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As part of Allamakee County’s ongoing strategy of improving readiness, Allamakee County Emergency Management Coordinator Corey Snitker advises residents that there will be several emergency response training exercises taking place this Saturday, April 27 throughout the county. These locations include:

• the town of New Albin, where a hazardous material spill exercise will be taking place;
• a decontamination exercise of patients arriving at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon;
• and also a shelter-in-place exercise at each of the long-term care facilities within the county due to a hazardous material spill.

Little Red Schoolhouse to be open for tours during reunion

The Allamakee County Historical Society is planning an All-County Rural School Reunion for this Sunday, April 28. The  reunion will be from 1-4 p.m. and held at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon. Treats, coffee and lemonade will be served.

It is hoped that those fortunate enough to have attended one of the county’s  rural schools will come celebrate and share memories, stories and pictures of their educational years. The Historical Society will have equipment available to scan photographs of students and teachers even if they are not identified or not sure of the name of the school - no matter the condition, as well as poems, stories, school souvenirs, certificates for attendance, reading, spelling, or anything pertaining to the one-room schools in Allamakee County that those attending would like to have preserved to share with future generations.

The Northeast Iowa Drug Task Force, in cooperation with area law enforcement agencies, is participating in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Drop-Off Day. This year’s event is being held Saturday, April 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. nationwide for the purpose of disposing of expired and/or unused medications and keeping them out of the hands of people who may misuse or abuse them, especially youth.

Dr. Richard Hermeier, a 1955 graduate of Waukon High School and a generous contributor of donations to the Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) valued in the hundreds of thousands of dollars throughout the past decade or so, most recently made a $20,000 donation to the ACSD Fine Arts program. The donated funds were used to help purchase and install a new sound system in the Waukon High School/Middle School Auditorium. Pictured above at the donation presentation are, left to right, ACSD Superintendent Jay Mathis and Dr. Richard Hermeier. Submitted photo.
 

Kee High School seniors Michelle Walleser and Shawn Wild were selected as the 2019 Kee High School Prom Queen and King at the annual event held Saturday, April 13. Walleser was selected from a Queen court that also consisted of fellow seniors Sahreya Dodd and Keirsten Mathis. Wild was chosen from a King court that included fellow seniors Logan West and Ryan Whalen. Photo courtesy of the Kee High School Yearbook.
 

Possible May or June dates being considered for event rescheduling

The Friends of Pool 9 Board of Directors has made the decision to postpone the Annual Pool 9 River Clean-Up because of higher than normal water levels on the Mississippi River. The board will select a date when river conditions are safe for those venturing out onto the river.

The Mississippi River at the Lansing gauge station reached almost 18 feet in early April and has been dropping slowly. The presence or absence of spring rains will dictate when and if there is a clean-up of Pool 9 this year. The board is considering a possible clean-up date in May or June of this year.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, April 15 to address a full agenda of items including the consideration of bids for road rock resurfacing, discussion of Sheriff’s Office use of the County credit card for the purchase of a chlorimeter and consideration of changes relating to the Planning and Zoning Administrator’s contract and driver status.

During Public Comment, Jack Sweeney of Waukon addressed the Supervisors by speakerphone and discussed the recent Board of Adjustment meeting held April 10 at the Allamakee County Courthouse. Sweeney discussed concerns relating to how Chairperson Bernard Pratte conducted the public hearing for the proposed Wennes Communications tower. Sweeney indicated that he was interrupted after 30 seconds and not allowed sufficient time to present information, with Pratte indicating at the beginning of the hearing that everyone would be allowed two minutes to speak.

Work continues on the 2019 Department of Transportation (DOT) Street Project in Waukon with sidewalk removal and replacement on Allamakee Street (pictured in its early stages at right and more complete below two weeks later) heading south toward the Allamakee County Courthouse. As this segment is completed, DOT officials advise that sidewalk work will next shift to West Main Street moving east from its four-way stop sign intersection with Ninth Street West (near Quillin’s) toward the downtown area of Waukon. Curb and gutter replacement is scheduled to take place in conjunction with sidewalk replacement on West Main Street.

After temperatures soared to 70 degrees Monday, April 8, Mother Nature proved that she is still in charge by cutting those temperatures more than in half just two days later, as winter weather returned to the area. As depicted in the photo above, along with that drop in temperatures came a dose of snow, as reports of anywhere from a trace up to five inches fell throughout various parts of Allamakee County Wednesday afternoon and evening, April 10 as part of a storm system that swept through Iowa but hit neighboring Minnesota and Wisconsin much harder with reports up to 10” of snow. A wintry mix and rain followed throughout most of Thursday, with sustained winds between 20 and 30 mph blowing fairly consistently throughout late last week and including gusts into the 50 mph range that led to electrical outages and various reports of tree and other property damage being received throughout Allamakee County as part of a more widespread issue throughout the Upper Midwest.

A bridge repair project to remove and replace several structural steel pieces on the Iowa 9 (Black Hawk) Bridge over the Mississippi River at Lansing requires closing the bridge for approximately one week this week, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT). Motorists will have to drive south to the bridge crossing at Marquette or north to the bridge crossing in La Crescent, MN while the Black Hawk Bridge is being repaired. The bridge is anticipated to be open again late Sunday evening, April 21, according to DOT reports, weather permitting the completion of the repair project.

Motorists are also reminded that another popular route for local travelers to access the La Crosse/Onalaska, WI area via Lycurgus Road and Iowa River Drive (A26) also currently has a bridge closure at Irish Hollow Creek that features a detour via nearby gravel roads.