Winter arrives with a growl

A large winter storm brought snow into the area during the afternoon on December 8, 2009, from southwest to northeast across the region.  By late evening, 4 to 9 inches of snow had fallen mainly across northeast Iowa into southern Minnesota.  Snow continued through most of Wednesday morning, December 9th, before finally diminishing Wednesday afternoon. As the storm system approached, it also strengthened producing strong northwest winds that gusted to 45 mph at times leading to significant drifting and blowing snow.  Visibilities were reduced to near zero, especially in open and higher terrain where blizzard conditions prevailed.  Drifts of 4 to 6 feet were common Wednesday morning with numerous roads nearly impassable.  Snow plows had a tough time keeping roads open, especially in rural areas of northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota. MFL MarMac school let out early on Tuesday and were closed Wednesday and Thursday.

Area snowfall totals from the National Weather Service in La Crosse are as follows:

MCGREGOR  10
STRAWBERRY POINT 14
MILLVILLE  13
MONONA  13
EDGEWOOD  11.5
VOLGA  11
CLAYTON CENTER  10
ELKADER  8.6

Musical performers on Holiday Train will have
 chilly stop in Marquette tonight

The Holiday Train is scheduled to arrive in Marquette at 9:45 p.m. tonight. Temps are forecast
to be near zero, with below-zero wind chills. Dress warm!

This year the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train has just two scheduled stops in Iowa at Marquette and
Mason City
    The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train is adorned with tens of thousands of lights and serves as a
stage for live musical performances. It is an extravagant sight and an event full of holiday cheer.
T    he brightly decorated Canadian Pacific train will stop at Marquette’s Riverfront Marina at 9:45 p.m. on Thurs.,
Dec. 10. This stop will help the community and surrounding area collect food and money for the Clayton County
Food Shelf.
    “This is a truly magical and meaningful event worth attending,” says McGregor-Marquette Chamber of Commerce
Director Sasha Dull.
    She encourages folks to stay busy prior to the train’s arrival by supporting local businesses.
    “Grab a bite to eat, check out some great gift ideas at the local shops and join us for caroling on the
riverfront,” Dull says. Participating shops will remain open until 7 p.m.
    Enjoy caroling and activities in a heated tent on the riverfront starting at 7 p.m. Warm beverages and snacks will
be available, with all proceeds benefiting the Clayton County Food Shelf.
    A diverse array of musicians will headline the  Holiday Train stage this year. Prescott and Adam Puddington
entertain with their blend of country, rock and blues for the tour. Genre-defying Wisconsin singer/songwriter and
guitar wizard Willy Porter will also be performing in Marquette.
    Over 40 American cities, towns and villages will experience the Holiday Train spirit, starting in Scranton, Penn.,
on November 28 and concluding in Carpio, North Dakota, on December 17.

What to do?

Marquette wrangles with
Great Places development ideas

By Trudy Balcom

They came armed with sketches and ideas.

Members of the Wetlands Centre Board met with the Marquette Council on Dec. 1 in a workshop-style
meeting to share ideas and discuss decisions that must be made to move the Great Places development
forward.

Sasha Dull, director of the Chamber of Commerce, made a presentation of sketches completed by project
architects, Shive-Hattery. Shive-Hattery proposed the idea of shifting some of the resources of the project
to two separate locations.

Donna Kinley explained that some of the functions originally planned for the Wetland Centre, such as a
community room, offices for the Chamber at the Roundhouse site could be moved to a new building that could
be located at the old bridge approach overlook site. They sketched an ultramodern glass building that would
serve as an all-season overlook as well.

The designers believe that this unique location would provide a site that would attract the public and bring
more traffic to downtown Marquette, explained Kinley.

While the council was intrigued with the idea, they felt that their focus should remain on the Roundhouse site
at this time, as that is the location where they have a written agreement to donate two acres and utilities to the
project.

“To change the project at this time is not a good idea,” commented Councilman Tracy Melver.

Mayor John Ries agreed, saying the city needed to focus on the Wetlands Centre and the Roundhouse area.

“We need to develop and improve that entire area,” Ries said.

City Manager Dean Hilgerson noted that the city could focus on the Wetland Centre now, and keep options
open at the other site. Councilwoman Rinda Ferguson, who is also acting community liason with Shive-Hattery
 noted that as currently budgeted, $800,000 is slated for the Wetland Centre, and $100,000 for an overlook. If the
city wanted to  focus on an overlook community-center building, those budgets could be flip-flopped. She noted
that funding is limited and the city needs to focus their resources as well as think about sustainability.

As conversation turned toward the Roundhouse
site, Mayor Ries again reiterated that he had expected a sketch from Shive-Hattery that showed a proposed development
for the entire Roundhouse area and included
some of the ideas proposed in the passed, such as an
area for rodeos or truck pulls.

Melver said he would like to see a hotel-waterpark at the site commenting that the casino now sends all of
its hotel business to Prairie du Chien.

City Manager Hilgerson said he had looked into that possibility. He noted that many motels in Prairie have
very low occupancy rates right now, and that in the current economic climate, it would be difficult to find a
developer who would be interested in funding a hotel project.

Looking closer at the Shive-Hattery Wetland Centre sketch, the council began coming up with a list of
concrete proposals to be shared with the architects.

Ries noted the the parking area was located on valuable high ground, and should be placed in a lower area
that is prone to flooding, leaving higher areas free for development of buildings. The council also discussed
problems of safety and access from Hwy. 18, and the possible shortening or removal of a rail spur at the site.

The council and the Wetland Centre Board does not have a lot of time to debate ideas further. A final sketch
for the project is due to Great Places by the end of January.

The two groups must still agree on an exact location for the two-acre parcel for a Wetland Centre building
the council agreed to donate to the project in 2008. Depending on the final decision in the matter, both the
original resolution designating the land donation and possibly the 28E agreement that created the Wetland
Centre Board may both have to be revised.

The decisions must also take into consideration the interests of the MFL MarMac School District, that
has designated $200,000 to the project, and the City of McGregor, which  is also a partner.

The Wetland Centre Board will meet again on Thursday, Dec. 10. No date has yet been set for the next
meeting with Shive-Hattery.

Suspects charged
in a string of county burglaries

On the afternoon of November 30, the Clayton County Sheriffs Office concluded a four month criminal
investigation involving seven burglaries in Clayton County.

The Clayton County Sheriffs Office and Iowa State Patrol executed a search warrant at 209 Truman Street
 in Luana.  Upon searching the residence, items related to several burglaries throughout Clayton County were
found, including two ATVs from Joels Tractors & Auction, Elkader; a laptop and desktop computers,
digital cameras and camcorders from Clayton Ridge Middle School; a John Deere riding lawn mower
from Bodensteiner Implement, Elkader; cartons of cigarettes, and 12-packs of beer from Sears 66 Station,
Garber; along with several fishing related items from Clayton and items related to other burglaries.

A second search warrant was executed during the evening hours of Nov. 30 at 431 South Second Street
n Guttenberg. At this residence, additional items were recovered connecting the residents here to the burglaries
in the county.  This search warrant was executed by the Sheriffs Office, Guttenberg Police Department and Iowa
State Patrol.

In all, the estimated value of property recovered is in excess of $45,000.

In connection to the investigation four vehicles have been seized by the Sheriffs Office and are subject to
forfeiture.

Not only did this clear up several burglaries in Clayton County, but also has led to the discovery and closure
of burglary cases in Prairie du Chien and Grant County, Wisconsin.

Arrested were William Dale Mack, 23, of Luana, and Matthew Allan Crary, 18, of Guttenberg. They are
charged with Burglary-Third Degree, a Class D Felony, and Theft-First Degree, a Class C Felony. Both are
being held on $10,000 bonds with additional charges pending. Charges are pending for a third accomplice
who has also been identified.

“Without the communication, and cooperation not only within our own department but throughout the county,
cases like this are extremely hard to crack. It’s the hard work of officers from the Garnavillo and Guttenberg
Police Departments, the Sheriffs Office and troopers with Iowa State Patrol that really made this case,”
said Sheriff Mike Tschirgi.