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Wednesday April 15, 2026 | Volume 151, Issue 15 www.polkio.com

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Dallas adjusts fees to fund renovation projects By DAVID HAYES I-O Editor

PHOTO BY DAVID HAYES

Lee Letsch stands in front of all that remains of the foundation of her 8,700 foot barn that burned down Jan. 20, taking with it more than 20 animals.

Farmer starts over after barn fire By DAVID HAYES I-O Editor

To this day, Lee Letsch still doesn’t know what woke her up at 1:30 in the morning of Jan. 20. But once awake, alone this particular day on her farm off Salt Creek Road, the single mother of two began hearing something disturbing. “It sounded like rushing water. Like I had a river running outside of my bedroom window, which I don’t. And then you would hear crackling and just continued weird noises,” Letsch recalled. “You get used to sounds in the night. And I live on a farm and

there’s all kinds of noises. So I was like, that’s not a normal sound.” Finally shaking off the lingering effects of sleep, Letsch went to the front of her house to investigate only to find her main barn fully engulfed in flames. By the time she called 911, a sheriff’s deputy was already on the way as a neighbor had already called in the conflagration. By the time the fire department arrived, all they could do was contain the flames in a controlled burn since it hadn’t spread to nearby neighboring properties.

To contribute to the Letsch family’s rebuilding efforts, go to www.gofundme.com/f/help-lee-rebuild-after-barn-fire. “There was no opportunity that I would have had to go in and get anything. As much as I would have wanted to, it was completely involved,” Letsch said from inside the remaining storage barn that was untouched by the blaze. “We had 15 to 20 tons of hay and straw in there. Plus all the animals.” The Letsch farm, owned by her mother Patricia, had long been a home to show animals they helped use to populate the

local 4-H and FAA programs. Since her own two children have graduated from high school, they had been slowly reducing the numbers of animals on the farm. Still, the loss had been substantial. Between the sheep, meat goats, buck and ram, Letsch counted a loss of nearly two dozen animals. “So little over 20 animals plus our great Pyrenees dog, See FARMER, page A7

The Dallas City Council took the first two steps at their meeting April 6 in transitioning two of its buildings into new homes for city staff and its police department. After voters last year vetoed plans to build a new $17 million police station at the old Itemizer-Observer building, the administration pivoted plans to renovating the space as a new home for city staff. Meanwhile, they’re developing plans to transform city hall into the new police station. According to the staff report, these projects will be funded through a $2.05 million interfund loan where the city’s general fund would borrow money from another one of the city’s funds. This loan would then be paid back over 10 years, including interest payments. The revenue for the loan repayment would be generated through a new Facility & Equipment Fee collected with the city’s monthly billing. “This fee is a $5 fee. That would be the same rate from now and into the future until the council decides to change what this fee would be if that decision’s ever made,” city manager Brian Latta explained. This fee is expected to generate $474,000 in annual revenue. To minimize the financial impact to the bill payer in Dallas, the city council also approved a reduction in its See FEES, page A8

It takes a few friends to upkeep an arboretum By DAVID HAYES I-O Editor

Tucked within the sprawling confines of the 35-acres of Dallas’ City Park, sits the quiet natural refuge of the Delbert Hunter Arboretum and Botanical Garden. On April 11, the quiet confines of the 7 acres were disrupted by the work of volunteer members of the Friends of the Delbert Hunter Arboretum fighting back nature from encroaching over the park’s seven trails. The Friends of the Delbert Hunter Arboretum and Botanic Garden was founded in 1983 as a non profit organization dedicated to the planning and development of a recreational

IN THIS ISSUE

and educational resource contiguous with Dallas City Park. Dale Derouin, current president of the Friends of the Delbert Hunter Arboretum, said their organization sends out their email newsletter to about 30 volunteers a month. On a good day, they may get 10 people to help with upkeep projects. Derouin himself has been volunteering with the Friends since 2000, joining after he retired. “I tell people I didn’t retire, I just quit working for money,” he said Saturday within the comfy confines of the Arboretum Center before heading out to help with trail maintenance. See ARBORETUM, page A8

PHOTOS BY DAVID HAYES

A visitor and his dog walk past Brian Fast, a volunteer member of the Friends of the Delbert Arboretum, while he trims back the tall grass along Rickreall Creek that flows through the natu

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