MORAVIA —
It was 1972-73 and we (my husband Paul and four kids and me) had just come home to Moravia for the weekend, from Des Moines where Paul had a job at Armstrong Tire.
I volunteered to go get some groceries at Spencer's and my Dad said, "You can't take a vehicle up town, and walking also is a great skill at this point."
I asked why. It was because piles of frozen earth were everywhere. Moravia was getting a sewer system, and sewer status was in the critical state, as Dad had pointed out. The contractor had dug big holes everywhere there was to be a joining of the pipes, which was everywhere, and put the dirt any place convenient. Moravia was under the gun to have a sewer system, and got the lowest bid, and followed the guidelines. The mayor and city council were horrified at what had happened, as the contractor had literally and actively, brought the entire community to a stop. Delivery trucks had to park blocks away to supply stores. Many had to find places to park so they could get to out-of-town jobs.
The Mayor and the City Council worked very hard to get at least major streets open. They bought another maintainer for that purpose. They had one. They continued to be on the contractor every minute of the working day. They followed him around as much as possible to get the work necessary done and holes filled quickly. The grade school sewer was cancelled temporarily and the holes filled in, so the kids could attend school and buses could run. This was the old grade school, now a park and softball and baseball field. It also has basketball and tennis courts.
Many of the Moravia citizenry were desperate. They were people who had to get to work both in town and out of town. Sometimes the water was shut off, sometimes the big hole was right in front of their house. They didn't think it should take this long. The council probably had more ulcers than anyone else in town.
Before the sewer project many of the townspeople had a toilet outside, with tank underneath. When it got full the clean-out guy came with his big truck with a big container and hose and cleaned it out.
Initially everyone was pleased with the concept of having indoor bathrooms. They hadn't counted on all this mess, partially due to bad weather, partly the contractor.
The city council and mayor also quit saying I am your town official and I am here to help. They just doggedly kept trying to do the best they could. They had the idea of just keep putting one foot in front of the other and get it done.
When they were finally into city council meetings that were pleasant, thinking about sunshine instead of piles of dirt and life was good.
Much later we had an improvement to the sewer system and we now have a good system and a little room to grow if we need it.
It was fortunate that the square had not been paved yet. That was the only fortunate thing about the first sewer system installed in Moravia.
Now the city council can look at the paved roads, most all in town have paving, blacktop or a new sealed procedure that is working well.
I believe that when all was said and done, we all stuck together and made it through. I also believe we had good council members, mayors and city clerks who kept us focused on what we had created, one of the first in Appanoose County sewer systems.
The current council members are John Baty, Charles Turner, Mike Gray, Ken Martin and Bob Robinson. The mayor is Dave Fenton. The city clerk is Jean Ballanger. They are all active not only as council and mayor, but they are involved in most of the community activities
Charles Turner, an engineer, is the only city council member who served on the council that built the first sewer system, and on the council for the second one. He has spent a lot of time working for Moravia, putting his many talents to work for his city. We are very lucky with the people who choose Moravia.
People
August 16, 2012
Moravia’s first sewer adventure
- People
-
-
Exline to hold Memorial School Reunion
Wild weather huh? Well I wasn't surprised to see the season off to a roaring start sirens blaring. Thankfully we missed out on the big damage. I would like to take the time to send my prayers and thoughts to all the people who lost loved ones from th
-
Graduation ceremony held at Kid's World
The 20 children in Kid's World's four-year-old preschool class celebrated a big step forward as they graduated from preschool on May 18. The children are ready to head off to kindergarten in the fall. The IHCC gymnasium was filled with families, fri
- How can you prevent elder abuse? The National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse indicates that an estimated 4 percent to 6 percent of our older population suffers from some form of abuse. Iowa Department on Aging Director Donna Harvey calls upon all Iowans to recognize wha
- Foundation announces scholarship recipients The Ottumwa Regional Legacy Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of the Laboratory Control Ltd. Health Career Scholarship for the 2013-2014 school year. Since 2004, when the program was developed, over $246,000 has been provided in schola
-
Kid's World holds art gala
On the evening of May 16, families filled a classroom on the IHCC campus to attend the Kid's World Preschool Young At Art Gala. The exhibit featured art created by the preschoolers in Ms. Johnson's four-year-old preschool class as part of their Art S
-
Centerville educators attend Des Moines meeting
Five early childhood teachers from Kid's World recently attended the Iowa Project Group Meeting in Des Moines. The educators implemented the Project Approach at the Center several years ago. Educators from across the state meet annually to share do
- This Week MONDAY 20 CENTERVILLE LEGION?POST 214, meets the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Continental at St. Joseph's in the meeting room to the right of the V.A. office. APPANOOSE COUNTY WEEKLY MEALS, invites everyone to enjoy a free meal and fe
- Four Overall Champions at DXP Dance X-pressions' competition team attended Talent On Parade dance competition in Des Moines April 3-7. This regional competition compares to most national competitions spanning across five days with more than 1,000 entries competing. DXP's team of
- Friends of Drake Library meet The Friends of the Drake Library met at 4 p.m. Thursday, April 30. Action was taken on a handful of subjects. Announcement was made that through Mike Bogle, the Centerville Fire Department and Mercy Medical Center, the library will be given a defibr
-
Dagat awarded $2,000 scholarship from Iowa Masons
Lei Alena M. Dagat, a senior at Centerville High School in Centerville, has been awarded a $2,000 scholarship from the Grand Lodge of Iowa, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. Lei Alena was one of 60 outstanding Iowa high school students selected to re
- THIS WEEK MONDAY 13 CENTERVILLE LEGION POST 214, meets the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Continental at St. Joseph's in the meeting room to the right of the V.A. office. APPANOOSE COUNTY WEEKLY MEALS, invites everyone to enjoy a free meal and fe
- Correction In the Thursday, May 9 article entitled "The Corner Café in Moravia," a paragraph was inadvertently left out by the author. The story should have included the following. "Aleta and Lige Albertson owned and operated the Corner Café from 1953 until th
- Blood drive successful Thanks to all the wonderful blood donors who volunteered their time to make a life-saving blood donation; also, to the committed volunteers that organized and sponsored this drive. They were Rose Cunningham, Larry Bettis, Daily Iowegian, KCOG, Commun
-
Royal Neighbors deliver May Day baskets
Hi everybody hopefully you got to enjoy some of the beautiful weather while it lasted. I am learning that there is no way to ever figure our weather out around here. After eight years of living in Exline, I have come to believe we have a strange dome
- Nominations sought for lifetime achievement award Iowa Department on Aging Director, Donna Harvey, issued a call for nominations for the 2013 Betty Grandquist Lifetime Achievement Award. The award recognizes an Iowan who has made a significant contribution to achieving excellence in the field of he
- More People Headlines
-
Raw: Train Derails After Overpass Collapse
Raw: Rescues From San Antonio Flooding
Raw: French Soldier Stabbed in Throat Near Paris
Mayor: Person Killed in San Antonio Flooding
Raw: Apple 1 Computer Sells for More Than $650k
Hagel Urges Cadets to End Scourge of Sex Assault
Raw: Gay Rights Activists March in Ukraine
Bus Fire Kills 16 Children, Teacher in Pakistan
Raw: Pakistan Election Results Protested
Raw: Trucker Bumps I-5 Bridge Before Collapse
Raw: Texas Deputy Shot by Colo. Suspect Honored
Major Detours Following Wash. Bridge Collapse
American Held in Grisly Czech Murders
Raw: Jersey Shore Reopens for Summer
UK-bound Pakistan Plane Diverted, 2 Men Arrested
