June 6, 2007

Updates on Hoffman Hall and the wastewater treatment plant, plus approval of a new sewer and water agreement with the City of Bridgeport and a new water management system for Hoffman Hall were the main items of discussion at Tuesday evening's meeting of the Prairie du Chien Common Council.

Hoffman Hall Director Deana Protz reported that, in the two months since she has been director, good progress had been made.

She added seven additional fitness classes for the summer, art classes for youth, a basketball program, and an adult tennis league.

She said she also brought in professionals to look at the pool, heating and ventilation and lighting. An electrician, she reported, was working on the exhaust system in the gym.

Protz said that the Hoffman Hall Committee had provided excellent support and advice and said, "It's great that you've selected such a dedicated and hard working group of individuals." She said she had also been contacted by many other people with ideas for future programs. Councilmember Kathleen Hein stated, "I've heard positive things and I think you're doing an amazing job."

Protz also described the need for a new water treatment system for the pool, stating that the present method of adding chemicals to the pool is dangerous and out of compliance with code. She outlined options presented by Carrico Aquatic Resources of McFarland, Wis. The company, she said, has a good reputation. The option she recommended was to purchase a controller and feed system and enter into a water management program for the chemicals. Council approved the option, which will require an investment of $3,600 with monthly payments of $300 for a minimum of two years. Chemicals are included in the cost. Protz said that with the new system, the chemicals can be automatically adjusted.

Council also approved having Wolf Machine repair the pool filter system to stop the leaks, which presently drop water levels by two to four inches a week. Cost is estimated at $3,500 to $5,500. Protz said that should help until funds have been raised to replace the entire filter system.

Wastewater Treatment Plant Superintendent Terry Meyer presented an update on the sewage treatment system. The plant, buildings and grounds, he said, are in good condition with the exception of an aeration leak which they will monitor. The new alarm telemetry system is working well, he said. As part of an energy conservation effort at the plant, he reported, they have reduced energy consumption by 120,400 kilowatt hours over the past year.

Larry Gates. city water superintendent, reported that a new agreement had been reached with Bridgeport for sewer and water services. The present contract expires this month.

Gates said that at the request of Bridgeport, they had combined the sewer and water services in one agreement, and drawn up a 10-year rather than a 20-year contract.

Council had requested that the new rates be no lower than the rates paid by residents of Prairie du Chien, and the new contract reflects that request. Bridgeport will pay the same rate as Prairie du Chien residents for sewer.

Water rates vary for Prairie du Chien residents, depending on consumption. The rate is 90 cents per 100 cubic feet for the first 37,500 cubic feet. Anything above that is billed at 59 cents per cubic foot. To even out the difference, Bridgeport will be billed at a straight fee of 79 cents per cubic foot.

Council approved the agreement subject to review and approval by the city attorney. Bridgeport also has to finalize the agreement.

The new UW Extension position for Crawford County has been filled and the new person is on the job and getting settled into the area.

"I love this area," said Laura Brown, who began her duties on June 1. "Crawford County is similar to many rural areas and facing the same challenges, but the county has many assets and incredible potential. I'm so excited to be here and to start working with the citizens. The people are very friendly and the area has beautiful scenery and a unique charm."

Brown, who grew up in Massachusetts, said that Crawford County reminded her of the New England countryside.

Brown will be serving Crawford County as a Community Natural Resource and Economic Development Educator, a position that had been absent from the county for the last 25 years.

Brown will be focusing on the economic development and land use planning of the county and its municipalities. One of her jobs will be to help the county and the municipalities with the creation of their comprehensive plans that are required under the State's 2010 Smart Growth Law.

If the municipalities or the county want to incorporate land use regulations, they will be required to have a comprehensive plan, explained Brown, whose role will be that of a facilitator and an educator. A comprehensive plan will help the municipalities to see the bigger picture and to have goals in mind for the upcoming years. Comprehensive plans also aid in the acquisition of grants and other funding, said Brown.

"It's really important for me to get to know what the residents of Crawford County want and what they envision," said Brown. "I am here to help them to create a vision and to reach it." As a facilitator, Brown said that she can help to create more collaboration between entities that have been already working on various projects. She can also bring resources from UW-Madison and elsewhere outside of the county.

Brown most recently resided in Madison for the past two and a half years and received her Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from UW-Madison. She was raised in Taunton, Massachusetts.

In addition to economic development and land use planning, Brown may also be delving into natural resources issues within the county. Whatever projects lie ahead, Brown said that it will take a lot of dedicated citizens to make them happen.

As many as three elk are running loose in southeast Allamakee County near the Yellow River.

"We're trying to figure out where they came from," said Terry Haindfield, a Department of Natural Resources (DNR) wildlife biologist for Allamakee County. He believes that the elk escaped from a local elk farm, although no one has reported missing any. He has contacted one elk producer, Lloyd Johanningmeir, who said the animals were not his.

The animals are living in an area of the county just southwest of Highway 76 along the Yellow River. Much of the property in this area is part of the Yellow River State Forest and the Heritage Addition of Effigy Mounds National Monument. It is a wild place, with little development or agricultural activity.

A cow elk with a young calf was photographed by a turkey hunter in late April, and employees at Ion Exchange prairie nursery reported seeing a bull and two cows. This reporter saw a cow on June 3.

According to Haindfield, legally the animals have the same status as any other escaped livestock, such as hogs or cattle. It is the owners responsibility to capture them. But game laws also apply to the animals, and it is illegal to hunt them.

Haindfield said that the Iowa DNR has no plans to reintroduce wild elk to Northeast Iowa, but with a bull and two cows and a calf on the loose, the beginnings of a wild herd are already in place. If the owners of the animals are not located, he is not sure what steps the DNR might take. For now, the agency will continue to seek the owners of the animals and monitor reports of their location. If you see an elk in this area, please report it to Haindfield at (563) 382-4895.

In the school system, a 4.0 grade point average means a student has achieved the highest possible grades„straight A's-„and it means the same thing when the city's sewage treatment plant has a 4.0 average.

Terry Meyer, Waste Water Treatment Plant Superintendent for Prairie du Chien, reported at last night's City Council meeting that the plant had received the highest possible ranking in all sections of it annual report on plant operations and management. The report measures the plant's effectiveness in treating sewage and removing pollutants.

Last year, the overall score was 3.9. Meyer said he felt the plant's superior performance was due to the effectiveness of the entire staff: "I've got really good guys working for me," he said. Mayor Cheryl Mader congratulated him for the achievement, and councilmember Jaaren Riebe added: "Kudos to Terry for being an all-around team player."

People working very hard to better themselves and to make life better for their children and their community is always encouraging. In fact, it can be quite an uplifting experience, as Crawford County Agent Vance Haugen found out on a recent trip to Zambia.

"It was like a vacation with a purpose," said Haugen, who went to Zambia to demonstrate the advantages of biogas for dairy farmers. Haugen was in a remote part of Zambia (the former Northern Rhodesia in Africa) from April 22 through May 6, and while there, constructed two demonstration biogas digesters on two women's farms. He also conducted presentations to a total of about 65 dairy farmers, the vast majority of which are women.

The women had requested someone with biogas expertise to show them the energy-saving technology and Haugen went on the trip as part of the United States Aid for International Development (USAID) Farmer to Farmer Program.

"It's a great program and it's open to any farmer," said Haugen. "You donate your time and expertise and everything else is paid for," he said.

Haugen said that the farmers were very enthusiastic and hard working. The region is extremely poor, he said, and the dairy farms have no electricity or running water. Their houses are mud huts with grass roofs and the farms are very small, with four or five cows on two or three acres hewn out of the tall, rough, surrounding elephant grass of the bush.

The farmers got their start about five or six years ago through the help of Heifer International, who donated a pregnant cow to each farmer. In time, each farmer is to donate a pregnant cow to another prospective farmer to help perpetuate the progress.

"These people have very little but they were taking very good care of the animals," said Haugen. "They are working hard and working together and getting things done."

Haugen said that the farmers are milking by hand and are either drinking the milk or selling it. "They are getting about the same price for milk as we are here in U.S. dollars," said Haugen, who noted that milk was being sold at about 14 cents per pound, despite the fact that the average workman's wage was $2 per day. Fourteen cents per pound is approximately $15 per hundred weight.

In wanting to find a relatively low-cost energy source for boiling water and cooking, the 65-woman cooperative expressed an interest in biogas. Haugen explained that a biogas digester converts cow manure into methane gas that can be run through a hose to a stove. A biogas digester is simple and low cost and the energy it produces costs much less than that of wood or charcoal.

The simple biogas digesters that Haugen set up involve a 55-gallon drum filled with cow manure, into which a 40-gallon drum is placed upside down to capture the resultant methane gas. When the 40-gallon drum becomes full of gas, it rises up. This set up will produce enough gas for one hour of cooking. Incidentally, while it is being burned for cooking or other purposes, the gas is odorless.

If these systems work and are financially viable, 30 more will be set up in the near future, said Haugen, who is very optimistic. "I am very confident it will work," said Haugen, who had to leave Zambia before the two digesters became fully operational. "It has worked in other countries and these are very smart people. They will get it going."

Haugen said that another reason why biogas digesters are good is because the process doesn't deplete the cow manure of nutrients. The manure can then be spread as fertilizer.

"It's an exciting thing. I am very enthused," said Haugen. "And, I am really impressed by the people."

Haugen remembers one man, Francis Sakala, as saying, "We are doing this for our children and our grandchildren." Francis Sakala, who is one of the very few in the region with a vehicle, drove Haugen on his rounds in a Toyota Land Rover that had to be push started.

Along with the purposeful sentiments toward future generations, Haugen was also impressed by the work ethic and upbeat attitude he witnessed. "One of the biggest thrills that I had was working with people who wanted to get something done," he said. "They have so little but they have so much optimism."

Before arriving in Zambia, Haugen said he was somewhat apprehensive because the nation had been a British Colony in the not too distant past. Also, he was on his own rather than part of a team as he had been on two similar trips to Nicaragua, where he worked on rotational grazing projects.

"I was the only white male in a different culture," he said. "But, I really felt very much accepted by the group and very much respected."

While in Zambia, Haugen stayed in a hotel in Luanshya, a town of about 10,000 approximately six kilometers from the farms where he worked. "It worked out beautifully," he said.

In addition to biogas, Haugen said that the farmers are also working towards constructing a building with electricity so that they can cool their milk.

Before he left, Haugen said that he was very moved and touched when such poor people gave him a gift to take home to his wife Bonnie. They told him that his wife worked on the Haugen farm in Canton, Minnesota, thus making it possible for him to travel to Zambia to teach them about biogas.

In addition to the USAID Farmer to Farmer Program, Haugen said that the non-government organization Land O' Lakes International, based in Minneapolis, has been a great asset in getting projects such as the biogas project up and running in Zambia and other countries.

Prairie du Chien junior Deidre Dillman repeated as the Division 2 State Champion in the 800-meter run Friday afternoon at the State Track Meet at Veterans Stadium in La Crosse.

Dillman, the versatile running sensation, led from start to finish and won easily in a time of 2:15.14. Dillman, who did not lose in the 800 the entire season, said she was confident entering the State Meet.

On Saturday, Dillman took third in the 400-meter dash in a time of 57.99. She had the fastest qualifying time during the 400 heats on Friday, running a 57.6.

"Fortunately through the work of one talented young woman our team was able to prosper," said Prairie du Chien Coach Brek Schneider, whose Lady Hawks took 13th at the State Meet. "It is a privilege to have such a talent on the track and maybe we will be able to continue the State trip with athletes like Deidre and other members of the team in the years to come."

This season, Dillman had also competed in the 200-meter dash, finishing seventh at sectionals in a time of 29.06. She also ran in the 100 and the 1600 earlier this season, winning those events.