It is called “Odyssey” and it is causing quite a stir — and a few accidents. Four huge new sculptures that sit on the 24th Street Bridge over I-80 in Council Bluffs have people doing double-takes. Designer Albert Paley of Rochester, New York, says his goal was to give drivers passing the artwork something to remember.

“For the thousands of people that pass through there, there’s going to be an identity with Council Bluffs and a point of reference and a point of memory with the structures,” he says. A few car accidents and near-misses have been reported near the sculptures as drivers try to catch a glimpse of the massive metal monuments. Paley says the artwork is designed to catch the eyes, but he’s taking no responsibility for the accidents.

“Anybody that drives a vehicle, whether they’re looking at an accident or looking at a billboard or looking at a thunderstorm, I think they have to be aware of what they’re doing,” Paley says. Some people are criticizing the sculptures as an “eye sore” or “twisted wads of metal.” Paley says he’s not offended by the criticism. He says people are often critical of artwork when it’s brand new, but come to love it once they get used to it.

“People are drawing their opinions…After the first sculptures came in, I’m sure opinions have changed,” he says. “…It’s an on-going process.” The four large pieces of artwork are at the four corners of the bridge that is known by locals as the “Gateway.” Paley is hoping it will become a well-known landmark in the future for those driving either in and out of Iowa on Interstate-80.

Paley is well-known in the artwold for designing gates and archways for significant buildings like the National Cathedral in Wasington, D.C. He’s also the designer of a gateway into the Hotel Patee in Perry that’s made of farm tools. The four sculptures on the bridge in Council Bluffs are his largest installation.

By Karla James

The winners of this year’s Iowa Character Awards were announced this week by Character Counts in Iowa. Spokesperson Amy Smit says a jury made up of Iowans selected the recipients earlier this month in Des Moines. Smit says they look for Iowans who consistently demonstrate the six pillars of character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. She says the winners come from across the state. There are individual and group awards.

She says the citizen of character award is going to Paula Bell of Des Moines and the youth winner is Michaela Arenholtz of Denison, which she says is a great example of two different people winning the same award. Several organizations were also honored.

Dallas Center Grimes’ character leadership team and the Sioux City growth organization won the “Organization of Character Award”, Brian Town of Johnston won the “Educator of Character Award,” Sioux City West is the “School of Character Award” winner, the Pleasant Valley cheerleaders won the “Pursuing Victory with Honor Award.” The community of character is Johnston, Iowa.

A top individual award went to an eastern Iowa woman. The “Character Champion” which goes to an individual who is making a commitment to their community through use and promotion of good character, was won by Michelle Temeyer of Waterloo. Another major award is the Aaron Eilerts Community Service Award that is presented to an Iowan who makes their community better through volunteerism. Smit said the winner will be announced in the next few weeks.

The award is named after Eilerts, a Boy Scout from Eagle Grove who spent countless hours of volunteer work and died as a result of the tornado at the Little Sioux Boy Scout Camp in June,2008. The winners will be honored at a banquet on October 23rd in West Des Moines.

There is more information about the Character Counts program at: www.charactercountsiniowa.org.

By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City

“Boys Town Iowa” is moving to a larger facility in Council Bluffs. The organization serves 10 counties in southwest Iowa and helped 524 families last year. Brian Fox, director of in-home family services for Boys Town Iowa, says the agency has outgrown its space, as they expect to serve even more families this year.

“What we’ll do is we’ll also link them to our Boys Town National Hotline,” Fox says. “Together as a group we’ll explore their needs as a family and determine the level of need and the level of services that we may be able to provide them.” Boys Town Iowa has gotten a federal grant to launch a new program called “Parent-Child Connection Services.”

“We have a lot of dads that don’t have custody,” Fox says. “And because he and the mother of the child don’t get along, he ends up missing spending time with them.” According to U.S. Census data, one out of every three children in America was living apart from their biological father in 2009.

“What we want to do is make sure that the person who does not have custody of their children still has ample opportunity to interact with their children,” Fox says. About 30 percent of American children who don’t live with their biological fathers have no contact with their dads. Boys Town was founded in 1917 by a Catholic priest who rented a boardinghouse in Omaha that was originally called the “Home for Boys.”

Spencer Tracy won an Oscar for playing the role of Father Flanagan in the 1938 movie, “Boys Town” — the first time someone won an Oscar for portraying a person who was still alive. The Boys Town organization now has operations in eight other states and the District of Columbia.