River Valley

by Joshua Sharpe

Monday, January 6, the Lansing City Council convened to discuss various significant community issues. Much of the meeting discussion focused on financial matters, with public safety initiatives and infrastructure developments also being addressed during the meeting.

CITIZEN CONCERNS
During the meeting, no citizens were in attendance to voice any concerns. However, the council discussed a previously reported issue regarding tree roots interfering with the sewer line at 511 Dodge Street. This concern was initially raised by resident Linda Loomis, underscoring the ongoing challenges associated with Lansing’s aging infrastructure. The council recognized the significance of this problem and proposed that it be considered in future infrastructure review and planning initiatives.

Coffee and Connections: Building Bridges in Lansing is a quarterly community get-together hosted by Main Street Lansing and scheduled to be held at rotating locations in Lansing each quarter throughout the year. The free community event is focused on highlighting and celebrating the businesses and spaces that make the Lansing community unique, and offers a chance to connect with residents, visitors, non-profits, and local businesses while enjoying a free warm cup of coffee and great company.

The inaugural Coffee and Connections is scheduled for next Wednesday, January 22 at the Driftless Area Education & Visitor Center in Lansing from 7:30-8:30 a.m. Coffee will be provided, and the free event is open to all Lansing area residents, as well as anyone from neighboring communities, in an effort to strengthen regional connections and better support the entire area.

Back by popular demand, Effigy Mounds National Monument will be hosting three Film Festival dates this winter, showing a series of National Park films, according to the following schedule:
Saturday, January 25, from 1-3 p.m., the following films will be shown:
• Trail of Tears: Trail of Tears National Historic Trail
• Ná Qc Tím̉íne Wisí X (Of One Heart): Nez Perce National Historical Park
• A Prophecy Fulfilled: The Cayuse & the Whitmans at Waiilatpu
• Knife River Indian Villages
• Those Are My Ancestors: Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park.
The following films will be shown Sunday, February 23, from 1-3 p.m.:
• Casa Grande: House of Many Stories
• Castillo de San Marcos: A Long Legacy - An Effective Defense
• Tumacacori: A Cultural Crossroads
• Voyages of the San Salvador - Cabrillo’s Journey.

Join the Allamakee County Conservation Board (ACCB) for a Moonlight Snowshoe Hike Sunday, January 12 at 6:30 p.m. The hike will take place just south of Lansing on County Road 527.

The route will be approximately four miles on mostly flat ground with views of the Mississippi River. County Road 527 is located four miles south of Lansing on Power Plant Drive. Participants are asked to park near the Rural Recycling drop-off location.

The Moonlight Snowshoe will be a guided trail hike taking place after dark to enable the participants to see the stars and moon like they may have never seen before. The event requires preregistration for those wishing to use snowshoes provided by the ACCB and is open to all ages. However, anyone under 16 years of age must be accompanied by an adult.

by Joshua Sharpe

The Lansing City Council convened Monday, December 16 addressing a wide-ranging agenda that included infrastructure updates, public safety initiatives, and administrative challenges. The water system improvements project involving Platt, North and Fourth Streets occupied much of the business that was approved at the meeting, with the council also discussing requests by the fire department and police department.

submitted by the Iowa Department of Transportation

We are closing in on the end of 2024. Even though we are in the winter months, things are not slowing down at the construction site for the new Mississippi River Bridge at Lansing. Work is happening on both sides of the river, as well as in the river. We’ll start on the Wisconsin side and work our way west to Iowa.

During our last update the contractor, Kraemer North America, had just started the upper portion of pier 3. This is the pier closest to the shoreline in Wisconsin. The portion of the pier above the footing consisted of three concrete pours. All three of those pours have been completed, including the top of the pier, otherwise known as the cap.

The recent blast of arctic air is growing ice on lakes and ponds across the northern two-thirds of Iowa. Outdoor ice enthusiasts are ready to get out ice fishing, snowmobiling, ice skating or fat-tire bike riding. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recommends a minimum of four inches of clear ice for fishing and at least five inches for snowmobiles and ATVs.

Ice forms at different rates on each body of water depending upon the size and water depth. Once frozen, conditions change constantly and ice thickness can vary across the lake. Rocks, trees, docks or other things that poke through the ice will conduct heat and make the ice around it less stable. Trust instincts - if the ice does not look right, don’t go out.

by Joshua Sharpe

The Lansing City Council convened Monday, December 2 to discuss a variety of topics. Among the agenda items were trash collection contracts, policy updates, infrastructure improvements, and administrative software challenges.

Join a park ranger at Effigy Mounds National Monument Monday, December 23 at 1 p.m. for a program on the winter birds of the park. This family-friendly program will start in the auditorium.

Attendees will learn basic bird identification and then make a bird feeder craft to take home. A short bird walk on the Yellow River boardwalk trail will follow the indoor program. Attendees are reminded to come dressed for the weather and prepared to walk half a mile on an accessible trail.

Join the Allamakee County Conservation Board (ACCB) for a Moonlight Snowshoe Hike Sunday, January 12 at 6:30 p.m. The hike will take place just south of Lansing on County Road 527.

The route will be approximately four miles on mostly flat ground with views of the Mississippi River. County Road 527 is located four miles south of Lansing on Power Plant Drive. Participants are asked to park near the Rural Recycling drop-off location.

The Moonlight Snowshoe will be a guided trail hike taking place after dark to enable the participants to see the stars and moon like they may have never seen before. The event requires preregistration for those wishing to use snowshoes provided by the ACCB and is open to all ages. However, anyone under 16 years of age must be accompanied by an adult.