The Des Moines Register from Des Moines, Iowa • Page 11

SFCTION January 13, 1987 D.M. sets sights on tax inequities, population slide DATELINE IOWA wwf i I if S' I mm REGISTER PHOTO BY BOB NANDELL n1 lift- I i I til- I 1 1 t-1 Sy'f T) Police focus on local angle By ANNE WILLETTE Resistor Staff Writer Despite predictions that Des Moines' population will continue to fall, city officials are working on a plan they hope will bring 11,000 people into the city by the year 2000. During a joint meeting Monday, the City Council and the Plan and Zoning Commission were told that Des Moines needs to reduce tax inequities with its suburbs. Officials also said the city needs to annex land for up to give the residents of the suburbs a place to work," said Plan and Zoning Commissioner Sam Soda. "I don't think it's unreasonable to have them help support the city of Des Moines." Work in Des Moines The 1980 census found that 71 percent of Clive's residents, 62 percent of Urbandale's, 61 percent of West Des GROWTH Please turn to Page 3M Shirt sleeves weather As temperatures soared across Iowa Monday, these Car- Bob Disney, Lauri Nelson and Gayton Conklin, all of Des penters' union apprentices enjoyed the spring-like day Moines.

The mercury climbed to 47 degrees in Des during a mid-afternoon break from their classes at a Moines, short of the record 60 degrees in 1928. The normal downtown warehouse. Tbey are, from left, David Plumb, temperature here at this time of year is about 26 degrees. D.M. community leader is struck, killed by car scale residential neighborhoods and business parks and find ways of improving the city's overall appear ance.

How those goals will be reached was not discussed Monday. City plan ners hope to have recommendations ready for consideration in two to three months. Des Moines' population peaked at 209,000 in 1960. By 1980, there were 191,000 residents in the city. If that trend continues, 175,000 people will live in Des Moines by the year 2000.

"We Made It Easy" During the 20 years that Des Moines lost 18,000 people, its suburbs gained 52,000 residents. "We gave them a freeway, and we made it easy, said Des Moines city planning director James Grant. "They have nice land with quick access to their jobs. The City Council has set 205,000 as its target population for the turn of the century. City planners believe that is the number of people needed to keep the city economically viable.

"We cannot afford to be like the ostrich and put our head in the sand, or we will very quickly go toward that 175,000 population," Grant said. The city officials agreed that Des Moines needs to reduce its property taxes and get residents of the suburbs to help pay for Des Moines' cultural centers, hospitals, streets, sewers and police and fire protection. "It just bothers me to know that the residents of this city are paying for the greater, beautiful downtown area Vote expected on future of north-side mall By PERRY BEEMAN Resistor Staff Writor Officials from Polk County and Des Moines are expected to vote next week on long-debated agreements that would clear the way for construction of NorthRidge Mall. But the proposed mall's future remained uncertain Monday. County Administrator Ray Sears presented proposed agreements outlining road, sewer and water service for the General Growth Development Corp.

project. The agreements describe road and drainage work. A big question when mall construction will begin remained unanswered. Supervisor Richard "Red" Bran-nan pushed for an answer. But Tom Nichols of General Growth responded, "I can't say when we anticipate ground-breaking." There has been speculation among local officials about whether the mall would be able to attract enough businesses.

That speculation has been fueled recently by Younkers' decision to buy the Brandeis department store MALL Please turn to Page 3M 13 11 1 in Bluffs killing probe COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA. (AP) Police said Monday they believe it was a local person and not a transient who killed 16-year-old Kristina Nel son Dec. 31. The body of Nelson, the daughter of Christopher and Carol Nelson of Council Bluffs, was found in the Mis souri River north of the Interstate Highway 80 bridge. She was last seen by her mother at 6:45 p.m.

Dec. 30 Police Chief Mark Moline would not say why the focus of the investiga tion is local. He said a number of details about the crime are not being released because doing so might jeopardize the investigation. If police reached a dead end, fur ther details would be released, said Moline, but that is not expected soon Sioux City Air Guard takes Panama Canal assignment Tht Resistor's low News Srvtct SIOUX CITY, IA. The 185th Tac tical Fighter Group of the Iowa Air National Guard is taking over the air defense of the Panama Canal for 30 days, a spokesman said Monday.

Lt. Col. James Brown said the 185th has served in Panama before and he described the assignment as routine for Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve units. The Sioux City unit will not be as signed to protect other Latin Ameri can nations during its Panama tour, said Brown. Embezzling charge brings prison term, probation COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA.

(AP) Steven K. Martin, former controller for Western Federal Savings and Loan Association here, has been sen tenced to 30 months in federal prison for making a false bookkeeping entry in 1985. Martin, 32, of Council Bluffs, also was placed on five years' probation for embezzling $15,000 from Western Federal. He was ordered to repay $20,000. The charges against Martin were cited by First Financial Savings Bank of Des Moines as one reason it dropped plans to merge with Western Federal last year.

3 sentenced to prison in Dubuque cocaine ring The Resistor's Iowa News Sorvtco DUBUQUE, IA. Three men, arrested in August in what officials described as one of the largest drug busts in Dubuque in recent years, have been sentenced on charges stemming from the raid. Kevin Cain, 21, a former student at Loras College here, received a three-year prison sentence for conspiring to distribute cocaine. He also was given a two-year suspended sentence for using a telephone to aid in the distribution of cocaine. Cain's brother, James, 25, got an Right-year prison term for conspiring to distribute cocaine and a 10-year suspended sentence for distributing the drug.

Doug Neyens, 24, of Dubuque, was sentenced to three years in prison for conspiring to distribute cocaine. The sentences were handed down by U.S. District Judge David Hanson )f Cedar Rapids. Sioux City man killed in one-vehicle accident nw Resistor's low Nows Sorvtco SIOUX CITY, IA. A Sioux City nan was killed in a one-car accident Monday.

Police said Billy Dean Goodvin, 31, Sioux City, lost control of his about 4:30 a.m. and it came to rest the front yard of a residence. Dr. Thomas Coriden, Woodbury bounty medical examiner, said Goodwin died of head injuries. Explosions, fire destroy Jallender home; no injuries ho Reentefl Iowa Mow Sorvtco CALLENDER, IA.

No one was njured in two explosions and a fire Jonday that destroyed the home of a Jallender family. Firefighters were called to the Joe Ichuster home about 12:30 p.m. fol-owing a pair of explosions believed have been caused by a liquid profane gas leak, officials said. The iome was engulfed in flames by the ime firefighters arrived. The blasts, which hurled debris nore than 200 feet, could be heard as ar as eight miles away, officials said.

Jo one was home at the time. Polk proposal would benefit local bidders By PERRY BEEMAN Register Staff Writer Polk County would give local suppliers a bidding advantage on county contracts under a proposed policy to be considered today by the Board of Supervisors. County Administrator Ray Sears said the policy would favor firms that operate in Polk County and the state, with those within Polk County getting the greatest advantage. The plan is similar to, but more specific than, the "Try Iowa" program, which urges Iowa businesses and governments to buy Iowa products and services when possible, he added. "This makes a strong statement that Polk County is interested in supporting businesses and individuals first in Polk County and then in Iowa," Sears told the Board of Supervisors Monday.

"We ought to provide economic development in this county," he said. Supervisors have tended to support local firms when they bid against out-of-state firms, but the new policy would provide a specific edge to local firms and ensure that bidders are told of the preference. Sears said he's been considering the policy for months. Supervisor Richard "Red" Brannan added fuel to the move recently when he supported an Ankeny firm that narrowly lost a contract for an excavation machine to a Waverly company that submitted a slightly lower bid. Iowa law requires governments to give preference to Iowa products and labor but doesn't specifically set guidelines for the times when a local firm's bid isn't the lowest submitted.

The Polk County policy would apply only when competing bids offer goods of equal quality on equal terms and with the same delivery schedule. A business that has an office in Polk County or that makes products locally could be favored if its bid is within 5 percent of the low bid on purchases of less than $10,000, or within 2.5 percent of the low bid on purchases of more than $10,000. The same consideration would be given to Iowa firms competing against out-of-state businesses in cases when no Polk County firm sub-milted a bid, or when a county firm's bid falls outside the guidelines. Brannan, while supporting the policy, suggested Monday that $100,000 might be a better cutoff for the two percentage guidelines, since few county bids are for less than $10,000. In other action today, supervisors are expected to vote on a resolution that would ban cigarette machines in county buildings.

Petitions opposing that move were posted in county break rooms Monday. REGISTER PHOTO BY DOUG WELLS pr 4 ti 'iuHWn vri'irwnirrn 'Ta ill, tbey moved out. Sewer gas and being blamed for causing the illness. ft i 1 SP m. Jl its? nil Head of lova Arts Council resigns position By ERIC ASPENSON Rtoistor Staff Writer Jeananne Celli resigned Saturday as administrator of the Iowa Arts Council because of her dissatisfaction with reorganization of Iowa government, an official said Monday.

"She said because of reorganiza tion she was no longer able to provide leadership for the arts in Iowa," said William Jackson, director of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. Jackson said Larry Brandstetter, chairman of the arts council, will appoint a committee to search for a new administrator. Until then, Jackson will assume the administrator's du ties. He said he hopes to have the job filled in two months. Celli was appointed in April 1985 by Gov.

Terry Branstad. Jackson said Celli's resignation came as a surprise. The reorganization of state govern ment cut the number of government agencies from 68 to 24. The arts council was eliminated as an independent agency and became a division of th? CELLI Please turn to Page 4M Attack of the Frank Talarico "Taught generations of people" lumbus Avenue at Southeast Fourth Street as Frank Talarico Park in honor of his work on behalf of the community. "He taught generations of people in this neighborhood," said Sam Cimino, FATALITY Please turn to Page 2M By TOM SUK Resistor Staff Writor A prominent Des Moines educator and community leader died Monday evening after being struck by a car near his south-side home.

Police investigators said Frank Talarico, 76, of 1916 S.E. First St. was on his way to the Bellizi-MacRae American Legion Post when he walked into the path of a car driven by John Woodrow Mitchell, 77, of 3116 Mahaska Parkway. The accident happened about 6 p.m. in front of the Legion hall at 1813 S.E.

First where Talarico had volunteered to help at the post's weekly bingo game. Mitchell told police he was traveling at or below the 30 mph speed limit but was unable to stop in time to avoid the accident. Talarico was a sociology teacher and boys' basketball coach at Lincoln High School for many years. He was active in community recreational and neighborhood improvement groups. He was a charter member of the Southeast-Pioneer Columbus Neighborhood Priority Board and was still an active member of the board at the time of his death.

Last year, the Des Moines City Council designated a tract of city land between Hillside Drive and Co- hidden was suspicious. thought it might have been a massive by a weeklong hospital stay for Fran than some type of gas in the house," of carbon monoxide. might have become very dangerous furnace started running last fall in the that sits near the East Thirty-third a sauna, which thrilled hundreds of HOUSE turn to Page 2M sauna: It's a gas, gas, gas By FRANK SANTIAGO Resistor Staff Writor When the philodendrons started dropping dead at his home on the Iowa State Fairgrounds, fair manager Marion Lucas But when Fran Lucas, his wife, complained of chest pains and her health I worsened, Lucas became downright upset. "She kept getting worse and worse. We heart attack," he said Monday.

A quick physical examination, followed Lucas, however, uncovered a culprit. "The doctors said it was nothing more said Lucas. Ultimately, it drove the couple out of the dwelling. Although the specific explanation is only a theory, he said, the suspect is a combination of sewer gas and a high level Had the problem continued, he said, "it to live there." The troubles began about the time the four-bedroom state-owned brick house JC- k. BR BZ I Street entrance to the Fairgrounds.

Built in 1967 as a show home, the big house has been used as the fair manager's residence in recent years. In the basement, the builders installed visitors who trekked through to gawk at the house's touches of luxury. For reasons that are not clear, the sauna later was ripped out and the room was carpeted about the time the fair managers moved in. The plumbing that Fair Manager Marion Lucas and his wife, Fran, lived in Fran Lucas became this hocse at the State Fairgrounds until recently. When carbon monoxide are.