Meyer takes the helm

By Trudy Balcom

 Tom Meyer, the new city clerk-administrator for Mc-Gregor is no stranger to northeast Iowa. Although he has lived in north central Iowa near Clear Lake for the past 24 years, he has family near here, and “we’d get over in this area quite a bit,” he noted.
    Meyer officially began his duties on July 1.
    Although he does not have a background in public administration, Meyer, 59, has a lot of experience leading organizations and dealing with finance. He left a position as executive director for North Iowa Regional Housing Authority, a non-profit, in Mason City after 14 years. Before that he worked for a saving and loan for ten years as an accountant dealing with real estate loans and foreclosures.
    He said he saw the ad for the McGregor position in the Des Moines Register last December. “It kinda caught my eye,” he said. So he sent in his application, but Meyer was not among the first round of applicants interviewed for the position.
    Initially, the job  was offered to a recent college graduate, but that candidate turned the position down  seeking a higher salary.
    When the council reviewed previous applicants they gave Meyer’s application a second look. They called him in May, five months after he had applied. The last 30 days have brought a flurry of changes to his life.
    “I’m very pleased with the way things have turned out,” Meyer said. “I’m genuinely excited about the opportunity.”
    Meyer admits he has a lot to learn, and big shoes to fill.
    City Clerk-Administrator Norm Lincoln has served the city of McGregor as clerk since 1988, and worked briefly as street superintendent in the late 1970s.
    “He really has a good relationship with everybody; I’d like to go in that same direction,”

Train derailament near Guttenberg sends two to hospital

On Wednesday morning, an Iowa, Chicago and Eastern  (IC&E) train derailed about  one and one-half miles north of where the Turkey River empties into the Mississippi, near Guttenberg, Iowa.
    According to a report from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the track, which runs between the bluffs and the river, was damaged after heavy rains Tuesday afternoon sent a large rock sliding down onto the tracks.
    At about 3 a.m., four engines and about seven cars carrying grain and ethanol overturned and some fell into the river and were partially submerged.
    The accident sent two engineers to the hospital in Guttenberg; the extent of their injuries is unknown.
    Fuel and oil from the engines and grain from the cars  spilled into the Mississippi.  As of press time, the ethanol tankers were not leaking.
    The spilled fuel and oil had reached five miles downstream, but cleanup was underway Wednesday morning.
    The Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the Iowa Department of Transportation, the U.S. Coast Guard, IC&E Railroad and the Clayton County Sheriff’s Department responded to the scene.

Top Shelf makes its debut; first new grocery in 21 years

By Trudy Balcom
   

Before last Tuesday, Roger Knott had never run a cash register. But he is hoping to become an expert quickly, now that he and his family have opened the doors to their new business, McGregor’s Top Shelf.

Top Shelf is a specialty grocery store, primarily featuring meat and deli products, beer, wine and liquor. They also have a two-bedroom suite above the shop that is available as a guest rental.
    Starting a new business was not on the top of the list for the family just a few short months ago. Then, in mid March, Roger was notified that his position as senior director of operations at Isle of Capri casino had been eliminated. He had worked for the company for 15 years.
Knott said at the time that he had no hard feelings and that he always landed on his feet.
`    Not only did he land on his feet, but he hit the ground running. Now, just three and a half months later, he and  wife Lora have opened the doors of Top Shelf.
    The store opened on last Tuesday, July 1, as planned. Well-wishers in the community sent many flower arrangements in honor of the event.
    “It’s been good to get the doors open,” said Lora Knott. She said there have been many nights when she and Roger have lain awake, thinking of all of the work to be done and remembering thiTop Shelf is the first meat market and grocery to open in McGregor in 21 years. Earl Davis closed the Davis Locker and Grocery in 1987.
    The store features Edgewood Locker meats, primarily pork and beef, with a huge selection of flavored brats, pork ribs, steak and even turkey and dressing. There is also a deli counter offering sliced cheeses and sandwich meats. There is also a large selection of sauces, spices and rubs. The product selection tends towards gourmet and upscale grocery items, but meat prices are very competitive with larger stores.
The store offers a nice selection of liquor and wine in the downstairs cellar and cold beer in the coolers upstairs.
    Roger and Lora plan to keep prices as affordable as possible, and they are open to customer suggestions and requests for items they do not currently carry.

June was second wettest in 132 years
    Harry Hillaker, the State Climatologist with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, last week released a preliminary summary of the weather for June and the first half of 2008.
    The preliminary June 2008 statewide average June precipitation total is 8.86 inches. However, there are numerous locations across Iowa that recorded more than one foot of rain in June.  The greatest preliminary totals are 15.13 inches at Dorchester in far northeast Iowa and 15.05 inches at Massena in the southwest.
    This ranks as the second wettest June among 136 years of records. Only June 1947 was wetter at 10.33 inches.  
    This is the fifth top four finish among the monthly rankings since last August. August 2007 was the wettest August on record, October 2007 ranked fourth wettest among Octobers and December 2007 ranked second wettest among Decembers.   April 2008 preliminarily ranks second wettest April.

 First One-Half of 2008
    The first six months of 2008 were the wettest recorded since statewide records began in 1873.   The statewide average precipitation was 24.30 inches or 7.96 inches above normal. 
    Statewide temperatures have averaged 39.8º or 3.0º below normal.   This ranks as the 17th coolest January through June period among 136 years of state records.   The temperature has failed to exceed 92º anywhere in Iowa so far this year.  

Factors Leading to the Historic Flooding of 2008
    As in 1993, there have been several factors that have contributed to the severe flooding in 2008.   First, the state was already saturated with moisture before the year even started.   Last year was Iowa’s fourth wettest year among 135 years of state records. Second, this past winter was unusually cold and wet.  Record or near-record snowfall was reported from parts of eastern Iowa while overall Iowa recorded its 21st coldest and 8th wettest winter among 135 years of data.   Next, the spring was also unusually cool and wet, ranking 29th coldest and 12th wettest spring among 136 years of data. The lower temperatures are significant in that they result in lower evaporation rates, thus slowing the rate of drying.
    The magnitude of the rains in the May 29 to June 12 period were such that very severe flooding would have resulted anyway, but these antecedent conditions definitely made things worse. Virtually the same combination of factors were present in 1993 as well.