Community News

Living up to the name above the door, Lara Berryman’s main focus in opening her new gift and home decor business at 9 West Main Street in Waukon is to “spread a little sunshine” to as many people as she can. Berryman opened “Hello Sunshine” August 29 of this year in the east half of the current Epic Wear building on Main Street in downtown Waukon.

Following graduation from high school, Berryman moved from her native Canada to attend the Art Institute of Seattle in pursuit of a career in interior design. It was there that she met her future husband, Colin Berryman, who had family ties in the Midwest that brought the Berryman family to Allamakee County for family reunions and other events, ultimately leading to a decision to make a move to a location where they felt they could raise their children in a safe, welcoming environment.

Carol’s Closet, located at 26 Spring Avenue in Waukon, held a Volunteer Appreciation Picnic Monday, September 19 in the Waukon City Park, providing a meal to the facility’s many volunteers and their family members as a way to show how valuable they are to the mission of the organization. Some of those volunteers are pictured in the surrounding submitted photos and Waukon location coordinator Karen Fay Ehde of Harpers says the facility “couldn’t do what it does without our volunteers,” who offer their donated services in many aspects, such as manning the Spring Avenue storefront, sorting and displaying of items, pick-up and delivery of donated items, maintenance and other upkeep of the Waukon location, among other aspects.

WHEREAS: The annual distribution of Buddy Poppies by the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States has been officially recognized and endorsed by governmental leaders since 1922, and
WHEREAS: VFW Buddy Poppies are assembled by disabled veterans and the proceeds of this worthy fundraising campaign are used exclusively for the benefit of disabled and needy veterans and the widows and orphans of deceased veterans, and
WHEREAS: The basic purpose of the annual distribution of Buddy Poppies by the Veterans of Foreign Wars is eloquently reflected in the desire to “Honor the Dead by Helping the Living,” therefore

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, October 3 to address a full agenda of matter including a Resolution establishing a Temporary Housing Steering Committee to support the Rural Housing Readiness Assessment Initiative, discussion of the Merchandise Display Policy and discussion of agreements for the clean-up of properties at 11 Allamakee Street and 9 Allamakee Street.

There was no Public Comment and the meeting moved into Department Reports with Library Director Cate St. Clair of Robey Memorial Library providing an update. St. Clair discussed her recent return to work following maternity leave and noted the work performed by Chris Kerndt, who served as interim director during her absence. St. Clair advised that Kerndt is very capable and hard working with the library’s operations continuing very well during her leave.

Youth attended a day-long 4-H summit at Upper Iowa University in Fayette led by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach county and state youth outreach staff September 20. During the event, 75 youth from 11 area schools learned about using their voice for leadership and making an action plan for change in their community, and they also heard from ISU Extension and Outreach specialists on a variety of workshop topics. Schools attended from the following counties: Allamakee, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Clayton, Chickasaw, Fayette, Howard and Winneshiek.

Learning to work with others based on leadership style was one part of the overall process for developing a community action plan. To determine their leadership style, youth took a short survey to determine if they were more like a buffalo, eagle, mouse or beaver.

With election season in full swing and the 2022 General Election coming up November 8, Allamakee County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections Denise Beyer has a few reminders for all voters.

ABSENTEE BALLOT REQUEST FORMS
The Allamakee County Auditor’s office has been receiving calls from many voters who have received multiple mailings with an Absentee Ballot Request form enclosed. These mailings do not come from the Auditor’s office.

New legislation in 2021 states a County Auditor’s office may only mail an Absentee Ballot Request form to someone who specifically requests it from that office. The multiple mailings being received should indicate somewhere on the document what organization it is from. Many come from the state or local political parties, the Center for Voter Information, or others. Voters only need to send in one form.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, September 26 to address a full agenda of items including an appointment to the Civil Service Commission, discussion of the countywide building facade grant program and the consideration of hiring for the Victim/Witness Coordinator position in the County Attorney’s office.

During Public Comment, Lansing area resident Doug Mullen discussed that the Lansing Power Plant will be completely cleared from its site by the end of next year, which he indicated will have a negative financial impact upon the school district and county. Mullen next questioned the Supervisors about the proposed city-to-county conversion of Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH). Mullen noted that VMH is proposing to become a county-owned hospital to allow for bonding and then questioned whether an appropriation from the County would be part of this conversion.

by Abigail Waters

A new face can be seen around the Waukon Park and Recreation realm, as Carter Duerkop was hired by the City of Waukon as its new Park and Recreation Director at the July 18 regular meeting of the Waukon City Council. Duerkop began his tenure at his new position August 22, replacing former director Kim Kraus, who left the position for a new employment opportunity in the Allamakee Community School District.

Duerkop says he was exposed to Park and Recreation activities at a young age as his father also works in the field. In fact, his father, Chad Duerkop, served as Waukon’s Park and Recreation Director for a two-year stint just over 20 years ago and is currently Parks and Recreation Director for the City of Black River Falls, WI.

The Waukon Park & Recreation Department is conducting a survey to help determine what kinds of new recreation programs could be offered within the Waukon community. The public is encouraged to fill out the survey to provide input that will be used in determining future recreation programming within the community. The survey can be found online by typing in the following Uniform Resource Locator (URL) in any web browser: https://forms.gle/AhovhAiYSvkyaK5aA.

The survey does have questions regarding certain suggested programs, such as pickleball or fishing. There are also some demographic questions, as well as a section for leaving suggestions or comments regarding Park & Recreation programming.

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate and his bipartisan Auditors Advisory Group are uniting to dispel election misinformation and disinformation ahead of the 2022 general election scheduled for November 8. Secretary Pate notes there has been a recent increase in the spread of false claims regarding elections in the state of Iowa, despite there being no evidence of intrusions into Iowa’s election systems.

“Iowans vote on paper ballots, and you cannot hack a paper ballot. We have numerous security measures and checks and balances in place to ensure the integrity of the vote. That includes Voter ID, public testing of voting equipment prior to the election, post-election audits and a wide array of cybersecurity protections,” Secretary Pate and the Auditors Advisory Group said in a joint statement.