By Johnna Klossing, jklossing@cbs4qc.com

The Riverside Cemetery in Moline is known for its beautiful views, peaceful setting, and history. However, a piece of that history could come tumbling down if something isn't done soon. A 138-year-old retaining wall supports a small portion of the cemetery, but it is crumbling. That's why Tuesday city leaders voted to pay for a study that will determine the best way to fix the wall, so the areas founding fathers, don't go sliding down the hill.

"That's something we do not want to happen, we want to keep the citizens of Moline in place, it's a duty we have to maintain cemeteries," Moline Mayor Don Welvaert said.

Welvaert said the wall has been a concern for a while. Several years ago part of it even caused a mud slide right into the Riverside Park pool.

"There was a portion of the hillside that did erode away, washed down the hill and indeed did go into the new aquatics center. We had to drain it and clean it out."

Welvaert said the engineering study will not only take a look at the stability of this retaining wall, but the entire hillside, which is covered in headstones.

"The engineering firm will evaluate the entire hillside to make sure either a, it is an isolated incident, or b... more work is needed to secure the sloping hillside."

Moline Resident Paul Kelty walks his dog in the cemetery several times a week and said he is glad the city is stepping up to preserve the historic site.

"I think it's a worthwhile thing with the history behind this cemetery. There are so many areas where they have let cemeteries just go to waste. This one is fairly well preserved in general, so that keeping that up is a good thing," Kelty said.

The study will cost around $27,000. City leaders said once it's complete they will decide what to do next. They said they do have $200,000 set aside for repairs.

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Riverside Cemetery in need of repairs

HUDSON Vandals covered the former gorilla building and a retaining wall with graffiti and destroyed a sign at Benson Park, a town official said Tuesday.

The damage occurred sometime after the park once home to the former Bensons Wild Animal Farm closed at 9 p.m. Monday, said Harry Schibanoff, who chairs the subcommittee that oversees maintenance and operations of the 166-acre, town-owned, recreational park.

Town officials learned of the damage after the park reopened at 5 a.m. Tuesday, he said.

In the interior portion of the gorilla house, there was graffiti on just about every wall, including the ceiling, Schibanoff said.

A rear retaining wall in the former bear cage also was covered with graffiti, he said.

A lot of volunteers have put thousands of hours of work into this park. Its very discouraging to see something like this happen, Schibanoff said.

He could not estimate what it would cost to remove the graffiti and repair the damage, but he anticipated the town would rely heavily on volunteers to get it done.

Hudson police had no information on the incident when contacted early Tuesday night.

Schibanoff said he does not believe police have any suspects.

Bensons Wild Animal Park, which also had been known as Bensons Wild Animal Farm, closed in 1987. The town bought the site and reopened it in 2010 as Benson Park.

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Vandals cover Benson Park building with graffiti

As tourists blithely strolled the decks of the USS Texas on Tuesday, workers struggled below decks - without air conditioning - to control a leak that was pouring nearly 1,000 gallons of seawater into the historic battleship every minute.

As the leak entered its fourth day, ship manager Andy Smith expressed optimism that Tuesday's effort would complete siphoning a film of oily water from the ship's bilge. By midday, more than 6,500 gallons of the oily soup, the result of seawater flooding internal oil tanks, had been removed. Smith said the leak may be repaired Wednesday.

Advocates for preservation of the vessel, which served in both world wars and marked its 100th anniversary last month, say the latest leak underscores the severity of salt water-inflicted damage the ship has sustained. In 2007, voters approved a $25 million bond issue to address the ship's problems. State officials, however, have determined that sum will be insufficient to repair the ship and display it in a dry berth as planned.

Complicating the picture is a state Legislative Budget Board decision barring the money's use for any purpose other than dry-berthing. Battleship Texas project manager Neil Thomas said partners in the project, including the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Battleship Texas Foundation and the Naval Sea Systems Command, are deliberating their next move.

Foundation executive director Bruce Bramlett said he believes the ship is in such perilous condition that it cannot safely be moved or removed from the water without on-site repairs. Over the long term, he said, leaving the vessel in the water is a "death sentence."

"You have to repair it and dry berth it or you're just kicking the can down the road. We want to see the Texas preserved for generations to come," he said. Bramlett's group has donated $3 million to the battleship project.

$23 million remains

Thomas, a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department employee, said that approximately $23 million remains from the bond issue. Repairing the ship and placing it in an on-land display would cost approximately $50 million. Without Legislative Budget Board approval of alternate repair plans, he said, the use of bond issue money is limited to a dry berthing project.

In 1988, the badly rusted ship was towed to a Galveston facility for repair. It was returned to its mooring at the San Jacinto Battlefield Historic Site two years later.

In the most recent leak, which Smith described as the worst in five years, workers noticed the Texas listing and sitting low in the water during a routine Saturday morning inspection. Upon investigating, workers found water pouring into the ship's bilge beneath the engine room.

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USS Texas' battle against rust may prove too costly

7:56 AM

By Betty Adams badams@centralmaine.com Staff Writer

AUGUSTA -- Andrea Jellison and her husband drove into their driveway early Tuesday afternoon with the backseat of the car full of a month's worth of groceries.

click image to enlarge

UNSAFE CONDITIONS: Augusta code enforcement officer Rob Overton tapes a notice on the deck at 11 State Street that wooden stairs and deck entrance to three apartments in the building is unsafe. Tenants in the units were ordered to relocate.

Staff photo by Andy Molloy

click image to enlarge

UNSAFE CONDITIONS: Andrea Jellison reacts to being told that her apartment at 11 State Street in Augusta had been condemned as unsafe. Jellison, her husband and child were told by city officials that the wooden stairs and deck entrance to the building is unsafe and were ordered to relocate.

Staff photo by Andy Molloy

Augusta police and a city code enforcement officer met the couple and told them that their apartment and two others in the four-story building at 11 State St. had been deemed unfit to live in, so they could not stay there.

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Augusta family find themselves suddenly homeless

11-06-2012 16:39 Design and building of church facilities. Experience fuels success and Oaster is the choice for many expanding ministries across the country for facilities planning. See more online including our video series at

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Oaster Intro - Video

12-06-2012 21:48 Carl Frederick Ferguson September 25, 1950 -- June 13, 2011 Carl Frederick Ferguson, loving father and husband, known for his heart of gold, willingness to help others, compassionate, giving and a fighting spirit, died of complications relating to a liver transplant and exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam, on June 13, 2011. Carl suffered numerous setbacks but never gave up the fight. Doctors at UCSD Medical Center were amazed by his resiliency. Carl was born in North Kingston, Rhode Island on September 25, 1950 to Carl William and Doris Flora Ferguson. The family moved to San Diego during his childhood. Carl was a Vietnam Veteran of the 11th Armored Cav (Army). He served 1969-1970, was wounded in action and received an honorable discharge. He worked as a tile setter in the late 1970's before starting his own tile business in the early 1980's. Carl eventually branched into other areas of construction, ultimately becoming a project manager for large construction projects. Carl's specialty became church construction. He personally oversaw the rebuilding of St John's Episcopal Church after it was destroyed in a 1994 arson fire. Following the fire Carl built a temporary church in 40-days where services were held until the permanent church was completed. Carl built the church to honor the memory of his Father-in-law, the Reverend Gerald Holmes Graves, who served as priest of St. Johns from 1970-1987. Other notable projects include Trabuco Presbyterian Church, The Stingaree ...

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Carl... Dad... Pops! - Video

13-06-2012 07:09 Cogun Consultant Randy Ongie talks about his buiilding expansion experience at Grace Fellowship Church.

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RDO video 1_1.mp4 - Video

A new era begins Sunday for members of First Christian Church when the congregation breaks ground for a new church building.

Public ceremonies begin at 9:30 a.m. under a big tent at the site of the future church at 2106 S. Main St. in South Jacksonville.

The groundbreaking ceremony will be preceded by a brief worship service, music by the churchs praise band and remarks by South Jacksonville President Gordon Jumper, Pastor J. Cook, project coordinator Ryan Turner and womens ministry co-leader Nancy Ator.

Initial construction plans are for a 42,500-square-foot, one-level building, which will have a multi-purpose room that serves both as a sanctuary and a recreational area, a large foyer with a coffee room and a Big Toy room similar to ones at McDonalds restaurants.

This is Phase I of our building project, Turner said. Future plans include construction of a dedicated sanctuary on the west side and additional classrooms on the east side of the building.

Construction will begin this summer and church officials hope that the project is completed by next summer.

On June 3, the congregation affirmed by 90 percent to relocate to 2106 S. Main St., Cook said. The new church is designed to accommodate all ages, but our plans for the facility really are geared toward young parents with children. The facility is designed for everyday use. We own 20 acres and there is a strong possibility of the church offering a sports ministry for youths and adults in the future.

The church had planned to construct a new building at 2106 S. Main St., but those plans were pushed forward after fire and smoke heavily damaged the church on West Vandalia Road on Nov. 29, 2010.

We at First Christian Church are at a pivotal moment in our history where we will redefine who we are as a church in this community, Cook said.

Currently, the church holds worship services at 10:45 a.m. Sunday at Grace United Methodist Church in Jacksonville.

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Church to break ground on new building Sunday

SULLIVAN For Sumner Memorial High School Salutatorian Brianna Fernandez, the learning experiences outside the classroom were as important as those inside.

The high school, she said at graduation ceremonies June 7, was like a boxing ring with friendly wins and losses among students and with the school administration.

We have learned more than a textbook could teach us, she said.

Relatives and other well-wishers crowded the gymnasium for the event, which culminated with a balloon drop from a net fastened to the ceiling and a triumphant march down the center aisle.

Valedictorian Jamie Hoglund compared her and her classmates four-year journey to Platos allegory of the cave about the limitations of perceived reality.

Our reality has been shaped by what weve seen and what we know, she said.

Graduation, said Hoglund, catapults students into the real world where they should see and experience as much as possible.

Quoting Helen Keller, she said: Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.

The commencement speaker was history teacher Vern Campbell, who shared his tongue-in-cheek presentation and slide show with Americorps volunteer Marcie Powers.

They concluded with an alternative to the three Rs of a fundamental education three Ls learn every day, laugh every day and love those around you.

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Sumner Grads Look Back and Ahead

Marking the ceremonial start of a comprehensive facilities construction project, representatives of Crawford Electric broke ground June 7 on the co-ops 60-acre campus along Interstate 44 just east of Bourbon.

Since late May, extensive dirt work and site preparation have been under way on the $10.4 million project.

The 67,000-square-foot facility will include a new operations building, vehicle storage facility and warehouse. The project is expected to be finished by late spring 2013.

The project is moving forward after years of consideration and 20 months of intensive planning, which were focused on creating comprehensive facilities to better serve co-op members.

Dan Blesi, Crawford Electrics general manager and CEO, said now is the best time to address the co-ops facilities needs.

The functional deficiencies and issues with the conditions of the current facilities require attention, Blesi said.

Officials noted that hundred of thousands of dollars of co-op assets (vehicles and line material) are currently stored outside. An additional 38,000 square feet of warehouse and garage space is required to adequately secure these assets.

Additionally, the existing warehouse, garage and materials loading areas cannot effectively handle the huge line of trucks utilized.

There also is a lack of appropriately constructed and located facilities which hamper the ability of linemen and operations personnel to respond to power outage emergencies.

Operations are currently housed in a building that is 60 years old, that is undersized by 5,500 square feet, that is a hodgepodge of years of additions and renovations, and that lacks the capacity for further expansion and technological upgrades.

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Crawford Electric Breaks Ground on New Buildings