Opening negotiation

Golf Course Brunch

Belgian waffles

Super subs

Mardi Gras

Appreciation dinner

Help ACT fire up

and thrive!

Last week, there were a couple of days when the temperatures dipped below zero with wind chills dropping double digits below zero in the Akron and Westfield area. On Sunday about supper time, Old Man Winter began dumping snow on the area. By 7 a.m. Monday, there were already about 5 inches on the ground, and the wind chill was -5 degrees. Another few inches were expected by evening and low temperatures were expected to be below zero each night this week until Thursday night when it was predicted to dip to -10 degrees. (Above) Residents, including Fritz Gabel of Akron, began digging out Monday morning as snow continued to fall.

Mary Lucken and Deb Kroksh, representing The Akron Children’s Center, met with the Akron City Council at their Jan. 7 meeting to get some guidance and help. Lucken said the Children’s Center has been hit with a 40 percent increase in minimum wage and this has stretched the center to the limit. She said fees have been raised twice in the last seven months to pay the staff the increase and there are many expenses which have also increased. Lucken said they had asked for donations from the business community but were not met with as much enthusiasm as they had hoped. “Having toured day care centers around Northwest Iowa we have a real gem here. We would hate to see it fail or close or be available to only affluent families,” Kroksh said. The two discussed the idea of opening a thrift shop in the old Legion building by the center. The thrift shop would have at least children’s items (everything would be donated), be manned by volunteers, and be open one day a week, possibly Saturday. They requested permission to use the building for the purpose of a thrift shop. The idea for a thrift shop come from another child care center in Sibley who is using the profits of the volunteer run store to subsidize their center Kroksh said. A thrift shop in Akron is an idea to get more income for the center and help to keep fees from going up. Mayor Harold Higman mentioned that all the utilities have been shut off in the Legion building. Lucken said they plan to turn them on and leave on as they would need lights and electricity. She would love to see the city pay the minimal utilities until the shop could get some income. She also said they plan to make the area look good and would just use the upstairs. There are still a lot of questions to be answered before the thrift shop can start Lucken said. “We apply for and get money from every grant that comes down the pike so we are out there already raising money,” Lucken said. Kroksh and Lucken both said they can’t be specific at this point but are just looking for support at this time from the city. The council agreed to let the Children’s Center use the building and discuss this more at a later date. Presently, the Children’s Center is having an ongoing recycling fund-raiser. People may donate their used consumer electronics to the children’s center. These items will be recycled in accordance with EPA regulations or refurbished and sold. One hundred percent of the proceeds will help fund the Children’s Center. Accepted items include used cellular phones, ink jet cartridges, DVD movies, DVD video games, MP3 music players, laptop/notebook computers, digital cameras, digital picture frames, portable DVD players, video game consoles, and portable navigation and GPS devices. Items may be placed in containers at the Children’s Center, City Hall, A-W school, First National Bank, Peoples Bank. In other business, Kristi Quinn, Sr. Community & Economic Development Planner for SIMPCO, met with the Akron City Council concerning grants. One grant is a business opportunity grant SIMPCO receives from the USDA which focuses on economic development and assists with community beautification. Quinn also said the city is applying to the Siouxland Foundation for $2,000 for assistance with housing rejuvenation. This grant would help with supplies to beautify older homes in need of repair with such things as windows, siding, etc. However, the owners would have to show an income need to get help. The city could ask for applications or send some out. Quinn said SIMPCO would review the applications so the city would not decide who gets help. She said this is a type of program that could go on for years and is economically good for the city. “This is a good way to make the community look better and help those who can’t afford upgrades,” Councilperson Deanna Boe said. Quinn suggested she will talk to the area businesses to get a feeling for what the business community wants or needs and have them ask questions they’d like answers to. “Losing one business is a blow to the community,” Quinn said. The council gave approval to move forward with SIMPCO to complete the grants.