Katie Gordon, Sgt. Katie Guisinger, Lisa Sherman, Katelyn Bovinett, Karen Varley and Kristen Crouthamel resist the Grinch’s attempt to steal the check.

Special to the Times Vedette

The 10 Squared Women of Guthrie County held its second quarter meeting on Tuesday, May 28 at Twin Vines Winery in Panora. Fifty-two women attended in person and 12 members attended via Zoom.

After hearing presentations from Stuart Police Department Community Programs (SPDCP), Guthrie Center Lions Club and Little Panther Daycare and Preschool, the group announced a lump sum donation of $14,400 to SPDCP. This consists of member donations and several employer matches.

The SPDCP is a 501(c)3 non-profit that was incorporated in 2022 but has been serving the Stuart area for years. As a nonprofit, SPDCP relies heavily on fundraisers, donations and grants. The mission of SPDCP is to improve relationships between law enforcement and the community through community programming, outreach, education and youth activities.

SPDCP programming includes Books & Badges, Bicycle Rodeo, National Donut Day, Summer Youth Programs, National Night Out and Shop With A Cop. SPDCP also participates in community events such as Good Egg Days, Trunk or Treat and Emergency Services Christmas, along with programming at West Central Valley Schools through their school resource officer program with Sgt. Katie Guisinger.  

Books & Badges was SPDCP’s first program, which began in 2019 in partnership with the Stuart Public Library. During Books & Badges, Sgt. Guisinger reads stories, gives away free books and has other activities or crafts for the kids to do. 

Summer Youth Programs began in 2022, to offer local youth with fun activities during June.  Summer Youth Programs consist of four camps that take local youth on trips to Springbrook State Park, the Blank Park Zoo and to an Iowa Cubs game.

Shop With A Cop also began in 2022, as a way to help at risk or economically disadvantaged youth in West Central Valley Schools with holiday shopping. Officers take youths on a fun-filled day of shopping, lunch and wrapping presents. The youths shop not only for themselves but also for any household members they reside with.

The Bicycle Rodeo was re-established in 2023, after an almost 10-year hiatus. During the Bicycle Rodeo, a book about bicycle safety was read, a STEM demonstration was completed, free helmets were handed out and a basic safety course was available for kids to participate in. A light lunch is served, and new bicycles are also raffled off.

“SPDCP wishes to extend our sincere appreciation and gratitude to the 10 Squared Women of Guthrie County for their generous donation. Funding for community programming and youth activities can sometimes be hard to come by, and this donation will allow SPDCP to not only enhance our current programming but also to expand with new programming,” Guisinger said.

10 Squared Women of Guthrie County has donated $343,050 since its inception in 2017.

The 10 Squared Women’s group holds meetings quarterly the fourth Tuesday in February, May, August and November. The group currently has 144 members and welcomes new members to help their communities and Guthrie County. To learn how to get involved, visit the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/10squaredwomengc, or email 10squaredgc@gmail.com.

By Shane Goodman | Times Vedette

The Ten Squared Plus Men’s group met Thursday, July 25 at the Links Conference Center.  Social time was sponsored by Mitch Johnk and Panorama Benefits. 

Three presentations were made: Kirby Klinge presented on behalf of the Yale Fire Department, Dale Hochreiter on behalf of the Panora Chamber of Commerce for the downtown sound system, and Bill Messinger for equipment for ACGC tech courses.

The 43 members in attendance chose the new sound system project for the Panora Chamber of Commerce. Final details on the payout and a check presentation will be published at a later date. 

The final meeting for 2024 for the Ten Squared Plus Men’s group will be Nov. 19. For more information on Ten Squared Plus Men’s group, contact Barry Monaghan at b.monaghan@gcsbank.com

By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

During the special meeting of the Guthrie County Board of Supervisors on July 25, the supervisors discussed the wording to be used in the ballot measure regarding the proposed countywide emergency medical services plan.

After some tweaking of the wording to assure consistency and avoid confusion, the board voted 4-1 in favor of the proposed wording, with Supervisor Mike Dickson voting against. Supervisor Maggie Armstrong asked Dickson for the reason he voted no.

“Just the fact that we don’t necessarily have it complete…we don’t really have a sustainable plan in place yet, and we’re asking for the maximum amount of 75 cents (per $1,000 in valuation) for 15 years, and we don’t really have that plan in place yet,” Dickson said.

County Auditor Dani Fink said the county is required to publish the wording of the ballot measure at least 60 days prior to the November election. She plans to have it published sometime in August.

Per agenda item No. 4, the supervisors voted to close the public meeting and go into a special closed meeting as allowed by law to discuss strategy with counsel in matters that are presently in litigation or where litigation is imminent.

The next regular meeting of the supervisors will be Tuesday, July 30. The public is welcome. Attendees may participate in person or by calling 323-792-6123 and inputting conference ID 547029216#.

By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette 

During the regular meeting of the Guthrie County Board of Supervisors on July 23, the supervisors continued their discussion about the process of developing a countywide EMS plan.

“What is the plan?” Supervisor Mike Dickson asked. In regards to the levy that would provide funds for the plan, he asked, “We’ve looked at a map, and we know, at the 75 cent level, what the funds will be coming in, so what is the plan with these funds?” 

The supervisors discussed the need to begin working on allocating the expected dollars so that this information can be shared with voters prior to the November ballot item. There was discussion about whether the allocation should be based on population or call volume.

Supervisor Maggie Armstrong said her opinion is that population should be the basis for the allocation. She gave an example of her reasoning.

“911 would never consider me a call, because I’ve never had to call for an ambulance at my home, but I still should be considered as a potential call, because I might have to call,” she said.

Board Chair JD Kuster said he heard that Adair EMS voiced confusion about the ongoing process and felt “left out” of the July 10 special meeting. Armstrong said the board members need to make sure to maintain good communication with all involved groups within each district.

The supervisors plan to have deeper discussions on the EMS plan and allocation of funds at the next meeting.

Other news

When considering approval of the county’s payroll, Dickson voiced his concern about overtime.

“There’s just way too much overtime in there. I don’t think we need that much,” Dickson said.

After discussion, the supervisors agreed that it would be helpful if department heads would give an explanation of overtime submitted and the reasons for it. Kuster said he would ask this of the department heads.

The next regular meeting of the supervisors will be Tuesday, July 30 at 9 a.m. The public is welcome. Attendees may participate in person or by calling 323-792-6123 and inputting conference ID 547029216#.

By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

During the July 22 meeting of the Guthrie Center City Council, Mark and Derrik Bauer (Tri-County Lumber) spoke regarding the city’s plans for building and selling a home at 907 Main St. The public hearing on the issue had been set for July 22 but was rescheduled to Aug. 12.

Mayor Mike Herbert informed the council of a meeting/survey set for this week.

“I was approached by (Guthrie County Supervisor) Steve Smith in reference to talking to some individuals about the EMS (countywide plan),” Herbert said.

Herbert said the purpose is to gather information from citizens about their feelings on the issue. The meeting was set for Wednesday, July 24. Councilmember Garold Thomas and City Clerk Kris Arrasmith said they would attend on behalf of the city.

Councilmember Carolyn Masters shared a concern. She noted that while lawns are generally being mowed adequately, weeds have become a common problem. She encouraged residents to make sure weeding and trimming is done when needed so the city can look its best.

“Nobody pays any attention to the weeds,” she said.

Lacquerisha Hall was appointed to replace Jessica Langgaard on the MJB Library Board.

As part of the consent agenda, the council approved two building permit requests (a fence permit for 100 N. 12^thSt. and a fence permit for 910 N. 13^th St.).

The next regular meeting of the council will be Monday, Aug. 12. The public is welcome.