Fairfield’s top stories of 2023

Attendance is soaring at the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center.

The center’s executive director, Lindsay Bauer, delivered her annual report to the Fairfield City Council in November, and one of the highlights from the report had to do with the attendance for the center’s live entertainment. Bauer reported that attendance for the fiscal year 2022-2023 was nearly 50 percent higher than even pre-pandemic levels.

A typical live performance at the arts center’s theater drew 350 people in the 2022-2023

fiscal year, compared to the 2015-2019 average of 266. And the figure for this most recent fiscal year doesn’t even count the attendance at the center’s free summer concerts, not does it count the attendance for Cinema Fairfield, the center’s first-run films.

“This is a huge leap for us,” Bauer said. “We’ve surpassed where we were before and we’ve opened new horizons.”

Bauer said it’s hard to pinpoint one factor that explains why attendance has been so good. She said part of it may reflect the public’s desire to get out of the house, to see live entertainment that they couldn’t see during the pandemic. Another reason may be the center’s tools for gathering data about what audiences want to watch.

Renewal of the Capital Improvements Reserve Fund

Fairfield voters overwhelmingly supported the renewal of a Capital Improvements Reserve Fund (CIRF) levy during the November elections.

Of the 1,723 votes cast, 1,276 (74%) were in favor of renewing the levy for another 25 years. The CIRF property tax levy is $0.67 per $1,000 taxable valuation. Fairfield City Engineer and Public Works Director Melanie Carlson said it comes out to just under $5 per month for the average family in town.

“We are so thankful the citizens of Fairfield entrusted us with another 25 years of CIRF,” Carlson said. “As state legislation continues to change, CIRF will become more vital to maintenance of all the assets that make Fairfield special. We will strive to keep the CIRF, in addition to all city expenditures, transparent.”

In recent years, the levy has gone toward projects such as the new playground at O.B. Nelson Park, the demolition of the former DOT buildings on West Briggs Avenue, and many other projects such as sealcoating streets, snowplow equipment and the city’s portion of paving 227th Street.

Carlson said that some of the projects the city expects to use the CIRF levy on include repairing the parking lot at O.B. Nelson, resurfacing the road inside Waterworks Park, the lane to the airport, resurfacing a couple of the city’s downtown parking lots, and replacing downtown traffic signals.

Fairfield Mayor Connie Boyer, who hosted a town hall on the CIRF levy on Oct. 16 to educate the public about where it goes, said Tuesday’s vote of confidence gives the city some certainty for financial planning.

Housing Study and Action Plan Completed by Housing Task Force

The housing task force, created by the Fairfield City Council, published its study and action plan in 2023, which among other things stated that about 500 homes in Fairfield are dilapidated. Fairfield Mayor Connie Boyer said the task force provided the city with a set of steps to take to improve its housing stock.

“We know we need new housing,” Boyer said. “Now we have a road map.”

New community hires: City Administrator, FEDA Executive, Sustainability Coordinator

Some of the people who assumed new roles in 2023 were Fairfield City Administrator Doug Reinert, new Sustainability Coordinator Faith Reeves, and new Fairfield Economic Development Executive Director Ed Malloy, who was previously the city’s mayor for 18 years.

Reinert took over the position previously held by Aaron Kooiker until his resignation in March 2023 to become the city manager in Carroll. Reinert was most recently the parks director for the city of Fort Smith, Arkansas, with a population of about 90,000.

Reinert had been Fort Smith’s parks director for eight years after obtaining his master’s in public administration. He knew someday he would want to take the leap from leading a parks department to leading an entire city, and saw in the spring of 2023 that the time was right. His five children are mostly adults now, with two adult sons, two daughters in college and one daughter in high school.

“My daughters told me, ‘Go do it, Dad. We’re good,’” Reinert said. “I started to look for a job, and my wife was the one who found Fairfield, Iowa.”

Reinert’s wife, Michelle, lived in Davenport at one time, and her father lived in Clinton, so her family was already familiar with Iowa. Reinert said that he liked what he read about Fairfield.

“I can see that Fairfield wants to grow, and I came from a community that is growing like gangbusters, and having those techniques move a city move forward are important,” Reinert said. “Fairfield already has a lot of infrastructure in place to help growth, and it’s very inclusive, with a university. Fairfield is ranked one of the friendliest cities in the nation, and we definitely like that. Everything about Fairfield seemed to fit our family dynamic and our values.”

Faith Reeves was named the city’s new Sustainability Coordinator in November.

“Having the opportunity to expand my work into the field of resiliency is truly thrilling,” Faith said. “It allows me to broaden my horizons and contribute to creating a community that can thrive amidst the ever-changing landscape of challenges and opportunities.”

Through the years, Faith has volunteered with local organizations to help educate and support other farmers and community members. Recently, as the program coordinator for the Fairfield Garden Initiative and through her ongoing work with the Sustainable Living Coalition, she has been expanding her understanding of the need for local food systems' resilience.

Since 2021, Faith has been a freelance soil health consultant and community educator working with farmers, homesteaders, and individuals to help them adopt regenerative practices that improve soil health, increase biodiversity, increase the nutrient integrity of the food they grow. Faith is also a passionate speaker and writer, sharing her knowledge and insights about regenerative agriculture with a broader audience.

Fairfield Economic Development Association’s Board of Directors announced in December that they had selected Ed Malloy to lead the organization.

Board president Curtis Smith remarked, “Ed Malloy is uniquely qualified to lead Grow Fairfield given his extensive background in business, public service, and economic development. The board of directors is supremely confident in Ed’s abilities, and we’re thrilled to introduce him to our members and community partners as our new Executive Director.”

Ed brings extensive knowledge of the inner workings of Fairfield, as its former mayor from 2002-2020. He led the initiative to create a Strategic Plan for the city of Fairfield in 2002 and during his term as mayor, the community invested in infrastructure, raised its financial standing, and added amenities such as the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center, the Cambridge Sportsplex and outdoor pool, and the Fairfield Loop Trail. His leadership resulted in special designations for Fairfield like Iowa Great Places, Blue Zones, Cultural District, and the Most Entrepreneurial City in America and in Iowa.

In addition to his experience as mayor, Ed was the CEO of Danaher Oil Company until November of 2022, and most recently partnered with his brother Ken in Kembro Fuel Brokers. He also holds the position of development manager for CBC Financial of Fairfield. His knowledge of strategic planning and outstanding communication skills, combined with his economic development experience and ability to build relationships with investors, entrepreneurs, and local government officials make him a great asset to lead Grow Fairfield to continued success in the future.

Completion of the Stanley Sound Experience at the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center

The Fairfield Arts & Convention Center received a monumental upgrade to the sound system in the Stephen Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts.

The new sound system was installed in September, courtesy of a donation from Fairfield resident Alex Stanley. The new sound system will be ready to go for the first live act in the arts center’s 2023-2024 performing arts season, which begins Oct. 5 with an Eagles tribute band called Hotel California.

“It’s revolutionary in a lot of ways,” said FACC Executive Director Lindsay Bauer about the new sound system. “A ton of research has gone into the equipment, how to place it, and how to optimize it for our space. It’s not easy to optimize sound for a theater that is used for so many different things.”

Bauer said that no other performing arts center in North America has the same capabilities that Fairfield’s arts center will have. Stanley said that he went with a company called CODA Audio from Germany, and he said it’s the best in the business. He consulted with Paul Squillo, who owns Golden Ears, an audio visual equipment supply store in Fairfield.

New playground at Lamson Woods

Children in Fairfield have another place to play thanks to a donation from a local family who funded the construction of a new playground in the southeast part of town.

The Dowd family of Fairfield donated funds to build a series of play structures in Lamson Woods State Preserve. The play structures range from bucket swings to climbing apparatuses that can be enjoyed by children of varying ages. Construction began in late June and finished in September. The Fairfield City Council accepted the project as complete at its Sept. 25 meeting.

The Dowd family owns Cado Avocado Ice Cream, and every year the company gives to an organization called One Percent for the Planet, which directs 1 percent of a company’s proceeds to environmental causes. The family’s contributions have gone to causes such as cleaning up the oceans and food for kids.

“It feels really good to give back,” said Deb Dowd. “I think it goes in line with the product we have.”

FEDA land purchase for new housing development

Grow Fairfield Economic Development Association announced in August that it had acquired a 35-acre parcel of land near the Jefferson County Health Center that it will develop into a housing subdivision.

The new subdivision will be called Sunrise Trail Subdivision, and will be accessed from Libertyville Road. The land it’s on is located just southwest of the new Cambridge Little Achievers Child Care Center. Joshua Laraby, Grow Fairfield’s executive director, said this subdivision is expected to accommodate 30-40 new housing units.

“We’ve been assessing areas throughout the community, and the southern end of town was toward the top of our priority list because of new infrastructure improvements and developments on that end of the city, including Highway 1 reconstruction, a number of sanitary and water developments in the area, new businesses, and the fact it’s neighboring the four-lane interchange for access to Highway 34,” Laraby said.

Laraby said the decision to purchase land for a new subdivision comes on the heels of a partnership with the City of Fairfield’s Housing Task Force. The task force completed a study showing that Fairfield will need at least 220 new housing units in the coming decade.

Creation of county-run service - Jefferson County Ambulance Service

Jefferson County Ambulance Service celebrated the grand opening of the newly renovated ambulance building during a ceremony on Oct. 31.

The ambulance building is in the former First National Bank at 1900 W. Burlington Ave. in Fairfield. Jefferson County purchased the building in the summer of 2022, and later decided it was the best place to house the newly formed county-run ambulance service. Jefferson County had previously relied on private companies for its ambulance service, but that changed when the service was turned over to the county on Oct. 1.

Jefferson County Ambulance Director Brian Thomas said the grand opening will give the public a chance to see the renovations that occurred over the summer and continued right up through the end of September. The most noteworthy change is the addition of the three-door garage bay on the south side of the building. It’s housing the service’s two ambulances plus a vehicle on loan from Libertyville Fire and Rescue, which is serving as the county’s third emergency response vehicle until its third ambulance arrives in late November.

Damien Wimmer, the ambulance service’s field training officer, said it was a mad dash on Sept. 30, because the staff got their ambulances with 24 hours to prepare for the hand over of service from CARE. He said that they were working 18 hours a day in the days leading up to Oct. 1, and on top of that, the renovations to the building were still being finished.

Wimmer said the staff deep cleaned the ambulances they received on Sept. 30 and made sure they had every piece of equipment necessary by midnight.

In just under three weeks since taking on the service, Jefferson County Ambulance Service had responded to 87 calls, including eight hospital transfers. Its two advanced life-support (ALS) rigs are on call 24/7, and are staffed by at least one paramedic. The ambulance has 15 fulltime medics, including seven who are certified Critical Care Paramedics.

“We have more medics than any surrounding county,” Thomas said.

Thomas said there are 27 people on the roster including both fulltime and part-time employees, and of those, 17 are paramedics, which requires additional training beyond that required to become an emergency medical technician (EMT).

Substantial completion of Highway 1 South and roundabout

One of the biggest construction projects the city embarked in in recent years began in May with the reconstruction of a portion of South Main Street (Highway 1) between Fillmore Avenue and Libertyville Road. The new road is wider and can accommodate three lanes, with a center turning lane. The project included creating a roundabout at the intersection with Libertyville Road, plus a new trail along the east side of South Main Street.

  Buy Photo

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com

  Buy Photo

  Buy Photo

  Buy Photo

  Buy Photo

  Buy Photo

Van Buren County stuns No. 2 Mid-Prairie for ticket to state tournament

OTTUMWA — No one believed that Van Buren County was one of the top teams in the state throughout a stellar regular season.

But on Tuesday night in the Class 2A substate 5 final against No. 2 Mid-Prairie, the Warriors proved all the haters wrong.

  Buy Photo

After a seventh inning rally, the two seeded Warrior’s topped the top seeded Golden Hawks 6-4 to punch their ticket to the 2023 state tournament.

“There’s just no quit in these kids,” Van Buren County head coach Chad Scott said. “Just can’t say enough about these guys. This is special.”

With their back’s against the wall and a one run deficit, 4-3, in what could have been their final at-bat of the season, the Warriors delivered when it mattered most.

“I just can’t believe it,” sophomore Izaak Loeffler said. “You work your whole life for this moment. Every single one of us. Just to actually have it set in is the most amazing feeling.”

After a one-out walk by Taylor Sprouse, Anthony Duncan was hit by a pitched to put runners at first and second.

Then sophomore Izaak Loeffler stepped up to the plate with what would be the biggest at-bat of his life thus far.

After a wild pitch, Sprouse and Duncan advanced one base.

Two pitches later and Loeffler changed the Warriors fate. On a 2-1 count, Loeffler brought the Van Buren County faithful to their feet as he sent Alex Bean’s fastball through the right side of the infield on a two RBI double, which proved to be the game winner.

“I knew we had one out, but runners in scoring position,” Loeffler said. “I have been leading off most of the season, so I haven’t had runners in scoring position too much. In those moments you can’t really think about hitting the ball you just have to tell yourself you’re going to do it and I did that. I knew if I hit it to the right side they would score and it happened.”

The play didn’t stop there though as the Golden Hawks throw home hit the backstop and Loeffler advanced to third with the Warriors now leading 5-4.

Dominic Meierotto followed with a groundout in the next at-bat, but it was enough to bring Loeffler home and give the Warriors a 6-4 advantage.

In the bottom of the seventh Mid-Prairie looked to survive, but the Warrior’s defense prevailed with Jackson Manning on the hill to close.

After a fly out to begin the inning, Mid-Prairie’s Karson Grout got on after being hit by a pitch, but Manning pitched into a groundout and fly ball to end it as the celebration began.

“It just wasn’t our night,” Mid-Prairie head coach Kyle Mullet said. “That’s what hard about this tournament, it’s one and done. You have one bad day and then it can happen. You get upset you have a bad night. Tonight we couldn’t catch a break to save our life.”

“We just talked about us,” Mullet said of his message to the team. “It’s more about what I’m trying to do with these players. It’s not necessary about the game. We’re concerned about growing these young men throughout their career.”

Things were tight from start to finish in the bout.

It was the Golden Hawks who struck first, but the Warriors showed what they were capable of right off the bat.

After a Manning double in the top of the first inning, VBC had runners at second and third with no outs.

But the Golden Hawk’s Collin Miller notched a pair of strikeouts and Lucas Fett was thrown out at third by Golden Hawk catcher Brock Harland to keep the game scoreless.

Meanwhile, Mid-Prairie got on the board in the bottom of the first when Cain Brown’s lead off double eventually turned into him stealing home on a pick off attempt at first.

Van Buren County took its first lead in the third.

Manning delivered once again at the plate, this time driving in Wyatt Mertens and Tyler Stoltz with a two RBI double. Fett then stole home to give the Warriors a 3-1 lead.

The game stayed at 3-1 all the way until the bottom of the fifth.

Mid-Prairie put together its best inning of the night.

The Golden Hawks scored a trio of runs as Brady Weber hit an RBI single to score Camron Pickard and Dylan Henry drilled an RBI double to score Alex Bean. On the throw to third, the ball went out of play, which brought Weber home and put Henry on third.

After the fifth, Mid-Prairie led 4-3. It proved to be the Golden Hawks final lead of the night before the events of the seventh.

“We don’t need to change a thing,” Scott said of playing at state. “We just keep doing what we’re doing. We get an opportunity to play and we’ll keep making the most of it.”

With the win, Van Buren County will take on West Lyon (24-2) in the first round of state tournament action at Merchants Park in Carroll. The Warriors are now 26-3.

Mid-Prairie ends its season at 27-7.

Fairfield repeats as SEC volleyball champions

WASHINGTON — The stage was set for Fairfield and Washington to have one final battle on Tuesday night when the Southeast Conference teams met up for Day 2 of the SEC tournament.

The Trojans and Demons both came into Day 2 with perfect 3-0 records, meaning the end-of-night battle between the two teams would likely be for the SEC title.

Fairfield swept Fort Madison 25-9, 25-16 in the first round of the night. Washington toppled Burlington 25-19, 25-15 in the next, and that meant both teams would go into the final match undefeated.

“Last week we set ourselves up for an excellent opportunity,” said Washington head coach Aaron Six. “No matter whether we won or lost against Burlington, we'd still have that opportunity to be conference champions.”

When the two teams finally met up at the end of the night, it was Washington that had the early edge. The Demons jumped out to a 6-2 lead, and the hometown crowd was on its feat, seeing their squad up early in the best-of-three series.

Washington continued to lead by a small handful of points until midway through the set. The Demons watched a 17-15 lead slowly turn on its head, as Fairfield caught fire.

The Trojans would go on to dominated the next 11 points. Fairfield won 10 of them, thanks in large part to a huge set from Clare Thompson, who took control of the middle of the net late in the set. Lilly Bergren stepped up to serve late and brought the opening set home 25-18 for the Trojans, who grabbed the 1-0 series lead.

Fairfield controlled the second set. The Trojans grabbed an early lead and didn’t let go, thanks in part to five kills by senior Rowan Terrell, one of five seniors to see the court for Fairfield.

“We work a lot on teamwork, and striving to get through our downs,” Terrell said. “We get in our slumps, and we find a way to work it out.”

Fairfield’s momentum held until the last point. Leading 24-20, the Trojans sent one more ball down to the ground, and the celebration was on.

“We dogpiled, tackled each other, cried probably,” Terrell said. “It was a blur.”

The win made Fairfield a perfect 5-0 in SEC tournament play after earning the No. 1 seed with a 4-1 regular season.

“It means so much,” said Addison Ferrel, another senior. “We've all been so close, and we've been playing with each other since we were in third grade. They're all my best friends.”

The championship marked a second-straight title for Fairfield head coach Vicki Rebling, who took over the program last season.

“They love playing together,” Rebling said. “It's just so fun to watch them and be able to coach them.”

Thompson led the Trojans with seven kills in the de facto championship match. Terrell had three kills. Maddie Jones dished out 20 assists and sent four kills over the net as well.

Bergren led the Trojan defense with 10 digs. Jones and Savannah Hollander each had six.

Fairfield football snaps 11-game losing streak to Washington

Sep. 10, 2023 1:38 pm

FAIRFIELD — On Friday night at Trojan Stadium, the Fairfield football team celebrated a win 14 years in the making.

That’s how long it had been since the Trojans had defeated Washington in the Highway 1 Rivalry.

The Demons’ 11-game win streak had kept Washington out of the loser’s column in the rivalry since 2009, but it all came to an end on Friday, as the Trojans held off the Demons 23-20.

“That's kind of what you show up for on a Friday night,” said Fairfield head coach Nate Weaton. “These kids should live for this moment, and it was just really special to be able to pull away with the win.”

The win also wiped away some memories from a 20-point Demon comeback last year at Case Field, and much like that night last fall, it was Fairfield that threw the first punch.

The Trojans dominated the first half. Fairfield pounded the ball over and over again with junior running backs Cason Miller and Wyatt Johnson, but it was a quarterback making his first start that officially drew first blood.

Sam Weaton, who swapped spots with Landon Nodurft after two games, showed off his legs in the first half. He broke the scoreless tie with a 4-yard rushing score with 6:11 showing in the first quarter.

The Trojans would score once more in the first half, as Carter Moore nailed a 24-yard field goal later in the quarter.

“We didn't start the game well, again,” said Washington head coach Nick Ehret. “That's just something we have to get figured out.”

Fairfield marched down inside the 25-yard line in the final minutes of the second quarter, but couldn’t put another score on the board. That proved costly, as Washington quarterback Logan McDole led the charge downfield and found Mason Morgan on a 9-yard touchdown pass, making it 10-6 just before half.

“In the locker room at halftime, our defensive coordinator put a heart on our white board,” Sam Weaton said. “It kind of meant, ‘The last three years we've had Washington down at this time. Are we going to quit or are we going to get over that edge and beat them?’”

When the two teams came out of halftime, Washington kept the good times rolling. McDole busted a run up the middle and burned the Trojan defense for a 68-yard touchdown run. A second-straight two-point conversion found, but all of the sudden, Washington led 12-10.

But the Trojans didn’t give up on their game plan. Fairfield continued to trust the run game, and that led to two scores by Miller, a 25-yard touchdown run on 4th-and-1, and a 1-yard touchdown run later in the third quarter to make it 23-12 Trojans.

“Overall I'm just really proud,” said Coach Weaton. “We didn't give up. We didn't stop.”

Washington’s defense played well late in the game, but the Demon offense still struggled to find its footing. Two separate drives were ended via turnover, as Tallon Bates picked off a pass to set up Miller’s second touchdown run, and Caden Allison recovered a fumble on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Washington, however, clawed back once more. McDole set up his own 1-yard touchdown run with a long bomb to Morgan, which cut the lead to 23-20 after a two-point conversion with 6:10 remaining in the game.

The Demon defense forced a Fairfield punt in the final minutes, and Washington had over three minutes to try and drive the field to tie or win the game, but Washington turned the ball over on downs, and Fairfield could kneel it out.

In all, the Trojans ran for 319 yards and three touchdowns. Washington threw for 104 yards and rushed for 218.

The win moved Fairfield to 2-1 on the year, with both wins coming over chief rivals Mt. Pleasant and Washington. The Trojans host Keokuk (1-2) on Friday.

Washington is now 1-2 overall this season. The Demons return home to take on Grinnell (2-1) on Friday.

  Buy Photo

Cass qualifies for state bowling tournament

LETTS — Fairfield sophomore Ethan Cass was at his best right when he needed to be on Tuesday in Letts.

  Buy Photo

Cass put on a show at the Class 1A boys bowling state qualifier, finishing with a ridiculous 708 to take second overall and earn himself a spot in next week’s state tournament.

Cass was on fire from the get-go, bowling a 203 in his first game, but he only got better from there. Cass bowled a 245 in his second game and a 260 in his third to qualify by over 50 pins.

Cass helped the Torjan boys finish fifth as a team, scoring 2,479. Teammate Dayson Workman was second on the squad with a 545. Ian Aplara bowled 507. Dylan Adam finished at 504. Dalton Drish finished at 409, and Chase Johnston bowled a 373.

The Washington boys were also in attendance at L & , but had just three bowlers going. Quintyn Garibay rolled a 459. Gabriel Castillo finished at 341, and Cooper Zahs rolled a 257.

The Mt. Pleasant bosy were in the Class 2A meet at Keokuk. The Panthers finished seventh, with a final score of 2,499, and no individuals made it through.

Alec Payne had the best individual score for Mt. Pleasant, rolling a 495. Henry Pforts and Jonathan Fortin each finished at 481. Joe Rheinschmidt rolled a 474. Kyle Benacka scored 428, and Christian Bracht-Wagner rolled a 405.

Cass and the rest of the Class 1A qualifiers will compete at the state individual competition in Waterloo on Tuesday, Feb. 21.