Dedication ceremony for the Western-Leander Clark College bell in 1958 on the Iowa Juvenile home campus. Students of the colleges and IJH officials took part.

At least it will ring out a warning unless they peddle the clapper first.

With the ongoing looting of the Iowa Juvenile Home / State Training School for Girls of its contents (the State calls it “inventory and says the items will benefit other institutions) it would be wise to be watchful of the Western – Leander Clark College bell.

Mounted on the west side of the campus it is a historical marker recognizing the colleges which formed the original campus in Toledo until closing in 1918.

Now, as reported last week in The Tama News-Herald, the Iowa Department of Human Services in conjunction with the Department of Administrative Services are using an internet auction site – GovDeals.com to dispose of the inventory.

Perhaps most local residents were aware of the sale. Were you?

Iowa Juvenile Home State Training School for Girls employees ring the college bell as they depart campus on Jan. 15 when the facility was a abruptly closed ahead of schedule. Iowa State Troopers were on the campus that day and provided security there until shortly after July 1. Chronicle.John Speer

The Avenue of Flags at IJH was preserved through the efforts of Duane Bossman, State Rep. Dean Fisher, the Toledo American Legion in cooperation with the Department of Human Services.

Fisher has told the Chronicle he has been assured an Iowa Juvenile Home historical items collection will not be disposed of.

Nonetheless, the State of Iowa has proceeded to disperse the contents of the campus before a ruling by the Iowa Supreme Court has been handed down on an appeal of a Polk County District Court order to reopen the facility.

It is debatable whether the distribution or internet auction were wise as is, of course, the closing of a facility which has served Iowa youth for 94 years.

That loss has left Iowa without a facility for care of delinquent girls, threw 94 employees out-of-work at Toledo’s largest employer and left most everyone wondering why more than $20 million in taxpayer money was poured into the campus for new a school addition, maintenance, security and nursing upgrades and the $8 million geo-thermal system.

Ring the bell.

-J. Speer