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Hallberg stages upset
By Trudy Balcom Gay Hallberg didn’t really plan to run for mayor. So her resounding victory in Tuesday’s election was a bit of a shock. “It’s a pleasant surprise. I had no idea the people would come out for me,” she said on Wednesday morning. Unlike her opponent, councilman and mayor pro-tem Ryan Johnson, she did not file papers for candidacy earlier this fall. “I just didn’t think there was a need,” she explained. But when she was approached by a group of citizens who wanted her to run a write-in campaign, she felt she couldn’t refuse. “People started calling me…it just snowballed from there,” she explained. “I had said since I didn’t take out papers, I wasn’t going to do any campaigning,” she said. The committee did the work, she noted. Hallberg is no stranger to city government. She has served eight years on the McGregor City Council, though not consecutively. She is also a past president of the McGregor-Marquette Chamber of Commerce, and has been an active community volunteer. “You can’t make everybody happy. I care about the town. I’m secure in my home, I don’t own a business, I have no hidden agendas,” she said.
Updates and amenities: By Trudy Balcom The Holiday Shores is unlike any other lodging in McGregor. Not only is it the only motel in town, it is the only lodging in the area that has a riverfront location. Owner Dan Gingerich has tried to turn that location into a profitable business several times in the last decade. But not with the motel. The motel took a backseat while Dan pursued the construction of a post-and-beam conference and event center, starting in 1996. But that project collapsed with the building only partially completed when funding ran out. The city eventually forced Gingerich to tear the structure down, contending that it was an nuisance and a safety hazard. About two years ago, Gingerich began promoting the concept of the Condotel. He planned to construct a new, five-story condominium building at the site. Buyers of the studio- to two-bedroom units could opt to let others rent them out when they were not use, which is the heart of condotel concept. With last year’s recession and collapse of the real estate market, he found few buyers willing to plunk down their cash to get the project started. So Gingerich and his investor, Marc Rhodes of Waukesha, Wis., decided to get back the basics—back to the business of running a motel. Gingerich grew up in the Holiday Shores with his family back when the motel was a busy spot in the 1970s, before the Highway 18 bypass routed traffic through Marquette. But since then the motel’s business has declined and high flooding on the Mississippi in 2001 caused significant damage to the building. Clean-up and repairs were made to the building after the flood, but many rooms had not been remodeled since the 1970s. Customers were turned off.On-line reviews of the motels were dismal. Last fall Gingerich began work on a major remodeling project. Currently, 24 rooms of the 33-unit motel have been renovated with fresh paint, new carpet and bedding and some rewiring. The motel also has new decks and railing, and fresh landscaping on the riverside of the building. Rooms will also include a refrigerator, microwave and coffeepot. The motel already offers free wi-fi internet. Still to come are two meeting rooms, exterior repainting and trim and new signage. When completed, renovations will cost about $250,000. In addition, Gingerich recently hired a couple to act as on-site managers of the motel; their apartment is under construction. All construction is scheduled to be completed next spring, when Gingerich plans to hold an open house. Customers are beginning to take notice, and online reviews of the motel boast about the new amenities as well as the tremendous view. The Holiday Shores is betting on good local word-of-mouth advertising to help boost occupancy, and is looking to book more groups and extended stays and offering special rates on holidays. The motel’s rates run from $65-$105 during summer high season, and slightly lower in the winter. “We want to focus on value,” Gingerich said. “We’re not the Hilton, we’re not the Sheraton, we’re the Holiday Shores,” he explained. Future plans to make the motel more profitable may include a few transient docks to attract visiting boaters, or a dock that will host a local tour boat operator. “The river is our key resource,” Gingerich explained. But, he said that he is not interested in running a marina. Gingerich is working to move the motel into the asset category for the town of McGregor. “We’re looking forward to being able to work with others businesses to attract more tourism,” he said.
Rising costs create ongoing By Lucy Rodenberg Honorary Rescue Squad member, Donna Walters says there have been many changes in the Rescue Squad since it was founded in 1968. Concern about the availability of emergency medical help in the area prompted the beginning of the service when the McGregor Community Hospital closed its doors, and when funeral directors no longer wanted to transport those injured in accidents. Ivy Sauer, Mary Jane Ferguson and Kate Young were among those that raised funds for the first vehicle used by the Rescue Squad, a used Suburban. These members and others of the McGregor Achievement Club raised money by cleaning up various areas, bake and rummage sales and within a year, the Squad was staffed with volunteers. By 1981, volunteers were called EMT’s, or Emergency Technicians, rather than the First Responders. Walters says in the beginning the volunteers did not wear gloves, which changed to meet state requirements. Another changes she’s seen is the Squad now has to purchase many supplies needed from the hospital whereas in the beginning there was no charge. Much more training is now required for EMTs. Training costs have changed from $100 with a $25 fee for taking the test when Walters became a volunteer; today, training of one EMT costs $650, with those taking the training paying additional costs for traveling. Another big change is that employers allowed staff members to respond to calls without punching out; today the 10 EMTs, two paramedics and six drivers lose pay for the time they are out on a call. Overall costs and new medical equipment expenses have increased over the years. Expenses may include anything from a rechargeable battery that costs $265 to three dollars for gauze pads. Among the list of approximately 70 purchased items recently were nasal airways, sterile sponges, electrodes, several sizes of gauze pads, latex gloves, stethoscopes, adult and child disposable resuscitators, glucose, eye wash, stomach tubes and roll up kits of various sizes and are just a few of the numerous items needed. Walters also adds that when things become outdated, they have to be discarded. Walters is somewhat amazed that the Squad is required to have a doctor’s permission to use sterile water, reflecting just one of the state’s requirements the Squad must follow. In addition to the above costs, gas and maintenance needs to be done for rescue vehicles. Recently, it cost about $800 to service the vehicle for winter. All of these costs contributed to the Squad’s painful decision in 2002 to begin charging a fee for its services. Part of the fee goes into a certificate of deposit account that will hopefully provide funding for when a new vehicle must be purchased at a cost of about $175,000. The rest goes into the actual cost of medical items and maintenance. At this time, a new defibrillator is needed to keep-up with the technology in today’s world. Walters says the defibrillator would be able to send electronic heart rhythms directly to the hospital while en-route, resulting in faster and more adequate treatment. The Squad, which held a fund raiser earlier this year, is still taking donations for the new defribrillator. Donations can be sent to Donna Walters, 15248 Kittyhawk Ave, McGregor or to the Mar Mac Rescue Squad, Box 386, McGregor.
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