River Valley

As part of the “Allamakee Libraries Rock” program, Dolores Tillinghast Memorial Library in Harpers Ferry is hosting a series of events as part of its Kids Summer Reading Program. The following events are scheduled to take place at the library, unless otherwise indicated:

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

Tuesday, May 15 at Kee High School in Lansing, area residents attended a second open forum meeting hosted by the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) in regard to the potential replacement of the Black Hawk Bridge at Lansing. The first meeting held last August collected opinions about potential designs.

This May 15 meeting had more details about the alternatives under consideration and the issues which need to be addressed in selecting the best alternative. In addition, the DOT wants to be transparent as to what the next steps in this process are.

by Macie Hill

The Lansing City Council held its regular meeting Monday, May 21. Discussion centered around the final reading of the franchise agreement with Alliant Energy, approval of the Municipal Tool and Pipe Contract, reviewing seal coating bids and setting annual salaries and wages for union and non-union employees.

The third and final reading of Ordinance #199 repealing Ordinance #124 and starting a 25-year franchise agreement with Interstate Power was read at the meeting. The council made and seconded a motion to approve the Municipal Tool and Pipe Contract to lock in pricing for manhole rehabilitation throughout City street areas.

After reviewing and considering chip seal bids, the council approved Scott Construction Inc. to asphalt chip seal several streets in the city. Center Street, Seventh Street, Shaw Street and Cross Street are scheduled to receive the chip seal coating this summer.

Alliant Energy residential customers can purchase landscaping trees for their homes at a deep discount this spring. Customers may reserve up to two trees and pick them up at Operation ReLeaf events in Allamakee, Benton, Clarke, Dickinson, Dubuque, Greene, Linn, Muscatine and Wayne counties through May.

For maximum energy efficiency, trees should be planted within 30 feet of the east and west sides of the house. Evergreens should be planted as a windbreak on the north and west sides. Operation ReLeaf is an Alliant Energy program administered by the Iowa DNR with assistance from partners. Order forms and tree species are available at alliantenergy.com/releaf.
 

by Macie Hill

The regular meeting of the Lansing City Council was held Tuesday, May 8, a day later than usual due to a scheduling conflict. Discussion centered around the second reading of Ordinance #199, a part-time groundskeeping and maintenance position being filled, hiring lifeguards for the Lansing Swimming Pool, and a public hearing date scheduled to discuss the city budget.

The second reading of Ordinance #199, which repeals Ordinance #124 and starts a new 25-year franchise agreement with Interstate Power, was read at the meeting. The council also approved the hiring of Terry Hennessy as a part-time grounds and maintenance worker for up to 10 hours a week, if needed.

Many people want to give back to the community but may not have a lot of time to volunteer. In only about an hour, volunteer blood donors can help save lives and feel instant gratification.

The community is invited to give back and help save lives by donating blood Friday, June 8 from 1-6 p.m. at the Kerndt Brothers Community Center located on Main Street in Lansing.

Blood is a perishable product that can only come from generous volunteers. By donating blood, individuals can make a difference in the lives of patients in their community and throughout the nation.

To make an appointment or to learn more, download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Completion of a RapidPass online health history questionnaire found at redcrossblood.org/rapidpass is encouraged to help speed up the donation process.

American Legion Ladies Auxiliary, Unit #722, Harpers Ferry has selected Taya Duehr, a junior at Waukon High School, to attend Iowa Girls State June 17-21 of this year at Drake University in Des Moines. She is the daughter of Jane and John Duehr of Waterville and a sister to Kate Davis and Travis Duehr.

Duehr is involved in cheerleading, competition cheerleading, Student Council, 4-H, 4-H Council and also works part-time. She has lived on a farm her entire life, and she says growing up on a farm has given her the opportunity to grow as a person  and become a  hard worker.

The Iowa Girls State program is one of the premier programs sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary, started by a dream of four women to teach young women about the political process.  Girls State is a “learning by doing” program, which takes the girls through the entire political process. The program covers city government, which is non-partisan in Iowa.

The Ferryville Tourism Council and the Mississippi Valley Conservancy will be hosting the annual International Spring Migration Day hike at Sugar Creek Bluff Natural Area this Saturday, May 12. Hikers are invited to gather at the Ferryville Village Hall, along the Great River Road (Hwy. 35) at the south end of the Village of Ferryville between 7:30 and 8 a.m. Treats, handouts and a sign-in will be available at the village hall, and the group will then carpool to the trailhead for the 8 a.m. hike.

Thursday, May 17, the public is invited to hear living history interpreter Don Borcherding of Rochester, MN give a presentation reenacting explorer Zebulon Pike. The free program will begin at 6:30 p.m., preceded by a light supper with freewill offering.

At the time Lewis and Clark were climbing the Bitter Root Mountains in Montana, Pike was commissioned to map the Mississippi River, take a census of Native Americans and find sites for future forts and trading posts. Borcherding will explore the hardships Pike and his men endured, and what the river and the people who lived along it were like.

Upcoming programs in the speaker series being hosted by Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library include the following: June 22 at 6:30 p.m. - Reasons for the Seasons and Summer Skies presented by Carl Bracken, Astronomer, which is a program designed for the whole family; and July 19 - Click by Click Humor in photography by Bob Modersohn.
 

submitted by Friends of Pool 9

On a slightly questionable weather day with cool temperatures, moderate stream flow and rising water levels, a group of volunteers gathered at all ends of Pool 9 to help clean the Mississippi River corridor, for the 13th year.

While many would find something else to do on a day like this, these folks put on their life jackets, boated out and waded into the Mississippi. They walked the Highway 82 dike, scoured area beaches, cleaned and sifted fire rings, walked the boat landings and the perimeter of Pool 9, and boated into the backwater depths to retrieve as much of the unwanted man-made debris as possible. Such is the desire and persistence of this bunch of volunteers from northeast Iowa, western Wisconsin and other places unknown.