The Des Moines Register from Des Moines, Iowa • Page 55

WliST DES MOINES, CLIVE AND Inside today Brookview Elementary third-graders celebrate the fine arts. Page 2 Coming Thursday Find photos from a chilly Waukee Winterfest. MOT District joins YMCA in pool project School board OKs $2 million to help build a competition pool, making possible a high school swim team. for swim team practices, and for an additional 10 hours per week for other school events, such as swim camps. The district may end up paying for a lifeguard to work while swim team practices are in session.

Chief financial officer Rod Shirk told the board that the requires a lifeguard to work in addition to the swim coach. "We would hope that you would share in that (cost)," Shirk said. "Ankeny does, but that's your call." The Ankeny school district uses Ankeny YMCA facilities for its swim team. least 500 people. Officials hope to have the new facility open by Nov.

1, 2009. The district will pay $2 million over five years, with its first $400,000 installment due Nov. 1 of next year. The money will come from a local option sales tax. "I think this is another great use of our (sales tax) money," board president Pat DeMouth said.

"It's a cost-effective way to build those 4-A facilities," said board member Jerry Ripperger. According to the agreement, the pool area will be reserved for a minimum of 18 hours per week Also as part of the agreement, at least 20 parking spaces at the will be reserved for students and coaches during school activities. The agreement will last for 25 years. After that, the parties can choose to renew it. The duration was one point of concern for DeMouth.

"We're going to put in $2 million, and in 25 years the could walk away from it," he said. "I would have liked to see it longer term." The current Waukee located at 575 E. University opened YMCA, PAGE 9 By L. LARS HULSEBUS lhulsebudmreg.com The Waukee school district dove headfirst into competitive swimming last week. On Dec.

2, the school board unanimously approved an agreement with the YMCA of Greater Des Moines, pledging $2 million to help construct a competition-sized pool in Waukee. The pool will be part of a new YMCA under construction one block north of Hickman Road on Warrior Lane. The building will cost an estimated $14 million. Waukee High School does not have its own swim team, but district officials plan to have one by the 2010-1 1 school year. Waukee swimmers currently compete for Johnston.

The had originally intended to build a six-lane pool for its own needs, but offered to work with the school district to build the eight-lane, regulation-size pool with bleacher seating for at DRIVE TO DONATE IS GREAT 'A 1 Storm the castle for taste of the Renaissance 'Wmm 5 "4 i -V, 'A r5 I i If 111 VL V- By L.LARS HULSEBUS lhulsebudmreg.com When Ryan Beeken created Feaste Frolic, he never imagined how much it would grow. Ten years ago, the Waukee High School vocal director organized the school's first madrigal dinner, at which 50 students performed for 175 people. The event has become ever more elaborate and popular since then. This year's performance will include 110 costumed students and 500 ticket-holders. Feaste Frolic features an elite vocal concert, a eries of humorous skits and a lavish Renaissance-themed meal.

The commons area at Prairieview School will be transformed into a feudal fortress using more than 30 feet of foam castle walls. Beeken expects ticket performances on Saturday and Sunday to sell out. This year's skit will bring a bit of medieval levity to worrisome economic times. Characters include Lord Ben Bernanke, Lady Nancy Pelosi, and reporters from the Castle News Network CNN. The theme and characters are decided beforehand, MADRIGAL, PAGE 9 LISA FERNANDEZREGISTER PHOTOS -yeWL tm jj.iui......

vi Above, from left, Nikki Ellis, 16, and Katie Amon-son, 1 6, both of Waukee, get first-time donor stickers during the blood drive at Waukee High School in Waukee on Friday. At right, students drink juice and eat snacks after donating at the blood drive. iuii-'-b Bpjtupwwpfwwjymi iftjWKwywawy, "1 See more photos on Page 4 and online at i DesMoinesRegister.comphotos. 1, Fire damage could total 400,000 Does your family make the same dishes or bake the same cookies from a favorite recipe every holiday season? Do you make the same decorations, sing the same songs or gather with the same friends every year? Submit: Send us your holiday traditions, with photos, and we'll run some in the Waukee Register. All submissions will appear online.

Deadline: Send traditions and photos to communitydmreg.com by Dec. 12. Include: Be sure to tell us where you live and a little about who are in the photos. Robinson estimated $80,000 worth of corn was destroyed, as was the dryer, which was worth at least $200,000. Manager Joe Stork estimated the damage could total $400,000.

Stork said on Friday that the destruction of the dryer is not disrupting business much. The co-op only had a bit more grain to dry when the fire happened, and that grain has been diverted to other Heartland locations. Grain dust blamed for fire that destroyed grain dryer and corn at Heartland Co-op. By L.LARS HULSEBUS lhulsebudmreg.com A fire at Heartland Co-op in Waukee on Wednesday night destroyed hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of grain and equipment. The fire began at about 6 p.m.

Waukee Fire Chief Clint Robinson said Wau "We're gonna get through it about as good as it could possibly have been," he said. "If it was gonna happen, it happened at a pretty good time." Stork said that if Heartland decides to replace the dryer, a new model would be quieter and produce less dust. No one was injured in the blaze. "Amazingly, we didn't even have anybody fall on the ice," Robinson said. kee firefighters were on the scene in about seven minutes.

Members of the Dallas Center and West Des Moines fire departments also responded to the blaze. The fire seems to have started when grain dust ignited inside a grain dryer. The exact cause is still being investigated. Firefighters shut off utilities to the dryer when they arrived, and flames began shooting out the top of the dryer minutes later. 1 JU t-rv c-i itmr-.

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