River Valley

by Julie Berg-Raymond

During the regular meeting of the Lansing City Council held Monday, August 21, Mayor Melissa Hammell read Ordinance No. 206 - amending Title VI, Chapter 5 of the Municipal Code of the City of Lansing regarding utility rates - for the second and final time. The council approved waiving the third reading of the ordinance. A copy of Ordinance No. 206 is on file at Lansing City Hall and a summary of the ordinance is printed on Page 28 in this week’s edition of The Standard.

PLATT STREET PROJECT
Ryan Wicks, a principal with Fehr Graham Engineering and Environmental and manager of its West Union office, presented the company’s proposal for the Platt Street project. The project involves the replacement/upgrade of existing water, sanitary sewer and storm sewer utilities along Platt Street, North Street and 4th Street.

Saturday, September 9, family and friends of lifelong resident and local “River Rat” Pat Sandry will be honoring his memory with the Sixth Annual Pat Sandry Memorial Fishing Derby and Friends of Pool 9 Fundraiser held on the Mississippi River. Sandry passed away in November of 2017 after a short, courageous battle with cancer. He thoroughly enjoyed the outdoors, had a great passion for fishing and hunting, and he truly treasured the beauty of Lansing and the surrounding area.

Entry fee is $50 per boat with 50% payback in prize money and 50% being donated to Friends of Pool 9. There is a limit of two adults and two children per boat.

The Ferryville Tourism Council has announced a bonus program for its annual Summer Chautauqua Series. Wednesday, September 13, a fourth program will be offered in the series.

Dr. Patrick Jung, a professor of history and cultural anthropology at the Milwaukee School of Engineering will conduct a presentation entitled: “The Massacre at Bad Axe: Understanding the Final Battle of the Black Hawk War in 1832”. This presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Ferryville Village Hall on the south end of the village along Hwy. 35.

Dr. Jung has recently completed a three-part series on Father Marquette for the 350th anniversary of the founding of Prairie du Chien, WI. These very interesting articles were published in the Crawford County Independent newspaper and included great details.

by Ellen Modersohn

Main Street America is changing how it evaluates communities for accreditation with the organization. Jackie Swihart, program officer for revitalization services with Main Street America, and Carol Lilly, with Main Street Iowa, were in Lansing Wednesday, August 16, to explain the new process and standards. They toured Lansing’s downtown and met throughout the day with the Main Street Lansing Board and director, city council members and area volunteers.

Lansing is one of 54 Main Street-accredited cities affiliated with the Main Street Iowa coordinating program, which is part of the Iowa Economic Development Authority. Forty-six coordinating programs partner with the National Main Street Center to provide support and training to Main Street America communities across the country, such as Main Street Lansing.

by Julie Berg-Raymond

After an extended conversation with artist Erik Burke - whose mural, “Reverse Effigy,” commissioned by Main Street Lansing in 2022, is now the aesthetic centerpiece of the recently completed Main Street Plaza in downtown Lansing, it’s easy for people to feel like they’ve made a new friend. He’s just that kind of guy: Down-to-earth, friendly, funny, interested in the people and places he meets on his travels. And make no mistake: His travels and his artwork go hand-in-hand. “I love traveling - going to new places,” Burke says. “It could be a 20-minute drive and I meet the right person, at the right time - or wrong time, sometimes. Sometimes, the wrong time is the right time.” These are the words of someone who is open to whatever new thing there is to learn, along his way. “There’s just nothing like traveling,” he says. “It’s like being outside yourself and kind of re-discovering yourself and what’s important to you.”

The Flotsam River Circus performed along the bank of the Mississippi River at Lansing, next to Coffee on the River, Tuesday evening, August 15. Flotsam is a troupe of musicians, circus artists and puppeteers traveling on a handmade raft (as pictured in the surrounding photos), giving free performances in riverfront towns along the way. The troupe’s stop in Lansing was part of its 2023 Mississippi River Tour, a 650-river mile journey over a six-week time frame. The performances are scheduled to take place in 33 different riverfront communities in five different states during that tour, starting in Minneapolis, MN several weeks ago, August 4 and being scheduled to wrap up with three shows in St. Louis, MO September 8-10, including two shows in La Crosse, WI prior to floating into Lansing and one show in Prairie du Chien, WI the following night. Photos courtesy of Laura Gentry.

by Julie Berg-Raymond

Even in a place that has seen tens of thousands of bicycle riders come through town - having served twice in the past six years as the destinated “dip-site” for RAGBRAI - residents of Lansing still took notice when Jon Hodkin, a self-described “Triking Tubadour,” passed through town a little over a week ago.

The “triking” in the moniker refers to a custom-made recumbent tricycle; the “tubadour” is, of course, a play on “troubadour” - the French singer-poets of medieval Europe - indicating this traveling musician’s choice of instrument: the tuba. Born in the Midlands region of England, Hodkin lives now in Thurso, Scotland - the northernmost town on the mainland of the United Kingdom.

by Julie Berg-Raymond

During its regular meeting Monday, August 7, the Lansing City Council adopted Resolution No. 992, a new draft of the Allamakee County Hazard Mitigation Plan. Included in the plan are all six cities, the three public school districts and the county. The plan is waiting for final approval from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

“I will do a follow-up visit with each participating jurisdiction each year to see what actions are being taken on the plan or if there needs to be any additions,” Allamakee County Emergency Management Coordinator Corey Snitker said. “In three and a half years we will start this process over again as the plan is required to be reviewed and updated every five years.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, began dredging the Mississippi River navigation channel near Brownsville, MN in Pool 8 this week to ensure the channel remains open for commercial navigation. Dredging is expected to continue in this area through Labor Day. The Above Brownsville Placement Site, known locally as Crater Island, will be closed during this time when needed for dredging operations.

by Julie Berg-Raymond

A little over a dozen people attended an in-person community meeting Tuesday, July 25 at the Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center in Lansing, aimed at identifying needs, desires and concerns that residents and visitors have for the Main Street/Highway 9 corridor through Lansing. The meeting was the fourth in a series of work sessions led by Aaron Detter, senior transportation planner with Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission (UERPC) in Decorah, on the Main Street/Highway 9 Corridor Visioning Plan. Two earlier work sessions involved the Lansing City Council, and one involved business and property owners along the Main Street corridor.