Community News

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Wednesday, December 27 to address a short agenda of matters following the closure of the County Courthouse December 25 and 26 for the observance of the Christmas holiday. The meeting was called to order by Board of Supervisors Chairperson Dan Byrnes with Supervisors Mark Reiser and Dennis Keatley present.

Byrnes noted that both of the 9:40 a.m. agenda items are being removed from the current meeting agenda and may be considered at a future Supervisors meeting. The removed agenda items included discussion of amending the County Relief Ordinance and consideration of setting a public hearing for the amendment to the County Relief Ordinance.

January is National Mentoring Month. Helping Services for Youth & Families is celebrating mentoring friendships and inviting others to engage in their community by becoming involved.

Mentoring has a positive impact on both the youth and the volunteer mentor. The need for positive role models is extremely vital as families deal with the stresses of raising youth in today’s world.  There are currently 19 area youth that want a friend to spend time with. One of those youth is Evan. He is 6 years old and likes to draw, be outside, take things apart, and swim. He wants to be a doctor when he grows up.

Volunteer mentors do not do this alone. Colinne McCann, Mentoring Coordinator at Helping Services shares, “We, at Helping Services, provide volunteers with the tools and training they need to be successful. We share activity ideas and provide fun and safe events, making it a rewarding way to volunteer.”

Allamakee County Democratic Party Caucus Locations
Monday, January 15 at 7 p.m.
Participants must be signed in or in line by 7 p.m. in order to participate.
All Allamakee Democrats are encouraged to attend.

ALLAMAKEE DEMOCRATS WILL MEET IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS:

WAUKON WELLNESS CENTER (Senior Room)
1220 3rd Ave. NW - Waukon
Pct. 1  Waterloo & Hanover Twps
Pct. 2  French Creek, Jefferson, Ludlow, Makee, Union Prairie Twps.
Pct. 3  Post & Franklin Twps. & Postville
Pct. 4  Paint Creek & Linton Twps. & Waterville
Pct. 8  Waukon Ward 1
Pct. 9  Waukon Ward 2
Pct.10 Waukon Ward 3

December 17, Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Lansing held a worship celebration to mark the 25th anniversary of the ordination of their pastor, Reverend Laura Gentry, pictured above at center, with the Bishop of the Northeastern Iowa Synod, Rev. Kevin T. Jones at left, and Rev. Mike Blair at right. Submitted photo.

What’s the best way to spend New Year’s Day? Take a First Day Hike in an Iowa state park or forest. Hikers can expect to be surrounded by the quiet beauty of nature in winter, and experience spectacular views, beautiful settings and the cultural treasures offered by Iowa’s state parks.

“We are excited to host First Day Hikes again, helping visitors experience Iowa state parks and forests year-round,” said Sherry Arntzen, chief of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources State Parks, Forests and Preserves Bureau. “These hikes are a great way to get outside, exercise, enjoy nature and welcome the New Year with friends and family.”

Staff and volunteers will lead free, guided First Day Hikes in nearly 20 participating state parks throughout Iowa. Some hikes will include wildlife viewing and hot beverages. Hikes will average one to two miles, or longer, depending on location.

Students and families are invited to spend some time at Robey Memorial Library in Waukon this week during the current Winter Break from school. Besides its collections of reading materials for all ages, Robey Memorial Library is offering some fun programs for students and families this Winter Break.

Stop in any time between 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, December 27 to make something fun to take home during a Make & Take session for Kids.

Thursday, December 28 at 1:30 p.m. the library will be showing the movie “The Bad Guys!”. The infamous Mr. Piranha, Mr. Snake, Mr. Shark, Ms. Tarantula and Mr. Wolf find their lives of crime coming to an end as they face imprisonment. Determined to retain their freedom, the criminals band together to boost their public image and prove their goodness to their community with the help of their esteemed mentor, Professor Marmalade. (Rated PG)

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, December 18 to address a full agenda of matters including the consideration of payment for Township Official Training from the County budget, the consideration of using Opioid Settlement funds for drug prevention programs in Allamakee County, and consideration of setting the Local Option Sales and Services Tax (LOSST) election date. The meeting was called to order by Board of Supervisors Chairperson Dan Byrnes with Supervisors Mark Reiser and Dennis Keatley present.

There were no members of the public present for the Public Comment portion of the meeting. After the time allotted for that matter, the meeting moved into the Plat for Lloyd C. Johanningmeier Jr. with Allamakee County Zoning Administrator Stephanie Runkle providing an overview of that agenda item. Following discussion, the Supervisors approved the Plat for Lloyd C. Johanningmeier Jr.

The storm sewer replacement project that began in the early summer of this year involving the intersection of 1st Street NW and 1st Avenue NW in Waukon has now been brought to completion, allowing for the opening of both of those roadways (as evident in the photo above by Standard Assistant Editor Joe Moses) Friday, December 15 for the first time in approximately six months. The project involved the bypassing of a portion of arched limestone storm sewer, over a century old and nearing the end of its lifespan, with sections of pre-cast concrete storm sewer as a durable material expected to serve equally as long or longer as a permanent replacement. The original arched limestone sewer ran diagonally underneath the former McMillan’s 66 property visible in the photo at right on the southwest corner of that intersection.

An area woman was recently honored as one of four recipients of the Iowa Woman Impacting Agriculture Award for contributions to Iowa agriculture. The awards were distributed at the seventh annual Iowa Women in Ag Leadership Conference organized by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and held November 29-30 in Ames.

Melissa O’Rourke resides in Winneshiek County and recently concluded her work at Iowa State University, where she served as an attorney and farm and agribusiness management specialist for 13 years. She most recently served the northeast Iowa region including the following counties: Winneshiek, Howard, Fayette, Allamakee, Clayton, Floyd, Bremer, Delaware, Dubuque, Buchanan, Mitchell and Black Hawk.

Robey Memorial Library and The Oneota Valley Literary Foundation have partnered to host Main Street Story Walk through the month of December in Waukon featuring the children’s story “Winter is here” by Kevin Henkes. Families are encouraged to read this story as they stroll the downtown area of Waukon. Six selected businesses have a portion of the story posted in the front window of their establishment for viewing from the sidewalk. Each stop along the story walk will direct readers to the next location. Selected businesses for this latest Main Street Story Walk are all located on West Main Street at the following locations also labeled above: 1. KNEI Radio Station; 2. Teslow’s Formal Wear; 3. Waukon State Bank; 4. Main Feature Theater, labeled above as Wolfpack Theater Company; 5. Howards Home Furnishings; and 6. Wax by Amber. Submitted image.