Community News

by Julie Berg-Raymond

The City of New Albin broke ground on its long-awaited new wastewater treatment plant Wednesday, May 4. Among those tossing the first ceremonial shovels of dirt was George Blair, Council member and Mayor Pro Tem, the guiding force behind a project that has been many years in the planning.

Attending the event were council members, contractors, city maintenance employees and other people instrumental in bringing the project to fruition – by, for example, conducting research and securing funding.

The Corner of Hope Growing Hope Globally growing project held its annual Blessing of the Seed and Soil Saturday morning, April 30 to kick off the 2022 growing season. The event was held at the field contributed to this year’s growing project by Dave Prestemon. Pastor Kim Gates of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church and Forest Mills United Methodist Church performed this year’s blessing. The local project is nearing two decades of combating world hunger through local growing efforts. Submitted photo.

From community wellness projects to outdoor recreation, rural communities and nonprofits will receive much needed support for community-enhancing projects thanks to the Allamakee County Community Foundation. The Community Foundation awarded $110,000 in grants to area nonprofits during an April celebration in Waterville.

“Thank you for being involved, and thank you for recommitting to better lives in our communities,” Betty Steege, Foundation coordinator, told leaders who attended the event. Steege reflected on the impact the Foundation is able to make for entire communities and individuals thanks to the support of local donors.

Grants were awarded to:

Diana Davison, professional photographer and graduate of Waukon High School, recently volunteered her time and talents at a Boy Scouts of America Scout Merit Badge Workshop on Photography. She is pictured here with workshop participants from Troop 32 from McGregor and Troop 138 from Monona. Submitted photo.
 

Main Street Iowa hosted the annual Main Street Iowa Development Awards celebration April 22 at Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in Des Moines. The program honored the efforts of those who work to revitalize Iowa’s downtowns - the heart and soul of communities across the state. The awards honor outstanding accomplishments, activities, and people making a difference in the state’s Main Street districts.

Main Street Lansing received recognition for becoming a $3 Million Dollar District, which means that over $3 million of private funds have been invested in downtown Lansing since Main Street Lansing’s inception in 2012. Additionally, Main Street Lansing was recognized for reaching its tenth anniversary as a Main Street Iowa program.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and Debi Durham, executive director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) and Iowa Finance Authority, presented the honors.

by Ellen Modersohn,
submitted for the Allamakee County Democrats

Diedre DeJear and John Norwood, Democratic candidates for Iowa governor and secretary of agriculture, respectively, spoke at the libraries in Waukon and Lansing Friday, April 22. The Allamakee County Democrats sponsored the town hall-style meetings.

While earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism at Drake University in Des Moines, DeJear started the nonprofit Back to School Iowa to support youth who want to continue their education. Also while an undergrad nearly 15 years ago she founded Caleo Enterprises, which helps small businesses access affordable marketing tools and develop successful business strategies. She has worked with nearly 1,000 businesses across the state, including helping business owners gain access to funding and resources at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, May 2 to address a full agenda of items including the Public Hearing for the Proposed Contract Documents and Estimated Costs for the Storm Water Quality Improvements Project, discussion of an Industrial and Commercial Pretreatment Manual and discussion of the 7th Avenue SE and 4th Street SE Sidewalk Project.

There was no Public Comment and the meeting moved into Department Reports with Park, Recreation and Wellness Director Jeremy Strub providing an update. Strub discussed being in the second week of the youth soccer program and that water has been turned on in the City Park and campground. He added that water will be turned on at the swimming pool later this week with chemicals to be added as temperatures warm up.

Kayla Rowan of Lansing was awarded “The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses” at a presentation held Wednesday, April 13 at the Good Samaritan Society - Waukon. Rowan, a licensed practical nurse (LPN) serving residents at the Waukon facility, was presented the award by Good Samaritan Society - Waukon Executive Director Steve Bargar and Director of Nursing Lori Johnson.

Rowan’s award represents a national honoring for the Good Samaritan Society for the first quarter of 2022. She was selected from nurse-nominees from over 200 locations. “Kayla is a caregiver and leader in the community, with her family and at Good Sam,” facility leaders shared. “We are so proud of her and so blessed to be her teammate.”

Tuesday, April 19, Pack 64 Cub Scouts in Waukon collected 456 pounds of canned goods for the Allamakee County Food Shelf, all in the time frame of just one hour. Pictured in the two surrounding photos with the van loads of food that were collected are some of the Pack 64 members involved in the food drive. Pack 64 appreciates all the efforts and generosity of the Scouts, parents and community members who donated to the Scouting for Food event. Submitted images.
 

A Waukon woman faces five felony charges after admitting to Winneshiek County authorities that she had fraudulently taken more than $10,000 from the Winneshiek County business where she was employed. According to court documents, the business owners contacted the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Department in March 2022 in regard to suspected theft and fraud, and a review of business recordkeeping revealed that a large amount of money had been taken from the business through a series of actions that spanned an approximate timeline of January 2015 through January 2022.