Community News

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.

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:

“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.

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.

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.

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.

Thursday morning, August 10, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst made Waukon Feed Ranch one of her stops during a day that also included additional visits to Butler and Winnebago Counties. Ernst began her day in Allamakee County with a tour at Waukon Feed Ranch. She is pictured above during her discussion with representatives of the Waukon Feed Ranch ownership and management network.

Among the variety of topics discussed with Senator Ernst was the Farm Bill, which she expects to be completed in early 2024, noting there are budgeting constraints and discussions on how to allocate the money. Senator Ernst said the Farm Bill is expected to be around $1.5 trillion, with 14% of that funding being allocated to farm programs and 86% designated for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other food assistance programs, with details being worked on as to who should be receiving SNAP benefits.

Waukon resident Dave Blocker was sworn in as the new Ward 3 representative on the Waukon City Council after he was appointed to the open position at the Monday, August 7 meeting of the Waukon City Council. Blocker was appointed to the Ward 3 seat after former Ward 3 councilman Arvid Hatlan was appointed to the office of Waukon Mayor following the resignation of former mayor Pat Stone in May of this year. Pictured above at the Tuesday, August 8 swearing-in ceremony are, left to right, Waukon Mayor Arvid Hatlan, Waukon City Clerk Sarah Snitker, new Ward 3 Waukon City Councilman Dave Blocker and At-Large Waukon City Councilman and Mayor Pro-Tem Kevin Johnson. Standard photo by Joe Moses.
 

As Allamakee County seeks to support its businesses and attract and retain the needed workforce, ensuring adequate, decent and affordable housing is a vital strategy. With this in mind, Allamakee County Economic Development and Tourism has commissioned a housing needs assessment from Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission to understand housing issues and opportunities within the county.

The assessment will analyze current housing conditions and household characteristics, forecast future housing gaps, and discuss the county’s greatest housing needs. The process will also help identify housing priorities for each community moving forward.

General information about the County’s housing assessment, including opportunities for engagement, will be updated to the project’s webpage: htps://uerpc.org/allamakee-county-housing-study/.

Saturday, August 19, beginning at 10 a.m., the Allamakee County Veterans Museum will present another program from its Veterans History Project at its museum located at 105 Allamakee Street in Waukon.

A video interview by Chuck Bloxham with U.S. Navy veteran Dr. Ken Olson, M.D. of Waukon will be played. Dr. Olson will also be present that Saturday morning to share comments and answer questions about his military service.

Lt. Commander Kenneth R. Olson, M.D. served in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps during the period that included the War in Vietnam. He was first assigned to base hospital service in the U.S., then volunteered for submarine service, and was deployed on the nuclear ballistic missile submarine the U.S.S. Ethan Allen-SSBN-608 (pictured above).

The public is invited to attend. There is no admission or membership charge to attend. The facility is handicapped accessible.