Community News

For 108 years, Girl Scouts has been there in times of crisis and turmoil, and in light of the COVID-19 crisis, the organization is providing digital program content to earn badges and participate in fun and educational activities at home. From crafts and science projects to virtual events, the regional Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois council is providing resources to keep girls and their entire families active.

Through a series of local partnerships and the talents of local artist Mary Ann Gloe, six of northeast Iowa’s state parks and natural areas are being recognized in the latest exhibition of the ‘Art at the Library’ series featured at the State Library of Iowa in Des Moines. The unveiling of Gloe’s paintings at the State Capitol Law Library, a project commissioned by Northeast Iowa Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D), coincides with the Iowa State Parks Centennial Celebration. This celebration, a partnership between the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Iowa Tourism Office, aims to enhance appreciation for these Iowa treasures, as well as encourage increased visitation and stewardship of Iowa’s State Parks.

There is a national shortage of commercially-produced personal protective equipment (PPE) including face masks, and public and private officials are working to address national and global supply challenges. Due to the current limitations on supplies of face masks, there may come a time during this response when commercially manufactured masks are no longer readily available. Iowans who would like to support healthcare providers can use this guidance document to construct homemade cloth masks that can be worn by Iowa healthcare providers during patient care.

Iowans who would like to donate homemade masks need to call their local hospital, medical clinics or long- term care facility prior to making a donation. The facility will provide guidance on where to drop off donations outside of the health care facility.

Despite the current mandates in place regarding group gatherings and social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a small group of parents and youth from First Presbyterian Church in Waukon were able to find a way to serve the monthly Waukon Community Meal Monday, March 30. Due to public health concerns, the usual sit-down meal in the church’s fellowship hall could not be served. But with the City of Waukon’s permission, the church served free sack lunches using drive-through service at City Park in Waukon. Meeting earlier in the day at the church, the workers prepared 300 sack lunches, which contained a ham-and-cheese sandwich, a piece of fruit, a bag of vegetable relishes, a bag of chips, and a snack-size candy bar. Bottled water also was available. The sack lunches were then taken to the park, and about 275 were given away to drive-through guests. The work crew then delivered the remaining 25 meals to others in the Waukon community. Submitted photos.
 

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, April 6 via Zoom web conferencing software in response to COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines prohibiting public meetings with more than ten attendees. There was no Public Comment during that portion of the meeting.

Mayor Pat Stone began the meeting with the removal of an agenda item and approval of the amended agenda by the council. The council moved into the next matter with Stone reading aloud the proclamation declaring April 2020 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

The council moved into Department Reports. Police Chief Paul Wagner reported that the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) has shut down in response to COVID-19 and as a result Waukon Officer Fallon Cassidy has not completed in-person training but will be completing her training through webinars and hands-on training sessions through nearby agencies with an anticipated April 17 graduation date.

The Allamakee Energy District received recent funding donations from a trio of local businesses in support of its mission. The District is a 501(c)3 organization committed to building community through sustainable and wise energy use; the development of clean, renewable, locally owned energy; and retention and reinvestment of energy dollars in the local community. The Allamakee Energy District is the seventh county energy district to form in the state of Iowa and is part of a growing state and regional energy conservation movement. The District is working in cooperation with energy districts in Howard, Winneshiek and Clayton counties to provide access to energy conservation efforts such as home energy audits and to educate the public on clean, local energy options.

Waukon Chamber of Commerce has announced the hiring of a new Executive Director, Leddia Tallman. Tallman will graduate from the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) in May of this year with a major in Health Promotion and a minor in Advanced Leadership Techniques. She is a Cadet in the United States Iowa Army National Guard and is a member of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program at UNI. Since January of this year, Tallman has been completing an internship at Veteran’s Memorial Hospital, Waukon Wellness Center and Helping Services for Youth and Families.

Tallman’s past experience includes working at Classic Upward Bound, UNI’s Wellness Recreation Center, Farm & Home Supply and a public library. Her volunteer experience includes being a Red Cross Club member, ROTC/IANG Open House Mentor, Panther Push Volunteer and Big Brothers Big Sisters Volunteer.

The site of the February 10 blaze that destroyed Waukon’s iconic Gus & Tony’s Pizza and Steakhouse on West Main Street had the remnants of the building cleaned up and removed this past week. However, restaurant owner Dave Bell said the clean-up is not an indication of any final decisions that have been made, but said it was simply time to get the project completed as the weather cleared and the contractor was available to accomplish the task.

Bell said the remaining open basement area will now need to be filled to existing ground level with dirt and then seeded down for grass growth to return it to “lot” status, as required by State of Iowa law. Pedestrians and other passers-by are reminded that the area is still off limits for safety reasons and anyone who is discovered in the area or trying to enter the area will be charged with trespass.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, March 23 to address a full agenda of items including the Public Hearing for the proposed Fiscal-Year 2021 Allamakee County Budget, setting the level of County support for libraries and the approval of compensation increases for elected officials. There was no Public Comment.

The Public Hearing for the proposed Fiscal-Year 2021 Allamakee County Budget was opened with Allamakee County Auditor Denise Beyer indicating that no comments have been received. Beyer and Chairperson Larry Schellhammer each briefly commented on the proposed budget with both indicating that the budget process went well. The Public Hearing was closed.

As this country comes together to make decisions to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, connection to the internet is more important than ever. With the current State-recommended school closings in mind, AcenTek announced Wednesday, March 18 that the company will offer free broadband and WiFi internet access until June 1 of this year to students and teachers who do not currently have internet service with the company.

Installation fees will also be waived for the new customers living within the service area. Students (K-12/college) and teachers facing the effects of the shutdown, will now have access to free internet to learn, work and communicate remotely. Contact the AcenTek office at 888-404-4940 or visit AcenTek.net to learn more.