Land

Deerfield Park grant application not funded for third time (09/17/08)
"We came close, but we didn't hit the money," Spencer Park and Recreation Director Delray Bredehoeft told Spencer Park Board members Tuesday night as he informed them a Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) grant application for the development of Deerfield Park was not funded for a third time...

Council to consider "Historic Restoration" classification tonight (09/02/08)
A 5:30 p.m. Personnel and Finance Committee meeting, followed by a Committee of the Whole session at 6:15 p.m., and regular council meeting beginning at 6:30 p.m. will make for a long evening for Spencer's governing body. The council will review the final filing of a proposed ordinance that will provide for a new section to the city code pertaining to substandard buildings; providing for an "Historic Restoration" classification...

Living History Farms sells plot to developer (08/14/08)
DES MOINES (AP) -- Living History Farms has sold 40 acres of its land to create an endowment that would help finance the museum's operations. Polk County Recorder records show the sale was finalized at the end of July to S&S Heritage Park LLC, which paid nearly $7.2 million for the property...

Anglers Bay dedication celebrates conservation success (07/31/08)
The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources invite the public to join in the dedication of the state's new Anglers Bay Wildlife Management Area on Saturday morning, Aug. 2. The dedication will be held at the project site on the northeast side of Big Spirit Lake, nestled between Hales Slough to the south and Sandbar Slough to the north...

Public land grazing could be allowed (07/25/08)
Gov. Chet Culver on Thursday announced steps that the Iowa Departments of Natural Resources and Transportation are taking to assist farmers affected by this year's flooding and severe weather. The governor said he will encourage the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to consider the value of haying and grazing as an alternative to burning and for control of brush invasion into grassland areas...

Briefs 7-10-08 (07/10/08)
Arts on Grand will present Music in the Gallery at 7 p.m. tonight. This week's featured musicians will be Tim and Amanda, and possibly a few special guests. They will perform music for guitar and voice with a country flavor, including covers of songs made famous by such groups as Creedence Clearwater Revival. A $5 donation is requested, with proceeds going to the artists...

Briefs 7-09-08 (07/09/08)
The Spencer Area Farmer's Market will be held every Wednesday and Saturday, from 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., in the Southpark Mall parking lot. Come see the homegrown, fresh produce for sale. --- Weekend Program at Lost Island Prairie Wetland Nature Center will feature "Terrific Trees" at 10 a.m. on July 12...

Lawmakers look to free up grazing land (07/09/08)
Policy-makers in Des Moines and Washington, D.C., are looking for some alternatives to flooded pastureland throughout the state. The U.S. Department of Agriculture released Conservation Reserve Program acres for grazing in Iowa's Presidential Declared Disaster counties because of flooding. U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley wrote to Secretary Ed Schafer last month asking for the early release...

Environmental protection commission to meet July 8 (07/08/08)
DNR will update the Environmental Protection Commission on the status of flooding events in Iowa and summarize its response efforts to the flood at the monthly EPC meeting July 8. They will also discuss how land use practices can contribute to flooding...

Nature photography instruction (06/05/08)
The Northwest Iowa Center for Photography, in conjunction with CR Gallery and Lost Island Lake Prairie Wetlands Nature Center, would like to invite interested photographers to sign up for a day of nature photography instruction to be given by Stan Buman, a nature photographer from Carroll. ...

Meetings 5-17-08 (05/19/08)
The Spencer City Council will hold a Committee of the Whole session at 5:15 p.m., Monday, May 19 in the conference room at City Hall. On the agenda: City Manager evaluation. --- The Iowa Lakes Community College Board of Trustees will meet at 8 a.m., Tuesday, May 20 in the conference room of the Administration Building on the Estherville campus. The board is scheduled to accept a retirement, and designate board authority to signs checks and contracts...

City Info 5-17-08 (05/19/08)
The city has gone to regular pick up on tagged bags of grass and brush on the following days: Thursday -- west side of Spencer, and Friday -- east side of Spencer. --- Open burning within the corporate limits of Spencer is not allowed by ordinance. To dispose of leaves, grass clippings, other lawn waste or any household waste by burning is illegal. You may be subject to a fine...

County Growers Field planted (05/15/08)
One hundred corn hybrids were planted in the Clay County Growers Field earlier this month. This marks the 21st year for the corn plot. Projects other than the Corn Hybrid evaluation are a Planting Population study and the use of Fungicide on corn. The corn is on land owned by David and Jan Hopkins and farmed by Al Patten...

Meetings 5-14-08 (05/14/08)
The Spencer Planning and Zoning Commission will meet at 8 a.m., today in the council chambers at City Hall. The commission will receive an update on the 2001 Comprehensive Land Use Plan's goals and objectives. --- The Spencer Municipal Utilities Board of Directors will meet at 7 a.m., today in the operations meeting room. Among other items, they will consider a funding request from Jobs Trust...

Supervisors approve Terramech loan (05/09/08)
Members of the Clay County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a six-year, $100,000 loan to help a new company get a foothold in Spencer. The vote, to assist a prospective company called Terramech, came with a recommendation from the county's recently-created Revolving Loan Board...

City Info 5-8-08 (05/08/08)
The city has gone to regular pick up on tagged bags of grass and brush on the following days: Thursday -- west side of Spencer, and Friday -- east side of Spencer. Open burning within the corporate limits of Spencer is not allowed by ordinance. To dispose of leaves, grass clippings, other lawn waste or any household waste by burning is illegal. You may be subject to a fine...

Willow Creek Watershed awarded grant (04/30/08)
Clay County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) Commissioner Jerry Crew announced late last week that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has awarded a grant to the district designed to aid in the development of water quality strategies in the Willow Creek Watershed...

Essick proud to join family farming operation (04/29/08)
(Women in Agriculture: Part One of a Four-Part Series) Stephanie "Steph" (Harves) Essick, who ranks among the nation's female farmers, doesn't view herself as an agricultural anomaly. Like many Midwestern youth, Essick and her older sister grew up on their Clay County farm riding the bean bar, cultivating row crops and hauling bales of hay...

Council authorizes property purchase (04/29/08)
Members of the Spencer City Council on Monday night authorized the sale of a city lot as part of an economic development package. The vote came during a special meeting of the council. General Machine Works owner Eugene Wood would like land to construct a 110- by 85-foot expansion at a site near West Second Street. The company manufactures electric clutches and hydraulic valves for industrial and farming equipment...

Development project on council agenda (04/26/08)
By Russ Mitchell Daily Reporter Staff Members of the Spencer City Council gather for a special meeting at 5:15 p.m. Monday to consider a property sale for the expansion of General Machine Works. Prospective buyer Eugene Wood would like land to construct a 110- by 85-foot expansion at its West Second Street location. General Machine Works manufactures electric clutches and hydraulic values for industrial and farming equipment...

Council green lights sewer study (04/22/08)
A Storm/Sanitary Sewer Evaluation Study was given the go ahead during Monday night's Spencer City Council meeting. The study will serve as the first step in an extensive process designed to help the city comply with an EPA mandate handed down approximately eight months ago, requiring the city to eliminate its combined storm and sanitary sewer systems...