Williamsburg Journal Tribune from Williamsburg, Iowa • Page 1

OURNAL TRIBUNE VOLUME LXXVII THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 1973 Number 2 Supervisors close 2d bridge near Ladora, fails federal test COLD WORK-Perhaps the worst ice storm to hit Iowa county in several yean hit this area Wednesday afternoon resulting in ice freezing and holding everywhere. This included telephone wires, which often were torn loose from the poles when the wind whipped them. It was cold work in sub-zero temperatures to restore the lines and to knock the ice off the ones remaining. These two scenes are of a crew that worked Just sooth of the Middle America truck stop last Friday. Other crews, totaling nine, were scattered along Highway U9 from Williamsburg to Marengo fixing the long-distance wires mat were out of service from Wednesday until Saturday afternoon.

The board of supervisors today closed another bridge south of Ladora, bringing to two the roads now. impassable across Bear Creek. The action came after the board received a bridge inspection report from its consulting engineer, Powers-Willis Associates of Iowa City, on the condition of the bridge a mile of Ladora on the road a mile east of V-52. Neel W. Willis, a longtime bridge expert for the state and elsewhere, recommended the supervisors immediately close the old truss bridge on the road.

He displayed pictures of cracks along the steel superstructure next to the bridge floor which he said could'cause the bridge to collapse into the creek at any tune. Blow to area The forced closing of the bridge was a blow to the citizens of the area, who have been protesting the supervisors decision not to rebuild a bridge located two miles west of the one closed today. That bridge collapsed into the river Sept. 28 under the weight of a count dump truck. The supervisors speculated Tuesday that iperhaps that oW truss bridge was in the same condition and that any weight put on it would have been enough to collapse it, even the weight of a school bus should one have passed that way.

Heretofore it has been believed the bridge collapsed into Bear -Creek because the county dump truck crossing it had its dump box up, hitting the overhead girders. The supervisors approved a resolution closing the bridge Tuesday afternoon and county engineer Marvin McGahuey had his crews posting the road and barricading the bridge Wednesday morning. In his report to the supervisors, Willis said he spotted several points of "metal fatigue" on the bridge, mainly located in the eye-bars that run parallel with the bridge floor. Point to fatigue "The physical, mechanical and loading properties of the metal in the eye-bars of this bridge all point toward fatigue," Willis said. "It is important to note that fee belts county, hits phones One of the worst ice storms in several years hit this part of the state last Wednesday, resulting telephone wire damage andknocking out service between Pamsburg and Marengo from afternoon until Nine line crews were brought in from Davenport, Burlington, Fort Madison and other places to restore service.

go was reported the TO hit area in East central with no long distance telephone service from Wednesday noon until Saturday after-' noon. During this period Sheriff William J. Spurrier's office handled dozens of emergency messages by two-way radio from Cedar Rapids and other points. Mrs. Burgy, deputy sheriff and office assistant in the sheriff's office, said she spent almost full time several days handling the messages.

She said most of them involved medical or hospital situations. Most of the telephone line crews could be seen working on the long-distance lines on poles along Highway 149. It was extremely disagreeable work in the sub-zero temperatures much of the time. The storm started off with a mixture of rain, sleet and snow, which started before daylight and continued all day until the wind shifted as darkness fell. The temperature stood at a bare 31.

Much of the precipitation in streets and highways was slush. But cars, wires, shrubs and trees suffered the full impact of the storm. Major wire damage occurred when the brisk wind whipped out of the northwest. As the temperature fell the rain and sleet turned to with their heavy foliage bore the brunt of the icing. However, despite the weight of the ice there was little tree damage here.

Although there were numerous reports of power outage at various places in this part of the state, Williamsburg didn't experience this. The light snow on top of the ice made local streets a motoring problem. However, generous sanding helped. The Williamsburg school buses made their trips somewhat early Wednesday afternoon and Thurs- dav morning at the usual time. Council OKs sewer plant plans, eyes tax hike to finance it ai councU Monday night oved plans and specifica- Z.A newsewa treatment Wand system to be completed "mend of this year.

afi3 CU also I reed to Plans to try to use obligation bonds to we project rather than expensive revenue would mean that city would go up, but an mandatory tripling of can be avoided. James Shive and Allen E. Baker, with the city's engineering firm of Shive-Hattery Associates of Iowa City, presented the plans for the plant, which will be located east of Old Man's Creek about 1,200 feet north of State Street. The city last month obtained an option on the land for the project from Orlen Imhoff. The city may be able to avoid a vote of the citizens on the issuance of the bonds if there aren't too many objections.

This would be 2 percent of the voters in the last general election, or about 160. If more than 160 persons object in writing, then the council would have to call a bond election if it were to use general obligation bonds for the project which would be paid off with tax money. Increased tax Shive said he had calculated the amount of increased tax and this would amount to $11.40 on a home with a market value of $15,000. Ul medical prof urges body for teaching body after death one of acts a the most to the about for bodies for Iwaanatom l- wrapersonto tin body to It involves "Jform to the KlwafH ians-which is then signed by two witnesses. Then, at the time of death, the person's family either can call the university immediately to pick up the body, or can have a normal funeral service and then have the body delivered to the medical school afterwards.

Slight delay Metcalf said that those with traditionalist feelings about funeral services or normal burial in a cemetery, they should feel that the university's use of the body is after the funeral. The more common final disposition of the body, Metcalf said, is to have it cremated by the University and then buried in the University's plot in Oakdale cemetery in Iowa City or the ashes buried in the individual's local cemetery. Metcalf, who heads UN's anatomy department, said the need for more donated bodies at the medical school is critical if the size of the school is to be increased as the public is tne university's use 01 me ouuy IB HnHMrs onlyatemporary thing: He said it more doctors is not infrequent that the body is can be graduatea. the original morti- He said toe Uriverdty shouW dan-perhapsskmonOisoryear havei between Domes the hometown cemetery as it i would have been immediately Continued on Page 5, Col. i unlike many types of structural failures this type of failure, when it finally occurs, is immediate, complete and without warning beyond what is already apparent in the eye-bars of this structure." Willis pointed out the definitely visible cracks along the eye-bars.

"Careful inspection of the trusses in this bridge raises serious questions about the safety and future performance which can be expected," Willis said. "These concerns center on the eye-bars which make up the bottom chords of the bridge." The bridge closed is one of eight inspected by Powers-Willis bridge engineers during the past several months for the county. V-52 bridge ok The engineers gave a clean bill of health to the adjacent bridge on county highway V-52, which the supervisors had feared might flunk the inspection. However, that bridge is still below Continued on Page 7, Col. 6 Council seeks petitions on 149 The alternative to this is for the city to increase the quarterly sewer charge from the present $2.25 to $6.75.

This would amount to an $18 increase for homeowners annually. The council will hold a public hearing, probably in April, to consider the issuance of the general obligation bonds to receive objections. Shive submitted a timetable for the council, which is tentative based on how fast the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency moves on approval of the plans and specifications.

The schedule is: -Feb. 26, approval by the EPA and the state department of health. City would advertise for bids on the project. -March 26, bids received. -April 2, public notice given for issuance of bonds and sale of bonds.

-April 23, bid for bonds received and bonds sold. Council approves bid for construction contract and awards contract. -Nov. 30, plant complete and in operation. Baker also discussed several other facets of the plant construction with the council.

Part of the plant will be the lift station that will be located about 850 feet south of the plant on Maplewood which will take the sewage out of the gravity flow line and pump it unhill to the plant This lift station will be located Continued on Page 6, CoL 1 The Williamsburg city council has decided to circulate petitions seeking signatures of persons who would oppose relocating Highway 149 three miles west of town on the C-road. Robert J. Coulter, president of the Security Savings bank, met with the council Monday to urge the city to take some affirmative action in opposing the relocation. The proposal is an alternate contained in a plan for widening and rebuilding Highway 149 from Interstate 80 to Sigourney. A public hearing will be held at the city hall Feb.

1. Coulter told the council that "there are some powers in the county that would like to see that highway out there." He did not name anyone specifically, but indicated he thinks some persons in North English and Marengo might favor such a relocation. Take no stand Coulter also predicted the Iowa county board of supervisors would take no stand against the relocation, and that therefore it would be up to Williamsburg to fight the change. The proposal to bypass Williamsburg is considered an alternate in the plan for the widening rebuilding. The main route to be under consideration at the hearing Feb.

1 will be the existing route of 149 through Williamsburg and ParneU. Another alternate contained in the proposal would reroute traffic out of downtown North English along the southern edge and then eastward along the railroad tracks connecting back into the existing highway a mile northeast of North English. Van Snyder, district highway engineer of Cedar Rapids, has told the Journal-Tribune that the bypass along the C-road route is by no means decided upon, but it Continued on Page 5, Col. 2 Rites set Thursday for Houseman Services for M. K.

Houseman, 61, who died early -Tuesday morning will be held Thursday morning at St. Mary's Catholic church with burial in St. Mary's cemetery. Rosary will be Wednesday evening at 8 p.m. at McSwiggin and Uhlmann.

BRIDGE CLOSED-A second bridge south of Ladora has been closed by the Iowa county board of supervisors. (1) indicates the bridge that collapsed into Bear Creek Sept. 1. (2) is the bridge closed Wednesday. W.L.

Hueffner dies, owned M. America William L. Hueffner, proprietor of. the Middle America Restaurant and Truck Stop at Williamsburg, died Dec. 20 in Iowa City.

Hueffner, 45, had been observed to be in poor health for the past several months by his employees and business associates. In addition to the Middle America, Hueffner also had business interests in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids. The Hueffners are of the Christian Scientist faith and therefore Hueffner apparently was receiving no medical attention. The death certificate, which was filed in the office of the clerk of the Johnson county district court last week, showed the cause of death to be "cardiac arrest due to pulmonary infarct, cerebral in- tarct, malignant hypertension." In layman's language, this means a stroke due to high blood pressure. The death certificate was signed by Dr.

T. T. Bozek, Johnson county coroner, after an autopsy. Hueffner's body was cremated Dec. 21, and burial was in Cedar Memorial cemetery in Cedar Rapids.

William Light Hueffner was. born Jan. 17, 1927, the son of Martin and Catherine Light Hueffner. He grew up in the St. Louis, area and attended Principia college in Elsa, a Christian Scientist institution.

He went to work for the Sinclair Oil and Refining and a number of years ago was transferred to Iowa City as its district manager. He invested in a number of business ventures in Iowa City in more recent years. Hueffner was married to the former Ada Heap, and he is survived by his wife and three children: John, about 21; Joan, about 19, and Pegev. about 17. I MJIS.

'1 j- 1 Bridge work begun Work has finally begun on the long-discussed new bridges downstream from the present bridges to enable the highway over the Iowa River on Highway 149 between Homestead and commission to straighten the carve in 149 Just north of the Amana. The beginning of the forms where the concrete present bridge. Completion of the new bridges is expected pilings will be poured can be seen at right, with theexiiting later this year, bridge at left. The new bridge wfflbe 1M yards.