Supervisors approve signing of contracts for Driftless Area Visitor Center during special session

by Bob Beach

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in special session Thursday, October 8 to continue discussions regarding the proposed Driftless Area Education and Visitor Center near Lansing. The Board allowed for a short period of public comment, during which several county residents spoke in favor of the project. John Verdon, representing Friends of Pool 9, reminded the Board that the Mississippi River is "the greatest economic engine in the County" and that locating the new facility along the river is "the right thing to do."
Bruce Palmborg, representing Main Street Lansing, said that the new facility would give Allamakee County a greater presence in the tourism market and the project would pay for itself by attracting additional tourism revenue. Members of the foundation established to raise money for the project again assured the Board that they are committed to raising the money needed to fund the project.
Supervisor Dennis Koenig, also a member of the Conservation Board, said that he has gotten more calls about this than any other issue for as long as he's served on the Board of Supervisors. He said he understands that people have concerns about funding for the project, but he also has to consider the years of work that have already been put into it and expressed his support for moving forward with the project.
Supervisor Dan Byrnes said that while he acknowledges that tourism is important to the County, he said that his past support for the project was based on being told that it would be funded entirely by grants and donations. He added that the Board has already committed what it can from the County's reserves for the construction of a new jail. He said that as it stands, approximately $1.1 million remains to be raised, which includes a County contribution of $300,000 plus another $150,000 in road use funds. He said that while he thinks the proposed facility is a good project, he can't go back on his word that no County tax dollars would be spent on it.
Allamakee County Conservation Director Jim Janett reminded the Board that the Conservation Board has not made a formal request for funding from the County, adding that a contribution from the County would not be included in an application for a Community Attraction and Tourism grant.
Board of Supervisors Chairman Larry Schellhammer said that he has noticed that while some have voiced concerns over the financial aspects of the projects, no one has said that this is not a worthwhile project. He said that he believes that when considering the cost of moving forward with the project, it's also important to consider the cost of saying no, adding, "Counties that don't have a vision struggle."
Supervisor Koenig then made a motion to approve the signing of contracts for the three bid packages for the project. Chairman Schellhammer stepped down as Chairman to second that motion, which passed with Supervisor Byrnes voting no. Schellhammer assured everyone that he would never support a project that would jeopardize the financial health of the County and Koenig encouraged everyone to get involved with the project and contribute to it.
Lansing Mayor Mike Brennan said he applauds the Board of Supervisors for supporting the project.
The Allamakee County Conservation Board then reconvened and voted to award three separate contracts for the proposed Driftless Area Education and Visitor Center. Cresco Building Services was awarded the building construction contract for $1,933,050; the geothermal well contract was awarded to Shawver Well Company for $77,649; and the civil site work contract was awarded to Skyline Construction for $797,378.87. Project Manager Brian Stark of Martin Gardner Architecture said that the contract prices would probably be reduced somewhat after negotiations with the contractors and possible in-kind donations of labor and materials.

The Board of Supervisors reconvened in regular session Monday, October 12 and met with Allamakee County Sanitarian Laurie Moody to discuss a proposed expansion of the Paul Link hog confinement facility approximately five miles south of Waukon off Highway 76. Moody said that the proposed expansion, which would add 1,375 nursing pigs to an existing finishing unit that houses 4,000 head, requires a construction permit under the Master Matrix. She said that she would review the application and make a recommendation to the Board and that notice of the permit application would need to be published in an official County newspaper.
Moody added that the Board has the option of holding a public hearing on the application, notice of which could be included in the notice of the permit application. All three members of the Board agreed that the public should have an opportunity to give input and that a public hearing should be held. Moody said that a representative from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources would attend the public hearing, which the Board plans to schedule for Monday, October 26 at 9:15 a.m.
The Board also met Monday with Dave Schutte, caretaker of the Postville Cemetery, who reminded the Board that Allamakee County paid for the care of veterans' graves in the cemetery for many years, and that the amount requested from the County had been reduced recently to reflect that roughly half of the veterans buried there are Allamakee County Veterans. Supervisor Koenig said that he believes that the County should take care of its own despite the "imaginary line" that places the cemetery technically inside Clayton County. Supervisor Byrnes agreed that the cemetery is a unique situation and made a motion to pay for the care of veterans graves within the Postville Cemetery, and the motion passed unanimously.
In other business, the Board passed a resolution declaring November 15-21 to be Tobacco Awareness Week in conjunction with the Great American Smokeout.