River Valley

by Julie Berg-Raymond

During its regular meeting Monday, February 6, the Lansing City Council approved a City of Lansing Parks Board request to apply for a Wellmark Grant related to “environments to be physically active in” for 2023, with matching funds up to $10,000 to be provided by the City of Lansing. The funding would be used to resurface and update the City’s sports courts.

“The budget is about $40,000 and it’s a 50/50 match,” Parks and Recreation Board Chairperson Maryann Baldwin noted. “We’ll request half that from Wellmark. Ten thousand dollars of the match funds will come from the City and we’ll be looking for additional contributions from private donors and fundraising for the other $10,000.”

The council also approved a request by the Water and Sewer Department to submit a grant application for water/wastewater generators through the Allamakee County Community Foundation Grant Program, with that grant application due February 24.

All are invited to a Soup and Salad Supper red table cloth event this Thursday, February 9 at the Ferryville Village Hall from 5-7 p.m. Freewill donation proceeds will go 100% to the upgrades being planned and completed at the Ferryville Village Hall. Bathroom renovations have been the first priority for these upgrades, and the work is already progressing.

For additional information, see the advertisement on Page 4 in this week’s edition of The Standard.
 

The Mississippi Valley Sportsman’s Club presented Lansing Iowa Food Trust (LIFT) with a check for $1,040 at the end of the calendar year 2022. Meeting with the Sportsman’s Club representatives were volunteers who assist with LIFT stocking Tuesdays and distribution Wednesdays. Pictured above, left to right, at the check presentation are LIFT volunteers Pastor James Buckhahn, Jean and Bob Protsman, and Donna Johnson, and Mississippi Valley Sportsman’s Club representatives Tony Diersen, Dan Mattson and Jim Berry. Submitted photo.
 

Main Street Lansing will be holding an inaugural Trivia Night event Saturday, February 11 with all proceeds benefiting the Main Street Lansing organization’s historic preservation and economic development efforts in 2023 and beyond. The event will be held at TJ Hunter’s Banquet Hall at 377 Main Street in Lansing and will feature a grand prize of $1,000 to the winning trivia team.

Trivia questions will cover a wide variety of topics and additional games of chance will be held in between trivia rounds, so everyone has a chance to win. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with trivia beginning at 6 p.m.

The City of Lansing is seeking community input from residents and visitors to help create a vision for local community development for the future. This process is important so the City of Lansing and city and county organizations can plan projects and development with the input from community members at the front of the decision making process.

The survey is available online at the following link: https://confideresearch.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8DgiKvl538hK21g. A link to that survey can also be found at the Lansing, Iowa website, Lansingiowa.com. The survey will be open for the public to complete through February 5.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds recently announced that 23 communities in the state of Iowa have been awarded a total of $9 million in grants to advance water quality projects. The funding is made available through the Wastewater and Drinking Water Treatment Financial Assistance Program, which was created as a part of Senate File 512, the first legislation signed into law by Governor Reynolds in January 2018.

Among those grant award distributions was the City of New Albin, which received $500,000 for its new wastewater treatment project that is currently under construction. The innovative and more environmentally conscious Algaewheel treatment system broke ground in May 2022 in New Albin. The $4.3 million project was anticipated to be completed within approximately 18 months of that groundbreaking date, according to project engineers.

Our Savior’s Lutheran Church of Lansing invites the public to its next When Relationships Change event, which will be held Thursday, January 26 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the church, located at 480 Diagonal Street in Lansing. This free program includes dinner and a presentation by Aja Troendle of Lansing, who will speak about how she built resiliency through her own struggles and relational changes.

This program began last fall and draws people from around the region. The social hour begins at 4:30 p.m. Dinner is served at 5 p.m. This month’s menu will include ham and cheese soup, roasted vegetables, beverages, coffee and a dessert. The program follows dinner, after which there is time for socializing.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is seeking people who enjoy the outdoors, camping and meeting new people, to consider becoming volunteer campground hosts for the upcoming recreation season. Volunteer campground hosts live in state parks from one to five months assisting DNR staff with light maintenance duties, checking in campers, and being a resource for visitors enjoying state parks and forests.

Campground hosts are provided a free campsite while they are actively hosting during the camping season. Hosts volunteer 20-40 hours per week, including weekends and holidays, while living on site in their own camper. Host positions may be available at Pikes Peak State Park and Yellow River State Forest.

VFW Auxiliary Gustave F. Kerndt #5981 is announcing the VFW Auxiliary’s annual Illustrating America Art Contest. Local students in grades K-8 can share how they view the world through their drawings and paintings while competing for national awards.

Students must submit an original two-dimensional piece of artwork.  Coloring sheets, digital art and photography are not accepted.  The entry must have been completed during the current school year and the application must include a signature of a parent or guardian.

Students begin by competing at the local VFW Auxiliary level. The first-place winner from each Auxiliary advances to the Department of Iowa competition. The contest consists of three grade divisions: K-2, 3-5 and 6-8. The Department of Iowa first-place winner in each grade division will be forwarded to the VFW Auxiliary National Headquarters. There are awards for first, second and third place in each grade division.

The Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library will be hosting a presentation Thursday, January 12 at 4 p.m. regarding the historical and archaeological work that continues to take place regarding the Black Hawk Bridge replacement project. Brennan Dolan from the Iowa Department of Transportation and Ray Werner from Tallgrass Archaeology, LLC will make the presentation.

The Iowa DOT is working through the final considerations of the National Historic Preservation Act as the bridge project prepares for letting. The bridge architectural retention schedule and other mitigation efforts will also be discussed.