Community News

Wed
06
Sep

Storm sewer project continues at 1st Avenue and 1st Street NW; Discoveries, challenges with replacing 100-year-old infrastructure extend project time frame


To there, from here ... Photos above show the ending and starting points of the current storm sewer replacement project taking place on 1st Avenue NW and 1st Street NW in Waukon. Each photo (from the project’s early stages) shows not only the more modern concrete box culverts that will be reconnected by the project, including the source flow area of the project on 1st Avenue SW and the receiving flow area of the project on 1st Street SW, but also shows the openings of the section of older storm sewer being bypassed, originally created in a laid-up rock arch format more than a century ago. Those century-old openings of the storm sewer line that has run under the two-story building and property that formerly housed the McMillan 66 gas station on the southwest corner of that intersection will be capped off as part of the project, with the new pre-cast concrete storm sewer instead being rerouted underneath the direction of each street involved, heading east underneath 1st Avenue SW to its intersection with 1st Street SW (as depicted in the lower photo of the excavated area), where the line will then head south to complete the replacement project connection in an effort to improve storm water flow from northwest Waukon. Skyline Construction, a division of Bruening Rock Products, is the contractor for the project, which has been taking place since the beginning of August and is expected to continue for at least another month into October. Standard photos by Joe Moses.

by Joe Moses

Waukon City Manager Gary Boden provided an update to The Standard relating to the storm sewer replacement project taking place on 1st Street NW and 1st Avenue NW. This ongoing work is visible to the public just a block north of Main Street in downtown Waukon near McMillan Muffler, The Standard Newspaper, The Copy Shoppe, Side Street Cycles and Kurth Plumbing and Heating, among other area businesses.

Boden shared with The Standard that the storm sewer project is progressing, with some slow-down resulting as necessary excavation and planning adjustments are taking place. Boden noted some challenges relating to this project including some difficulty in locating a water main among other variables as 100-plus-year-old infrastructure is being replaced.

Wed
06
Sep

Special meeting set for September 11 to discuss City of Waukon nuisance abatement ordinance

The Waukon City Council will be holding a special meeting Monday, September 11 at Waukon City Hall, beginning at 6 p.m. The meeting will focus on the City’s Nuisance Abatement Ordinance and will involve discussion of such matters as lawn mowing, weeds, sidewalk snow removal, junk cars and other issues.

Public feedback is welcome and encouraged in a civil manner involving open conversation with members of the Waukon City Council. Discussion will center around what the City ordinances state, how the City plans to address them moving forward, what the public can expect and/or if there are any changes that need to be implemented and what those changes may be.

Wed
30
Aug

Purple Ribbon pigs at the Iowa State Fair ...

The four Allamakee County 4-H’ers pictured in the surrounding photos with their swine entries represented themselves and their home county well with some Purple ribbon success experienced at the Iowa State Fair 4-H Swine Show held the mornings of Monday, August 14 and Tuesday, August 15 on the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. Pictured in the surrounding submitted photos, are Wyatt Baxter, Alaina Gebel, Trudy Baxter and Marcus Gebel. All four Allamakee County youth had their entries earn at least one Purple ribbon in either the Monday, August 14 Breeding Swine Show or the Tuesday, August 15 Market Swine Show, with that Purple ribbon designation meaning the entry is eligible for show championship consideration, according to Iowa State Fair rules and regulations.

Wed
30
Aug

Good Samaritan Society-Waukon residents ride with Wednesday Night Riders ...

The area group known as the Wednesday Night Riders offered residents of Good Samaritan Society-Waukon rides on their three-wheeled motorcycles Wednesday, August 16. As pictured in the surrounding photos, residents were able to enjoy rides around the community and also had opportunities to sit in the driver’s seat of some of the vehicles. The Wednesday Night Riders consisting of nearly three dozen motorized vehicle enthusiasts often take organized rides throughout the tri-state area. In addition to their rides, the Wednesday Night Riders also try and support as many charitable events and organizations as possible. Submitted photos.
 

Wed
30
Aug

Iowa hosts biggest barn tour in the United States; Rural Waukon barn part of Iowa Barn Foundation All-State Tour September 16-17


Rural Waukon barn on All-State Barn Tour next month ... The rural Waukon barn pictured above will be part of the Iowa Barn Foundation All-State Barn Tour scheduled for September 16-17 this year. The barn, referred to as Toad Hall in the Iowa Barn Foundation promotional material, is located at 919 East Main Street, just east of Waukon. Submitted photo.

Those who are looking for a great multi-generation family adventure this fall should mark September 16-17 on their calendar. That is the weekend that the Iowa Barn Foundation (IBF) will hold its annual All-State Barn Tour with 72 historic barns across the state open for touring inside and out.

Many of the owners and family members will be on hand to share the stories behind their barns, which served as the central hub of activity on the farm. The Iowa countryside will be one expansive museum with barns located across the state. The self-guided tour is free and open to the public.

New to the Tour this year is a barn called Toad Hall in Allamakee County, located at 919 East Main Street, Waukon, the property of James Garrett and Kathy Hannum. This gambrel roof bank barn was built in 1912. The owners have taken steps to preserve the barn including foundation repair in 2014, window/door replacement in 2012, and a fresh coat of paint in 2020.

Wed
30
Aug

Public meetings planned for review of Allamakee County Hazard Mitigation Plan

Allamakee County and its jurisdictions have worked over the last year to complete an update to a countywide Hazard Mitigation Plan. The planning process was led by the Allamakee County Emergency Management Agency with assistance from Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission and a countywide Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee.

The plan identifies the characteristics and consequences of hazards and assesses vulnerabilities within communities to those hazards. The plan also looks at possible ways to avoid or minimize the undesired effects of hazard risks, culminating in a list of mitigation actions local stakeholders can work on.

Final presentation of hazard mitigation plan outcomes will continue to occur at public meetings in each jurisdiction and school district in Allamakee County over the course of the next few months, and the public is encouraged to attend. Meeting times and dates in September are listed below:

Wed
23
Aug

Big Boar Contest winner at Iowa State Fair co-owned by Bieber family ...

“Sasquatch,” a Red Wattle boar co-owned by Kehrli Farms of Winthrop and the Charlie Bieber family of Waukon, won first place in the Big Boar competition Thursday, August 10 at the 2023 Iowa State Fair in Des Moines. The winning entrant (pictured above at right) tipped the scales at 1,012 pounds, more than 100 pounds heavier than the second-place finisher, “Big Joe,” a four-and-a-half-year-old boar shown by Jack Theobald of Muscatine that weighed in at 894 pounds, with those two animals being the only entries in this year’s Big Boar Contest and this being the second consecutive year that only two boars have been entered into the competition.

This is the second time in the last seven years the Biebers have partnered with Kehrli Farms to show a Big Boar Contest entry at the Iowa State Fair. In 2017, the partners entered “Big Chief,” a hog that weighed in at 1,162 pounds but finished second by about 30 pounds to “Big Buck,” a boar owned by McDonald Acres of Ryan.

Wed
23
Aug

Congresswoman Ashley Hinson holds Town Hall meeting at Allamakee County Veterans Museum


Congresswoman Hinson hosts Town Hall meeting at Veterans Museum... U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson spoke to a nearly capacity crowd during her Town Hall visit to the Allamakee County Veterans Museum in Waukon Wednesday, August 16. During her Town Hall session, she answered questions from those in attendance and also took a tour of the museum. Photo by Joe Moses.

by Joe Moses

U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson of Iowa’s Second Congressional District held a Town Hall meeting and Question & Answer (Q&A) session Wednesday, August 16 at the Allamakee County Veterans Museum in Waukon.

The Town Hall meeting in Waukon began with an introduction by Allamakee County Sheriff Clark Mellick with Hinson touching on several topics prior to responding to questions from the near-capacity crowd of approximately 20 area residents present in the program room at the Allamakee County Veterans Museum. Hinson noted her tour of the County Veterans Museum prior to the Town Hall/Q&A meeting and discussed the importance of recognizing the sacrifices made by military veterans in protecting this nation’s freedoms.

Wed
23
Aug

Waukon City Council sets September 11 as special meeting for public input relating to nuisance abatement, approves changes to Facade Grant Program

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, August 21 to address a full agenda of matters including discussion of public transportation in Waukon, discussion of grass and weed compliance and approval of the Resolution adopting the Allamakee County Hazard Mitigation Plan. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Arvid Hatlan with council members John Lydon and Kevin Johnson present.

Wed
16
Aug

Supervisors discuss return of unused tax funding by Allamakee County ISU Extension, approve change to 28E Agreement with County Social Services

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, August 14 to address a full agenda of matters including the opening and consideration of bids for concrete pavement patching, consideration of a change to the 28E Agreement for County Social Services, and discussion of returning unused tax dollars by Iowa State University Extension and the consideration of a proposal for use of these same funds for grant purposes.

The meeting was called to order by Board of Supervisors Chairperson Dan Byrnes with Supervisors Mark Reiser and Dennis Keatley present. There was no Public Comment during the time allotted for that agenda item.

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