THURSDAY, JULY 3, 2025 • VOLUME N0. 124 • ISSUE NO. 41 • 1 SECTION • 10 PAGES
Serving Colfax • Mingo • Baxter • Western Jasper County
GROUND BROKEN adjacent to the elementary building, the dream of building a childcare center came to life when CEDCO was awarded a $1.7 million Child Care Business Incentive Grant from State of Iowa earlier this year. Needing to match the grant funds, work began immediately to fundraise for the much needed amenity. Donors large and small came together to sponsor the project along with fundraisers through CEDCO such as t-shirts stating “Make Rural Cool Again.” Work also kicked off on the design and construction of the building. In January, Atura Architects was selected to design the center, and earlier this month the CEDCO Board accepted the bid from Dean Snyder Construction to make the design a reality. “We’ve designed this building for future growth. We will be able to double the size of the building if we need to, to
By Jamee A. Pierson Jasper County Tribune The Colfax Economic Development Corporation, along with school district staff, construction partners and community members, came together June 24 to celebrate at a ground breaking ceremony for the new Colfax-Mingo Childcare Center. Set to help fill the childcare desert that is found in Jasper County, the center will hold an anticipated 140 kids and serve as a partner to the school district. “This an absolutely momentous time for our community. This was something that many people said we wouldn’t be able to pull off,” Colfax-Mingo Community School District Superintendent Tim Salmon said. “Thanks to my fellow CEDCO board members we’re going to have a childcare center at this time next year that will be open on this spot.” Located on property
Stakeholders come together to celebrate the start of construction on the new Colfax-Mingo Childcare Center
Jamee A. Pierson/Jasper County Tribune Members of the Colfax Economic Development Corporation, school district staff and community partners break ground on the new Colfax-Mingo Childcare Center during a ceremony June 24.
continue to grow,” Salmon said. “It will benefit our local businesses and solve a problem for working families who struggle to find childcare. The nice thing about this is we are building this to represent the historical part of Col-
fax with the design after the old Hotel Colfax.” Former teacher and current Colfax mayor and CEDCO board member, David Mast, praised the work done by all of the partners throughout the development process. He
OPEN SEAT
Colfax-Mingo Community School District looking for new District 4 school board member By Jamee A. Pierson Jasper County Tribune Following the resignation of school board member Chet Williams, the Colfax-Mingo Community School District is looking for a candidate to fill the District 4 seat. Williams notified the board he would be stepping down effective June 13. The district is looking for a community member to fill the role in District 4 through November 2025. District 4 is located on the east side of Colfax in an area running south of the railroad tracks. A map is available to further define the boundaries of the district for interested candidates. The seat will be on the ballot in the November election for a fouryear term. The school board is made up of four district members along with three at-large members.
said he is excited to see the benefits the childcare center will bring not only to Colfax but Jasper County as a whole. “The sky is the limit,” Mast said. “This childcare is going to be very beneficial to the business people
in town who have employees with kids. There is a lot of potential that all stems out of a good school and a good city and childcare helps both of those things get better.” CENTER | 3
Democrats are starting early in the campaign for Congress Potluck picnic lets constituents and party members get acquainted with Bohannan, Terrell
Colfax-Mingo Community School District Located on the east side of Colfax, the District 4 seat for the Colfax-Mingo Community School District is looking for a new representative following the resignation of former member Chet Williams.
Currently, Shannon Boehm serves as president, Ashley VanderSchoor as vice president and district business
manager Kelly Disney serves as secretary for the board. The SCHOOL BOARD | 3
Supervisors want to draft contract with conservation over nature center duties Idea met with skepticism, board wants to ensure it doesn’t fall back on taxpayers By Christopher Braunschweig Jasper County Tribune To better establish the responsibilities in operating the future nature center, the Jasper County Board of Supervisors wants its legal counsel to work on a 28E agreement with the conservation department, whose director and board were apprehensive of the idea and
question the motivations behind the contract. Supervisor Brandon Talsma said in order to create the agreement the board had to approve an engagement letter with Ahlers & Cooney since it is “beyond the normal scope they would provide” to the county. He stressed the document provided to the board and included in the agenda was not the CONTACT US
28E agreement. “This is an engagement letter saying we would like to engage Ahlers & Cooney’s services to help us draft this agreement is all it is,” Talsma said. Skepticism about the agreement began at the board table. It seemed to Supervisor Doug Cupples that it could be something the county could work out
without paying a lawyer, but Talsma countered that he would like it in writing. Cupples even suggested the matter be held off until a later date, and he wanted the county Shaw Media Christopher Braunschweig/Jasper County Tribune to avoid paying exorbitant lawyer fees. Travis Terrell, top, a Democratic candidate vying for Iowa’s 1st Congressional District seat, and Christina “We just spent, like, Bohannan, bottom, a Democratic candidate seeking $100,000 for the rail her third bid for Iowa’s 1st Congressional District park,” Talsma said. “Two seat, speak during a potluck picnic hosted by the Jasest. 1851
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per County Democratic Party on June 28 at Maytag Park in Newton.
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