For more information contact:


Jeff Morgan
Public Relations
Jeff.Morgan@iowa.gov
515.281.3858

Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
600 E. Locust
Des Moines, IA 50319
iowagreatplaces.gov

 

Citizen Advisory Board:

Bill Menner
Chair
Grinnell

Robin Anderson
Vice-Chair
Mason City

David Bernstein
Sioux City

Claire Celsi
Des Moines

Samantha Erickson
Pleasant Hill

Mark Ginsberg
Iowa City

Tom Hanafan
Council Bluffs

Quentin Hart
Waterloo

Terry Lynch
Marion

Gil Spence
Dubuque

Amanda Styron
Mount Pleasant

Rita Vargas
Davenport


 

 

 

 
Iowa Great Places

Cultural Affairs announces Great Places tour schedule

For Immediate Release: October 2, 2007

DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs today announced the tour schedule for site visits to seven Iowa Great Places finalists.

Great Places Citizen Advisory Board members and DCA staff will tour Appanoose County, Charles City, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Decorah, Perry and Valley Junction Oct. 8-11. Iowa’s newest Great Places will be identified Oct. 11 and formally recognized Oct. 17 at the Capitol Building in Des Moines.

Iowa Great Places is a program that calls on state agencies to partner with Iowans in a new way by combining state resources with local assets to make Iowa’s communities, neighborhoods, districts and regions great places where people want to live, work and raise a family.

In developing their proposals, Iowans were asked to address seven unique and authentic dimensions that make places special: engaging experiences; rich, diverse populations and cultures; a vital, creative economy; clean and accessible natural and built environments; well-designed infrastructure; a shared attitude of optimism that welcomes new ideas; and based on a diverse and inclusive cultural mosaic.

 

Following is the Great Places site visit schedule:

2007-2008 Great Places Tour Schedule

October 8-11, 2007

Monday, Oct. 8:
Depart Des Moines: 7 a.m.
Arrive Charles City: 9:30 a.m.
Charles City Presentation: 9:45-11:15 a.m. – Charles City Library, 106 Milwaukee Mall, Charles City, Veronica Litterer, Cell # 641-330-6732
Lunch Charles City: 11:30-Noon
Depart Charles City: Noon
Arrive Decorah: 1:30 p.m.
Decorah Presentation: 1:45-3:15 p.m. – Amdahl-Oakland Heritage Center, Decorah, Nikki Brevig, cell # 563-382-3990
Depart Decorah: 3:30 p.m.
Arrive Davenport: 7:30 p.m.
Overnight in Davenport

Tuesday, Oct. 9
Davenport Presentation: 8:45-10:15 a.m. – River Music Experience, 129 Main Street, Davenport, Steve Ahrens, cell # 563-650-0652
Depart Davenport: 10:30 a.m.
Lunch Iowa City: 11:30 a.m.-Noon
Arrive Centerville: 3 p.m.
Appanoose Presentation: 3:15-4:45 p.m. – The Continental, 217 N. 13th Street, Centerville, Linda Howard, cell # 641-895-4515
Dinner Centerville: 5-6 p.m.
Depart Centerville: 6:15 p.m.
Arrive Des Moines: 8:30 p.m.
Overnight in Des Moines

Wednesday, Oct. 10
Depart Des Moines: 12:30 p.m.
Arrive Council Bluffs: 2:45 p.m.
Council Bluffs presentation: 3-4:30 p.m. – The Riverside Grille, 2 Harrah’s Blvd., Council Bluffs, Rose Brown, cell # 402-680-7690
Depart Council Bluffs: 4:45 p.m.
Arrive Des Moines: 7 p.m.
Overnight in Des Moines

Thursday, Oct. 11
Depart Des Moines: 7 a.m.
Arrive Perry: 8 a.m.
Perry presentation: 8:15-9:45 a.m. – Town/Craft Center, 1124 Willis Avenue, Perry, Butch Niebuhr, cell # 515-249-8696
Depart Perry: 10 a.m.
Arrive Valley Junction: 11 a.m.
Lunch Valley Junction: 11:15-11:45 p.m.
Valley Junction Presentation: Noon-1:30 p.m. – Theatrical Shop, 145 5th Street, Valley Junction, Jim Miller, cell # 319-551-6741
Depart Valley Junction: 1:45 p.m.
Arrive Des Moines: 2 p.m.
Board meeting to select Great Places designees: 2:15-3:15 p.m.

 

Following is this year’s finalists’ visioning statements and summaries of their project proposals:

Appanoose County – A Unique Sense of Place: A multitude of 52 cultures and nationalities settled, prospered and raised their children with an ability of overcoming challenges and the resilience to meet and change with the times.

  • Restoration of Ritz theatre.
  • Development of 545 acres Lelah Bradley Active Campus that includes trails, natural habitat, reservoirs, sport fields and community gardens.
  • Rathbun multi-use trail connecting Rathbun Snow trails and the new trails in Honey Creek Resort State Park.

 Charles City – America’s Hometown: Showcase Charles City as a great place to live, work and play. The only remaining structure in the Midwest dedicated to one of the premier advocates of women’s suffrage in the United States that resulted in passage of the 19th Amendment, along with a unique kayak rodeo for outdoor usage.

  • Carrie Chapman Catt Girlhood Home & Education into education, enlightenment and awareness of suffrage rights and their relationship to rights of women.
  • Riverfront development of kayak rodeo, ravine area, park entrance enhancement, storm water fountain and CW trail augmentation.

 Council Bluffs – The River’s Edge at Iowa’s Leading Edge: Enhance the Council Bluffs image within the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area by diversifying tourism opportunities, increasing commercial and housing activities and improving the quality of life for western Iowans.

  • Development of former Playland Park site into mix use neighborhood offering unique living and working environment.
  • Development of riverfront park to encourage access to Missouri River and public art.
  • Complete enhancements of pedestrian bridge linking Council Bluffs and Omaha riverfront developments.
  • Sustainable expertise and programming forum for activities in riverfront park.

Davenport – Iowa’s Front Porch: At the crossroads of America, this city has intrigued entrepreneurs, adventurers and explorers for centuries. It is planning its future on education, arts and neighborhoods that are steeped in the rich history of the state and country.

  • Centennial Park is a 58-acre former industrial area and will turn into a gathering place for the community with a state-of-the-art skate park, basketball courts, and informal play and concert area with active recreation, family play and picnic area.
  • Centennial Park spray ground, a 10,000-square-foot area featuring programmable and interactive play for young families without hazards for young children, based on a Mississippi River theme and a migratory flyway of the river.
  • Front Porch parkway that envisions water transportation on River Drive, farmer’s market and beautification that promotes Union Station as a visitor’s center and expands the River Drive skyway.
  • LeClaire Park enhancement of Main Street pier, sculpture garden, family activity center, nature area, fountain area and Brady Street Bowl.

Decorah – A Healthy Community: A healthy community is reflected in its physical attributes, successful business environment and active citizen participation that brings tourists to a beautiful spot that is set apart from much of Iowa with its limestone bluffs and scenic river ravine.

  • Development of Health Center and development and rehabilitation of visitor’s center and community recreation/education center.
  • Continuation of 12-mile trail.
  • Local food and fitness center along with $500,000 grant from the Kellogg Foundation to increase consumption of healthy food in rural communities.

Perry – Living the Small Town Dream: A hometown that enriches its residents, fosters a sense of community, provides the basics and celebrates their significance with a shared experience and appreciation of diverse cultures.

  • Downtown revitalization focused on beautification, improved infrastructure and creation of pedestrian friendly walkways.
  • Town Craft Center to help small communities envision a sustainable future through creative approaches to development with Iowa State University College of Design and Iowa State Extension.
  • Recreation/Brownfield/Interpretative Center – includes connection of trails of Raccoon River Valley, Hiawatha Trail and Galloping Goose Trail.
  • Reintroducing bays of original roundhouse and certain buildings of railroad center and creation of educational center for railroad history and immigrant center to fully explore the immigrant experience from yesterday to today.

Valley Junction – Historic Valley Junction: Under Construction: Broad-based group of supporters that want to show how a small neglected part of the metro Des Moines area can rise from a derelict and neglected part of the larger suburban city and forge its own unique identity as a small village in suburbia.

  • Development of pattern book to promote walk ability and consistent small town feel for the village.
  • Public art.
  • Railroad Avenue and Valley Junction streetscape.
  • Small business incubator in restored railroad depot.
  • Trail connection from city to Raccoon River and to metro Des Moines.

The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs is responsible for developing the state’s interest in the areas of the arts, history and other cultural matters with the advice and assistance from its two divisions: the State Historical Society of Iowa and the Iowa Arts Council. DCA preserves, researches, interprets and promotes an awareness and understanding of local, state and regional history and stimulates and encourages the study and presentation of the performing and fine arts and public interest and participation in them. It implements tourism-related art and history projects as directed by the General Assembly and designs a comprehensive, statewide, long-range plan with the assistance of the Iowa Arts Council to develop the arts in Iowa. More information about DCA is available at www.culturalaffairs.org.