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OFFICIAL
NEWSPAPER FOR
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NORWALK COMMUNITY
SCHOOL DISTRICT
Nor~calk Warriors
Vol. 44 No, 38 Norwalk, Iowa 50211 USPS No. 395-120
KC Lenten
Fish Fries To Begin
The annual Knights of Columbus Lenten Fish Fries
will begin Frida35 Feb. 15, at St. John the Apostle Catho-
lic Church 720 Orchard Hills Dr with serving from
5:30 to 7 p.m. They will continue each Friday through
March 22.
The menu includes a choice of two fried or baked
fish or three pizza slices, with coleslaw, fries, macaroni
and cheese, relish, bread and butter and beverage. ,
Cost for the meal is $8 for adults, $5 for senior citi-
zens and $3 for children 12 and under
Norwalk Boy Scout Troops will have desserts avail-
able each week at their tables, as this is a fundraiser
project for them also.
Other serving dates are February 22, March 1, 8, 15
and 22.
f
By Mayor Doug Pierce
J
While writing this, we just made it through our sec-
ond major snowfall event and with that, 197 snow ordi-
nance tickets were issued and seven vehicles towed. I
know this is a frustrating situation, so I am going to
write a brief summary of Norwalk's Snow Ordinance
Policy (Ordinance 69.10 SNOW REMOVAL) and where
you can obtain the information you need to comply.
The Ordinance reads, "No person shall park, aban-
don or leave unattended any vehicle on any public street,
alle: or City-owned off-street parking area during any
snow emergency. When predictions or occurrences in-
dicate the need, the Public Works Director shall initiate
a snow emergency and inform the news media to pub-
licize the snow emergency. The snow emergency shall
remain in effect until the Public Works Director declares
it over."
Besides the news media, a Snow Ordinance alert is
placed on the home page of our website with a date/
time that it will go into effect and a date/time that it will
expire. If an expiration time is not stated, the Snow Or-
dinance will remain in effect until the Public Works
Director states otherwise, which wilt also be posted on
our website. To be specific, the most recent posting read,
"The City Snow Ordinance will go into effect at 12:01
a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 30 and stay in place until 12 noon
oll Thursday, Jan. 31. Remove vehicles from the street
to avoid a ticket or tow."
I have talked with Police Chief Kuhl and he believes
that there is confusion generated once the streets have
initially been plowed, so residents think that parking in
the street is OK in their area. However, Public Works
may have more "clean-up" they want to do, so theordi-
nance will still be in effect for their benefit. Our Public
Works crews work some very difficult hours to try and
get our streets in the best possible condition they can
for the morning commute. Their "sleep sacrifice" is sure
made a lot more pleasant when the streets are clear of
vehicles.
SUBSCRIBE TODAY!
Send $18 check or money order
for a one year subscription to
PO Box 325, Norwalk, IA 50211
Phone 981-0406
Jack Gehring and Police Chief Ed Kuhl. Photo submit-
ted.
The Gehring Safe
By Jack Gehring
At the turn of the Twentieth Century my grandfa-
ther, Fred Gehring and a gentleman named Weibel op-
erated a hardware store in Elgin, a small town in north-
eastern Iowa. In those days a hardware store is a far cry
from what a modern store looks like today. The stock
included buggy whips, neck yokes, single trees and
other harness parts, cook stoves and builders supplies
that fit the time period. They even sold dynamite which
they stored in a little shed back of the store.
In 1904 the two owners decided they needed a safe
to provide a place to store their records and store re-
ceipts to protect it from fire or thievery. They ordered
the safe from the manufacturer and in a short time it
arrived and found a home in the back of the store. I
would assume it looked pretty impressive all black and
maroon with the name "Gehring @ Weibel" on the front.
This was its home for many years. My grandfather
sold the hardware store in 1918 and the safe remained
in the back of the store.
In 1947 my father purchased the hardware store from
the person that bought it from my grandfather in 1918
and we became storeowners. I did notice that floor
where the safe had set for many years was lower than
the rest of the floor, so we moved it to another location
in the store. There is where I found out that it was a
very heavy piece of office equipment
I left Elgin a few years later to pursue another career
and my father operated the store until he died ha 1974.
The Gehring hardware store was closed and never re-
opened.
My mother lived in the apartment over the store for
quite a few years afterward. She found the long flight
of stairs-up to the apartment a little too much and she
moved to a first floor apartment.
She found someone that was interested in buying the
building and she sold the property.
For some reason I wanted the safe as a family heir-
loom or piece of family history.
email: news @ norwalknewspaper.com
Concluded p. 2
Thursday, February 7, 2013
-( NORWALK POLICE CHIEF lEd Kuhl
Tobacco Enforcement Program
The Norwalk Police Department has taken a pledge
to keep tobacco out of thehands of Norwalk youth.
It's called the Iowa Pledge and it's a partnership with
the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division (ABA) to enforce
Iowa' tobacco laws. The Iowa Pledge program has
helped increase statewide tobacco compliance to a rate
of 92% since it began in 2000. By partnering with the
ABA, the Norwalk Police Department will look to do
its part in continuing the upward trend.
As part of the Iowa Pledge Program, officers will soon
be conducting compliance checks on local establish-
ments. Underage customers under the supervision of
law enforcement officials will enter establishments and
attempt to buy tobacco products. Clerks who make the
illegal sale will be cited.
Criminal penalties for selling tobacco to a minor in-
clude a $100 fine for first offense, a $250 fine for a sec-
ond offense and a $500 fine for third and subsequent
offenses.
By partnering with the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages
Divisien, we hope to maintain a compliant retail envi-
ronment in our community and moreover, we pledge
to keep tobacco out of the hands of Iowa's youth.
Agenda
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
Norwalk City Hall
Thursday, February 7, 2013 -
6:30 P.M.
This is a tentative Agenda onl)5 which is subject to
change. The final City Council Agenda will be posted
at the Norwalk City Hall at least 24 hours prior to
commencement of the meeting.
1. Call to order at 6:30 p.m.
2. Approval of Agenda
Presentation -Boy Scout Birdhouses
3. Approval of Minutes - January 17, 2013 Regular
Council Meeting
4. Mayor - Welcome ofguests and public comment, 3
minute limit, no action
5. Consent Agenda A. Expenditures
B. Tax Abatements
C. Approval of request for proposal (RFP) for
spraying and mowing in the City of Norwalk
D. Liquor license renewal -Fareway Stores, Inc.
#077
Dollar General Store #284
Indianola Square Bar Assoc at Wright Place
6. Hearings, Ordinances and Resolutions
A. Public Hearing regarding the Urban Renewal
Plan
B. Consideration and third and final reading of
a proposed Ordinance amending the Code of Ordi-
nances of the City of Norwalk, Iowa, 2008, Chapters 55,
56, 57 and 177, related to animal control and associated
fees (third of three readings)
C. Consideration of a Resolution amending the
City of Norwalk Urban Federal Functional Classifica-
tion System and National Highway System
D. Consideration of a Resolution adopting the
sidewalk repair and inspection policy
E. Consideration of Resolution authorizing
Metro Waste Authority scrap tire program
Concluded p.
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