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January 9, 2002 |
| Council
receives carp proclamation The "Dropping of the Carp" Committee made an appearance at Tuesday night's City Council meeting, and presented a proclamation from Gov. Scott McCallum to the city (see right). "Larry and the Carpettes" sang a rousing rendition of a "thank you to the council" song, and the council then moved on to regular business. Council member Jim Jones questioned City Administrator Gary Koch concerning the shower which is being put into the new city hall. Koch said the plan for the one-stall unisex shower has been in place the beginning of the building plans, and it's not a large expense since it's going off the existing plumbing. Koch said that a number of city employees may have a need or want to "clean up" after working in the field before they meet with people. He further explained that the national trend is promote exercise in the work place and having a place for employees to clean up is a way to do that. Council member Frank Pintz, who works construction, said the last three large projects he worked on all included shower facilities and locker rooms for employees to use. The council referred a notification of rate increase from Mediacom, the local cable TV provider, to City Attorney Tom Peterson. Although last time it was looked into it was determined that they wasn't much the city could do about the increases, Peterson said he felt the council shouldn't approve the rate increases without investigating negotiations. The council referred two issues to the personnel committee - the promotion of a current police dispatcher to the position of communication supervisor, and to advertise the position of street mechanic which was vacated by a promotion. DMV reduces office service hours in PdC Effective Monday, Feb. 4, the Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Drivers License Examiner offices in our area will have new service hours. Due to budget concerns, service schedules have been modified. In Prairie du Chien, the DMV will be available at the National Guard Armory on the first and third Tuesdays of each month from 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. (This is a reduction from the first, third and fourth Tuesdays of each month they have previously had a team in Prairie du Chien.) Other DMV service times in our area, also effective Feb. 4, are: Boscobel - Fourth Tuesday of each month from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Viroqua - Wednesdays from 8 a.m. - 4:15 p.m. Richland Center - Thursdays and Fridays, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. McGregor artist's anguish over Sept 11 attacks transforms into art; proceeds go to troops overseas The following article by Bob Andersen is reprinted with permission from the Clayton County Register. Wildlife artist Ed Lawrence of McGregor felt like most Americans after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He was horrified, anguished and angry at the loss of thousands of innocent lives as the World Trade Towers in New York City and The Pentagon in Washington, D.C. were hit by commercial airplanes loaded with jet fuel and hijacked passengers. Lawrence also thought about America's service men and women who he knew would be risking their life as the United States began waging war against terrorism in an effort to prevent another Sept. 11. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Lawrence would have reenlisted himself if that were possible. "But, I didn't think they would take a 58-year-old former jet mechanic,'' he says. In frustration, the wildlife artist reached for his sketching pencil and a pad of blank white paper. He began drawing the head of an eagle. In the days that followed the attacks, he devoted all his artistic energy to drawing the eagle. "I spent a whole day and a half on the eye alone,'' he says. Why so much time on the eye? "There had to be grit and a look of determination in his eye,'' says Lawrence, who wanted the eagle to reflect the national mood of the American people and the resolve and courage of our troops on active duty. It didn't take long for the artist to come up with a name for his steely-eyed eagle. The name was "Determination.'' Fundraising project Now, only three months later, Lawrence has found a way to help our troops overseas as "Determination" has taken flight in the form of a fundraising project with proceeds going to a project named "Operation: Support Our Troops," which is coordinated by the American Red Cross. The project is a partnership between Lawrence, The Clayton County Register in Elkader, Iowa, and the Grant Wood Chapter of the Red Cross, headquartered in Cedar Rapids. Lawrence and Register graphic artist Brenda Boddicker have designed the U.S. flag and "Determination" into a compelling work of art. And the artwork is the subject of 11-by-14 inch prints produced at The Clayton County Register. The proceeds from the prints will go to the Red Cross for its "Operation: Support Our Troops." The purpose of "Operation: Support Our Troops" is to gather candy, games, toiletries and a multitude of other items to be sent to our troops overseas in the form of "Care Packages." According to Red Cross project director Sue Grant, the "Care Packages" are especially enjoyed by our service men and women because they contain items from "home" which are often impossible to obtain in far-off countries. The Red Cross sent over 100 of the large packages this holiday season. However, the project is a year-around effort. Grant said the Red Cross hopes to send another shipment of "Care Packages" in March and April, providing there are enough donations to buy the items to fill the boxes. She feels the local "Determination" project should be very helpful in filling the "Care Packages." For his part, Ed Lawrence couldn't be happier that the eagle he began drawing on Sept. 11 out of a sense of frustration has developed in a fundraising project for our troops overseas, who are engaged in a war with terrorists intent on destroying America. He says "Operation: Support Our Troops"" is exactly what he had in mind as a way to help our military personnel. "I want the funds to go to our troops," says the 31-year retired employee of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Most of those years, he served as a naturalist and game warden in the counties of Clayton and Allamakee. Since retiring a few years ago, Lawrence has built himself a reputation as one of the most talented wildlife artists in the Midwest. People who want to support our troops by purchasing a "Determination" print can do so by sending a check, money order or Visa or MasterCard credit card numbers to: The Clayton County Register, P.O. Box 130, Elkader, Iowa 52043. The cost is $15 per print plus $3.75 per print for postage and handling costs. Costs are reduced on orders of more than three prints. Call The Clayton County Register at (563)245-1311. Pool 8 summer drawdown shows signs of success, concern The St. Paul District of the Army Corps of Engineers drew down the pool by one and a half feet beginning June 30 in hopes of generating increased aquatic plant growth in order to help restore fish and wildlife habitat. The experimental drawdown was also implemented in order to study the effects of a drawdown on the maintenance of the navigation channel, recreation and commercial uses of Pool 8. As far as restoration of habitat is concerned, the drawdown was a success, "but not a resounding success," said Richard J. Otto, chief of the Corps of Engineers' natural resources project office in La Crescent, Minn. Otto said that aquatic plants did well during the drawdown, but growth was somewhat limited because the drawdown lasted only about 45 days, instead of the 90 days that was originally intended. Otto said that while there was high river flow early in the summer due to heavy rains, the drawdown was ended early because there was not enough river flow in August, when a dry spell took effect. He said that a drawdown allows for more light penetration, which promotes increased growth of emergent aquatic vegetation. "Plants are essential to the entire food chain," Otto said of the habitat restoration goal, "Many areas of Pool 8 were lacking in vegetation." Otto said he and others are studying whether a drawdown is a good method for habitat restoration. If given enough time, it is hoped that a drawdown would improve plant growth to the point where there is a strong enough root structure so that plants remain longer than one summer and continue to re-emerge each summer for a number of years, Otto said. Minnows and other baitfish feed on plankton and small crustaceans associated with vegetation. They also use the plants for cover. In turn, predator fish feed on the baitfish, while herons, eagles and other species feed on the larger fish as the food chain extends up the line. Otto said that a partial drawdown, about half as much as in 2001 (or about 9 inches), is being considered for the summer of 2002. He said that public support would be essential in order to proceed with the drawdown and public hearings on the matter are expected to be held this spring. Concerning other aspects of the drawdown, a preliminary analysis report from the Corps of Engineers states that as a result of the drawdown project, the St. Paul District spent approximately $737,300 more for channel maintenance, dredging approximately 120,000 cubic yards more than what would have otherwise been dredged in Pool 8 in 2001. Further evaluation will be required, including monitoring of the dredge cuts to determine if there are carry-over benefits in terms of reduced dredging in 2002 and beyond. According to the analysis report, tow boat operators described Pool 8 as a pool that is already tough to navigate. During the drawdown, operators said that navigating the pool was a bit tougher, however it was still navigable. The report said the outdraft at Lock and Dam 8 seemed to be a bit more pronounced and maneuvering in some areas of the pool was tougher than usual. Effects of the drawdown on 33 known archaeological sites in Pool 8 were studied as well. The Natural Resource Management Office in La Crescent received numerous inquiries from the public, ranging from complaints about low water levels in the upper pool, sedimentation at or near boat landings, questions concerning the accuracy of the La Crosse gauge, to compliments about increased vegetative growth within the mid and lower pool, the report said. |
| January 7, 2002 |
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PdC house sustains extensive damage in fire |
