City Unveils Plans For Cleveland Park Castle Playground Area
(Le Mars) — City officials have released the architect’s rendering for the new proposed Cleveland Park Castle playground. City administrator, Jason Vacura says, by intention, the new playground set features many of the familiar structures that were a part of the old playground set.
Vacura says the new castle playground will be accessible for all ages and all abilities. He says the city received several comments and suggestions from community residents as to what the new playground set should look like.
Immediately following the destruction of the old playground set, Vacura says city officials began planning for the new playground. The city administrator says the Le Mars Area Betterment Foundation stepped forward to help finance the new project.
Vacura says the city will also help finance a couple of the playground features including a mini zip-line and a playground equipment specifically constructed for handicapped children.
Vacura describes the new Cleveland Park Castle, as well
as mentions it various features.
The city administrator says the new playground set is comparable in size to the old structure. The new playground has an area of 10,600 square feet.
Construction is scheduled to begin within the next few weeks. Vacura says it will take approximately five weeks to complete. Vacura says if construction proceeds as scheduled, sometime by mid-August Le Mars will have its new Cleveland Castle Park. Vacura says the public can view the renditions at city hall, and soon at the public library.
Vacura Discusses Proposed Splash Pad And Dog Park
(Le Mars) — Discussions surrounding the new Cleveland Castle Park playground area, also prompted questions about a new restroom facility, and whether the city is still considering installing a possible splash pad, as well as a proposed dog park. City administrator Jason Vacura says those plans are
still being talked about.
As for a proposed splash pad, Vacura says instead of Cleveland Park, the idea is to install a future splash pad at O’Toole Park.
With regards to the proposed community dog park, Vacura says it is tied with the Industrial Park grading project that was approved by the city council this week.
COVID-19 Hurting Iowa Hospitals’ Bottom Line
(Des Moines) — A new report projects Iowa hospitals could lose one-point-four billion dollars between March and September due to COVID-19. The report found 90-percent of the state’s hospitals operated in the red during March and April, largely due to not being able to perform non-essential procedures. Marty Guthmiller, C-E-O of the Orange City Area Health System, says even with millions in state and federal support, some rural hospitals will close.
Guthmiller says the CARES Act funding his rural hospital has received so far has only covered operating expenses for 36 days. While much of the financial impact is tied to revenue lost when the state halted non-elective procedures, there are other expenses. UnityPoint Des Moines C-E-O David Stark says his hospitals are still losing a lot of money due to COVID-19 from doing things like staffing entrances to screen for the virus.
Stark says his hospital is losing revenue as it continues to limit procedures and set aside beds for COVID-19 patients. The report was done by a Minneapolis accounting firm and was commissioned by the Iowa Hospital Association.
New Unemployment Claims Drop
(Des Moines, IA) — The number of first-time unemployment dropped dramatically in the last week as more businesses opened back up. There were 69-hundred-20 claims — which down almost 50 percent from the week before. It is the first time in 11 weeks the first-time claims have gone down. The
number of continuing weekly unemployment claims was down by 13-thousand to 165-thousand-195. The state paid out more than 51 million dollars in unemployment benefits.
Study Finds Vaping Increase Risk Of Dental Disease
(Iowa City, IA) — A study on electronic cigarettes done in part by a University of Iowa researcher finds vaping significantly increases the risk of dental disease. U-I Professor Sukirth Ganesan says he was stunned by how quickly the use of e-cigarettes impacted good bacteria, leaving users’ mouths teeming with infection-causing organisms and at substantial risk for ailments ranging from gum disease to cancer. The study found those who vape had oral bacteria that resembled periodontitis, a gum infection that can lead to tooth loss and, left
untreated, is a risk factor for heart and lung disease.
New Campaign Focuses On Getting More Census Forms In
(Des Moines, IA) — Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg, who chairs the Iowa 2020 U.S. Census Complete Count Committee, says a new campaign called “Key to the Future” is underway focusing on Iowa’s 928 cities and each of the 99 counties
to boost their response rates. Gregg says Iowa has more than eight-point-seven billion dollars at stake in the census through 55 different programs that consider population as part of their distribution formula. Iowa’s census response rate is now 67-point-two percent. That’s about three points behind
top-ranked Minnesota and a half a point behind Wisconsin, while Michigan and Nebraska are trailing Iowa by less than half a point.
Muscatine Co. Fair To Be Limited This Year
(West Liberty IA) — The Muscatine County Fair Board has canceled grandstand and fairground entertainment this year. Fair officials say the decision was made out of an abundance of caution after talking to multiple partners. Some of the entertainment that’s canceled includes stock car races, the Mo Pitney and Neal McCoy concert, and the carnival.
