River Valley

by B.J. Tomlinson

The Lansing City Council met in regular session Tuesday, July 5. The Council’s regular meeting was delayed a day due to the Fourth of July holiday falling on the Council’s typical Monday meeting day.

Mayor Mike Brennan opened a public hearing to start the July 5 meeting, the hearing regarding a proposal  to enter into a General Obligation Corporate Purpose Loan Agreement. The “not-to-exceed” $300,000 loan will be used to complete the Clear Creek water/sewer project. There were no comments from the public and Mayor Brennan closed the hearing.

The Council then approved Resolution #873 to move forward with the agreement. Bids will be accepted from Kerndt Brothers Savings Bank and New Albin Savings Bank. Brennan noted that water/sewer rates have already been adjusted so there will not be any additional increases in water bills for Lansing residents in regard to the loan agreement.

The Ferryville Tourism Council and the Mississippi Valley Conservancy are co-sponsoring a hike Saturday, July 23 at Sugar Creek Bluff in Ferryville, WI as part of the annual River Bluff Daze celebration. Participants are asked to meet at the Ferryville Boat Landing (north end of town behind the Cheapo Depot) at 8:30 a.m. for treats, sign-in and handouts. The group will then carpool to the trailhead for the gradual hike to the summit.

Those participating are reminded to wear long pants and bring insect repellent. The hike is intended to be a family friendly venture to see the summer wild flowers, trees and the view from the top of Sugar Creek Bluff.

Dave Troester from the Crawford County Conservation Department will be the guide for this hike. He has been up on this bluff many times and is very knowledgeable about the plants and the area.

Allamakee County Economic Development is partnering with Iowa Workforce Development to host a Job Fair for employees of the closing Blumenthal facility in Lansing. The Job Fair is open to the public and it is scheduled to be held this Thursday, July 7 from 3-7 p.m. at Kee High School in Lansing. See the advertisements on Pages 7B and 3A in this week's edition of The Standard for additional information.

A number of employers are scheduled to be on hand to talk with jobseekers. Any employer who wishes to be represented at the Job Fair is asked to contact Amy Chicos at Amy.chicos@iwd.iowa.gov or call 563-379-9638.

Anyone seeking employment, whether currently a Blumenthal employee or not, is welcome to attend and reminded to bring their resumé. Additional information can also be found by calling the Allamakee County Economic Development Office at 563-568-2624 or e-mailing aced@mchsi.com.

Jane Hasek of Harpers Ferry, a delegate from P.E.O. Chapter EK of Waukon, attended the 124th annual Convention of Iowa State Chapter P.E.O. Sisterhood held June 4-5 in Des Moines.  With the theme “Wild About P.E.O.”, Kathy Wilke, Chapter DS from Odebolt, presided over 700 delegates and visitors.

Twenty-four chapters from north central Iowa served as the hostess group for the convention. This committee was headed by Carole Nelson, AR, of Grundy Center; Becky Meyer, JQ, of Charles City; and Joy Frank, CY, of Charles City.

Attendees participated in workshops and heard from recipients of P.E.O.’s six philanthropies and the Iowa P.E.O. Project Fund, Inc.  The convention concluded with the installation of the 2016-2017 executive board officers headed by president Cathi Fouts, AO, of Newton; vice president Pat Shipley, CH, of Villisca; organizer Kate Raun, OR, of Norwalk; treasurer Bev Templeton, FN, of Garner; and secretary Sue Aanes, EV of New London.

The 2016 River Adventure Day sponsored by Friends of Pool 9 (FOP9) will feature a day at the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, MN Monday, July 11. Children entering fifth grade and up to those entering eighth grade in the fall are eligible to attend.

The FOP9 has chartered a motor coach which will leave the Lansing baseball field at 8:30 a.m. and return between 3:30 and 4 p.m. that Monday. Chaperons will be provided, or one parent can accompany their child. The day will include seeing many exhibits and a special program will be provided to the group by the center staff featuring live eagles and other birds.

The FOP9 will have a catered box lunch provided to each participant at the center along with beverages. All costs for the bus, the entrance fee, the lunch and exhibits will be provided by the Friends of Pool 9 organization. There will be no costs for a child and/or parent to attend this event.

Jada Mitchell (at right in the above photo) was crowned Little Miss New Albin during the annual New Albin Days celebration held June 10-11, with Jersey Mathison (at left in the above photo) being awarded runner-up honors. The two presided over a variety of activities during the two-day annual event, which weathered a Friday evening rainstorm and a high heat index Saturday to provide a wide array of events and enjoyment for all in attendance. Additional photos from the event can be found on Page 5A inside this week's issue of The Standard, as well as by clicking on the Photo Galleries link. Photo by Lori Darling.
 

The former Lansing Feed Service owned by the Bolson family for many years and located along Main Street/State Highway 9 on the west end of Lansing caught fire late Monday afternoon, June 20. There were no injuries reported from the blaze, but some of the firefighters were treated for heat ailments on scene due to the high temperatures and humidity. It was further reported that a pontoon boat being stored in the facility was saved from damage, although other odds and ends also stored within the facility were not as fortunate. The Lansing Fire Department was on the scene of the blaze for most of the late afternoon. The Lansing Police Department and the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Department worked to shut down and/or reroute vehicle traffic along Main Street/Highway 9 while the building was burning. The building is currently owned by Kirk Kious, and the cause of the fire is initially thought to be a spark from welding taking place within the building.

by B.J. Tomlinson

The Lansing City Council met in regular session Monday night, June 20 and reluctantly accepted the resignation, effective immediately, of Councilman John Rethwisch. In an e-mail message to the Council, Rethwisch cited conflicts with others and a belief that his involvement was disruptive to the Council as the reasons for his decision.

The Council discussed options for replacing Rethwisch and voted to appoint a new member until the next general election, which will be in November of this year. At that time, the newly-elected member will serve the three years remaining on Rethwisch’s original four-year term; the Council will also officially post the open position.

The 2016 River Adventure Day sponsored by Friends of Pool 9 (FOP9) will feature a day at the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, MN Monday, July 11. Children entering fifth grade and up to those entering eighth grade in the fall are eligible to attend.

The FOP9 has chartered a motor coach which will leave the Lansing baseball field at 8:30 a.m. and return between 3:30 and 4 p.m. that Monday. Chaperons will be provided, or one parent can accompany their child. The day will include seeing many exhibits and a special program will be provided to the group by the center staff featuring live eagles and other birds.

The FOP9 will have a catered box lunch provided to each participant at the center along with beverages. All costs for the bus, the entrance fee, the lunch and exhibits will be provided by the Friends of Pool 9. There will be no costs for a child and/or parent to attend this event.

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach hosted Diggin’ Up Dinosaurs day camp at the Lansing Community Center. A total of 21 Kindergarteners through third graders traveled back in time when the dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Together they learned about fossils, including making their own fossils to take home, and they got to hold dinosaur eggs, participate in a cookie dip and enjoyed caveman ice cream. The youth learned how big or small dinosaur eggs could be and made their own eggs with a dinosaur inside. They also learned exactly how tall dinosaurs were by using helium balloons and plenty of string. For more information about 4-H and upcoming activities contact Becky Rea, 4-H K-12 Program Coordinator, at the Allamakee County Extension and Outreach Office at 563-568-6345 or http://www.extension.iastate.edu/allamakee/. Submitted photo.