River Valley

by Julie Berg-Raymond

The Lansing City Council received some encouraging new information about the new bridge project from a representative of the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) during its regular meeting Monday, June 6.

While estimates of a road closure while the new bridge at Lansing is being constructed had earlier been in the three- to five-month range, Brennan Dolan, cultural resources and team lead/tribal liaison with the Iowa DOT, told the council at its June 6 meeting the three- to five-month estimate is being considered a “worst-case scenario.”

Friends of the Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library invite everyone to come celebrate the 107 years of the Dunlevy newspaper legacy and the life of John Dunlevy, past editor of The Allamakee Journal, Saturday, June 25 from 1-4 p.m. at Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library, located at 515 Main Street. A short program will be held at 2 p.m.

John J. Dunlevy, 83, a lifelong resident of Lansing, died Saturday, December 4, 2021. John Dunlevy was the third generation of his family’s operation of the newspaper in Lansing. He held this position until 1988 when The Allamakee Journal was sold. This concluded 107 years of the Dunlevy legacy with The Allamakee Journal.

For additional information, contact Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library at 563-538-4693.
 

Lansing is looking for volunteers to help welcome RAGBRAI cyclists from across the nation and around the world. More than 10,000 riders are expected to wrap up an entire week of peddling by dipping their tires in the Mississippi River at Lansing July 30, and everyone is invited to be an ambassador to paradise as part of the town’s “Pedal to Paradise” welcoming event.

Help is needed now through RAGBRAI week, July 21-July 31. Sign up in person at a volunteer meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 15 at Kee High School in Lansing or click on the volunteer tab at lansingragbrai.com.

Interested individuals can choose from many volunteering needs, such as food and vending, parking supervision, set-up and clean-up, transportation, beautification, information center, traffic management, greeting and picture taking, entertainment, housing, hospitality, or campground hosting. Volunteers can work just the day of arrival or help out longer term.

Street repair currently limiting access from north

Beginning Wednesday, June 1 and taking place each Wednesday after that, LIFT (Lansing Iowa Food Trust) will resume pre-COVID food distribution protocols from 4-6 p.m. each Wednesday at its 220 South 3rd Street location in Lansing. Clients will work with a volunteer at the facility  as they select their own food items, following the posted guidelines.

Clients are encouraged to bring their own boxes and bags to carry items. Special needs will be accommodated if items are available. LIFT will no longer have prepackaged boxes or drive-through service.

LIFT allows one shopper per household to select food. Children will not be allowed in the building while clients are shopping. Clients will be limited to four people at a time in the store during the distribution hours.

Thornton Manor would like to invite anyone who has (or who knows of someone who has) an old-fashioned car or fun motorcycle to participate in Thornton Manor’s First Annual Father’s Day Fun Parade scheduled for Friday, June 17. Participants can call Karen at Thornton Manor to confirm they are going to participate, or for more information, at 563-538-4236.

Parade will start at 10 a.m. Friday, June 17. Staff will be outside Thornton Manor to direct the traffic and set up the parade line.

All residents and staff who want to watch the parade will be seated safely outside the front of Thornton Manor. In the case of a rainy day, the parade will be canceled and rescheduled for a later date, which will be announced.
 

Get hooked on fishing during free fishing weekend June 3-5. Iowa residents can try fishing without buying a license this Friday through Sunday, June 3, 4 and 5 as part of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) free fishing weekend. All other regulations remain in place.

“A summer of family fun is just a short drive and a fishing pole away,” said Joe Larscheid, chief of the Iowa DNR’s Fisheries Bureau. “You’ll be reeling in fish and making new memories in no time!”

Free fishing weekend is a great time to learn how to fish, take family members fishing, or introduce a friend to fishing. Outdoor fun awaits at hundreds of Iowa lakes, thousands of miles of rivers or a neighborhood pond.

Find a list of stocked lakes and ponds that are easily accessible in parks and along trails on the Iowa DNR’s interactive Iowa Community Fisheries Atlas at www.iowadnr.gov/Fishing/Fish-Local.

The first program in Ferryville, WI’s popular Chautauqua Summer Series is scheduled to be held Wednesday, June 8 at 6:30 p.m. in Ferryville’s Village Hall. The hall is located along Hwy. 35, Wisconsin’s Great River Road Scenic Byway, at the south end of the village.

The program for the June 8 presentation will be “Lock and Dam #9” and will be presented by Jay Grimsled and Brian Sipos. They will explain the history, the purpose, and the importance of the lock and dam system to the Mississippi River. Many drive by the Lynxville Lock and Dam frequently, and this June 8 Chautauqua program will provide an opportunity to learn more about it. They will provide information and answer any questions those in attendance might have.

submitted by Friends of Pool 9

It was a warmer than usual late April day when the Friends of Pool 9 (FOP9) members and volunteers boarded their boats in groups of two, three and more for their annual Mississippi River Clean-Up Day. The pool water level was just below 12 feet, which is about four feet above normal.

This makes it easier in some cases to retrieve trash scattered among the backwater islands, but also makes it more difficult with increased stream velocity and river flow at nearly 100,000 cubic feet per second. However, regardless of the obstacles, these seasoned “river-veterans” prevailed.

by Julie Berg-Raymond

At its regular meeting Monday, May 16, the Lansing City Council reviewed Auditor of State Rob Sand’s agreed-upon procedures report on the City of Lansing, Iowa, for the period July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020. The agreed-upon procedures engagement was performed pursuant to Chapter 11.6 of the Code of Iowa.

A press release issued May 2 by the Office of Auditor of State, State of Iowa, indicated that “Sand reported fifteen findings related to the receipt and disbursement of taxpayer funds …The findings address issues such as a lack of segregation of duties, errors in the utility reconciliation, disbursements exceeding budgeted amounts, excess TIF collections, and the need to seek legal counsel regarding the relationship between the City and the Lansing Fire Department, Inc. (Non-profit Fire Department). Sand provided the City with recommendations to address each of the findings.”

Thornton Manor would like to invite anyone who has (or who knows of someone who has) an old-fashioned car or fun motorcycle to participate in Thornton Manor’s First Annual Father’s Day Fun Parade scheduled for Friday, June 17. Participants can call Karen at Thornton Manor to confirm they are going to participate, or for more information, at 563-538-4236.

Parade will start at 10 a.m. Friday, June 17. Staff will be outside Thornton Manor to direct the traffic and set up the parade line.

All residents and staff who want to watch the parade will be seated safely outside the front of Thornton Manor. In the case of a rainy day, the parade will be canceled and rescheduled for a later date, which will be announced.