Work has begun on the First Avenue NW resurfacing project taking place from Allamakee Street up through its 500 block to Sixth Street NW in Waukon. From the Allamakee County Courthouse up through the block housing East Elementary School, preliminary work began the week of September 19 with some initial manhole cover adjustments and cement cutting as an early step in the resurfacing project, as pictured above. Waukon City Manager Dean Hilgerson advised The Standard that the project has an anticipated October 25 completion date with River City Paving handling the resurfacing. Hilgerson indicated that a total of five blocks, with the 100 block being skipped due to recent storm sewer work and resurfacing, will be milled and resurfaced with asphalt and that Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant sidewalk work will be done at intersections with some curb and gutter removal and replacement to also take place.
Robey Memorial Library in Waukon will celebrate Teen Read WeekTM October 7-13 with special events and programs spotlighting all the great resources and activities available at the library and to encourage teens from around the area to read for their enjoyment. Thousands of libraries, schools and bookstores across the country will hold similar events centered on this year’s theme, “It’s Written in the Stars: READ!”
Teen Read Week is a time to celebrate reading for fun while encouraging teens to take advantage of reading in all its forms - books, magazines, e-books, audiobooks and more. It is also a great opportunity to encourage teens to become regular library users.
ACEC receives IADG Impact Award ... Iowa Area Development Group (IADG) President Rand Fisher (left) presents an Economic Development Impact Award to Allamakee-Clayton Electric Cooperative Executive Vice President/General Manager Paul Foxwell (right) at the cooperative’s 80th Annual Meeting September 10. The cooperative received the award for its economic development accomplishments and commitment to local communities. Submitted photo.
The commitment of Iowa’s rural electric cooperatives goes far beyond ensuring safe, reliable, affordable and environmentally responsible energy for their member-owners. Cooperatives actively create strategic partnerships and provide technical and financial assistance to support business growth and community vitality.
Annually, Iowa Area Development Group (IADG) presents Impact Awards to utility partners who were involved in significant economic development initiatives the prior year. Allamakee-Clayton Electric Cooperative was recognized for its extraordinary economic development accomplishments and commitment to local communities during the cooperative’s Annual Meeting held in Postville September 10.
The Northeast Iowa Food Bank has recognized a need in eastern Allamakee County for the services of a community food bank. There are two food bank programs in the western part of the county, in Waukon and in Postville, but recognizing that Allamakee is one of the poorest counties in the state, a third site was deemed as being needed.
Based on those findings, and as a result of follow-through by many local volunteers, the LIFT (Lansing Iowa Food Trust) Food Pantry will be opening Wednesday, October 3 in the Lansing Properties Building office area located at 220 South Third Street in Lansing (formerly the Rethwisch Lumber building). Hours of operation will be every Wednesday from 4-8 p.m. and those who meet the qualification guidelines are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to supplement their food needs.
The Allamakee County Historical Preservation Commission has decided to go ahead with a long-term local project involving the recording and identifying of each rural country school that existed within the boundaries of Allamakee County from the 1800s through the 1960s. This will be a multi-phase project as the Commission would like it to be as thorough as possible.
It is thought there were 80 to 90 country schools in Allamakee County at one time, some with a longer lifespan than others. At this time, it is strictly a paper project with the idea to create a portfolio or file of history for each school. In 1912 Allamakee County had 18 townships with nine divided into 63 independent school districts. The other nine were organized as school townships with 60 sub-districts. As one can imagine, this resulted in a great number of rural country schools.
The Allamakee County Community Foundation (ACCF) has announced that Krista Rasque has been selected as a new board member. Rasque is a long-time resident of Lansing.
She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and received her Master’s in Social Work. She was employed at the La Crosse County Department of Human Services for several years, where she investigated child abuse cases and helped families overcome challenging times. She was then employed at Gundersen Health System as a social worker helping families facing substance abuse issues during pregnancy.
“The ACCF board is very pleased that Krista will be representing Lansing on the board”, stated Betty Steege, ACCF Coordinator. “Krista brings a different skill set to our board plus a unique perspective to our endowment building.”
Saturday Clover Kids met September 15 at the Waukon Wellness Center, hosted by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Clover Kids is a fun 4-H program specifically designed for children in kindergarten through third grades. The overall purpose of the Iowa 4-H Clover Kids program is to foster the development of life skills that are essential for the cognitive, social, emotional and physical maturation of kindergarten through third graders by providing a unique, age-appropriate educational opportunity. A total of 25 youth (most of whom are pictured above) spent the morning investigating bubbles. They had the opportunity to make their own bubble blowers and learned that bubbles always take on a round shape after they break free of the wand. They also learned that bubbles would be perfect spheres only under ideal conditions of no gravity, no air movement and non-air resistance.
The Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) Waukon Center will be offering a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Workshop Monday, October 8 from 4-7 p.m. The NICC Waukon Center is located at 1220 Third Avenue NW.
This event is open to the public and is designed to help students complete their FAFSA and answer any questions. Students and parents are encouraged to attend.
To make a 30-minute appointment or for more information about the workshop, contact DeKote’ Curtin at 563-538-6575 (call or text) or curtind@nicc.edu.
To prepare for the FAFSA workshop, visit https://studentaid.ed.gov/npas/index.htm to create a FSA ID for both parent and student; that will be needed to complete the application. Bring a copy of both the parents’ and student’s 2017 taxes, W-2s and FSA ID login information to any FAFSA appointment.
Northeast Iowa National Alliance on Mental Illness (NEIA NAMI) Family-to-Family is a free, 12-week course for family members of an older teen or adult living with mental illness. Family-to-Family not only provides critical information and strategies for taking care of a person’s loved one, but attendees will also find out that they are not alone. Recovery is a journey, and there is hope.
The group setting of NAMI Family-to-Family provides mutual support and shared positive impact - one can experience compassion and reinforcement from people who understand mental health situations. Attendees may also help others through sharing their own experience.
In the program, attendees will learn about:
The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, September 17 to address a full agenda of items. Included on that agenda were a discussion of Irish Hollow Road dust control and safety issues, the Proclamation of National Voter Registration Month and Day and reappointments to the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Historic Preservation Commission.
District Manager Terry J. Beek with Washington National Insurance provided an overview of the company’s supplemental policies covering accidents, cancer and short-term disability. Beek proposed that County employees be given the opportunity to enroll in Washington National’s policies on a voluntary basis, allowing County employees the option to take advantage of group rates through their employer. Supervisor Dan Byrnes advised that the matter be revisited in February or March when a meeting takes place to review County employee health insurance.
