The staff and residents at Panora Specialty Care pose with their new accessible van.

Care Initiatives invests in increased access to care and quality of life.

Special to the Times Vedette

As part of Care Initiatives’ commitment to improving the health and quality of life for Iowans, the state’s largest nonprofit operator of skilled nursing facilities has invested more than $200,000 to support the transportation needs of residents.

Panora Specialty Care, which is owned by the non-profit Care Initiatives, received a new wheelchair-accessible van that will provide greater access to care, improve community engagement, and provide peace of mind for resident families. Panora Specialty Care is one of three Care Initiatives locations that received a van.

“The vans will fill a gap for residents who have appointments with specialists and other health care providers outside of our buildings and provide peace of mind for family or friends who otherwise would have made those travel arrangements,” said Jessica McDyer, Care Initiatives Vice President of Skilled Nursing Operations. “Plus, we’ll be able to arrange more engaging activities for our residents within their community and have a way to ensure they are safely transported.”

The Chrysler Voyager vans are equipped with a ramp for access by individuals who use a wheelchair or other walking device and provide necessary safety restraints for all passengers.

The three Care Initiatives locations receiving a new transport van include Panora Specialty Care; Northern Mahaska Specialty Care (Oskaloosa) and NorthCrest Specialty Care (Waterloo).

The new Care Initiatives vans are equipped with a ramp for access by individuals who use a wheelchair or other walking device and provide necessary safety restraints for all passengers.

Photo taken at the new 4-H food stand and livestock show ring building. Pictured are Tyler Carney, Fair Board Director; Matt Harmon, Fair Board Director; Scott McClellan, Fair Board Vice President; Collin Clark, Fair Board President; CW Thomas, Fair Foundation President; Roy Sargeant, Fair Foundation Treasurer; Mary Jane Carothers, 10 Squared Women nominator; and Penny Wetzel, Fair Foundation Director.

Special to the Times Vedette

The 10 Squared Women of Guthrie County held their first quarter meeting of 2024 on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church Parish Hall in Guthrie Center. Forty-six women attend in person and seven members attended via Zoom. The group added six new members this quarter.

Diane Flanery presented for Guthrie County Hospital Foundation; Mary Jane (M.J.) Carothers presented for Guthrie County Fairgrounds; and Devan Seeck presented for St. Thomas More Center. After hearing all three presentations, the group announced a lump sum of $¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬14,800 to be presented to Guthrie County Fair Foundation. This total consists of member donations and several employer matches.

Since 1858, the annual Guthrie County Fair has been a tradition in our county. For 166 years, generations of Guthrie County families have spent weekends attending and loving the fair. Today, the fair is one of the most successful county fairs in Iowa due largely to the fact that businesses and individuals from every Guthrie County community consistently support the event.

The Guthrie County Fair Board, seeing the need to move fair infrastructure out of the flood zone and to replace antiquated and unsafe structures, have almost finished a complete overhaul to the fairgrounds in the last 16 years, beginning with a new grandstand in 2008, new restrooms and fair offices in 2010 and completion of the new Event Center in 2012. In 2016, the board began in earnest to replace other aging fairground structures. In 2016, a new beef barn and small animal exhibit buildings were constructed, soon to be followed by a new Lions Club and Legion facility, a new Art and Ag exhibit building, a new 4-H Static building and, finally, a new open-area amphitheater that was completed in 2022. The fairground has expanded the popular camping opportunities in recent years to 272 individual electric hook ups. The amount of support for these improvements from the entire county has been amazing, according to Fair Directors.

Last year, the Board committed to its biggest single project in recent years — replacement of the 4-H food stand and the livestock show ring. The show ring had been in use since the late 1950s. It no longer had functioning restrooms. The layout of the ring required that cattle exit into a widely used pedestrian area, which was often dangerous for the exhibitor, the animal and the crowd that gathered there. The 4-H food stand was becoming structurally unsound and needed replaced.

This ambitious project, which started last fall with the demolition of the old facilities, is set for completion at fair time this year. The $700,000 project includes a new secure show ring, new and increased seating, offices for the Extension staff, a new kitchen for the 4-H food stand with covered seating, and additional restrooms. The building is up and being readied now for the fair, but approximately half of that funding still needs to be raised for completion. Most notable, as pointed out by fair board directors, is the need for equipment in the 4-H Food Stand kitchen.

All the county 4-H clubs and their members, with the assistance of the Guthrie County Youth Committee, man the popular 4-H food stand. The money raised from this venture supports county scholarships for 4-H members and 4-H educational workshops. Not only are the revenues important for those worthwhile youth support projects, but club members working there learn valuable skills such as working as a team; customer service; food service skills; and the rewards of community service.

The fair and 4-H still provide youth of all backgrounds opportunities to become lifelong learners and responsible adults. 4-H is popular in Guthrie County, which boasts 11 4-H clubs and 255 members, ranging in age from 10-18. Of those 255 members in 2023, 95 were livestock exhibitors and used the show facilities. Additionally, the Clover Kids group for ages 5-9 currently has about 60 members enrolled. Fans of the fair and 4-H in this county indicate that supporting kids and their futures is a priority.

The Guthrie County Fair Board and the Guthrie County Fair Foundation have both expressed sincere appreciation for the 10 Squared Women donation.

“We are so grateful for the generous donation from this organization which will go a long way toward purchasing new 4-H stand kitchen equipment and finishing the attached covered picnic area of the facility,” Fair Board Director Tyler Carney said. “It will be a great place for our 4-H members to work and for fair goers to enjoy.”

For more information about this year’s Guthrie County Fair, held over Labor Day Weekend Aug. 29 – Sept. 2, visit www.guthriecountyfair.com.

10 Squared Women’s focus is on donating funds to local organizations that vow to put those funds to work, right in our back yards. The funds are used in various projects to benefit Guthrie County community’s projects and residents. The group has donated $328,450 since its inception in 2017.

The 10 Squared Women’s group holds meetings quarterly the fourth Tuesday in February, May, August and November, with dates and locations subject to change. Members in attendance hear from three nominated organizations, drawn from “the hat” of member-nominated organizations at random, and vote on the winning cause that night. The remaining 2024 meeting dates will be May 28, Aug. 27 and Nov. 19 (held a week early due to Thanksgiving). The May and August 2024 meetings location will be Twin Vines in Panora. The November location will be announced at a later date.

The group currently has 142 members. Their goal is to reach 200 members. For a list of the more than 25 benefactors to date, visit their Facebook page, listed at the end of this article.

10 Squared Women members are not required to attend meetings, however, for their vote to count, must attend the live meeting or virtually. All members are expected to write their donation checks whether they can attend the meeting and vote or not. Attending the meetings virtually via Zoom in order to vote has been an alternative option for those who cannot attend in person.

To learn how to get involved, visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/10squaredwomengc or email 10squaredgc@gmail.com. Membership Forms and Frequently Asked Questions can be found on their Facebook page or by contacting them through Facebook or email.

By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

The Guthrie County Board of Supervisors held a regular meeting on March 19. Supervisor Mike Dickson was absent. Discussion was held about the proposed salary increases for the county’s elected officials.

Supervisor Brian Johnson said he suggests no salary increase for the supervisors at this time. Supervisor Steve Smith said he understands Johnson’s opinion, but Smith was concerned about creating a situation in future years, in which the supervisors may need to receive a larger increase than other Guthrie County elected officials in order stay comparable. Smith said it’s best to avoid that type of “catch up” situation.

“Over time, as we are trying to encourage and recruit new people to come on the board, I think it is important that we make it advantageous enough, because the work is heavy and the work is important,” Supervisor Maggie Armstrong said.

For that reason, Armstrong advocated for continuing to make incremental salary increases for the supervisors.

The supervisors voted to increase salaries for the supervisors by 3.5%, with Johnson casting the sole vote against. The supervisors unanimously voted to increase the salary of other elected officials by 3.5%.

County Auditor Dani Fink discussed the Proposed Property Tax Notice Statements that will soon be sent out to taxpayers. She explained that the letters are required as part of a new process legislated by the state. Fink said she believes some taxpayers will have questions about the new process and the letter, so she advocated for discussion about how to have her office and the supervisors prepared to respond to those questions. The consensus was that an information form should be available so that consistent answers can be given.

Item No. 4 on the agenda was “Courthouse photography by John Deacon.” Armstrong explained a concern.

“For general purposes, I don’t have a problem with it,” she said. “I did do as the email suggested and tried to Google ‘Deacon courthouses’…but I couldn’t find anything.”

The supervisors’ consensus was to ask the photographer to contact staff at the Sheriff’s Department prior to taking photographs. Supervisor JD Kuster said he would discuss the matter with Sheriff Arganbright.

The supervisors set a public hearing in relation to the proposed service level reduction on 233^rd Lane Section 7 Cass Township. The hearing will be Tuesday, April 2 at 9:05 a.m.

The supervisors will hold a budgetary work session on March 21.

The next regular meeting of the board will be Tuesday, March 26. The public is welcome. Attendees may participate in person or by calling 323-792-6123 and inputting conference ID 547029216#.