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Monmouth

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Grants available for improving Monmouth small business resiliency See A3

Dallas girls golf eyes repeat of last year’s regional title See B1

Wednesday April 24, 2024 | Volume 148, Issue 17

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Former Bank of America building nears date with demolition expected little disruption to festival By DAVID HAYES Itemizer-Observer

PHOTO BY DAVID HAYES

Sarah Ramirez, Monmouth-Independence Chamber of Commerce board chair, is all smiles after presenting the Lifetime Achievement Award to Rick Gydesen at the annual MICC Community Awards Ceremony April 18 at Eola Winery.

MICC honors top community contributors at annual awards

Lifetime Achievement Award goes to Rick Gydesen By DAVID HAYES Itemizer-Observer

While changing times forced Rick and May Gydesen to close

their coffee shop Rick’s Place, the community made sure the couple’s contributions would not soon be forgotten. To a standing ovation inside Eolo Hills Winery April 18, Rick Gydesen received the evening’s final honor, Lifetime Achievement Award, during the Monmouth-Independence

Chamber of Commerce’s 59th Annual Community Awards. Eleven organizations and individuals were recognized for their efforts to make the communities of Monmouth and Independence a better place to live. Chamber president Nicki Marazzani explained the Lifetime Achievement Award was still new,

as it was first given out last year to Rep. Paul Evans. “This award is chosen by the MICC Awards Committee and requires the recipient to be active in the community for 30 years or more. And they give their time and support to those around them, and hopefully See MICC, page A7

Rockin’ Rad Relics brings the cool to downtown Indy By LANCE MASTERSON For The Itemizer-Observer

Rockin’ Rad Relics is a vintage store with attitude. Located near the city of Independence library, store owner Darlene Brush is careful as to which items make her suitable-for-selling list, and thus garner floor space. After all, with a name like Rockin’ Rad Relics, image is everything. “We like to call it the cool store because of all the cool things we have in here,” Brush said. “We’re not your grandma’s antique store … We like fun, bright, colorful … We like things that bring us joy.” For Brush, a sampling of what brings her joy includes:

“The stuff you see around here,” she said, as she looked around. “Different kinds of clothes. The alien. Carhartt. The BMX bikes. Different art. Marilyn Monroe. Road signs. Jewelry. Hats. The fun t-shirts. Egg paperweights. Different types of furniture. Foosball table. Comics. Toys.” The two Monroe pieces are originals, and indicative of Brush’s taste. One piece came from an art show, the other from a garage sale. Both are “cool” in their own way, she said.

See COOL, page A8

PHOTO BY LANCE MASTERSON

Darlene Brush and her new store, Rockin’ Rad Relics, are upping the cool in downtown Independence. Located at 120 D Street, the store is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday through Sunday.

City staff don’t expect demolition of the former Bank of America building to impact activities during summer festivals. The city council received an update of the ongoing project during their April 15 meeting. The city acquired the lot located at 791 Main St. in June of 2023, where the Dallas branch of Bank of America sat empty since its closure in April of 2018. Charlie Mitchel, Economic & Community Development Director, said the city is about ready to move forward with a contractor to demolish the building, “If we stay on tract calendar wise, that should occur in July. Will probably take 2-4 weeks, causing possible disruption in that part of town with parking and such, hopefully to be done before the summer festival,” Mitchel said. He said staff are track about ready to award a contract to hire a consultant to help develop the site’s future. “(The consultant) will guide staff and the community through a design and feasibility study process that will ultimately lead to selection of a developer to make that transition from city ownership to private ownership to build something really cool,” Mitchel said. “We want the process to be engaging and have broad community support.” According to the staff report, the end goal of the acquisition and replacement of the former Bank of America site is to develop a project that provides tax revenue back to the city as quickly as possible and ultimately back to the city’s general fund. Mitchel said city staff has narrowed consultant proposals down from four. “Three of us scored them and we ended up with a tie for first,” he said. “We’re checking references now on two consultants. It’s a good problem to have. They’re both high quality consultants.” Before moving on to demolition phase, Mitchel said the salvation See DALLAS, page A6

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IN THIS ISSUE Voices Corrections Obituaries Puzzle Solutions Social Puzzles Classifieds Public Records

A4 A4 A6 B2 B2 B3 B7 B7

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