The Bulldog Marching Band traveled to Cedar Rapids Linn-Mar Saturday (Sept. 23) to compete in the 4A band competition. Bettendorf placed ninth among 12 4A bands at the competition. West Des Moines Valley placed first. The band performance includes music from the rock opera "Tommy" by The Who. For additional photos, click on the "Read More" link below.

MEMBERS PRESENT: Regular meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by President Dayman. Members present: Adams, Dayman, Huegel, Messman, Paulsen, Schurr and Witters. Absent: None. Also present: Jim Spelhaug, Cyndy Behrer, Mike Clingingsmith, and Chris Harvey.

AGENDA APPROVED: Motion by Adams, second by Schurr that the Agenda be approved as presented. All ayes. Motion carried.

COMMUNICATIONS: Director Adams commented on statements in the various political campaigns about the amount of money spent on instruction. Dr. Spelhaug said that Mike Clingingsmith is working on a presentation for the Board and the Bettendorf Chamber of Commerce government committee.

Cyndy Behrer shared an e-mail she had received from a high school teacher thanking the board and district for providing the new Honors Biology texts.

Dr. Spelhaug congratulated Joanne Messman, Dan Schurr, and Heather Witters on their recent election to office. He thanked all Board members for the service they provide the community.

Reconstruction of the upper half of 15th Street between Mississipppi Boulevard and Central Avenue nears completion. The lower half of the street was rebuilt this summer, leaving the upper section next to the Abby Hotel to be completed. The nearly $500,000 improvement includes replacing the old asphalt paving with concrete, widening the roadway to 31 feet and adding curb and gutters and sidewalks along the steep hillside. The project began in June and is scheduled for completion in October.

Work continues on the 12-story Isle of Capri hotel overlooking the Mississippi River along the Bettendorf riverfront. The hotel will have more than 250 rooms and be connected to a special events center to be built by the city. The Isle and the city are hoping the new hotel and events center will attract more visitors to the Isle's casino riverboat, increasing revenues for both the riverboat casino and the city. The Isle is facing additional competition from the new Riverside Casino near Iowa City which opened this month. On the Illinois side of the river, the Casino Rock Island has broken ground on a new gambling facility located just off Interstate 280 in southwest Rock Island.

Student enrollment in the Bettendorf School System is up 40 students compared to last year, according to Superintendent Marty Lucas. But Lucas told the school board at its Sept. 18 meeting the enrollment numbers could change before the official date for reporting student enrollment to the state on Oct. 2.

The number of students is the basis for calculating the amount of state aid the district receives each year. If the preliminary enrollment figures remain unchanged, it would mark the second consecutive year in which district enrollment has increased.

Click on the Read More link below for the full school board minutes of the Sept. 18 meeting.

Devils Glen Road between Tanglefoot Lane and Middle Road has become a jungle of construction signs and equipment as crews widen the heavily used street to accommodate new turn lanes onto Belmont and Middle Roads. The project was described by city Public Works Director Wally Mook as "building a ship in a bottle" because of the limited space for equipment and the need to keep the road open during construction. The construction of the new Hy-Vee Food Store and revamping of the store parking lot adds to the construction confusion for motorists in the area.

Maplecrest Road will be closed to through traffic from 29th Street to Devils Glen Road beginning Wednesday morning September 27, according to the public works department. It is expected the road will remain closed until November 1 for completion of roadway improvements at the intersection of Maplecrest Road and Devils Glen Road. Detours will route traffic on Maplecrest Road onto 29th Street to Tanglefoot Lane to the north and Middle Road to the south.

For more photos, click on "Read More" link.

Workers smooth the concrete paving at the rear of the new Hy-Vee Food Store under construction in Bettendorf. The new store is just north of the existing Glenroads Hy-Vee and just south of the Luther Heights Senior Highrise along Devils Glen Road. For additional photos click on the "Read More" link below.

The Iowa Values Fund, a taxpayer financed venture capital program to retain and create jobs, provided the state legislature and citizens with a status report on its activities in June. The report is available by CLICKING HERE to download. In addition to the usual claims about the number of jobs created and retained, the report also lists those firms which are "on schedule," "behind schedule," and those "referred to collections." The report includes Values Fund awards, as well as all business development grants by the Iowa Department of Economic Development (IDED).

Betsy Justis and Scott Tinsman will be sworn in and assume their duties as new members of the Bettendorf School Board tonight (Sept. 18).

Justis and Tinsman won election to the board in last week's school board contest, defeating incumbents Tom Luton and Paul Castro. Tinsman received 744 votes, Justis 691, Castro 659 and Luton 599. Luton and Castro, both retired teachers in the school district, were seeking their third 3-year term on the board.

Tinsman is a business owner and lifelong resident of Bettendorf. Justis works for Heartland JA and has lived in the community 15 years. Tinsman and his wife, Beth, have three boys, one attending elementary school, one at Middle School and one in high school. Justis and her husband Randy, have two girls, one in elementary and one in Middle School.

In Pleasant Valley, Joanne Messman, Heather Witters and Daniel Schurr were elected to three-year terms on the board in uncontested races.

The Iowa and Illinois Departments of Transporation have selected a "basket handle true arch" design for a proposed new Interstate 74 Bridge between Bettendorf and Moline. The public comments on four designs favored a cable-stayed bridge, but transportation officials said the twin basket handle bridge would allow for more efficient deck replacement and more flexibility for traffic and construction staging. The bridge replacement and revamping of the I-74 corridor through Bettendorf and Moline is expected to cost more $670 million. The animation above provides four views of the proposed basket handle bridge design along with a photo (taken last January) of the current twin suspension bridge across the Mississippi River. The new bridge would have three lanes, versus the current two, in each direction, along with additional width for shoulders and a bike/pedestrian crossing.