Community News

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, July 10 to address a full agenda of matters. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Arvid Hatlan.

During Public Comment, Executive Director Mandy Halverson of the Waukon Chamber of Commerce updated the council about the upcoming visit by Prosper Waukon, a descendant of Waukon’s founder, John Waukon, and his wife scheduled for July 24-27. Halverson noted that Prosper Waukon will be part of several events during his visit which are yet to be scheduled, with an appearance at Robey Memorial Library July 25 confirmed thus far.

Halverson also noted that KCRG will be back in Waukon to film an “Our Town” segment during the week of the Allamakee County Fair. She said that segment is scheduled to air the last week of July or in early August.

by David M. Johnson

TASC, Inc., or Training Advancement Skills in the Community, has touched someone in the community in one way or another. It is a non-profit organization, one of the largest employers in Waukon, that concentrates on fulfilling the lives of the area’s lesser advantaged citizens.
After a presence of multiple decades in the local community, this organization has shown it provides assistance, service, support and supervision to adult clients who have been diagnosed with mental, physical or emotionally disabling conditions as stated by a licensed physician or psychiatrist. It is also a home and community based service that provides home services to assist individuals in their own homes.

Kerndt Brothers Bank has acquired the Securities America branch office of Rude’s Investment & Insurance Center, which was owned and operated by Brandon Rude in Decorah. Rude has a customer base encompassing much of the tri-state area, providing over 15 years of experience in investment and financial planning services.

This acquisition will provide Kerndt Brothers Bank with additional expansion of their existing investment services, including investment advising and consulting, and retirement programs for individuals, municipalities and businesses.

Jim Kerndt, President, and CEO of Kerndt Brothers Savings Bank, stated, “Brandon has over 15 years of experience in the investment field, and we are pleased he decided to join KBSB Wealth Management Services. Brandon is well positioned to assist with the complex tasks of financial planning, helping our many clients prepare now and enjoy retirement later.”

Saturday, July 15 at 10 a.m., the Allamakee County Veterans Museum will present another program from its Veterans History Project honoring Vietnam War Veterans. The program will take place at the Veterans Museum located at 105 Allamakee Street in Waukon.

A video interview by Chuck Bloxham with U.S. Army veteran Carl T. Johnson of Waukon will be played. Carl Johnson will also be present to share comments and answer questions.

While in Vietnam, with the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regimen, 1st Cavalry Division, Johnson was designated as a tunnel rat and later as a sniper. He participated in the battle for Hue City during the Tet offensive and many other significant engagements. This interview features his duty as a “tunnel rat.”

The public is invited to attend. There is no admission or membership charge. The facility is handicapped accessible.
 

Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) Waukon Center held its “Build Your Own Business” Summer Camp June 27-28 for students entering third through fifth grades this fall. This two-day camp was a “Shark Tank”-style experience (based on the “Shark Tank” television series) where students learned basic business concepts and vocabulary in formulating a business idea, created their own business plan, discussed customer service and created their own logo and business cards, printed by The Copy Shoppe in Waukon. Students listened to presentations from local businesses and also visited Aztec Parlor, Epic Wear, Hello Sunshine, KNEI Radio and Paws Up Pet Supplies in downtown Waukon to witness what they were learning at the camp being utilized in a real business setting. The students concluded camp by presenting their own business ideas to area business leaders who represented the “sharks” that provided feedback on those business ideas.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met Friday, June 30 in special session to address several matters, including the end of fiscal-year claims, discussion and consideration of paying the Allamakee County Historical Society Fiscal-Year 2023 (FY23) expenses for fire escape, stairs and roof improvements on the Allamakee County Courthouse Museum instead of sidewalk replacement, and discussion of the Allamakee County Courthouse sidewalk project. The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Dan Byrnes with Supervisors Mark Reiser and Dennis Keatley present. Byrnes noted the review of claims for the end of the current fiscal-year.

U.S. Army Major John Walleser was promoted from Captain to Major during a ceremony held May 5 of this year at the Lock and Dam 9 embankment of the Mississippi River next to the spillway. Colonel Eric Swenson (St. Paul District Commander), Lieutenant Colonel Robert Wilkins (St. Paul District Deputy Commander), and John Walleser’s family and friends were in attendance at the promotion ceremony. John Walleser is an active-duty U.S. Army Engineer since 2012 and is currently assigned to the United States Army Corps of Engineers St. Paul District where he works with the Levee Safety Program.

As a part of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, Major Walleser inspects infrastructure critical to flood protection and assists in emergency response to natural disasters. Immediately following his promotion ceremony, Major Walleser hosted a reception with those in attendance at the American Legion in Harpers Ferry.

by Joe Moses

Prior to the printing of the Wednesday, June 28, 2023 edition of The Standard, updates were provided by Waukon City Clerk Sarah Snitker and Allamakee County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections Denise Beyer relating to Waukon’s mayoral and city council appointments and the November 7 City election.

Following the resignation of Mayor Pat Stone at the May 1, 2023 Waukon City Council meeting, the City began the process of seeking an individual to fill that mayoral vacancy. At the June 19 Waukon City Council meeting last week, Ward 3 City Council member Arvid Hatlan was appointed to fill that mayoral seat, with his appointment filling the remainder of that current office term, which expires at the end of this 2023 calendar year.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, June 26 to address a short agenda of matters including the liquor license renewal for the Allamakee County Conservation Foundation, three plat approvals and the consideration of a Roadway Maintenance Agreement with the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the City of Waukon. The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Dan Byrnes with Supervisors Mark Reiser and Dennis Keatley present.

The Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office is continuing its investigation into the theft and wrecking of several vehicles that is reported to have taken place in the rural Waterville area in the early morning hours of Monday, June 19. Through the ongoing investigation into the matter, the incidents are all believed to involve a person of interest who local law enforcement authorities have an image of (see accompanying photo at right) from surveillance camera footage taken from inside the recently opened Waterville Bar & Grill on Main Street in Waterville.

Allamakee County Sheriff Clark Mellick says that the accompanying image of the suspected person of interest was from Sunday, June 18. Early the very next morning, at approximately 5 a.m., the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a crashed vehicle off of Buckskin Road, a gravel dead end road off of State Highway 76, south of Waterville.