Community News

First Baptist Church of Waukon and Center Baptist Church of Lansing hosted their first drive-in service Easter Sunday, April 12. A total of 48 vehicles were present at the First Baptist Church parking lot in southeast Waukon (pictured below), and the service was live streamed on the First Baptist Church public Facebook page and YouTube channel. The service was broadcast live over a radio transmitter and radio frequency of 91.5 FM. WW Homestead Dairy of Waukon is to be thanked for the loan of the radio transmitter to make it possible for individuals attending to hear the service from their vehicle radios.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, April 20 to address a full agenda of items including discussion of vacating a segment of Valley View Drive, a County Public Health funding request and several other COVID-19-related matters. Board Chairperson Larry Schellhammer and Supervisor Dennis Koenig were in attendance at the boardroom with Supervisor Dan Byrnes attending the meeting via Zoom web conferencing from off-site.

During Public Comment, Jack Knight discussed the request by the Black Hawk County Supervisors to have Tyson Foods temporarily close its Waterloo facility to prevent further spread of the COVID-19 virus. Knight further inquired at what point the Allamakee County Supervisors would need to step in if a similar situation were to occur at Postville’s Agristar meat processing plant.

Allamakee County Auditor Denise Beyer encourages everyone to vote by mail for the June 2 Primary. For the health of voters and the poll workers, and to help stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus, voting by mail is being strongly encouraged.
Voters can have a ballot mailed to them in one of several different ways:

The Allamakee Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) recently hired Eric Novey to take over the Project Coordinator position that Sara Berges previously held before she moved to a position with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Novey will be managing the CIG and RCPP projects.
CIG stands for Conservation Innovation Grant and will be focusing on conducting cover crop interseeding trials in growing corn. RCPP stands for Regional Conservation Partnership Program and focuses on adding small grains to rotations and implementing cover crops on fields that have manure application.

Novey grew up in Prairie du Chien, WI and has family in the Lansing and Prairie du Chien areas. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville with a Bachelor of Science degree in Soil and Crop Science. Prior to graduation he was a Natural Resources Manager intern at The Galena Territory in Galena, IL.

The Plaza project at the stoplight intersection in downtown Waukon will be moving forward, with construction scheduled to begin this week, depending upon weather. Pictured above is the frame of the LED sign, owned by Waukon Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) and in place for several years at that downtown location, that was recently removed to accommodate the Plaza project and is expected to be reinstalled on the WEDC property in the 100 block of West Main Street sometime in the future. A steel and plexiglass sculpture art piece entitled “Crossroads” by artist Cara Briggs Farmer will be placed at the former LED sign location as part of the Plaza project.

For 108 years, Girl Scouts has been there in times of crisis and turmoil, and in light of the COVID-19 crisis, the organization is providing digital program content to earn badges and participate in fun and educational activities at home. From crafts and science projects to virtual events, the regional Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois council is providing resources to keep girls and their entire families active.

Through a series of local partnerships and the talents of local artist Mary Ann Gloe, six of northeast Iowa’s state parks and natural areas are being recognized in the latest exhibition of the ‘Art at the Library’ series featured at the State Library of Iowa in Des Moines. The unveiling of Gloe’s paintings at the State Capitol Law Library, a project commissioned by Northeast Iowa Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D), coincides with the Iowa State Parks Centennial Celebration. This celebration, a partnership between the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Iowa Tourism Office, aims to enhance appreciation for these Iowa treasures, as well as encourage increased visitation and stewardship of Iowa’s State Parks.

There is a national shortage of commercially-produced personal protective equipment (PPE) including face masks, and public and private officials are working to address national and global supply challenges. Due to the current limitations on supplies of face masks, there may come a time during this response when commercially manufactured masks are no longer readily available. Iowans who would like to support healthcare providers can use this guidance document to construct homemade cloth masks that can be worn by Iowa healthcare providers during patient care.

Iowans who would like to donate homemade masks need to call their local hospital, medical clinics or long- term care facility prior to making a donation. The facility will provide guidance on where to drop off donations outside of the health care facility.

Despite the current mandates in place regarding group gatherings and social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a small group of parents and youth from First Presbyterian Church in Waukon were able to find a way to serve the monthly Waukon Community Meal Monday, March 30. Due to public health concerns, the usual sit-down meal in the church’s fellowship hall could not be served. But with the City of Waukon’s permission, the church served free sack lunches using drive-through service at City Park in Waukon. Meeting earlier in the day at the church, the workers prepared 300 sack lunches, which contained a ham-and-cheese sandwich, a piece of fruit, a bag of vegetable relishes, a bag of chips, and a snack-size candy bar. Bottled water also was available. The sack lunches were then taken to the park, and about 275 were given away to drive-through guests. The work crew then delivered the remaining 25 meals to others in the Waukon community. Submitted photos.
 

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, April 6 via Zoom web conferencing software in response to COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines prohibiting public meetings with more than ten attendees. There was no Public Comment during that portion of the meeting.

Mayor Pat Stone began the meeting with the removal of an agenda item and approval of the amended agenda by the council. The council moved into the next matter with Stone reading aloud the proclamation declaring April 2020 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

The council moved into Department Reports. Police Chief Paul Wagner reported that the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) has shut down in response to COVID-19 and as a result Waukon Officer Fallon Cassidy has not completed in-person training but will be completing her training through webinars and hands-on training sessions through nearby agencies with an anticipated April 17 graduation date.