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What does the future hold for downtown Lansing?

Community residents and business persons will have a chance to chime in as part of the Downtown Lansing Market Study project being orchestrated by Main Street Lansing.

Andy Kelleher, Main Street Lansing Executive Director, said a special project team assembled by Main Street Lansing initiated work on the project last month. Main Street Lansing, the local non-profit group spearheading downtown Lansing revitalization efforts, is performing the study to fine-tune and enhance downtown business development and marketing strategies. Kelleher said the study will include an in-depth analysis of input collected from local business and consumer surveys to be conducted throughout the month of August (see shaded sidebar box accompanying this article).

Main Street Lansing is currently undergoing a market study, and input is needed from locals, tourists and business owners. Anyone who has ever stepped foot in Lansing is invited to provide input through a survey being conducted during the month of August.

Individuals are invited to take ten minutes (or less) to complete a simple survey and help improve downtown Lansing. Survey insights and suggestions will be used by Main Street Lansing to fine-tune strategies to enhance downtown Lansing.

The survey will only be available until August 30, so participants are urged to act now to complete the survey, and also encouraged to invite others to participate. The survey can be found at the following link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MS_Lansing
 

Public invited to August 6 event at Driftless Center

The Allamakee County Conservation Board (ACCB), Driftless Area Scenic Byway Board (DASB), Northeast Iowa RC&D and well-known Iowa artist Mary Ann Gloe invite the public to gather Tuesday, August 6 at the Driftless Area Education & Visitor Center to view an original watercolor painting, “Lansing from the Driftless Center,” completed by Gloe as part of a public parks and natural areas art and byway promotional project called Capturing the Beauty of Iowa’s Natural Areas Through Art Project. The event is open to the public and begins at 2 p.m. All are encouraged to attend.

ACCB Director Jim Janett noted, “It is a wonderful project for us to partner on with the DASB. We participated because it highlighted the scenic and cultural heritage that our Driftless Area Education & Visitor Center property and facility showcase.”

Eight young women involved with the Iowa dairy community will compete to win the title of 66th Iowa State Dairy Princess in an event scheduled for Wednesday, August 7 at 7:30 p.m. at the Multi-Media Center of the Cattle Barn at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. The princess and her alternate are charged with helping consumers learn more about dairy products and the farm families who tend the farms and cows that provide them.

Among this year’s eight competitors will be Faith Palmer, 17-year-old daughter of John and Meghan Palmer of Waukon. She was crowned the Allamakee County Dairy Princess earlier this year and will be seeking to become the 17th young lady from Allamakee County to wear an Iowa Dairy Royalty crown, the previous 16 being evenly split between Princess and Alternate coronations.

A church Norwegian immigrants built about 130 years ago in Allamakee County has become one of Iowa’s most treasured historic buildings.

Built in 1892, the West Paint Creek Synod Evangelical Lutheran Church, located approximately six miles east of Waukon at the intersection of Elon Drive and Maud Road, has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. Its historic significance is tied to its association with Norwegian and Norwegian-American architecture and social history.

“We’re pleased the West Paint Creek Church has been added to the National Register of Historic Places, and we congratulate all the stakeholders who worked so hard on this successful nomination,” State Historian Laura Sadowsky said. “This recognition marks an important milestone for Allamakee County as it continues to preserve the legacy of its past for future generations of Iowans to enjoy.”

Sunday evening, July 28, the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Dispatch Center received a report of a farmer who had been attacked by a bull in a farm pasture at 1418 Conway Road in rural Allamakee County.

John Francis Conway, age 59, of rural Harpers Ferry was in a wooded pasture area when he was fatally attacked by the bull. It was determined that the attack happened in the evening hours of Saturday, July 27. The bull was dispatched on the property by sheriff’s deputies due to its extremely aggressive behavior.

The incident is being investigated by the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office. Assisting at the scene was the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office and Harpers Ferry Fire and Rescue.
 

The new Irish Hollow Creek Bridge pictured above and below along Iowa River Drive (County Road A26) and located approximately 3.5 miles southwest of New Albin adjacent to the Upper Iowa River is in its final stages of having the finishing touches put on the project and has been opened to all traffic as of mid-July. Signage for the gravel road detour around the replacement project is scheduled to be removed this week. The bridge has been closed since late March of this year for a replacement project of the entire structure that was first constructed in 1946. Allamakee County Engineer Brian Ridenour said the 73-year-old bridge had some deck deficiencies which would have required posting the bridge for weight restrictions, so the decision was made to replace the structure along the well-utilized Iowa River Drive route.

The annual Allamakee County Fair Queen Pageant was held Tuesday, July 16 at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon, kicking off the 166th Allamakee County Fair. The three area young ladies pictured in the photo above were all vying for this year’s Fair Queen crown, which was bestowed upon Cayla Nolting (far right), daughter of Chad and Cheryl Nolting of Waukon. Diana Davison (far left), daughter of Cindy Shogren of Waukon, and Soraya Reyes (center), daughter of Lori Reyes of Waukon, joined Nolting in serving as the Allamakee County Fair Royalty Team throughout this year’s fair. Nolting will now advance on to represent Allamakee County in the 2019 Iowa State Fair Queen competition, with that coronation being held August 10 in Des Moines. Photo courtesy of ISU Extension and Outreach. Additional photos of the 2019 Allamakee County Fair will be published in future editions of The Standard.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, July 22 to address a full agenda of items. Those items included discussion relating to the County’s ATV Ordinance and opening Donahue Road and State Forest Road to such vehicles, an update on the County Attorney Office’s collections process and budget status, and consideration of the contract and bond for concrete paving patching.

The paving of a one-mile stretch of Makee Drive just north of Waukon has now been completed and the roadway has been opened to all traffic as of the middle of July. The primary contractor completing the paving was Wicks Construction, Inc. out of Decorah using a GOMACO paving machine, which is Iowa-made in Ida Grove and is world renowned for slip-form pavers (no forms required on pavement edges). Croell Redi-Mix from Waukon supplied the concrete mix, which was Portland cement concrete (PCC) with a depth of eight inches and width of 22 feet that required 16,000 square yards of pavement hauled in by 355 truckloads. The grading and culvert work on the project had been primarily done last fall by subcontractor Skyline Construction Inc. out of Decorah and allowed to settle during the winter. The mile-long pavement project began at Makee Drive’s intersection with Highway 9 (pictured above) east to its four-way intersection with Four Corners Road.