5 13 19 City Council Proceedings Official_Special
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CITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA
CITY COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS
SPECIAL SESSION
OFFICIAL
The Dubuque City Council met in special session at 6:00 p.m. on May 13, 2019 in the
second-floor Council Chambers of the Historic Federal Building, 350 W. 6th Street.
Present: Mayor Buol; Council Members Del Toro, Jones, Larson, Resnick, Rios, Shaw;
City Manager Van Milligen, City Attorney Brumwell
Mayor Buol read the call and stated this is a special session of the City Council called
for the purpose of conducting a work session on the Central Avenue Corridor Streetscape
Master Plan and the Bee Branch Watershed Flood Mitigation Project - Blum Site Update.
WORK SESSIONS
1. Central Avenue Corridor Streetscape Master Plan: Economic Development
Director Jill Connors introduced the work session and RDG Consultant Ryan Peterson.
Mr. Peterson conducted the work session highlighting the following topics from the draft
master plan:
• Acknowledgments: Mayor, City Council, Administration; Steering Commi ttee,
Consultant Team;
• Central Avenue Study Area / Washington Neighborhood;
• Transition Points;
• Corridor Core Area;
• Creating an 18th-Street “Hub;”
• Public transportation opportunities with covered benches/shelters;
• Expanded sidewalks, pedestrian and biking priorities;
• Preserving the Corridor’s architecture;
• Green space and event areas;
• Integrated arts and culture;
• Transitioning to two-way traffic;
• Implementation and next steps.
The City Council had discussion with the presente r and voiced their liking with many
aspects of the plan. Concerns were aimed at street width, pedestrian safety, and traffic
volumes. City Manager Van Milligen stated that once the impact of the SW Arterial
opening and the Hwy 52 transfer of jurisdiction from the Iowa DOT is realized; a traffic
study will be completed to better inform the project.
The work session concluded at 6:45 p.m. Mayor Buol called for a short break to prepare
for the next work session.
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2. Bee Branch Watershed Flood Mitigation Project - Blum Site Update: Project
Manager Steve Brown, Leisure Services Manager Marie Ware, and Recreation Manager
Dan Kroger provided an update on the Bee Branch Watershed Flood Mitigation Project –
Blum Site Project and the expanded ideas for the site. Topics included:
• Connecting the community through shared spaces and proximity to other activity
areas and facilities.
o Overview of the upper and lower Bee Branch restoration area and
status of pending projects;
o Overview and history of the Blum site;
o Areas of opportunity and data collection for creating an equitable and
inclusive community of choice;
o Potentially relocating the Leisure Services offices to an accessible
location with expanded connectivity and potential;
o Comparison to other ambitious City projects: Historic Millwork District,
Port of Dubuque and the Bee Branch Creek Greenway;
o Community outreach.
• Data Collection
o Relationship to Dubuque’s True North initiative and Imagine Dubuque
Comprehensive Plan;
o Recreation needs and recommendations;
o Opportunities for partnerships;
o Gateway to Dubuque;
o Vision: a community center and park with equitable access and
opportunities.
• Budget
o East Blum site: site features, building features, Sycamore Triangle site
features;
o West Blum site: site features, building features;
o Total project costs, funding shortfall, grant opportunities;
• Proactive equitable community of choice programming;
• Moving forward, direction, timeline and next steps.
The City Council had lengthy discussion with the presenters and expressed their liking
for many concepts and the relationship to the City’s goals and priorities. Other topics
discussed included the size and cost of the project, relationship to the local correctional
facility, planned safety features; data on the impact of recreational programming on
community race relations and teen arrests, and the potential benefits of moving the
Leisure Services offices to a downtown location.
There being no further business, upon motion the City Council adjourned at 8:32 p.m.
/s/Kevin S. Firnstahl, CMC, City Clerk