Community News

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in a pair of regular sessions within the past week due to the Labor Day holiday moving its first regular session in September to a Tuesday. Coverage of both the Tuesday, September 6 and Monday, September 12 regular sessions appears below.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6
The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in a delayed regular session Tuesday, September 6 due to the Labor Day holiday on its usual meeting day, Monday, September 5. The meeting agenda included the Public Hearing for the Columbus Road Paving Project, the Resolution creating a Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee and consideration of extending the lease agreement with Jane Regan for the Makee Manor records.

A dozen members represented the Eitzen Lions Club at the Sixth Annual Puppy Days held at the Ft. Dodge Correctional Facility in Fort Dodge Sunday, August 28. The Eitzen Lions Club members joined members of several other clubs in taking a charter bus to the facility. The Eitzen Lions Club's Legacy Award was to sponsor a Leader Dog involved in the program, and that dog was named in honor of Lion Elmer Thies. Pictured above, left to right, are: Front row - Ron Vonderohe, Spencer Yohe, Dale Meiners with leader dog Elmer T, Joann Meiners, Barb Feil and Judy Fruechte. Back row - Marveen Feil, Leon Feil, Daren Feil, Lawrence Fruechte, Greg Mohwinkle, Cathy Mohwinkle and Puppy Trainer James Schultz. Submitted photo.
 

Residents affected by the August 23-24 storms and resulting flooding may be eligible to apply for the Iowa Individual Assistance Program to cover losses experienced due to that flooding. To qualify, households must be located within the disaster declaration area of Allamakee, Clayton, Fayette, Howard and Winneshiek counties and must meet income guidelines listed below. Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation (NEICAC) administers the program in these affected counties.

The program provides up to a maximum of $5,000 per household to cover repairs, debris removal, furnace or water heater work, replacement of lost or spoiled food, and other household losses. Households must have an income at or below 200% of the federal poverty guideline as shown below:

In the early morning hours of Monday, September 12, the Waukon Police Department conducted a search warrant at 4 Lyle Drive in Waukon. The search was in response to recent break-ins and thefts from vending machines in Waukon. The suspect was caught by a Waukon police officer while breaking into a pop machine Sunday, September 11.
During the search, items related to the investigation were located along with drug paraphernalia. As a result of the incidents and search, 29-year-old Mitchell Halverson of Waukon was arrested and charged with Third Degree Criminal Mischief (aggravated misdemeanor), Fifth Degree Theft (simple misdemeanor), Interference with Official Acts, Possession of Burglar Tools (aggravated misdemeanor), and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
The breaking and entering incidents remain under investigation and further charges are pending. The Allamakee County Sheriff's Office and the Fayette County Sheriff's Office K-9 assisted at the scene.

Recognition for an Outstanding Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) Exhibit has been given to an Allamakee County 4-H'er. Teddy Holthaus, son of Kyle and Mari Holthaus from Waukon and a member of the Bear Creek Kids 4-H club, received recognition for his outstanding contribution to Soil and Water Conservation in Iowa from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.  His exhibit of Trees of Iowa was also recognized for the 4-H Ag & Natural Resources Iowa Tree Farm Award, for which he received a certificate and a $25 gift certificate to Cabela’s. The project was exhibited in the 4-H Exhibit Building at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines along with over 300 other entries.

Residents and property owners in northeast Iowa impacted by recent flood damage should be wary of consumer scams and shady contractors who tend to solicit victims of natural disasters, says Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller. Consumers should be watchful for clean-up, home repair and construction contractors, especially those who seek business door-to-door and ask for advance payment.

State regulations make price gouging illegal for those counties where a disaster declaration is in effect. Price gouging is defined in the Attorney General's Administrative Rule as raising prices unreasonably above the price at which the merchandise or service was sold in the usual course of business immediately prior to the onset of the emergency. The rule, which applies during the emergency declaration and "subsequent recovery period" up to six months, recognizes that prices may be higher because sellers also often incur increased costs.

An "After Action Review" report released by the National Park Service earlier this year was being anticipated as a means to begin to bring closure to a series of issues more recently brought to light at Effigy Mounds National Monument in Allamakee County. However, groups such as Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) and Friends of Effigy Mounds say they find very little in the report that provides hope for change and even less hope for any remedies to previous actions.

The purpose of the "After Action Review" document, as stated within the document itself, was to "determine root causes of the incidents that took place at Effigy Mounds National Monument (monument) between 1999 and 2010 that led to impacts to cultural resources and strained relations with American Indians, and to recommend positive actions to improve National Park Service (NPS) practices going forward."

Allamakee County Economic Development (ACED) is seeking nominations for the 2016 Cloy Kuhse Positive Impact Award. To be eligible, the recipient must be a business located in Allamakee County.

ACED will accept nominations until Thursday, September 15 of this year. Award winner announcement and ceremony will be at the ACED Annual Banquet in October. The award recipient will receive a plaque and will be added to the Award Plaque that is displayed at the ACED office.

Mike Ferring Construction of Waukon was the 2015 Cloy Kuhse Positive Impact Award winner. ACED looks forward to announcing another business that is making a positive impact at its annual meeting this October.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, August 29 to discuss a variety of issues, including a public hearing for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Construction Permit application for Regancrest Holsteins LLC., consideration of a County Disaster Declaration and the approval to submit the Iowa Partnerships for Success Year 3 continuation grant application. During the public comments portion of the meeting, there were no members of the public present.

The Public Hearing for Regancrest Holsteins LLC confinement was opened without any public comments and the construction permit application was approved. Regancrest will be constructing one new dairy cattle free-stall confinement building and a new dairy milking parlor at an existing dairy confinement facility.

Allamakee County Economic Development (ACED), through a Growing Small Business in Northeast Iowa grant, is offering the class “Start-Up: An Introduction to Starting a Small Business” in partnership with NICC-Waukon.

Thinking about starting a business but not sure how to begin? There are so many questions that need to be answered. What does it take to be an entrepreneur? Is the business idea a good one? Is there enough money to start the business or what are the financing options? All of these concepts, and perhaps more that haven’t been thought of yet, are discussed in this class.
Entrepreneurs will learn what is necessary to build a firm foundation for a new venture, determine business feasibility, choose a legal form of business, register and license a business, and learn to make cash flow projections. Get prepared to be the one out of five small business owners who actually succeed with a solid business plan to make it happen.