Letter characterizes Bituma layoffs as permanent

By Trudy Balcom

The North Iowa Times has acquired a copy of a letter submitted to many Gencor-Bituma employees earlier this month. The letter informs the recipients of impending or immediate layoffs, and that they should consider their layoff “permanent.”

The letter, dated August 3, states “At this time, you should consider your layoff to be permanent.”

Gencor-Bituma manufactures asphalt production plants. Gencor, the parent company, is based in Orlando, Fla.

The letter goes on to say that the company will attempt to continue operations of the factory if they can get enough business, but that such business is not assured. If possible, the letter states, “some employees may be maintained or recalled to work.”

Layoffs at the manufacturer began in January with a second round which occurred later this spring; a total of about 60 employees were cut before the subsequent letter and layoffs began earlier this month, according to an former employee who wished to remain anonymous. The source said that 32 employees remained at the plant, mostly office staff and union representatives.

The also states that “Your employment is likely to end around Oct. 1,” and that only a “minimal management team will remain at this time.”

Efforts to contact Gencor Human Resources manager Michael West to confirm information about layoffs and the company’s future plans for the Marquette plant were unsuccessful. A Gencor staffer said that West was away for a family emergency.

The letter and its contents was news to Wayne Laufenberg, Business Representative for District 6 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), the union that represents all production and maintenance employees at Gencor-Bituma. He had not seen a copy of the letter when he was initially contacted by the North Iowa Times. The letter says that of the “minimal management team” they intend to retain, “…none…are affiliated with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers,”.

Laufenberg said that manufacturers throughout the region have laid off workers as a result of the economic downturn.

Laufenberg said that the IAM had not received notice of any planned work shutdown, such as the letter seems to indicate, and that according to the union’s contract with Gencor, the union must receive 60 days notice of any shutdown.

Some laid-off workers have speculated that the economic slowdown may have provided the company with an opportunity to try to rid itself of the union and possibly hire new, non-union employees. Laufenberg said he could not comment on that possibility at this time. He characterized the past relations between the union and Gencor as “semi-comfortable.”

IAM union representatives from the Marquette plant are scheduled to begin routine contract talks with Gencor on Sept. 9. The current union contract expires on Sept. 15.

Founders Day, Archaeology
for Kids and Bird Walk coming up at Effigy Mounds

The public is invited to Effigy Mounds National Monument to celebrate National Park Service Founders’ Day on the weekend leading up to Tuesday, August 25. Congress established the National Park Service on August 25, 1916, “to promote and regulate the use of the…national parks…to conserve the scenery and natural and historic objects…to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner…as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.” Special activities and birthday cake will be served to celebrate Founders’ Day, the birthday of the National Park Service on Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday at the Effigy Mounds Visitor Center.

On Saturday, kids can enjoy special activities for Children’s Archeology Day from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Activities include Stones, Bones, and Sticks, atlatl demonstrations, archeological demonstrations and a pottery activity.

Adults will have the opportunity to preview the film “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea,” the new film by Ken Burns that will be aired on PBS this fall. Previews will be shown at  1:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

 On Tuesday, the birthday of The National Park Service  the public is invited to join us all day at the monument for cake and hikes to celebrate the founding of the National Park Service.

On Saturday, August 29, birders of all abilities are welcome to join Park Ranger Dennis Kirschbaum at the visitor center at 8:00 a.m. for a bird walk along the Yellow River Bridge Trail.

The Yellow River Bridge Trail is a great birding route. Currently many “young-of–the-year” birds are present along the trail. Young and adult scarlet tanagers, bluebirds, warblers and woodpeckers welcome visitors to the area.

Visitors are encouraged to wear sturdy shoes and bring binoculars, a pencil (checklists will be provided), and water for the hike. Guided bird walks will be offered once a month throughout the birding season. The next bird walk is scheduled for October 3 for Hawk Watch.

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By Megan McCormick

The Jan. 6 MarMac Police Commission meeting was shocking, to say the least. During a proposal for a Taser electronic control device (ECD), Chief of Police Randall Grady volunteered to demonstrate the device in a presentation that led the commission to allocate $1,300 to the department for the tool.
    Ron Bellendier, regional manager for the Taser company, gave the presentation, highlighting the benefits to agencies using Taser around the country.
    “There are a lot of departments that have (ECDs) already and use them successfully. Prairie du Chien used theirs within the last month,” said Grady.
    Because officers usually patrol alone in Marquette and McGregor, Grady feels the Taser device will reinforce their safety.
    “I don’t want my officers to go hands-on with the violator,” said Grady, citing an instance from last year where a MarMac officer was assaulted and sent to the Emergency Room.
    “The typical Taser-receiver is uncooperative in some sort of violent manner,” said Bellendier.
    Bellendier took time to address common perceptions of Taser devices.
    One myth, he said, is that Taser devices use a dangerously high voltage. While a wall outlet uses 16 amps of electricity and a small Christmas tree bulb uses one amp,the Taser device has a low electric current with an output of .0036 amps.
    “During [the application], it felt like I was getting 100 tattoos at once on the inside rather than the outside of my skin,” said Grady.
    Grady had two volunteers steady him on each side while the Taser device was applied to his back for three seconds. After the demonstration, he said he felt his muscles tighten and a burning sensation, which faded soon after the application.
    Bellendier said that over 11 thousand law enforcement agencies use Taser worldwide, and 3,500 have full deployment of Taser, meaning that every officer carries a device.
    ECDs are used to control violent or unmanageable individuals. The Taser device incapacitates individuals under the influence of drugs or alcohol because electric currents cause the muscles of the body to tighten, allowing officers to restrain individuals without using firearms.
    Bellendier said that Taser devices can be effective without being used. Often times, uncooperative suspects surrender to police upon seeing the ECD before the trigger is pulled.
    To make the device recognizable to both violators and other officers as an ECD, the MarMac police department will purchase a yellow model of the Taser X26. 
    Every police agency develops its own protocol for when it is appropriate to use the Taser device, but Bellendier said that typically the device is used in place of pepper spray. Grady has not yet implemented a policy for deployment protocol, but plans to have one in place when officers begin carrying the device.
    MarMac officers must be trained before they can use the device. A six-hour hands-on training period will be provided for MarMac police officers. Trainees are not required to be tased to become certified.
    The $1300 fund allocation will pay for one ECD and several holsters. Officers on duty will be armed with the Taser at all times.
    “We have the money in our budget for [the Taser],” said Grady.
    Violent perpetrators in Marquette and McGregor will soon face a supercharged police force as the Taser X26 joins the team.

McGregor native “Strutts” her stuff as Klondike Kate               

By Megan McCormick

     McGregor and Prairie du Chien are home to royalty. Well, almost. Darci Strutt, daughter of McGregor residents Joanne and
Don Strutt, was named as the St. Paul Winter Carnival’s Klondike Kate Jan. 7.
    Klondike Kate has been central to the Winter Carnival for almost four decades. The role requires a lot of singing and even more sass, according to her parents.
    “She said she had to take naughty lessons,” said JoAnne Strutt.
    The Klondike Kate character is a boa-flaunting, lipstick-wearing saloon-singing charmer with talent and beauty to boot. Strutt’s singing voice took root at Living Faith Parish Methodist  Church in McGregor where she sang in the choir from an early age.
    Family influenced Strutt’s decision to go for the “cold.” Her husband was crowned king of the Hudson, Wis. Pepper Fest at one time, and her daughter was a princess.
    This year was Strutt’s second time running for Klondike Kate. Last year, judges said she was too nice for the part. A year and some acting lessons later, Strutt has won the title.
    The 48-year-old North Hudson, Wis. resident impressed the audience of 350 by singing renditions of “A Guy What Takes His Time” and “Hey, Good Lookin’” in the final round of the competition.
    She competed against six other Twin Cities women for the title and won through the process of elimination.
    The competition traditionally marks the beginning of the Winter Carnival, which runs from Jan. 22 to Feb. 1. A special cabaret performance featuring Strutt and former Klondike Kates will take place Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn East in St. Paul.
    Mr. and Mrs. Strutt said she plans to be in at least one parade or event per weekend for the next year, some of which take her out of the country into Canada.
    “She enjoys it,” said Mrs. Strutt. “She just loves it.”
    Born and raised in McGregor, Strutt eventually moved across the river to Prairie du Chien. Today she lives in North Hudson, Wis. with her husband, three children and two step-children. The cabaret singer is also a grandmother to one grandson. A mistress of mischief by night, by day Strutt works as an information security specialist for U.S. Bank.
    Whether she’s taking care of her family, working at the bank or singing caberet, Darci is the epitome of a renaissance woman. McGregor and Prairie du Chien are part of the legacy.
   

After one year of business, Old Man River cuts the ribbon

By Megan McCormick

    While Old Man River Restaurant and Brewery opened to the public nearly one year ago, the official ribbon cutting took place Jan. 10.
    Located in the historic Diamond Jo building in McGregor, the restaurant offers home-brewed German beers which are produced on-site. The brewery has been up and running for two months and the ribbon-cutting ceremony commemorated that.
    Old Man River is owned by McGregor natives Dave and Marci Strutt.
A birthday celebration for Old Man River’s first year of business will be held Jan. 24 and feature live music, two-for-one beers and food specials. 

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Intern Megan McCormick
to take the reins at North Iowa Times for January

I am thrilled to take on Trudy’s role with the North Iowa Times this month. As a junior at Luther College, this internship will give be my first experience with small town reporting.
    I grew up in Anoka, Minn., a suburb just north of the Twin Cities. Today, I call Burnsville, Minn., home. At Luther I am majoring in political science with a minor in communication studies. I sing in choir and I am the news editor for Chips, the college newspaper. I also work part-time at the Hotel Winneshiek in Decorah as a banquet server.
    Coming from a large suburban area, I surprised myself by choosing Luther in small-town Decorah. In my third year there, however, I find myself loving Iowa culture and missing it on return visits to Minneapolis.
    Last spring, I found myself in Washington, D.C. where I interned with an organization called The National Journalism Center for a semester. I worked closely with political columnist Robert Novak and was trained in responsible journalism at the National Press Club.
    My time in the Capitol was unbelievable. I worked on Pennsylvania Avenue during one of the most historic presidential campaigns in history. I was able to see the Pope during his visit and even toured the West Wing of the White House. Still, I missed home and could not wait to return to the river bluffs of Northeast Iowa.
    And so begins another journey for me in the journalism world. Marquette and McGregor may be smaller than Washington, but this year’s opportunity is just as exciting as the last. I know I will be pushed to new levels with this internship but I look forward to the challenge and cannot wait to begin reporting. 
    I look forward to spending time in this beautiful setting and getting to know the people of Marquette and McGregor this month. Thank you for welcoming me here and happy New Year!

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