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Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission ReportIowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission Explore Iowa's Great River Road sue Stirn August 13, 2009 ~ ~ Allamakee County -- 'J``1 ~ M.J. Smith ~ C~ ~7 ~ ~!~ Clayton County Dubuque City Council - . ~~ City Hall ~ ~4 john Goodmann 50 West 13tH c-' `~ Dubuque County Dubuque IA 52001 ~ ~~ ~ ; ' ~ Marian Meyer CD ~~ ~.~ Jackson County Dear Council Members - Art Ollie Clinton County Patsy L. Ramacitti On behalf of the entire Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission Scott county I am please to enclose our 2008/2009 annual report. Please review at your convenience. If you should have any questions or John Oberhaus comments please communicate them to me or any member of the Muscatine County commission. Jay Schweitzer Louisa County Thank you very much for your ongoing support. We will continue to do our level best to promote and enhance the great river road. Elaine Baxter Des Moines County Sincerely, John E. Goodmann Iowa Chairman r .~~,„ I ~ .~ _,,., __, ~ = ~-r---•-~ y Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission 2008/2009 Annual Report July 2009 4 IOWA MISSISSIPPI RIVER PARKWAY COMMISSION 2008/2009 ANNUAL REPORT AUGUST 2009 John Goodmann Chair IOWA MISSISIPPI RIVER PARKWAY COMMISSION Table of Contents SECTION 1: Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission 2008/2009 Annual Report SECTION 2: Iowa MRPC Commission & Technical Members SECTION 3: Minutes of Meetings SECTION 4: Iowa MRPC Newsletter "Along The Byways" MISSION STATEMENT The Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission (IAMRPC) was organized to: • Preserve, promote and enhance the scenic, historic, natural, archaeological, cultural and recreation resources of the National Scenic Byway (NSB)/Iowa Great River Road (GRR) and the Iowa Mississippi River Valley. • Foster economic growth of the Mississippi River corridor. • Develop the National Scenic Byway/Great River Road. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES • Assist in coordinating the increase of investment and awareness of the National Scenic Byway/Iowa Great River Road and its amenities with roadside parks, scenic overlooks, educational experiences and opportunities and historic information. • Increase the awareness for stakeholders of funding through transportation enhancement funds. • Develop communication opportunities to tell the stories of the National Scenic Byway/Great River Road. • Arrange community involvement meetings and workshops. • Advocate for the Great River Road development studies. • Advocate for transportation related projects that incorporate the principles of context sensitive design. • Advocate for the use of sustainable design principles such as L.E.E.D. (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.) A major factor in achieving these goals and objectives is partnering with area and national groups and associations that have similar goals and interests. By networking with other organizations, we can best utilize all our assets, including financial, contacts, and personnel. IOWA MRPC COMMISSION MEETINGS The Iowa MRPC Commission has met three times this year. Two of the meetings were held in Bettendorf, Iowa based on its central location along the river. Minutes of the September 26, 2008 meeting in Bettendorf and the Apri12009 meeting at the semi-annual national meeting in Memphis are attached. The committee also met informally on May 20, 2009 to participate in a long term planning session for the Iowa MRPC. At the commission meetings, commissioners and technical members share information from the counties they represent and organization activities that relate to and may impact the Iowa Great River Road. Iowa MRPC project work plans, initiatives and partnership initiatives are discussed and appropriate action taken. IOWA MRPC STRUCTURE The Iowa Commission consists often commissioners appointed by the Governor of Iowa representing the ten counties that border the Mississippi River. The commission by Iowa statue is gender and politically balanced. In addition, there are five technical members representing: Iowa Department of Transportation, Department of Economic Development, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa Office of Tourism, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. One new commission member was appointed by Governor Culver. Sue Stirn of Allamakee County was appointed in June of 2009. Additionally, 4 members were reappointed to new 4 year terms. M.J. Smith of Clayton County, Jay Schweizer of Louisa county, John Oberhaus of Muscatine County and Patsy Ramacitti of Scott County. An updated Iowa MRPC commission list is attached. IOWA MRPC BUDGET _ The FY2010 budget for the Iowa MRPC was approved by the Iowa DOT for $40,000. (see highlights). The budget includes 2010 National MRPC dues, National Scenic Byway Grants ~ matching funds, MRPC conferences and Iowa Commission meetings and travel expenses, office expenses, mailings, and telephone long distance expenses. IOWA ACTIVITIES AND WORK PLAN Iowa MRPC Website Development The Iowa MRP website continues to evolve. www.iowagreatriverroad.com The host, Dubuque365.com continues to add content to the site. Additionally the Iowa MRPC applies to the Internal Revenue Service for a SOIc(3) status in order to allow for sponsorships on the website. The IRS suggested that the commission file fora 501 c(4) status instead based on the mission of the organization, and the commission is in the process of completing this filing. Features of the website include: For the Traveler: • A history of the MRPC, biographies of members and mission statement. • A history of the river, towns, and counties with appropriate photography. • Fantastic photography and panoramic photos of the Mississippi River. • Schedule of events that can be sorted by date, location, type, etc. • Mapping ability and ability to zoom in on maps and select location links. • An itinerary or trip planner that prints anagenda - by city, type of event, etc. • Ability to feature links with maps and icons and print a route with mileage. For the Iowa Stakeholder: • Easy to use and update with 100% immunity to viruses. • Unlimited addition and editing of pictures and text. • Fully managed, Tier-1, secure fiber-optic website and email hosting facilities. • Ability to support advertising or sponsors for maintaining the site. The Iowa MRPC will incorporate a proposed Historical Great Place brochure into the website that will list historical and cultural places to visit in Iowa along the Great River Road in the ten counties. Also, will include festivals and annual special events. NSB Grants submitted by Iowa Stakeholders The Iowa MRPC reviewed five (5) NSB grants submitted for the Iowa Great River Road funding and sent recommendations for funding to the Iowa DOT. The Iowa DOT evaluation committee prioritized all Iowa NSB grants and recommended (5) GRR grants for funding by the Federal Highway Administration. Iowa Participation in Meetings and Events The Iowa Chair participated in all National MRPC Board meetings and Executive Board meetings, as well as the Semi-Annual and Annual Meetings. The majority of Iowa Commissioners also participated in the National MRPC meetings. MRPC 2008 70th Anniversary Celebration and Annual Meeting September 25-28, 2008 The Iowa MRPC 2008 Annual Meeting was held in Bettendorf, Iowa at the Isle of Capri new Paradise Hotel and Isle Center. This was also the 70th Anniversary of the establishment of the Great River Road and the Mississippi River Parkway Commission. Some highlights included: Four Applied Mobile Learning Workshops were included to provide members with an opportunity to have a learning experience as well as a fun activity. There was an old style family picnic with a Dixieland Band in the hotel courtyard. This is a first time event for the MRPC. MRPC Semi-annual meeting This meeting took place in Memphis, TN on April 17th and 18th with members from all 10 states as a part of the national MRPC meeting structure. Highlights of the meeting included presentations from a number of organizations including .the Audubon Society and Memphis Port Authority. There was also an off-site visit to the Memphis River Museum. Iowa MRPC Planning Session The May 20th meeting of the commission included a long term planning session for the Iowa MRPC with an emphasis on setting priorities for the present and future commissioners. Priority items included a goal to rework the Iowa Great River Road corridor plan, web-site enhancement, and increased numbers of membership in and involvement of technical committee members. Iowa MRPC "Along the Byway" Newsletter The Iowa commission published two newsletters for our stakeholders this year. The publication, which is still mailed to recipients, highlights grant opportunities for river communities, tells the success stories of river projects, and communicates the advocacy role of the Iowa volunteers and technical advisors of the MRPC. A copy of the June 2009 newsletter is included in this packet. Iowa MRPC Stakeholder Meetings Stakeholder meetings for 2009 have been scheduled for October 14th in Guttenberg and October 15th in Bettendorf and Ft. Madison. National MRPC Interpretive Center Exhibit The National table top exhibit was first used at the MRPC Annual meeting in St. Louis and has since been exhibited at three additional meetings. This exhibit is available for use by all states and costs about $50 to ship. Iowa MRPC 2007 Grant Applications 1. Iowa's Byways Website Development, $56,189 2. George M. Verity Preservation Project, $222,200 3. Mississippi River Bluff-Top Observation Deck, $132,000 4. Louisa Interpretive Center Along the GRR, $720,000 5. GRR at Montrose Pavilion Project, $90,600 Final NSB approval has not been received. Iowa ZOOS Grant applications are still awaiting final priority. Awards Iowa Commission member M. J. Smith received the MRPC Distinguished Service Award. The award was based on M.J.'s many years of sustained service and leadership to both the Iowa MRPC and the National MRPC. IOWA MISSISSIPPI RIVER PARKWAY COMMISSION Appointed Commissioners National Committee Electronic Address ALLAMAKEE COUNTY: _ Sue Stirn Environment ssrental@sbtek.net - PO Box 36 Ag, Rec Home phone: 563-538-4454 Lansing, IA 52151 Cell phone: 563-568-8087 CLAYTON COUNTY: M. J. Smith, Secretary Marketing mismithna,alpinecom.net 207 Lorenz Lane Work phone: 563-252-3283 Guttenberg, IA 52052 FAX: 563-252-1275 CLINTON COUNTY: C. Arthur Ollie, 413 Ruth Place Clinton, IA 52732 DES MOINES COUNTY: Elaine Baxter 1016 N. Fourth St. Burlington, IA 52601 DUBUQUE COUNTY: John E. Goodmann Goodmann Insurance Services 2744 University Ave. P.O. Box 1088 Dubuque, IA 52004-1088 JACKSON COUNTY: Marian Meyer 106 N. 3~d Street Bellevue, IA 52031 Bylaws Committee Culture & Heritage j.a.ollie(a,mchsi.com Home phone: 563-243-5477 elainbax(a,msn.com Home phone: 319-754-4372 FAX: 319-754-4372 Term Expires Marketing .i~oodmannnu,real-good.com Work phone: 563-556-3232 FAX: 563-556-1142 Environment, Recreation Marianmeyer4(a~aol.com & Agriculture Work phone: 563-872-4991 Home phone: 563-672-9666 FAX: 563-872-4094 2013 2013 2011 2011 2011 2011 LEE COUNTY: Gene Enke 1002 Denmark Hilltop Fort Madison, IA 52627 Nominating Committee g_enke@yahoo.com Home phone: 319-372-7935 Cell phone: 319-470-1133 2011 LOUISA COUNTY: Jay Schweitzer Transportation P. O. Box 112 Columbus Junction, IA 52738 MUSCATINE COUNTY: John Oberhaus 2581 Jasper Ave. Letts, IA 52754 Environment, Recreation & Agriculture snwlaw(a,lisco.com Work Phone: 319-728-2219 Home phone: 319-728-3180 FAX: 319-728-8449 iloberhaus(a,lisco.com Home phone: 319-726-5395 2013 2013 SCOTT COUNTY: Patsy L. Ramacitti, Chair 4674 Kynnelworth Drive Bettendorf, IA 52722 Pilot Board of Directors Executive Board Bettnlr(a~,aol.com Home phone: 563-332-5446 2013 TECHNICAL MEMBERS IOWA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION: Troy Siefert Transportation Iowa Scenic Byways Program Manager 800 Lincoln Way Ames, IA 50010 Troy. S iefert(a,dot.iowa.~ov Work phone: 515-239-1369 800-262-0003, ext. 1369 FAX: 515-233-7857 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT• Cali Beals Marketing Cali.beals(a~iowalifechan~ing.com 21202 Pheasant Run Work phone: 515-242-4822 Anamosa, IA 52205 Home phone: 319-462-6944 IOWA OFFICE OF TOURISM: Director Nancy Landes Marketing nancy.landessna,iowalifechangin~.com 200 E. Grand Ave. Work phone: 5`15-242-4702 Des Moines, IA 50309 FAX: 515-242-4718 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES: Janell Rettig janellerettig@aol.com U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS: Ron Deiss Environment, Recreation Ronald.w.deiss(a,usace.army.mil Economic & Environment & Agriculture Work phone: 309-794-5185 Analysis Branch FAX: 309-794-5157 Clock Tower Building, C. of E. Box 2004 Rock Island, IL 60204-2004 NATIONAL MRPC: Susanne Thiede-Barnet Susannena,pilchbarnet.com 222 State St., Suite 400 Work phone: 608-242-8895 Madison, WI 53703 FAX: 608-242-8896 Lyn Pilch lynna,nilchbarnet.com 222 State St., Suite 400 Work phone: 608-242-8895 Madison, WI 53703 FAX: 608-242-8896 Updated: July 09 -2- Iowa MRPC Minutes Sept. 26, 2008 The Isle of Capri Bettendorf, Iowa In attendance: Pilot Patsy Ramacitti, Scott County; Chair John Goodman, Dubuque County; Gene Enke, Lee County; MJ Smith, Clayton County, Art Ollie, Clinton County; Elaine Baxter, Des Moines County; Marian Meyer, Jackson County; John Oberhaus, Muscatine County; Jay Schweitzer, Louisa County; Cali Beals, Iowa DEDRon Deiss, Corps of Engineers; and Troy Siefert, Iowa DOT. The group convened at 7:30 a.m. Agenda Items Action items bold 1. Aug. Meeting Minutes -The minutes were approved as submitted. Motion by Oberhaus/Enke. 2. Troy Siefert announced an opportunity for training set for Oct. 29 in Ames. The content will focus on uniform signage to promote both Statoe of Iowa and the two National Scenic Byways. Patsy and Art will attend. The commission will discuss the signing opportunity following their report of the meeting. 3. MJ Smith presented a letter from Northeast Iowa Resource and Conservation Development Director Lora Friest. The letter invited the MRPC to become a partner in GIS/GPS mapping along the GRR. The commission voted to endorse the partnership and a letter of support will be sent by Chair Goodmann. Motion by Schweitzer/Enke. 4. Agri-tourism Inventory -County Commissioners will be asked to complete an inventory of agri-tourism resources. Watch US Mail for copy and deadlines from Chair Goodmann. 5. Website Accounting -The commission discussed and approved a budget for Marian Meyer to process revenue and disbursements for the MRPC website at a rate of $10 per hour not to exceed 10 hours each week. John Goodmann and MJ Smith were appointed to sign checks for the website account. 6. The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 a.m. Minutes submitted by M.J. Smith, Secretary Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission State Meeting Semi Annual National Meeting Memphis, Tennessee April 18, 2009 Meeting called to order: 7:35 A.M. Present: Elaine Baxter, Gene Enke, John Goodman, John Oberhaus, Art Ollie, Patsy Ramacitti, Jay Schweitzer 1. Geocaching: Re: M.J. This project was judged successful and is being renewed. The Iowa Geocaching organization will place caches if we provide the kits. Each state is asked to provide a $100 incentive for successful geocachers. Approved 2. Quad City Convention and Visitor Bureau Annual guide - ad space offered. We apparently did not advertize last year. No action taken 3. Memo from DOT- Recovery Act $ available for Ferry improvement. As the Iowa landing of the Cassville - Millville Ferry needs attention, we want to make sure Iowa DOT seeks funding. John Goodman needs to be kept informed of any action on this funding. 4. Bridge in Burlington -carries the GRR, and is on the route of a city street. Due to its poor condition it has been closed. If it is not repaired, the GRR needs to be rerouted and re-mapped. Elaine will write a letter to go out over John Goodman's signature calling the attention of the City of Burlington and the DOT about this. 5. Byway signage project. Graphics were passed around showing the unified Iowa Byway signage and information about the project was shared. A desire was expressed that we want to see the final design before the project is implemented. (A subsequent memo from Patsy reminded us that permission of the National MRPC needs to be obtained in order to utilize our logo.) 6. Web site: A marketing person has been retained to solicit ads. John will clarify details of the budget for the web site and a-mail it to commissioners. 7. Letters to the Editor: John urged commissioners to write to their local papers concerning the semi-annual meeting and to urge people to visit our website. John will circulate his letter as a template for us to follow 8. Strategic planning session: John will set a date later this Spring. Patsy will reserve the Lodge as Bettendorf is more centrally located. 9. Hospitality room expenses. The DOT will not reimburse for the cost of the beer and wine. Art will submit the bills to Patsy to request the national office to do so. 10. NSB grants: Concern was expressed that so many state byway corridor management plans were funded ahead of projects on the national byways. John will request a breakdown of the amounts allocated to each project for further analysis. Meeting adjourned at 8:30 A.M. Respectfully submitted, Art Ollie, temp. sec. :,~ '~, ~..~> .r. '~r..ti~. ':> .f=- You can publish! Iowa Great River Road events & stories The Iowa Mississippi Parkway Commission hosts a fabulous website at www.iowagreatriverroad.com The highly interactive site invites Great River Road stakeholders to publish stories and events. The first thing to do is register. This takes less than a minute, is completely private, and unlocks several tools for users, including a Turbo Search option. Next, look under the Home tab at the far left side of the opening page under Home and Info and select Publish. The real strength of this site is its ability to collect the stories of the people who live on, visit and simply love the Mississippi. Promoting an event along the river's edge? Simply fill in the event name, location, date and time. Describe the event and upload a photo to promote your community. Add a caption to describe the scene in more detail. Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission Newsletter VOLUME 1$ JUNE ZOOS If your community is working to promote its birding adventures, publish a feature story about your morning walk with the local fowl from that same link under Home and Info on the opening page. Everyone is able to contribute content to the Iowa Great River Road Web site. You do not need to be registered to contribute, but is recommended for use of all the site's tools. Besides events and stories, you may even list your tourism-based business for website visitors to discover when they visit your community. All content posted to the site is moderated, therefore no postings will appear instantly. The staff of the IowaGreatRiverRoad.com website will review, edit if necessary, and make sure all content is being posted to the correct areas. They will attempt to ensure that all postings are verified as correct, but as it is not always possible, the honor system will do some governing, assuming that the content you post is accurate and relevant. Your events should appear online within a couple days of posting. and daughters connect to catch up and enjoy the river. The perfect destination for a daytrip from anywhere on the Iowa Great River Road is the Quad Cities. The MPRC is proud to partner with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Rock Island District in a shared mission to respect and protect the Mississippi River. While in the Quad Cities, one can discover river history from the early 1800's at the Col. Davenport Home. .. ,~ -- __._ r ~ iP~ t ry r u~ w From early April through mid December, visitors from around the world come to the visitor's center to watch boats pass through the lock. The visitor's center welcomes over 60,000 people annually and is handicap accessible. It is open seven days a week with the exception of Christmas and New Year's Day. Hours of operation are 9 am to 5 pm. The Visitor Center is located on the west end of Arsenal Island in Rock Island, Illinois. Access to the Visitor Center must be made through the Moline gate on weekends. Security personnel will meet you at the gate, and may inspect your vehicle and ask for picture ID for persons over 16 years of age. Parking is available in the Visitor Center parking lot. For more information: call 309-794- 5338 ~~~ Tour guides will take you through Davenport's careers as a U.S. soldier, fur trader with Native Americans, and developer of local communities. The home was constructed in 1833-34, and is decorated with furnishings of that period. Admission is very reasonable, and all proceeds go back into the house. It is located at the North Shore of Arsenal Island at Hillman Street. For more information, call 309-786-7336. Mississippi River Visitor's Center A second stop is the Mississippi River Visitor's Center at Lock and Dam 15, overlooking the Upper Mississippi River, which is operated by the Mississippi River Project, of the Rock Island District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. ~?~ Iowa MRPC commissioners, considering the Great River Road to be a national treasure, are working together with the national MPRC to build an endowment to preserve it forever. Visit: http://www.experiencem iss i ssi ppi river. com/pdf/M R PCEndowmentBrochure.pdf 2 Col. Davenport home ,~..~ Lock and Dam 15 at the Quad Cities HUNTING GRR TREASURE The Great River Road and the ten Mississippi River states provide incredible geocaching opportunities. Like a great national treasure hunt, hundreds of caches are hidden at points along the entire Great River Road and thousands more caches are hidden throughout each Mississippi River state. Caches are hidden in some of the regions most historic, culturally-significant and scenic locations. For those unfamiliar with geocaching, it is an exciting outdoor game in which players use a handheld GPS unit to find hidden treasures, called "caches." Once you find a cache, participants are invited to share experiences online at www.geocaching.com Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment. To find geocaches along the Great River Road, visit: http://www.experiencemississippiriver.com/geocac hing.cfm . ~,'.~° ~~ ~,~., :" ~ .~~ from www.geocaching.com ...~,. AVOID ~titISTAKES ON NSBP GRANTS i As you begin to think about your next National Scenic Byway grant submission, consider this list of commonly made mistakes: AMERICA'S BYYVAYS The project exhibits no clear relationship to the byway. Remember you're applying for National Scenic Byways Program (NSBP) funding, so establishing the project's relationship to the byway, its intrinsic qualities and describing how the project will enhance the byway traveler experience are all important to convey in your application. A project's proximity to the byway or its inclusion in the corridor management plan does not necessarily make it eligible for NSBP funding. Not making a compelling case for why the project should be considered for funding. Convey the necessary information as succinctly as possible. Unfocused project abstracts. Think of this as a snapshot. This is the reviewer's first view of your project and it is important to provide awell- focused and defined picture. In this section of the application you will need to concisely summarize what the project will do. Rambling Narrative/Project Summary. Think of this as awide-angle, panorama shot. Eligibility category selection. When deciding which eligibility category, please take care to determine that the project you are advancing is eligible for funding under that specific category. For more advice on writing a winning grant, visit: http://www.bywayson I i ne.org/grants/articles/73499 3 ~~ M • ~ AMERICA'S BYWAYS Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission PO Box 1088 Dubuque, IA 520041008 Along the Byway is published twice annually for stakeholders of the Great River Road. Chair John Goodmann, Dubuque County Email: jgoodmann@real-good.com Vice Chair Marion Meyer, Jackson County Email: marianmeyer4@aol.com Secretary M.J. Smith, Clayton County Email: mjsmith@alpinecom.net Art Ollie, Clinton County Email: caollie@sanays.com Patsy Ramacitti, Scott County Email: BettPLR@aol.com John Oberhaus, Muscatine County Email: jloberhaus@lisco.com Jay Schweitzer, Louisa County Email: snwlaw@lisco.com Elaine Baxter, Des Moines County Email: elainbax@msn.com Gene Enke, Lee County Email: enke1002@ .com John Goodmann, of Dubuque, is chair of the Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission. Following a spring strategic planning meeting for the group, Goodmann reflected: Recently the Iowa MRPC met as a group for a planning session to identify both the strengths and weaknesses of our organization. We intend to make use of the knowledge and talents of our very experienced commission to try and lay the groundwork for the next 100 years of the Iowa MRPC and are excited to set in place a plan of action to do just that. Please note, we will be setting dates and locations soon for our fall stakeholder meetings.~.You are our stakeholder, so watch for this news and plan to attend! 4