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Lone Tree, Iowa
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December 22, 2005     The Lone Tree Reporter
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December 22, 2005
 
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The Lone .75¢ www.tonetreereporter.com $25 million for rainforest By Ray Weikal The Lone Tree Reporter. A $25-million tag is attached to a push to attract a rainforest to Riverside . The Enviroental Project, called the raorest project, is looking for a ew home, and a group has foed to propose a site near the Under-construc- tion casino in,northeast Wash- ington Coun.Local munici- pal and county officials have joined with casino officials to propose the move to the pro- ject's leaders,:according to casino boardof directors mem- ber Glenn Patton. The rainforest project, esti- mated to cost $180 million, is coming to the close of a much publicized round of disagree- ments with Coralville city offi-. cials. Pending failure to come to terms over financing and land, two years of work to locate the project in Coralville will end. Several other loca- tions have been unofficially proposed for .relocating the rainforest, including Riverside, Tiffin and Dubuque. Money will be the biggest immediate hurdle, Patton explained. About a dozen gov- !Home for Christmas By Ray Weikal The Lone Tree Reporter At least one dog and one boy Will have a yard to play in this spring. Kathy Parrott of Lone Tree is coming to the end of a two-year marathon effort to build and Own a home. Thanks to Habitat for Humanity and countless Volunteer resources, her vision is coming true. For Parrott, though, everything comes back to her son. "Honestly, if it wasn't for hira, I don't think I would have done all this," said Parrott. In a green sweat shirt and brown Work pants, she swept sealer QVer a handrail in her new basement, surrounded by fir frames and puffy insulation, the foundation of a new life. She's already planning to get her four-year-old son, Wyatt, a dog. "I can't wait to see them play- in the backyard," she said. The house is the perfect Christmas present. It exists despite mother nature's best attempts to slow the project, and primarily because of Par- rott's efforts, though she protests this characterization. Mark Patton oversees Habi- tat for Humanity in Johnson, Cedar and Iowa counties. He "Honestly, if it wasn't for him, I don't think I would have done all this..." Kathy Parrott gives Parrott full credit. "Kathy was her own best ally," Patton said. Habitat builds depend on vol- unteers to work on site and donations of money and mate- rial. When Parrott wasn't working at the University of Iowa Hospital, caring for Wyatt or at the jobsite, she was drum- ming up support. Habitat clients don't always work that hard for their own cause, according to Patton. 'Finishing the build only slightly behind schedule is even more remarkable due to some harsh climatic condi- tions. Work on the site at 611 S DeVoe St began in October. Hal- loween weekend was the "blitz." That's when organizers try to get as many people as possible to kick the build into high gear. From almost the first hammer fall, though, the weather proved difficult. Rain drenched the site. Despite being soaked, the roof was raised in one day by Scott Barthelman and his Kalona crew. Parrott was amazed. "Everything was soaking wet, complete muddiness," she said. "It's been quite the experi- ence." • Habitat - see page5 ernment and business leaders from Washington and Johnson counties met Wednesday, Dec. 14, to hear more about the rain- forest and discuss their propos- al. Out of that meeting, it became clear that they would have toraise approximately $25 million by the end of February to have an attractive offer. "That is going to be a really major obstacle," Patton said. "We need a total cooperative effort from everyone involved. I'm not sure if we can come up with it or not." The casino will likely be the major supporter of the rainfor- est, he suggested. About 25 acres directly across Hwy 22 from the gaming and golf resort is being proposed for the museum, aquarium and learn- ing center. Casino developers are excited about cooperating with the rainforest project lead- ers, though they are not seek- ing any sort of official relation- ship. Actual dollar commitments have yet to be determined, according to casino general manager Joe Massa. "It's way too early to deter- mine that yet," he said. "We're looking at it from an economic development and business standpoint."- The city of Riverside will wait for more information and will conduct extensive hearings before taking any action, according to Mayor Bill Poch. "Riverside isn't going to do anything until we get .some kind of official request," he said. "We're going to make sure that we hear all the facts." Poch also believes that public information will be a key part of the process. He was skeptical about the rainforest until he heard a presentation by Envi- ronmental Project employees. The edtlcational component is something that more people should learn about, he said. "They need to get the word out to the citizens," Poch explained. "Since I've had a chance to hear it, their propos- al actually sounds very inter- esting." Patton agreed that the project is impressive when explained. "The rainforest has some unbelievable characteristics," he said. "Just the one-million- gallon aquarium by itself will be a huge draw. It's really intriguing." January will be the soonest the Riverside city council will be able to begin addressing the issue. Poch anticipates several meetings will be needed before any city resources could be promise ....... Patton :is-also .seeking ffman- cial support from businesses • Rainforest - see page 5 Photo by Ray Weikal Kathy Parrott does some final work on a handrail for her new Habitat for Humanity home in Lone Tree on Friday, 16. Coaches Corner Come chat with, listen to, and ask questions of local basket- :ball coaches Tom Squiers and ta Dickey. It's a time to talk all things Lone Tree hoops. The : events started Dec. 3, and will coatinue" each Saturday at 9 a.ra. Check the Reporter, school :eoramunogram or website for ;each week's site. The coaches look forward to seeing lots of Lions fans! Jan. 7 - Karen's Jan. 14 - Gin's Jan. 21 - Get Wired Coffee Shop Jan. 28 - Karen's Feb. 4 - Gins Feb. 11 - Get Wired Coffee Shop Feb. 18 - Karen's Longtime REC employ- ee to be honored Jerry Burr of Lone Tree will be honored by Eastern Iowa REC for five decades of service to the cooperative with a spe- cial open house from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Friday, Jan 6 at 309 W Commericial St in Lone Tree. Riverside gets road grant The Iowa Transportation Commission approved a Revi- talize Iowa's Sound Economy local devolopment application for the city of Riverside on Tuesday, Dec. 13. Up to $577,800 will be made available to assist with widen- ing and adding left and right turn lanes on 4,450-feetof Iowa Hwy 22. The project is intended to provide improved access for the Washington County Casino and Golf Course Resort, east of Riverside. It is predicted the resort will create 570 new jobs and more than $120 million in associated capital investment.