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Wednesday May 6, 2026 | Volume 151, Issue 18
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County increases surveying fee up to $20 for public land corner preservation By DAVID HAYES I-O Editor
In an effort to help sustain the restoration of public land survey corners, the Polk County Board of Commissioners approved increasing the charge from $10 to $20 per recorded land instrument for the Public Land Corner Preservation Fund. Polk County Surveyor Darren Blackwell, in an April 29 presentation to the board, explained that the county maintains about 3,900 public land corners and more than
2,000 corner records, and that a decline in recordings and growing restoration costs have cut the PLCP surplus. “What I’m proposing is a fee increase from 10 to $20,” Blackwell said, adding that the $10 statutory cap was removed by House Bill 3175 and that the CPI-adjusted value of $10 from 1987 would have accrued to around $29 today. “Monies in the Public Land Corner Preservation Fund shall be used only to pay expenses incurred See INCREASE, page A7
PHOTO BY DAVID HAYES
A good percentage of the town of Falls City showed up Saturday for the ribbon cutting by Kirk and Teasa Bathke (center) and the grand opening of their new cafe Backroads Coffee.
Dallas adds $5 facilities & Falls City welcomes Backroads Coffee equipment fee to utility bill By DAVID HAYES I-O Editor
Kirk and Teasa Bathke knew they were on to something when they eyed opening a coffee shop in the untapped market of Falls City. By unofficial head count, in a town with 1,057 residents, about 5 percent of the population was on hand for the ribbon cutting for Backroads Coffee on Saturday morning. And the number kept climbing as the new shop welcomed a steady stream of residents throughout the day waiting in line (sometimes out the door to the street) to sample a cup of the Bathke’s finest
brew. Dana Henry ended up first in line when the doors finally opened to Backroads Coffee. He ordered up the basic: a regular black coffee. “I’m an old sailor, so I stick with what I know,” Henry said. “You know, I’ve been here a few years, and I had been waiting all that time for them to open up.” When he finally sat down out front and got his first sip, call him impressed. “It’s really good. They did a good job,” he said. “It’s a good cup of coffee.” The Bathke’s had practice perfecting a brewed cup of coffee when they
previously operated Press Coffee for two years in Dallas. Then, like many other businesses, they were forced to close during the COVID pandemic in 2020. The coffee, to coin a phrase, was still percolating in their blood. Not ready to give up their livelihood, the Bathke’s looked around to open another coffee shop. While some opportunities presented themselves, especially in Dallas, they kept one eye on possibilities in Falls City. For a simple reason. “I was born and raised here. Yeah, this is my home. About the first 30 years of my life here,” Kirk said during lull in
service at Backroads. Then they learned of the building at 306B North Main St. That started as a nursing station for traveling doctors at the turn of the century and over the years also housed everything from a burger stand to a soap maker. It was perfect for a coffee house with its own drive through. “I just knew eventually I’d wind up back out here,” Kirk recalled. “So, we kind of saw this building and thought about it. I’m not sure who suggested it first, my wife or me, but we just kind of saw it. And we went, man, that’d be
By THE CITY OF DALLAS
Dallas has introduced a new $5 Facilities & Equipment Fee to its monthly utility bill. This change will fund critical facility improvements while maintaining the same overall monthly cost for residents. The city offset the new fee by reducing the existing Stormwater Fee by $5 per month. This adjustment results in no net increase to customers’ monthly utility bills, reflecting the City’s commitment to responsible financial stewardship and transparency. The new fee will directly support two priority projects that address
See COFFEE, page A8
long-term community needs: • Construction of a new City Hall located at 147 SE Court St. • Renovation of the current City Hall building into a new Police Station, including essential seismic upgrades. “The Dallas City Council made a strategic long-term investment and business decision by creating this new fee,” said City Manager Brian Latta. “The council wisely balanced the impact of the new fee on its residents, reducing the stormwater fee by an equal amount.” In addition to the new See FEE, page A7
Dallas theatre unearths the goods in ‘Treasure Island’ By DAVID HAYES I-O Editor
X marks the spot on any map, promising a bounty of long-burried pirate’s treasure. Dallas High School’s theatre program hopes audiences follow the clues to Bollman Auditorium for their latest production “Treasure Island” and discover a swashbuckling good time. Adapted by Mary Zimmerman from the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, DHS’s “Treasure Island” is directed by Hannah Fawcett. The veteran director said the production is one of the school’s
largest with about 20 cast members and nearly 45 total students working to bring it to stage. And the keystone of any good pirate’s tale? Sword fights. She said this is the first show in three years to feature proper stage combat. “It’s such a great ensemble show, and we found that shows that feature a lot of stage combat, contrary to what you might think, really brings people together and it really encourages them to care for each other, because you have to watch out for your partner’s safety on stage,” Fawcett said. “That’s so paramount in the process of
IN THIS ISSUE
incorporating stage combat, so we were really interested in bringing that back into our theater.” The tale of “Treasure Island” kicks off when a mysterious man delivers a dreaded Black Spot to an aging sea captain, plunging an innkeeper’s son into a desperate race for buried treasure. Armed with only his wits against a dastardly crew of cutthroat pirates, young Jim Hawkins sets sail with the larger-thanlife Long John Silver and a crew of swashbuckling rogues. Getting into character as the aforementioned antagonist, Ethan Singh See THEATRE, page A7
PHOTO BY DAVID HAYES
The cast of the Dallas High School’s “Treasure Island” look to the horizon for promises of a swashbuckling good time for audiences May 7-9.
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