-Submitted photo
Braden Kammerer, 13, holds up a cabbage fresh from his garden in Fort Dodge last summer. Kammerer has been gardening with his family since he was 7 and now gardens with his mom at a community garden near the Fort Dodge Industrial Park. -Submitted photo
Braden Kammerer, 13, holds up a freshly-picked head of cauliflower from his garden in the community garden near the Fort Dodge Industrial Park last summer. -Submitted photo -Submitted photo -Submitted photo
Braden Kammerer, 13, plants rows of vegetables in his garden plot at a community garden near the Fort Dodge Industrial Park last summer. -Submitted photo
A harvest of green onions grown by Braden Kammerer, 13, piles up last summer.
-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
Jahnessa Wirkus, 10, a fifth-grader at Fort Dodge Middle School, shows off a Valentines card she made for a veteran in a class with Breah Ewing on Thursday. After students finish making the cards, they will be delivered to local veterans. -Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
Breah Ewing, Language Arts teacher at Fort Dodge Middle School, provides some guidance to Vander Smith, 11, a fifth-grader, on how he can add to his Valentines Day card for veterans. -Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
Brock Trexler, 11, a fifth-grader at Fort Dodge Middle School, works on a Valentines Day card for a veteran on Thursday.
cthompson@messengernews.net
A center that could house existing Crossroads Mall tenants could be built on the new Corridor Plaza development site, according to Fort Dodge City Manager David Fierke.
“That’s under consideration and could be under construction next year,” said Fierke during a Greater Fort Dodge Webinar hosted by the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance on Wednesday. About 50 people registered to attend the meeting virtually.
The new owners of the mall are proceeding with the demolition of anchor stores as anticipated. The former Sears and JC Penney stores are already gone. At the same time, work is being done on the UnityPoint Health Clinic Express clinic and Discount Tire Company, both of which are located in the development.
To the editor:
Reflecting on the events of 2020, I wanted to express gratitude to the youth and staff of the Fort Dodge Community School District and community for the kindness expressed to our family when COVID-19 hit our household.
My husband, a teacher at Fort Dodge Middle School, was recovering from surgery, when he and my son came down with covid-19. Our daughter had just been selected for the homecoming court, but would have to quarantine and miss the festivities. This was a worrisome and heartbreaking time for us, but our family was uplifted and given the gift of joy by our community.
kwingert@messengernews.net
The Fort Dodge Community School District’s move to transition fifth grade from the middle school level back to the elementary level continues to go forward as the district begins molding its staffing plans for the changes.
Superintendent Jesse Ulrich introduced his proposal to move fifth grade back to elementary during a school board meeting in September 2019. The board ultimately approved the plan, which included recomissioning the former Arey building on South 17th Street as an Early Childhood Center to house preschool, transitional kindergarten and kindergarten, in late October 2019.
“It is our opinion that it is more academically age-appropriate for fifth-graders to be in the elementary setting,” Ulrich said. “We feel like they’re not quite the age to be in a full-blown middle school.”