Grand Excursion II funds reques
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MEMORANDUM
December 27,2004
TO:
The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM:
Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Grand Excursion II
Assistant City Manager Cindy Steinhauser recommends City Council approval of a
request from the America's River Corporation to provide $10,000 to help fund Grand
Excursion II to be held in May 2005. The City of Dubuque contributed $10,000 to the
original Grand Excursion and has a permanent seat on the America's River Corporation
Board of Directors, whose mission is to assist in the promotion and development of the
Port of Dubuque.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
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Michael C. Van Milligen
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Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, Corporation Counsel
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
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MEMORANDUM
December 22, 2004
TO:
Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM:
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
SUBJECT: Grand Excursion II
Discussion
Attached is a letter from Steward Sandstrom, President of the America's River
Corporation requesting City Council financial support in the amount of $10,000 to hold a
Grand Excursion II. The America's River Corporation was the sponsor of the original
Grand Excursion held in June 2004, which welcomed over 60,000 people to the Port of
Dubuque. The City has one of the permanent board seats on the America's River
Corporation whose mission is to assist in the promotion and development of the Port of
Dubuque. Representatives from the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce and the
America's River Corporation are in negotiations to hold Grand Excursion II in May 2005
in conjunction with the Cabela's National Walleye tournament. This tournament will
feature approximately 250 teams from across the United States and provide an
excellent opportunity to showcase the Port of Dubuque through national Cable
programming. The source of funding would be from anticipated increased interest
earnings over budget projections in the current fiscal year.
Reauest
The request is for City Council to approve the request for $10,000 to help fund Grand
Excursion II.
cc:
Dawn Lang, Budget Director
attachment
DEC-27-2004 MON 12: 08 PM DUBUQUE AREA CHAMBER
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FAX NO. 5635571591
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uecember 22, 2004
Mike Van Milligen
City Manager
City of Dubuque:
Dear Mike:
As one of our board members, you know the America's River Corporation has been working on
the development of Grand Excursion II as a signaturl: event for Dubuque. The Grand Excursion
2004 certainly could be seen by the communiry as the event that filled that role. In an effort to
maintain and build on the success of the 2004 event, the Corporation has started planning for the
2005 Grand Excursion in Dubuque. This year the event has the opportunity to take on the
additional benefit of the National Cabela's Walleye Tournarnent Championships which will
bring national media exposure from stations such as ESPN2 and the Outdoor Life Network with
a viewing audience of 845,000. Thousands of participants and spectators are expected during the
tournament from out oftown travelers. The Grand EKcursion aspect of the weekend will also
feature a military display, a boat parade, up to 5 large steamboats cruising, and continuous
musical entertainment that features a national band Oill Saturday evening, food and beverage
vendors and would be held on Memori!11 Day Weekend. The attendance estimates for the
combined event is over 25,000.
Grand Excursion 2004 could not have been coordinated without the support of organizations
such as the City of Dubuque. This year's event will be no different. In order to go out to
potential sponsors it is critical that the first money into the event come from the America's River
Partners in the amount of$IO,OOO. This investment will be returned to each of the contributing
partners if the event is financially successful.
There are many benefits to the community and the sponsors by combining these two great
events. There i~ tremendous synergy in these river e~ellts, as well as added national media
exposure, creation of a signature event and a cost savings in sponsor requests by packaging and
promoting these events together.
We ask that the City of Dubuque join us in the investment we are making in the ongoing
promotion of our riverfront through a financial commitment of $1 0,000 in seed money for the
event. As the leading organizations of this event we must step forward first to show our
leadership and commitment to this event's success. The: most convincing way of doing this is by
contributing the first dollars in to the event We ask you join us in this commitment to the future
success of this signature event.
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President
" ", 800798.4748
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