Dubuque Arboretum and Botanical Gardens_Naming Opportunities'Dubuque Arboretum & `botanical Car
- A. `Natural `Fscape
July 13, 2010
Roy Buol, Mayor and City Council of Dubuque
City Hall
50 W 13 Street
Dubuque, Iowa 52001
Dear Mayor and City Council members,
3800 .Arboretum 'Drive • 'Dubuque. 7A 52001 - 1040 • (563) 556 - 2100
The relationship between the city of Dubuque and the Dubuque Arboretum and Botanical Gardens has been a source of
mutual benefit to the city and the DABG for 30 years. Thank you for helping to forge this strong and enduring
partnership. Some of our officers have met Marie Ware, the new Leisure Services Director. Indications are that she
already knows that DABG is a special jewel in Dubuque's crown as did Gil Spence who we partnered with for 30 of his 35
years as director. Thanks to all of you for helping the Arboretum in so many ways.
During the last two years, the bylaws of the DABG have been revised, the structure of the organization (both governance
and operation) has been improved and a strategic plan has been devised. Due to the efforts of over 300 dedicated
volunteers over its 30 years of existence, the organization has added new and varied programs and gardens. As a result,
the value has been enhanced for Dubuque and the Tri-State area. That success came with a price. Like many volunteer
organizations, ours is an aging group. In addition, we have grown into a small business over those 30 years. One of the
major decisions made in our strategic planning was to hire an administrator and one support staff person, thus minimizing
the need for volunteer leadership to work 60+ hours per week in the busy season. Having made this major decision and
being an "unfunded" organization, we now must deal with the reality of meeting a payroll.
The next step of our strategic plan is to mount a fund raising campaign that we are calling "Securing the Future ". The
primary goal of this campaign, which has not yet been made public, is to secure adequate funds to assure Administrative
Candidates that we have funds in hand to guarantee their salary/wages for five years. As the campaign committee worked
its way through the early planning, the subject of "naming rights" surfaced. It was decided that the primary roads in and
through the DABG presented significant opportunities for raising campaign money.
As a result of the discussion at the campaign meeting, I (Norma) was instructed to contact the city so I called Michael Van
Milligen. I explained the situation to him and requested that he check on whether the roads inside the gates had been
platted or named. Subsequently, I heard back from Laura Carstens, Director of Planning. She stated that there were no
roads either platted or named. Both Laura and Mike suggested that DABG send a letter to all of you stating our intentions.
It is our plan to offer "naming opportunities and rights" for the "main loop" in and out of the facility and the two shorter
roads, one of which runs North and the other South and both connecting with the "loop ".
If you have questions regarding our plan to incorporate naming rights into our "Securing the Future" fund raising
campaign, please feel free to contact Norma M. Denlinger at 563 -585 -0821 (residence) or 563 -599 -7727 (cell) or Email at
mully00 @mchsi.com. Thank you for your consideration in this matter.
Otoev
Jack Frick, President
cc:Michael Van Milligen, City Manager
Norma M. Denlinger, Campaign Committe f air
Your Place to Learn About Plants
4:0 1:0• 0 9116
'Fax: (563) 556 -2443
e- mail: 'Oub✓trbBDtQar aol.com
vvebsite: a ubuquearboretum.com