Monona man killed in trailer mishap in McGregor

On September 11, at approximately 10:25 a.m., Mar-Mac Police, Mar-Mac EMS, and the McGregor Fire Department responded to a call near 137 Ridgewood Drive in McGregor, on McGregor Heights. Emergency response units were notified that a man was trapped beneath a trailer. Upon arrival, the victim was not conscious and not breathing.

According to the police report, the victim, identified as Brent R. Blietz, age 24, of Monona, and a co-worker were in the McGregor Heights area working on a landscaping project.

Blietz and the co-worker unhitched a double-axle utility trailer from a pickup, causing the trailer to roll backwards knocking Blietz to the ground and running over him. Blietz was trapped between the two axles and his co-worker was able to use a skid loader to assist in extricating him from beneath the trailer.

Blietz was transported to Prairie du Chien Memorial Hospital by Mar-Mac Rescue Squad where he later died as a result of his injuries.

One dead, three
injured in accident northeast of Monona

By Trudy Balcom

A Prairie du Chien man was killed and three young passengers were injured when a Toyota pick-up truck rolled on a rural Allamakee County road on Monday.

According to an Iowa State patrol report, David Kirschbaum, 27, was killed when the truck, driven by Chad Feller of Prairie du Chien, lost control on a curve while travelling northbound on Suttle Creek Road northeast of Monona.

The truck struck a ditch embankment and rolled, coming to rest in the middle of the road.

The accident occurred just before 3 p.m.

The other passengers in the vehicle were Ariel Fitzgibbon, 22, of Boscobel, Wis., and Samantha Olson, 18, who’s address was listed as unknown on the accident report. The two young women were transported to Prairie du Chien Memorial Hospital, where an airlift was called. No further information on their condition is known.

None of the passengers were wearing a seat belt.

Responding at the accident scene were the Monona Police Department, Allamakee County Sheriff’s deputies, Monona EMS and Fire Department, Waterville Fire Department and Waukon EMS.

Lady Luck completes renovation project

Lady Luck Casino in Marquette celebrated the completion of its renovations last week. The cost of the re-branding project totaled just over $3 million.

A ribbon cutting and grand opening celebration was held Sept. 10.

The project included the casino, buffet, snack bar as well as the former Pink Elephant Showroom which is now called The Lone Wolf Bar. The showroom, which had not been remodelled in over 10 years, now sports a sophisticated sports bar atmosphere, 

The Lone Wolf Bar will now be open Thursday through Sunday with live music every weekend.

Customers can enjoy the new atmosphere in The Buffet and daily featured cuisines.  The buffet offers a wide variety of selections, an abundance of savory side dishes.

“We are excited about creating a new environment and gaming experience for our guests to enjoy,” said Todd Steffen, vice president and general manager of Lady Luck Casino. “We were also very lucky to be able to use two local contractors for the exterior and interior construction.”

The renovations of the casino, buffet and re-branding projects reflect the parent company’s, (Isle of Capri Casinos Inc.) goal of aligning operating strategies to the needs of the customers and the commitment to elevating the customer experience. Their stated goal is to increase guest entertainment value by offering a new level of fun and excitement as well as an enhanced entertainment and gaming experience.

Wetland Centre board
begins their work with full agenda

By Trudy Balcom

The board of the Marquette Wetlands Centre has now been appointed and held their first meeting on Wed., Sept. 9.

Norma Mason and Donna Kinley were appointed to the board by the City of Marquette, the City of McGregor appointed former mayor Harold Brooks and Natalie Heiring. The MFL MarMac School District appointed Norm Lincoln, for city administrator of McGregor.

The first order of business for the board was to elect officers. Norma Mason, a former city councilperson from Marquette, was named president. Harold Brooks was named vice president.

Donna Kinley was named secretary. Kinley, of Marquette, brings continuity to the board as she has been a primary organizer of the Great Places effort since the beginning.

Norm Lincoln will act as treasurer.

Marquette City Administrator Dean Hilgerson will work with the board and act as project manager for the engineering and construction phase of the project, per the request of Iowa Great Places.

The process of creating the board began last spring with the negotiations between the two cities to create a 28E agreement. Under Iowa law, such agreements give cities and other public entities the power to work together. The negotiations turned out to be more complex than Great Places organizers expected. Attorneys for both Marquette and McGregor worked together to craft the document and protect each city’s own interests.

The whole process took a lot longer than anyone expected.

So now the board is starting out with some catching up to do. The board must  complete several tasks on a tight timeline in order for the Wetland Centre Project to receive  a $50,000 grant from Great Places to get the project started.

First, the board needs to get a liability insurance policy for property they are leasing from the City of Marquette at the Roundhouse site and then sign the lease. They also need to sign a contract with the engineering firm selected for the project, Shive-Hattery of West Des Moines. A draft of a business plan for the Centre has already been started by Great Places organizers; the board will need to review it and tweak it and submit it with a budget to the state Great Places administrator, Francis Boggus. Boggus wants to see most of these tasks completed by Oct. 1.

When Great Places is satisfied with the business plan and budget, the board must sign a contract with them in order to receive the grant check.

Although the board has established the second Thursday of the month as their regular meeting time, they plan to schedule a number of special meetings in order to get the necessary work completed. The next meeting is scheduled for Thurs. Sept. 17 at 5:30 p.m. The board will meet at Marquette City Hall.