The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, February 27 to address a full agenda of matters including the review of the County’s insurance policy and renewal, discussion of the Maximum Levy hearing date for the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) County Budget, and consideration of the Resolution to add a Secondary Road Project to the Construction Program. The meeting was called to order by Board Chairperson Dan Byrnes with Supervisors Mark Reiser and Dennis Keatley present.
During Public Comment, Carolyn Clark, a member of the Allamakee County Historical Society Board of Directors, noted that work has begun relating to the genealogy research area in the basement of the County Veterans Museum, the former Vet’s Club location.
The Allamakee County Veterans Museum will be hosting a special presentation Thursday, March 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the new museum in the former Vet’s Club on Allamakee Street in Waukon. The program was rescheduled from February 23 due to a winter storm.
Area native Craig Timmerman will be giving a public presentation titled “Harley Davidson Goes to War” where he will detail his efforts to locate and restore an authentic World War II Harley Davidson U.S. Army motorcycle, model WLA (pictured in the submitted photo above).
Timmerman is an experienced WWII collector who will explain the training, experiences and contributions of this modern “cavalry” to the war effort. He will also introduce a documentary from the U.S. Army Quartermaster School where motorcycle troops trained. His restored Harley Davidson WLA with maintenance tools and manuals will be on display.
“Find your Voice” is the theme of Robey Memorial Library’s 2023 Adult Reading Challenge, which is now underway and runs through December 31. Robey Memorial Library challenges everyone to read something new or different this year.
Participants can receive a prize drawing entry for reading from one of each of 12 categories: Author’s First Book; Author/Genre Never Read; Autobiography/Memoir; Community Themed; Epistolary (Letter or Journal); Featuring a creative activity; Featuring social change; History; Magazine; Poetry; Recommended; and Religious, Spiritual or Inspirational.
The Allamakee County Veterans Museum in Waukon will be offering one final encore video presentation to the public in the meeting room of its new museum in the former Vet’s Club building at 105 Allamakee Street, Waukon. The video presentation will take place Saturday, March 4 at 10 a.m. and feature Carl Johnson, U.S. Army Veteran who served in Vietnam.
There is no admission charge for these video presentations, and the museum is wheelchair accessible. Museum winter hours include tours provided each Saturday from 9 a.m. until noon, and the museum is available by appointment for groups.
The Waukon Police Department will be hosting an Open House for the general public to tour its remodeled police station located at 104 1st Street NW in Waukon Thursday, March 2 from 4-7 p.m. The open house will give potential police officer applicants and the general public an opportunity to tour the facility and view patrol vehicles, with officers also in attendance to answer questions and provide demonstrations of equipment.
Featured during the open house will be the police station remodeling completed in 2021 that provided employee safety upgrades, increased individual officer workspace and created a conference/training room. Also on display will be the new Taser 7 and Axon 3 body cameras acquired in 2022, as well as a new drone acquired by the department just this year.
Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission (UERPC) is updating the Passenger Transportation Plan (PTP) for the region consisting of Allamakee, Clayton, Fayette, Howard and Winneshiek Counties in northeast Iowa. The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) requires that this region’s PTP be updated every five years. The current plan was adopted by the Upper Explorerland Transportation Policy Board in Spring of 2018.
The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Board of Directors met Tuesday, February 21 due to the fact that there was no school Monday, February 20 because of the President’s Day holiday. The meeting began with a Public Hearing on the 2023-2024 School Calendar. No written or oral comments were heard.
Under the consent agenda, the following personnel matters were approved: Kids Club staff and hiring Allison Hagensick as West Elementary Special Education Teacher. The following transfers were approved: Mason Berns to At Risk Interventionist/Student Success Coordinator; Quinn Brennan to Sixth Grade Teacher; and Stacy Miner to Middle School Special Education Teacher. Two open enrollments out of the district were approved, as well as one open enrollment into the district. The board also approved a contract for Special Education service with the MFL/MarMac Community School District.
Members of the Waukon High School Band program participated in the UNI Honor Band Festival at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls February 9-11. The students attended rehearsals and master classes for their specific instrument during the two-day festival. The UNI Honor Band Festival consisted of three separate honor bands - Wind Symphony, Concert Band and Symphonic Band. Waukon High School had two band members, Gabe Goettel and Logan Lubahn (left to right in right half of above photo), participate in the Concert Band, and two members participate in the Symphonic Band, Moriah Downing and Annie Ellingson (left to right in left half of above photo). All Waukon High School Band members who participated are under the instruction of Jo Ann Sherman, Waukon High School Band Director. Submitted photo.
Members of the Waukon High School Band and Choir programs attended the Northeast Iowa Conference (NEIC) Music Festival held Monday, January 16 at Waverly-Shell Rock High School in Waverly. The NEIC Festival has changed its format recently, alternating between having an Honor Band and an Honor Orchestra. This year, the festival hosted an Honor Orchestra. The Honor Choir is held annually at the event. The students rehearsed throughout the day and presented a concert for the public that evening.
Eight Waukon High School Choir members participated in the Honor Choir, directed by Wartburg College Choir Director Dr. Lee Nelson. Those participating in the Honor Choir included: Left to right - Front row: Kylie Strittmater and Annie Ellingson (far left and far right in front row trio); Back row: Sarah Stock, Molly Peake, Caleb Perkins, Dekota Bechtel, Gabe Goettel and Olivia Dougherty. The choir members are directed by Waukon High School Choir Director Sarah Bieber.
Kee High School hosted the Individual Conference Speech Contest Monday, February 20, hosting Speech students from their fellow Upper Iowa Conference schools. The six students pictured above from Kee took nine events and all received 1 ratings. The students also competed in the District Contest Saturday, February 25 at Decorah High School. These six Kee students (pictured left to right, including front to back) performed in the following 10 events (and received the following ratings, listed in parentheses): Rhianna Jones - After Dinner (2) and Solo Music Theatre (2), Cadan Evanson - Radio News (1) and Prose (1), Neva Peterson - Literary Program (1), Isabelle Hammell - Poetry (1), Riley Troendle - Prose (1) and Poetry (1), and Brendan Jones - Literary Program (1) and Original Oratory (1). All eight performances receiving 1 ratings advanced to the State Contest, which is scheduled for Saturday, March 11 at Starmont High School. Submitted photo.
