Community News

Across the nation and right here in northeast Iowa, April is a time to highlight Child Abuse Prevention and raise awareness for the efforts being done to eradicate child abuse.

Helping Services for Youth & Families Family Education Team is partnering with Community Partnerships for Protecting Children (CPPC) to put on a free community event for families. The event is focused on bringing community awareness to Child Abuse Prevention Month and community resources through activities that the whole family can enjoy. The Blue Family Day event being held at the Waukon Wellness Center this Saturday, April 29 from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. will include a bouncy house, carnival games and community resources to explore. Everyone is welcome to attend the event.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, April 24 to address a full agenda of matters including Quarterly Reports from Environmental Health and Veterans Affairs, consideration of submitting a grant application relating to County Substance Abuse Programs, and consideration of the contract and bond for the Yellow River Drive asphalt project. The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Dan Byrnes with Supervisors Mark Reiser and Dennis Keatley present.

There was no Public Comment during the time allotted for that agenda item.

The meeting moved into plat requests with Allamakee County Zoning Administrator Stephanie Runkle providing an overview of the Daric Wayne and Lacey Jo Steiber and Joseph C. and Carol A. Stammeyer plat request and the Stephen E., Michele M. and Chase S. Pladsen plat request. Both requests were individually approved.

Debra Stantic, City Clerk for New Albin, received the Outstanding Professional in Urban Forestry award from the Iowa Urban Tree Council during the 32nd Annual Urban Forestry Awards Ceremony held April 12 at the FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny. Stantic can trace her appreciation of trees to childhood memories of visiting her grandparents in New Albin on weekends. Since moving to New Albin, she has taken that appreciation to enhance her home and revive the city’s landscape. Through grant writing and receiving Trees Forever/Alliant Energy grants, Stantic has planted 75 trees throughout New Albin on her way towards her goal of 100. Her “get it done” attitude and love for nature is inspiring to the citizens of New Albin.

The Allamakee County Veterans Museum at 105 Allamakee Street in Waukon will be offering its next public program Thursday, April 27 at 6:30 p.m. and again Saturday, April 29 at 10 a.m. There is no charge for admission and no membership requirements to attend the presentations.

In December of 2023, Dr. Dan Davis, a marine archaeologist and former U.S. Navy diver, presented a program at the Allamakee Veterans Museum describing his work helping recover MIA remains. This second program will be a video presentation of a film donated to the Veterans Museum by Dr. Davis.
 

Robey Memorial Library in Waukon encourages all community members to visit the library during National Library Week, April 23-29, to explore all the library has to offer. Most people know about the wealth of stories available at the library, from picture books and large print to audiobooks and ebooks. But there’s so much more to the story of libraries.

The Standard newspaper office in Waukon hosted some special visitors Wednesday, April 12. First grade students from the classrooms of Ms. Deb Hauber and Mrs. Thea Troendle at St. Patrick School in Waukon toured The Standard office for a field trip to learn more about the newspaper and its importance to the community, along with the jobs and processes involved in publishing a newspaper. Students in the two classrooms (pictured in the photos above and below) had a chance to ask questions and also helped contribute to and edit their own newspaper front page to print and take with them. Standard photos by Joe Moses.
 

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, April 17 to address a full agenda of matters including the Resolution relating to LOST Legislation/Senate File 550, the Public Hearing on the Budget for Fiscal-Year Ending June 30, 2024, and discussion of the CDBG Upper Story Housing Grant Program.

Mayor Pat Stone called the meeting to order, with the meeting then moving into Department Reports with Street Superintendent Keith Burrett providing an update. Burrett discussed ongoing projects including tree trimming and removal as necessary. He noted some storm sewer intakes that may require replacement or repair. Burrett added that the water retention basin will be burned in the near future as part of regular maintenance.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met twice within less than a week’s time this past week with a special session Thursday, April 6 and a regular session Monday, April 10. Coverage of both meetings appears below.

THURSDAY, APRIL 6
The Thursday, April 6 special meeting was called to order by Board of Supervisors Chairperson Dan Byrnes with Supervisors Mark Reiser and Dennis Keatley present.

The Friends of Pool 9 Directors have tentatively scheduled a Pool 9 Mississippi River Clean-Up Day for Saturday, April 22. Because of the possibility of excessive spring flooding, volunteers should stay abreast of water levels on the Mississippi River as the clean-up date approaches.

There will be no mass meetings of individuals at the Lansing VFW building and there will not be a lunch following. Lansing volunteers should gather at the waterfront area below the VFW building next to the river to sign the 2023 Friends of Pool 9 Release of Liability form before participating in the event.
FOP9 Directors Alex Galema, Bob Henkel, Bruce ReVoir and Mike Conway will be available to hand out garbage bags, gloves and water, as well as to assign collection areas. Directors will also be available at most launch sites in Pool 9 including Big Slough Landing (Shelly Galema and Jerry Boardman), Black Hawk Park (Ric Zarwell) and Ferryville (Larry Quamme and John Mitchell).

Helping Services for Youth & Families is proud to share about the community’s support of the 2023 Youth Mentoring Bowl-A-Thon held March 26 at King Pin Entertainment Center in Decorah. Local sponsors and 52 bowlers raised $8,400 to help provide adult role models for youth in Allamakee, Howard and Winneshiek Counties. Appreciation goes out to all the bowlers and their donors. There were many cheers as bowlers experienced strikes, spares, and even gutter balls. Pictured in the submitted photo above is the team of Hattie, Martha, Kaden and Tim preparing to take part in the 2023 Youth Mentoring Bowl-A-Thon