River Valley

With construction underway of the new bridge replacing the historic Black Hawk Bridge at Lansing, The Standard invites anyone to share their stories, sentiments and memories of the Black Hawk Bridge for printing. Email those items to news@waukonstandard.com or mail them to The Standard, P.O. Box 286, Waukon, IA 52172 to be considered for publication. Include name and town of current residence for publication, and telephone number for possible further contact.
 

by Martha Dunlevy Peters

For almost a century, the Black Hawk Bridge has stood the test of time. This unique cantilever through truss structure and its footings cradled deep within the muddy Mississippi riverbed connects Lansing, Iowa to Crawford County, Wisconsin. The bridge is important to Lansing’s past and continues to be a critical gateway to present and future progress.

It was also significant to my late father, John Dunlevy. He appreciated the majesty and direction of the bridge. He never missed a photo opportunity to capture the perfect picture for the front page of the Allamakee Journal. In one of his last conversations with me, he shared many of the thoughts that are weaved into this article. His words are a fitting tribute.

Effigy Mounds National Monument will be hosting a presentation Sunday, January 28 at 2 p.m. by Dr. Eugene Tesdahl, a professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. The public is invited to attend. Dr. Tesdahl is a former park ranger at Grand Portage National Monument.

Dr. Tesdahl specializes in Native American history and the colonial borderlands as well as public history and is often found sharing his passion for the park and past with not only park staff and students but also interested audiences throughout the region. Recently, his work has focused on the Driftless region in the Nineteenth Century.

Join the Allamakee County Conservation Board (ACCB) for a Full Moon Snowshoe Hike Friday, January 26 at 6 p.m. The hike will take place in the Fish Farm Mounds State Preserve and will be approximately three miles in length. Participants should meet at the Fish Farm Mounds parking area approximately three miles south of New Albin on the Great River Road.

The Full Moon Snowshoe will be a guided trail hike taking place after dark to enable the participants to see the stars and full moon like they 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. In the case of inclement weather or poor snow conditions, the Full Moon Snowshoe may be postponed or canceled and will be announced via the ACCB’s Facebook page.

by Julie Berg-Raymond

Prior to the regular meeting of the Lansing City Council Tuesday, January 2 - delayed a day due to the New Year’s holiday falling on the council’s regular Monday meeting day, Michael Verdon was sworn in as Lansing’s new mayor, and Corey Richards was sworn in as a new Lansing City Council member following their elections to those positions this past November.

WATER AND SEWER CONTRACT RENEWED
The council approved the City’s contract with PeopleService for Fiscal Year 2025 with a 4.1% increase.

by Brianne Grimstad

The new year will be bringing in a few changes to Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) in Waukon. As of January 1, 2024, VMH is utilizing a hospital-based medicine program in its care of patients. The hospital-based providers will work closely with the patient’s primary care provider (PCP) to make sure that patients receive appropriate care and have the best hospital experience possible.

“For example, for a Gundersen patient who normally sees a Gundersen provider, if you are admitted to Veterans Memorial Hospital, our VMH provider will communicate routinely with your PCP to make sure you are getting the best care possible,” VMH Administrator Michael Coyle explained.

He further noted that VMH will continue to offer patient-centered care to all of its patients. Raquel Ristau, PA-C and Chelsey Sherburne, NP will be hospital-based medicine providers, along with Dr. Tom McMullan and Dr. Dave Schwartz.

Keep Iowa Beautiful and Diamond Vogel have announced the 2024 Paint Iowa Beautiful program is now accepting applications. The program provides free paint for a wide variety of community projects throughout Iowa. Diamond Vogel provides the paint, and Keep Iowa Beautiful administers the grants.

“The partnership with Keep Iowa Beautiful allows Diamond Vogel to assist and work with many local volunteers and organizations that help strengthen communities, making Iowa one of the best states in the nation to live,” said Doug Vogel, Vice President of Marketing for the Iowa-based company.

“These projects definitely improve the beauty of Iowa and our communities.”

Join the Allamakee County Conservation Board for a Full Moon Snowshoe Hike Friday, January 26, 2024 at 6 p.m. The hike will take place in the Fish Farm Mounds State Preserve and will be approximately 3 miles. Participants should meet at the at the Fish Farm Mounds parking area approximately 3 miles south of New Albin on the Great River Road.

The Full Moon Snowshoe will be a guided trail hike taking place after dark to enable the participants to see the stars and full moon like they 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. In the case of inclement weather or poor snow conditions the Full Moon Snowshoe may be postponed or canceled and will be announced via the ACCB’s Facebook page.

Instead of New Year’s resolutions, why not assign yourself a few tasks to keep allergy and asthma symptoms under control in 2024?

“The best way to tackle health challenges is in small bits, and that goes for allergy and asthma control,” says Gundersen Health System allergist Dr. Samantha Knox. “The last few years have been hard on everyone, but you still want to figure out ways to improve your health routine. Making small, manageable adjustments is a great start to getting on a healthier path toward improvements in controlling allergy and asthma.”

by Julie Berg-Raymond

About 20 people attended the regular meeting of the Lansing City Council Monday, December 18, to participate in a public comment session prior to the first public hearing on the designation of the Lansing Urban Revitalization Area and the Proposed Plan for the Lansing Revitalization Area.

Following the public comment session, the city council voted unanimously to adopt Resolution No. 999, tentatively approving the Lansing Urban Revitalization Area and the Proposed Plan. As stated in the Resolution, “it is the intention of the City Council to finally adopt a resolution approving the Proposed Plan for the Lansing Urban Revitalization Area and an ordinance designating the Lansing Urban Revitalization Area on January 15, 2024.”