AGENDA
August 9, 2022
Approve Agenda
Approve Minutes
9:00 Jake Hotchkiss, Engineer Weekly Update
Resolution to Remove Stop Sign in City of Salem
9:30 Public Hearing & 1st Reading to Amend the
Henry County Standard Penalties Ordinance to
Increase the fine for a Simple Misdemeanor to the limit
Allowed in Code of Iowa Chapter 331.302(2)
10:00 Lynn Whaley Monthly Update
10:15 Motion to Discuss & Consider Insurance Agencies
Other County Business as time allows
Supervisors Sub-Committee Updates
Lee County Health Department (LCHD) received notice from the Department of Health and Human Services they have received a $547,302 HRSA (Health Resources & Services Administration) federal grant. With this Rural Public Health Workforce Training Network Program grant LCHD will partner with Southeastern Community College (SCC), Blessing Health Keokuk, and Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center to develop a Southeast Iowa Public Health Academic Training Program. This program will focus on creating cross-training opportunities for new and existing healthcare personnel to learn principles of community health work, community resources, and public health concepts. This program will be able to assist health care staff in referring to appropriate resources to better patient’s health.
“Lee County Health Department for many years has pursued local and state grant awards to implement programs and services based on the population health needs of the county. This is a very exciting moment for LCHD since this is the agency’s very first HRSA federal grant award,” states Michele Ross, LCHD Administrator. “I’m very proud that Emily and Breanna, along with our committed partners, had a vision, and put that vision to application resulting in this highly competitive grant award. This innovative rural workforce training project will bring public health as a career choice to the forefront of many young adults pursuing careers in health services.”
The project partners are also looking forward to the opportunity. “This grant project will support SCC’s ongoing skills and workforce development in the healthcare sector, and improve economic vitality, and ultimately the health and wellness of our entire region,” adds Kristi Schroeder, SCC Dean of Health Professions.
“We have a longstanding history of working with Lee County Health Department, and are excited to collaborate with them on new opportunities to further meet the needs of the communities that we serve,” stated Kathy Hull, Chief of Small Rural Hospitals, Blessing Health System.
“We are pleased to work with LCHD and other collaborators on this grant to expand opportunities for the regions’ workforce. Competencies in resource navigation and public health are essential in the current landscape of value-based care and community health needs improvement strategies. As we work to address the social determinants of health in the region, we need a workforce that is knowledgeable in the intricacies of community resource navigation and referrals,” adds Vanessa Watson, MPH- Manager of Population Health for Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center.
LCHD Community Outreach & Development Project Coordinator, Breanna Kramer-Riesberg, will oversee the project. Kramer-Riesberg also oversees Empowering Families in Lee County which works to improve resiliency and prevent child maltreatment in our community. “Empowering Families has repeatedly stated the need to better connect people to resources and supports available in our community – this is one of the grants LCHD has applied for to meet this need in our community,” states Kramer-Riesberg.
The first couple months of the project will be establishing course content, and planning course times with SCC. “We hope to have the first course participants start in January 2023,” states Emily Biddenstadt, LCHD Community Health Program Director. “As we move through each course content will be adjusted, and we will be able to share updates, especially of community resources with past participants.”
Program students will have an opportunity to take part in hands-on-trainings with LCHD at rotating clinics in rural areas of Lee County. Students will be able to work with residents to provide support and complete referrals to community resources to improve health outcomes. There will also be opportunities for current healthcare workers to be part of the program through a series of “Lunch and Learn” presentations. As the program progresses, clinics and presentations will be announced through the media and on the LCHD website (www.leecountyhd.org) and social media.
CRAWFORDSVILLE, Iowa – Farmers and farm businesses in southeastern Iowa are invited to join the Southeast Iowa Agricultural Research Association and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach on Sept. 8 at the Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm for an open house and ribbon cutting for their new Research and Learning Center building and to celebrate the Southeast Research Farm’s 35th anniversary. The event will start at noon with a complimentary lunch, which will include hamburgers grilled by the Washington County Cattlemen.
Following lunch there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Research and Learning Center building with some comments from special guests from Iowa State University, including President Wendy Wintersteen; John Lawrence, vice president for extension and outreach; Dan Robison, endowed dean’s chair in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Kendall Lamkey, agronomy department chair; and Steve Harris, chair of the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, and the Department of Entomology.
There will also a presentation looking back at the 35-year history of the Southeast Iowa Agricultural Research Association and the Southeast Research Farm by Tim Goode, Iowa State research farms manager, and a farm update provided by Cody Schneider, Southeast and Muscatine Island Research Farms superintendent.
The day will end with networking, informal discussions, field plot tours and dessert.
The association was founded in 1983 by local farmers from a 21-county area to collaborate with Iowa State on locally relevant research for southeast Iowa. An elected board of directors manages the association, with Iowa State staff coordinating research and demonstrations on the farm.
Anyone can be a member of the association. Membership fees are $25 for five years. Members receive notice of meetings and events and contribute to continuing support of agricultural research in southeast Iowa.
While there is no cost, for those who plan to attend, RSVP by Sept. 6 to help with the headcount for food either by going to https://go.iastate.edu/RWZOHU or by calling the ISU Extension and Outreach Johnson County office at 319-337-2145.
The Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm is located at 3115 Louisa-Washington Road, Crawfordsville, Iowa. To reach the farm, follow U.S. Highway 218 one-and-three-quarter miles south of Crawfordsville, then two miles east on County Road G-62, then three-quarters of a mile north. Signs will be posted near the farm.
Project sponsors included the Washington County Riverboat Foundation, Committee for Agricultural Development, local extension councils and others. If you are interested in contributing to the new Research and Learning Center, contact Ryan Drollette, farm management specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach and treasurer for Southeast Iowa Agricultural Research Association, at 319-337-2145 or seiara@iastate.edu. For more information, contact Schneider at schn145@iastate.edu.
In a first for Mount Pleasant Arts IMPACT, the new art exhibit in the public library showcases the work of student artists.
Twenty-seven artists, all studying under the guidance of local art professional Annie Guldberg, are ages six through adult. The students worked individually in one-on-one lessons over the summer with Annie in her Mount Pleasant studio.
As part of the learning process, each student was challenged to create a piece that included both an element of drawing and an element of painting. Part of the challenge assignment suggested students create a self-portrait in any style or a drawing of one or more of the students’ personal interests. The finished product was to include a painted portion on 11” x 14” canvas. These are the works shown in the Mount Pleasant public library gallery display.
The current exhibit in the Mount Pleasant Public Library includes 27 examples from the student work produced. A fascinating part of the exhibit is seeing how each individual artist worked through the project in his or her individual way.
Annie Guldberg’s main teaching philosophy is to encourage all her students to love the process of creation. She believes that art, like any skill, can be learned with the right tools and practice. Given a relaxing, encouraging, and creative environment, Annie believes students of any age can be inspired to create.
Annie is a professional artist who lives in Mount Pleasant. She teaches private one-on-one art lessons in her studio as well as creating work for sale in galleries around the midwest. She is also known for her commissioned artwork in oils. Her website is www. OilPainterAnnie.com for those wishing to see her work.
The Mount Pleasant Arts IMPACT art gallery is supported by the Enhance Henry County Foundation.
WASHINGTON, Iowa – The inaugural Women in Ag Farm Crawl is set for Saturday, Aug. 27, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach in Washington County and the Washington County Women in Agriculture Advisory Board are planning the event.
The farm crawl will feature four tour stops in the Washington County and northern Henry County area. The purpose of the farm crawl is to provide a fun networking opportunity for women and also a learning opportunity.
The following destinations are on the tour:
Participants will meet at the ISU Extension and Outreach Washington County office between 8-8:20 a.m., and the tour bus will leave for the first stop at 8:30 a.m. The bus will return to the extension office by 3 p.m.
Registration is $30. Register by calling the ISU Extension and Outreach Washington County office at 319-653-4811 or register online
Dorothy M. Halm, 82, of Mt. Pleasant passed away on Wednesday, August 3, 2022, surrounded by family.
Friends may call on Saturday, August 6, 2022, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Murphy Funeral Home in Mt. Pleasant, the casket will remain closed per Dorothy’s wishes. The family will not be present. Private family services will be held and burial will be in the Forest Home Cemetery in Mt. Pleasant.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.murphyfuneralandmonuments.com
Murphy Funeral Home of Mt. Pleasant, is caring for her arrangements.
Dr. Harold C. “Pete” Rankin of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, passed away on August 4, 2022, after a courageous battle with Parkinson’s Disease.
Pete was born April 18, 1935, in Grand Chain, Illinois, the son of Harold and Daisy (Hill) Rankin. He graduated from high school in Early, Iowa, in 1952. He received his Pharmacy Degree from Drake University in 1956, and medical degree from the University of Iowa in 1960.
On June 19, 1960, Pete was united in marriage to his lifelong partner, Janis Horne, at the Vermont Street United Methodist Church in Quincy, Illinois. Pete was a devoted and loving husband to Jan and father to their three daughters, Lynn, Cynthia and Laura.
Pete began his medical practice with an internship at the Delaware Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware and two years as a medic in the United States Air Force at K.I. Sawyer AFB in Sands, Michigan. He and Jan moved to Mount Pleasant in 1963. Pete served as a caring and compassionate family practice physician in the community for 35 years. He also founded the kidney dialysis unit at Henry County Health Center in 1969, and was their director for 22 years.
Pete served his community as a trustee for Iowa Wesleyan University, president of the Chamber of Commerce, director for the Henry County Savings Bank, team doctor for the high school football team for over 20 years, and president of the Kidney Foundation of Iowa.
After retiring from his medical practice, he followed another passion and became a Master Gardener. Pete wrote a biweekly column, “Tip of the Trowel,” for local papers and was one of the founders of the Henry County Master Gardeners organization.
Pete was a member of the First United Methodist Church. He loved gardening, collecting Wedgwood, traveling, and spending time with his children and grandchildren. He enjoyed sports and was an avid Hawkeye fan. For 20 years, he and his wife enjoyed vacationing with their family at the Lake of the Ozarks. Pete was beloved for his kind spirit and gentle nature.
He is survived by his wife Janis; three daughters, Dr. Lynn Rankin (Steve Karlin) of Des Moines; Cynthia (Mark) Rauschert of Bushnell, Illinois; Laura (Paul) Bickle of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; eight grandchildren, Addie (Mackenzie) Mumey of Decatur, Georgia; Anne (Austin) Raisor of Felicity, Ohio; Matt (Emma) Rauschert of Bushnell, Illinois; Maisie Karlin of Boston, Massachusetts; Lucy Karlin of Des Moines; Sam Bickle of Charlotte, North Carolina; John Bickle of Indianapolis, Indiana; and Molly Bickle of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; two great grandchildren, Miller Mumey, Noelle Mumey; and a brother, Bruce Rankin of LaBelle, Florida.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
Visitation will be Thursday, August 11, 2022, from 10:00am – 4:00pm, at the Olson-Powell Memorial Chapel in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. Family will be present from 2:00 – 4:00pm. A private family funeral will be held.
Pete and his family are very grateful for the caregivers at Sunrise Terrace and EveryStep Hospice who lovingly helped him through his illness. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation. Memorial donations in memory of Dr. Pete Rankin may be made to the First United Methodist Church of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, EveryStep Hospice (www.everystep.org) of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, and Sunrise Terrace of Winfield, Iowa.
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