Community News

Several entities in the Harpers Ferry area received grant funding from the Allamakee County Community Foundation (ACCF) at the Tuesday, April 20 ACCF awards presentation. Harpers Ferry Boosters, Inc. received $20,000 for the Harpers Ferry Family Splash Zone; the City of Harpers Ferry Volunteer Fire Department received $10,000 for updating personal firefighter protection equipment; and the American Legion Post 722 received $6,500 for a new Bingo machine. Pictured above, left to right, are Theresa Gallagher of Harpers Ferry Boosters, Inc.; Steve Cunningham and Sam Fox of American Legion Post 722; Harpers Ferry Boosters, Inc. representatives Susi Nehls, Betty Steege, Karen Soper, Ron Steege, Lindsey and Kaylin Deason, and Paul and Mitch Deason; Erik Nykkanen of American Legion Post 722; Harpers Ferry Boosters, Inc.

Several entities serving the Lansing and New Albin areas received grant funding from the Allamakee County Community Foundation (ACCF) at the Tuesday, April 20 ACCF awards presentation. The Lansing Fire Department received $10,000 for new firefighter turnout gear; Main Street Lansing received $3,250 for Educational Signage in Lansing's Historic District; the City of Lansing/New Albin Police Department received $5,500 for new equipment; and the City of New Albin Fire Department received $3,965 for Safety, Security and Communication upgrades. Pictured above, left to right, are Jon Johnson of the New Albin Fire Department; ACCF Board member Kathy Renk; Lansing City Clerk Katie Becker accepting for the Lansing/New Albin Police Department; Bruce Palmborg of Main Street Lansing; Tony Becker of the Lansing Fire Department; Craig White of Main Street Lansing; and ACCF Board member Barb Winters-Kelly.
 

Helping Services for Northeast Iowa, along with Iowa Department of Public Health AmeriCorps, will be hosting a Drug Trends Training event Tuesday, April 26 from 6:30-8 p.m. at Robey Memorial Library, located at 401 First Avenue NW in Waukon. The event is open to anyone wanting to learn more about the drug trends of today, along with discussion regarding prevention and recovery.

Presenting at the program will be Coline McCann, Iowa Department of Public Health AmeriCorps member, and Jen Kimber, Community Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist. Those interested in attending are asked to RSVP to McCann at cmccann@helpingservices.org or at 563-387-1720, ext. 120 or to Kathy Schwartzhoff, Mentoring Coordinator at Helping Services for Northeast Iowa, at kathys@helpingservices.org or at 563-387-1720, ext. 108.
 

Spring is a time of preparation and activity. Gardeners and farmers use this time of year to prepare for the upcoming growing season. Other people find it a great season to houseclean or declutter.

Regardless of that preference, the warm weather inspires people to clean out flowerpots, rake up winter’s leftovers and begin digging in the dirt. Everyone can be better prepared for gardening or other favorite activities this spring by taking two important steps, checking their vitamin D status and practicing muscle-strengthening movements every day.

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday night, April 18, beginning the meeting with a public hearing in regard to the Northwest Detention Basin project planned for the far northwest corner of the city limits in the area more commonly referred to as the Bresnahan property. The hearing was closed without any comments being received from the public, and the Council later approved plans, specifications and form of contract for the project, along with the awarding of the project contract to Rusty Berger Masonry, who submitted the low bid for the project of $294,850.00, with completion of the project planned for early September.

Additional bids received on the project were from Skyline Construction, $359,338.19; Ray's Excavating, $388,429.55; and Egeland Tiling, $391,408.50. Berger's bid was also below the project engineer's original estimated cost but did include all facets of the project.

The City of Waukon Water Department will begin its annual fire hydrant/water main flushing program the week of May 2. Residents are advised that the flushing activity causes decreases in water pressure and may cause short-term discoloration in water, which may affect laundry and drinking water. Residents are advised to let their water run for a couple minutes following the flushing activity to make sure any discoloration has been eliminated.

Those with further questions about the flushing program are asked to contact the City of Waukon Water Department at 563-568-2683.
 

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met Monday evening, April 11 for a special session covering a variety of items including streets, electronic record storage and discussion of a proposed City Manager position, in addition to a couple more specific projects.

Wennes Communications Inc. has received a grant from the Federal Communications Commission to add an FM Translator station to its present AM station in Waukon.

The AM station founded by Ralph Sweeney in 1967 was originally operated as KNEI on 1140 AM at Broadcast Park north of Waukon for a number of years. Recently, the station has served the public interest as KFXE on an FCC assigned frequency of 1160 AM. In later years members of the FCC became more and more aware of the need for AM radio stations to provide better signal service to coverage area.

For some years AM stereo was attempted but did not prove to be successful. Some AM stations were provided the opportunity to research translator frequencies and learn if an FM translator station could be found to fit in the same coverage area as their AM station.

Volunteers invited to take part in annual event

The sixth annual “Keep Waukon Beautiful Day” has been scheduled for Saturday, May 21 in the Waukon area, and volunteers can mark their calendars to help take part in the event in an effort to clean up and maintain the appearance of the community. Interested participants are asked to meet at 8 a.m. Saturday, May 21 at the front entrance of Waukon City Park.

Those participating are asked to bring with them garbage bags and work gloves. Raindate is scheduled for Saturday, June 4. Questions about the event can be answered by contacting Dr. Steve or Stefanie Perkins at 563-535-7019.
 

With Memorial Day approaching, the Allamakee County Veterans Memorial Committee would like to remind those interested that orders for individual memorial bricks are still being taken for placement within the Allamakee County Veterans Memorial at the Allamakee County Courthouse in Waukon.
This year, those interested in ordering a memorial brick should place their order no later than May 1. Every effort will be made to have the bricks ordered by that date in place by Memorial Day this year. If possible, orders received after May 1 will be placed prior to Memorial Day, but most likely will be put in place at a later date.