Iowa City Press-Citizen from Iowa City, Iowa • Page 9

Weather HI LOCAL Have a local news tip? Give us a call at 337-3181 and ask for.Marlene Perrin, the city editor Deaths SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1988 Iowa City Press-Citizen Page IB ndry Chait brings art to Ian usiness Upscale laundries offer entertainment by attendants and offer big screen televisions, pool tables, video games, snack bars, tanning salons, movies and supervised play areas. Maytag says the first upscale laundry opened in the Midwest in 1975. By last year, 200 of the centers had opened. Industry analysts say there is a market for 6,000 more. Maytag estimates 30 percent of U.S.

households do laundry outside the home. 8 the Press-Citizen The days of hot, steamy drudgery are ending. Trendy upscale laundry centers might bring relief from the dreary chore of doing wash. According to the Newton-based Maytag Company, the trend is toward larger laundry centers with more and more features. Today's coin-operated laundry centers often are staffed 'I've had all kinds of different interpretations.

Part of the intent is to let this be art. To me, this is very definitely art, and should be experienced by the Benjamin Chait, architect By Mark Siebert The Press-Citizen It's a work of art. It's a monstrosity. It's superlauhdry. The latest creation by architect Benjamin Chait burst into the red brick decor of South Gilbert Street several weeks ago.

And people are taking notice. Chait has transformed an old train roundhouse at 408 S. Gilbert into an eye-catching laundromat of bright colors and odd shapes. A yellow diamond-shape piece of wood juts skyward on the corner of the building nearest the street. Huge black cracks painted on the sides appear to be fissures in the concrete walls.

Aqua-colored human figures stand non-chalantly on two sides. The overhang above the front entrance appears to be dripping blood. Chait plans to call the business The Laundry an ordinary name for a very unordinary building Some say it's bizarre, scary and strange. Iowa City Mayor John McDonald trying to be diplomatic said only that he would prefer it not be built in his backyard. Others say it's interesting, Monson Architects of Iowa City.

Chait also designed the brightly colored That's Rentertainment stores in Iowa City and Coralville. "Just like with the That's Rentertainment stores with the pink awning and blue siding whether people liked them or didn't like them, my object was fiat they knew they were there." Chait says the newest design is deconstructive architecture, which means the building is built to appear unfinished or falling down. For Chait, it was like bringing the West Coast to Iowa. "I've had all kinds of different, interpretations," Chait said. "Part of the intent is to let this be art.

To me, this is very definitely art, and should be 'experienced by the individual." Like the building, the format of the laundromat will be far from ordinary. There will be washers and dryers, of course. But to make a dull task more enjoyable, patrons will be able to watch movies on big-screen televisions, excercise, play pool, go to the snack bar, play video games or order a beer. Others with less time will be able to drop off their dry cleaning or laundry for someone else to do. Chait said by offering all those services, The Laundry will be as much an entertainment center as it is a laundromat.

"Our intention is to have something happening there all the time," he said. Chait expects to open by the end of January. But wait. Plans call for the building to get even more strange. Although he's keeping it secret, he said somehow the building would include motion so the appearance would change.

bright and unique. "I've been amused by it so far," Janet Goetz said. Goetz works across the street at the Antique Mall. She said many of her customers disliked the design, partly because it's in the same area as several historic buildings. "As a former art major, I have a different reaction it's a happening and it should be judged that way." Chait designed the building with Dwight Dobberstein of Neumann CITY BRIEFS 7 apply to be county supervisor Seven people, including two former top Iowa City officials, have applied for a seat on the Johnson County Board of Supervisors.

The seat is the unexpired, two-year term left open by the Dec. 18 death of supervisor Harold Donnelly. Applicants so far: Martin Boiler, 37, 3105 Raven Court. Boiler is manager of shipping and receiving for the Iowa Hawk Shop at the University of Iowa. He has a bachelor's degree in music education from UI.

Carole Ann Carter, 23, Oxford. Carter is administrative assistant for IDS Financial Services. She has a bachelor's degree in liberal studies with an emphasis on business from UI. Robert P. Keating, 61, 3105 E.

Washington St. Keating was on the Iowa City Fire Depar-ment for 30 years and was fire chief for 13 years. He retired in February 1986. Harvey D. Miller, 59, 805 Iowa Ave.

Miller retired with a disability pension as Iowa City police chief earlier this year. He had been chief since 1975. Miller has a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's degree in political science and public administration, both from UI. Harry L. Seelman, 66, rural Oxford.

Seelman is a farmer and salesman for Lynks Brothers Seed Corn company. He was chairman last year of the local chapter of the United Property Taxpayers of Iowa. Tony Serbousek, 51, rural Solon. Serbousek has farmed in Johnson County for 27 years. His grandfather, Marvin Stahle, was a county supervisor in the 1950s.

Lisa B. Suter, 29, 742 Dearborn St. Suter is a financial planner affiliated with First Financial Center Ltd. She has a degree from Kirkwood Community College with an emphasis on business and law and jias studied business and communication at UI. She currently is working toward a chartered financial consultant designation through American College, Bryn Mawr, Pa.

The county auditor, recorder and treasurer will select the person to serve as supervisor. They will accept letters of application andor resumes until Friday. By Jan. 10 they will decide how many and which applicants to interview for the position on the board. Library starts pilot project A pilot project sponsored by the State Library will start Sunday in libraries in Johnson and Linn counties.

Open Access is a cooperative program designed to link people with resources and provide an expanded collection of materials and information. A total of 73 public, special, and college libraries in central Iowa, Hardin County and Sioux City are participating In the program. Although new in Iowa, more than 20 states already have some form of open access. Diana Breuer Baculis of the Cedar Rapids Public Library said each library will sponsor its own users. Those wishing to check out materials from an Open Access library must be a registered card holder in good standing at their local library.

Participating libraries include: Iowa City Public Library, Coralville Public Library, North Liberty Community Library, Solon Public Library, Cedar. Rapids Library, Ely Public Library, Center Point Public Library, Coggon Public Library, Fairfax Public Library, Hiawatha Public Library, Marion Carnegie Library, Linn-Mar High School and Springville Memorial Library. Board to hear housing appeals The Iowa City Housing Appeals Board will meet at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 10 in meeting room A at the Iowa City Public Library.

The board will hear the appeal of Woodrow Houser concerning 909 N. Dodge and Damian Piefer concerning 2049 Tanglewood St. The meetings are open to the public. PretvCHiienDavid Creamer Tom Scott, chairman of the Iowa City Planning and Zoning Commission, said even if the city wanted to do something to change the decor, it would be powerless. Chait's building does not have to meet any design codes.

Scott says he's not bothered anyway. "I don't find it offensive," Scott said. "I kind of look at it as unique and novel." Chait doesn't worry about if people like it or not. "I guess the worst thing anyone could say is 'what not know it's there," he said. Scanner fans should enjoy year By the Press-Citizen Ham radio operators and people who listen to police scanners are in for a good year, Bob Stika, Iowa City police officer, said.

Sunspots are supposed to peak this year, he says. Every 11 years, sunspots natural explosions on the sun increase, according to an article Stika found in the January 1989 issue of Scanner Today magazine. A peak of sunspots predicted to be one of the greatest ever will make many limited-range communication channels turn into long-distance frequencies. As a result, highway patrolmen in Georgia might suddenly find themselves talking to patrolmen in California or even Australia, the article said. Though the signals will not be constant, Stika said he is looking forward to hearing broadcasts from thousands of miles away.

Scanner listeners should remember, he says, that they do not need a special outdoor antenna. Placing the scanner near a window is the best thing to do to hear sig- nals that come in as the peak develops next year. "I think it's going to be closer to summer," Stika said. County attorney: Releasing prisoner probably wrong By Nancy Firor The Press-Citizen The state trooper who took a former Johnson County sheriff's deputy to jail for drunken driving Dec. 18 should have checked with the county attorney's office before he let his prisoner go, the county attorney said this week.

Releasing a prisoner after the prisoner has been arrested is not common practice in Johnson County, even if the officer has second thoughts at the jail, J. Patrick White said. "He probably did something wrong," he said. The trooper, White said, should have given the prisoner an in-toxilyzer breath test at the jail and called the assistant county attorney on call to clear up any doubts. The state has prosecuted drunken drivers who registered less than .10 on the breath test.

Jim Eyberg, the Iowa State Patrol trooper who took Douglas Edmonds in, did not return two telephone messages. During a telephone interview last week, Edmonds said he was stopped for speeding on Highway 1 about 1 a.m. after Edmonds left a sheriff's department party at the Highlander Inn. He said he was taken to jail after the trooper gave him a speeding ticket, field sobriety tests and a preliminary breath test. Police use preliminary breath tests and field sobriety tests to determine whether a driver should be charged with drunken driving.

The trooper did not tell Edmonds the results of the preliminary breath test and did not make Edmonds take an intoxilyzer test at the jail, Edmonds said. Instead, Edmonds said he was released after an interview with the trooper. Edmonds, director of a police communications center in suburban Chicago, was first sheriff's deputy until 1986. Darwin Widmer (from left), Dave Hall, John Bertsch and Don Wells part of the city of Washington's Sesquicentennial Celebration this are kicking off the Brothers of the Brush beard-growing contest as summer. Fuzzy faces will help mark 150 years By Stacy Swadish The Press-Citizen WASHINGTON Don Wells wants men to throw away their razors and become Brothers of the Brush.

As part of the -city's sesquicentennial celebration, men in Washington are letting their facial hair flourish. A full beard is the preferred amount of growth, but Wells will accept a goatee, mustache or even some bushy sideburns. "We want several thousand men to have facial foliage," he said. Washington will celebrate its 150th birthday June 23 to July 2, but some events have already begun. The Brothers of the Brush beard-growing contest is Brothers of the Brush will soon be a card-carrying organization.

Members will donate about $2 each to the sesquicentennial committee. They will receive certificates and pins. The clean-cut types can stay that way, too. A Smoothies Club is being organized. They, however, will be charged double the cost of the beard-wearers.

Wells also is working on forming the Little Shavers Club, for those with more peach fuzz than whiskers. During the sesquicentennial, prearranged "arrests" will take place on the town square. Those without beards and without a Smoothie permit will be jailed and fined. just one of the planned activities. Wells, owner of Washington Lawn Leisure last had a beard during the Korean War.

"I may keep this," he said, rubbing the grey and white whiskers. "I don't know." Helping Wells on his hair-raising committee are Dave Hall, a junior high principal in Washington, and John Bertsch. Both are veteran beard-wearers. Bertsch, head of the investment center at the Washington State Bank, hasn't picked up a razor since 1977. "I got people experienced in this," Wells said.

Darwin Widmer, of McCleery Cumming is the committee's token clean-shaven man. Widmer said he didn't mind growing a beard for the city's celebration but not one day longer. "Mine will come off the day after the celebration," he said. The four are in charge of lining up local companies, clubs and other groups interested in having their members or employees grow beards. A contest during the last day of the event will award prizes for the ugliest, whitest, longest and best mustaches, among others.

The official beard kick-off is not until March, but area men are already sporting permanent five-o'clock shadows. "We have quite a few people looking pretty scruffy," Wells said. Peach of a couple have mixed loyalties I mmm iwu in Mwumnwii-iim-inm jm.iihi.hui i M. nu By Linda Hartmann The Press-Citizen A wine store in Raleigh, N.C., will become a center of rivalry today about the time of the Peach Bowl. But Ginny and Norman Andrews aren't expecting sparks to fly.

They are good-natured about the situation they're in because of the bowl-game match-up. Ginny is a 1970 graduate of the University of Iowa. Norman is a 1965 graduate of North Carolina State. When their home teams go head-to-head this afternoon, they will try to kick up a little spirit for both sides with the customers at their store, Wine and Things. Ginny just got an Iowa Hawk-eye commemorative Peach Bowl sweatshirt through express mail.

She also has Hawkeye vanity car license plates that bring an occasional honk on the streets. "I guess I'll have to wear a Wolf Pack shirt," Norman said. "We'll have a little TV set up." Ginny, 40, is a native of Iowa City. Her parents are Louis and Ila Ernst who live northeast of Iowa City. Norman, 45, is a native of Raleigh.

They met in Germany and were married five years ago. Norman's graduating year was the last time UI and North Carolina State played each other. "He didn't have any reason to think of Iowa then," Ginny said. The Andrews' store is in north Raleigh. Many new businesses have located there, bringing in many people who aren't native to Raleigh, Ginny said.

"You don't hear many southern accents in this part of town," she said. That also means few people in the area are keyed up over the game. "We hope we can stir up something this weekend," Ginny said. Personal photo Ginny (left) and Norman Andrews at a reception in Morse in 1983. The couple now lives in Raleigh, N.C., and will be paying close attention to today's Peach Bowl..