Month: July 2024

WinnMed thanks Karl Jacobsen for his service on the Board of Trustees

Karl Jacobsen, member of the WinnMed Board of Trustees, resigned his position earlier this month following a change in by-laws requiring trustees to attend 50% plus one meeting in-person in a year’s time. His term ends in 2026.  He says, “In retirement, my wife and I enjoy traveling, and with the recent change in Board bylaws, our plans were not compatible with my continued service in this role.”

Jacobsen was elected to the Board of Trustees in November 2012 and began serving in January 2013.  During his time on the Board of Trustees, Jacobsen was involved in multiple projects and initiatives, including the transition of WinnMed’s electronic medical records to Epic in 2017, navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, the brand change to WinnMed in 2023 and the start of the Transforming Tomorrow expansion project in 2024.

Jacobsen began his healthcare career in the early 1970’s at the (then) Winneshiek County Memorial Hospital as one of the first emergency medical technicians (EMTs).  He served locally and as a charter member of the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians.  Jacobsen went on to earn his nursing degree through Northeast Iowa Community College and subsequently provided nursing care in various capacities across the Midwest.  He continued his education and earned his Nursing Home Administrator license, which opened opportunities to lead care facilities in Wisconsin, Indiana, and Decorah’s Barthell Eastern Star Home in the latter years of his career. 

Concurrently and as a second arm of his professional life, Jacobsen provided financial advisory and investment services to clients across the United States.

Jacobsen says, “My experiences in health care, first as an EMT, then as a nurse and still later, in an administrative role, helped me throughout my tenure on the Board of Trustees.  I appreciated and understood the challenges of a changing industry from both a professional and a patient perspective and brought that insight to the Board as we faced significant decisions over the past 10 years.”  Jacobsen frequently presented the Board with education on current topics, trends and changes in the health care industry. He says, “I sought to use the skills and knowledge I had to help our entire board govern our local hospital.”

Steve Slessor, chief administrative officer, WinnMed, says, “I want to thank Karl for his years of service on the Board of Trustees. Karl has well-rounded experience allowing him to add perspective both as a clinician and a business leader. Karl was incredibly supportive of the many changes and advancements we have made at WinnMed, and the passion he has for the care we provide and what we mean to our communities we serve was evident throughout his time as a Trustee.”

Per the WinnMed Board of Trustees bylaws, candidates for Jacobsen’s open seat will be reviewed by a Board Governance Committee, and it will be filled by appointment for the remainder of his term.

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Winneshiek County Supervisors Meeting – July 15, 2024

Pledge of Allegiance
9:30 a.m. Karen Schluter
Re: Middle Calmar Rd comments

9:40 a.m. Michael Kueny – County Engineer
Re: road updates

10:00 a.m. Miscellaneous
– Letter of Support for Dry Run Trail grant
– Discuss/Act on Compensation Board

10:15 a.m. Andy Van Der Maaten – County Attorney
Re: legal questions regarding agenda & other issues

Consent agenda: approve minutes, approve claims, accept and file departmental reports, approve liquor licenses, approve fireworks permits. Any matter on the Consent Agenda will be removed from the Consent Agenda and discussed as a regular agenda item upon the request of any Board member.

Community Services Building Updates
Committee reports

Teacher Answers “When Will I Ever Use This?” with Outdoor Learning

Winneshiek County Conservation hosted Cassidy Frana, South Winneshiek Middle School Math Teacher, through the Iowa STEM Teacher Externships Program this summer. The STEM Teacher Externships program aims to help teachers answer that age-old question, “When will I ever use this?”

 

During the summer, STEM educators work side-by-side with knowledgeable and skilled industry employees who help bring the classroom curriculum to life. STEM Teacher Externships provide educators with the exposure to answer questions about real-world application, prepare students for careers they may have in the future, and improve educational experiences.

 

In her time with Winneshiek County Conservation, Cassidy taught lessons at summer Discovery Camps on shelter building, predators & prey, camouflage, orienteering, geocaching, and sensory exploration. She shared her experiences with the public in the Winneshiek County Conservation booth at the Winneshiek County Fair in July. Cassidy’s experience included teaching multiple grade levels (1st-9th) at summer camps and developing ideas to further incorporate the outdoors, nature, and the real world into her math classroom. Her contributions extend the list of free lessons available to schools and other groups through the Winneshiek County Conservation Environmental Education Program.

 

Heading into the 2024-2025 school year, Cassidy will bring her summer experiences back to the classroom with a fun and engaging unit that ties together middle school math standards and navigating in the outdoors with compasses. For local educators like Cassidy who are looking to provide their students with real-world career information and connections, participating in the STEM Teacher Externships program with Winneshiek County Conservation is a summer well spent!

 

Learn more about the program at https://educate.iowa.gov/pk-12/iowa-stem/stem-teacher-externships. Any teachers interested in working with Winneshiek County Conservation in the summer of 2025 are invited to email education@winneshiekwild.com for more information.

NOTICE TO BIDDERS: 2024 STUMP REMOVAL PROJECT

Twin Trees

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

CITY OF DECORAH, IOWA

General Notice

City of Decorah (Owner) is requesting Bids for the completion of the following Project:

2024 Stump Removal Project

Sealed bids for the completion of the Project will be received at the Decorah City Hall Office located at 400 Claiborne Drive, P.O. Box 138 in Decorah, Iowa 52101, until Thursday, August 1, 2024, at 10:00 AM local time.

The Project includes the following Work:

Removal of stumps at various locations throughout the City of Decorah. The project consists of forty-seven (47) stumps located on various boulevards.

The project location(s) is as follows:

Various locations along City streets; all in the City of Decorah, Winneshiek County, Iowa.

Bids will be received for a single prime contract. Make bids on all items of Work. One contract will be awarded. The Contractor may begin work upon execution of the Notice of Award with a Substantial Completion date of September 30, 2024. Final payment will be made upon final acceptance of the Work.

The Owner may, at their discretion, reject any or all bids, waive informalities, irregularities or technicalities, or accept the bid and award the Project.

The successful bidder will be required to furnish insurance, as listed in the Request for Proposals (RFP), when the Contract is delivered to the Owner.

All Work and material are to be in strict compliance with the specifications listed in the RFP, and by this reference made a part thereof as though fully set out and incorporated herein.

In accordance with Iowa statutes, a resident bidder shall be allowed a preference as against a nonresident bidder from a state or foreign country if that state or foreign country gives or requires any preference to bidders from that state or foreign country, including but not limited to any preference to bidders, the imposition of any type of labor force preference, or any other form of preferential treatment to bidders or laborers from that state or foreign country. The preference allowed shall be equal to the preference given or required by the state or foreign country in which the nonresident bidder is a resident. In the instance of a resident labor force preference, a nonresident bidder shall apply the same resident labor force preference to a public improvement in this state as would be required in the construction of a public improvement by the state or foreign country in which the nonresident bidder is a resident.

Obtaining Bidding Documents

The Bidding Documents for the Project may be obtained either in printed or electronic formats for free.

Information and Bidding Documents for the Project may be obtained in electronic format or printed format from the Issuing Office Monday through Friday between the hours of 7:00 AM and 4:00 PM:

The Issuing Office for the Bidding Documents is:

City of Decorah

Street Department

108 Railroad Avenue

Decorah, IA 52101

Ph: 1-563-277-5153 / E: cityforester@decorah.iowa.gov

Partial sets of Bidding Documents will not be available in any format. All official notifications, addenda, and other Bidding Documents will be offered only through the designated Issuing Office. Owner will not be responsible for Bidding Documents, including addenda, if any, obtained from sources other than the designated Issuing Office.

This Notice is issued by:

Owner: City of Decorah

By:          Sam Hogenson

Title:      City Forester

Date:     July 15, 2024

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NOTICE TO BIDDERS: 2024 TREE REMOVAL PROJECT

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

CITY OF DECORAH, IOWA

General Notice

City of Decorah (Owner) is requesting Bids for the completion of the following Project:

2024 Tree Removal Project

Sealed bids for the completion of the Project will be received at the Decorah City Hall Office located at 400 Claiborne Drive, P.O. Box 138 in Decorah, Iowa 52101, until Thursday, August 1, 2024, at 10:00 AM local time.

The Project includes the following Work:

Removal of trees at various locations throughout the City of Decorah. The project consists of thirteen (13) boulevard trees. Stump grinding is not included as part of the project.

The project location(s) is as follows:

Various locations along City streets; all in the City of Decorah, Winneshiek County, Iowa.

Bids will be received for a single prime contract. Make bids on all items of Work. One contract will be awarded. The Contractor may begin work upon execution of the Notice of Award with a Substantial Completion date of August 30, 2024. Final payment will be made upon final acceptance of the Work.

The Owner may, at their discretion, reject any or all bids, waive informalities, irregularities or technicalities, or accept the bid and award the Project.

The successful bidder will be required to furnish insurance, as listed in the Request for Proposals (RFP), when the Contract is delivered to the Owner.

All Work and material are to be in strict compliance with the specifications listed in the RFP, and by this reference made a part thereof as though fully set out and incorporated herein.

In accordance with Iowa statutes, a resident bidder shall be allowed a preference as against a nonresident bidder from a state or foreign country if that state or foreign country gives or requires any preference to bidders from that state or foreign country, including but not limited to any preference to bidders, the imposition of any type of labor force preference, or any other form of preferential treatment to bidders or laborers from that state or foreign country. The preference allowed shall be equal to the preference given or required by the state or foreign country in which the nonresident bidder is a resident. In the instance of a resident labor force preference, a nonresident bidder shall apply the same resident labor force preference to a public improvement in this state as would be required in the construction of a public improvement by the state or foreign country in which the nonresident bidder is a resident.

Obtaining Bidding Documents

The Bidding Documents for the Project may be obtained either in printed or electronic formats for free.

Information and Bidding Documents for the Project may be obtained in electronic format or printed format from the Issuing Office Monday through Friday between the hours of 7:00 AM and 4:00 PM:

The Issuing Office for the Bidding Documents is:

City of Decorah

Street Department

108 Railroad Avenue

Decorah, IA 52101

Ph: 1-563-277-5153 / E: cityforester@decorah.iowa.gov

Partial sets of Bidding Documents will not be available in any format. All official notifications, addenda, and other Bidding Documents will be offered only through the designated Issuing Office. Owner will not be responsible for Bidding Documents, including addenda, if any, obtained from sources other than the designated Issuing Office.

This Notice is issued by:

Owner: City of Decorah

By:          Sam Hogenson

Title:      City Forester

Date:     July 15, 2024

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Luther College class on energy sustainability brings improvements to campus thanks to donors’ generosity

Blue house on a sunny day surrounded by trees.

The Jefferson House on Luther’s campus. Thanks to students’ recommendations and the Gregg’s gift, the house now has an electric heat pump water heater and a new roof to enhance energy efficiency.

DECORAH, IOWA—An environmental studies class about household energy has turned into a practical energy-saving project for the Luther College campus, thanks to the generosity of two parents of Luther alumni.

The class, “Bringing Sustainable Energy Home,” was designed and taught by Professor Laura Peterson. It brought students from a mix of majors and class years into the January Term course. 

Since J-Term courses only last three and half weeks, the students received a basic overview in home energy systems to understand concepts such as home heating and how solar panels work. Peterson had students talk to their parents about their utility bills and home heating appliances, so students could get a family perspective on the factors that contribute to energy costs. 

“Most students have never paid an energy bill before, so this was a chance to introduce them to real-world concepts,” Peterson said.

Once students understood the basics of home energy, they dove straight into analyzing campus housing. Students looked at three student campus houses – The Jefferson House, the Prairie Rock House and the Spring House – fully analyzing two and analyzing one for potential solar panels on the roof. 

After assessing different factors such as cost-effectiveness and student comfort, the class came up with several basic recommendations, including a proposal to switch from a natural gas water heater to an electric heat pump water heater and install roof-top solar arrays. 

Three people standing in front of a football field on a rainy day.

From left to right: Linda Gregg, Laura Peterson and Leon Gregg on Luther’s campus

Leon and Linda Gregg of Rochester, Minnesota, donated the class’s budget for the project, so that student recommendations could be implemented where feasible and will help Luther reach its goal of carbon neutrality by 2030. Both of the couple’s sons graduated from Luther and they want to keep giving back to students. 

“We like to help students,” Leon Gregg said. “We want kids to get practical experience and support energy efficiency, so this class seemed like a good use of our gift.”

The Jefferson House received a new electric heat pump water heater and a new roof this summer to enhance energy efficiency. 

“I’m so grateful for the donation because it lended that air of reality to students,” Peterson said. “Luther can actually implement the recommendations thanks to the generosity of the Greggs.” 

During the class, students were divided into teams to examine the campus houses. One team looked at basic energy efficiency, analyzing campus houses for improvements in insulation and weatherization. Another team looked at the potential for solar panels on the roofs of the houses. The third team looked at switching from natural gas appliances to electric heat pump appliances as a way to reach carbon neutrality. 

“We are grateful to the Greggs who are willing not only to invest in the future of Luther students, but the future of Luther itself,” said Mary Duvall, vice president for development. “Leon and Linda have supported sustainability efforts at Luther in the past, so this class seemed like the perfect opportunity for them to see the direct impact of their generosity.”

Peterson plans to teach the class next J-Term with the same principles but looking at different campus houses.

Riley Marble, who graduated in May with a degree in environmental studies, said he enjoyed the work of learning about home energy, a topic he was unfamiliar with until taking the class. 

“This class started off as a requirement, but I really ended up enjoying it,” Marble said. “I learned a lot about practical home energy.” 

About Luther College

At Luther College in beautiful Decorah, Iowa, students explore big questions and take action to benefit people, communities and society. Our academic programs, experiential approach to learning and welcoming community inspire students to learn actively, live purposefully and lead courageously for a lifetime of impact. Learn more at luther.edu.

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