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Allamakee County Treasurer Lori Hesse would like to remind property owners the second installment of property taxes is due by the end of this month (March 2019). With the end of March falling on the weekend (Sunday, March 31), property owners will have until Monday, April 1 to pay their taxes without penalty.

Payments may be made in person at the Allamakee County Treasurer’s Office in the Allamakee County Courthouse at 110 Allamakee Street in Waukon between the hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Property owners should bring their tax stubs with their payment to ensure proper credit. To avoid penalty on the second installment, payment must be received in the Treasurer’s Office by Monday, April 1. Penalty begins Tuesday, April 2.

The Irish Hollow Creek Bridge pictured above along Iowa River Drive (County Road A26) and located approximately 3.5 miles southwest of New Albin adjacent to the Upper Iowa River is scheduled to be closed to all traffic beginning Monday, March 25 for a replacement project of the entire structure which was first constructed in 1946. The closing was originally scheduled to begin March 18 but the recent thawing combined with rain made the gravel roads being used as a detour around the bridge project difficult to navigate.

Faith Palmer (right in photo at right), daughter of John and Meghan Palmer of Waukon, was crowned the 2019 Allamakee County Dairy Princess at the annual Allamakee County Dairy Banquet held Saturday, March 16 at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon. Also selected at Saturday’s annual banquet as the 2019 Alternate Dairy Princess was Kaylee Gibbs (left in photo at right), daughter of Chris and Kerri Gibbs of Waterville. Additional photos of award winners and other events from the 2019 Allamakee County Dairy Banquet will appear in a future issue of The Standard. Photo by Paula Enyart.
 

The streets of Waukon were lined with Irish spirit for the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade Sunday, March 17 in Waukon. Under a bit chilly conditions with overcast skies and temperatures hovering just below the 40-degree mark, the event took approximately an hour to display the wide variety of nearly 150 entries. Additional photos from this year’s event can be found on Page 14A of this week’s print edition and e-edition of The Standard. All of the parade photos found in this issue, along with many more from Sunday’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, are available for viewing/purchase by clicking on the Photo Gallery link on this website.

Pick up this week's print edition or subscribe to our e-edition by clicking here.
 

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, March 18 to address a full agenda of items, including the consideration of a contingency plan for the 2019 Memorial Day Program, coverage of Township Officials on County insurance and bids received for the Dorchester Drive (A16) culvert extensions.

During Public Comment, Jerry Halverson of Waukon discussed the condition of McCabe Drive and secondary roads in general within Allamakee County, which have been softened by weather conditions. Halverson also expressed concerns about the width of the North Fork Hollow Bridge near his home. Chairperson Larry Schellhammer and Supervisors Dan Byrnes and Dennis Koenig provided feedback concerning weather-related road conditions and that State pavements have been impacted as well with potholes being an issue.

In a statement released Monday, March 18, Shopko Stores, Inc. has announced that it will liquidate its assets and close all of its remaining locations by June of this year, according to a document filed March 18 in U.S. bankruptcy court. The company stated that it was unable to find a buyer for the retail business and will begin winding down its operations beginning this week.

January 16 of this year, Shopko announced that it, along with its subsidiaries, had filed voluntary petitions for a court-supervised financial restructuring under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. The company had then announced in February plans to close 250 stores, or about 70 percent of its locations.

The Monday, March 18 announcement indicates closure of all stores will be completed by June 16. Further details of anything relating to the closing of the Shopko location in Waukon will be published as they become available.
 

The Allamakee County Department of Environmental Health warns area residents that recent flooding caused by the rapid melting of snow and seasonal rains may cause concerns with well water contamination. Allamakee County Environmental Health Director/Sanitarian Laurie Moody offers the following information regarding well water contaminated by flooding:

• Do not drink or wash with flood-contaminated well water. People who drink, wash with, or prepare food with water from a water supply influenced by flood water can get very sick.

• Do not attempt to work on the well, the well pump, or the water system. There is a real danger of electrical shock, personal injury or death plus well, well pump, and water system damage.

The annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in Waukon has been scheduled for this Sunday, March 17 and will begin at 1 p.m. with many of the same festivities taking place as in years past throughout the community.

The parade route will be the same as in past years, beginning from the southeast edge of town and heading up Rossville Road and Spring Avenue to the stoplight intersection with Main Street. Turning left on to West Main Street, the parade will venture up to Second Street SW, where the entries will turn left at the Post Office intersection, travel one block south to First Avenue SW, and then east back to Spring Avenue, turning right at Kwik Star to head back south to its point of origin.

The 2019 Allamakee County Dairy Banquet will be held this Saturday, March 16 at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon. The meal will be served from 7-8:30 p.m. with the program starting at 8 p.m.

The annual celebration recognizes the importance of the dairy industry in Allamakee County and the contributions dairy families make to this important industry. Every year, top producers from the county are recognized at the banquet. In addition, several other awards are presented that evening, some of which include the following:

• Outstanding Young Dairy Family Award
• Pioneer Dairyman Award
• Distinguished Dairy Family Award
• Service to Dairy Industry Award
• Golden Butter Knife Award.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, March 11 to address a full agenda of items including radon testing at the Allamakee County Historical Society Museum, the temporary road closure of Iowa River Drive (A26) for the Irish Hollow Creek Bridge replacement and the installation of air conditioners at the Allamakee County Courthouse.

During Public Comment, Waukon City Attorney and President of the Allamakee County Historical Society Jim Garrett discussed that the City of Waukon has agreed to sponsor the St. Patrick’s Day Parade coming up this weekend in Waukon, allowing the extension of the City’s liability coverage for the event.