Vision Iowa Grant Agree Ltr
["HE CITY OF
City Manager's Office
50 West 13th Street
Dubuque, Iowa 52001-4864
(563) 589-4110 phone
(563) 589-4149 fax
ctymgr@eityofdubuquc,org
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November 2,2004
Mr. Michael Gartner
Chairman
Vision Iowa Board
Iowa Department of Economic Development
200 East Grand Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50309
Dear Mr. Gartner,
Thank you for the kind reception from you and the others on the Vision Iowa Board at
your October 14 meeting. We are very excited about what you are doing to improve the
quality of life in Iowa.
In response to the Board's request to reaffirm the City of Dubuque's commitment to
complete the contractually obligated items in our agreement with the Vision Iowa Board,
this letter is being sent. In the City's August 31 letter there were two items that were
given extensions conditional on this reaffirmation and the City's guarantee that the
elements will be completed whether further grants or private contributions are received
or not.
Item #3 dealt with the restoration of the Shot Tower. The City has estimated that the
stabilization, rehabilitation and interpretation of the Shot Tower will cost approximately
$595,000.
The first phase of the Shot Tower project, stabilization of the tower, is estimated at
$200,000. Phase I involves: abate hazardous materials (bird droppings) from the
interior; install tie rods to address cracked brick masonry; remove insect screens and
louvers from window openings; install new limestone sills, galvanized perimeter angles,
and bird screen at all openings; tuck point the interior and exterior; replace damaged
brick and limestone units; remove loose materials from the interior walls; and replace
existing pre-cast concrete cap,
The City has estimated that the second phase of the Shot Tower project, rehabilitation
and interpretation of the tower, will cost approximately $395,000. Phase 2 involves: an
archeological survey in and around the tower, construction of a non-combustible interior
stairway leading to the top of the 117-foot tower for improved maintenance access and
increased stability, a new roof to prevent further deterioration, and installation of
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United States Department of the Interior
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
1849 C Stree~ N.W.
Washington, D.c. 20240
IN RE'LY REFER TO,
H32(2255)
October 19, 2004
Mr. Terrance M. Duggan, Mayor
City of Dubuque
City Hall
50 West Thirteenth Street
Dubuque, IA 52001
Project: Dubuque Shot Tower
Dear Mayor Duggan:
I am pleased to inform you that your application for a Federal Save America's Treasures
grant has been selected for funding in the amount of $295,000. Your project was one of 60
chosen from 390 applications. Congratulations!
We will be sending you information that outlines the requirements for this grant. If you have
any questions about the grant, please contact Megan Brown of my staff at 202-354-2062.
We look forward to working with you to achieve the preservation of your nationally significant
property.
Sincerely,
~Y-J~
Joseph T. Wallis
Chief, State, Tribal and Local Programs Branch
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Oct 15, 2004
Tourism spending up
Riverfront development draws more visitors to Dubuque, officials say
by M.D. KITTLE
Tourism spending in Dubuque County grew at a faster pace last year than state and national averages, and
officials say much of the credit goes to Dubuque's $188 million riverftont facelift.
Dubuque County generated $186 million in direct tourism expenditures in 2003, a 6.3 percent increase ftom
the previous year, according to an annual study ftom the Travellndustry Association of America. The report,
commissioned by the state, tracks tourism spending in all of Iowa's 99 counties, tallying employment figures
and state and local tax collections.
Gov. Tom Vilsack this week pointed to the report in preaching the power of Vision Iowa, his pet program that
has helped to fund recreational and other community initiatives across the state.
"By creating jobs for thousands of Iowans and enhancing the quality of life around our state, the program is
making Iowa a more attractive place to live, work and visit," Vilsack said after the Vision Iowa board's
awarding of $5 million to a project in Cedar Rapids.
Vilsack pointed to Dubuque's America's River project as a key contributor to the tourism growth in the region
and in the state. The riverfÌont redevelopment plan was the benefactor of $40 million in Vision Iowa funding.
"I think, obviously, the America's River project was the biggest factor in our increase in travel," said Sue
Czeshinski, director of the Convention & Visitors Bureau of the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce.
But the full economic benefits of the new-and-improved Port of Dubuque have yet to be felt. The National
Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium opened in June 2003, so its effect on tourism spending won't be
completely gauged until next year. Officials say the museum welcomed 300,000 visitors in its first year of
operation.
The Grand River Center, the city's gilded conference center, opened in October 2003. "So the report didn't take
into consideration any of the meetings and conferences we have been able to attract," Czeshinski said. "I can
only imagine what we will see when we get the entire year measured."
The riverftont's economic impact is rippling beyond the city. Keith Rabe, manager of Left of Center Field of
Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa, said the popular tourist attraction saw an immediate uptick in business as the
major components of America's River opened.
"This is exactly what we needed," Rabe said.
Steve Tebbe, owner of Whispering Meadows Resort in Springbrook, Iowa, said occupancy rates at the cabin
retreat have climbed from about 35 percent before America's River opened to about 60 percent today.
"The adrenaline has just been great," Tebbe said of the influx of business generated by Dubuque's refurbished
riverftont.
Dubuque City Council member Joyce Connors said the latest tourism figures affirm the hefty public-private
investment that forged the America's River project is paying off.
"The exciting part of it is, when a state and a community work hard to put something in place to increase
tourism and you see those kinds of numbers, well the proof is in the pudding," Connors said.
Tourism in Iowa has grown to a $4.6 billion industry, rising 3.7 percent in 2003, according to the Travel
Industry Association of America report.
U.S. domestic tourism expenditures topped $490 billion in 2003, up 3.5 percent ftom the previous year.
Illinois posted nearly $21.6 billion in tourism spending last year, a 4.3 percent increase ftom 2002. The
association did not complete a study for the state of Wisconsin. However, Davidson-Peterson Associates Inc.,
a firm specializing in tourism economic impact research, compiled figures for the Wisconsin Department of
Tourism. Its study said tourists spent $11.7 billion in Wisconsin in 2003.
Louis Abramovitz, manager of economic studies for the travel trade association, said last year marked
improvement in overall travel activity. He said that the trend toward shorter trips after the Sept. 11,2001,
terrorist attacks continues to dominate the tourism market. That trend, local tourism officials say, has directly
benefited Dubuque and other tri-state area destinations.
Copyright 2004 Telegraph Herald