THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2024 • VOLUME N0. 129 • ISSUE NO. 31 • 1 SECTION • 10 PAGES
Serving Colfax • Mingo • Baxter • Western Jasper County
Emergency management to create EMS advisory group By Christopher Braunschweig Jasper County Tribune Jasper County Emergency Management Agency is creating an advisory group to help build out the EMS system across the county and be eligible for state grants. Jamey Robinson, director of Jasper County EMA, said last week that the group should consist of EMS directors, a medical director and a county supervisor. During the April 2 board of supervisors meeting, Robinson solicited the help of a county supervisor who would be willing to volunteer their time and serve in the EMS advisory group. Robinson said the group would likely meet monthly or at least more frequently early on but eventually transition to
quarterly meetings. With the recent addition of Steve Ashing as deputy director of Jasper County EMA, Robinson is excited for the department to “get things rolling and on track” in order to “get a product that everyone can be happy with” and also address EMS concerns across the entire county. Supervisor Brandon Talsma volunteered to join the group. Robinson said he would be sitting in on meetings and discussions, and he will provide feedback when needed. Especially when funding is concerned. Robinson said it will be a couple months before the group is fully established. “We want to lay some groundwork,” Robinson said. “Like I said, since Steve started yesterday and this will kind of be his
Jasper County EMA director says team will address first responder challenges
Christopher Braunschweig/PCM Explorer Jamey Robinson, director of Jasper County Emergency Management Agency, is establishing an EMS advisory group in order to better address emergency services across the county.
main focus; that’s what this position was originally started for. But we want to get some things laid out so you’re not just walk-
ROAD CLOSED
Highway 14 from Monroe to south of Newton under construction for several months
ing into a blank piece of paper.” In a follow-up with Newton News, Robinson said building out an EMS system across the
By Jamee A. Pierson Jasper County Tribune Starting April 8, travelers who frequent Highway 14 from Monroe to Newton need to search for a new route. From
the northern city limits of Monroe to South 60th Avenue West north of the Skunk River, road construction has closed the busy thoroughfare for an extended period of time. “They anticipate the closure
of this portion of the highway to last about three months,” Jasper County officials shared on the county website. The Iowa Department of HIGHWAY 14 | 3
EMS | 3
Jasper County to re-line and reinforce two culvert pipes on F-48 Engineer says hiring contractor for $60K project is best bet considering the active construction along highway By Christopher Braunschweig Jasper County Tribune
Jamee A. Pierson/Jasper County Tribune Signs have been out for several weeks warning drivers of the upcoming closure to Highway 14 from the northern city limits of Monroe to South 60th Avenue north of the Skunk River.
county involves recognizing the challenges faced by volunteer EMS providers. Many of them are often juggling between demanding schedules and commitments outside of their emergency response roles. With many volunteers also balancing full-time jobs and other responsibilities, it can be challenging to ensure round-theclock availability for EMS services, Robinson said; recruiting and retaining people willing to commit to extensive EMT and/ or paramedic training is becoming increasingly difficult, too. “By establishing a countywide EMS system, our aim is to address these challenges by ensuring that all EMS services have the capability to function at a
Two culvert pipes along F-48 West in Jasper County have been approved for new, reinforced lining as opposed to an all out replacement, which the county engineer noted would be difficult. Both culverts are located along the first phase of the reconstruction project between Lambs Grove and the Baxter interchange. Jasper County Engineer Michael Frietsch said the culverts would be difficult to replace considering the existing — and old — inlet structures are still underneath the pavement and are tied together. By lining it, contractors can essentially in-
stall a fiberglass “sock,” pressurize it and then set it with UV lights. Then contractors can use structural foam to fill in the inlets. Frietsch said the liner will create a pipe inside of the existing pipe. Which is good because if the original pipe fails or is compromised, the newly reinforced lining will have maintained its shape and will still be stronger than the actual pipe that is there today. Secondary roads crews determined four other pipes along F-48 also needed assistance, but Frietsch said local teams can line the structures themselves using Snap-tite CULVERT | 3
NO-TILL THE END OF TIME
Farmer prefers no-till to preserve Iowa’s rich soil and to keep land fertile for the next generation By Christopher Braunschweig Jasper County Tribune In the kitchen of Richard Roorda’s rural Prairie City home is a small table covered with so many newspapers and farming magazines you could hardly tell what the surface looked like underneath all those publications. We sat across from each other, with his back toward the kitchen counters and mine toward the foyer. He had just returned from chores and apologized for the mess in front of us. I told
him it I didn’t mind, and then we began our interview for an AgMag story that would very likely be added to the rest of the pile in the next few months. Roorda is a no-till farmer, and has been for nearly 30 years. Which means, when growing his corn and soybeans, he takes great care not to agitate the soil too much with cultivators or other tilling machinery. In addition to rotating his crops — an extremely common practice where farmers alternate which CONTACT US
crops are grown in their fields, meaning a soybean field last year will likely become a corn field this year — Roorda has also planted cover crops. As a steward of fertile Iowa farmland, he sees these practices is an effective way to reduce soil erosion. For many Iowa farmers, that means their fields will have longer lifespans and their prized topsoil stays intact. Much of Roorda’s fields are covered with a layer of crop residue, like stalks, husks, leaves or cobs,
and together they are protecting that topsoil. Roorda must have sensed my confusion, so he Christopher Braunschweig/PCM Explorer paused for a moment to Richard Roorda, a rural Prairie City farmer, shares a think of an example. He laugh in his field, which is covered in soybean stubble looked down, and then and corn cobs from past harvests. As a no-till farmer, says this practice of leaving crop residue on his eyebrows perked up. Roorda top of the soil gives him a better chance of reducing The perfect illustration soil loss or soil movement. for cover crops and notill farming was right in residue,” Roorda said. soak in to the table and front of us. “The raindrops are not not run off the side.” “It’s kind of like my hitting directly on the Of course these soil ShawsoilMedia table here. It’s covered and making a splash conservation practices do with magazines. If a rain or dislodge the soil par- not outright prevent soil shower comes through, ticles so much that they erosion and runoff, but well the raindrops don’t start to move, and move farmers can drastically hit the soil — you know, downhill. The magazines reduce soil movement or the bare table — they hit absorb that impact of the magazines, the crop rain and then allow it to FARMING | 3 est. 1851
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