Supervisors meet in regular weekly session at Waterville Public Library
by Joe Moses
The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, October 31 at the Waterville Public Library. During the Public Comments portion of the meeting, Waterville Public Library Director Heather Bente and Library Board President Mary Techau introduced themselves. Bente provided information on the library's history and current operations, noting that the Waterville Library was founded in 1994 and the current building was renovated four years ago using local contractors.
Bente noted that the library has 5,000 physical books on site but with e-books and digital offerings, that number increases to over 19,000 in total for the library's collection. Bente explained that the library uses programming as a way to involve the public, both readers and non-readers, and some of the programming assists with fundraising that is necessary for the library's operation and programming costs. The library has two computers, two laptops and a Kindle for public use on-site.
The liquor license renewal for Wings in Dorchester was approved. Updates for the manure management plans for Link-1, Johanningmeier Farm and Devin Humpal Site #2 were accepted and placed on file. Allamakee County Planning and Zoning Administrator Tom Blake presented plat approvals for property owned by Ryan C. Christensen, who is dividing off sections of his property for potential future sale. The plat was approved.
Allamakee County Auditor Denise Beyer discussed the Construction Evaluation Resolution for 2017 and the related Department of Natural Resources (DNR) webinar. The resolution allows the County to have input into new construction permits relating to large confined animal feeding operations (CAFO). The DNR webinar will be held December 7 at 1:30 p.m. and will include information on the master matrix, which is a scoring system used to evaluate the siting of permitted confinement and feeding operations. The Supervisors agreed that this educational webinar should be made available to the public, if possible, with the Supervisors' board room or the NICC Waukon ICN room as possible locations. Beyer will be registering the Supervisors for the webinar.
Allamakee County Engineer Brian Ridenour addressed the contract and bond for Brennan Construction of Lansing for replacement of the culvert on Oak Hill Road that had been washed out by late summer flooding events. Brennan Construction had been previously approved as low bidder with a bid of $59,997.00 for the project. The contract, performance bond and certificate of insurance were all in order and the Supervisors approved the culvert replacement by Brennan Construction.
Under Department Head Updates, Ridenour discussed that the culvert replacement has a start date no later than November 15, so this project will be moving forward quickly. Ridenour also said Cherry Valley Road is now open, commenting that the project went well and there are just a few minor things yet to be done. He further advised that the paved shoulders between Harpers Ferry and Lansing on the Mississippi River Trail (MRT) are done, with some minor finishing work and signage yet to be finished. Ridenour also advised that crews will be hauling sand in preparation for winter, flood repair projects continue to be worked on, and a recent mudslide near the Mt. Hope Church will be receiving attention, in addition to discussing issues with Army Road and flooding.
Allamakee County Emergency Management Coordinator Corey Snitker discussed the initial applicant briefing with FEMA, which was a five-agency meeting in Elkader regarding the disaster declaration for the August flooding event. The State of Iowa has submitted a request for a Presidential Disaster Declaration for the September flooding event. Last Friday, Snitker met with Living Lands and Waters and representatives of Friends of Pool 9 and visited the Big Slough debris field, where the Upper Iowa River empties into the Mississippi River. The debris field consists of trees, hay bales and man-made debris that is the result of the August and September flooding in the area. Living Lands and Waters will be providing a cost estimate for the removal of the man-made debris items and clean-up. Snitker presented copies of letters that have been drafted to Senator Charles Grassley, Representative Rod Blum and Senator Joni Ernst requesting government assistance for the Big Slough clean-up project. These letters have not been sent but will be shortly.
Beyer estimates that the Auditor's Office has received close to 2,500 absentee ballot requests in total for the upcoming General Election. She discussed that cell phones will not be allowed in voting booths during the election to prevent photos from being taken, as this is illegal.
