Year in Review

As the year comes to a close, we take a look back at the stories which dominated the headlines in 2015.

# 1 It’s McKesson!

The biggest story of the year was actually the same story which topped the 2014 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 will create 164 jobs with an average salary of $39,000. 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.

Officials were notified of Clear Lake’s selection as the location for the warehouse/distribution center in January 2014.

# 2 Memorial mayhem

What would the proposed veteran’s memorial look like by the Sea Wall?  Or where the water tower used to stand? Or perhaps near City Hall?  Clear Lakers had a chance to see for themselves as 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 three locations and invited public comment.

A proposal to construct a memorial to veterans was first presented in June 2014.  Since that time the issue has become contentious at times.

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.  In the end, members were split evenly between placing the memorial at the Sea Wall, or at the intersection of Main Avenue and 8th Street.

Mayor Nelson Crabb said the City Council has always been openly supportive of the belief there should be a veterans memorial in the city.  However, without a clear recommendation from his appointed task force, he said there is no basis for Council action.

In November the Clear Lake 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.  Council members stressed they were not approving the site, but rather supporting creation of a conceptual design which will provide a visual for the amount of space a memorial would occupy.  The Council approved entering into the concept design agreement with RDG and into a loan agreement with the VFW on a 5-0 vote.

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[wlm_ismember] The additional funds the district will need to spend for its own leader.

In another unanimous vote, the Board showed its support for continuing to share its IT and food service directors with Mason City in the 2016-17 school year.  Unlike the superintendent sharing plan, there are no state incentive dollars available for sharing IT or food service leaders.  However, both districts have realized savings by making bulk purchases, according to the boards.  The Mason City School Board voted unanimously to continue to share IT Director Jason Christenson, however the board chose to table a decision about food service director Lora Jenson until its Jan. 18, 2016 meeting.

# 4 New top cop

Clear Lake Police Lieutenants Paul Chizek and Deb Ryg were directed by the City Council to handle day-to-day duties of the department’s leader as the city prepared to search for a new chief of police in January.  Mayor Nelson Crabb announced the lieutenants would share the duties in the wake of Police Chief Rex McChesney’s passing Dec. 26, 2014.  McChesney had been serving as chief since Greg Peterson’s retirement in January 2014.

In July University of Iowa Police Captain Pete Roth was named as Clear Lake chief of police.  Formal appointment of the City’s new top cop took place at the Monday, July 6, City Council meeting.  The 45-year-old married father of two was one of three finalists to be interviewed from the 24 applicants for the job.

# 5 CLEAR evolves

In June, the coordinator of the CLEAR Project suddenly resigned her position.  Mary Jo Burkgren, who was named to the post in March 2013 after longtime leader David Knoll stepped down to accept a position with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, left without explanation.

Immediately preceding her departure, Burkgren posted a message on the CLEAR Project Facebook page stating, “After 20 years the CLEAR Project has been ended. I want to thank all the landowners I had the opportunity to work with and thank you for helping the lake to become better.”  The message was quickly removed from the site and Deb Tesar, president of the Association for the Preservation of Clear Lake (APCL), called the statement inaccurate.  “The cooperating entities are all on the same page and committed to the project’s success,” said Tesar.

In November the Clear Lake City Council was briefed by Tesar about the idea of a new “Watershed Management Authority.”  The idea would continue the efforts started by the APCL and the CLEAR Project, which was formed in 1995.  Since that time, millions of dollars have been spent on various lake restoration projects, including $12 million on dredging alone.   The City Council has stated its support for the WMA and is awaiting the response of other stakeholders in the CLEAR Project.

# 6 Voters choose

The Clear Lake School Board welcomed two new members and the return of an incumbent in September’s school election. Incumbent Chad Kuhlers and newcomers Dr. John Brady and Michael Moeller were unopposed in the election.  Jill Wilhelm and Jon Loge, did not file for re-election. Loge was appointed in August 2014 to fill a vacancy after Deb Betz resigned.

In November’s Regular City Election, Jim Boehnke and Mike Callanan were returned to the Clear Lake City Council and  Mark Ebeling was a 178-119 winner over Rich Oehlert in the race for Ward One representative.  Dana Brant, the previous representative for Ward One, was forced to seek re-election in Ward Three due to redistricting created by the most recent census.  The new boundaries for Ward One placed the one-term incumbent in a race with another one-term representative, Jim Boehnke.  Boehnke was the winner in a tight race, 161-145. Callanan was running unopposed for his at-large seat.

Ventura Mayor Art Tesar submitted his resignation to the City Council in January 2015. Tesar, who was elected in November 2013 was moving out of the Ventura city limits and into Clear Lake.  The resignation was effective Saturday, Jan. 31.  Tesar was elected Mayor of Ventura, after 69 votes were cast for him as a write-in candidate in November 2013.  There were no mayoral candidates on the ballot that year after George Simpson chose to step-down.

Lynn Benson was appointed by the Ventura City Council as interim mayor.  In November he and incumbent Councilmen Darwin Avery, John Quintus and Michael Thackery ran unopposed.

# 7 The thrill of victory

It was a successful year for Clear Lake High School sports teams.

In February two Clear Lake wrestlers made school history by becoming the first to win State titles in the same year.  Brennen Doebel and Ryan Leisure pulled off the feat at Wells Fargo arena.  Doebel did it in exciting fashion, with a thrilling 3-1 overtime win. Leisure dominated at 126-pounds.

In March the Clear Lake girls basketball team headed to Des Moines to play in the State Basketball Tournament.

CLHS crowned two spring sports state champions. Senior Dane Waldron won the Class 3A boys state golf championship, while junior Sam Jones won the Class 1A state tennis singles championship in Waterloo.  Jones finished the season with a perfect 19-0 record.

If ever there was a team destined for success, it was the 2015 Clear Lake Lions baseball team.  Twice within a week the Lions found themselves down to their final out, facing the end of their season.  They had started the summer as the top rated team in Class 2A and the favorite to win the North Central Conference title.  Some bumps along the way, including a late season loss to St. Edmonds, dropped them from first to fifth in the rankings and dashed NCC title hopes.  But in the post-season the Lions simply refused to give up.  Twice in District play they were down to their last out, trailing in the bottom of the seventh, and unbelievably pulled out victories.  They ended the season as State champions.

A new era in Clear Lake football began in the fall, as Jared DeVries took over head coaching duties for the Class 2A Lions.  DeVries, a former professional football player, had served as an assistant coach under Fred Wieck, who retired. DeVries continued Clear Lake’s winning ways, finishing in a tie for the district title and qualifying for the play-offs.

# 8 

Political hotbed

For a few hours on Friday night in August, the legendary Surf Ballroom became the center of the political universe as the 2015 Iowa Democratic Wing Ding brought together four of the Democratic presidential candidates for stump speeches and munching on chicken wings.  Before a packed house of 2,100, candidates Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Martin O’Malley, and Lincoln Chafee were provided the opportunity to stand on the stage most often recognized for its rock and roll history and motivate the North Iowa party faithful in front of nearly 250 credentialed media, national broadcast media, and people eager to hear their platforms.

In August, House Republicans have selected Rep. Linda Upmeyer (R-Clear Lake) as the new Speaker of the Iowa House, effective at the beginning of the 2016 legislative session.  Upmeyer is the first woman to be elected Speaker in the Iowa House.  She succeeds Rep. Kraig Paulsen (R-Hiawatha) who announced he would not seek re-election and his intention to resign as Speaker before the 2016 session.  Upmeyer, who was first elected to the House in 2002, previously served as the House Minority Whip for two years and most recently the House Majority Leader since 2011.

# 9 Record ice-in?

As December neared its end it seemed all but certain that a new record for a late “ice-in” date would be set.  After all, unseasonably warm weather had kept Clear Lake ice-free and there was no signs of it letting up.  The record late ice-in date of Dec. 24, 2001 was all but on the way out.  But Mother Nature had other plans.  Saturday, Dec. 19, temperatures dipped and the winds, which had seemed to gust endlessly throughout November and December, decided to take a rest.  “Ice-in” was declared by officials at the Water Treatment Plant on Saturday, Dec. 19.

But wait!  According to Paul Fredriksen, superintendent of the Water Department, a record may still be in our grasp. The lake may open up.  When the lake does refreeze, that will then be the official date, he said.  The freeze, thaw and re-freeze has occurred before, according the Fredriksen.  Records show that in 1987 the lake opened up on Dec. 12 and 13 before refreezing on Dec. 14 and 15.  In 1988, the lake opened up due to high winds on Nov. 27, before refreezing on Nov. 28.  In 1994, the lake was partially frozen on Dec. 1, but finally froze over on the 10th, he said.

# 10 Major feats

Hundreds cheered as a  fire boat was christened and launched on the lake by the Clear Lake Fire Department.  Mark and Diane Holt were identified as the generous donors who provided $275,000 for the boat and brass pole at the Clear Lake Fire Station.  The Holts were on hand for a brief social gathering and blessing of the boat at the station prior to seeing the boat ceremoniously launched on the lake.  The boat was named “Bud,” in honor of longtime Clear Lake firefighter Frankie “Bud” Meyers, father of Diane Holt and Fire Chief Doug Meyers.  Bud Meyers served as assistant fire chief from 1974 until his retirement from the department in 1993.  He passed away in April 2013.  Bud’s widow, Helen Meyers, helped to christen the boat.  And although the act was emotional for her, she flashed a large smile as the launch was celebrated and was among the first to ride on the boat.

A food pantry opened in April. The United Methodist Church, 508 2nd Ave. N., is the temporary home for the new community resource.  Those in need of help putting food on  the table have previously had the Hawkeye Harvest Food Bank in Mason City available to them.  However, transportation to Mason City could be problematic.

The reconstruction of North Shore Drive from Buddy Holly Place to 1st Avenue North was completed before the busy summer season.  The underground storm sewer, water main, and sanitary sewer improvements were constructed during the 2014 construction season.  The 2015 improvements included street paving, sidewalks, driveways, street lighting, and landscaping.

Another project spanning two years, the remodeling of City Hall, was also completed by summer. The public had a chance to tour the newly renovated City Hall building, including an expanded police department, at a June open house. It was the first time in almost 40-years major renovations had been made at the building.  The project was done without a bond issue or borrowing.

The city also welcomed Kwik Star/Kwik Trip, which broke ground on a $10 million project on Highway 122, just east of Interstate 35 in May.  Grand opening of the new store was held in October. The Clear Lake project is one of Kwik Star’s  largest and most sophisticated of their 450 stores/truck centers in the three-state area they serve.

Representatives of Veterans Memorial Golf Club attended the Iowa Golf Association’s Annual Awards Banquet on Friday, April 3,  where VMGC was named the nine-hole course of the year.  It was noted by the IGA that a key component to selecting VMGC as course of the year was the efforts that have been made to rehabilitate the grounds and the operation since it teetered on the edge of closing after the 2010 season.  Many of the efforts have been led by a dedicated group of members, who have formed boards and committees to oversee the property.  Together, with legions of volunteers, many rehabilitation efforts have been addressed.

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