National Main Street Center Grant Downtown Vision ProcessCITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA
MEMORANDUM
February 28, 2001
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
Grant Request to National Main Street Center for Downtown Vision Process
Planning Services Manager Laura Carstens is recommending that the City Council authorize the
Mayor to sign the joint letter to the National Main Street Center for the City and Dubuque Main
Street, Ltd. for a consultation grant to fund the keynote speaker for the Downtown Vision
process.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council approval.
MCVM/jh
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, Corporation Counsel
Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager
CITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA
MEMORANDUH
February 27, 2001
TO:
FROM:
Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager
SUBJECT: Grant Request to National Main Street Center for Downtown Vision process
Attached for consideration by the City Council is a draft letter from the City of Dubuque and
Dubuque Main Street Ltd. to the National Main Street Center for a consultation grant. This letter is
a request for the National Main Street Center to fund the expenses of a nationally prominent
keynote speaker for the initial community meeting for our Downtown Vision process.
The Downtown Vision process is the first step in creating a comprehensive downtown plan. The
idea of creating of this plan originated at the February, 2000 "Housing Action Conference". The
concept has subsequently been carded forward by the Downtown Planning Committee of the Long
Range Planning Advisory Commission, at the direction of the City Council.
The anticipated budget for the Downtown Vision process is $50,000, with $30,000 recommended
to come from City funds, and $20,000 to be raised from state and private sources.
A National Main Street Center consultation grant was received previously for the Historic Old Main
Market Analysis. Restrictions on the use of this grant would be:
Restricted to service area of Dubuque Main Street Ltd. (The proposed boundaries of the
Downtown Comprehensive Plan process meet this requirement.)
National Main Street Center staff must approve the consultant selected.
Competition for the consultant contract must conform with Equal Opportunity laws.
We must retain financial records for three years.
Any publicity for the portion of the "plan" partially funded by such a grant must include an
acknowledgement of grant assistance.
A final report of results must be sent to the National Main Street Center.
On behalf of the Downtown Planning Committee, I recommend that the City Council authorize the
Mayor to sign the joint letter to the National Main Street Center for the City and Dubuque Main
Street, Ltd. for a consultation grant to fund the keynote speaker for the Downtown Vision process.
Attachment
CC
Dan LoBianco, Dubuque Main Street, Ltd.
Dave Rusk, Downtown Planning Committee
Icamter~vp/Council/NMSC,mem.doc
March 6, 2001
Grant Committee Chairperson
National Main Street Center
1785 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
RE: National Main Street Center Consultation Grant
Dear Grant Committee,
The City of Dubuque and Dubuque Main Street, Ltd. would like to jointly request that the
National Main Street Center consider assisting your longest-standing Urban Main Street
Program with a consultation grant for our new initiative to create a shared community
vision as the basis for a Downtown Comprehensive Plan.
Specifically, we seek your support in bringing to our City Center a nationally prominent
keynote speaker to address our community as the motivational kick-off to our Vision
Downtown process at our initial community meeting. This speaker also would provide a
wrap-up presentation of the day's visioning results.
Dubuque has conducted a number of studies and visioning plans in individual downtown
districts and for specific issues; however, with this concept originating at a community-
wide "Housing Action Conference" in February 2000, it is time to assess a total
Downtown Vision with reality and relative to these existing plans. We look to author a
shared community vision for Downtown Dubuque - "Vision Downtown," and ultimately
create a comprehensive master plan based on the Vision and the assessments.
We want to draw a strong cross-section of citizens for this participation-oriented, all-
inclusive program. The involvement of the National Main Street Center immediately
gives the process credibility, and will assist us in making this visioning effort a highly
participatory event.
To complement this assistance that we are seeking from the National Main Street
Center, we have garnered financial, in-kind and/or voluntary commitments from the City
of Dubuque, Dubuque Main Street, the Main Street Iowa Office, the Dubuque Area
Chamber of Commerce, several local utilities and the City's Long Range Planning
Commission and Downtown Planning Committee.
Page 2 of 2
Should you have any questions or need additional information about this process or
request, please contact Dan LoBianco, Dubuque Main Street, at (319) 588-4400 or
Laura Carstens, Planning Services Department, City of Dubuque, at (319) 589-4210.
Sincerely,
Terrance M. Duggan, Mayor
City of Dubuque
Linda Herbst, President
Dubuque Main Street, Ltd.
CC
Dubuque City Council
Dubuque Main Street, Ltd. Board of Directors
Downtown Planning Committee
Michael Van Milligen, City Manager
Laura Carstens, Planning Services Department
Dan LoBianco, Dubuque Main Street, Ltd.
~ca rstenh/~p/Counci~JN MSC. It r.doc