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September 20, 2006
What's
Happening?
Akron Council
Vacancy
There is an upcoming
Akron City Council
vacancy due to Councilman John Lucken moving out of town. Anyone
interested
in filling the position
for the remainder of
Lucken's term which ends Dec. 31, 2007, please call City Hall at 568-2041.
Museum Coupons
The Akron Historical
Society still has coupon
books for sale. Contact
Lori Martin at City Hall.
Farmer's Market
The Sept. 27 food stand
at the Akron Farmer's
market is being hosted
by State Farm Insurance
- Brad Fowler.
BBQ in the park
New Horizons Church
is hosting a pork BBQ in
the Akron City Park Saturday, Sept. 30, 5-8 p.m.
Tailgate party
The Akron-Westfield
Athletic Booster Club is
having a tailgate party
Sept. 22 prior to the
Homecoming game in the high school commons. The pizza/chicken buffet
will be served from 5- 6:45 p.m. See ad on Page 2 for more details.
New car showing
Dirks Motor is holding
their annual new car
showing Friday, Sept. 22
9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. and will
be serving hot dogs. See
ad on Page 8 for more
information.
Free ice cream cones
First National Bank
will be handing out free
ice cream cones Sept. 22 during banking hours at the bank. See ad on page
15 for more information.
50+ fitness
Express Fitness & Health is hosting a 50+
fitness morning Tuesday, Sept. 26, 10-11 a.m. Come learn how to get into
better shape. See flyer inserted in this weeks paper or contact Express
Fitness at
568-2264 for more information.
Open House
Britton Chiropractic &
Rehab Clinic is holding
a third year anniversary
Open House Tuesday, Oct. 10, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. See flyer in this week's
paper for more information.
Classifieds
Obituaries
For Print Subscriptions, call 712.568.2208
Subscription Prices
$25 for Plymouth, Sioux, and Woodbury counties in Iowa and Union
county in South Dakota
$32 - elsewhere
$20 - college (9 months)
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Little Sioux
Corn Processors Inc. put up signs designating the site of their proposed
ethanol plant just south of Akron. From left: Heidi Shafer, John Woods,
Bob Wendt, GeneralManager Steve Roe, Russ Konwinski and Chris Williams.
A Sign of Progress
By Julie Ann Madden
There was a change in the landscape along
Iowa Highway 12 at 170th and 180th Streets this past weekend. On
Saturday, Little Corn Processors Inc. employees installed two of the
above sign -- one at the intersection of Iowa Highway 12 and 170th
Street and the other at the intersection of Iowa Highway 12 and 180th
Street. This will be the only change to the landscape until March of
2007, said General Manager Steve Roe. “We won't move dirt until (then).”
Although the signs are up saying this is where the Akron ethanol plant
site is, it doesn't mean the land deal is complete. According to Roe,
his company is still considering exercising their option to purchase the
land. “The option's all done,” said Roe. “We have served notice on the
landowners. Hopefully, we'll get the land purchase completed by
December.” Roe noted they have an option to renew the land purchase
option agreement for another six months if they aren't ready. “The plan
is to own the property by the first of the year,” said Roe, adding that
they have started the federal permit process. “The site plan is done,”
said Roe, adding he doesn't anticipate any problems with the property
they've selected. “We're going to file our application with FEMA (this)
week with our plans to bring the property up out of the 100-year
floodplain where the plant's going to set,” he said. “We don't
anticipate any issues with that.” Following that, the Little Sioux Corn
Processors Inc. will ask Plymouth County officials to rezone the land to
Heavy Industrial. “That will not have any effect on taxation of the
property until we actually build something,” said Roe, “so it won't make
any difference economically to the present owners.” They will also seek
a tax abatement as did Merrill ethanol plant officials. In late October
or November, Little Sioux Corn Processors Inc. will present their plans
to their shareholders and ask for approval. Next spring, they will
conduct the equity drive. “The construction date is set in stone,” said
Roe. “Sometime between March 1 and Aug. 1 (construction will
begin). ”Citizens and business owners can begin planning to house about
150 construction workers plus feed them for about a year, he said. They
will also be asking the City of Akron to allow the ethanol plant to
connect to the city's sewage and water utilities. North West Rural
Electric Cooperative and Northwest Iowa Power Cooperative (NIPCO) are
already seeking permits to furnish the electrical power to the plant, he
said. “We're on our way,” said Roe. “We're not backing away.”
Best of Show
Barb and Lyle
Ostermyer earned Best of Show at the annual Scarecrow Festival held Sept.
16 in the Akron City Park with their interesting piece of wood leftover
from a recent storm.
Connie Tentinger of rural Akron, S.D., is
preparing for a Team In Training marathon to be held on Sept. 24 to honor
cancer victim, Meggann Brown. Tentinger is raising funds to help find a
cure for cancer.
Running for Meggann
They were friends from the day they started
preschool together in Akron. Meggann Brown and Krystal Tentinger did
everything together, said Rhonda Brown, who lost Meggann to cancer on Jan.
31. The two girls ran together in junior high track and created a bridge
out of toothpicks for a high school state science competition. (At Right)
Krystal Tentinger (l) and Meggann Brown grew up together in Akron. This
Sunday Krystal's mom will be running in a marathon in memory of Meggann,
who died this past winter from cancer. Meggann played the flute and
Krystal the clarinet in the Akron-Westfield school band. “They were always
in trouble together,” laughed Krystal's mom, Connie Tentinger of Akron.
“If teachers kept the two at opposite ends of the room, neither got in
trouble but if they were together, they got in trouble.” After graduating
from Akron-Westfield in 1999, they went off to Iowa State University
together. Krystal studied horticulture while Meggann focused on
journalism. They chose to live in adjacent dorms their first year of
college to meet more people but the next year, they lived in the same dorm
complex. “They were close,” said Rhonda, who is also friends with Connie.
After Meggann's death, Connie discovered information about the Team In
Training organization which promotes healthy lifestyles as well as raises
funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Team In Training is the
comprehensive endurance training program for runners, walkers, cyclists
and triathletes. “I decided it was something I wanted to do because I just
think we need to do something,” said Connie, who began training for her
first marathon ever this past June. She emailed Rhonda to ask if it was
okay if she ran for Meggann. Rhonda and her husband, Miles, were happy to
give their approval. In order to participate in Team In Training, Connie
had to raise a certain amount of funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma
Society. To date, she has raised $1,304, of which 75 percent will go to a
California doctor for cancer research. She is still seeking donations. The
fund-raising deadline is Oct. 11. She is a member of the Omaha Team In
Training group. The 52-year-old told The Akron Hometowner she is a walker,
not really a runner. She walked an average of four to six miles a day
before beginning strength building training at Express Fitness, where she
is employed. “I have learned to run but it's still not my favorite thing
to do,” said Connie, who will be running a “half” marathon of 13.1 miles
in Omaha this Sunday. “Walking is still my favorite.” Tentinger walks for
five minutes, then runs for five and then walks another five minutes as
she prepares for Sunday's race. She enjoys walking along the country roads
near her home. Originally, Krystal was going to do this with her mother
but she just couldn't fit in training with two jobs in Chicago, Ill.
Krystal recently moved back to Akron. Krystal will join her father, Tom,
and brother, Joseph, at the race to support Connie. Her brother, Jeremy,
is unable to make it to the race but will be there in “mind and thought,”
said Connie.
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