Pride and Progress, Feb. 23

Quality of Life&ProgressPride

The new Clarinda Regional Health Center facility that opened in January has played a significant role in improving the quality of life in Clarindaand the surrounding area. The new facility is fully equipped with state-of-the-art medical technology to provide the most up-to-date care for thecommunity.

The bronze Glenn Miller statue at the Glenn Miller Birthplace Museum greetshundreds of visitors every year. The museum features memorabilia andartifacts from the legendary big band leader’s musical career.

The Toronto All-Star Band was one of the many popular big band groups thatperformed during the 2011 Glenn Miller Festival in Clarinda. Hundreds of fansof the “big band sound” traveled to Clarinda for the four-day musical event atClarinda High School.

The Circle 8 Square Dance Club is one of many activi-ties available to members of the Clarinda community.The group meets every other Wednesday in the gymna-sium of the former McKinley School building at 12thand Nodaway streets. Approximately two dozendancers come to each gathering, with large, regionalevents planned throughout the year.

Remote-controlled aircraft enthusiasts have a homein Clarinda, as well. The group meets as often as possi-ble, weather permitting, at its miniature airstrip adjacentto the main runway at Schenck Field-Clarinda MunicipalAirport. The group also participates in “fun fly” eventsthroughout the summer and performs a demonstrationshow during the Glenn Miller Festival flight breakfast.

Clarinda has a rich tradition in the performing arts. Inaddition to an all-state caliber high school theatredepartment, the community boasts one of the top com-munity theater groups in the state. Several churches,such as Hillside Missionary Church above, tap into thatdeep talent pool to put on performances throughout theyear, as well.

The annual Clarinda Lutheran School Christmas can-tata is a popular event that packs the sanctuary at St.John Lutheran Church in Clarinda. Students in all gradelevels at CLS participate in the show, which featureschoirs, hand chimes, and narration by students. Adinner follows the concert in the church’s basementfellowship hall.

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Thursday, February 23, 2012

2C &ProgressPride

“As a commu-nity journalist,one of thesupreme delightsof my job isrecording theClarinda commu-nity spirit – itscommunity pride– for future gen-erations to lookback upon. We dothat through ournews and featurephotography andwriting.”

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BOB ESCHLIMANPublisher

Coming from a ruralcommunity myself, I under-stand the importance ofpride in one’s community.

That pride is on displayevery time you cheer for thehome team on the footballfield, or when you attend aschool play. And, it’s ondisplay when you con-tribute to a class fundraiser.

It’s on display when yougo to the community pan-cake supper, or when youset up a lawn chair to watchthe summer parade. And,it’s on display when youvolunteer your time for alocal project.

As a community journal-ist, one of the supremedelights of my job isrecording the Clarindacommunity spirit – its com-munity pride – for futuregenerations to look back

upon. We do that throughour news and feature pho-tography and writing.

And, let’s face it, there’sa lot to be proud of inClarinda. That’s why weproduced the series of newsfeatures titled “Pride &Progress,” the first install-ment of which you have inyour hands now.

Each week, we will lookat life in Clarinda from anew vantage point. Thisweek, we look at the

improving quality of life inour community and themany ways life just keepsgetting better here.

In subsequent weeks, wewill explore our communitypride with regard to busi-ness and industry, ouryouth, and our overall com-munity success.

This can’t be an all-inclu-sive look at every reason tohave pride in your commu-nity. There just isn’t enoughpaper to print the pages

necessary for that kind ofproject.

But, it’s my hope this canserve as a reminder of someof the many great thingsgoing on in our corner ofthe world. And, perhaps, itcan serve as an inspirationfor even greater achieve-ments in the years to come.

Thanks for reading, andthanks for helping to makeClarinda a community weall can be proud to live,work, and play in every day.

There’s a lot to be proud of in Clarinda... So, here’s a sampling

Thursday, February 23, 2012

3C&ProgressPride

Students participate in Allie Wellhausen’s Clarinda Pump class at the Lied Center, one of nearly adozen new classes fitness director Sara Bridie has implemented in recent months, which have broughtin many new faces over the past year. Lied Center memberships increased in 2011 from 678 to 703,with patrons traveling from 23 different communities to use the facilities in Clarinda.

“I think thiswill be a reallygood thing forthe Lied Center.I’ve always saidthat Clarindaneeds some-thing like that;I think it willbe a bigbonus.”

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ADA-compliant splashpool will take place ofexisting baby pool

EMILY GOWINGStaff Writer

“Rendered obsolete” is aphrase that Lied Centerdirector Randy Pullen doesnot like to hear.

Therefore, upon hearingthat the Lied Center’s babypool would become obso-lete in March this yearbecause of new ADA feder-al regulations, he decided todo something about it.

He approached the citycouncil with two alterna-tives; either close the babypool, the least favored of thetwo options because of therisk of losing patrons eachsummer, or design some-thing new.

With a unanimous vote“yes” in favor of a newsplash pool, Pullen proceed-ed with plans to turn obso-lete into up-to-date.

The splash pool will takethe place of the outdoorbaby pool, extending slight-ly farther to the east to com-pensate for the ADA-required zero-depth entry.

For the toddlers andyoung children who can’tyet reach the floor of theindoor pool, the splash poolwill offer a fun alternativeof water guns and waterblasters, dumping buckets, arain bar and a tube slide.

There will be a heightrestriction, Pullen said, buthe’s sure there will be olderchildren, even ten- totwelve-year-olds, wantingto cool down from the sum-mer heat and play outside inthe water, too.

Pullen has also drawn outplans with the architect toexpand the patio area andprovide umbrellas, tables

and chairs for parents andbabysitters who wouldrather sit out of the waterand watch their kids play.

Plans for the splash poolhave been in the workssince late fall of 2011 and,after meeting with contrac-tors in February, Pullenhopes the splash area willbe ready for the summercrowd by June 1.

Because the proposedproject is a splash pool andnot an actual swimmingpool, it will only reach amaximum depth of twelveinches. State regulationcodes say no lifeguard isnecessary, Pullen said, butthe Lied Center will contin-ue to post one guard on dutyoutside whenever a patronis outside in the water.

Clarinda resident and in-home babysitter BarbRipley is excited about theidea of a splash pool at theLied Center. “I know a lotof mothers with young chil-dren who take their kids toShenandoah because of thezero-depth entry,” she said.

“I think this will be a real-ly good thing for the LiedCenter. I’ve always said thatClarinda needs somethinglike that; I think it will be abig bonus.”

Aside from the plans forthe new splash pool andpatio area, the staff at theLied Center has workedcontinuously on upkeep andimprovements of the cityparks, baseball fields andtennis courts.

A new scoreboard for themunicipal baseball stadiumwas purchased and installedwith funds provided by theClarinda School District,the City of Clarinda andseveral donors.

The baseball and softballfields also had tile laid to

‘Rendered Obsolete’becoming up-to-date at

Clarinda Lied Center

LIED see page 6C

Thursday, February 23, 2012

4C &ProgressPride

The radiology department at Clarinda Regional Health Center received a significant step up in terms of technology when the hospital moved into its new facility inJanuary. Plans are in place to put nuclear medicine and MRI imaging facilities in-house in the 71,000-square-foot facility. Many of the upgrades were intended to improvepatient comfort, as well as better and more efficient medical care.

“Healthcare isone piece of apuzzle in a strongcommunity.Having access to astate of the artfacility, as well as(staff members)that are first-rate… is somethingwe think everycommunity, butthis community inparticular, expectsand deserves as apart of their com-munity.”

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30 miles of computercable run throughnew 71,000-square-foot CRHC facility

KENT DINNEBIEREditor

The role of a hospital isto make its patients strongerand healthier, but a state ofthe art facility like the newClarinda Regional HealthCenter can also have thesame impact on the com-munity it serves.

The new 71,071 squarefoot hospital in Clarindaofficially opened its doorsMonday, Jan. 16, and the$28.5 million constructionproject has already provento be an overwhelming suc-cess for the city and region.

“Healthcare is one pieceof a puzzle in a strong com-munity,” CRHC ChiefExecutive Officer ChrisStipe said. “Having accessto a state of the art facility,

as well as (staff members)that are first-rate … issomething we think everycommunity, but this com-munity in particular,expects and deserves as apart of their community.”

To meet those loftyexpectations, special carewas included in the designof the hospital to ensurepatient privacy and theavailability of the latestadvances in technologyboth in terms of the equip-ment used to providepatient care and the methodin which that care is provid-ed.

Clarinda MunicipalHospital, as it was initiallyknown, was constructed in1939 and various additionsand improvements weremade to the facility over theyears. “The communitydeserves credit for takinggood care of that buildingand nurturing it along theway to get as much as wecould out of it,” Stipe said.

However, Stipe said the

hospital eventually reacheda point where it no longersupported the delivery ofhealthcare in the modernage.

“Healthcare has changedso much from an in-patientfocus to an out-patientfocus. So, when wedesigned the (new) build-ing, obviously it’s designedwith more of an out-patientfocus,” Stipe said. “Theflow of the building reallylends itself to the out-patient arena as opposed toin-patient.”

While the new hospitaldoes have a 25-bed in-patient floor to care forpatients that are required tostay in the hospital, the lookand feel of those rooms aredramatically different thanat the previous facility.

Rather than having thesemi-private rooms thatwere offered at the originalhospital, the new hospitalfeatures 21 private roomsthat are approximately 60percent larger than they

were previously and foursemi-private rooms if need-ed.

“People are focused onprivacy and comfort. Thereis space and comfort itemsin those rooms like couch-es, furniture and flat screenTVs in each room,” Stipesaid. “The bathrooms arealso friendlier to patients.They are easier to getaround in and safer.”

Meanwhile, every in-patient and out-patientroom in the hospital has acomputer and there are 30miles of computer network-ing cable strung throughoutthe hospital. This was doneas part of the hospital’seffort to move to elec-tronic medical records thatwill engage the patients intheir healthcare decisionswhile at the same timeincreasing the speed ofcare.

Stipe said electronicmedical records alsoincreases the privacy of thepatient and the safety of

their identity because paperrecords containing personalinformation about thepatients are no longerstored on the in-patient sideof the hospital. The clinicsat the hospital are also mov-ing toward the use of thispaperless system.

Patient privacy, alongwith the safety of patientsand staff members, was alsoimportant concern in thedesign of the emergencyroom at the new hospital. Inthe former building, Stipesaid the emergency roomsfaced a public hallway andcreated significant privacyissues for the patients.

“Now, the patient carearea is separate from the ERlobby area. When peoplecome in they are greeted bystaff and they go into atriage room. Then we movethem back into the patientcare area if we need to,”Stipe said.

The emergency depart-

Hospital moves into 21st Century state-of-the-art facility

HOSPITAL see page 7C

Thursday, February 23, 2012

5C&ProgressPride

These chemotherapy infusion chairs are some of the many amenities purchased at the new Clarinda Regional Health Center facility with funds provided through theClarinda Foundation. The non-profit organization donated $100,000 – its largest donation to-date – toward the Clarinda Medical Foundation’s efforts to provide state-of-the-art equipment and furnishings in the new facility.

“I think it wasa good process togo through tocome up with alist [of potentialprojects] so if wedo have peoplewho are wantingto give back toClarinda we havespecific ideas towhich they candonate.”

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In 2011, non-profitgave $21,500 to 19local organizations

EMILY GOWINGStaff Writer

The Clarinda Foundationfunctions like an iceberg.

The small fraction ofwhat we see – the fundrais-ers and scholarships – areawe-inspiring and leave alasting impact on the livesof the community mem-bers. However, a large per-centage of what theFoundation does is underthe surface, taking placebehind the scenes.

In the past 25 years, theClarinda Foundation hasfunded nearly $350,000worth of community-basedprojects in Clarinda and thesurrounding areas.

From the installation ofnew playground equipmentat Garfield ElementarySchool in 2005 to purchas-ing audio books for theLied Public Library in 2007to providing the CollegeSprings Fire Departmentwith building improve-ments in 2010, theFoundation uses undesig-nated donations to fullyfund hundreds of small-scale needs in publicschools, public libraries,

and other public servicesvenues.

Over the years, theFoundation has had a hand-ful of opportunities to serveas a conduit for funds thatare donated toward a large-scale community project.

The first project of thissort began in 1991 as theClarinda Foundation coor-dinated a fundraiser to meetat $750,000 challenge grantoffered by Clarinda nativeChristina Hixson who is thesole trustee of the LiedFoundation.

With the help and organi-zation of the ClarindaFoundation, as well as a$150,000 donation from

Johnny Carson who brieflyresided in Clarinda duringhis early life, the proposedcommunity center became areality as the Clarinda LiedCenter opened its doors.

Other such large-scaleprojects have been movingthe Brokaw FFA ChapterHouse, reconstructing thePage County Courthousetower, and building the LiedPublic Library.

Since its first perform-ance in 1997, ClarindaSings, originally planned asa fundraiser for theClarinda Foundation, hasannually brought in moneythat has aided small-scaleprojects like resurfacing the

high school track andreplacing the seats in thehigh school auditorium.

The Foundation is notallowed to spearhead suchprojects, said executivedirector John Woolson,without a fiscal sponsorbeing willing to build thebuilding or lead the project.In this way, the ClarindaFoundation has workedclosely with the city ofClarinda to make improve-ments and accomplish thethings community memberswant.

Woolson acknowledgedthat, while fundraisers are

Much of what Clarinda Foundation does isn’t seen on the surface

FOUNDATION see page 8C

Thursday, February 23, 2012

6C &ProgressPride

Clarinda Middle School music students look at Glenn Miller’s trombone, on display at the Glenn Miller Birthplace Museum in Clarinda, during a field trip to the muse-um earlier this school year. Providing music educational opportunities to area school districts is one area museum and Glenn Miller Birthplace Society officials are hopingto expand their offerings in the coming years.

In January, the Lied Center hosted a youth basketball tournamentthat brought people from throughout the region to Clarinda. Basedon current membership levels, the Lied Center regularly serves res-idents from 23 different communities in Iowa, Nebraska, andMissouri.

“A lot of whatwe’re looking atwere things wedidn’t do when weinitially openedthe museumbecause they weretoo expensive.We’ve been work-ing with theRobert BodnarCompany inOmaha, and theyhave already donesome preliminarywork on Phase II.So, we alreadyhave some ideasin mind for whatwe would like todo.”

MMaarrvviinn NNeegglleeyyGGMMBBSS PPrreessiiddeenntt

Plans to begin raisingfunds for Phase II ofmuseum developmentto be launched soon

BOB ESCHLIMANPublisher

What would it be like inClarinda if Glenn Millerhadn’t been born here?

It’s a question GlennMiller Birthplace Societypresident Marvin Negleyoften asks himself. Theanswer usually leaves himfeeling blessed that thecommunity can lay claim toa small piece of theAmerican legend’s story.

“If he hadn’t been bornhere, there would be no rea-son for the Glenn Millerfestival,” he said. “And,there have been a lot ofwonderful things that havehappened in Clarinda as aresult.”

Like the thousands of vis-itors from around the worldwho have come to Clarindato celebrate the life andmusic of Glenn Miller. Andfrom those many visitscame relationships withfriends from all across theworld, including “BillBaker” from theNetherlands.

Like the piqued interestof one Japanese businessman, Hideomi Aoki, who sofell in love with Clarindaand the Glenn MillerFestival after one visit thathe decided to call the com-munity his second home.And from that relationshiplaunched other relation-ships with our friends inJapan: the Sister City rela-tionship with Tamana City,the biennial visits from theTamana Girls High SchoolBand, and the studentexchange program betweenTamana Girls High Schooland Clarinda High School.

And, without a Alton“Glenn” Miller to celebrate,there certainly would be no

reason to build a GlennMiller Birthplace Museum,which brings hundreds ofvisitors to Clarinda eachyear.

“We’re truly blessed tohave this opportunity, as acommunity,” Negley said.

Ground was broken onthat museum at the openingof the 2009 Glenn MillerFestival. And, the finishedfacility was opened to thepublic one year later at the2010 festival.

With a number of staticdisplays, including photos,vinyl records and sheetmusic, and memorabiliafrom Glenn Miller’s musi-cal career, Phase Iof the museumproject wasquickly complet-ed. But, Negleyand museumdirector DwightSump believe thetime is quicklyapproaching tolaunch the secondphase of themuseum’s devel-opment.

“We don’t havean active fund drive at thispoint, but it’s something wewill be launching down theroad,” Negley said. “Wewill probably start writinggrants at the first of nextyear.”

He said when writinggrant applications, it’s help-ful to show the museum isproviding some of the fund-ing on its own. He put anestimated price tag forPhase II at roughly$250,000, of which about90 percent could come fromgrants.

“But if someone wouldlike to donate the wholeamount right now, I don’tthink we would turn itaway,” Sump joked.

Negley said a batch ofgrant applications werewritten a little more than ayear ago, which were high-ly competitive and providedplenty of useful feedback

for future grant-writingopportunities. But Sumppointed out the museum isalways accepting donations.

“A lot of what we’relooking at were things wedidn’t do when we initiallyopened the museumbecause they were tooexpensive,” Negley said.“We’ve been working withthe Robert BodnarCompany in Omaha, andthey have already donesome preliminary work onPhase II. So, we alreadyhave some ideas in mind forwhat we would like to do.”

Phase II of the museumproject will entail a number

of new static displays, aswell as some new, high-endadditions. Negley said themuseum would like to beable to include some “whitestatue” displays, as well assome computerized interac-tive displays.

Ultimately, the goal is toattract a younger generationof music fans to come andlearn about the roots oftoday’s popular musicsound. The challenge is thatmany of the younger gener-ation may have heard GlennMiller or “big band” music,but haven’t connected thename with the music.

That’s where Negleythinks interactive displayswill be most useful.

“They could play a songand then guess its name,” hesaid. “Or, they could pick asong title and simply listento the song to help themmake the connection.”

Some areas of intendedexpansion include delvingdeeper into Miller’s earlyband days, before hebecame a national sensa-tion. And, the museum islooking for an opportunityto display some of its mem-orabilia from his final daysin the military.

“We have an Air Forceuniform that has beendonated to us by a militarygroup out of Omaha,”Negley said. “It includes allof the medals and ribbonshe had earned through hismilitary service.”

“We need to be able toattract visitors from a long

w a y so f f , ”Negleys a i d .“ W ehave tohave am u s e -u mpeoplea r etalkingabout –w ehave to

be that good.”“We’re off to a good

start,” he added, “but we’regoing to be even better ifwe’re able to raise thefunds.”

Another challenge themuseum faces is its loca-tion. Clarinda is not situatedin close proximity to anInterstate highway, which iswhere most highly success-ful museums are located.

So, the museum mustwork doubly hard to attractvisitors who are on theroad. One way they hope todo that in the comingmonths is through theinstallation of highwayinformation signs alongU.S. Highway 71 and IowaHighway 2.

“We once had a couple ofwomen come in from NorthDakota. They were just tak-ing their time, drivingacross the Midwest, and

stopped uptown,” Negleysaid. “Now, if there wereother people like them outthere, who see our sign,they’re already in their car,so it’s much easier to swingin and stop by. They’realready almost here.”

To do that, the Iowa DOTrequires a certain level ofattendance already beachieved by the attraction.Sump said he was alreadyin discussions with DOTofficials about getting thosesigns up.

Another way the museumis working to promote itsofferings to tourism groupsis by partnering with othercommunity attractions todevelop group travel oppor-tunities. And, the museumcontinues to put out market-ing materials in a wide areain an effort to draw visitors.

“Attendance will startpicking up against in thespring,” Sump said. “And,we’ll have hundreds of peo-ple here just for the GlennMiller Festival.”

While some would judgethe museum’s successthrough its paid attendancenumbers, Sump quicklypointed out the museumoffers a larger service to thecommunity, as well.

“We host a number ofmeetings, and family gath-erings, and a host of otheractivities, like the regularlegislative briefings,” hesaid. “We also have achurch youth group thatmeets here every week, andthe museum would be awonderful option for localpiano teachers to host theirrecitals.”

Negley said he’s mostappreciative of the supportthe community has shownto both the museum and theGlenn Miller BirthplaceSociety over the years.

“We’re known all overthe world now because ofthis,” he said. “It’s a greatthing we’re developinghere.”

Museum provides tourism, economic boost to community

help with rainwaterdrainage so summer gamescan be rescheduled andplayed on a timelier basis.

With tennis season justaround the corner, athletescan practice without a part-ner thanks to a tennisrebounder area that wasbuilt and added to the westtennis court.

The inside of the LiedCenter has seen numerousimprovements as well, froma new flat roof above thelobby to a sanded andnewly finished gym floor.

The gymnasium alsoreceived a new air condi-tioner and the locker roomdoors leading into the poolwere replaced with newfiber glass doors to preventrusting in the future.

With all of that accom-plished, there’s still muchmore on Pullen’s to-do list.He has plans to modernizethe barbeque grills in the

city parks and replace theplayground-area woodchips with recycled rubberchips.

He would like to lay newflooring and paint the wallsand ceilings in the westlocker rooms, replace thedome roof over the pool andpurchase a new treadmill aswell as a new recumbentbike.

The carpeted floors in thegroup fitness room werereplaced with hardwoodflooring when GroupFitness director Sara Bridieimplemented the elevenweekly classes that are nowbringing many new faces tothe Lied Center each day.

Since their start two yearsago, Group Fitness classeshave continued to provide afun and friendly environ-ment to Lied Centerpatrons, members and non-members, who like to chal-lenge themselves with hour-long workouts.

Having already imple-

mented organized workoutsfor adults, the Lied Centerstaff looked into starting anew program for the youththis past winter.

Clarinda high schoolcoaches worked with Pullento coordinate fourth throughsixth grade basketballteams, bringing travelingteams from surroundingschool districts to the LiedCenter in late January for anall-day tournament.

“People from out of towncome in [to the Lied Center]and are surprised by all thatwe have,” Pullen said.

The Lied Center current-ly holds 703 memberships,up from 678 at the end of2011, with patrons comingfrom 23 different communi-ties as far away as Farragut,Red Oak, Corning, Bedfordand Burlington Junction.

The 2011 calendar yearwas the biggest year for rev-enue, Pullen said, as theLied Center brought innearly $324,000.

Lied: 2011 was biggest year yet for centerContinued from 3C

Thursday, February 23, 2012

7C&ProgressPride

The Clarinda Volunteer Fire Department is expecting delivery of a new fire truck similar to the one above in October or November. The new truck will have many featuresthat were added on in response to fire calls the department has responded to in the past. The goal was to ensure this truck had every piece of equipment local firefightersmay need when on a call.

“We tried tothink of every sit-uation we haveever dealt with.This truck will rollout on every calland carry every-thing we need.”

RRooggeerr WWiilllliiaammssFFiirree CChhiieeff

Fire Department tooklook at needs fromrecent fire calls

KENT DINNEBIEREditor

No matter what the emer-gency, the new rescuepumper for the ClarindaVolunteer Fire Departmenthas been designed torespond.

“We tried to think ofevery situation we haveever dealt with,” ClarindaFire Chief Roger Williamssaid. “This truck will rollout on every call and carryeverything we need.”

Present the ClarindaVolunteer Fire Department,which provides fire protec-tion for the city of Clarindaas well as the NodawayHarlan Fire District, has acrew of 27 members andeight fire trucks to meet theneeds of city and rural resi-dents.

“We basically have twodepartments under one roofwith separate budgets andequipment,” Williams said.

In recent years, a citypumper has fallen into dis-repair and the need for anewer rural truck to battlegrass fires has alsoemerged. In an effort to findan economical solution tothose needs, Williamsapproached the city and therural fire district with aninnovative proposal.

Rather than spending the

money to purchase two newtrucks, Williams proposedthe two entities worktogether to purchase a newRosenbauer rescue pumperand then refurbish the exist-ing rescue vehicle that car-ries the extrication equip-ment for the department soit can serve as an improvedgrass rig.

“Our current extricationtruck is overweight becauseit has too much equipmenton it,” Williams said. “Sowe tried to develop the newtruck around our rescueneeds. All the extricationequipment will be put onthe new truck, while therefurbished grass truck willprovide two such rigs forthe department.”

Seeing the cost savingsand benefit of the enhancedfire protection the rescuepumper would provide forthe city and the rural firedistrict, Williams said bothgovernmental entitiesquickly came on board.

The city of Clarinda com-mitted $250,000 to the pur-chase of the rescue pumperand the Nodaway HarlanFire Board added $125,000to the overall project. Thenew rescue pumper isscheduled to be delivered ineither October orNovember.

“I tried to come up with away to have the city and therural come together,”Williams said. “This issomething we have notdone before, but I have had

this idea in my head for twoor three years and thoughtwe should try it. I think ithas worked out for every-body.”

As a four-wheel driverescue truck, the new vehi-cle will feature pullout traysto store the individualpieces of extrication equip-ment. The hydraulic equip-ment, such as the Jaws ofLife, will be mounted onreels with 100 feet of hoseline to reach a victimwhether the individual istrapped inside a vehicle atan accident, in a grain binor any similar emergency.

The hydraulic equipmentwill be powered by a built-in electrical system in thetruck that will be moredependable than the gaso-line powered system thedepartment currently uses.However, Williams said thetruck will also be equippedwith a portable gasolineengine that could be used tooperate the extricationequipment in a remote areathat the truck cannot access.

“We also plan on updat-ing the Jaws of Life andsome of the other tools withsome additional fundraisingefforts,” Williams said.

Meanwhile, as a pumper,the new truck will carry firehoses, ladders and air packsfor battling all types ofstructure fires. The truckwill also have a 750 gallononboard water tank and willhave the capability to pump1,250 gallons of water per

minute.“The water tank for most

city pumpers is only 500gallons because you haveaccess to fire hydrants. So,the larger tank will provideus with extra water forstructure fires in the ruralarea,” Williams said.

Beyond the capability tofight structure fires, thetruck will also be able toserve as a quick attack vehi-cle for vehicle fires. Thefront bumper of the truckhas been enlarged to con-tain a hose line and a winchto stabilize vehicles thathave gone off a bridge orinto a deep ravine. Thetruck also has the capabilityof spraying foam directlyfrom the pumper.

“This will provide usquick access to water andfoam for vehicle firesinvolving cars, trucks, com-bines or other farm machin-ery,” Williams said. “Theonboard foam capability isalso helpful for structurefires involving a shed orgarage that contains fuel orelectrical concerns.”

The truck will also beequipped with a light towerto provide better nighttimeillumination at fires or res-cue calls. Those lights willalso be able to be removedfrom the truck and pluggedinto a portable generator ifneeded.

Meanwhile, the truck willalso have an onboard elec-trical system that can beused to power exhaust fans

or other equipment needingan electrical outlet to oper-ate.

“Finally, there is a quad-cab so the truck will rollwith up to five people. Thatis enough to run the pumpsand extrication equipment.So rather than sending outmultiple trucks, we’ll beable to save money by usingless gasoline,” Williamssaid. “If we go somewhere,I’m confident this truck willbe able to take care of thesituation. So the people inthe city or rural area shouldknow their money is beingwell spent.”

Beyond the cost savingsto Clarinda-area residents,Williams said the new res-cue pumper could pay divi-dends in terms of insurancecosts.

Williams said the newtruck will benefit the cityinsurance rating and at thesame time could allow ruralresidents to save money ontheir home insurancebecause they have access tobetter fire protection.

Finally, Williams said thepurchase of the rescuepumper has invigorated themembers of the departmentbecause they see the cityand rural fire district arecommitted to properlyequipping the department.

“The guys are trying todo what is best for the com-munity and this new truckwill allow them to respondfaster, which could save alife,” Williams said.

New fire truck will meet needs of community, fire district

ment features five privaterooms, including two trau-ma rooms that are easilyaccessible to or from a pri-vate ambulance bay con-nected to the emergencyroom. Stipe said the ambu-lance bay provides anindoor area for safely load-ing or unloading patients.

Another key componentof the emergency medicalservices offered at CRHC isa new helicopter pad locat-ed near the emergencyroom. Both the pad itselfand the path leading to thelanding spot are heated soice and snow will not formon the concrete and causedangerous situations forpatients and staff.

“It’s quicker to get some-body out of here. We usedto have to land at the airportand bring the staff over. Westarted meeting them at theairport, in fact, in the lastfew years because we weretrying to save time,” Stipesaid. “You’re going to havea lot better outcomes if youcan get people on their wayto the specialty care theyneed as fast as possible.”

Meanwhile, the surgicaldepartment was alsoexpanded to provide thenecessary space to performa variety of procedureslocally. The department fea-tures two surgical proce-dure rooms and three surgi-cal recovery rooms.

The dietary department

has also seen significantgrowth in the new hospital,both in terms of space andusage. Stipe said the size ofthe department is two tothree times larger than itwas in the former buildingand business in the depart-ment has doubled sincemoving in.

“There’s a nice diningarea where folks eat. There’sa (serving area) that has lotsa room for an expandedsalad bar and more hot foodoptions. Then, there’s a nice

preparation area that is stateof the art for the staff to pre-pare the food,” Stipe said.

Other key improvementsoffered at the new hospitalinclude a private wing forradiology and bringingnuclear medicine into thehospital rather than offeringa mobile service as we haddone before. Stipe saidplans are also being madeto have an MRI machine onsite rather than utilizing amobile service to performthose tests.

Since the original hospi-tal was landlocked, parkingwas always an issue forpatients and staff, andtherefore was given consid-erable attention when thenew hospital was designed.The new hospital offers 92parking spaces for patientsor visitors in front of thebuilding and 103 staffspaces located to the northand rear of the facility.

In its first month of oper-ation, Stipe said CRHC sawa growth in business both

on the in-patient side andthe clinics. This in turn hasfurther empowered the tal-ented and highly capablestaff at the hospital to deliv-er the high quality of carepeople have come to expectin Clarinda.

“I feel the sky’s the limitnow. We can grow our serv-ices and invest in areas wecouldn’t before. We werereally stifled by the build-ing we were in. Now wehave lots of opportunities,”Stipe said.

Hospital: First month in new facility saw big boost in business for CRHCContinued from 4C

The first month at the new Clarinda Regional Health Center facility has been quite busy for hospital staff. Planning is already underway to add more parking, while hospital officials look to continue expanding the state-of-the-art medical services provided at the Clarindacampus.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

8C &ProgressPride

the most visible and mosttalked-about aspect of theClarinda Foundation, theyare an aside to the manyother ways in which theFoundation has enrichedthe quality of life and pro-moted a sense of communi-ty in Clarinda over the pastseveral years.

As a community founda-tion, the ClarindaFoundation is designed tohold endowment funds thatpeople leave behind for thefuture of their community,Woolson said.

The first grant of $4,000,awarded in 1987, went tothe Clarinda MunicipalHospital to purchase newwaiting-room chairs.

In 2011, the Foundationawarded the ClarindaRegional Health Center$100,000 – their biggestgrant to this day.

In this way, from furnish-ing the old hospital toequipping the new one, theFoundation saw the workdone in the past quarter of acentury come full-circle.

Nineteen grants weregiven in 2011, totalingclose to $21,500. Like thosegiven in the past, thesegrants were awarded to avariety of non-profit organ-izations that operate withina 15-mile radius ofClarinda.

Clarinda Chamber ofCommerce has benefittedfrom the ClarindaFoundation in the past tenyears by applying for andreceiving more than $7000for holiday decorations anddecorative tree planters tobeautify Clarinda’s down-town.

The Clarinda Lied Centeris another organization thathas received numerousyears’ worth of fundingfrom the Foundation. Since2002, over $15,500 hasbeen invested in the LiedCenter for new workout andpool equipment, the auto-mated entrance door andnew flooring for the fitnessclass room.

“They’ve been very sup-portive of us on severalprojects,” said Lied Center

director Randy Pullen.“We’ve been very fortunateand received a lot of grantsthrough the years.”

The Clarinda Foundationalso works outside ofClarinda’s city limits, fund-ing a variety of projects inBlanchard, Braddyville,Coin, College Springs, NewMarket and South Pagetotaling more than $25,000in the past 12 years.

These projects haveranged from a handicapentrance at the Coin PublicLibrary, to pagers andradios for the New Marketfire department, to newplayground equipment atthe South Page School.

The funding for theseprojects is made possiblethrough investment earn-ings generated by any of theeight undesignated endow-ment funds that theFoundation holds. Thenamed funds are in honor ofIrene and Otto Krause,Floyd Whitmore, James N.

Millhone, Ellis Bradley andMary Louise Lathrop.

While endowments aremost often as a bequest ofone’s will, the Foundationprovides ample opportuni-ties for community mem-bers to be involved in thefuture of Clarinda evennow.

In 2005, the Foundationformed a committee of ninecommunity members whobegan to look toward thefuture to determine whatClarinda should look like in2020.

The subcommitteesfocused on arts, communitydevelopment, recreation,seniors and wellness. Withthe input of more than fiftyClarinda residents, thecommittee constructed a listof nearly 40 projects theywanted to see completed inClarinda over the next fif-teen years.

The ideas were complet-ed in 2007 and compiledunder the name Vision

2020.Jon Baier, a member of

the Arts and Culture com-mittee, believes the brain-storming process is not onlybeneficial, but at times nec-essary. “I think it was agood process to go throughto come up with a list [ofpotential projects] so if wedo have people who arewanting to give back toClarinda we have specificideas to which they candonate,” he said.

With projects rangingfrom an outdoor aquaticfacility to paving the drive-way of the fairgrounds, tocontinued program supportfor the Arts Council andNodaway Valley FreeClinic, the ideas were bro-ken up into three sections:capital contributions withan upward of $25,000,smaller contributions cost-ing less than $25,000 andsustaining operationalendowments to provide on-going program support.

The Clarinda Foundationand the city of Clarinda gotright to work in implement-ing these ideas, startingwith building the new hos-pital.

As a community founda-tion, the ClarindaFoundation has between$30,000 - $45,000 availablefor grants each year and,over the past 25 years, hasawarded a yearly average ofover $10,000.

The organization’s needsare simple, Woolson said.With most of the grantmoney coming throughinterest that the Foundationreceives on the endowmentsthey hold, the present econ-omy has kept them fromdoing all that they hadhoped to be doing.

As the economy turnsaround, Woolson believesthat the Foundation willkeep its eye on the peopleof Clarinda as the people ofClarinda keep their eyes onthe future.

Foundation: 19 grants totaling $21,500 given to area non-profit agenciesContinued from 5C

The Clarinda Foundation donated $2,000 toward the purchase of this aquatic lift chair that was installed at the pool at the ClarindaLied Center. Since 2002, the Foundation has donated $15,500 toward projects at the fitness center. Some of the funds paid for new work-out equipment, an automated entrance door and flooring for the fitness classroom.

The Clarinda Foundation donated $100,000 to the Clarinda Medical Foundation’s “Building On Exceptional Care” capital campaign, which went toward the purchaseof equipment and furnishings in the Clarinda Regional Health Center facility, such as the hospital bed above. The $100,000 donation was the Foundation’s largest as part ofthe community’s Vision 2020 program.

The Clarinda Foundation has donated more than $10,000 toward the Lied Public Library since 2002. The Clarinda Foundation has between $30,000 and $45,000 avail-able for grants each year. Over the past 25 years, it has donated an average of $10,000 per year.

Thursday, February 23, 2012