Thursday, June 1, 2023
Vol. 158, Issue 22
Decorah, Iowa 52101 www.decorahnewspapers.com
Unveiling a memorial
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Supervisors approve budget amendment By Kate Klimesh At the Tuesday, May 30, Winneshiek County Supervisors meeting, a public hearing on the 2022-23 Budget Amendment was held. The budget amendments were to represent the year’s spending more accurately across various departments, including the Attorney, Recorder, Roads, Conservation, Board of Health, GIS, IT, Mental Health and miscellaneous county spending. The budget mendment was passed unanimously. Amendment specifics The County Attorney hired a full-time county employee instead of billing hours for the Administrative Assistant from his firm’s practice, for an additional expense of $2,000 in labor and an added $8,520 in employee benefits and insurances. This is already budgeted for the next fiscal year. The County Recorder’s Office had more staff take health insurance than anticipated, totaling an additional $4,300 in staff benefits spent in that office. Roads funds were simply shifting funds for projects to the 2022-23 budget year based on the completion date of the project, to the tune of $1,521,351 in previous year’s funding that was spent in this current budget year. Winneshiek County Conservation amended their budget to reflect the increase in donations given and grants received that had not yet been spent in this current budget year, for a total of $47,739 less spent in their current budget year. The Board of Health added $55,900 to their budget, with much of that being CARES Act funding received in previous
The dedication of the new Winneshiek County Veterans Memorial was held Monday, May 29, at noon, following the Veterans Day Parade in Decorah. The dedication comes after six years of planning, decisions and fundraising by the Winneshiek County Veterans Memorial Association. The covers were removed from the stone slabs, revealing the names of the county’s Veterans.(Driftless Multimedia photo by Kate Klimesh) RIGHT- Glenn Larson served as the Memorial Day Parade Grand Marshal and spoke at the dedication ceremony. He is pictured with his wife Bonnie. (Driftless Multimedia photo by Roz Weis)
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years that was spent in this budget year. GIS and IT added $6,200 to their budget for added personnel in the office working on GIS. Much of that was office furniture and a computer for the added position, along with employee benefits for the extra staff person. Costs toward the application to INS for a staff member to extend their work visa were also included in this amendment. The county amended their budget to move an added $377,500 toward the 911 Communications Tower project, following a refund of ARPA money from a watershed project. Winneshiek County Auditor Ben Steines noted the county was still spending ARPA funds and Opioid Litigation funds they had received in previous years. Since the State of Iowa took over full funding of Mental Health, there was a balance of $254 that was leftover at the end of the year, which was then redistributed. Other action The county approved adding an insurance benefit for their employees for one year at a cost of $22.92 per employee per year. It would provide 24/7 support for counseling, including six sessions with a counselor, life coaching, legal, financial consultation and crisis response in addition to many other resources and educational opportunities to support employee wellness. The board will assess after one year and analyze usage. It was also reported that the Annex roof had been patched, which bought some time as they assess best strategies moving forward for roof repair.
Your Place bar to host ‘Cheers Visit us online - www.decorahnewspapers.com for a Cure’ Alzheimer’s LEFT- A ribbon cutting ceremony was held with Perry and Wendy Novak, Margaret Walter, Mayor Lorraine Borowski, Midge Kjome and Charlie and Jennifer Matzke cutting the ribbon. Not picturedAndy Borske and Rich Gaard.
Association benefit June 15
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ABOVE- Tade Kerndt led the ceremony to dedicate the Veterans Memorial at Mary Christopher Park in Decorah, with special guest speaker Dean Darling and remarks on the memorial from Glenn Larson. LEFT- Immediately upon completion of the dedication service, throngs of people made their way around the stone tablets to find the names of their loved ones, or of themselves.
Your Place bar in downtown Decorah will host a “Cheers for a Cure” event to help end Alzheimer’s and other dementia on Thursday, June 15, from 5 p.m. to close. Outside the bar will be a bake sale featuring sweet treats and salty snacks for attendees and the whole community. The family of Dale Putnam, a longtime Decorah resident who recently died from Lewy Body Dementia, is partnering with Your Place to host the event. “Dad decided to help future dementia patients very quickly after his diagnosis, participating in a clinical trial even though he knew he would never live to see the results and ultimately donating his brain for more research,” said Dale’s daughter, Brecka Putnam. “My sisters and I knew there would not be a cure in his lifetime, but we promised to do all we can to make sure there is one in ours. Helping fund research is the only way to make that happen.” Brecka and sisters Shanna
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Putnam Dibble and Maddie Putnam will be bartending that evening and donating all tips to the Alzheimer’s Association. Shanna’s children, Putnam and Andi Dibble, have recruited additional family members to help them bake and staff the sweet treats and salty snack sale right outside of Your Place. “We are incredibly thankful to Julie and Adam, the owners of Your Place, for their support of this important event, and the Alzheimer’s Association for their work towards finding a cure and supporting patients and caregivers,” said Brecka. The Alzheimer’s Association leads the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia – by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection and maximizing quality care and support. Dale’s friends and family have raised over $50,000 for the Alzheimer’s Association to date. For more information contact brecka.putnam@gmail.com.