Letter of Commitment - Greater Dubuque Agriculture and Construction Copyright 2014
City of Dubuque Consent Items # 25.
ITEM TITLE: Letter of Commitment - Greater Dubuque Agriculture and Construction
Machinery Manufacturing Community Application
SUMMARY: Submittal of this Letter of Commitment to the Greater Dubuque Agriculture
and Construction Machinery Manufacturing Community application under
consideration from Northeast Iowa Community College and our tri-state
area partners for a regional Investing in Manufacturing Communities
Partnership designation.
SUGGESTED DISPOSITION: Suggested Disposition: Receive and File; Approve
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
❑ R Hedgepeth US Dept Comm Investing in Manuf Comm Partnership Supporting Documentation
THECUYOF Dubuque
Office of the Mayor
DUB E ty Hall
50Wo
� � 50Westf AStreet
Dubuque, Id 52001-4864
Masterpiece on the Mississippi — 3 www.atyoP.iubuque org
March 26, 2015
Ryan Hedgepeth
U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration
1401 Constitution Avenue N.W., Suite 78006
Washington, D.C. 20230
Re: Announcement for FY15 Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership
The City of Dubuque is pleased to submit this letter of commitment to the Greater Dubuque
Agriculture and Construction Machinery Manufacturing Community application under
consideration from Northeast Iowa Community College and our tri-state area partners for a
regional Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership designation. This strong
partnership of education, business, government, economic development, and workforce
entities is working to expand the capacity of the Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa tri-state region
to attract and grow manufacturing within the community's robust agricultural and construction
machinery industry.
Recognized by the National League of Cities as an All-American City in 2007, 2012, and
2013, Dubuque is thriving. It is the center of industry, health care, education, and
employment in the tri-state area of Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois. The City of Dubuque is One
of the World's "Smart21 Communities of 2015," which Intelligent Community Forum notes:
.... have launched programs [for] the creation of industries that will produce jobs." The
website SmartAsset.com blog described Dubuque as One of the 10 Best American Cities to
Work in Technology noting that "Dubuque has a large number of manufacturing firms which
require the precision that the tech industry can provide in order to turn out products like heavy
farm machinery." The U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis named
Dubuque the fastest-growing economy in Iowa in 2012 and the 27th fastest-growing
nationally in 2013. Dubuque was named 10th Best-Performing Small Metro out of 179 small
U.S. metropolitan areas in 2013 by the Milken Institute, which ranks areas by how well they
are creating and sustaining jobs and economic growth. The leading publication for site-
location and corporate real estate professionals, Site Selection Magazine's 2013 "Top
Metropolitan Areas" placed Dubuque 5th for business growth and expansion for metro areas
under 200,000 people.
Manufacturing has been central to the Dubuque identity for over a century and the City has
actively supported efforts to expand and sustain manufacturing industries in the region.
Workforce and training is a prominent need by local employers– and has led to programs
such as Opportunity Dubuque that trains students in key manufacturing skills such as welding
in close partnership with businesses. The City also partnered on several workforce and
training grants led by IMCP core members Northeast Iowa Community College and East
Central Intergovernmental Association including the Department of Labor Green Job Initiative
Grant and the Iowa Workforce Development State Energy Sector Partnership.
The City is investing in infrastructure to support the growth of industries and workforce in the
IMCP KTS including the following projects:
• Brownfields assessment focused on three targeted areas: Washington
Neighborhood, South Port, and the historic Millwork District. Made possible through
a $400,000 EPA planning grant and Dubuque also recently received a $200,000
planning grant.
• Millwork District redevelopment: TIGER grant $5.6 million for 17 blocks and over 1
million square feet of vacant space; includes reconstructing streets, replacing
pavement and utilities, and installation of sidewalks and streetlights. Additional
funding of a $10 million Community Development Block Grant Disaster funding was
invested to create workforce housing. Private and public investment in this
reclaimed urban area totals exceeds $100 million dollars.
• Dubuque Intermodal Transportation Center: Located in the historic Millwork
District, the center will provide 60,000 area residents, over 10,700 employees and
employers in the downtown with various transportation options to major downtown
employment centers, and industrial and commercial business parks located on the
south and west ends of the community. Construction is underway, with completion
scheduled for Fiscal Year 2016. This project was made possible by an $8 million
State of Good Repair federal FTA grant and a City investment of$7 million.
• Bee Brach Watershed Flood Mitigation Project: This 6.5 square mile area where
50% of Dubuque residents work or live has been damaged by six flash floods
resulting in six Presidential disaster declarations between 2001-2011 . Construction
and improvements are planned as a 12-phased investment of$179 million project
to mitigate flooding, improve water quality, stimulate investment, and enhance
quality
As the lead applicants for the Greater Dubuque Agriculture and Construction Machinery
Manufacturing Community IMCP designation application, the City of Dubuque, NICC, and
partners pledge to develop, implement, and coordinate the region's catalytic investments.
The City of Dubuque and its partners view the IMCP initiative as the next step in supporting
manufacturing in the tri-state region after development of the Upper Mississippi Innovation
Center (UMMIC) business plan through EDA grant 06-06-05877.
Core partners who do not follow-through with performance in identified strategies and
projects will be addressed through verbal and then written remediation. If non-performance
continues, the partner will be subjected to a core committee decision to limit their involvement
or be dismissed from the group.
The City of Dubuque is committed to supporting the further development of the Dubuque area
tri-state region as a manufacturing hub. As a demonstration of this commitment, we pledge to
make the following investments over the next 5 years valued at $122,950,097:
• Economic Development Department Staff and projects that will support the hl
state economy.
• South Technology Park The City of Dubuque developed a state of the art
technology parkwi[hin the city limits. Additional development will make this site
an even more ideal location.
• Dubuque Regional Airport Utilities and infrastructure extended south five miles
providing additional developable space for manufacturing and business.
• Economic Development Partner Support Including Greater Dubuque
Development Corporation, Prosperity Eastern Iowa, Dubuque Area Labor
Management Council, Tri State Alliance, Project Hope and many others.
• Dubuque Industrial Center Economic Development District Graf industrial park
expansion and utilities expanding the Dubuque Industrial Center West
• Southwest Arterial. Continue development of this 6.1-mile, four lane, divided
highway with priority one access control. The arterial will connect the Dubuque
Technology Parkwi[h the new Dubuque Industrial Center West and the existing
Dubuque Industrial Center.
The 20 county partnership is hopeful the IMCP designation coupled with the Upper
Mississippi Manufacturing Innovation Center business plan developed through EDA project
0666058]] will expand the solid machinery manufacturing ecosystem in the Dubuque, Iowa
region. The City of Dubuque looks forward to leading the Greater Dubuque area I MCP team.
Thank you for your careful consideration of this proposal.
3ly A
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Buol
Mayor