MAPLETON, Iowa | On April 9, 2011, Brent and Laurie Streck and their children huddled in their basement in Danbury, Iowa, seconds after seeing transformers pop, the first signs of a storm's fury. They listened as wind and rain pelted their home, causing damage.
Little did they know that the community immediately to their south had lost much, much more. A tornado ravaged Mapleton shortly after 7 that night, destroying 50 homes and damaging another 92 business and residential dwellings.
Mapleton residents rebuilt and recovered. They applied for 278 building permits within two years of the twister, embarking on construction projects that totaled in excess of $10.4 million.
The Strecks moved to Mapleton during this recovery phase. They bought two lots in the town's newest development, Water Tower Place, a 1999 city-owned parcel named for its proximity to the water tower serving this Monona County community. The Strecks built a home, one of seven erected in this post-tornado boom.
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The City of Mapleton offered $2,000 discounts on the $8,000 residential lots on Tower Street. A second $2,000 rebate went to homeowners like the Strecks who built a home within 12 months of their lot purchase. Additionally, a five-year property tax abatement played a role, incentives all.
"We bought the two lots and got the property tax abatement on each," Brent Streck said. "We ended up building in the middle of our two lots."
The timing was right for the Strecks, parents of three children, who had outgrown their home in Danbury and could find no homes in that community. The family, which had resided in the Omaha area for 15 years, had returned to the area for the solid education that would be offered to their children, Ethan, Wyatt and Natalie, in the Maple Valley/Anthon-Oto Community School District.
Laurie, the former Laurie Jensen, a native of Castana, Iowa, graduated from Maple Valley High School in 1993. Brent is a native of nearby Schleswig, Iowa, and graduate of Schleswig High. Brent, who works for a building controls division of a national company, could reside anywhere within his trade territory.
They had moved to Danbury in 2010 after Laurie's position with AmeriStar Casino in Omaha had been downsized. She was seven months pregnant with their third child at the time.
"We found that the Maple Valley school was strong, so we moved back," Brent said.
The incentives offered after the tornado helped make the decision to relocate to Mapleton after the birth of Natalie, in 2011. The Strecks, who had built a two-story home in Gretna, Nebraska, a few years earlier, decided on an Amwood panel house from L&L Builders, of Marcus, Iowa. This home represents the fifth community in which the couple has lived since marrying 20 years ago.
"They build the home in a warehouse and then enclose it here," Brent said. "That way, you don't have exposure to the elements while the home is under construction."
The couple picked a ranch layout in their attempt to save wear and tear on Laurie's ankles. She suffered fractures to both in falls on stairs in their previous homes.
"I was carrying our son, Wyatt, in 2006," Laurie recalled. "He was just over a year old and I was getting a bottle for him at 2 o'clock in the morning when I turned and fell."
"She broke the same bone in two places," Brent said.
The other fall took place in 2003 when son Ethan was 9 months old. The couple resided in Millard, Nebraska, at the time. She wasn't carrying the baby during that fall, however.
"She broke the other ankle and tore ligaments in that fall," Brent said.
"My family says I'm clumsy," Laurie said with a smile and a shrug.
So, the couple opted for a spacious ranch, a five-bedroom, three-bathroom plan with a three-car garage that soon expanded with a second garage unit.
"We added a four-car garage to the south," said Brent, who added how much the family enjoys being on a quiet street whose residents are a mix of retirees, empty-nesters and those raising children.
The home features nearly 2,000 square feet on the main floor and 1,700 square feet downstairs. Bedrooms for the boys downstairs have intercoms for quick communication as Mom and Dad prepare meals in the kitchen upstairs. All the rooms have Internet availability as well.
"When we moved here all the kids could have their own room," said Laurie, who notes how the kids' walk-in closets surpass in space the one she uses.
"I like cooking on a gas stove," Brent said while standing in an open kitchen that gives way to a dining area (one of two) and then the living room. "We're pretty good about having supper together as a family each night."
Walls throughout the home are decorated with painted sayings such as, "Family: Today's little moments become tomorrow's precious memories."
The ceilings in the home have been raised, including the tray ceiling in the master bedroom that tops out at 11 feet. The master bath features a shower and a Jacuzzi.
"The kids use the Jacuzzi most," Laurie said.
As Brent walks downstairs, he points out the 3-D television for family movie nights. Just below the stairs is a space guarded by 2x6 studs on both sides. Said Brent, "That is solid. It's our storm shelter."
