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City of Muscatine Press Releases

One round for Spring Leaf Collection April 3-7

MUSCATINE, Iowa – Spring leaf collection will last just one week and there will be just one round of curbside collection from Muscatine residences in April according to the Department of Public Works (DPW). Residents are urged to gather their unwanted leaves curbside no later than April 2 for the curbside collection event set for April 3-7.

“We are asking residents who want the City of Muscatine to collect their left-over leaves to have them raked to the curb by April 2,” Tyson Wedekind, Roadway Maintenance Supervisor, said. “We will be making just one round through each zone this year.”

Only one leaf vacuum truck will be sent out during the week. That truck will start in Zone 1 Monday and continue making one round through all zones. The primary collection effort will end when Zone 8 is completed.

“Due to the constraints of staffing and the number of projects that are or will be underway this spring, we decided to have just one round of collection,” Wedekind said. “Therefore it is important for residents who want to utilize this opportunity to have their leaves raked and ready to pick up by April 2.”

Residents who miss the collection can utilize their left-over leaves for mulch, place them in a compost pile on the resident’s property, or place them into City of Muscatine leaf bags. Residents can place the bags curbside for collection by the Solid Waste Division on their regular refuse collection day, or transport the bags to the Compost Facility at the Muscatine Transfer Station. City of Muscatine leaf bags are available at the Muscatine Transfer Station, and at Hy-Vee and Fareway.

Wedekind also said that DPW will not be taking any calls for leaf collection this spring.

General guidelines for leaf pickup:

  • Leaves should be placed near but not beyond the curb, and should be within reach of the leaf vacuum. Leaves should be free of tree branches and twigs as they can cause the leaf vacuums to clog up. 
  • All leaves must be placed outside of fenced areas.
  • Leaves are not to be placed in the street to avoid clogging storm drains.
  • Leaves should not be placed in street or extend into traffic lanes, thereby creating traffic hazards.
  • Leaves should not be placed around obstacles such as mailbox posts, sign posts and light poles.
  • Crews will not pick up leaves mixed with debris, logs, branches, rocks, plastic, metal or glass containers, or any other types of refuse.
  • Leaves should not be placed on City cul-de-sacs, vacant land, or City property except on the public right-of-way along the curb/shoulder area.
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City of Muscatine Press Releases

Muscatine Fire Department renews prevention efforts

MUSCATINE, Iowa – It may surprise you that the main mission of the Muscatine Fire Department (MFD) is not just to fight fires, but also to educate the public on preventing fires from occurring in homes and businesses.

“An important part of our mission is to put out fires,” Battalion Chief Ted Hillard said. “But another important part, and perhaps the most important part, is the prevention of fires through public education and building inspections.”

The week of January 16-22, 2023, was designated as Community Risk Reduction Week with the goal to build healthy, safe, and resilient communities by raising awareness to reduce the occurrence and impact of emergency events to the community and to first responders, thus making the community safer.

“We want to prevent fires from happening,” Hillard said. “By hosting educational events for residents of all ages, especially young children, and by conducting building inspections of businesses, we hope to prevent fires from occurring.”

When the COVID pandemic first started, protocols were instituted that prevented the fire department from going out into the community to do fire inspections and sponsor educational programs.

“We have now resumed those operations,” Hillard noted.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, a division of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), fire departments are uniquely positioned to know their communities better than most other organizations. Firefighters and emergency medical services responders see firsthand, whether through medical calls, inspections, or simply driving through the community, how people live and the needs they have.

The primary goal of fire safety efforts is to protect building occupants from injury and to prevent loss of life. The secondary goal of fire safety is to prevent property damage. By preventing fires and limiting damage we can assure that work operations will continue.

This past December Muscatine Fire completed 19 fire inspections (176 in 2022), six fire re-inspections (128 in 2022), and eight educational events (52 in 2022) while also conducting four plan reviews/site visits (236 in 2022).

“When we inspect buildings, we are not only looking for potential fire code violations, we are also observing the layout for potential safety issues should we be called to a fire in the building,” Hillard said. “The safety of the building occupants (owners, staff, customers, and/or residents), has a high priority as well as the safety of our fire firefighters.”

The Public Safety Open House, held each October, has been a good venue for children and their caregivers to visit the firehouse, learn what a firefighter does, and learn about fire prevention. MFD also hosts school groups in the firehouse for interactive learning with Freddy, a remotely controlled child sized fire engine.

MFD is also planning to resume educational programs for youth in kindergarten through the fourth grade, as well as educational programs for adults.

“We have had many occasions where what we have taught young children about fire safety has come back to them leading their family to safety during a home fire,” Hillard said. “The more we can educate, the more we can prevent fires from occurring.”

Part of that education is an emphasis on the three P’s of fire prevention … prepare, prevent, and practice. Preparing your home or business by installing smoke alarms, checking electrical wiring, and having fire extinguishers available. Home owners should also have an escape plan should a fire occur that includes having a predetermined spot to meet outside.

“One of the things we talk about is the need to have an identified gathering spot for the family to meet,” Hillard said. “This needs to be practiced so everyone in the house knows what to do. The last thing we want is for someone to go back into a structure that is on fire in search of a family member.”

If you have questions or would like more information about Community Risk Reduction, contact the Muscatine Fire Department 563-263-9233. 

About the Muscatine Fire Department: 

The Muscatine Fire Department provides fire and emergency medical services, rescues (high angle, rope, water, etc.), building inspections, and public education for the City of Muscatine, and the surrounding unincorporated areas of Muscatine County with a combined population of 43,000 across 145 square miles while also providing HAZMAT for Muscatine, Louisa, Washington, Keokuk, and Henry counties. MFD firefighters and paramedics responded to 5,909 calls in 2022. The Muscatine Fire Department began as a volunteer fire company on January 7, 1875 and was established as a full-time department in January 1916. The Muscatine Fire Department ambulance service received the 2012 Career Ambulance service of the Year Award from Iowa Emergency Medical Services.

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City of Muscatine Press Releases

Muscatine resident honors firefighters for saving his life

MUSCATINE, Iowa – Ben Eversmeyer is happy to be alive, and he knows just who to thank for that.

Eversmeyer was walking across his living room just over a year ago (Jan. 2, 2022) when he fell to his knees and then dropped to his side.

“My wife noticed my eyes were rolled back in my head,” Eversmeyer said. “I had apparently gone into cardiac arrest.”

His wife called 911 and started CPR. The paramedics arrived just a mere 90 seconds after they were dispatched but it seemed a lifetime to the Eversmeyers. The paramedics took over CPR and used an automated external defibrillator (AED) to shock his heart.

“I had a pulse and was alert when they loaded me into the ambulance,” Eversmeyer said.

Eversmeyer was taken to the University of Iowa Hospital Emergency Room and talked with the paramedics as they unloaded him at the hospital. Three days later, Eversmeyer received an ICD (implantable cardioverter defibrillator) and was released from the hospital the next day.

Ambulance Operations Chief Gary Ronzheimer along with Fire Captain Joe Timmsen, and firefighters Mike E. Collins and Josh Rudolph were on the crew that responded to and saved the life of Eversmeyer.

The odds of surviving a cardiac arrest are not good with 70 percent of adult cardiac arrests occurring at home. Only 11.4 percent of patients survive through discharge from a hospital. Everysmeyer was one of the lucky ones and the odds of his survival began when his wife began CPR, and increased higher with the quick response of Muscatine paramedics.

Eversmeyer’s recognition of the Muscatine paramedics highlight the skill and care provided by the Muscatine Fire Department during a sudden cardiac arrest event. 

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

The collapse of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin from a cardiac arrest during an NFL game with the Cincinnati Bengals Monday night brings home the swift change from living life to fighting for life that occurs with a cardiac arrest. The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation states that out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival rates are low, an average of 10 percent. That increases to 30 percent when a bystander begins CPR, and increases to 50 percent when that bystander can use both CPR and an AED. The foundation urges the public to learn CPR and how to use an AED, to encourage CPR-AED education in schools, and to promote widespread deployment of AEDs in their community.

Eastern Iowa Community Colleges will be holding a Heartsaver class in Muscatine on March 23. The Heartsaver CPR/AED/First Aid class is open to everyone and instructs participants on how to handle basic first aid, medical, injury, and environmental emergencies. Heartsaver CPR for the adult, child, and infant including how to handle choking situations are covered based on the American Heart Association 2015 guides. Click HERE to learn more about this class.

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City of Muscatine Press Releases

Lucas closed West 8th to West 4th starting Wednesday

MUSCATINE, Iowa – Lucas Street will be closed to traffic from West 8th to just past Main Street starting Wednesday morning, and travelers can expect Logan Street to be closed from Lucas to Climer within the next week or two according to the Muscatine Department of Public Works as part of the West Hill Area Sanitary and Storm Sewer Separation Project.

Repaving Climer Street from the 700 block to High Street is scheduled to begin Wednesday with curb and gutter on both sides of the street. The driving lanes are tentatively scheduled to be poured on Friday. Once cured, access to the Climer will be permitted with some lane restrictions as work on sidewalks and driveways is completed.

Project work will be moving east on Lucas Street from the West 8th Street intersection starting Wednesday morning (August 10) as the sanitary sewer pipe is replaced from West 8th up to the curve where Lucas becomes West 4th Street. Progressive closures of Lucas Street will occur moving to the east including the Main Street intersection. 

There will be limited access available with Lucas reduced to one lane where the underground work is being completed. A temporary driving surface will be provided behind the underground work once the contractor determines it is safe to do so. Driveways along the work area will be inaccessible while the sewer is being installed, but the contractor will attempt to restore driveway access as quickly as possible with a temporary driving surface.

Project work near Logan Street will move west out of the ravine through the alley that goes toward Logan Street this week. During the winter new sanitary sewer pipe was placed from High Street toward the intersection of the east/west and the north/south portions of those alleys.

Ravine work began Tuesday and is expected to be into the alley intersection by Wednesday morning at which point all access to the alley up to Logan will be closed. As soon as the sewer is run up to Logan Street, access to driveways in the alleys will be restored. Eventually that portion of the alley will be paved but a rock surface will be placed as quickly as possible when the work in the alley is complete for access to the driveways.

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Muscatine Harbor Gas Dock opens for the season Friday (May 27)

MUSCATINE, Iowa –The Gas Dock, located on the Muscatine riverfront in the channel just upriver from the Muscatine Boat Harbor, will begin serving customers at 5 p.m. Friday (May 27), weather permitting, according to the Muscatine Parks and Recreation Department. The Gas Dock service will have both gas and diesel available along with pump out service for boaters. 

The Gas Dock will be open 5-7 p.m. on Fridays and from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, weather permitting. Fuel is also available during the weekdays by calling the Parks and Recreation office at (563) 263-0241 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. 

The Parks and Recreation Department reminds patrons that slip rentals are currently being taken, and that the Muscatine Municipal Boat Harbor is the perfect place to store your boat for the season. Contact the Parks and Recreation Department office to reserve your slip over the phone at (563) 263-0241 or via email at parksoffice@muscatineiowa.gov.

For more information, please contact the Muscatine Parks and Recreation Department at (563) 263-0241

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