Over the last year, the Mount Pleasant Historic Preservation Commission has worked on a historical and architectural survey of downtown Mount Pleasant.  Business owners, property owners, and local residents are invited to hear the results of the survey effort at a public meeting on Thursday May 23 at 6:30 p.m. in the meeting room on the third story of Union Block (111 W. Monroe St).  Project consultant Rebecca Lawin McCarley of SPARK Consulting, Cedar Rapids, will present information on the downtown survey project and the National Register of Historic Places.

The survey area for the project encompasses the buildings around the square, as well as additional historic commercial buildings extending out from the square along Jefferson St, Main St, Monroe St, Washington St, and adjacent blocks.  Overall, 137 properties within this area have been included in this historical and architectural survey project.  The resources in downtown Mount Pleasant are primarily commercial, with some additional governmental, religious, and residential buildings as well.

The goal of the historical and architectural survey has been to assess the possibility of a historic district in downtown Mount Pleasant that might be eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), as well as to research and evaluate the significance of the individual buildings.  An Iowa Site Inventory form including architectural and historical information on each property has been completed as part of this project.  This survey positions the commission and community to undertake future projects, including the nomination of a potential downtown historic district to the NRHP.

Project consultant Rebecca Lawin McCarley will present information at the public meeting on the survey results and a potential downtown historic district, about the National Register of Historic Places, and on the benefits of listing and financial incentive programs for properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  McCarley notes that no additional restrictions are placed on property owners who have buildings listed in a historic district.

The survey project for downtown Mount Pleasant is led by the Mount Pleasant Historic Preservation Commission, funded by a Certified Local Government (CLG) grant from the National Park Service through the State Historic Preservation Office.  Main Street Mount Pleasant and Henry County Heritage Trust are partners with the commission on this project, supporting their efforts to recognize the significant history and architecture found in downtown Mount Pleasant.

The local public meeting on the downtown survey project on Thursday May 23 is a precursor to the Preserve Iowa Summit, which will be held in Mount Pleasant on June 6-8.  The Preserve Iowa Summit is the annual statewide conference for historic preservation activities in Iowa, with anyone interested in local history or historic preservation encouraged to attend.  The downtown survey project will be featured at this statewide conference with a public presentation on the evening of Thursday June 6 and during the session on Saturday June 8.  Information on the Preserve Iowa Summit and the link to registration is available online at https://culture.iowaeda.com/events/230.  If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Lea Bradley (319-931-0671)

Local volunteers receive complimentary conference registration.

On May 13, 2024 at approximately 12:34 A.M., Burlington Police Officers responded to a report of a female under the influence of an illegal narcotic at 1107 Pine St.

Upon officers’ arrival, they located a female, identified as Nichole Nichols, outside of the residence. Nichols told officers that there was a methamphetamine lab inside the residence and a juvenile was also inside.

Detectives from the Southeast Iowa Narcotics Task Force responded to the scene. A search warrant was conducted at the residence. After being medically cleared, Nichols was later arrested and charged with Manufacturing Methamphetamine within 1000 ft of a school, Child Endangerment, Possession of a Controlled Substance, and three counts of Possession of Methamphetamine Precursors.

All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Early Voting for Primary Election begins Wednesday May 15, 2024 thru June 3, 2024, Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm at the Henry County Courthouse, 2^nd Floor Conference Room. Watch out for the signs.

The Mount Pleasant Community School Board met on Monday evening for their last regular session before students are let out for the summer.

Superintendent Henriksen showed his appreciation to his board by presenting certificates of appreciation. May is school board appreciation month, and Henriksen shared some information, such as how there are 1845 school board seats in Iowa. Seven of those are in Mount Pleasant.

Afterwards, the dual credit classes with Southeastern Community College were discussed, which sees students at the high school able to take classes for college credit free to them. All board members seemed to agree that the price tag for the district, around $116,000 this year, is totally worth it, as it can save students years off their degrees, ultimately saving them a lot of money. Superintendent Henriksen mentioned that Mount Pleasant far outpaces regional schools in dual credit courses by hundreds of credits.

Aaron Moeller, a student at the high school, recently won the Skills US State Competition for Automotive Technician. He shared his experience with the board last night ahead of his competing in Georgia for the national competition in late June.

Central Campus was discussed briefly, with a walk through scheduled for next week for the board. This Central Campus would see all elementary schools in Mount Pleasant join in one shared area on the former Iowa Wesleyan campus. They are continuing to work on the logistics and design of the Central Campus.

Graduation is set for 2:30pm this Sunday in the High School gym, and as Henriksen has said, there will be air conditioning!

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The report is released weekly April through November. Additionally, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship provides a weather summary each week during this time.

“Planters continue to be parked across much of the state. Widespread wet conditions last week have delayed planting progress and it’s certainly weighing on the minds of farmers,” said Secretary Naig. “We need sunshine and light breeze to get back into the field. Although chances of thunderstorms remain in the forecast, conditions are trending warmer and quieter mid to late week. Once the conditions are right, farmers will get back to planting.”

The weekly report is also available on the USDA’s website at nass.usda.gov.

Rain across Iowa early in the week held farmers to just 1.7 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending May 12, 2024, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Iowa farmers reported planting corn, soybeans, and applying pesticides late in the week.

Topsoil moisture condition rated 1 percent very short, 7 percent short, 71 percent adequate and 21 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 4 percent very short, 17 percent short, 67 percent adequate and 12 percent surplus.

Fifty-seven percent of Iowa’s expected corn crop has been planted, 1 week behind last year and 5 days behind the 5-year average. Twenty-six percent of the corn crop has emerged. Iowa’s farmers have planted 39 percent of Iowa’s expected soybean crop, 1 week behind last year and 4 days behind the normal. Thirteen percent of the soybean crop has emerged. Ninety-eight percent of the expected oat crop has been planted while emergence reached 81 percent, 2 days ahead of last year and 5 days ahead of the 5-year average. There were reports of oats headed in isolated areas of the State.

Hay condition rated 77 percent good to excellent. There were a few reports of producers beginning their first cutting of hay. Pasture condition rated 67 percent good to excellent. Cattle feedlots were muddy due to rain received over the past four-week period.