Hispanic Min object Park Charge
HISPANIC MINISTRY
St. Patrick's Parish
1425 Iowa St.
Dubuque, Iowa 52001
October 21,2004
City Council Members
City Hall
50 W. 13th St.
Dubuque, Iowa 52001-4864
Dear City Council Members:
It has been brought to my attention, as director of the Hispanic Ministry, that, starting
in 2005, there will be a $100 rental fee for each time a reservation is made on any of
the parks in Dubuque. This is to be paid to the Parks and Leisure Services office.
Our Hispanic community usually reserves Jackson Park approximately three or four
Sundays each summer season to sponsor cultural events and fiestas. These are
always open to and are attended by the public. They are not private parties.
I agree to paying the $75 charge for the park permit, to be paid to the City Clerk for
each event, because if we do a good job cleaning up afterwards, we are reimbursed
$50 of that fee. I also agree to paying the new charge of $10 for the delivery of each
extra table we request, because there is a lot of work entailed in hauling tables.
Also, we need to pay the $60 to rent a toilet from Selco for each event.
But Jackson Park and Comiskey Park are classified as neighborhood parks and are
continually used by people who live nearby. These parks are not classified as city
parks in the way that Eagle Point Park or Murphy Park are. We ask that this
decision to charge $100 rent per event in neighborhood parks be reassessed.
We feel that to pay $100 rent just to stand on the land of Jackson Park for our events
seems extreme. We cannot afford it. It will require taking up a second or third
collection among the Hispanics to defray the added expense. These new
immigrants are struggling and trying to make ends meet, and I am sure you agree
that we want them to feel welcome in our parks here in Dubuque.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. Our phone number is: 563-584-0640.
Sincerely yours, .
Æ!J.. 9::: Y!!t. rth ~
Director of Hispanic Ministry of Dubuque