of Lincoln Village.  The first six units of the development are located within the newest building addition to the former Lincoln School. The final phase for the 19-unit development was four units constructed where the original 1926 school building once stood along 8th Street.  The building had been vacant since 2008.

In 2013, there was no greater spectator sport in Clear Lake in late April than watching the iconic City Beach water tower come down. Workers from Iseler Demolition, Inc., of Romeo, Mich., dismantled the structure piece by piece.

The public was also emotional about the razing of the Barrel Drive-In property on Highway 18 West in 2017.  After months of speculation, Casey’s General Stores confirmed in November 2016 it was in the process of closing on the purchase of the Barrel Drive-In property on Highway 18 West. Owner Seth Thackery closed the business in 2016 after an attempt to rehabilitate and revitalize the historic restaurant. The Barrel was built and opened in 1958 by Jack Christensen. Edward and Lois Kotz purchased it in 1959. In 1959 and the early 1960’s, radio station KRIB broadcast live from the booth on the roof of the restaurant. During those years, the Barrel was a popular “hang-out” spot for teenagers.

#5 School Consolidation

Voters in Ventura and Garner-Hayfield School Districts overwhelmingly voted in September 2014 to consolidate their districts, effective July 1, 2015. Overall, 93 percent of voters approved of the reorganization. In Ventura, the vote was 351-51; in the Garner-Hayfield district the margin of approval was 602-22. Consolidation created a GHV School District which covers 202 square miles with a taxable valuation of $472 million. At the time of the consolidation vote, the two districts were in their third year of a whole grade sharing agreement.

#6 Fire station & 9/11 steel

In 2011, after much planning Clear Lake firefighters broke ground on a new fire station near the corner of 2nd Avenue North and North 8th Street in September. Early in the year the City Council debated construction options, such as a pre-engineered building at a cost of $1.86 million, a pre-engineered building with the brick exterior at $1.98 million or a full brick building at $2.24 million. Council members wrestled with keeping costs down, but members of the department strongly favored the full brick building and recommended the issue be put to a public vote. Voters overwhelmingly supported the fire department’s wishes and passed a measure to finance up to $2.3 million by 78 percent in an Aug. 3 vote. In October Henkel Construction, of Mason City, was awarded the contract for the construction of the city’s new fire station as the lowest of five bidders for the 17,350 square foot, two-story facility. Ground was broken in a public ceremony held later that same month.

An important feature at the new station was also a newsmaker in the past decade.  In 2011 members of the CLFD traveled to New York City and were treated to a “humbling and emotional” tour of salvaged items and places associated with the Sept. 11, 2001 bombing of the World Trade Center. A 10-foot long piece of steel pulled from the WTC wreckage was brought back to Clear Lake for eventual placement in a memorial outside of the new fire station.  The firemen arrived in Clear Lake May 19, 2011 escorted by various North Iowa fire companies, law enforcement personnel and motorcyclists. Standing alongside a box the men built and painted to hold the steel in transport with the message “We will never forget,” the firefighters held back tears as the public cheered their arrival with the 10-foot long I-beam.

#7 Too warm Too cold Too wet, too dry

It is a safe bet to say that weather, in some form or another, figured in the top 10 stories of each year.  So it seems only fitting that weather should be part of the decade conversation.

Most notably, 2012 started with a January to remember. On Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012 an 82-year-old record high temperature was shattered and Tuesday, Jan. 10 another record high fell. According to the National Weather Service, temperatures on both days topped 50, with the Jan. 5 high of 57 degrees beating the record of 47 degrees set on Jan. 5, 1930.

By June, farmers weren’t the only ones hoping for rain. Boaters were feeling the effects of the dropping level of the lake. Boat owners were pulling their boats and hoists from the water because they couldn’t get the hoist low enough to accommodate their boat.

Although the lake was low throughout the summer, it was still nearly 34-inches away from its all-time low level. That record was set in 1989 when the lake was measured at 46.20 inches below the weir.

The annual Clear Lake Antique and Wooden Boat Rendezvous scheduled for mid-July at the Sea Wall was cancelled due to the low water level, which on July 17 was 16.56 inches below the weir. By Tuesday, Sept. 25, the level had fallen to 28.08 inches below the weir and by October, as the number moved into the 30s, it became apparent that the aerators which keep portions of Clear Lake from freezing must be kept on to reduce the possibility of a winter fish kill.  Clear Lake officially froze Dec. 11, 2012. The level at that time was -31.44 inches below the weir.

Twenty-thirteen was also a big year for stories about Mother Nature.  For the first time in its 12 year history, Clear Lake’s Color the Wind Kite Festival, scheduled for mid-February, was cancelled. Warm weather, rain and winds degraded the ice at the downtown Seawall. Many fluctuations between warm and cold weather also contributed to as many as three vehicles going into the lake.

Spring was lion-like, as about a foot of heavy snow fell on Clear Lake in a storm that arrived March 10. Forecasters said the rate of falling snow exceeded one-inch per hour in some spots. The National Weather Service said Mason City set a record for 24-hour snowfall for the date of March 11 with seven-and-a-half inches, breaking the old record of 4.9 inches set in 1951.

By April, warm temperatures had arrived and all eyes were on the lake with hopes that late season snowfall had helped to lift the lake level. When the lake was called frozen over on Dec. 11, 2012 the level was -31.44 inches below the weir. Officials at the city’s Water Treatment Plant declared “ice out” on Clear Lake April 14, and on April 15, the lake level was reported as 17.04 inches below the weir. The new mark represented a gain of 14.4 inches. And just when spring was in sight, a rare storm on May 2 dropped 10-inches of snow on the area. Clear Lakers woke up to find eight to 10 inches of snow on the ground. Less than two weeks later, the scene changed from a blanket of snow and freezing temperatures to 95-degrees.

Following a week filled with rain, the level of Clear Lake inched ever so close to spilling over the weir by the end of May. The Clear Lake Water Department reported the lake level as -0.24 inches below the weir Tuesday, May 28-- a remarkable recovery from the -31.44 reported when the ice was declared frozen over on Dec. 11, 2012.

#8 Veterans finally get a memorial

Supporters of a veterans memorial spent half of the last decade working to make it a reality.

A proposal to construct a memorial to veterans was first presented in June 2014.  In the years that followed the issue, at times, became contentious.

In 2015 a task force charged with making a recommendation to the City Council about the best location for a memorial, placed a replica of the proposed structures at the Sea Wall, former downtown water tower site and near City Hall to give Clear Lakers a chance to see for themselves what it might look like. In April, the eight-member task force, which met regularly for almost seven months, told the City Council it was unable to reach a unanimous consensus. Without a clear recommendation from the task force, there was no basis for Council action. In November 2015 the City Council agreed to enter into an agreement with Clear Lake V.F.W. Post 4868 to have RDG Planning and Design, of Des Moines, provide design services for a proposed veterans memorial at the former downtown water tower site.

After more than three years of discussion, Clear Lake V.F.W. Post 4868 members announced in May 2017 they were marching ahead with their own plan to construct a veterans memorial at their Post. A fundraising campaign was launched with a goal of completing the project by spring or summer 2018.

The memorial was dedicated on Veteran’s Day 2019.

#9 Surf on historic registry

The Surf Ballroom & Museum announced in February 2012 that the historic venue had been listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register is administered by the National Park Service, and is the country’s official list of United States historic sites considered “worthy of preservation.” A property’s addition to the Register honors it by recognizing their importance to the community, state, or the nation. Specifically cited in the application was the Surf’s association with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of history, as well as its association with the lives of a person or persons significant in our past. These are both criteria needed to be considered significant at the local and national levels.

“Buddy Holly’s legacy has become intimately connected to the Surf Ballroom as his final performance venue,” stated Alexa McDowell of AKAY Consulting. McDowell represented the Surf during the nomination process and was responsible for the research and submission of their case to the National Register.

The Surf Ballroom was also eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places because of significance in its association with the history of recreation and tourism, which has long been central to both the economic and social vibrancy of Clear Lake and as an exceptional example of Modern architecture.

A plaque designating the Surf Ballroom’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places was unveiled.

The present Surf Ballroom was constructed in 1948 following a tragedy that struck the original lakeside venue in the early morning hours of April 20, 1947 when fire destroyed the building. The Surf has maintained its historic function and stands today very much as it did when it re-opened to the public on July 1, 1948.

Today, the Surf Ballroom is operated by a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

#10 Color the Wind gets national attention

The annual Color the Wind Kite Festival received national attention in 2018.  Crews from the popular CBS Sunday Morning show were in Clear Lake to film a story about the February event. The show had planned to film a segment in 2017, but a lack of ice forced its cancellation. But in 2018 conditions were perfect. Organizers Larry and Kay Day said not only did the segment, which aired in March, raise awareness of the event, it also shared the beauty of Clear Lake with the entire country. Visits to the Color the Wind website skyrocketed and the 2019 event was the largest in its 18-year history.

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