Community News

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, July 1 to address a full agenda of items including the renewal of the Veterans Memorial Hospital loan, the Waukon Industrial Sidewalk Project and appointments to the Park and Wellness Board.

Two public hearings were individually held with City Clerk Lana Snitker indicating that no written or verbal comments were received. The first public hearing involved the proposed change in zoning district classification for a property at 105 Ninth Street NW owned by Brian Sweeney and the second public hearing involved the proposed disposition of interest in real property for the West Side Development Subdivision, Lot 3 in Lot 2. Both public hearings were opened and closed without comment from the public attending.

Waukon Veterinary Service has a new veterinarian that recently joined its staff. Dr. Laura May is new to the Waukon area but is not new to the Midwest having grown up in rural Indiana, not far from where she would later attend college in West Lafayette. Although she did not grow up on a farm, her interest in veterinary medicine began at a young age and continued with her involvement in 4-H and FFA in her elementary and high school years.

Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation (NEICAC) Transit Dispatch Manager Natasha Wilkes of Waukon was recognized recently at the National Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) conference for completing the 2018/2019 Emerging Leaders Academy. This one-year program gives participants the opportunity to advance their management and leadership skills within the transit industry through support of mentors, peer groups and consultants, while completing a real-world situation project.

Wilkes manages the scheduling and dispatch staff and functions for EARL Public Transit, a program of Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation. For more information about EARL Public Transit, visit www.neicac.org/transit, follow EARL Public Transit through its social media presence or call 866-382-4259.
 

In a project that took place over the past month, the City of Waukon water tower located on the north side of town within the Allamakee County Fairgrounds was sandblasted, sealed and repainted by K&W Coatings of Elkader both on its interior and its exterior as a maintenance measure. The photos above show the transformation from prior to any exterior work being started (left photo), to having its riveted seams sealed following sandblasting and preparing the exterior for sealing and painting (center photo), and the finished exterior with new lettering and more of a matte finish (right photo).

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, June 24 to address a full agenda of items including discussion relating to the future plans for the English Bench Watershed Site #9, discussion of the Allamakee County Courthouse as a public shelter and the consideration of a new vehicle purchase for the Secondary Roads Department.

During Public Comment, Executive Director Val Reinke with Allamakee County Economic Development (ACED) advised that the Allamakee Energy District is currently being formed with the next meeting to be held at Robey Memorial Library at 6 p.m. July 24 and steps being taken that include the creation of bylaws for the organization.

Veterans Memorial Hospital Ambulance Service and the Waukon Fire Department participated in a training June 18 offered by GundersenAIR regarding landing zones and helicopter transports. The training provided an opportunity for everyone to learn the important points of establishing landing zones away from the hospital when an emergency situation warrants. The group also learned about special considerations when connecting patients with the most appropriate resources in emergencies. Submitted photo.

Waukon Broadband Committee seeking public input

Some time ago, the City of Waukon formed a Broadband Committee to investigate opportunities for providing improved broadband services within the city. The committee is comprised of representatives from the Waukon City Council, local businesses and homeowners.
In the course of the committee’s work, they were approached by representatives of Allamakee-Clayton Electric Cooperative about the possibility of providing such services. The Cooperative has been involved in providing broadband service within the rural areas around Waukon for the past several years and has built out a fiber and wireless infrastructure to support those areas.

Kerndt Brothers Bank in Waukon has announced a financial commitment of $5,000 toward the City of Waukon’s new community tennis courts. The bank is responding to an effort undertaken by the Waukon Park and Recreation Department to return the sport of tennis to the community after more than 15 years without local tennis courts. The $220,000 project includes two lighted courts and is located just west of the Waukon High School parking lot. With all the funding for the project substantially in place, groundbreaking for the new facility is expected in July.

Jeremy Strub, Waukon Park and Recreation Wellness Director, said, “We greatly appreciate the financial support from Kerndt Brothers Bank. Tennis is a sport that appeals to all ages and economic backgrounds, so the bank’s contribution will benefit a wide variety of people in our community.”

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, June 17 to address a full agenda of items including Plaza project redesign engineering proposals, Waukon Industrial Park Sidewalk Project and the search for a City Manager. The Public Hearing on the Southeast Urban Renewal Plan Amendment for the Tennis Court Project was opened and closed. City Clerk Lana Snitker indicated that no written or verbal comments were received.

During Public Comment, John Hitner briefly discussed concerns relating to the bidding process involved in the Waukon Industrial Park Sidewalk Project and requested to be heard when that matter was addressed later in the meeting agenda.

The Experiential Learning Model emphasizes the use of life skills to learn content objectives. Through 4-H, this model emphasizes the importance of student involvement in the experiences or activities in each situation of the learning cycle. Students bring their own experiences and knowledge to that learning cycle. The 2019 Allamakee County 4-H Council Retreat was strategic on bringing the Experiential Learning Model to action with a focus on self-discovery, along with creating an understanding and application of working in a team.