Quad-City Times from Davenport, Iowa • 1

Section QUAD-CITY TIMES Tuesday, May 20, 1997 Pages 5M-12M COMMUNITY EDITOR: Linda Watson (319) 3S3-223S; CLINTON BUREAU (319) 243-5033 inn nn on If I' ft adi Ml ks A A A WULVUtt.B. -n- A J1 lJ if i a jl Should it stay or should it go? MEETING The Morrison city council will announce a time for a public meeting to discuss the issue of the 133-year-old Odell Library. By Julie Belschner QUAD-CITY TIMES Clinton Bureau library. Money donated by J.D. Odell purchased the building along with the first books.

When a new $1.4 million library was built last year, ownership of the old site passed to the city. The city council ordered the building to be appraised as the first step in selling it. Mitick disagreed with that action and placed a survey form in the local newspaper, asking for residents' opinions about the future of the building. "I realize that it is much easier to sell a piece of property than it is to preserve it. We've got to have the attitude that it can be she said.

She received 91 responses from her survey. Almost half, 47.3 percent, thought the building could be used as a new city hall or for some city offices. The city already has plans to renovate the current city hall. Most of the other respondents thought the building should be given to the historical society. Another suggestion was to move the Chamber of Commerce to the old library, giving the city more room because the chamber now occupies space at city hall.

In response to Mitick's information, City Administrator Ken Lopez suggested that the council hold public meetings to find out the public's opinion. "There's a lot of rumors out there," Lopez said. "Individuals who have supposedly said that they will pay for it, they will fix it up, will be at the public hearing, hopefully. We need to hear what the public wants." Council member Ken Aiken said he conducted his own informal survey "and they all said a bulldozer and a lot of blacktop would do just fine." The council also discussed demolishing the house adjacent to the library. Council member Ralph Allison suggested that removing the dilapidated house might increase the value of the lot.

"I don't think there'll be a hue and cry from the populace if we take that house down," council member Dave Rose said. "It's always been owned by the people; I'm trying to assure that it always will be," Mitick said. MORRISON, 111. Ruth Mitick, a 70-year-old Morrison native, doesn't like the idea of the city selling the building that served as its library for more than 100 years. The brick Odell Library was built for $4,000 in 1864 and had been used since 1887 as the city's COPS stops violators East Whiteside gets special attention By Julie Belschner QUAD-CITY TIMES Clinton Bureau WHITESIDE COUNTY, 111.

Whiteside County deputies teamed up with Illinois State Police, Rock Falls Police and Sterling Police during the weekend to implement Operation COPS (Concentrating on Problem Situations) on the east side of Whiteside County. Twelve officers took part in the exercise, which resulted in 30 'till I WEIGHT LIMIT J2 TONS ai resis anu 06 sl ft A I I written warn- -v'7' TZ 1 '4 't Residents may report problems to the sheriff's department at (815) 772-4044 or to the Illinois State Police at (815) 625-0153 ings. The programs aims to deter impaired driving, underage drinking and illegal 1 "i' transportation of alcohol. "An average of 15 people die every year in Whiteside County due to traffic accidents," Chief Deputy Larry VanDyke said. "The No.

1 cause is impaired driving due to alcohol or drugs." The COPS program uses four or more officers in squad cars from various agencies to patrol with local officers. They saturate an area with officers and concentrate on enforcement of traffic and criminal laws. As a result of the Saturday night stops, officers issued 11 tickets for speeding, two driving under the influence, one driving on a revoked license, four illegal transportation of alcohol, two no insurance, eight no seat belt, one no valid registration, and one person was arrested on a warrant. -i- Mark HagenQUAD-CITY TIMES Getting the lay of the land Surveyor Jim Bertllng of Jim Schroeder Construction, Bellevue, Iowa, directs work- weight limit. The road will be realigned and the half-mile stretch of remaining gravers on the construction of a new bridge on 225th Street northwest of DeWitt, el on the road Is scheduled to be blacktopped In the next two or three years, Iowa.

The $230,000 bridge will replace an old planked truss bridge that has a low Clinton County Engineer William Belzer said. Suspect in standoff awaits word on trial let anyone in or out during the standoff. About 15 police officers and firefighters and a police dog surrounded Kostka after he fell to the ground. He was admitted to the Iowa Mental Health Institute in Independence after his arrest and is free on bond. "He's not a bad person," attorney John J.

Wolfe said. "He's suffering from a mental illness, and he thought he was protecting himself." Kostka testified Monday about the number of medications he takes Judge will decide mental competency By Holly A. Smith QUAD-CITY TIMES 1 Clinton Bureau CLINTON, Iowa A judge will decide whether a Clinton man who kept police at bay for 90 minutes and was sprayed, with high-pressure hoses before giving up is mentally competent to stand trial. Charles Kostka, 37, was scheduled to go to trial Monday on two Morrison farmstead falls in weekend fire MORRISON, HI. Firefighters are investigating the cause of a weekend fire that started in a hog house then spread to a barn, a corn crib and a farmhouse north of here.

"The hog house, corn crib and barn were completely destroyed before we got there," firefighter John Vanderleest said Monday. "The house was already pretty involved. We saved the main structure of the house, but it's a total loss." The property on Spring Valley Road is owned by Ken McCallis-ter, who was living in the house. A horse and a dog died in the fire that was reported about 7 p.m. Saturday Fire departments from Morrison, Fulton, Lyndon and Mount Carroll responded with six tankers and three pumpers.

Morrison Ambulance and Whiteside County Sheriff's Department assisted. The cause apparently was electrical but is still under investigation. Julie Belschner Clinton High School band plans concert CLINTON, Iowa The Clinton High School Band Department will present a spring concert at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Little Theatre. The free program will feature the concert and symphonic bands and also will honor graduating seniors for their contributions to the band department.

The bands are under the direction of Dave Gaulrapp and Tom Q-C REGION Real-life singing frogs lift voices Thursday CALAMUS, Iowa Sherman Park will host a musical performance by local amphibians at 7 p.m. Thursday. Several species of frogs inhabit the area during the spring and summer. After the performance, the audience will hike under the full moon in search of the nightly inhabitants of Sherman Park. Participants should bring a small flashlight and meet at the north parking lot of Sherman Park, which is west and south of Calamus.

For more information, caU (319) 843-2855. House that students built Is open for tours CLINTON, Iowa The Clinton School District will host its annual Building Trades Open House from 1-5 p.m. Friday and p.m. Sunday at this year's student-built house at 1543 12th Ave. N.

The house was appraised at $87,500. The school board will accept sealed bids until noon June 4. Bid forms are required and are available at the office of the secretary at the Roosevelt Administration Center, 600 S. 4th St. Proceeds from the sale will go into the district's general fund.

The building trades program began in 1946 and has operated every year, making it the oldest carpentry program in the state. Students have constructed 49 homes in that time. Currently, the program is taught and coordinated by Clinton High vocational instructor Dave Johnson. Senior stuff-strutting is set for Thursday CLINTON, Iowa The fifth annual Senior Strut will be -J Bed and breakfast offers bedless lunch By Mary Nevans-Pederson QUAD-CITY TIMES Clinton Bureau BELLEVUE, Iowa A new Bellevue tourist home will be the first business to operate under a special exception to the city's zoning regulations, allowing for meals to be served to the public as well as to the establishment's guests. The Bellevue House Bed and Breakfast on the corner of North Riverview and Spring streets is open for lunch seven days a week under the new ordinance amendment.

Owner Michelle Roling asked for the city's zoning rules to be amended to include an exception allowing for public food service. Last month, the amendment was approved after discussion by the city council and the zoning commission and a public hearing by the board of adjustment. The board heard Roling's plans to operate a traditional business, but to also offer lunch or brunch daily on the home's porch overlooking the Mississippi River. She also intends to book tour buses for murder mystery packages, which would include an evening dinner. Several neighbors spoke in favor of the business, saying they welcomed the tourist trade, but several other neighbors were against it.

Jim Rubel, who lives two doors north of the Bellevue House, said he was concerned about parking, littering and lack of privacy in the residential neighborhood. Mike Till, who lives across the alley from the business, had concerns about extra traffic and the possibility that customers would park their cars in the city alley After discussion, the board agreed unanimously to grant the special exception with several conditions Involving unloading of tour buses, maximum seating capacity, i.ours and deliveries for a rapid heart beat and paranoia. He dumped nine bottles on the table before him. Five were heart medications and the others were prescribed by Dr. Joshua Nnanji, his Thursday at Riverview Stadium with a rain date of Friday.

The race is open to anyone age 50 or older. Check-in will be at 8:30 a.m. with the walk at 9:30 a.m. A light brunch will be served at 10:30 a.m. with awards to follow.

Senior Strut is not a race, so prize numbers will be drawn at random. Volunteers will be stationed along the route, which will head toward Riverview Drive, with check points at one block, two blocks, four blocks, one mile and three miles. Participants have one hour to walk as far as they want. Because Mercantile Bank is sponsoring the walk, there is no registration fee. Walk day T-shirts will be given to the first 200 people to register.

Registrations forms may be picked up at Mercantile Bank, the RSVP office, 202 Ankeny Building, the SamaritanKROS Health Fair at the Frontier Motor Inn and at senior meal sites. There will be no registration the day of the walk. For more information, call Tammy Meyer at the RSVP office, (319) 243-7787. Lyndon Bridge gets more planks LYNDON, 111. An additional 30 planks will be replaced on the historic Lyndon bridge beginning June 1.

Final grand opening date for the bridge has not yet been determined. The bridge restoration project will continue through the years. Planks may be purchased for $75 each, and donations in any amount will be accepted for the Village of Lyndon Bridge Fund. D. Gene Harrington felony charges of assault on a law enforcement officer.

Clinton County District Judge David Sivright ordered a mental competency hearing, which was held instead. If the judge decides Kostka is fit to stand trial, He's not a bad person. He's suffering from a mental illness, and he thought he was protecting himself." JOHN J. WOLFE Attorney for Charles J. Kostka the trial date will be rescheduled.

If he is. not competent, his case will remain open. Kostka would be reviewed periodically and if at some point he were deemed competent, he would be tried then, Assistant Clinton County Attorney Bruce Ingham said. On Nov. 20, police were called to the Salvation Army store parking lot at 7th Avenue South and 4th Street.

Kostka was threatening to kill himself and when two officers attempted to approach him, he lunged at them with a knife. The fire department used high-pressure hoses to subdue him. The incident attracted many bystanders. Police told nearby businesses lock their doors and not psychiatrist. Later, Kostka pulled a 10th bottle out of his left blue jeans pocket, a medication he takes when he has chest pain.

Wolfe said Kostka's disorder makes it difficult for him to perceive what is taking place, and he is not able to accurately recall what happened that day. Sivright will review Kostka's thick, confidential commitment file which dates back to 1990, Nnanji's deposition and Kostka's medical records from the mental health institute in deciding whether Kostka is fit to stand trial. A defendant is presumed competent and the defendant must prove otherwise, Jivright said. Merrill..