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PICA receives statewide honor

Pride in Community Appearance, often better known as PICA, has received the Main Street Iowa Leadership Award. That is a statewide honor celebrating exceptional volunteerism, leadership, and community impact. PICA was founded in 2001 by Jan and Phyllis Wilson, of Fort Dodge. Its members meet twice a week during the spring, summer and fall to beautify public spaces. The group’s work includes planting, maintaining flower beds, landscaping and painting. Since the group was established 25 years ago, its members have collectively volunteered 60,000 hours, Jan Wilson told the City ...

Council renews Fierke’s contract

The Fort Dodge City Council on Monday extended the contract of City Manager David Fierke for another four years. Fierke has been the city manager since 2006. David Haggard, the former superintendent of the Fort Dodge Community School District, served as interim city manager for a few months after the city manager form of government was adopted, but Fierke is really the only full-time manager the city has had. His first contract was dated July 29, 2006. It was renewed in 2013, 2018, and 2022. The extension approved Monday, which is valid through June 2030, sets his base salary ...

Council supports downtown building plan

The Fort Dodge City Council took a couple of steps Monday to support the construction of a new downtown building that would take the place of the vacant Trolley Center. H & F Development Partners, of Fort Dodge, has proposed demolishing the Trolley Center at the corner of Ninth Street and ...

McGowan wants balanced budget amendment

Seeing that the federal government has racked up a $40 trillion debt with no end in sight, Congressional candidate Chris McGowan believes a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget is the only answer. “I think that elected officials need to make that a front burner issue,” ...

Architect hired for fire station job

An architect was hired Monday to design the second firehouse in Fort Dodge. The City Council hired 10Fold Architecture + Engineering, of Ames, to design the structure planned for the 300 block of A Street. The company will be paid $321,000. Money to pay for that contract will come from the city’s share of the countywide property tax for emergency medical service. The building will not replace the current firehouse at Central Avenue and 15th Street. It is intended to provide faster response to the city’s west side and to areas of Webster County where the Fire Department provides ...

Life on the frontier

Chris Swanson, of Duncombe, got to make a lot of noise Saturday afternoon at the 2026 Frontier Days celebration at the Fort Museum and Frontier Village. The members of the 3rd Iowa Cavalry Reenactors unit let him pull the lanyard on their replica Civil War era cannon. Pulling that ...