Jail and Bail raises more than $10K for Old Fort

FORT MADISON - Some people will do anything to stay out of jail.
Luckily, some “criminals” will also PAY to avoid the slammer as Old Fort Madison Preservation (OFMP) learned Thursday at its first Jail & Bail fundraiser which brought in $8,749 to the nonprofit charged with reconstruction the Old Fort Madison replica and building a new Living History Center in Riverview Park.
Earlier this month, seven OFMP deputies, wearing a “Special Arresty Person” gold star, served the warrants to the 83 “criminals” wherever they could find them, like at the April 7 meetings of the Lee County Supervisors and Fort Madison City Council, meetings of the Fort Madison Rotary Club, at Fort Madison High School, and to individual businesses and homes.
A vast majority of these individuals delivered their $100 bail this week – many of them stopping by the jail in the Amtrak building Thursday to enter a guilty plea, turn in their bail money, and have their photo taken behind bars – to prove to their family and friends that their contributions had been well spent or, perhaps for the cover of their own Christmas card.
While the bail was set at $100, several criminals went way above this amount to support OFMP’s efforts. For example, Fort Madison Tourism Director Chi Eastin, who is accused of being nothing like her first name (shy), was granted an extension until she returns to town on April 20, has already collected $1,160; Ellyn Freitag, who was charged with being a devoted volunteer and auxiliary member at the Eagles Club, collected $1,101; Tim Gobble, executive director of Lee County Economic Development, who was charged with “having bragging rights to his two accomplished daughters,” collected $1,040; and County Supervisor Chuck Holmes, who was charged with “boarding the wrong SHIIP” as a volunteer helping people navigate Medicare options, turned in $1,000 for his bail.
An All-Points Bulletin, or APB, has been issued for Chris Swed who is charged with “being too sexy for this town. He told OFMP members he was out of town Thursday, but let it slip that he will be making one of his downtown videos for social media. OFMP deputies will be staking out the downtown area Saturday in hopes of apprehending Swed.
Old Fort Madison Preservation is the 501(c)3 nonprofit designated to reconstruction and reopen Old Fort Madison and build a new Living History Center in Fort Madison’s Riverview Park.
The first phase of OFMP’s project will consist of removing existing structures off their foundations to raise all buildings 4 feet above the floodplain to protect again future flood damage. The buildings will then be returned to their foundations and repaired, in addition to the reconstruction of the blockhouse, the enlisted men’s barracks and the Palisade stockade that were at the site before structural safety issues resulted in their demolition.
The second phase will bring a new asset to Fort Madison’s most significant landmark – the Living Center - that will be built at the site of the old factory building and will house ADA accessible and modern restrooms, exhibition space for fort- related and local historical artifacts and year-round use for programs and activities. One area will be earmarked for revolving displays related to local history on a variety of topics, such as the railroad history, the women’s suffrage movement, Native Americans, the civil rights era and movement, Prohibition, local and area residents’ participation in the nation’s wars, visiting celebrities and more.