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The
Official Newspaper of Anamosa, located in Jones County, Iowa
Anamosa News
Since 1855
 Thursday,
March 16, 2006 |
Bridge Makes Move from Hale to Anamosa
by Michelle Phillips |
JONES COUNTY–A crowd of spectators gasped as they watched a CH-47 Chinook helicopter cut through the fog with a large iron section of the Hale Bridge swinging beneath on March 8 at Wapsipinicon State Park in Anamosa.
The bridge was coming from its old location in Hale with some help from the Iowa Army National Guard, who agreed to move the refurbished, 126-year-old bridge to the park.
The Iowa Army National Guard brought two CH-47 Chinook helicopters for the lifting, a UH-60 Blackhawk for camera crews, and about 25 personnel from Company B, 2nd Battalion, 211th Aviation (previously known as Detachment 1, Company F, 106th Aviation) in Davenport and Company C, 2nd Battalion, 147th Aviation, in Boone.
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Iowa Army National Guard personnel watch as a piece of the Hale Bridge is lowered into place at Wapsipinicon State Park March 8. (Journal-Eureka Photo by Michelle Phillips) |
The soldiers spent about three hours moving the three sections of the bridge, the largest of which weighed 19,400 pounds, just 600 pounds shy of the limit for a Chinook.
Lt. Col. Greg Hapgood of Boone said the mission had to be approved through the National Guard central office.
“They have to determine if it can be done legally because we’re using taxpayer money, and then we have to figure out if we have the resources to get it done,” explained Hapgood, who said the National Guard was honored to be included in the project.
At the Hale sight, Bruce and Bonnie Conwell, who have lived next to the bridge for 35 years said they are happy to see that the bridge is being restored and that it had been barricaded for the past five years it was over the river. A new bridge was built in its place in 2003. The preservation project was first started by Rosalie Ahrendsen when it was learned that the bridge was slated for demolition during that time.
“We think it’s a good deal that they saved it, but we think it would’ve been better to save it here,” said Bruce.
The Conwells felt the air-lift of the bridge was exciting and were amazed at how agile the helicopters were as well as the number of people that turned out for the event.
“It’s like RAGBRAI without the party,” quipped Bruce.
Along the highways and rural roads, people from around the county stopped to watch the “flying bridge”, particularly along the river.
At the Anamosa sight hundreds of people including students from Anamosa, Monticello and Olin schools, local, county and state officials and citizens from Iowa, Jones County and even a few from other states.
The family of Shad Myers, one of the flight engineers, was at Wapsipinicon Park to watch the event.
“We’re all a part of this, and they made it happen,” Brenda Myers, Shad’s wife, said of the National Guard involvement with the project.
“I think it’s fantastic, and the grandchildren are here to witness it,” said Brenda’s mother, Carolyn Conner.
Dwight Marti, whose son SSG Layne Marti, is also a flight engineer said, “I’m impressed. I’m proud of my son. It takes a lot of talent to set the bridge sections within a few foot of each other.”
“It went off perfectly,” said Layne Marti, who said his unit has moved five or six other bridges to locations in Eastern Iowa.
Shannon Ramsey, founder of Trees Forever was also on hand to witness the move. She was also impressed with the project.
“This is a perfect example of what can happen when people pull together,” she said.
At a press conference after the move, Jones County Historic Preservation Commission Chairperson, Rose Rohr fought back tears of joy.
She told the group, “You work for years on a project and when it comes together, it’s amazing.
How do I go back and say thank-you to all the partners because it’s every one of you.”
She said that it was phenomenal that the community had pulled together for this project and that all the work had paid off.
“We saw the Chinook lift up those trusses and it was awesome,” Rohr exclaimed.
The work on the Hale Bridge is not yet complete, and work will continue for several more months.
Plans include approaches to connect the bridge to each side of the river, paving of the trail and a kiosk.
Rohr is trying to compile reactions to the event and would welcome input from those who attended.
You can reach Rohr at 319-480-0221. |
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Photos from Top Left: A Chinook places the last piece of the bridge on its new piers; Allan King Sloan, great-great grandson of the bridge's builder, Rose Rohr and Merlin Moore check out one of the cast iron patent plates for the Hale Bridge. People watch and wait at the Hale sight before the last piece is moved. (Journal-Eureka Photos by Michelle Phillips)
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Bridge Builders Ancestor Attends Bridge Event
by Michelle Phillips |
ANAMOSA–Allan King Sloan traveled all the way from Lexington, MA last week to witness the Hale Bridge airlift on March 8. The move was of special interest to Sloan because he is documenting information about bridges produced by his great-great grandfather, Zenas King, owner of King Iron Bridge Company, the manufacturer of the Hale Bridge.
Sloan said the bridge is one of over 10,000 bridges that were produced by King between the years of 1858-1923. He said the Hale Bridge was patented by King as a “tubular bowstring” bridge.
“One of the important things about the bridge, is that it had a patent number, but both of the patent plates have disappeared,” said Sloan, who said it was not uncommon for the plates to get stolen.
Sloan said the Hale Bridge is well known by historians and has been well documented over the years. This bridge was easy to find, but Sloan said many of the bridges have been destroyed coupled with the fact that his family didn’t keep many records, has made the search for bridges difficult.
“In the 1890s they claimed to have built more than 10,000 bridges, and for the last five years we’ve been tracking them down,” said Sloan, who gets assistance from his family, and has started a trust to help fund the search and restoration projects of bridges.
He said King sent bridges all over North America by rail.
“They were relatively cheap, pre-made in a factory, shipped by train and erected by local people,” Sloan explained and added that King sent hundreds of company catalogs to county commissioners across the country each year.
Only about 70 of the bridges have been found thus far. Sloan said they often get taken apart and only one section is moved. He added that the King Iron Bridge Company’s largest bowstring bridge was five spans. He later began making Pratt truss bridges, which were cutting edge technology at the time.
Merlin Moore and Grace Zimmerman suddenly approached the table and told Sloan that one of the cast iron plates for the bridge had been found in Jones County. It was then discovered that the plate had been given to Rose Rohr.
Upon hearing the news Sloan offered to donate money from his bridge fund to restore the plate, which had a corner broken off. He was also the first donor when the restoration project began for the Hale Bridge. He added that the fund is also use to help preservationist lobby for saving the bridges.
“We’ve helped with 14 different projects,” he said.
Sloan said the bridges were very instrumental in moving people, goods and animals and creating a communication system between towns.
Sloan said he wished his grandkids had been able to see the move, and he purchased t-shirts for them.
“I couldn’t help but wonder if my great-great grandfather and his sons were up there watching the bridge flying?” Sloan asked, and added, “I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.”
For more information about King Iron Bridge Company, to see their catalogs and read about other bridges, visit www.kingbridgeco.com.
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Bridge to be Topic of Two TV Shows
by Michelle Phillips |
JONES COUNTY–Local media were not the only ones documenting the air lift of the Hale Bridge on March 8.Both Iowa Public Television (IPTV) and the History Channel were on hand to film the event, arriving before the move and leaving a few days after.
Chris Gourley, a producer for Living in Iowa, said his group had filmed part of the sandblasting and painting as well as the actual move. He said Rose Rohr contacted the program about the project and he was immediately interested.
“I’m interested in historic preservation and there were a couple of other elements, TV is visual and the other thing is it was a community project. We are very interested in people stories and the solutions people come up with,” said Gourley.
Gourley said he was impressed that Rohr had gotten so many people involved in the project.
Steve Carns, the videographer for the piece agreed, “The great thing about Iowa is everyone has a story to tell. It’s been very exciting telling a story like Rose’s.”
The story is expected to appear on Living in Iowa at the end of March or beginning of April.
The History Channel also took interest in the project and came to Jones County to film the airlift for the series Mega Movers. Field Producer Rebecca Graham of 44 Blue Production Company said the History Channel was interested in the project because of the size and magnitude of the project.
“It’s a big move. We’ve never had anything moved by a Chinook helicopter and it’s an important bridge. It’s modern technology moving something very old,” Graham said.
She said not only had they been documenting the process of moving the massive object, but also the history of the bridge.
Graham said the show, Mega Movers, explains how historic objects are moved, but includes other information as well.
“A lot of our topics have a real community feel with people donating time and money,” she said. “It shows people they can save things like this in their communities.”
Like IPTV, the History Channel had film crews both on the ground and in the air.
The History Channel piece will air sometime this summer. |
Council Sets Two Public Hearings
by Michelle Phillips |
ANAMOSA–The Anamosa City Council held it’s regular meeting on March 13. Topics at the meeting included, the Façade Grant Program, Chamber Park, the new water treatment equipment and the will of Roy Lawrence. Council also set two public hearings.
The city council discussed the city’s Façade grant Program, and City Administrator Pat Callahan said the committee that over sees the grants would like to continue the program until all funds are used.
Callahan said he was not sure it was legal for the city to use private money for public purposes unless it is for economic development, and he was not sure if the program qualified. The council decided to table the item until its legality is determined by City Attorney Adrian Knuth.
Councilmen also questioned why Pizza Ranch was turned down for a grant. The facade committee reviewed the businesses awning project and rejected their request, but only stated that it didn’t meet the guidelines of the committee, with no further explanation. The council would like a more specific reason.
The council also wanted Knuth to review a contract with the Anamosa Chamber of Commerce concerning the new Chamber Park, which will be located between the Maquoketa Valley Electrical Cooperative and businesses along Main Street.
Callahan told the council he had just met with property owners and their concerns were about the layout of the park, not the park itself. He said the group would like the alley to be one way, widened and two curves taken out so they would still have adequate access to their property. The item will be reviewed and put on the agenda again at a later date.
City Engineer Doug Wilson reported on an item to approved the new water treatment system.
Wilson said the work would run from April 5- September 1 and the cost estimate is $298,628.00.
“We upsized it a little to increase the longevity. It’s more than adequate to bring us well into the future,” said Wilson.
Council approved the item, and one councilman pointed out that the city didn’t really have any other choice. The DNR will begin imposing fines if the water treatment facility is not upgraded.
The will of Roy Lawrence, one of the Lawrence brothers, who donated money to the city, which resulted in the building of the Lawrence Community Center (LCC), was discussed. The city is trying to determine whether or not money from the trust is intended for the upkeep of the LCC.
Again, the council agreed to send the will to Knuth for review.
Public hearings were set for two topics. The first is concerning proposed amendments to the City of Anamosa Zoning Ordinance. The hearing has been set for 7 pm March 27.
The second hearing will be concerning the waste treatment facility. It will be held April 10 at 7:05 pm. |
St Pat’s Students Create Podcast on Early Man |
ANAMOSA–The fifth and sixth grade students in Kathy Morrison class at St. Pat’s School have been studying topics like Early Man and Ancient Egypt, but the kids have put a new twist on learning about these historical humans, podcasts.
A podcast is audio or video that can be downloaded from a website to your computer, or onto an ipod or MP3 player.
They range from radio broadcasts t o speeches to short films, and they are hot at the moment.
Morrison said the whole class worked together on the first project, Early Man, which has been completed, and they are currently working on Ancient Egypt.
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Fifth and Sixth grade students at St. Pat’s working on their podcast. |
She said the kids first worked on projects related to the topic, learned the material, then produced the podcast with the help of Bob Furino, Integrated Technology Consultant at Grant Wood AEA (GWAEA).
“So far we’ve done Early Man, next week Bob will be in to help them work on Egypt,” Morrison said.
She said she learned of the program at a technology workshop in Cedar Falls, which was sponsored by the GWAEA.
“It’s really new,” she said.
Furino added, “ It seemed like a new way of learning to me. I thought it would be educational, and Kathy loved the idea.”
The 16 students, who call their podcast House of Topics, all took on different roles in the project, with two directors, two technology people, two editors, two advertisers, three hosts and five interviewees. Morrison said the kids were put into groups and worked at every aspect of the production and everyone got to interview or be interviewed.
The kids had their favorite parts and recognized things that didn’t work as well as advice they would have for other students who try podcasting and future topics. In a group interview, the students said the following:
Favorite parts and what worked or didn’t work:
Olivia Deutmeyer, sixth grade: My favorite part was when we recorded everything and added music.
Emily Oldham, sixth grade: I liked picking out the music we recorded.
Heidi Wehling, sixth grade: The hardest part was when we were recording. The first time we did it, it sounded like people were reading off papers, and the fan was going. We wanted it to sound like a real conversation.
Morgan Smith, sixth grade: It was also hard when you asked questions, not to say a lot of ‘ums’.”
Sophie Corpstein, fifth grade: The first time we did it the host would ask a question and they were all yes and no (answers). The next time the people doing it need to talk more than the host.
Victoria Boge, fifth grade: There needs to be more detail to get a better answer.
McKenzie Machart, fifth grade: They need to fully answer the questions.
Emily Feldmann, fifth grade: I would say people should have fun and not think of this so seriously.
Megan Conley, sixth grade: I would probably keep the same conversation type. In the last one I liked it because we’re talking like it’s a really conversation.
Darien Reese, fifth grade: I liked the humor of it because when someone said something funny, you could hear everyone laughing.
On other topics for podcasts:
Jennifer Beall, sixth grade: We just worked on Egypt as a project for Social Studies.
Bridgette Postal, fifth grade: I think we could use science or nutrition.
Advice for other kids:
Jorge Moctezuma, fifth grade: I would tell other kids to pay attention to what you are learning.
Ben Wheeler, fifth grade: Try not to mess up, you don’t want to have to redo it in the editing process.
Brianne Cook, sixth grade: It was fun, I can’t wait to do it again.
Abbey Hunt, sixth grade, was absent and unavailanble to comment.
All of the students agreed that creating the podcast was educational, but it didn’t feel like it at the time. They said it was important to keep the background noise down, speak slowly, clearly and loadly, and most importantly to have fun.
“A number of schools came in to learn about podcasting, but St. Pat’s is the only one that really wanted to pursue it,” explained Furino, who made several trips to the school to assist in the project.
It took several months for Early Man to be completed, but both Furino and Morrison agree that the students could produce them faster now because they know what they’re doing. The first time was a learning process. Morrison said she hopes to include other grade levels and hopes to do video podcasts as well.
The class produced the podcast on Macintosh computers, and Furino said the Macs are easier than PC for podcasting, but a PC will also work.
“It’s much, much easier on a Macintosh, Macs have always been really good with digital audio and video,” Furino said.
Furino said it’s pretty easy to get started with podcasts, and that you just need a computer with the capability of recording audio and video, if you want video and an internet connection. He added that will Macs a G3, G4, G5 or new Intel -based Mac will do the job, as will a Pentium 3 or Pentium 4 processor for the PC.
“These really aren’t very high level things, so you don’t have a lot of expanding with podcasting,” he said. “You can be up and running for about a $100.”
To listen to Early Man go to www.stpat-anamosa.pvt.k12.ia.us, click on contents, then “House of Topics” Podcasts. |
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