Sustainable Dubuque Project Monthly Status UpdateTO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: September- October Sustainable Dubuque Project Status Update
DATE: October 31, 2012
Sustainable Community Coordinator Cori Burbach is transmitting the September -
October Sustainable Dubuque Project Status Update.
Michael C. Van Milligen
MCVM:jh
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager
Cori Burbach, Sustainable Community Coordinator
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
Dubuque
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All-America City
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2007
TO: Michael Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Cori Burbach, Sustainability Coordinator
SUBJECT: September- October Sustainable Dubuque Project Status Update
DATE: October 28, 2012
Attached please find the monthly Sustainable Dubuque project status update for
September and October. No action is requested; this document is provided for your
information only.
City of Dubuque
Sustainable Dubuque
Project Status Report — September and October 2012
*Please note: in order to manage the length of this report, some historical, non - timely
information has been removed from the current report.
COMPREHENSIVE PROJECTS
University of Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities (Management Agenda): City
Council approved a partnership with the University of Iowa Initiative for Sustainable
Communities (IISC). During the 2011 -12 and 2012 -13 academic years, graduate students from
the University's Masters in Urban Planning program will assist Dubuque leaders in sustainability
planning and analysis for several different areas. The University's desire is to be able to have
five projects for the 2011 -2012 academic year and a similar number in 2012 -2013, with
coordination through the City and Dubuque 2.0.
UI students presented their end -of- semester progress reports to their peers and Dubuque
partners. The Renewable Energy group has been invited to present their work at the national
American Planning Association conference, while the Sustainable Dubuque Indicators group
has shared their analysis of over 1,200 indicators from other communities and their framework
for identifying "good" indicators with the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, who will use
this research to inform projects completed by the Network in 2012.
University of Iowa staff met with local partners to define a set of five projects for the 2012 -13
academic year. Projects identified for 2012 -2013 completion include the following:
• Dubuque County Smarter Planning Indicators: expanding the 2011 -2012 Indicators
project to the Dubuque County Smart Planning Consortium. (Project partners: Anna
O'Shea (Dubuque County), Dan Fox (ECIA))
• Accelerating sustainable transportation planning through the use of smart data (Project
partner: Chandra Ravada (ECIA), Cori Burbach (City))
• Determination of community real housing need with special attention to Washington
Neighborhood (Project partners: Alvin Nash (City), Shannon Gaherty (GDDC), Angela
Petsche (VVNDC))
• Successful neighborhood school strategies (Project partner: Stan Rheingans, DCSD)
• Redevelopment of South Port area (Project partners Laura Carstens and Phil Wagner
(City)) A public input session was held on Oct 25, where property owners in the Port as
well as general community members shared visions and concerns about the future of the
Port.
The University has received funding to expand the IISC to include colleges and programs
beyond the Masters in Urban Planning program. City and Community Foundation staff have
suggested potential additional partners and projects and will facilitate conversations between UI
staff and local partners in the coming months.
Sustainable Dubuque Performance Metrics:
The final report to the Council, including 60 performance indicators, was presented to Council at
the May 8 work session. Staff and the Sustainable Dubuque Collaboration will now review the
report and determine an action plan to 1) share the information with the public and partners in a
digestible way and 2) begin to set targets and take actions based on the results of the report.
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Cori Burbach and UI student Medora KeaIly presented the Sustainable Dubuque Indicators
project on a Sustainable City Network, Inc. webinar in July. Almost 1,200 individuals registered
for the webinar, doubling the attendance of any of SCN's previous webinar. Following the
webinar, Cori and Medora have received over 50 requests from other communities to provide
follow -up on this nationally- recognized project.
A working group of the Sustainable Dubuque Collaboration is in the process of reviewing the 60
indicators to determine the most effective way to communicate results with the public as they
begin to plan for an annual update to the report, which would take place in spring 2013. Based
on best practices from other communities, the Collaboration is exploring a set of 10 -15
indicators that best represent the community -wide sustainability picture. All 60 indicators would
still be tracked, but some of those are of higher priority to specific organizations or initiatives
and would support the 10 -15 primary indicators.
City staff are also in the process of reviewing the STAR Community Index, a set of national
indicators that has been in the development stage since 2007, to determine if it would be wise
to participate in this system in order to benchmark ourselves against other communities.
Municipal Climate Action Plan: In July 2010, the Municipal Greenhouse Gas Inventory was
presented to City Council. A baseline for all municipal operations was established for 2003 and
2007 as part of the ICLEI Five Milestone Process. The Milestone Process is as follows:
1. Conduct baseline emissions inventories and forecasts.
2. Adopt an emissions reduction target.
3. Develop a local climate action plan.
4. Implement policies and measures.
5. Monitor and verify results.
A second Council work session was held in November 2010 to present to Council potential
emission reduction targets. Council was presented initial information on what 65% emission
reduction targets by 2015, 85% reductions by 2030, and 95% target reductions by 2050 might
look like; additional analysis will be done by staff to determine what actions will be needed to
meet those targets. $5,000 has been proposed in the FY 2012 budget to allow City staff to
complete a 2010 update of municipal emissions and work with the City Green Team to identify
opportunities for emission reduction. Staff will continue to work with ICLEI staff and other
experts to analyze the implications of various targets in 2011 and seek additional input from
Council before recommending a Climate Reduction targets and an Action Plan.
A 2011 update to the 2003 and 2007 baseline will be completed at the same time the
Community Climate Action Planning process is completed, and will be completed by the fall of
2012. Staff is currently working with Green Dubuque and other partners in the data collection
phase of the Municipal Operations Inventory. Analysis of available data will begin in late
September early October. Data from Black Hills Energy and Alliant Energy has been received
for municipal accounts.
Green Team — (Management Agenda): The Green Team comprised of close to 30
representatives from a cross section of City departments met for the first time in August 2010
and meets regularly. The (draft) Mission Statement developed by the team is:
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"The mission of the City of Dubuque Green Team is to lead in educating, communicating and
implementing practices and technologies to achieve the Sustainable Dubuque vision, to work in
each of the 11 areas of sustainability identified in that vision, to promote these practices among
staff and departments; and to serve as an example for other organizations, groups, businesses
and the broader community."
Subcommittees are being formed to work across departments especially in the areas of
education, environmentally preferred purchasing, building energy management, and developing
a survey to obtain baseline information from departments and input into a departmental action
plan template. This baseline information will be used to track measureable outcomes in the 11
sustainability principles.
In May a sustainability educational knowledge survey was distributed to all city staff. The
purpose of the survey was to gauge city employee knowledge on sustainability issues. A total of
26 departments or divisions participated in the survey with a total of 337 employees completing
the survey. This information will be used to drive individual education needs on sustainability for
employees. Directions coming from initial analysis indicate that understanding and awareness
of sustainability vary from department to department and person to person. Educational needs
that surfaced are around recycling and signage needed to help remind people to do what they
WANT to do (turn off lights, etc.). A few employees feel they need education on the basics of
sustainability, what the 11 principles mean, and how they relate to their work situation.
Educational flyers, posters and prompts are in production. Signage and messaging regarding
deskside recycling and using natural light instead of electricity at optimal times of day have
been implemented.
The Police Department has donated a bicycle to City Hall. City Hall, Annex, and Multicultural
Family Center staff can check out the bike to travel to appointments.
Green Team members also supported a Girl Scout troop from Carver Elementary School that
was participating in the Nike Reuse -A -Shoe Campaign. City staff donated used tennis shoes to
help the troop meet their goal of collection 1,000 pairs of shoes which will be ground and turned
into athletic field and playground turf.
The Sustainable Purchasing Policy, Employee Education, and Buildings & Energy Management
subcommittees met to identify priorities for 2012. The Education subcommittee has developed
a plan to provide all employees with regular sustainability information via Spirit Times and other
media.
The Green Team conducted a waste and recycling assessment for those buildings that had the
highest concentrations of City employees. Of the buildings assessed, 11% of the materials
considered "trash" could have been recycled in yellow bins. Cross - contamination of recyclables
with non - recyclables was extremely small and non - hazardous. The Library had the best
diversion rate of 78.5% of materials being recycled. The overall results exceeded expectations,
with a recycling rate of 48 %. Larger items which are often diverted by departments for
beneficial use (e.g. recycling carpet) were not included in this analysis. The Green Team will
now work on tips based on these results to improve smart Resource Management.
Staff in the Municipal Services Center and City Hall have begun working towards Petal Project
certification. Each building will have its own committee to work towards the criteria and track
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progress. The two buildings going through the process together will allow for team learning and
be an example for other city facilities.
Monthly Spirit Times tips continue to be written by Green Team members and distributed to all
employees.
After the City's seasonal employees have largely exited the payroll for the year, Finance and
Personnel staff will allow employees to opt to receive paperless checks and Spirit Times
newsletters. It is estimated that this reduction in paper and printing costs will save the City
approximately $2,500 per year.
Smarter Sustainable Dubuque Partnership w/ IBM:
Smarter Water:
The City of Dubuque has completed its community -wide water meter replacement and
unmeasured -flow reducer (UFR) installation project at an estimated $1,352,415 or 15.6 percent
below the projected budgeted amount.
The Dubuque City Council accepted completion of the project at their June 4, 2012, meeting
and authorized payment of the final contract amount of $7,324,285 to the project contractor,
Northern Water Works Supply. The original total projected project cost estimate was
$8,676,700. Including the unanticipated $1 million forgivable loan the City received for the
project through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the project was $2,352,415 or
27.1 percent under expected City funded costs. Additional funding was provided by a State
Revolving Fund (SRF) loan.
In conjunction with the water meter replacement project, the City successfully completed a 12-
month Smarter Water Pilot Study through which more than 300 Dubuque households had
access to a portal /website developed by IBM Research which provided detailed, customer
specific information on their water usage. Among participants in the study, water utilization was
reduced by 6.6 percent and leak detection and response increased eight -fold. The Smarter
Water Portal is now available to Dubuque residents and many small businesses to help them
make more informed decisions about how they use water and track the associated costs. The
portal provides a customer - specific, integrated view of water usage with data displayed in
gallons, cost, or by carbon footprint. The portal also provides leak detection and notification,
historical usage data, and comparative data.
Expansion is underway to add 4,000 units (3,000 households /1,000 businesses or multi -unit
facilities). The 4,000 expansion slots will be prioritized as follows: 300 to existing volunteer
households; 1,000 to small businesses and landlords to participate; and 2,000 to use with
households targeted for recruitment due to R450 leak data. The remainder will be available on
a first -come first - served basis.
This new system is an example of the City's ongoing sustainability initiative and allows water
customers to identify waste and consider corrective measures which will translate into "Smarter"
water use and increased energy savings. More efficient water use will also reduce the use of
both energy and chemicals in the treating and delivering water.
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• Leak Detection Feature A leak detection feature was provided as part of Neptune's
software package. This feature provides information on individual account consumption
use. The following information provides the number of users with potential leaks.
Type Usage Number of Accounts
Continuous 1,953
Intermittent 2,364
Total Potential Leaks 4,317
Approximately 20% of our system users could potentially have leaks. According to national
research, an estimated 30% of households have water leaks. As you can see, we are below
the national average.
• Grant Leak Program As part of this project, a Grant Leak Program was created as an
incentive to our users who qualify, to repair their leaks. To date, there have been 524 users
who have applied and 382 have been reimbursed. A total of $21,764.66 in refunds have
been paid to date.
• Water Loss:
FY2011
FY2012
Water Loss Reduction:
22.41%
12.79%
9.62%
• Water Plant Pumpage The average annual production of water in Dubuque is 2.6 billion
gallons. Since September 30, 2011, the city has experienced a downward trend in
pumpage at the water treatment plant. There has been a drop in pumpage of 154.8 million
gallons of water, which represents 10.25% of the production for October, 2011 through May,
2012. The reduction for October through May results in an estimated treatment cost savings
of $65,310.26.
The reduction in water loss can be attributed to:
• the new meters being more accurate
• repairs done on the distribution system due to a leak survey being performed
• the new meters detecting minor leaks causing users to have repairs performed
• users becoming more aware of their water use and choosing to use less water
• Revenue Collection From the time all meters have been installed, the city has seen an
increase in metered consumption of 26.7 million gallons of water resulting in a revenue
increase of $184,664.88.
Smarter Electricity
• The Smarter Electricity pilot was concluded in the first quarter 2012 and the final research
report has been provided. The system is still active, and volunteers are able to continue
to use their Smarter Electricity portal through July of 2013.
• Results include an average monthly reduction in energy utilization from 4% to 11%. IBM
and Alliant researchers are jointly analyzing these early results.
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• City and IBM are pursuing the DOE (Department of Energy) Data Access Grant, which
appears to be a particularly good candidate for extending and expanding Smarter
Electricity. Since the grant calls for expansion in the number of households under study,
and Alliant Energy is not interested in expanding the number in Dubuque, we have
proposed partnering with the communities of Algona and Cedar Falls in the grant (as
their municipal electric systems have or will be installing smart meters). Dubuque has
been informed that its application is one of less than 10 approved and the City has been
invited to negotiate a grant agreement with the DOE up to $500,000. The City is making
arrangements needed to support the grant, as well as working with the Iowa Association
of Municipal Utilities and IBM on potential grant preparations. The grant work is
expected to begin in late summer of 2012.
City staff and Dubuque partners held a kickoff meeting with Algona and Cedar Falls staff
to begin discussing technical and community engagement issues related to the
expansion of the Smarter Electricity program. Pending final DOE approval, recruitment
in those two communities will begin in September 2012 with engagement of pilot
households in all three communities beginning November - December 2012.
Smarter Travel (Management Agenda)
• Update on Equipment & Technology (devices & data receivers): Radio Frequency
Identification (RFID) readers are still in used on the 12 new Medium Duty buses, The
RFID tags used by the volunteers act like a proximity card and allows us to anonymously
track the bearer's boarding and de- boarding along the different bus routes. 500 RFID
tags were distributed by July 2011, and of those an average of 311 per month are still in
regular use. The data from the RFID readers is flowing (anonymously) to IBM for
processing and number crunching. In addition to tracking the boarding and de- boarding's
of passenger on The Jule's fixed route buses, the RFID tags and reader also function as
GPS units on the buses which allow for the tracking of the various bus's location and on-
time performance. As of August 31, 2012 over 69,000 passengers have used their RFID
tag to ride The Jule's fixed route buses.
• Led by ECIA and GDDC, an aggressive smartphone recruitment campaign was launched,
with a goal of 1,000 active smart phones with the new technology installed, and as of
June 30, 2012, over 1,000 successful installations were completed. The data collected
through the smartphone applications will be used along with the RFID data in the re-
design of The Jule's fixed route structure.
• Update on Pilot Households /Dashboard: Originally we had hoped that there would be, like
that available to participants in the Smarter Water and Electricity programs, a dashboard
for Smarter Travel participants so they could see how their choices impact their
environment and their lives. However, Smarter Travel has proven itself to be a "moving
target" in that there are many more challenges in bringing this information into the smart
phone application that was anticipated. So instead we continue to appeal to altruistic
side(s) of the project volunteers and remind them that their participation will help improve
transportation for all Dubuquers (not just those riding public transit). We continue to hope
that eventually the dashboard feature will become available to participants. The intent
and goal of the Smarter Travel project is to provide Transit with information that can be
used to help guide significant changes in the transit system. What we also hope to see,
especially in the volunteers who use the Smartphone application, is an increased
awareness of how much they rely on the use of their personal vehicle and to instead
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choose a different form of transportation e.g. that instead of driving a car to a nearby store
they ride their bike, take public transit, etc.
• In late 2011 the City received notice that it had been awarded an Iowa Clean Air
Attainment Program (ICAAP) grant to the Metropolitian Planning Organization (MPO).
This grant will be used to help pay for the costs of two new routes (the Nightrider and the
MidTown Loop /Feeder) and, if second year funding is awarded, a re- design of the entire
fixed route transit system. During the first year of the grant (Oct. 31, 2012 through Sept.
30, 2013), the two (new) pilot routes will be initiated and will operate in conjunction with
the current routes (Red, Green and Grey Lines, Medical Loop and Shopping Circulator).
This will allow IBM to continue to gather and process the data received from RFID and the
Smartphone application users, data that will be used in the second year (if an additional
ICAAP grant is awarded) in helping to determine what changes need to be made to the
transit system in order to improve its overall function. During and immediately after the
end of second year these major changes will be implemented across the structure of the
fixed route system, with the goal of increasing route service and the overall efficiency and
effectiveness of the transit system. Originally, use of the RFID tags was to end June 30,
2012; this project has been extended into Fall of 2012.
• Participant's demographic information, when compared to the 2000 and 2010 Census
information, can be inferred based on point of origin (e.g. north end of town) and
destination information (e.g. west end of town). The trip purpose(s) can also be inferred
based on point of origin (e.g. residential area) and destination (e.g. a school or business
site). The RFID and Smartphone data will provide the number of trips per day and time of
trips, as well as points of origin and destination). This information will be compared to
data gathered from the travel patterns of the buses themselves, which are tracked using
GPS (through the RFIDs). Program participants continue to ride the buses for free during
the project. IBM has secured a contract with one of Dubuque's largest cellular companies
and has gained access to the cellular data of over 20,000 cell phones (GPS - location only)
here in Dubuque. This user data is being added to that provided by the RFID and
smartphone projects, providing a data -rich platform that shows travel patterns throughout
Dubuque.
• Community Engagement & Education: Volunteers in the RFID portion of the VMT project
are allowed to ride the bus (all routes) for free for the duration of the project. To do so,
participant must show the RFID in its holder to the bus driver (for tracking purposes these
free rides will be counted as a "monthly pass "). As of the beginning of August 2012
approximately 69,000 free rides have been given to passengers using RFID tags.
• State of Good Repair Grant: All of the new buses have been purchased and are in use. A
contract for the purchase, installation and deployment of ITS technology /electronic
equipment (e.g. Automatic Vehicle Location or "AVL ", a Security Camera System,
Electronic Fare Collection, etc.) was signed in mid -2012. The ITS project is underway,
and we anticipate that the new ITS equipment will be fully operational by mid -to -late 2013.
• Climate Showcase Grant: (see section about 150 volunteers)
• First of A Kind (FOAK) City in Motion IBM continues to attempt to perfect and expand the
Smartphone application. Volunteer recruitment for the RFID portion has been completed,
and the recruitment of the Smartphone application continues. The Iowa Department of
Transportation (IA DOT) and several federal entities have expressed interested in the
Smartphone applications for possible use in their transportation planning processes (e.g.
road use, vehicle travel patterns, etc.). The City has been awarded an one year ICAAP
grant through the Federal Highway Administration, and will apply for year -two funding
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when it becomes available (on /around September 2012).
• ECIA and IBM continue to discuss with IA DOT management the potential expansion of
the Iowa opportunity to include a major IA DOT "cloud" service for transportation data in
Iowa
• The MPO in collaboration with IBM and The Jule has submitted a report to the
Transportation Research Board (TRB) about the Smarter Travel project. The research
paper, which outlines the use of smartphone application (and RFID) data in the design of
public transit service. We anticipate receiving the TRB comments about the project before
the end of this year (2012).
Smarter Materials/Waste Management:
Preliminary work is underway to outline a potential Smarter Sustainable Dubuque research and
demonstration project on the concept of materials and waste management. Paul Schultz and
David Lyons continue to work with an IBM team, which is led by Heather Achilles, to explore a
research protocol involving:
- RFID and other new point of service technologies
- Alternative service models to offer Dubuque households (including every other week
recycling, a specialized subscription service and special support and tracking
programming such as food scrapes and yard debris.
- Testing of alternative incentives /recognition programs with participating households
It is hoped that a draft proposal can be developed by Mid - August and that the concept can be
included on the next SSD quarterly update to the City Council.
Additional Updates:
The Green and Healthy Homes initiative is being linked now with the SSD efforts. The plan is
to allow us to begin to activate an additional "silo of activity" within the integrated system
(HealthNVellness). Please see Green & Healthy Homes update for additional information.
IBM has recently requested that the City consider serving as the "living lab" for their
development and testing of a "Community Engagement Platform ". Such a platform would serve
as a link to all citizens, regardless of whether they had smart meters, and across an almost
unlimited range of sustainability issues (versus the existing focus on energy and resource
allocations. In 2010 transit /transportation, using a "community engagement platform pilot" was
included in this project.
Community Climate Action Plan:
The Plan: The GHG Reduction Plan was written to provide a realistic path to achieving 50%
GHG reduction by 2030 in Dubuque. The recommendations discussed in the plan are tailored
to Dubuque's specific needs and capabilities. The costs, benefits, and GHG reductions are
then calculated for each action, which allows us to prioritize recommendations based on GHG
reductions achieved, effort required, and the side benefits each action brings to Dubuque
(notably, those "side benefits" often far outweigh the GHG impact). Every recommendation in
this plan is designed to benefit Dubuque's health, transportation, and economic prosperity,
reaching well beyond GHG reduction.
The Initiative: In March of 2010, the Dubuque Community Greenhouse Gas Reduction Task
Force was assembled by Green Dubuque in response to the completion of the 2003 and 2007
community greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories. The GHG Reduction Task Force is a
partnership of local environmental nonprofits, faith based organizations, private sector green
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business, and individual activists with the designated purpose of recommending a GHG
reduction target and feasible implementation strategy to the Dubuque City Council. Members of
the Task Force include:
• Chad Oberdoester - Environmental Stewardship Advisory Commission
• Pat Hayes, President - Dubuque County Conservation Society
• Charles Winterwood M.D. - Chairman, White Pine Group, Sierra Club
• Jason Schatz - President, Green Dubuque Inc.
• Theothoros Giannakouros - Vice President, Green Dubuque Inc.
• Will Hoyer - Green Dubuque Inc.
• Mark Henning - 7th Power Sustainable LLC.
• Sr. Joy Peterson - Sisters of the PBVM
• Paul Schultz - Sustainable Dubuque
The work of the Task Force will be followed up by the GHG Reduction Plan, community
engagement initiative, facilitated by Green Dubuque. The GHG Reduction Plan initiative, which
will launch in late March will include an informational website (dubuqueghgplan.org) where
citizens and business owners can download the plan and demonstrate their support, a series of
interactive speaker events, television advertisements and other media releases, a $1,000
scholarship from the Virgil J. and Norma M. Denlinger Family Foundation for college student
participation, a public input meeting, and an envision style community workshop. The ultimate
goal is to demonstrate and build community support for the recommended GHG reduction
target of 50% by 2030.
In March, Green Dubuque launched its "50% by 2030" greenhouse gas reduction campaign.
"50% by 2030" is a grassroots effort for a community wide greenhouse gas reduction target of
50% by the year 2030 below 2003 levels based on the recommendation of the Dubuque
Community Greenhouse Gas Reduction Task Force. Green Dubuque launched this campaign
with the presentation, "Preventing Climate Disasters: It's Time for Action," by State Senator Rob
Hogg.
As a wrap up to the 50 by 2030 campaign, Green Dubuque hosted the Dubuque Community
GHG Reduction Workshop on Thursday, June 2 from 6:30 - 8:00 pm in the Multicultural Family
Center. Participants at the workshop will be presented with the Draft Dubuque Community
GHG Reduction Plan and then break up into subgroups to give feedback and make additional
recommendations. The Plan will be presented and discussed the Dubuque City Council in a
work session on July 5, 2011. The goal is to work toward establishing community targets within
the frame work of a Dubuque Community GHG Reduction Plan. For more information visit:
www.dubuqueGHGplan.org
Green Dubuque held a City Council work session on July 5 to present the 50% by 2030 plan.
The Council approved the 50 %Reduction Target by 2030 at its August 15, 2011 meeting.
At their February 6 meeting, City Council approved a partnership with Green Dubuque to
develop a community Climate Action. The new report will provide a format that gives quick
access to information and highlights co- benefits to the other principles of Sustainable Dubuque.
The report will also attempt to learn from existing private sector innovation and leadership while
assessing the motivations /boundaries to implementing and replicating these best practices that
have financially benefited Dubuque businesses while making them more efficient in their
utilization of resources.
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Green Dubuque is currently working with the City of Dubuque and other partners to redefine the
operational boundaries of our community to best represent the Dubuque Community, where we
work, live and play and what emissions are associated with these activities.
Green Dubuque, City of Dubuque, and Greater Dubuque Development Corporation, along with
Petal Project support staff, have begun a business outreach initiative and intend to work
through September to collect input about existing programs, opportunities, and barriers to their
implementation of sustainable practices.
Community outreach completed during September and October include the a focus group held
as part of the Clarke University Student Orientation (late August), Saturday Farmers Market
outreach (October), a Collective Social Learning Workshop lead by Greg Bruce (October), a
Green Drinks focus group (October), an online business survey and one -on -one business
interviews (Setember- October).
Sustainable Dubuque Collaboration: In fall 2011, Community Foundation of Greater
Dubuque staff informed the City and other Dubuque 2.0 steering committee members that they
would refocus their community engagement efforts around issues other than sustainability.
Since that time, we have met with Foundation staff, 2.0 steering committee members, and other
key stakeholders to determine a path forward to accomplish community engagement and
education around sustainability. The ultimate goals are that these activities continue, and that
the entire community feels that Sustainable Dubuque is an initiative that was created by, and
continues to be led by, the community.
The Sustainable Dubuque Collaboration (SDC) concept has evolved after discussion with
partners as a way to continue community awareness and education efforts, foster collaboration
from all sectors to meet the Sustainable Dubuque goals, and measure our progress towards our
goals. SDC, modeled after DubuqueWorks, is structured in a way that requires commitments to
action from its core members and invites all Dubuque residents, businesses and organizations
to participate.
All members of the Sustainable Dubuque Core and Advisory Networks will be asked to actively
support the goals of community engagement and education. They will continue to operate their
own programs (e.g. Petal Project, Green Vision Schools) and will collaborate as necessary to
achieve these goals. The group will work to assist each other, identify gaps, avoid duplication,
and attract additional funding and resources. The Core and Advisory Networks will meet in the
coming months to solidify responsibilities, goals, objectives, and a working plan for 2012.
The Core Network has conducted two strategic planning sessions. Overall, the group is
focused on creating an independent, collaborative, community - supported organization with
broad demographic participation in order to gain acceptance of the Sustainable Dubuque vision,
increase community education and partnerships around sustainability, and engage citizens and
organizations so that they change individual, collective and institutional behaviors and culture
resulting in successful outcomes. The group continues to work on planning and is focused on
two areas in the near -term future: organizational development and engaging the community in
setting actionable priorities based on the Sustainable Dubuque indicators.
In September, Greg and Candia Bruce facilitated a Sustainable Dubuque visioning workshop to
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gather public input about sustainability priorities for the next five years. The goal was to collect
ideas from the group that needed Collaboration and partner guidance in order to achieve as
well as empower residents and businesses to participate in the Sustainable Dubuque initiative
in whatever way they felt the desire to do so. Approximately 40 members of the public attended
the evening meeting and contributed hundreds of ideas. In addition to following up on several
of the suggested themes, the Collaboration is exploring holding similar events with targeted
focus groups in the future.
Additionally, Collaboration members continue to work on the new community Sustainable
Dubuque website with a targeted "go live" date of Dec 2012 -Jan 2013.
REGIONAL ECONOMY
Government:
Petal Project: The Petal Project is a regional green business certification program designed to
encourage organizations in the Dubuque area to adopt more environmentally friendly business
practices. Businesses receive Petal Project staff assistance and a simple framework for saving
money and resources. The program also establishes a community -wide definition of a green
business for consumers wishing to shop based on their values.
The Petal Project is divided into five categories. Within each category a business must
complete all of the mandatory and a specified number of option criteria to earn that petal. Once
a business has earned all five petals, it is "Petal Certified ".
This project was initially funded by an Iowa Economic Development Authority regional
marketing grant. Until October, the program is funded by grants from the Dubuque Racing
Association and Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency through the end of October.
A sustainable funding plan that will rely on business dues, sponsorships, and other fundraising
activities has been launched.
There are currently 28 businesses enrolled and working towards Petal Project certification,
including City Hall and the Municipal Services Center. Finley Hospital (2010), Loras College
(2011), DB &T (2012), Premier Bank (2012), Premier Tooling & Manufacturing (2012), and River
Lights Bookstore (2012) have completed the program and are now Petal Certified. A complete
list of participating businesses is available at www.petal - project.com.
Buyer Supplier Network: Buyer - Supplier is a web based program for businesses that
connects both buyers and sellers in Eastern Iowa to promote and facilitate regional purchasing.
Over $6.5 billion are being spent on goods and services from vendors located outside of
eastern Iowa that could be spent in the region. The goal of Buyer Supplier is to encourage
businesses to purchase from regional providers, shifting dollars back into the regional economy.
Businesses of all types and sizes are encouraged to take part in the program; from small
organic produce farmers, to large corporations. There are currently over 1,300 businesses with
profiles on the system. Program partners include: ECIA, Prosperity Eastern Iowa, Northeast
Iowa Business Network, Tri- County Economic Development Alliance, and Upper Explorerland
Regional Planning Commission
Waste Diversion Options Study: The Resource Management program facilitated the 2009
Waste Diversion Options Study for DMASWA. The scope of work for this study was to identify
options and impacts if the tonnage disposed in the DMASWA landfill were to be reduced by
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50% from current tonnage within 5 to 10 years. This study identified economic opportunities in
a developing local materials economy from the estimated market value of the $4M in landfilled
materials. This also translated to creating a significant number of long -term green jobs.
2011 IDNRIDMASWA LANDFILL WASTE STREAM STUDY: The Dubuque Metropolitan Area
Solid Waste Agency (DMASWA), its support staff from the Public Works Department, the Iowa
Department of Natural Resources, and the expert firm of Foth Infrastructure and Environment
conducted a waste composition analysis of materials brought to the DMASWA Landfill and
eleven other Iowa landfills in June of 2011. The purpose of the study was to identify the various
solid waste streams currently being landfilled in Iowa by type, volume and weight. In turn, when
the Agency receives proposals in the future for diverting and reusing said materials, it will be
able to provide proposers and advisors up -to -date and accurate information from the noted
study regarding Iowa's currently - landfilled waste stream. Current market values for those
materials can then be compared with proposed recovery and reuse program costs to determine
whether said programs are economically viable. As of October 18, 2012, no formal proposals
have been received by the Agency for the possible diversion /reclamation and reuse of the
materials the Agency is currently landfilling.
Business:
Dubuque Works: AccessDubuqueJobs.com is currently averaging over 100,000 visitors per
month in 2012 and hosts 2,500+ resumes of individuals who wish to live and work in the
Greater Dubuque area. The website had 102,117 visitors in the month of August 2012.
AccessDubuqueJobs.com launched a new Facebook page in 2012 to drive traffic to the local
job site through social media. The facebook site has 1,000+ followers. By following
AccessDubuqueJobs.com on Facebook, individuals have access to job- seeker tips, community
information and will have the ability to receive mobile job postings in the Greater Dubuque area.
AccessDubuqueJobs.com, the regions cutting -edge recruitment website, received top honors
from the Mid - America Economic Development Council for its role in assisting millions of job
seekers in their search for Dubuque area jobs, while also enhancing local employers' ability to
attract qualified talent.
A new workforce video was released for distribution in both print and online relocation guides
utilized by local employers for recruitment. The video highlights AccessDubuqueJobs.com as
the gateway to employment opportunities in the Tri -State area.
Greater Dubuque Development Corporation recruits annually at 15 career fairs throughout
Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin promoting AccessDubuqueJobs.com, internships and the job
opportunities of local employers. Career fairs for September 2012 included the University of
Northern Iowa, St. Ambrose /Augustana, The University of Iowa, Iowa State University, the
University of Wisconsin Platteville, and Wartburg.
Internship Program
Greater Dubuque Development has been visiting with local Human Resource professionals to
promote the posting of internship opportunities on AccessDubuqueJobs.com at NO COST. The
internship program, previously housed at the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce, will
promote opportunities as a win -win for both employers and students, serving as a pipeline for
hiring and critical retention tool for local college students. Greater Dubuque Staff continue to
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call local employers to complete an online internship profile that will be housed on the internship
site within AccessDubuqueJobs.com.
Newcomer Services
The Relocation Guide, Greater Dubuque Development Corporation's community recruiting
package is sent nationally and internationally to individuals considering relocation to the Greater
Dubuque area. A total of 642 Relocation Guides were sent around the world in 2011. As of
September 2012, relocation guides have been sent to 407 individuals and 159 businesses.
Since the inception of the Newcomer Relations program in the spring of 2009, Greater Dubuque
Development has worked with local businesses to help recruit, relocate and retain potential and
existing employees. Current results include:
Assisted 422 candidates and 78 employers with recruitment and relocation needs from
January 1, 2012 to August 31, 2012;
Partnered with 77 businesses representing many sectors of the business community
including: A.Y. McDonald Industries, Cottingham & Butler, Peninsula Gaming, Flexsteel
Industries Corp., IBM, John Deere, McGraw -Hill Higher Education, Medical Associates,
Prudential Retirement, Rentech Energy, The Finley Hospital, and University of Dubuque;
• Provided 223 personal tours of the community in since January 2012;
Tracked and maintained a rental database of available housing. The housing database is
updated monthly and distributed to those looking to relocate to the area;
Facilitated four sold -out sessions of Distinctively Dubuque, the area's premier welcoming
and retention program in 2011;
In hope of removing any barriers to having a welcoming experience in Dubuque, Greater
Dubuque Development offered its signature Welcoming Program, Distinctively Dubuque, at
no charge to participants in 2012. January through October 2012 there were a total of 100
participants.
Improving the Image of Skilled Trades
High School Career Exploration
• A new CNC (computer numerical controlled) Exploring Post was created in the fall. Nine
students from sophomores to seniors attended the six evening after school program. The
program was held at NICC, Bodine Electric, Decker Machining and A.Y. McDonald.
• High School Career Days were held at Hempstead High School and Senior High School
in which 70 classes learned about a variety of careers throughout the region.
• Additional careers were added to the AccessMyFuture.com website over the past year.
The website continues to be marketed through Facebook advertising, print advertising
and career exploration events. The website is in collaboration with East Central
Intergovernmental Association.
Manufacturers and Dubuque Community Schools Partnership
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• A new committee consisting of local manufacturers, representatives from Dubuque
Community Schools and Northeast Iowa Community College was formed to discuss
workforce needs.
• The committee assisted in creating a new Machine Operations class at Hempstead and
Senior high schools. High school teacher training is also being provided to educate
faculty on the equipment used at Northeast Iowa Community College and in the industry.
• Alumni from Hempstead and Senior High Schools have been highlighted on posters
promoting careers in advanced manufacturing. The alumni are now working at places
such as Decker Precision Machining, John Deere and Giese Companies.
• Science and industrial technology teachers toured local advanced manufacturing
facilities to learn more about the industry.
Industry Tours
• Freshmen and Sophomore Project Lead the Way (PLTW) students from Western
Dubuque toured Bodine Electric and Premier Tooling & Manufacturing to learn more
about the manufacturing process.
• Junior and Senior PLTW students from Western Dubuque toured the John Deere
Dubuque Works factory and virtual reality lab.
• EIMCo and Bodine Electric hosted the I -JAG (Iowa Jobs for America's Graduates)
students from Hempstead High School for a company tour.
• Students from the Jo Carroll Vocational Center traveled to John Deere Dubuque Works
to learn more about the manufacturing process
Enhancing College to Employment Connections
• Classroom presentations on Standing Out were conducted on a semester basis to give
students insight on resume and interview readiness. Standing Out encompasses tips
and observations by local hiring professionals on how to impress and intrigue a potential
employer on paper and in person.
• The Chamber distributed over 1,500 community resource books to area incoming and
transfer students. DBQ 101 booklets highlight services for students new to the
community as well as useful web resources including DubuqueChamber.com,
FYPDubuque.org, AccessDubuqueJobs.com, GreaterDubuque.org, CityofDubuque.org,
AccessDubuque.com, and AccessMyFuture.com.
Training & Career Development
You're Hired Event
• The third annual "You're Hired" event was held on October 6, 2011 with over 75 diverse
job seekers in attendance.
• Twelve Human Resource (HR) professionals from the community participated as panel
members or facilitators providing tips and insights to job seekers on today's job market
(skills, resumes and interview process).
A survey is in process to elicit business input regarding need for a fall, 2012 Regional Job Fair.
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National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC)
The NCRC is a validated credentialing tool for businesses to use as a part of their recruitment
and hiring screening process or for incumbent employee promotion. The NCRC gives job
seekers the opportunity to validate their core employability workplace skills in the areas of:
Applied Mathematics, Reading for Information and Locating Information.
• Over 60 businesses in the region have signed a letter of agreement to support the NCRC
workforce initiative.
• NCRC is being integrated into training for high - growth middle - skills jobs in the
community including machine operators, CNC operators and other career and technical
skills education.
• 95% of students in the Advanced Manufacturing CNC pilot achieved their NCRC
• 417 high school students completed their NCRC testing with 79% achieving their NCRC
credential
Business Workforce Alliance
• The Iowa WORKS Business Workforce Alliance continues to meet bi- annually in spring
and fall. The Alliance members receive updates on workforce trends and business
services; provide feedback on recruitment challenges, education and training needs; and
share ideas to assist in meeting the workforce needs of our business community. As a
result of this year's event, Iowa WORKS partnered with NICC to offer an advanced
manufacturing sector job fair. Business and job seeker attendance and feedback was
extremely positive.
Certificate Programs
Opportunity Dubuque- is an initiative that meets the needs of local employers and
unemployed workers through an innovative collaboration of local partners and employers who
developed a clear pathway to employment. A pilot initiative provided scholarships, training and
direct connections to Manufacturing employers for 20 unemployed individuals. The pilot
boasted a 95% success rate; placing 15 workers in jobs and 4 individuals into continuing
education program. Opportunity Dubuque is currently being expanded to train workers for more
than 200 jobs in the next 3 years in the Manufacturing and IT sectors.
• Partners include Dubuque Works, Dubuque Community Schools, East Central
Intergovernmental Association (ECIA), Iowa Works, Northeast Iowa Community College
(NICC) and Project HOPE
• A new non - credit certificate training program offered by NICC aims to increase the skill
levels of available employees by training over 200 individuals in the next 18 -24 months.
Scholarships to cover the cost of tuition for the training are supported by ECIA, Iowa
Works, and Dubuque Works.
• After an application and interview process, those chosen for the program receive full -
tuition scholarships and other support to complete the training. Upon successful
completion of the program, participants can choose one of two paths: take advantage of
pre- arranged interviews with employer partners seeking skilled entry-level employees at
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$10 -$18 an hour; or continue their education by enrolling in credit classes to earn a
degree.
• 20 individuals were accepted into the pilot training program. Of the 19 participants who
successfully completed training, nearly all will be employed with employee partners while
the remaining have chosen to continue on to earn a degree at NICC. The pilot class
graduated on May 22, 2012.
• An orientation for the second round of the certificate program was held May 30th at the
NICC Peosta Campus Conference Center with 64 individuals in attendance. Attendees
learned about the welding, modern manufacturing and CNC professions, met
representatives from employer partners, toured facilities and learned about the
application process for acceptance into Welding, Intro to Modern Manufacturing or CNC
training programs.
• The next Orientation for Opportunity Dubuque will be held on October 24, 2012 from
1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. at the NICC Peosta Campus Conference Center. The Orientation is
mandatory for potential program participants and is open to any individual considering a
career in advanced manufacturing.
Building Bridges to Employment
Supporting Working Families
Circles® Initiative - See update under Community Knowledge
Bridges Out of Poverty- builds a more welcoming community by teaching middle -class
individuals about the hidden rules of each socio- economic class and how these differences can
be barriers to communication. More than 100 people were trained in 2011 and 78 trained in
2012.
Getting Ahead in a Just - Gettin' —By World - is a curriculum that helps low income families
learn the hidden rules of the middle -class in order to create more stable secure lives, Results
include:
• 52 individuals participated in Getting Ahead in FY2012
• 40 graduated from the program as of FY 2012
• 10 now participate in the Circles® Program that provides continued support and
connections to resources for Getting Ahead Graduates; this will grow to 12 active circles
this year.
Dubuque Sustainability Innovation Consortium (support of GDDC: Top Priority): Formed
in late 2009, the Dubuque Sustainability Innovation Consortium is an informal, beta organization
comprised of manufacturing, technology, service, wholesale and other industry sectors.
Although the consortium is still a work in progress, members of the group have already
identified new /actual sales leads and introductions to key industry players. The consortium is
growing and includes Dubuque area companies that represent 1,126 employees and are
currently engaged in both the sales and production of "green" related services /products:
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1,126 - Employment total of the companies serving on the consortium;
42 - Percentage of companies that operate in tech services /wholesale /consulting;
33 - Percentage of companies that operate in traditional manufacturing;
25 - Percentage of companies that produce a tangible, technical /IT related product;
154 - Age of oldest company in the group;
1 - Age of youngest company in the group;
27 - Percentage of companies with corporate HQ outside of Dubuque;
73 - Percentage of companies with corporate HQ in Dubuque;
8 - Percentage of total jobs from consortium members (create /retained) due to green
movement.
The Dubuque Sustainability Innovation Consortium is staff - supported, in part, by Greater
Dubuque Development in partnership with the City of Dubuque. Overseeing the strategic
efforts is David Lyons. David is also spearheading local efforts related to the Dubuque /IBM
Smart City initiative.
2011: Feeling the need to facilitate cost - saving /sustainable goals for area businesses, Greater
Dubuque Development hosted a consortium event in February. The event focused on an easy,
low -cost, and immediate ways to save money through lighting. With some 50 people in
attendance, Crescent Electric provided case studies of Dubuque area businesses that have
recently changed lighting and saved significant amounts of money. Going forward, Greater
Dubuque hosted a second reception /dinner to provide the same information to yet another
group of bankers, accountants, and electrical contractors who have direct access to businesses
and hold an opportunity to educate their clients. The idea is for these various professionals to
share the information with their customers, especially small /medium sized businesses in
Dubuque.
GDDC facilitated a presentation by Crescent Electric to city departments and city partners on
the savings from lighting conversions. In addition, GDDC is providing information to members of
the Innovation Consortium on target marketing recruitment of smart energy systems to help
local businesses grow their market.
Crescent Electric has offered to conduct free lighting /energy audits to Dubuque businesses
interested in the City's Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund. Six departments have offered
to coordinate audits for multiple City facilities.
Last October the Consortium turned its focus and efforts to renewable energy opportunities in
Dubuque, partnering with the U of I Team on renewable energy asset mapping and
implementing industry outreach efforts on renewable energy options for local business. The
asset mapping work will be completed in May of this year and will result in the availability of an
interactive, GIS based system that existing and potential new Dubuque businesses can use
when assessing their renewable or alternative energy options.
In March the Consortium began exploration of materials and waste management opportunities
that could be pursued, and which would allow Dubuque businesses to reduce their costs of
operations or lead to new growth and business opportunities in the Greater Dubuque region.
Non - Profit:
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Project HOPE:
• History
o In 2008, the City identified the need to address economic security of under -
resourced community members. To address this issue, the City of Dubuque
partnered with the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque to activate Project
HOPE (Help Our People Excel).
o Project HOPE is an economic development initiative designed to convene
community organizations and stakeholders around issues that relate to
disengaged people (those in poverty, unemployed and disengaged youth),
researching and developing best practices to share among local providers and
ensuring action steps are being taken to address identified strategies for
improvement and hosting meetings to encourage communication, data sharing,
and improved outcomes.
• Project HOPE Objectives for 2012 -13
o Project HOPE works to improve inter - agency collaboration and reduce
policy /program barriers to service- or simply, makes systems easier to access and
navigate- in order to connect disengaged youth and adults to education and
employment opportunities.
• Program /activity goals are;
o Objective 1: Improve coordination among providers — implement a collective
impact model- common agenda, shared measurement, mutually reinforcing
activities, continuous coordination, and a support organization to better
understand the needs of disengaged community members and coordinate system
improvements to serve them. Action: convene a stakeholders group which will
meet regularly to share best practices, ideas for improvement and to coordinate
resources.
o Objective 2: Connect unemployed people to education /skills training — coordinate
clear paths to education /skills training that connect to employment and education
achievement. Action: support the development of a re- engagement center to
reconnect people to education opportunities.
o Objective 3: Improve the pipeline to employment —match available jobs to
education and skill levels of the workforce to improve success rate of placement.
Action: development of scholarships and certificate training opportunities for
underserved individuals including possible development of an employment
support specialist position to support people transitioning into working lifestyles.
• Improve pipeline to employment: See updated under DubuqueWorks
• Connecting People to Education /Training In Aug 2012 Project HOPE
announced the opening of Dubuque's Re- engagement Center. The Center
is funded by a partnership between the Dubuque Community Schools and
NICC. The re- engagement center is a physical, staffed location and
program that connects high school drop -outs back into education and
training opportunities. Tom Kershner was hired as the Re- engagement
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Center Specialist and is at work today, connecting young people to
Education and Training opportunities that lead to employment and self -
sufficiency.
o Objective 4: Support needs of working families — improve access to child care
opportunities within the community to ensure this is not a road block to
employment. Action; develop a childcare service mapping project and website for
working families to connect to child care.
• Childcare Resources- To improve access to childcare within the
community, Project HOPE partnered with Resources Unite to develop a
child care service mapping project and website that helps working families
and employers connect to child care. Results include: the launch of the
site in May 2012 that features a searchable directory of child care providers
and information to support working parents.
o Objective 5: Help families build financial assets —Help families Earn it, Keep it,
Grow it by connecting them to Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), BankOn, and
other financial supportlliteracy programs.
• Earned Income Tax Credit- Project HOPE supported the Earned Income
Tax Credit program facilitated by Operation New View. The project helped
low- income people in Dubuque receive $223,961 in federal income tax
refunds.
• Bank On- The program offers low- and moderate - income residents free or
low -cost checking accounts and access to financial education. Access to a
bank or credit union account can help residents avoid costly alternative
financial services (check cashers, payday lenders, pawn shops and rent -to-
own stores) and enable families to build and protect their assets. Bank On
established new accounts for 55 families in FY 2011.
o Objective 6: Support the Bridges Initiative — support strong data collection and
connections to community resources for Getting Ahead /Circles program and
participants.
Schools:
NICC Green Jobs Program: The Northeast Iowa Community College Green Jobs program is
funded through an ARRA grant administered in partnership by ECIA and NICC. The program is
providing unemployed and incumbent workers with skills training in energy auditing,
deconstruction, wind turbine maintenance, and green residential and commercial construction.
New courses recently added are: Solar PV, Worm Composting and Biodiesel. The Wind
Turbine Repair Technician Program has purchased a Wind Turbine Climb Tower and students
will all be trained by December 2011.
Total students to train: 392
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Training Programs /Industry Enrollment:
• Green Industry Sector: Energy Efficient Building , Construction
o Sustainable Deconstruction, COSC, HEARTYouthbuild, HVAC NCI
• Green Industry Sector: Energy Efficient Assessment, Professional, Scientific, and
Technical Services
o RESNET HERS, BPI Building Analyst, Envelope — Shell, Heating, AC, Heat Pump
• Green Industry Sector: Renewable Electric Power, Utilities
o Wind Turbine Repair Technician
o Solar, Wind, Hydro, Geothermal
o Intro to Wind Technology
o Solar Thermal Installation
o Intro to Solar Thermal
Sustainability of Programs: NICC will continue to offer Green Industry training courses after the
grant period is up, specifically in the solar and wind alternative energy fields. A couple courses
are being submitted for credit approval so students have transferrable credits upon completion
of the course.
NICC is also exploring state approval for wind and solar courses for both plumbing and
electrical update classes that can be applied to licensing. HVAC NCI curriculum is also being
incorporated into the HVAC program at NICC. As the "green" industries continue to grow so will
the programs at NICC, Geothermal and Solar PV will also be offered in the future.
The ARRA- funded Green Jobs training program has been completed. NICC continues to
partner with businesses and other in Dubuque to identify upcoming workforce training needs
and develop programs to meet those needs.
People & Neighborhoods:
SMART ENERGY USE
Government:
EECBG: The City of Dubuque was the recipient of $574,700 in ARRA funding through the
Energy Efficiency Conservation & Block Grant program. The following funds have been spent
or obligated to date:
$75,000.00 Sustainability Coordinator Salary. Grant administration and community
engagement.
$100,000.00 First of a Kind (FORK) agreement with IBM Watson Research Center to
fund part of the Smarter Travel pilot in the Smarter Sustainable Dubuque project.
$50,347.00 Residential certified energy audits and energy efficient retrofits. To date,
this program has funded 54 certified energy audits and assisted 123 Dubuque
residents in installing high - efficiency furnaces, insulation, new windows, and
completing basic retrofits including caulking around windows, weather - stripping, etc.
The program has been closed.
$100,214.00 Replacement of City Hall HVAC system. Tricon Construction has been
selected as the general contractor for the HVAC system upgrade. The project is
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complete. Water savings of 90 +% have been documented.
$200,000.00 Commercial /Non- profit Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund
(Management Agenda) The first RLF was issued to Miracle Car Wash in November to
finance a lighting retrofit project. In an effort to comply with DOE regulations and
spend the funds by September 20, which is the end of grant period, the maximum loan
has been increased from $10,000 to $50,000 and the loan has been made 20%
forgivable. Targeted outreach is being completed in hopes of spending the funds in the
required time frame. Two additional loans were processed in August, one for Gronen
Restoration and one for the Dubuque Food Co -op, each for $50,000. Any funds
remaining in this category at the end of August will be transferred to pre - approved
projects in City Hall (HVAC system) and Five Flags Center (updated lighting). Because
of delay in anticipated opening date, the Dubuque Food Co -op has decided not to use
these funds.
$5,600.00 Weatherization & outreach supplies purchased primarily for Green Iowa
Americorps members.
Additional funds remain in the categories of community education and commercial building
retrofits. In order to address to ongoing ARRA reporting requirements, the DOE has required
the City to file a six -month extension request, making the new closing date for this grant March
2013. With this new opportunity, the City continues to work with ECIA to attempt to disperse
funds through the RLF and use any remaining dollars for City facility updates with quick ROIs.
City Facilities Lighting Retrofits: Building Services staff have conducted a lighting audit of
City Hall and are now in the process of removing lamps and retrofitting fixtures to more
appropriately meet the lighting demands of the employees and customers that use the building.
To date, 66 fixtures have been re- ballasted, 102 lamps removed and 147 lamps replaced by
smaller wattage lamps in the efforts to reduce electrical usage. This project is on- going, and
energy use trends are being tracked in EPA Portfolio Manager. The project has been
completed. A final report on electrical savings will be presented shortly.
Approximately 20 City facilities, including City Hall, City Hall Annex, the Municipal Services
Center, Historic Federal Building, fire stations, and several parks and recreation facilities will
have lighting audits completed by Crescent Electric. Crescent will make energy- saving
recommendations that will be included in existing operating budgets and future CIP requests.
Parking Ramp Lighting Project: The 5th Street and Locust Street Parking Ramps have
recently been updated with new fluorescent lighting. The system has been provided by a firm
from Holland, MI, TwistHDM. The system is fully programmable, providing the maximum in
daylight harvesting, occupancy sensing and provides a safety factor in that e-mails are sent to
maintenance staff any time a Tight is burned out or not functioning for any reason. Each fixture
has its own IP address allowing for state of the industry programming to reduce energy usage.
In the first months of operation, this system has led to a 68% reduction in lighting costs, or 35%
reduction in total electricity consumption in the ramp. We are currently planning on retro fitting
the Iowa Street to this system in the very near future and this system is also being installed on
the new parking ramp at 10th and Central.
Public Works Department:
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• Hybrid - Powered Vehicle: One of the very first DMASWA Smart Energy Use initiatives
was its purchase of a hybrid - powered vehicle in the summer of 2005. This purchase was
made not only to reduce the amount of fuel used by Agency - employed staff and reduce
the DMASWA's vehicle - related carbon footprint, but also as an education tool by the
Agency's Education and Communication Coordinator. Now seven years old and with
over 84,000 miles on its odometer, the vehicle has performed faultlessly and has
averaged 28 miles per gallon in the city. The DMASWA intends to retain it until calendar
2015, when it should have well over 115,000 miles on its odometer.
• CNG- Powered Vehicle: Just as the DMASWA was the first local governmental entity to
purchase and use a hybrid - powered vehicle, it was also the first local governmental
entity to purchase and use a vehicle using compressed natural gas (CNG) as its primary
fuel. This Smart Energy Use initiative not only further reduces the Agency's vehicle -
related carbon footprint, but is also an indicator of the Agency's commitment to using
domestically - produced /sourced fuels in all of its equipment in future years.
• Landfill Methane Reuse: A third DMASWA Smart Energy Use initiative is its current
initiative to reuse the methane it currently collects and flares from its closed landfill cells.
To that end, it retained the services of an expert and highly- regarded environmental
engineering firm in September of 2011 to evaluate proposals from local industries and
utilities. As of October of 2012, negotiations are nearing completion with a regional
electrical power provider for an Agency owned and operated "green electricity"
generating facility. The DMASWA Board of Directors now anticipates making a decision
regarding this tentative project by the end of calendar 2012.
Biomass Energy Development: The Resource Management program has been an internal
partner in researching sustainable new energy sources from discarded materials processed or
which could be processed at the WWTP and the Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste
Agency landfill. The methane produced at both facilities could be developed as a renewable
energy source and net revenue producer with Combined Heat and Power (CHP) applications.
Recovered clean untreated wood is also a local energy fuel option.
Library Kill -A -Watt Meter Checkout Program: In partnership with ISU Extension and the
City's Office of Sustainability, Kill -A -Watt Meters are available for resident check out. These
meters allow residents to measure the energy demand of appliances in their homes, and is
particularly helpful in identifying "phantom energy loads" that occur when appliances and
chargers are plugged in but not in use.
Leisure Services Department:
• Signed up with Crescent Electric for lighting study to review all facilities throughout
Leisure Services Department.
• Requested an Alliant Energy sponsored energy audit for Grand River Center.
• Department incandescent light fixture replacement to CFL 2007 - 11
• Ongoing participation in the Alliant Energy Interrupt Program during peak energy usage
times
• Received an Alliant Energy Level II Energy Audit for Five Flags.
• Working with the Building Services Department on Smart Metering project for Grand
River Center.
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Business:
Non - Profit:
Driftless Area Initiative Midwest Biomass Conference: The Third Annual Midwest Biomass
Conference was held at the Grand River Center November 2nd and 3rd in partnership with the
US Department of Energy, John Deere, Jo- Carroll Energy and others. Three keynotes and
twenty four breakout sessions were held in three tracks: Economics /Utilization,
Production /Processing and Technology /Case Studies. The topics covered a full spectrum from
combined heat and power, pollution prevention technologies, district energy systems, cooling
technologies, energy crops and feedstock supply chains.
Schools:
People & Neighborhoods:
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Government:
Public Works Department: The Green Vision Building Materials Management and Waste
Minimization Program is a high priority of the Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste
Agency. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) has designated construction and
demolition materials (C &D) as targeted materials for diverting from Iowa landfills, noting that
they accounted for 13.5% of all materials landfilled in Iowa in calendar 2011. Building and
demolition professionals can play an important role in assisting the Agency and IDNR in
meeting their goals of diverting reusable and recyclable materials from land filling. Rethinking,
reducing, reusing and recycling - the "Four R's" - focus on resource efficiency. Typically, these
practices can save money and control costs by decreasing the amount of new materials needed
for building and reducing waste disposal costs. Equally important, the program helps reduce
the amount of materials being buried at the Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency
(DMASWA) Landfill.
Retail Plastic Bag Reduction Strategy: The City Council approved a strategy to reduce the
use of plastic bags in retail stores 90% by 2017. The approved plan begins by targeting retailers
over 40,000 square feet and focuses on tracking reduction and recycling of checkout plastic
bags, incentives and education, not enforcement or a "ban." Staff will be working with retailers
and other partners to implement the plan, including creating reporting system and time table, an
implementation toolkit for local retailers as well as a City consumer education campaign. City
staff proposed an ordinance requiring reporting of plastic bag consumption at the March 19
meeting. The ordinance passed the first reading. After gathering additional public input, an
updated memo from City staff recommended a voluntary reporting of plastic bag use and cross -
sector task force led by private sector businesses to address barriers and opportunities to
reducing plastic bag use at the May 7 Council meeting.
The DMASWA Education Office continues to sponsor showings of the "Bag It" movie:
More showings are being scheduled. This film reviews the effects of plastics on human and
environmental health and supports the City of Dubuque's plastic bag reduction strategy.
"BYOBag" window clings in multiple sizes have been developed for personal and business use
as a reminder to bring your own bags and will be distributed through various events as part of
the community education campaign.
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A BYOB episode of the Sustainability Today cable tv series has been completed. City and
DMASWA staff continue to support private sector reduction efforts, most notably led by Hy -Vee,
Theisen's, and Dittmer Recycling staff who lead the plastic bag working group.
Airport:
• New Terminal Groundbreaking ceremony had the following sustainability measures:
groundbreaking shovels were re -used from other region -wide ceremonies; wooden
boxes filled with dirt have been deconstructed following the event and the wood will be
reused and the dirt has been returned to the site; 90% of invitations to the event were
sent electronically.
• Salvaging copper from underground utilities recently decommissioned.
City Clerk's Office
• The City Clerk's Office is working with the Green Team to possibly establish a "trading
post" area where surplus supplies can be offered to other departments or for donation
before throwing items out or recycling.
• The Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division has now granted approval for local authorities to
send renewal notices to license holders by e-mail. The State informs the local authority
via its on -line notification system but previously required local authorities to send hard
copy reminders to license holders. The new all- electronic system will eliminate paper and
expedite the license renewal process.
Leisure Services Department:
• Bunker Hill Golf Course irrigation system upgrade electrical & water 2010 -11.
Computerized controllers include a weather station that detects precipitation and shuts
off system if it meets the preset threshold of moisture. Variable speed pump also
reduces electrical consumption of pump motor. Anticipate a 25% reduction in electrical
demand with new motor. Anticipate 20% reduction in water use when complete.
• Five Flags had carpet rolls that had not been used in over fifteen years. Match program
found an American Legion in another community that took carpet and reused.
• Rock removed from roof of Fire Department during re -roof project (68 tons of rock) is
being stored and will be recycled in future landscaping projects for the City.
• Old carpet from Grand River Center Exhibit Hall carpet replacement was recycled.
Public Works Department:
• Tire Recycling Program Initiated by the DMASWA in the 1990's as a result of
regulations prohibiting the burial of whole tires in landfills, the DMASWA took the extra
step of banning the burial of tires in any shape or form in its landfill. Current federal and
State regulations still allow the burial of shredded, chopped or halved tires. Tires
brought to the DMASWA Landfill are set aside for subsequent collection and processing
by a tire recycling firm. The cost of the tire recycling service is passed along to the
DMASWA's customers. The tires are currently being processed into fuel pellets,
playground equipment fall protection pads, pads protecting concrete floors from heavy
equipment tracks, and sundry items such as park benches and parking lot tire stops.
Community impacts of the DMASWA's Tire Recycling Program have included saved
landfill space /life and reuse of a valuable fossil fuel- derived product.
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• Appliance and Metals Recycling Program Similar to the DMASWA's Tire Recycling
Program, and also initiated in the 1990's, the Agency's Appliance and Metals Recycling
Program also exceeds federal and State standards. While the USEPA and Iowa
regulations allow the landfill burial of metal household appliances that do not contain
freon or mercury, the DMASWA bans the landfilling of any appliances at its facility.
Appliances are accepted, however, for a fee to cover the cost of subsequent recycling by
a local firm. Also, the DMASWA provides a free drop -off container just inside its gate
where clean metal items may be dropped off without charge for subsequent recycling.
Finally, DMASWA- employed workers recover any metal items encountered in the landfill
cells and take them to the metals drop -off container. A main community impact derived
from this program is saved landfill space /life. A secondary community impact is the
recovery and reuse of recyclable metal. A third community impact is the reduction of
"upstream" pollution and GHG emissions.
• Recycling Dropoff Stations Program Beginning with a sole recyclables dropoff facility
on Dubuque's west side in the 1990's, the program has expanded to seven (7) such
facilities at the current time. In addition to the noted original facility on Radford Road,
there now are facilities in Cascade, unincorporated Key West, Farley, Epworth, in the
Flexsteel Industries parking lot at East 32nd Street and Peru Road in Dubuque, and at
the DMASWA Landfill. The Agency plans to add additional facilities in the northern,
southern and northwestern areas of Dubuque County in the near future. At these
facilities, residents are allowed to drop off unlimited quantities of clean metal, aluminum
beverage containers, tin cans, paper, cardboard, and #1 - #5 plastics. Glass containers
are accepted only at the Radford Road and DMASWA Landfill drop -off facilities. The
materials are collected by Agency workers and transported to the Dittmer Recycling
facility in Dubuque for processing and subsequent shipment to regional manufacturers or
exporters. The most relevant measurable outcomes for this program would be pounds of
materials received and recycled annually through the noted dropoff facilities.
Asphalt Shingle Recycling Program Soon after a major hail storm struck the central
portion of the city of Dubuque in April of 2011, the DMASWA's Board of Directors
authorized the establishment of an asphalt shingle recycling program. Initially staffed by
temporary workers, the program was revamped in early 2012 and is now contracted to a
regional Iowa firm. Since the initiation of the program, over 1,000 tons of asphalt
shingles have been diverted from landfill burial and instead recycled /incorporated into
asphalt road pavement.
• Pay As You Throw (PAYT) is a sustainable model for the City's Refuse Collection and
Large Item Collection programs. It places an added cost to extra trash generation which
encourages source reduction, reuse through donations, recycling and composting. The
average customer only sends 20 pounds per week to the landfill which is among the
lowest of the ten largest cities in Iowa. Appropriately -sized City -owned tipper carts have
been supplied to many alley - collection customers to improve sanitation and aesthetics in
areas of high rental density.
• Curbside Food Scrap Collection and Composting The Public Works Department
provides administrative and operating staff support to the Dubuque Metropolitan Area
Solid Waste Agency ( DMASWA), a 28E partnership of the County and City of Dubuque.
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In 1990, the DMASWA constructed its first yard waste composting facility at its Landfill
site on Dubuque's west side along U.S. Highway 20. The facility and yard waste
composting program were mandated by a then -new Iowa law banning yard waste from
being landfilled as of the beginning of FY91. The yard waste composting facility was
later displaced by the construction of landfill cells #5 and #6 and was replaced by the
current facility in 1998. The second - generation composting facility originally consisted of
a large asphalt -paved area where yard waste was stored and shredded. The shredded
yard waste was then windrowed in an adjoining area lined with shale where the actual
composting process took place.
The City initiated a pilot program for the curbside co- collection (with yard waste) of food
scraps in April of 2006. The City program has reached its maximum allowed diversion
under the two ton per week cap under IDNR regulations. This project is in partnership
with the DMASWA and involves 230 subscribers and some schools, institutions and
commercial subscribers, who for a very small fee, diverted approximately 80 tons of
food scraps last year from regular refuse collection and processed them into 40 tons of
compost. This also reduced potential fugitive greenhouse gas emissions from the
DMASWA Landfill by approximately 500,000 pounds per year.
In 2009 and again in 2010, the DMASWA applied to the State for permission to expand
its food scrap composting program. The State has denied the requests, insisting that
further infrastructure improvements be made. Those improvements have been
estimated to cost more than $300,000. As a result of those prohibitive additional costs,
the DMASWA has tabled expansion of its food scrap composting program until the State
of Iowa adopts guidelines similar to those allowed by the USEPA and already
implemented in surrounding states. Community impacts of the DMASWA's Composting
Program to date include saving an estimated half year of landfill life /capacity over the last
twenty years, plus the generation and reuse of a valued byproduct — high quality
compost.
• Curbside Recycling The Recycling Collection Activity has maintained over the last five
years the lowest average curbside collection fees in the state while having some of the
highest diverted tonnage to recycling at 4,300 tons per year (approximately 40 %).
Recycling tonnage has been declining in Dubuque and nationally recently due partially to
the shift from print media and advertising (newspaper / magazine pages and junk mail) to
electronic media. The participation rate of customers setting out recycling bins at least
once a month is estimated to be over 90 %. The partnership of the DMASWA in a
processing contract with Dittmer Recycling has brought shared revenue to the City even
during the current economic recession. Additional curbside acceptable materials have
been approved: empty aerosol cans, new, clean empty latex paint cans, obsolete
hardback books, and crosscut shredded paper. The Resource Management Coordinator
facilitated the Sustainable 2010 Glass Management Options Study and researched local
costs and impacts. This research indicated that the curbside collection of glass for
recycling was no longer a sustainable activity and should be terminated; thereby cutting
significant costs and generating increased revenue. The City Council on April 18, 2011
supported the recommendation to end the curbside collection of glass food and
beverage containers on July 2, 2011. More energy had been expended recycling glass
from curbside collection through bottle manufacturing than was conserved by using
recycled cutlet. The small net environmental benefits were not worth the $325.00 per ton
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it cost to collect glass curbside for recycling, which had yielded a —minus $16.00 per ton
value after it had been delivered to the nearest and best market. No longer separating
300 tons per year of glass at curbside by hand sorting will reduce future repetitive motion
workers compensation claims. This decision was perceived by the community as a re-
education challenge to change an obsolete recycling habit. Beneficial -use options for
glass still collected at the DMASWA /Dittmer Recycling dropoff in the city are being
developed and promoted. Approximately 99% of the glass previously set out for
recycling has been seamlessly diverted through other programs. The City Council
approved a $0.37 reduction in the FY12 solid waste collection monthly fee due to the
savings resulting from eliminating glass from curbside recycling collection.
• Electronics Recycling All electronics brought to the DMASWA facility are recycled —
landfill burial is not an option. The Agency's Electronics Recycling Program provides an
environmentally -sound and economically - feasible disposal option for old, unwanted
electronics. Electronics are defined as anything containing a circuit board and /or cathode
ray tube (CRT or "picture tube "). Examples include: computer monitors and CPUs, cell
phones, televisions, printers, DVD players and VCRs. All recycled electronics are broken
down into salvageable components at a secure de- manufacturing facility in Davenport.
To ensure data security, computers are not refurbished or reused. The DMASWA's
electronics disposal program not only saves space that used electronics would take up if
buried in the Dubuque Metro Landfill, but also keeps the hazardous materials contained
in the electronics - lead, mercury, cadmium, nickel, chromium, lithium, and PCBs, among
others, out of the landfill. Electronics also contain many materials made from natural
resources, some of which are not renewable and will be depleted over time. By recycling
electronics, those valuable natural resources are used again to make new products,
water pollution is prevented, and energy is saved in the extraction and manufacturing
processes.
• Dubuque Area Task Force Addressing Illegal Dumping & Illegal Littering The
Resource Management program has provided staff support to the Dubuque Area Task
Force On Illegal Dumping and Illegal Littering (DATFOIDIL) which was initiated in 2010
by the DMASWA. The City Resource Management office has hosted an Illegal Dumping
Hotline (589 -4345) since 2000, averaging approximately ten illegal dumping report
investigations per month - cleaning up as appropriate and sending warning letters to
identified households. DMASWA is working with the Dubuque County Conservation
Board to support an Illegal Dumping Enforcement Officer that monitors problem areas in
urban and rural Dubuque County. Citations have been issued and monitoring continues.
Some investigations have led to information and citations related to burglaries and drug
arrests.
• Dubuque Area Event Recycling and Zero Waste Programs The Resource
Management program first initiated and since 2006 has provided staff and logistic
support to Dubuque Area Event Recycling and Zero Waste Programs in partnership with
the Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency (DMASWA). Since 2006, 257 civic
and social events have utilized the DMASWA's Clear Stream event recycling units with
4,363 unit usages. Recycling is required by the City at stationary events requiring a City
permit. Recyclable cups numbered 1 through 5 are required to increase recycling.
Events now typically divert over 50% by volume to recycling and also significantly reduce
litter. There have been a growing number of zero waste events where event food
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discards and compostable paper products get processed for beneficial use. This
program provides appropriate containers, signage and removes the captured materials
to be composted. Further information and instructional flyers are available on managing
zero waste events. There is normally no charge for specialized container usage,
signage and collection of the event recyclables and clean source - separated
compostables when scheduled. As part of the updated special events permit process,
an informational meeting was held with all special event organizers in which barriers to
zero waste and correct resource management were discussed.
• DMASWA Environmental Management System DMASWA was selected as one of the
six solid waste management planning areas in Iowa to participate as a pilot in the
Environmental Management System (EMS) program to expand the scope of their waste
management systems. The EMS was established by the 2008 Iowa Legislature and the
pilot planning areas concentrate on services they provide to improve their overall
performance, including yard waste management, hazardous household waste collection,
water quality improvement, greenhouse gas reduction, recycling services, and
environmental education. Under the EMS Designation Program, DMASWA is evaluated
by the continuous improvement of its services, and focuses expanded opportunities for
environmental resource management.
The foundation of DMASWA's EMS is its Environmental Policy that expresses the
commitment of our Board of Directors and Agency employees to improving
environmental performance, and sets out goals for pollution prevention, regulatory
compliance, and continuous improvement. Objectives and targets guide continuous
improvement toward Agency goals.
Green Iowa AmeriCorps: The Green Iowa AmeriCorps program finished its 10 month service
term at the end of the July. During the term, Green Iowa performed 88 weatherizations and
audited an additional 30 homes that were determined to not need additional weatherization
services for a number of reasons. GIAC members also participated in the Great Mississippi
River Clean Up, helping remove over 3280 pounds of material; and a couple members made
Music at Jackson a more sustainable event by picking trash and placing recyclable goods in the
correct container. The team then traveled to McGregor, Iowa for an audit blitz- conducting 12
audits in little less than 48 hours. The City is again hosting a team of GreenCorps members
who began their term in September 2012; the team completed four energy audits during their
first week of service and will be auditing approximately 20 homes involved in Make A Difference
Day in order to provide more complete weatherization services than were available through this
event in the past.
Library: Waste stream audit conducted in June, 2011. One week in the study showed and
80% landfill diversion and the second week showed a 91 % landfill diversion. Since this time
food scrap recycling has been introduced and increased employee awareness about recycling.
The waste stream audit will be conducted again in the second quarter of FY2012 to measure
improvement.
Children's program in July, 2011 included a craft where youth made musical instruments from
toilet paper rolls.
Damaged CD disks and DVD disks are cleaned and polished to extend life rather than replacing
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them. The library restores an average of 175 disks each week. (Jan. 2012)
When a local bookstore went out of business (Blue Cat Books) (early 2012) the inventory was
going to be discarded. The library took the inventory of approximately 2,200 titles and they
went to the Friends of the Library that will sell them, or donate them to Better World Books for
emerging literacy programs in third world countries.
The gathering of daily statistics at public service desks has now moved online (early 2012) and
this saves 3.5 reams of paper a month; 42 reams of paper each year.
The Library is hosted a program on June 28, 2012, which is a workshop on how to repurpose
books into a new item using craft skills. Twenty -four craft items were created using books that
were tagged for recycling.
The Youth Services used left over supplies from the 2011 Summer Reading Program (SRP)
and repurposed them into bags for the 2,500+ children who signed up for the SRP in 2012. The
Teens attended a SRP that used recycled t- shirts to make fashion scarves.
Self -check machines in the library are now set to offer a printed receipt on request, or provides
the option to decline a receipt.
Ongoing efforts to reduce paper continue and have resulted in the resizing of internal
instructions, which allows for two copies for each piece of paper.
Multi -media titles are no longer contained in plastic hanging bags. The bags have been
eliminated and the materials are now shelved with other items available for check out.
Finance:
1. The Utility Billing area serves as a collection for CFL light bulbs for employees and citizens.
This process began approximately one year ago. The City provides multiple collection sites.
Public Works employees pick up the recycled CFL light bulbs.
2. Laserfiche was implemented for storing supporting documentation for accounts payable and
accounts receivable activities such as purchase orders /direct pays, purchase order
adjustments, journal entries and receipts. This procedure eliminates the need for departments
to make a copy of documents for their files as documents are viewed through Laserfiche.
3. Accepting electronic payments for Utility Billing, parking tickets, (Leisure Services).
Customer initiates EFT via website and City ACH initiated. Utility Billing saves paper by not
including a return payment envelope for customers who have their payment automatically
deducted from their bank account (currently 21.4 %). Citizens save postage and post office
saves labor /energy.
4. Accounts payable direct deposit of employee expense reimbursement and vendor payments.
Full implementation will be available. Saves City cost of printing and mailing checks. Saves
paper and energy.
5. Future initiative: Working toward electronic billing for utility bills.
Police:
GoTo Meetings: Shane O'Brien (DARE coordinator) held a statewide DARE meeting via GoTo
meetings instead of having everyone drive to Ankeny, Iowa. It saved the City of Dubuque
alone over 300 miles in travel expenses, fuel and waste. It was positively received by the
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members in attendance and will be expanded for future meetings.
Idleright Fuel Management System: The DPD installed a new "fuel management system" to test
called Idleright in vehicle 1843. This system enables an officer to turn the ignition off and leave
all emergency lighting on. The system monitors the voltage in the battery system and when it
reaches a certain level, restarts the car - charging the system. When fully charged the system
shuts off the car again saving fuel. Without this system a police car could idle for hours at an
accident scene where lighting is needed.
Business:
Full Circle Organics: Full Circle Organics, a private- sector composting facility, has received
state and county approvals and will be opening a facility this fall between Epworth and Farley in
Dubuque County. This operation may open up new opportunities for both residential and
commercial composting within the City. The DMASWA has also indicated its willingness to
explore partnership opportunities with Full Circle Organics, GreenRU, T &W Grinding Inc, and
other interested regional composting service providers.
Non - Profit:
Keep Dubuque County Clean & Green — serves as the local affiliate for Keep Iowa Beautiful.
Members include representatives from Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency, the
Dubuque County Conservation Board, the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium, and
interested individuals. The group works with the Illegal Dumping and Littering task force and
other community groups to educate the public on the effects of littering and illegal dumping.
Schools:
People & Neighborhoods:
COMMUNITY DESIGN
Government:
Unified Development Code: In 2009, the City of Dubuque's new Unified Development Code
went into effect. The UDC updates and consolidates zoning, subdivision, site development,
historic preservation, and sign regulations into a single city code. The UDC incorporates text,
photographs, drawings, charts and diagrams for ease of use in an online illustrated version.
The four -year process for developing the Dubuque UDC incorporated three citizen advisory
committees and an interdisciplinary task force of City staff working with JEO Consulting. The
last 12 months of the process were devoted to seeking and responding to input on the draft
UDC from developers, engineers, architects, neighborhood and business associations, sign
contractors, City Boards and Commissions, and the general public prior to City Council work
sessions and public hearings.
The UDC incorporates sustainable design while meeting smart growth objectives. Sustainable
design is the expectation. While traditional development is still allowed, it is now the exception.
The UDC received strong support from City officials and citizens alike. This acceptance of
sustainable design has continued through implementation.
Subdivision and site development regulations were extensively revised to promote sustainable
30
design, such as conservation design, solar access, and low- impact development measures.
Access for pedestrians, bicycles, and public transit as well as design guidelines for historic
districts, the downtown, and older neighborhoods also are now part of the UDC.
The intent of the UDC is to guide the physical, economic and social development,
redevelopment and conservation of the community. The UDC protects and enhances the
historic, cultural and aesthetic resources that make Dubuque a unique, identifiable and vital
community.
Complete Streets Policy: Adopted in 2011, the City of Dubuque's Complete Streets Policy
was created with input from a variety of community stakeholders. The Complete Streets Policy
provides an integrated multimodal approach to roadway planning and design. The Policy
establishes that development of as many street projects as possible will be done in an
affordable, balanced, responsible, and equitable way that accommodates and encourages
travel by motorists, bicyclists, public transit vehicles and their passengers, and pedestrians of
all ages and abilities. The Complete Streets Policy also ensures that future demand and context
sensitivity is integrated into new facilities, recognizing that topography, cost, and right -of -way
constraints are among the limiting factors and that not every project is a candidate for this
desired outcome. The Policy also includes language regarding the review of street projects for
consistency with the Tri -State Trail Plan, posting annual street projects for public input, and
documentation of project- specific exemptions. The Complete Streets policy allows for project -
specific exemptions to be approved by the City Council, or the City Manager where a project
does not come before the City Council.
Green Alley Pilot Project: This project involved the reconstruction of existing asphalt alleys
from 11th Street to 13th Street between White Street and Jackson Street and the alley from 15th
and 16th between Elm and Washington Streets. The project reconstructed the alleys with
pervious pavement surfaces to assist in evaluating suitable pavement types for future alley
reconstruction projects. The pavement surfaces allow rainfall from low- intensity storms to pass
through the pavement structure. This, in turn, will recharge the water table and minimize storm
water runoff. Completed in summer 2010
Engineering staff are working with McDermott Excavating, Inc on the reconstruction of the alley
between Jackson and Washington from 17th to 18th Street. Construction is expected to be
complete by June 30, 2012. The alley between Jackson and White from 9th to 10th was
constructed by Portzen Construction in the fall of 2011.
Engineering staff will also begin design of the following alleys to be completed in FY 2013:
Alley between Jackson and Washington from 16th to 17th
Alley between White & Jackson from 17th to 18th
Alley between Arlington & Loras from Dell to Prairie
The alleys above are part of the SEP (Supplemental Engineering Project) required by EPA as
part of the consent decree issued to the City. Originally the Alley between Washington and Elm
from 25th to 26th was part of the SEP list proposed. Due to the size of that alley, it was
determined a better approach is to use City Green Alley funds in the next couple of years to
address that alley.
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Engineering is also working with EPA and IDNR on a proposal to use SRF funds for
reconstructing approximately $9 million dollars in alleys over the next three years. A decision by
EPA is expected in June 2012 on this proposal. The proposal includes the reconstruction of 40
alleys into Green Alleys. These alleys would be reconstructed with permeable pavers, similar to
other recently constructed alleys.
Washington Neighborhood Initiative: Comprehensive effort designed to address many
housing and social challenges in this 55 square block neighborhood. An ambitious "visioning"
project for the Washington Neighborhood was concluded in 2008 and the Washington
Neighborhood Strategic Plan was presented to the City Council in April 2009. Homes have now
been purchased and rehabbed by 46 first -time owner families throughout the neighborhood.
Previous rental dwellings and vacant structures have been historically restored for owner
occupancy. Since late 2005, the Housing Department has loaned $5.2 million and a total of
$7.9 million has been reinvested in housing in the Washington Neighborhood.
With receipt of a $240 000 I -JOBS grant from IFA, the Historic Washington Row Houses project
commenced construction in November 2010. New individual sanitary sewer and water services
have been installed, lead paint removed from the interior of the buildings, asbestos removed
from the roofing structure and all new membrane roofs installed, and installation of all new
wooden windows and doors completed. Finalization is being completed on all units to prepare
for sale. An Open House was held on Saturday, April 14, 2012. All units will be sold as owner -
occupied town homes to low- moderate income households. Four units have been sold to date.
The City will be reconstructing the alley behind the row houses as a "Green Alley" in the
summer of 2012.
Several other houses acquired by the Housing Department, using our Neighborhood
Stabilization Program (NSP) grant, continue under rehab. The HEART Program crews are
performing the bulk of the rehab work. As the completed homes are re -sold, NSP funds are
used to buy other foreclosed or vacated houses. 2320 Washington is under contract with a
realtor. 2312 Washington has been sold.
An exterior inspection program providing 'advisory inspections' for all Washington
Neighborhood homeowners commenced in November. All of the 200 homes have been
inspected with70 having exterior violations. Housing staff coordinated with church volunteer
groups and WNDC during the April Community Days of Caring event to provide 11 homes with
needed repairs. 7 interior healthy home assessments requested by homeowners were
completed to check for safety, energy and code violations.
Planning continues for a major rehab project in the 2200 -2400 block of Washington Street.
Houses acquired for the Bee Branch Project and no longer needed for the right -of -way will be
rehabbed and re -sold to owner occupant families. Two city- acquired homes were moved to this
block in June 2011 and have been sold to Habitat for Humanity. The HEART crews continue to
work on one house. The City acquired a tenth home in August 2010. All are currently being
rehabbed. Lead has been abated from all the City -owned properties and rehabilitation
continues.
Washington Neighborhood Development Corporation (WNDC): a new non - profit
corporation was formed to promote revitalization efforts in the Washington Neighborhood. The
WNDC is staffed by a fulltime executive director, initially funded by the City of Dubuque. A
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board of directors was recruited to represent the interests of stakeholders, including residents,
landlords, businesses and lenders, and city government. The corporation promotes activities to
improve the neighborhood in a variety of ways. Key objectives include increasing homeowner
occupancies, refurbishing older buildings, improving the appearance of the area and greater
resident involvement.
Partnering with the following neighborhood initiatives: Harkin Wellness Grant, Community
Garden, Energy Center staff, Small Business Works, Iowa 21st Century Community Learning
Center Grant, Crime Study Report, Dubuque Board of Realtors, Gateway to Homes.
Additional activities of WNDC:
o The Washington Neighborhood Directory was updated as of July 30, 2012. There are
150 businesses. Since April, 2011, 27 businesses have left or closed and 22 new
businesses have started. New businesses include; Hot Diggity Dog on Elm Street (pet
care services), D's Pretty Things on Jackson Street (purses, jewelry and accessories)
and Momma Moya's Tortilla's on Central Avenue.
o We continue to collaborate and assist with the Small Business Works initiative to assist
new and existing business owners.
o Building relationships with Dubuque Board of Realtors to promote Washington
Neighborhood and educate realtors about the assets and resources within the
neighborhood.
o WNDC is partnering with Community Housing Initiatives with a grant received by
NeighborWorks America to help market the Washington Neighborhood.
o A Washington Neighborhood Grant Facade Application and Program Guideline
document was created with collaboration from the City of Dubuque's Planning and
Economic Development Departments, Dubuque Main Street and the WNDC Board of
Directors and Executive Director. Commercial property owners along the Central Avenue
Corridor have been identified and will receive mailings, phone calls and face to face
meetings by the Director to help assist with the facade grant program.
o Continued collaboration with Dubuque Downtown Christian Outreach, Multicultural
Family Center, Four Mounds, Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, Crescent
Community Health Center, Project Concern and Orange Park Residents (neighborhood
association).
Historic Millwork District (Top Priority):
The Historic Millwork District Complete Streets Project provided for the reconstruction and
streetscaping of streets into complete streets. These streets included the following:
Street
10th Street
Washington Street
Jackson Street
Jackson Street Trail
10th Street
11th Street
Limits
Jackson to Elm Street
9th to 10th Street
7th to 11 th Street
5th to 7th Street
Main to Jackson Street
Jackson to Elm Street
Additionally, 3 alternates were selected and they include:
Alternate Street Limits
1 Washington Street 1 0th to 11th Street
Construction Type
Reconstruction
Reconstruction
Reconstruction
Hike /Bike Trail
Streetscaping
Water Reconstruction
Construction Type
Reconstruction
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2
3
9th Street Washington to White Street Streetscaping
9th Street Main to White Street Streetscaping
The project is approximately 100% complete. A ribbon cutting was held May 18, 2012 and was
attended by regional transportation leaders. Special guest Ray LaHood, Secretary of U.S.
Department of Transportation provided the keynote address. Mayor Roy Buol also shared his
remarks on this important project.
A site in the district is being reviewed as a potential for the location of a future intermodal
facility. The Historic Millwork District site was approved by City Council on March 7, 2011.
The Alamo Block purchase agreement was approved by the City Council on October 4, 2010.
Deconstruction of the non - historic buildings is completed which is ahead of the March 31, 2011
schedule. City staff closed on the purchase of the Alamo real estate on April 26, 2011.
Financing for the $30 million Caradco project is complete. Construction bids were received in
late May, and Gronen Properties has begun rehabilitation work at the Caradco building. City
staff worked with Gronen to determine collateral for the $4.5 million IFA loan. The
recommended collateral was presented and approved by the City Council at their July 18th,
2011 meeting. Closing on the financial package took place on August 26, 2011. The City has
received a release of funds and environmental clearance for the $8.9 CDBG funding.
Staff prepared a Development Agreement for the CARADCO project with Gronen Properties
and a public hearing was held on March 21, 2011. The City Council approved the Development
Agreement following the public hearing.
The CARADCO building received two awards of $3 million and $5.9 million in CDBG disaster
assistance funds to develop income - restricted (80% of Median Income) apartments. As of
October 10, 2012, the City has drawn down the total $8,900,000 in grant funds for the project.
The Caradco project began to lease residential units on the 3rd floor on September 1, 2012. A
ribbon cutting ceremony for Caradco was September 14, 2012. The Caradco project received a
Certificate of Occupancy for the residential units on 2nd floor on September 26, 2012.
The Council approved a $4.5 million loan agreement with the Iowa Finance Authority to provide
low- interest financing for Millwork District projects. As of December 14, 2011, the City has
drawn down the $4.5 million of the $4.5 million loan.
Construction of the Historic Millwork District Complete Streets Project began on March 14,
2011. A ground breaking occurred on for March 23, 2011. Assistant Director of FHWA Gary
Nadeau attended from Washington, DC and along with Mayor Buol had some nice remarks
about the project and the City. A ribbon cutting for the complete streets project was held on
May 18, 2012. The U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood participated in this ceremony.
Smart Planning Grant (Management Agenda): In late 2010, Dubuque County and the cities
of Dubuque, Asbury, Cascade, Dyersville, Epworth, Farley, and Peosta came together to form
the Dubuque Smart Planning Consortium. The consortium's goals are to develop a regional
sustainability plan that includes the State of Iowa's Smart Planning principles, the City of
Dubuque's sustainability principles, and watershed planning, and then incorporates the smart
34
planning elements of the regional plan into local comprehensive plans. This consortium is a
two -year process. The consortium is meeting monthly. The Consortium has developed a public
participation plan and a 2011 meeting schedule. Consortium members and local elected and
appointed officials attended public participation workshops sponsored by the Iowa Economic
Development Authority (IEDA) on April 6, 2011 in Dubuque. The annual report was sent to the
Dubuque City Council in February, 2012. The Dubuque County Smart Planning Consortium,
consisting of Dubuque County, Dubuque Soil and Water Conservation District, and the cities of
Asbury, Cascade, Dubuque, Dyersville, Epworth, Farley and Peosta, held a series of public
meetings in November and December 2011 to gather input on the first four draft chapters of the
Dubuque County Smart Plan -- Community Facilities, Land Use, Transportation, and Watershed
Planning -- as well as on the Future Land Use Map.
The Smart Planning Consortium held two more series of public meetings in each city and the
county to gather input on the remaining eight chapters of the Smart Plan.
In August 2012, the Consortium solicited input on the Housing, Economic Development, Hazard
Mitigation, and Public Infrastructure & Utilities chapters. The City of Dubuque hosted a public
meeting on these four chapters during the Long Range Planning Advisory Commission's
regular meeting on August 15, 2012.
In September 2012, the Consortium solicited input on the Agriculture & Natural Resources,
Issues & Opportunities, Intergovernmental Collaboration, and Community Character chapters.
The City of Dubuque hosted a public meeting on these four chapters during the Long Range
Planning Advisory Commission's regular meeting on September 19, 2012.
Dubuque County hosted a final public input meeting to gather Implementation ideas for the
Smart Plan on October 10, 2012 at the Fire Training Center at 7:00 p.m.
The Consortium hosted a Main Street Training session by the IEDA's Main Street Iowa office on
June 7, 2012 in Epworth.
Dubuque County, on behalf of the Consortium, has received a CDBG ARRA grant from IEDA to
create a model rural smart code in 2012. The kick -off meeting was held on June 6, 2012.
Technical committee meetings were held on July 12 and August 2, 8 and 16, 2012. A public
input session was held on August 9, 2012.
Dubuque County, on behalf of the Consortium, has been awarded a Community Planning
Assistance Team (CPAT) by the American Planning Association (APA) to help prepare a plan
to upgrade the 26 -mile Heritage Trail to increase connectivity and accessibility of the trail,
promote its sustainability, and extend the recreational and economic development opportunities
to each city in the Consortium. A conference call with the CPAT leaders was held on June 7,
2012. CPAT leaders toured Heritage Trail and met with stakeholders on June 21 -22, 2012.
The full team was be here from October 17 — 20, 2012. One hundred people attended the initial
public input session on October 17 in Dyersville. The Final CPAT Report on Heritage Trail was
presented on October 20 in Dubuque.
Public Works Department: The Public Works Department provides administrative and
operating staff support to the Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency (DMASWA or
"Agency "). Since 1995, the Agency has employed a Loras College employee as its Education
35
and Communication Coordinator. This person is charged with educating the general public in
Dubuque and Delaware counties regarding best solid waste management practices. The
Coordinator develops public education programs, publicizes Agency services, manages its
website, presents programs to school and community groups, hosts facility tours, provides
education curriculum resources and assistance, coordinates the efforts and initiatives of the
Dubuque chapter of Keep Iowa Beautiful - Keep Dubuque County Clean and Green, manages
the Agency's Green Vision Education Program, and provides staff support to the Dubuque
County Illegal Dumping Task Force. The Coordinator also prepares and updates the Agency's
biannual Recycling and Reuse Guide, which is inserted in all Dubuque and Delaware county
daily and weekly newspapers.
Leisure Services Department: In accepting two new parks, Westbrook and Creek Wood, the
proposed park layouts included native open spaces, wetlands and woodland areas. Highly
maintained areas were limited in size. This limits the acreage of mowed, manicured spaces
with allowing preservation of open space — a much more sustainable practice.
Planning is in process for Creek Wood, Westbrook and Eagle Valley Parks. Concept plans
were shared at meetings in each neighborhood. Neighbors have been very interested and
involved. Sustainable practices are being considered as a part of development of each mini
park area.
Business:
Non - Profit:
Schools:
People & Neighborhoods:
HEART: Four Mounds Foundation leads the HEART program's work redeveloping 2234
Washington Street in partnership with the City of Dubuque. The property is marks the 30th unit
of housing that HEART has converted or helped rehabilitate and will result in the 21st home
made available for ownership to a first -time homeowner.
400 E. Four Mounds Foundation has formed a partnership with the City of Dubuque, Manasseh
House and Liberty bank to develop a relevant and viable feasibility and reuse plan for 400 E.
22nd Street in Dubuque's Washington Neighborhood (the Property). Funding would support the
stabilization and planning process for the reuse of this threatened but significant community
structure. The planning process seeks to incorporate the HEART students in the Property's
redevelopment plan, as a way to reduce costs in the development phase and provide the
students with an important role in the continued redevelopment of the Washington
Neighborhood. The process also seeks a viable end use for the project, likely as owned and
operated by Manasseh House /Project Empower (501 c3), to house, employ, educate and offer
supportive services to the needy women of the tri- states in a sustainable manner. The property
owner died in the Spring of 2011 and when officials entered the building they removed over 60
cats. The condition of the building, combined with its location in a historic district and the flood
plain, make redevelopment improbable. The coalition is working to find a viable reuse.
GREEN BUILDINGS
Government:
Building Services Department:
• Solar Thermal The Solar Thermal Licensing and Solar Thermal Permits and Inspections
ordinances were created in 2011 after a local solar thermal contractor met with City staff to
36
determine what licenses and permits they would need to install solar thermal systems
within the corporate limits of Dubuque. The current regulations would require multiple
licenses and permits.
The adoption of the ordinances will allow for streamlined licensing and permitting
processes and support the development of green jobs in Dubuque. Information Services
has updated the Permits Plus system to have solar thermal licensing and permits
capability. A solar thermal license has been issued.
• City Building Efficiency Improvements The 18th St project will significantly upgrade the
energy efficiency of that building with new HVAC, lighting, etc. This project, now owned by
Dubuque Bank & Trust, is nearing completion.
On March 21, 2010, the City Council approved an upgrade to the HVAC system at City
Hall. Water cooled units will have their piping adjusted so that they are no longer dumping
the water into the sanitary sewer system, but into a cooling tower /tank, instead.
An RFP for design has been issued. Responses were due June 3, 2011. Shive - Hattery was
selected to complete this work. Shive - Hattery has submitted a preliminary design and
review of alternatives. City staff reviewed the submittal and agreed that a fluid cooler
system would be used. Staff also requested that quantitative information on expected
savings of water, electricity, etc be provided by Shive - Hattery.
The fluid cooler has been placed in the parking lot and ceilings, duct work and air handlers
have been removed. Piping from the fluid cooler has been run to the boiler room in the
basement of City Hall. The system is operational. Water savings of 90 +% have been
documented.
• Grand River Center Smart Electric Meters (Management Agenda) An RFP has been
issued for design of a smart electric metering of the Grand River Center. Responses were
due June 4, 2011.
The City of Dubuque, Iowa is soliciting competitive sealed proposals from qualified
professional consulting firms to complete a design of smart electric meter improvements to
the Grand River Center to incorporate smart electric meters in the Grand River Center. The
smart metering of some circuits and equipment at the Grand River Center will allow for the
management and staff to track electrical usage. The cost of electrical usage of special
events can also be tracked. The efficiency of HVAC equipment can be analyzed as well.
Responses to the design RFP were due June 24, 2011, with design completed in June,
2012. Installation would be complete by the end of 2012. One response was received from
KJWW of Rock Island. KJVVW was hired and completed a design. Giese Electric has been
contracted to install the equipment. Completion is expected by January, 2013.
• 2009 International Energy Conservation Code We have adopted the 2009 Intl Energy
Conservation Code and will continue to adopt the most - recent version.
Renewable Energy Systems on Municipal Buildings:
Solar Energy
The City of Dubuque signed a contract with a Dubuque firm, Eagle Point Solar, in August of
37
2011 providing for the installation of 425 solar panels on the roof of the Municipal Services
Center. The panels were installed over the ensuing months, connected to the local grid on
November 22, 2011, and are now generating 200 kW of electrical power during optimum
conditions — which equals approximately 1/3 of the facility's electrical power needs.
Examination of opportunities to install solar on other municipal properties continues.
Workforce Housing: City staff has been working diligently with local developers to find new
revenue sources to fund the financial gaps in the rehabilitation of older buildings in the
downtown /millwork districts. In 2009, the Iowa Finance Authority conducted a study and based
on current market conditions and projected employment growth in Dubuque, their study
indicated a significant demand exists for additional rental housing in the local area. Given the
relatively low HUD Median Income and the estimated salary range of jobs, market rate rental
housing appears to have the most demand. Income restricted rental units, such as those with
Low Income Housing Tax Credits, would not alleviate future demands from household growth.
While some workers would prefer homeownership, affordable single family detached homes are
readily available in the market area with several new subdivisions under construction. The lack
of significant vacancies coupled with the lack of modern multi - family rental communities
indicates pent up demand for high quality market rate rental units. Based on the IFA demand
estimates, the Dubuque market area is in need of 300 to 400 additional rental units over the
next two to three years. Over 190 new residential units have been put into the downtown
market in the past 3 years. All are filled and there are waiting lists at each project site. The City
Council approved a Loan Agreement with the Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) for $4,500,000 with
3% interest. The funding is available for creation of workforce housing unit creation in the
Historic Millwork District. Income guidelines exist for the units totaling 120% of Area Median
Income. At the same time, staff is pursuing changes to various tax credit programs on the
national level, to assist in rehabilitation of historic structures.
On September 7, 2011, the City's Economic Development Director was part of a panel
presentation at the Housing Conference sponsored by IFA. The presentation focused on the
local need for workforce housing.
The City Council approved a Loan Agreement with the Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) for
$4,500,000 with 3% interest. The funding is available for creation of workforce housing unit
creation in the Historic Millwork District. Income guidelines exist for the units totaling 120% of
Area Median Income. At the same time, staff is pursuing changes to various tax credit
programs on the national level, to assist in rehabilitation of historic structures.
The loan with Caradco Landlord, LLC was closed on August 26, and the total loan of $4.5
million has been drawn down. Caradco has also drawn down $8,638,959 of CDBG funds for
this project. City staff has been working diligently with local developers to find new revenue
sources to fund the financial gaps in the rehabilitation of older buildings in the
downtown /millwork districts.
At the same time, staff is pursuing changes to various tax credit programs on the national level,
to assist in rehabilitation of historic structures. The Greater Downtown Urban Renewal District
was expanded by the City Council on May 2, 2011 which provides additional tools to encourage
reinvestment and redevelopment activities throughout the expanded District to support the
revitalization of the area.
38
On September 6, 2012, the City's Economic Development Director was part of a panel
presentation at the Housing Conference sponsored by IFA. The presentation focused on the
Caradco project.
Housing Incentives: The City Council created a $2.5 million pool of funds to encourage
downtown market -rate apartments. The City provides a CIP for the Downtown Rehabilitation
Loan, Planning and Design Grant, Facade Grant, and Financial Consultant Grant Programs
which are designed to further the goals and objectives of the Greater Downtown Urban
Renewal Plan by creating the financial incentives needed to eliminate conditions of blight,
encourage revitalization efforts and to retain or create employment opportunities and/or new
housing units within the district.
To date, the Council has approved 199 units for the Downtown Housing Program. Of those,
191 units will be developed. 159 units have been completed and 32 are currently under
construction. As of October 17, 2012, the City has paid $1,523,000 in downtown housing
incentives.
To meet the demand of this program, a recommendation was made to the City Council to
recapitalize this pool of funds. This program has done a tremendous job of helping promote
and redevelop the downtown housing options. In FY 2013, the City has approved an additional
$327,540 in grant funds for the Greater Downtown Urban Renewal District, an additional
$670,000 restricted to the Historic Millwork District and $1,500,000 restricted to the Washington
Neighborhood Subarea (includes BluffNVest Locust). Staff is updating the guidelines for these
programs.
On September 28, 2012, City Staff along with ECIA staff are holding a New Production 5 Grant
application training meeting for developers who may be interested in submitting a NP5 Grant
application.
Green Healthy Homes Initiative (Management Agenda): Working collaboratively across
jurisdictions and silos of funding to identify and remove barriers to holistic, household centric
approaches to improving health, safety, livability and affordability of housing in Dubuque. The
Initiative will identify the hazards in the participating client residences, identify funding sources
to maximize services to the clients to remediate these hazards, and follow up with the clients to
assist them in maintaining and sustaining the improvements." Key partners are the Housing and
Community Development Department, Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, Health
Department, Operation New View, Visiting Nurse Association, Northeast Iowa Community
College, Lead Hazard Control Grant, Healthy Homes Production Grant Smarter City Project
Manager
The Dubuque GHH Collaborative continues forward positively. In June 2011 all partners
received LEAN - principled training. It was supported by two professional LEAN trainers
provided through NICC. Process mapping of the first phase of coordinated activity
(identification, qualification, intake, assessment, funding, planning) occurred and an approach
to testing the new process with volunteer Pilot GHH Homes will be developed. The Home
Advocate concept being pioneered in Dubuque was introduced and six Pilot Homes have now
been identified. Meetings are held weekly to consolidate activities and reduce duplication.
Dubuque has been contacted by several state and federal agencies /entities expressing interest
39
in the innovative effort, and seeking to discuss additional potential partnerships. City and
Community Foundation staff represented Dubuque at the National Healthy Homes Conference
in Denver in June. They gave a presentation to Congressional staff during their visit to Dubuque
in August and presented at the local Sustainability Conference in October. City Staff also
represented Dubuque at the Department of Energy Regional Weatherization Plus Health
Initiative in October.
The State of Iowa held an Advisory Meeting in Des Moines on November 15, 2011 with
participants coming from various agencies and programs statewide to discuss a common
collaborative similar to the GHHI model happening on the state level. This pioneer meeting was
the first step to common ground being formed at a level higher than our City initiative. Staff
from the Lead Hazard Control Program and the Healthy Homes Production Program
represented the City of Dubuque in the statewide initiative.
Multicultural Family Center: Completed in FY 2010 to empower diverse neighbors, families
and individuals through personal growth and participation in community activities in the $ 1.2
million rehabilitation of a City building to expand the Center. The Center's programs include
cross - cultural educational and family activities. The City hired a full -time director, half time
assistant director and twenty hours of site coordinators per week to staff the Center.
Washington Row Houses - City and DB &T Community Corp purchased 'row houses' on
Washington Street from six private owners. The units are now completed and four have been
sold. Recycled city street pavers were used to create a courtyard in the back.
Urban Revitalization Program: The purpose of the program is to attract development to
specific areas, which might otherwise continue to deteriorate, thereby stabilizing and eventually
increasing the tax base within those areas. The abatements are intended to stimulate private
investment by reducing the tax increases that would normally result from making improvements
to residential property.
The program focuses on revitalization of properties in the community's older neighborhoods
and offers a property tax exemption for new improvements made to qualified residential
properties and limited commercial properties. Owners who upgrade their residential properties
located within a designated urban revitalization area are eligible to apply for a ten -year property
tax exemption. Owners of commercial property in the Washington Neighborhood UR district are
eligible for a three -year exemption. To qualify, improvements must increase the assessed value
of the building by at least ten percent or greater depending on the specific district, and applies
to those neighborhoods which have been designated as urban revitalization areas by the City
Council. $10,954,900 is the current value of properties in tax abatement as of the 2011.
Lead Hazard Reduction Program: To reduce lead paint poisoning in Dubuque's young
children, begun in 1997 and refunded in FY2008 with a $2.9 million grant. 417 applications
were received with 325 inspections and risk assessments of housing units being completed
since the grant activities began in January 2008. 232 units have been completed. 61 training
and certification classes were held providing training to 342 contractors, workers, and property
owners, totaling 1,168 hours of both classroom and on -site training by Department inspection
staff. The grant was completed in FY 2011.
Lead Hazard Control grant: $3.1 million grant awarded in January 2011 to fund several lead
40
control initiatives including inspection and lead -based paint hazard reduction in 185 Dubuque
housing units. One hundred of those units will receive $740 in additional funding for a more
comprehensive Healthy Homes approach. It will provide a comprehensive public education
campaign aimed at teaching property owners, tenants, and maintenance and remodeling
contractors how to provide and maintain lead -safe dwellings. Additionally, area contractors will
be certified, trained and provided economic incentives to grow their businesses and improve
skills in lead hazard reduction. Through September 30, 2012, 345 applicants enrolled, 168
units received a lead hazard evaluation, and 71 units were completed. Fifteen projects are
currently signed and in progress for the quarter ending 12/31/2012. The Program achieved a
100% rating from the quarterly report review from the Housing and Urban Development
Department (HUD).
Healthy Homes Production Program: $1 million grant awarded in January 2011. Provides
funds to identify and remediate housing - related health and safety hazards in 100 housing units
throughout Dubuque. This program will be used in conjunction with the Green and Healthy
Homes Initiative to address the conditions in the physical environment in the home as well as
issues in the lives of the dwelling's occupants. Through September 30, 2012 186 applicants
enrolled, 117 units received a comprehensive healthy home assessment, and 48 units have
been completed. Fifteen projects are signed and in progress for the quarter ending 12/31/2012.
The Program achieved a 100% rating from the quarterly report review from HUD.
The Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes Program working together performed a
significant amount of outreach and education to the community and city and state government
leaders. The two programs participated in the Northend Neighborhood Fair. This was an event
targeted towards the citizens living on the north end of the City and featuring services
specifically for their population. In addition In addition, a presentation was given to the Noon
Optimists Club civic group. This presentation education local citizens and business
professionals on the program specifics and projects completed.
Previously members of the Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes Program staff attended
and became certified as Healthy Homes Specialists through a Healthy Homes Practitioner
Course held in the City Housing Department. Also included in the training were the City's
general housing supervisor and inspectors, Section 8 inspectors, and members of the City's
Health Department, and the local Operation: New View Community Action Agency
Weatherization inspectors. This is continuing the goal of having City departments and related
outside partner's cross - trained and sharing job duties whenever possible, as well as
contributing to the GHHI goal to streamline and reduce duplication in the assessment process.
Neighborhood Stabilization Program: $444,328 from the Iowa Department of Economic
Development received in April 2009. The grant provides funding to purchase foreclosed or
abandoned homes and to rehabilitate, resell or redevelop these homes in order to stabilize
neighborhoods and deter decline in valuation of neighboring homes. Four foreclosed homes
have been purchased, of which three have been rehabbed and sold. Two are ready for sale,
one has a pending offer to purchase contingent on City Council approval, and one is currently
being rehabbed.
Rental Assistance Program: The City's primary means of directly providing affordable rental
housing is through the federal HUD Section 8 Program. This program offers rental assistance to
lower- income families for approximately $4 million annually with HUD funds paid to area
41
landlords. This program has been operational in Dubuque since 1976.
Carnegie -Stout Public Library Renovation: We set a goal of diverting deconstruction
materials from the landfill; though final numbers are not available, we have reached 63 %. Our
carpeting was sent to be recycled and the carpet we installed was made from recycled
carpeting. Our insulation is blue jeans - reduced to the kind of fluff you see in a dryer basket.
We have several counter tops made of sunflowers. Our lights are designed so that they do not
contribute to "light pollution;" the fixtures inside the building are not directed so that they can
shine out. Materials used, including paint, varnish, and adhesives were LEED certified. The
plantings around the library will require very little maintenance. The greatest impact of LEED,
however, will come in the many policies we will be adopting that will regulate the percentage of
"Green" cleaning products we use, measure our trash to reduce it and increase recycling, etc.
Studies show improved air quality will result in increased work productivity, fewer sick days, and
fewer health bills as compared to prior to the renovation.
Individual recycling baskets placed at every work station to facilitate ease of use to increase the
materials recycled in an effort to divert waste going to the landfill.
A meeting was held with the Library Maintenance Department to discuss current inventory of
cleaning agents and to plan for replacements of various types of cleansers to be green. This
has resulted in a new cleaning system in which only green cleaning agents are used.
The performance period for the LEED certification has ended. The Library submitted all
documentation for LEED certification in the Existing Building category at the Silver level on
February 15, 2012. The first communique from the U.S. Green Building Council was received
in April, 2012 regarding LEED certification. Some credits required clarification and the next
deadline is now May, 30, 2012.
Leisure Services Department:
• Department incandescent light fixture replacement to CFL 2007 - 11
• Eagle Point park Bridge Complex Renovation - Replace all lights with LED fixtures
• Bunker Hill boiler replacement - "right sized" smaller high efficiency fuel efficient
completed in 2011. The existing boiler was over 30 years old and has experienced
issues with poor distribution of heat in various segments of the building. It was sized for
the Bunker Hill building when it also heated the Bunker Hill Golf Course clubhouse. The
2001 clubhouse remodeling included new HVAC units and therefore the current boiler
was oversized for the office area.
• Department is in the process of replacing windows and doors in the Allison- Henderson
Building with energy efficient ones.
• More insulation and insulated doors were added to mower repair building.
• LED lighting was added to five pole sheds.
Business:
The following are private and public LEED - certified buildings in Dubuque:
Agreement
Date
Development
Jobs
Created/
Retained
Project Cost
LEED Status
2007
Durrant Architects
60
$3 mil
Platinum
42
2007
Medline Industries
300
$6.5 mil
Silver
2008
Hormel Foods
200
$89 mil
Gold
2009
IBM /Roshek Bldg
1,300
$39 mil
Platinum
2009
Carnegie Stout Public
Library
35
$6.8 mil
Silver*
2010
National Mississippi River
Museum & Aquarium
110
$25 mil
expansion
creating $100
mil facility
Certified*
Application pending; anticipated status.
Non - Profit:
Schools:
People & Neighborhoods:
HEALTHY LOCAL FOOD
Government:
Dubuque Eats Well: Dubuque Eats Well (DEW) is a strategic partnership within the Dubuque
tri -state community that values sustainable Healthy Local Food (HLF) systems for the benefit of
all. DEW is a participant in our regional food system network as it relates to the comprehensive
social policy, economics and legislative issues. DEW values systematic resilience within the six
local food chain interlinks: production, distribution /marketing, processing,
purchasing /consumption, preparation and waste minimization. DEW works to influence the
Dubuque community's evolving food culture and food shed to support "well- being" related to:
healthy eaters, access to HLF, food safety and security, thriving local economies, rejuvenated
neighborhoods, local and ethnic cuisine, profitable producers, farmer laborers receiving a living
wage, "fair trade" support, vibrant biodiversity, lighter carbon and water footprints, eco- literate
food tourism and zero waste composting.
Dubuque County ISU Extension is currently recruiting for a grant- funded, temporary regional
foods coordinator to implement the recommendations of the University of Iowa local foods final
report. A Regional Foods Coordinator was hired in August to implement the UI
recommendations as well as the deliverables included a grant received through Limestone
Bluffs RC &D. Brittany Bethel began work in early September.
Community Garden Collaboration: Community gardens include the Dubuque Jaycees
Community Gardens at Veterans Memorial Park, 2700 Northview Dr, St. Luke's United
Methodist Wading Pool gardens, the Mercy Gardens at the Holy Ghost field, the Four Mounds
community garden located at 4392 Peru Road, the Crescent Health Community Garden at 21st
Street between Elm and Kniest Streets and the Garden Organic program which is filmed at
Barrington Lakes garden (private property) and Steve's Ace Hardware. More information about
these gardens can be found at www. cityofdubuque .org /communitygardens.
The City of Dubuque has partnered with the Dubuque Jaycees to create a community garden at
Veterans Memorial Park. These plots will be available to all area residents for a fee of $30 for
an in- ground bend and $40 for a raised bed, plus a $25 deposit which will be returned after
harvest if the plot is cleared. Income -based fee waivers are also available to those who qualify.
Under this agreement, the City will provide the land for the garden plots and the Jaycees will
maintain responsibility for all aspects of managing the garden.
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For the second year, the St. Luke's Wading Pool Garden project will provided gardens to
individuals who do not have the ability to plant a garden in their own yard or have access to a
larger community garden. Each participating individual or family will be paired with a "garden
guide" who will serve as a source of information and encouragement throughout the growing
season. The container gardens are easier to maintain than in- ground gardens and can provide
an abundance of healthy local food in a small space. Funding for this project is provided by the
Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque and the Norma Denlinger Fund.
Leisure Services Department:
• Growing in Garden & Outdoor Fun 2009
• From Garden to your Table class 2010
• From your Garden to your Tummy class 2010
• Organic Garden 101 class 2011
• Fall Landscaping Workshop 2011
• Frontier Living 2012
• Dirt, Worms and Food 2012
• Snack Attack 2012
Business:
Dubuque Food Co -op: The Dubuque Food Co -op has announced its Board of Directors and is
currently completing a nation -wide search for a store manager and a marketing campaign to
secure 1,000 members. The Co -op is slated to open in spring 2013 in the Historic Millwork
District.
Non - Profit:
In Partnership with the Crescent Community Health Center and Operation New View's Head
Start Program, the former Housing and Community Development Department Building at 18th
Street is being converted to a Health Promotion site and Headstart classrooms. CCHC will
utilize primarily the second floor for diabetics /obesity education classes, stress reduction,
fitness and other health promotion and disease prevention activities and classes for their
patients. The multi - purpose space will also provide a venue for staff education and
development. Headstart will house two classrooms on the first floor. A kitchen will be shared
by both organizations.
Dubuque Farmers' Market: In this 167th year of market, there are 104 seasonal and 1
occasional vendors that rent a total of 121 stalls (as of 7/16/12). This represents 20 first -year
vendors. Vendors offer a huge variety of home -grown and made -made products and services
that fall into one or more of these broad categories: Produce (45), Baked goods (33), Eggs (9),
Meats (7), Plants (30), Wines (5), Crafts (39), Food prepared on -site (8), and Others (25). The
Dubuque Farmers' Market is administered by Dubuque Main Street on behalf of the City of
Dubuque.
Dubuque Farmers' Market has been involved with the Farmers' Market Nutrition Program for
Seniors and for Women, Infants, & Children for numerous years. Vendors (24) who meet the
criteria for selling produce apply through the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land
Stewardship to be a certified vendor. Customers redeem their benefits in the form of a check or
voucher. Vendors deposit the checks and/or vouchers at area financial institutions for
44
reimbursement. There are no fees involved for vendors.
In addition, vendors are encouraged to participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP) (formerly known as food stamps), which is administered through USDA's
Food and Nutrition Services. Dubuque Farmers' Market vendors are challenged to participate in
SNAP due to limited access to electricity for land -line based technology. The vendors (6) who
do accept SNAP's electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards have to purchase or lease wireless
equipment to accept the cards, as well as pay transaction fees on each purchase.
New 'smart' phone technology allows vendors (crafts and food) to accept debit and credit cards
at market without the use of separate equipment, but there is a transaction fee on each
purchase.
On May 5, 2012, a customer count was conducted at market. On May 5, more than 3,100
stickers were distributed, which equals more than 3,100 customers. On July 2, 2011, there
were 3,682 customers (this date was selected because it fell before the availability of sweet
corn). On October 1, 2011, there were 2,813 customers. Dubuque Main Street conducted their
first customer count in July 2010, which was 3,800 customers and was the first day sweet corn
was available at the market.
2011 -12 Winter Farmers' Market: From November to April, the market opens every Saturday
morning from 9 am — 12 noon at the downtown Colts building. This volunteer run market
extends Dubuque's focus on local healthy foods sold year- round. Approximately 40 regular
vendors participate. Approximately 400 customers per week visit the market, which is run under
the umbrella of Four Mounds Foundation.
Schools:
People & Neighborhoods:
COMMUNITY KNOWLEDGE
Government:
• Mayor & Council Sustainability Pledge: The original Mayor's sustainability pledge was
launched in 2007, and thousands of copies have been distributed to schools, businesses,
and residents in Dubuque, giving them concrete ways they can implement each of the 11
Sustainable Dubuque principles. In October 2012, a new Mayor & City Council pledge was
created to challenge residents to consider new actions. For each principle three actions are
suggested -a "beginner, intermediate, and advanced" approach to implementing each
principle in daily life.
• CityChannel Dubuque programming
o EPA Programs that deal with stormwater infiltration and stormwater pollution
o City Journal & Sustainability Today interview programs
• Sustainable Dubuque Initiative
• Smarter Sustainable Dubuque
• Green Alley Pilot Project
• Pay As You Throw
• Dubuque Recycling
• Waste to Wealth
• Bee Branch Project (three separate shows)
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• Sustainable Design Assessment
• Winter Farmers Market
• Southwest Arterial (2011)
• Every Child 1 Every Promise
• Water Meter Replacement Project
• Landfill Diversion
• Water Pollution Control Plant Project
• Historic Millwork District Complete Streets Project
• University of Iowa, Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities partnership
• Community gardens
• Sustainability Down Under
• Sustainability in China
• Sustainability Exchange: Australia
o IBM /Dubuque Smarter Cities project
o EPA educational videos focusing on stormwater and infiltration
• Reduce Runoff: Slow it Down, Spread it Out, Soak it In!
• After the Storm
o Sustainable Communities Tour
o Sustainability 101
o Keyline Rack & Ride promotional spot
o Winter Yard Waste /Food Scrap Pickup
o City Expo live telecasts
o City Council work sessions on Sustainable Dubuque
o Reinforcement of Sustainable Dubuque initiative by station identification spots,
placing appropriate Green Pledge icons on programming, CityChannel 8 graphics
Growing Sustainable Communities Conference: In early 2008, Dubuque hosted its first
Growing Sustainable Communities Conference entitled "Leading the Way to Global Climate
Solutions" at the Grand River Center in the Port of Dubuque. It was a regional event that was
attended by over 600 elected officials, business and community leaders, and college students
from the tri -state area. This inaugural event was designed to provide community leaders with
the knowledge of experts about the science of climate and how to incorporate sustainability into
their own communities. The conference has grown to a full day regional attraction, attracting
approximately 350 attendees from seven states in 2010. This year's conference will be held on
October 12.
The City has established a partnership with Sustainable City Network Inc. to host this year's
conference in an effort to market to a larger audience and establish the Growing Sustainable
Communities Conference as a premiere sustainability conference in the Midwest. The theme of
this year's conference will be "Economy, Engagement, Eco- Efficiencies," and the workshop
tracks will focus on the Sustainable Dubuque principles of Resource Management, Smart
Energy Use, Reasonable Mobility and Community Knowledge. A sustainable foods luncheon is
planned with food items produced by local agriculturalists.
The 4th Annual Growing Sustainable Communities Conference hosted 350 attendees from
across the country. The event included a networking reception at the National Mississippi River
Museum and Aquarium, three pre- conference half -day workshops, 21 workshops, and three
nationally- recognized keynote speakers. The audience demographics expanded to reach a
larger geographic area and included a more diverse mix of municipal representatives, business
46
leaders, and local students.
The 5th Annual Growing Sustainable Communities Conference was held on October 2 -3, 2012.
Approximately 460 individuals attended, up 32% from last year's attendance numbers. Of that
number, 59% were from government, with 19% representing businesses, 10% non - profits, and
4% the education sector. Attendees came from 92 different cities across 21 states; the majority
were from Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois. The 2013 Conference has been set for September 24-
25.
Leisure Services: Volunteer Development
• AmeriCorps VISTA position hired as Volunteer Coordinator.
• Networking completed with city departments and non - profit organizations about volunteer
needs and issues.
• High Impact Service Plan developed.
• Engaged in Make A Difference Day, MLK Jr. Service Day, Multicultural Family Center Taste
of the World, Earth Week, Green Iowa AmeriCorps Individual Projects, Days of Caring, Big
Day of Service — all volunteer engagement efforts.
* Love Your Block Initiative was developed and implemented for projects in neighborhoods
across the City. $5,000 from an AARP
Multicultural Family Center
• The MFC hosted Native Spirit Dancer to a capacity crowd (700 +) at the Five Flags Theater.
• The MFC hosted Dia De Las Americas on Saturday, October 8th from 4:30- 11:OOpm. Over
400 people attended this cultural celebration for Hispanic Heritage month. Event included
cultural displays representing 12 countries, dance performances, two live bands and an
authentic meal with foods from throughout the Americas.
• The MFC also offered a one -man show about the life of Satchel Paige on Tuesday, October
25th at Five Flags. Around 175 community members attended this 90 minute performance.
• Zorana Wortham -White was named the new director of the Multicultural Family Center.
Wortham -White replaced Tara Velez who is now the executive director of St. Mark
Community Center.
• Taste of the World was held at the Five Flags Arena on Saturday, March 31, 2012. The
event featured display booths and food samples from over 20 cultures represented in the
Dubuque community. Booths were hosted by community volunteers. Additionally, there were
7 performances representing 5 different cultures. Over 1,000 people attended the event to
enjoy the food samples, entertainment, and children's activities. This event is a great
opportunity for all community members to come together to celebrate our diversity, and work
together to create understanding and build bridges across cultures.
• Cinco de Mayo was held in Washington Park on May 4, 2012. Over 400 community
members came together to celebrate with kids activities, music, dancing, and food donated
from local Mexican restaurants. This event was planned by a core group of Hispanic
community members with the support of the Multicultural Family Center and Human Rights
Department.
• Juneteenth was held in Comiskey Park on Saturday, June 16, 2012 to celebrate the day the
last slaves were freed. Attracting over 300 community members, Juneteenth featured
children's activities, music, food, an Abraham Lincoln impersonator, free haircuts from Body
& Soul, and information booths from local community organizations.
47
Library: The library hosted a children's program using cardboard tubes from paper towels,
wrapping paper, and toilet tissue to create a race track for toy cars in February, 2012. During
Money Smart Week, 2012, children will create banks using Pringle's chip cans. Plans have
been made for a summer reading program craft to make scarves out of old t- shirts.
During Earth Week, 2012, the library hosted a book exchange, bring one in -take one. A blog
posting was also done in celebration of Earth Day, 2012.
http: / /ca rnegiestout.blogspot.com/2012/04/ea rth- day - reads. htm I
A book display promoted recycling, sustainability, and "being green" in the Children's
department. Storytime programs during Earth Week 2012 featured stories on the topic of
sustainability. A program was held called Pennies, Nickels, and Dimes, Oh My! for youth and it
involved making banks out of recycled Pringles chip containers.
The library hosted a Volunteer recognition dinner and the theme was sustainability. Extra
coffee mugs that people donated from their cupboards were donated to the library. They were
filled with potting soil and either flowers or herbs as a gift for attendees with a stick sign in them
reading, "Volunteers: Our Greatest Natural Resource."
Safe Community Initiative (High Priority):
The Task Force has achieved the following since its inception. First, this diverse group with
very different opinions and perspectives, had open and difficult conversations so that they could
begin to reach some common understanding of the breadth of issues that needed to be
addressed and the difficulty of the task. Second, they agreed on two primary goals:
1. Identifying and acting upon things that most effectively reduce crime and that most effectively
reduce the perception of crime.
2. Recognizing that people want to feel safe and identifying ways to provide that feeling of
safety for people.
Third, they gathered ideas from subcommittee members, brought those ideas to a series of
Task Force meetings, discussed them and ultimately forwarded 9 recommendations to Council
on 2/1/10 and 33 additional recommendations to Council on 7/19/10.
Impact: This type of resident engagement, while challenging and less than perfect, is a
fundamental necessity in order for a democratic community to be sustainable.
On October 4, 2010, the City Council approved, upon recommendation from the Task Force,
the creation of a Safe Community Advisory Committee whose role is to oversee the
implementation progress of the Task Force recommendations for a one year period. The
members were appointed in December and they held their first meeting on March 2, 2011 and
their second meeting on April 13, 2011. They have decided to meet on the second Wednesday
of every month at alternate meeting locations throughout the community to encourage broader
community participation.
Impact: Having residents engaged in implementation oversight educates, empowers, and
engages residents by building resident awareness of the scope of the issues, by supporting
government accountability, and by building public trust.
Based on a Task Force recommendation, the City Council approved a contract with Northern
Illinois University Center for Governmental Studies to conduct a detailed study on crime and
48
poverty in Dubuque. NIU delivered the final study results to the Task Force in January 2011,
the Task Force met on February 5 and February 8 and formulated 18 recommendations in
response to the study, which were presented to the City Council at a worksession on February
28, 2011 and later accepted by the Council.
Impact: The study provides detailed factual information, as well as information on what
scientific studies indicate are more or less effective in the areas of reducing crime and the
perception of crime and creating safety. The study results will assist with educating and
empowering both City staff and the general public in making wise decisions.
The Task Force recommended that its members be allowed to act as a conduit for accurate
information to the public. Task Force members were provided a broad range of information as
a result of participating on the Task Force and they have since participated in a variety of
speaking engagements. Most recently, City staff and the past chair of the Safe Community
Advisory Committee participated in a panel discussion at a Chamber of Commerce luncheon.
Impact: Having community members hold discussions with the general public takes advantage
of their experiences as a member of the public reviewing information and participating on a
resident advisory group, and also allows for more effective distribution of information so staff
can focus on handling those aspects of daily governmental operations that require staff
expertise.
The Task Force recommended that property owners not be provided government funding
unless their properties are in compliance or they are working towards compliance. In August,
the Economic Development Department began using a certification form and cross - checking
compliance with code enforcement departments. The Housing Department also began
requiring code compliance for all rental property owners seeking Rehab funds. Inspections and
code compliance already are required for property owners seeking to rent to those receiving
Section 8 rental assistance.
Impact: These steps will result in safe buildings and will improve livability and equity for
residents in rental units.
The Task Force recommended encouraging people to improve lighting around their properties.
The City has expanded the Washington Neighborhood Yard Lighting initiative to include
neighborhoods east of the Bluffs and all low- moderate income neighborhoods. Property
owners are eligible for a rebate of up to $250 for front yard lighting that meets certain
requirements, and up to $100 for back yard lighting.
Impact: Extra lighting will enhance neighborhood safety.
The Task Force recommended reducing the time allotted for correcting property violations from
the current two years. In April 2010, the City Council amended the Housing Code to reduce
inspections and the appeals board process to be completed in no more than 9 months.
Impact: This change will result in property violations being corrected more quickly.
The Task Force recommended that the Police Department enforce noise and traffic ordinances
more aggressively. Since February 2010, Chief Da!sing has instituted this as part of
49
Department goals and expectations. During 2010, loud exhaust tickets increased from 202 in
2009 to 278 in 2010, a 38% increase; loud music tickets for vehicles increased from 10 in 2009
to 31 in 2010, a 210% increase; warning tickets increased from 90 in 2009 to 277 in 2010, a
208% increase. In addition, 30% of Territory Accountability Design special enforcement efforts
in 2009 were geared towards traffic. In 2010, 44% of Territory Accountability Design special
enforcement efforts were geared towards traffic. Between January 1, 2011 and June 30, 2011,
220 traffic citations (plus 103 written warnings) have been issued for muffler /improper exhaust
violations. 161 citations (73 %) were issued for cars and trucks while 59 (27 %) were issued to
motorcycles. Enforcement of the ordinance will continue, along with efforts to educate the
public on legal equipment and acceptable noise levels.
The Task Force also recommended that the City require landlords to conduct mandatory
background checks. Beginning July 1, 2011, mandatory checks of felonies and criminal
misdemeanors of adult tenants went into effect, with landlords retaining the option to use the
City's free service to conduct those checks. The City has recommended, and the City Council
selected, a service provider to perform these background checks. The City has a part -time staff
person dedicated to implementing this service. In addition, landlords are required to attend
Crime Free Multihousing Training, the first session of which was held on March 12, 2011, with
113 attendees. Additional sessions have been held in October and November 2011, and April
2012. Future sessions are scheduled for the fall.
Impact: Landlords will be aware of the criminal histories of their tenants when making rental
decisions, and also will be aware of the legal standards surrounding the operation of rental
housing.
The Task Force recommended that the City establish a threshold number of police complaints
that will result in the property being designated for City assistance to resolve problems at the
property. In January 2011, the Council adopted an ordinance change describing the types and
numbers of calls that will place the property in a priority category. As of May 19, 2011, 2,119
letters have been mailed notifying landlords of police calls to their properties since the inception
of the notification program in December 2009. Notifications are sent to registered landlords or
property managers for police calls to licensed rental properties that involve one or more of 72
different types of police call natures. The Police Department is averaging 40 notification letters
per week so far in 2011. The Police Department also has hired two interns who are working to
insure accuracy of addresses in the database being used to send notification letters and to
assist with community policing efforts.
The Task Force recommended that the City intensify exterior code enforcement efforts. In
August 2010, the Housing Department implemented a homeowner exterior inspection process
in the Washington Neighborhood, which involves a compliance checklist and information on
financial assistance available. By June 2011, all 200 owner - occupied housing had been
inspected. The Department also is performing exterior -only code enforcement inspections of all
rental buildings in all downtown neighborhoods. By delaying the normal comprehensive five -
year cycles inspection and concentrating only on exterior enforcement, all 2,130 rental buildings
in the downtown can be inspected in 12 months. This will directly respond to the Task Force
recommendation and should significantly impact the appearance and condition of downtown
rental housing. As of July 2011, all buildings have been inspected.
Impact: These efforts should significantly affect appearance of downtown properties.
50
The Task Force recommended efforts to increase public understanding of the Section 8
program. As a result, the Housing Department have had a variety of speaking engagements,
been interviewed on radio and television, and created a City Cable Channel 8 presentation.
They also began circulating a monthly newsletter and updated and expanded their website with
new links for the Family Self- Sufficiency and Circles Programs.
Impact: The public will be educated about the facts surrounding Section 8 rental assistance.
The Task Force recommended that the City address community concerns about the real or
perceived impact of the Section 8 program on the community by decreasing the number of
Section 8 vouchers in the program to 900, and increasing the staff capacity of the Family Self -
Sufficiency (FSS) Program. The target for a reduction to 900 housing vouchers was
established in November 2009; the program had been funded for 1063 vouchers since 1995.
As of November the City ceased issuing new turn -over vouchers and closed the waiting list to
new applications not qualifying for local preference points. To qualify for these points,
applicants had to have a Dubuque, Dubuque County, or Iowa address, or be elderly or
disabled. The program size reached the 900 threshold in October 2010, at which time we
began issuing vouchers again, first to persons qualifying for local preference points. As of July
2011, all applications on the waiting list had been processed and either issued or denied. For
this reason, the waiting list was again opened to all applicants, including those without local
preference points.
Impact: There will be fewer families receiving Section 8 rental assistance, with those living in
Dubuque and /or elderly or disabled receiving highest priority. There will be a corresponding
reduction in federal funding received for the program.
The Task Force recommended increasing participation of Section 8 participants in self -
sufficiency programs. As of FY 2012, the Getting Ahead program has graduated its 184th
participant. In addition, the Circles initiative has begun and the Circles coach has been hired.
The Resident Advisory Board also has become more engaged with regular meetings with
Housing Department staff. The Task Force also recommended encouraging community wide
support for initiatives that support self- sufficiency. The City has obtained an Urban Youth Corps
grant that will provide three youth who face barriers to employment with paid employment and
job skills training for the summer.
Impact: Participants in self - sufficiency programs and their allies will be empowered to make
responsible choices and to address systemic problems that interfere with success.
The Task Force recommended increased human relations efforts as a priority in the community,
as well as mandatory intercultural training for City staff and City Board and Commission
members. The Task Force also recommended that community members who attend training
serve as ambassadors for intercultural work in the community. In August 2010, the Human
Rights Department reorganized to permit additional staff time focused on conflict management,
mediation, facilitated dialogue, training on cultural differences and intercultural communication,
and systemic change initiatives. The Department is working to develop intercultural skills
across agencies and groups with an end goal of improving the ability to communicate more
effectively across cultural differences so that we may work together to reach common goals for
the good of the community as a whole. The Department has established annual Board and
51
Commission training on intercultural competence skills that is offered in the Spring and the Fall
of each year and is also made available to the general public free of charge. In partnership with
NICC, the department also is offering four courses as part of an intercultural competence
certificate program. The Department has entered into contracts with Riverview Center, Hillcrest
Family Services, Goodwill Industries, Capri College, and Body and Soul Wellness Center to
conduct training and strategic planning with intercultural teams being formed in each of those
organizations. In April and May 2012, staff conducted train - the - trainer sessions for leaders in a
variety of organizations throughout the community in order to broaden the base of individuals in
the community who are able to conduct intercultural training in organizations. Staff also
established an Intercultural Ambassadors group who will meet quarterly to strategize about
personal intercultural skill development, addressing intercultural issues existing member
organizations, and addressing intercultural issues in the community. In addition, the Human
Rights Department partners with the Multicultural Family Center and faces & voices to offer a
variety of cultural events in the community. The Multicultural Family Center is designed to
provide a welcoming environment and build unity across differences. The Department submits
quarterly reports to the City Council on the ongoing strategic approach to improving human
relations. See the 2011 -12 Council Goals Reports for details. The City Council approved the
creation of the position of Community Engagement Coordinator and the transfer of the
volunteer coordinator VISTA member to the Department in the 2013 budget. The new VISTA
member started on June 15 and a conditional offer of employment has been extended to the
community engagement coordinator, whose expected starting date is July 23. The goal of the
VISTA position is to partner with others in the community to create a central portal for volunteer
engagement. The goal of the Community Engagement Coordinator position will be to
encourage broader citizen engagement in critical community issues, including sustainability
activities and items related to Council goals and priorities, with a particular focus on engaging
residents as volunteers, supporting resident initiated activities in neighborhoods, and bringing
diverse groups of residents together to around common community goals.
The Human Rights Department is engaged in community outreach to increase bridging social
capital among residents and to provide support for traditionally marginalized members of the
community. Included in this activity is the development of community resource groups,
opportunities for interaction and dialogue, partnerships on cultural celebrations, and volunteer
and community events that have a particular focus on bringing people together across
differences. Staff supported the Hispanic community group in planning a Cinco de Mayo
celebration and offering folkloric dance classes in conjunction with the Multicultural Family
Center. Staff also is supporting the mentoring work of the Black Men Coalition.
Impact: Residents will be better able to better communicate across cultural differences and
work together toward common goals that are impacting the community and neighborhoods.
Systems will be changed in ways that increase the likelihood that people of all backgrounds will
be able to reach their potential and contribute to the community. Two -way communication
between residents and government, and across cultural differences, will be improved so that
there is greater understanding of government's role and activities, overall needs in the
community, and collaborative actions that need to be taken to effectively address those needs.
The Task Force recommended a parental responsibility ordinance modeled after a successful
program that includes engaging parents and teens in prevention. On March 22, 2011, the City
Council passed an ordinance.
52
Impact: The ordinance will hold parents accountable for the criminal behavior of their children
and includes referrals for parenting classes.
The Task Force recommended engagement of volunteers across race and income levels as
part of a monthly Community Days of Caring and also recommended use of volunteers to
address exterior code violations. The annual city -wide Community Days of Caring occurred
April 29 and 30, 2011. The Human Rights Department, Neighborhood Development Specialist,
Housing Department, and Washington Neighborhood Development Corporation collaborated to
bring a mixed group of more than 50 volunteers together to work on improving the exterior
appearance of a few small businesses along the Central Avenue corridor and homes that were
identified as having exterior code violations through the City's inspection program. In addition,
the City's Department Managers and Management Team members are engaged in ongoing
discussions regarding how best to support and bring community resources to bear on projects
designed to build bridging social capital in the community. The AmeriCorps VISTA member has
been working over the past several months on the High Impact Service plan designed to
engage volunteers strategically in meeting pressing neighborhood and community needs. In
April and May 2012, more than 1,000 volunteers were engaged in two large community
volunteering events.
Impact: These initiatives will lead to an improved ability to create an inclusive environment, to
build bridging social capital, and to negotiate conflict across cultural differences as people work
toward common goals.
The Task Force recommended that parents and youth be encouraged and engaged in out -of-
school -time programs and parenting classes designed to matter to the participants. In
response to a discussion with the Safe Community Advisory Committee at its first meeting,the
City submitted a letter to the Dubuque Community School District expressing support for the
District's Iowa 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant Application. On April 7, 2011,
the District was notified that the community will receive $850,000 in state funding to increase
out of school time activities for junior high school students.
Impact: This collaborative effort will provide funding expanded after school program options,
including components to assist parents with literacy and adolescent development. Research
has indicated that engagement in after school programming improves motivation and student
achievement.
The Task Force recommended additional
community on City waste disposal policies in
programs. The following clean -ups occurred in
know your neighbor component:
Downtown Neighborhood Clean -up
Orange ParkM/ashington Clean up
Historic Bluffs Neighborhood
Hilltop -Ivy League Neighborhood
Langworthy Neighborhood
Valley View Neighborhood
North End Neighborhood
neighborhood clean -ups and educating the
an effort to clarify the purpose of the clean -up
2011, and each of them included a social /get to
April 30
May 7
May 7
May 13
May ?
May 21
fall -- date to be determined
53
The City has also funded a number of neighborhood beautification efforts initiated by
neighborhood groups including landscaping improvements in the Washington Street traffic
diverters, flower planting /landscaping at Grant Park, Jackson Park, Avon Park, 11th Street
gateway and the 2nd Street Island across from the Cathedral.
Impact: These clean -ups both improve neighborhood appearance and provide an opportunity
to engage neighbors in meeting one another and working together to care for their
neighborhood.
The Task Force encouraged community -wide support of initiatives that support self- sufficiency,
with a particular focus on existing programs: Circles, Project HOPE, Intercultural Competency
Training, Every Child /Every Promise. In May 2011, the City Council approved a grant
agreement with the Iowa Department of Transportation for the Urban Youth Corps Program
which allowed the City to create a three person work crew to use with maintenance projects
from May through September this year. The Iowa DOT Urban Youth Corps Program objective
is to provide transportation- related employment and training opportunities to youth between the
ages of 16 and 21 who face barriers to employment. The crew is assisting Leisure Services
Department in maintaining and improving the aesthetics of our community by working on two
major projects plus a number of high profile areas throughout the city. The Urban Youth Corps
Grant has been continued for the summer of 2012.
Impact: Although temporary in nature, these three summer positions are new hires that could
lead to newly created opportunities for each of the three crew members who face barriers to
employment.
The Task Force recommended that all departments in the City be challenged to develop and
maintain a model Section 8 program for a city of this size, meeting the needs of the elderly and
disabled and also developing self- sufficiency for families. In addition to tripling the number of
FSS Program enrollees, graduating more than 184 Getting Ahead Program participants and
implementing the Circles Program, the Housing Department has continued to improve Section 8
in other ways. The COP corporal assigned to the Program has opened more than 1500
investigations, resulting in termination of benefits for 306 households. The National Association
for Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) recognized the Bridges Initiative with an
Award of Merit for the Bridges Initiative. The Bridges out of Poverty Workshops have now been
conducted for more than 2500 persons. Our most recent Section Eight Management
Assessment Program (SEMAP) score, a HUD assessment conducted annually, was 89% due
to the number of reduced vouchers. A new tenant and financial management software system
has been approved, to be purchased from the national Emphasys firm, and will be installed at
Housing. This will allow enhanced communication between all activities at the Department,
including code enforcement and the Finance Department, as well as getting us closer to the
goal of a paperless Section 8 program. The Resident Advisory Board has helped to revise and
streamline the application process by developing new application materials. An on -line survey
for Section 8 landlords has been posted and has generated a constructive discussion. Now in
planning is a series of 2 -3 dialogues with landlords to gain more ideas for improving Program
administration and the inspections process.
The Task Force recommended the creation of an ordinance prohibiting the boarding of windows
and doors facing streets. An ordinance is in place that applies to any windows or doors
boarded up after March 1, 2011.
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The Task Force recommended implementation of an exception rent program to avoid
concentrated pockets of poverty. The exception rent program was implemented in October
2010. Currently, approximately 20% of voucher holders are residing in the west side census
tract exception areas.
Impact: Greater housing choice for voucher holders and deconcentration of poverty.
The Task Force recommended the installation of street lights in the middle of the block to
brighten up the streets at night and increase visibility for residents. New street lights at all
possible alley- street locations from 12th to 20th in the Washington Neighborhood have been
installed. Existing street lights in the Washington Neighborhood have been upgraded to use
brighter bulbs.
Impact: Improved nighttime visibility in the neighborhood.
The Task Force recommended an increase in the number of trash receptacles in the street. In
October 2010, the Public Works Department submitted a budget request for $30,000 for FY12
for the purchase and installation of litter and recyclables receptacles in the downtown area and
surrounding neighborhoods. The Council approved this budget request in March 2011. The
Public Works Department is now making recommendations to the City Manager regarding
receptacle placements.
Impact: Residents can easily assist in keeping neighborhoods clean and clear of trash.
The Task Force recommended that the City develop and enforce policies that are consistent
with the "preservation briefs" to maintain historic properties. City staff has indicated to the City
Council that the City has used the preservation briefs as a matter of City policy in local Historic
Districts and federally- funded rehabilitation projects for many years. Staff recommended that
the City should continue to utilize these technical publications as a reference and guide, with
the exception of preservation brief #31, which is contrary to another Task Force
recommendation regarding boarded doors and windows.
Family Self- Sufficiency (FSS) Program: The FSS Program prepares participants for financial
independence and possible home ownership. The FSS program provides access to child care,
transportation, education, job development, household skills training, affirmatively furthering
fair housing and financial literacy training. In Fiscal Year 2011, another FSS staff position was
approved by the City Council for expansion of the program from 45 to 75 -90 families. As of
September 1, 2012, the FSS program is serving 94 households. Participation has increased
from 2% of voucher holders participating in 2009 to 11.5% of voucher holders currently
enrolled in FSS. Five FSS participants have successfully completed the FSS program since
June 2012. All five of these participants were able to successfully move into unsubsidized
housing.
Circles® Initiative (Management Agenda): Our FSS coordinators also coordinates "Getting
Ahead in a Just Gettin'- By World (Getting AheadTM," a program for people in poverty to help
them understand the hidden rules of the middle class as well as communication skills, value
systems, and expectations used in order to bridge the gap from poverty. Participants are
exposed to the Bridges out of Poverty concept based on Philip DeVol and Dr. Ruby Payne's
55
research on poverty, which offers a framework for understanding the culture of poverty. As of
September 1, 2012, 184 individuals have graduated from Getting Ahead.
"Getting Ahead" graduates can now become leaders in the Circles® Campaign. Circles®
matches Getting Ahead graduates with community members willing to support their journey to
self - sufficiency. Circles® has been active since September 2010 and has matched 9 getting
ahead graduates in 7 circles. Two circles have completed their 18 month contracts. Upon
completion of their contracts, the Circle Leaders more than doubled the hours they worked each
week and the total household income nearly quadrupled. There are currently 6 Circle Leaders
matched in 5 circles. There are 9 Getting Ahead graduates waiting to become Circle Leaders in
the upcoming year.
The Circles® Coach continues to offer Bridges Out of Poverty Workshops to members and
partners of the Circles® community. To date, we have trained over 2500 people in Dubuque
and the surrounding area.
Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re- Housing Program (HPRP): $502,294 ARRA Grant
received in 2009 provides financial and other assistance to prevent individuals and families
from becoming homeless and helps those who are experiencing homelessness to be quickly re-
housed and stabilized. The funds target individuals and families who would be homeless if not
for this assistance.
The HPRP grant has assisted 195 families (479 persons) since the inception of the program in
September 2009. Homelessness prevention, which assisted families and individuals at risk of
becoming homeless, provided financial services to 127 households (361 persons) in the form of
rental assistance, security and utility deposits, utility payments, moving cost assistance and
motel /hotel vouchers. Case management and outreach were provided to 134 households (375
persons). Homeless assistance provided financial assistance, to 59 households (101 persons)
and case management and outreach to 62 households (105 persons). As of the end of June
2012, all funds have been expended. The grant ended on July 14, 2012.
Road to Success, a job readiness fair designed to prepare low- income individuals for
employment was held on June 12, 2012. Over 30 community volunteers came together to
provide 25 participants an opportunity to experience a variety of learning tracks including:
"Navigating networking "; "Prepare for a Successful Interview "; "Mock Interviews "; "The Interview
is Over- Now What "; "Dress to Impress "; "Creating a Resume that Gets You Noticed ";
"Resume & Cover Letter Critiques "; and "Plan for a Job that's Right for You." The event was
sponsored by American Trust & Savings Bank. Each participant received a flash drive fully
loaded with resources designed to support job seekers in their continued search for
employment plus one -on -one attention from professionals who volunteered during the event.
Participants included members of the Family Self- Sufficiency Program, Getting Ahead and
Circles, residents of community shelters and individuals referred by our many community
agency partners.
Shelter Plus Care Program: The $536 000 grant commenced in FY 2008 for the five -year
program to provide rental assistance to homeless persons with disabilities. The five year grant
ended as of June 10, 2012. We have received an additional one year grant allowing us to
continue providing permanent housing along with supportive services for 18 homeless
individuals /families. The Housing and Community Development Department administers the
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funds and provides them to Project Concern, who contracts with private landlords to provide
needed housing.
Arts and Culture (Top Priority): The City of Dubuque participated in national studies of arts,
culture, heritage and preservation. Two highly acclaimed studies were completed that pertain to
the art, cultural, heritage and historical preservation aspects of the Dubuque area. The Arts and
Economic Prosperity IV, an economic impact study conducted with the non - profit sector in the
city of Dubuque, evaluates the impact spending by nonprofit arts organizations and their
audiences have on their local economies. During 2011, the City of Dubuque collected surveys
from over 800 Dubuque arts and culture event attendees and organization expenditure surveys
from 44 arts nonprofits. The most comprehensive economic impact study of the nonprofit arts
and culture industry ever conducted in the United States, Arts & Economic Prosperity IV was
conducted by Americans for the Arts, the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing
the arts and arts education. The City of Dubuque was one of 182 study regions that participated
in the study.
National and local Arts and Economic Prosperity IV study results were released at an Arts
Mean Business launch event held on July 23, 2012. The nonprofit arts and culture industry in
Dubuque generates $47.2 million in annual economic activity, supporting 1,530 full -time
equivalent jobs and generates $5 million in local and state government revenues and $36.7
million in household income to local residents.
According to the study, nonprofit arts and culture organizations in Dubuque spent $17.6 million
during fiscal year 2010. This spending is far - reaching: organizations pay employees, purchase
supplies, contract for services and acquire assets within their community. Those dollars, in turn,
supported 577 jobs, generated $15.6 million in household income for local residents and $1.3
million in local and state government revenues. In addition to spending by organizations, the
nonprofit arts and culture industry in Dubuque leverages $29.6 million in event - related spending
by its audiences. As a result of attending a cultural event, attendees often eat dinner in local
restaurants, pay for parking, buy gifts and souvenirs, and pay a babysitter. What's more,
attendees from out of town often stay overnight in a local hotel. In Dubuque, these dollars
support 953 full -time equivalent jobs, generated $21.1 million in household income for local
residents and $3.7 million in local and state government revenues.
The formulation of a comprehensive marketing plan for the economic impact data is in
development, to be completed by October. Strategies have already been implemented to raise
awareness that the arts are an industry that has a large impact on the local economy. Complete
study results are available at www. cityofdubuque .org /artsmeanbusiness.
Also in conjunction with Americans for the Arts, The Local Arts Index (LAI) was conducted with
both the non - profit and for - profit sectors throughout Dubuque County. Dubuque was selected
to be one of only 100 communities to participate in the inaugural LAI. Dubuque was the only
county in Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota that participated in the study, a 24 -month research
initiative that serves as a complement to the National Arts Index. Some of the findings from the
LAI were reported in August 2012 and are now under review. Other data will be released
throughout 2012. The index provides an evidence- based look at key issues such as the
growing number of artists and art organizations, changing audience demands, the impact of
technology, personal participation, and the relationship to the arts and economy.
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This information will provide the possibility for greater partnerships, cooperation, improved
access, and increased funding for the arts. The entire community can use this broad and
detailed hard data in grant making, advocacy, economic development, tourism and attracting
people and business to Dubuque, important elements in contributing to our social and cultural
vibrancy. This knowledge about arts, culture and heritage in Dubuque County has never before
been collected in one source.
The Local Arts Index is the first county -level study ever designed to measure the health and
vitality of the arts industries throughout the United States. It will use a single methodology with
information gathered from research produced by the federal government and private research
organizations and covering multiple industries, including non - profit groups, for - profit arts
businesses, employment figures, and more. When these quantitative measures are taken
together, the Local Arts Index will provide a year -by -year and community -by- community
comparison of the nation's arts sector. The Index is being developed so that it can be replicated
in communities across the country. Through the Local Arts Index, the character of Dubuque
County's art culture will be explored to determine: what makes the county unique from other
areas in the nation; the vitality of the arts and how much exists, and; how we compare to other
counties. The main areas of study are:
• Performing arts venues
• Local ownership of cultural resources
• The local literary scene
• Festivals
• K -12 arts education
• Performance and presentation opportunities for young artists
• Tourism draw of local arts and culture
• Nightlife and the arts
• Tourism marketing of the arts
• Ethnic groups in the cultural life of the community
• Public Art
• Exhibition Spaces
In gathering information for these two studies, contact was made with new arts organizations,
artists and art advocates who had not previously been in the City's communication loop. Better
cooperation among groups and individuals has begun and awareness has been built to
establish a better network for art planning and advocacy.
In November 2010, this network was used to attract participation from the arts community in a
visit from National Endowment for the Arts chair Rocco Landesman for a site visit to Dubuque
for the Our Town grant received by the City of Dubuque and Dubuque Main Street. It was also
very successively used in master arts planning for the Historic Millwork District in February
2012. This network will be used to promote the Arts Means Business Campaign.
Arts Funding: The City of Dubuque has provided over $2 million dollars in funding for the arts
since the establishment of the City's Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory commission in 2004. The
City has invested $2,070,000 through three programs established by the Dubuque City Council.
In all, $1,610,000 has been awarded to area arts and cultural organizations through the
Operating Support Grant Program and $310,000 through the Special Projects Grant Program,
which has also leveraged another $710,992 in community support. An additional $175,000 has
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funded Art on the River, a temporary sculpture exhibition along the Mississippi RiverWalk in the
Port of Dubuque.
Operating support is provided to established 501(c)(3) arts and culture organizations located in
the City of Dubuque that primarily serve Dubuque residents with year -round arts and culture
events, programs and services, and that can demonstrate a record of programmatic and
administrative stability. Funding is based upon a percentage of an organization's operating
expenses. In May, the Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission reviewed ten funding
requests from Dubuque arts and culture organizations requesting $247,371 in funds from the
FY 2013 Arts and Culture Funding Program for Operating Support with a budget of $210,000.
The maximum funding levels initially established for the program are 6% of organization's
previous year's operating expenses or $50,000, whichever is less. Total funding available in the
FY 2014 budget is $210,000. Fiscal year 2014 Operating Support funding applications are
available after February 2013.
The Special Projects Arts and Culture Grant program has provided funding to 50 separate
projects which have expanded arts and cultural opportunities in our community, significantly
contributing to our community's social and cultural vibrancy. The Arts and Cultural Affairs
Advisory Commission has reviewed a record 14 grant applications from Dubuque organizations
requesting $91,286 in funds from the FY 2013 Arts and Culture Grant Program for Special
Projects. The FY 2013Special Program grants funded six grants that also leveraged another
$54,776 in community investment for these projects. The FY 2014 budget for Special Project
Grants is $35,000 available after February 2013.
The City Council approved the creation of the Art on the River outdoor sculpture project in
November 2005, and approved a budget of $300,000 over the next 10 years for this innovative
initiative. Working in conjunction with the Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission, the
Dubuque Museum of Art and a volunteer committee made up of artists, educators and city staff,
the City has identified highly visible locations at the Port of Dubuque to display selected
artwork. The Port of Dubuque is a 90 -acre riverfront campus which features the National
Mississippi River Museum and Aquariums, Grand River Center conference center, Grand
Harbor Resort and WaterPark, Diamond Jo Casino, historic Dubuque Star Brewery, and
Dubuque Shot Tower. In 2012, the temporary public art exhibit drew a record number of 118
entries from 66 artists in 20 different states and has been recognized as one of the premier
temporary art exhibits in the country. Now in its seventh year, the exhibit has brought nearly 70
works to the City that have been viewed by thousands of citizens and visitors. The application
period for the 2013 exhibit will open January 2013.
Intercultural Competency Initiative (Management Agenda): The Human Rights Department
offered 40 sessions of intercultural competence training to City staff and the community in FY
2010. This included a 3.5 hour training on Intercultural Conflict Styles for all City staff. In
addition, the Human Rights Department offers two 3.5 hour introductory trainings for City staff
each summer, which is required training for all new employees (longer term employees have
already attended these sessions). Staff also has planned four intercultural mini - trainings for
City staff during 2011, the first of which was held in February. The Department offers five hours
of intercultural competence training to all Board and Commission members twice a year in April
and September and also makes this available to the general public free of charge. Staff has
developed partnerships with three non - profit organizations, one educational institution, and one
for - profit business, and has begun offering courses for businesses through the NICC Business
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Consortium as part of a certificate program. In addition, staff has offered various sessions for
local college students over the past several months, including for a class of future teachers.
Staff trained a group of 20 residents from various organizations so that they may become
trainers within their organizations, and also created an intercultural ambassadors group that will
meet quarterly to strategize about addressing intercultural issues in the community.
This intercultural competence initiative inside the City organization includes training,
organizational development, and strategic planning to increase Intercultural Competency within
the City of Dubuque organization and to work towards organizational changes that will foster
inclusion. During FY2012 we:
• Conducted Foundations of Intercultural Competence I, II, and III sessions for new
employees who joined the organization in the past year.
• Facilitated management team input for our five year report.
• Drafted a five year report for steering committee review.
• Invited new members to the employee teams from various departments conducted an
orientation session for October, and gathered input for strategic planning in November.
• Developed a plan for department specific training and development and scheduled a
meeting with our first proposed pilot department.
• Continued to facilitate the work of the tips, media, training and steering teams.
• Met with front -line staff in each department to make sure they are aware of how to use
the Language Line for people who speak English as a second language.
• Developed a strategy and project plan for employee engagement, beginning with
management team in January.
• Attended a college recruitment fair with recruiters from the Engineering Department.
• Finalized recommendations for adjustments to the police recruitment process
• Engaged in pilot coaching sessions to hiring managers through the hiring process— the
goal of these sessions is to assist managers in thinking more broadly about
qualifications, diversity, and intercultural skills. The result has been an increasingly
diverse pool of highly qualified candidates for various positions.
• Began the firefighter and police recruitment processes.
Business:
Non - Profit:
Every Child, Every Promise (Top Priority): Current priorities include:
• Beginning second year of LEAP at Washington and Jefferson Middle schools partnering
with Dubuque Community School District and other community agencies. Some
Recreation Division offerings revised to meet interests of students while others continue
as offered last year.
• Out of School time (Management Agenda) - Through a collaboration of ECIEP, the
Dubuque Community School District and key OST providers the community has received
an $850,000 grant in April 2011 to start a coordinated, collaborative OST program for
Middle School Students at Jefferson and Washington schools.
There has been an overwhelming response of 300 students per school who have signed
up for activities, a huge increase in involvement in after school programs. The program
is getting ready for the second semester registration with over 20 programs to offer
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students.
• 3rd Grade Reading- an effort to build a coordinated approach between City, Schools,
CBO's, parents, students and others, to improve 3rd Grade Reading Achievement has
been identified as an important strategy. ECEP will facilitate an initiative to increase
achievement by improving outcomes in school attendance, school readiness and
summer learning. A coalition has been formed made up of leaders from the City,
Schools (public /private), CBO's, parents, and the Community Foundation to write a
Community Solutions Action Plan which was submitted to the All- America City Awards
on March 12th
• In addition, the community has been chosen as a Pacesetter in the area of School
Readiness.
• Data- A committee of business and provider leaders is developing a web -based Youth
Indicators Report to provide key indicator data to the community regarding our young
people age 0 -20. The Data committee has identified 36 key indicators with 5 years of
supporting data to identify our community's strengths and opportunities for providing the
five promises to our young people. The Youth Indicator report is updated on an ongoing
basis and available at www.everychild- everypromise.org.
• In collaboration with the Jule and a group of providers, we have been promoting free
transportation for young - people all summer, since May 2011. Free Way to Fun City a
summer program, offered free rides on the Jule to all school age children helped over
2000 kids get to summer activities at parks, pools, and libraries in Dubuque.
• Dubuque has been named to the 100 Best Communities for Young People for the 5th
time by The Americas Promise Alliance.
• Every Child /Every Promise and the Children's Trust continue to partner to create a
childcare map. The goal is to be able to assist working families in finding quality
childcare in Dubuque, and more easily identify gaps in both quality and quantity. The
Project is ongoing and more updates will be given when available.
America's Promise Alliance uses the Five Promises framework to guide their efforts and
improve the odds for youth:
1) Caring Adults
2) Safe Places
3) Healthy Start
4) Effective Education
5) Opportunities to Help Others
Continuum of Care: A working network of homeless shelter and service providers created in
2001 to respond to the needs of the City's homeless population. The successful development
of the Maria House, the four Davis Place SROs and Hillcrest's transitional housing facility has
provided significant new shelter opportunities. The Teresa Shelter for homeless women and
children was opened during FY 2006. Manasseh House, a 19 room single room occupancy
(SRO) facility for 19 single women was completed in FY 2007. The Salvia House SRO opened
in 2010.
The City partners with Project Concern, Maria House, Hillcrest Family Services, and Manasseh
House for the annual allocation of Continuum of Care funds. This grant, under the "Supported
Housing Program" category, provides funding for support services for homeless persons and
families. These activities include outreach services, counseling, a "homeless hotline," and
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staffing for transitional housing and the Manasseh House SRO for women.
Green Dubuque: Green Dubuque is a registered 501(c) 3 non - profit organization committed to
improving and beautifying Dubuque by reducing the city's greenhouse gas emissions,
promoting smart development and urban green space, and protecting the health and integrity of
local ecosystems.
The group works to unite local organizations and individuals who are already doing so much to
make our city a healthy and pleasant place to live. They provide resources for those who wish
to stay informed about global environmental issues as well as opportunities for responsible
citizens to get involved in local environmental and city improvement projects.
Since 2006, Green Dubuque has led or been involved in numerous projects to support the
Sustainable Dubuque vision, including organizing grassroots events, research and reporting on
a variety of sustainability and climate change - related topics, lobbying for local and state
government activity, community education and supporting local foods initiatives in a variety of
ways. Specific projects of significance that they have been key partners in include the
following:
2012 by 2012: The 2,012 by 2012 program is an effort to reduce Dubuque's greenhouse gas
emissions by the amount that 2,012 cars would produce annually by 2012. Green Dubuque is
working with partners to distribute free CFLs and sign residents up for Alliant's Second Nature
renewable energy purchasing program to achieve these goals.
CARE Bombs: CARE stands for Citizens Applauding Responsible Enterprise. Green Dubuque
organizes CARE Bombs, where members and other community members make an effort to get
a large group of people to shop at a local store on the same day, purchasing as much as
possible from a locally -owned business.
Green Drinks: The local chapter of an international movement meets monthly to network and
discuss sustainability topics.
Complete Streets: Green Dubuque members have taken a leadership role in advocating for
both a local and state policy on complete streets, providing analysis on economic impact,
education to staff and elected officials, and advocacy support.
Dubuque Community GHG Reduction Task Force: See "Community Climate Action Plan" for
additional detail and update.
HEART:
The Housing Education and Rehabilitation Training Program, or HEART, with its broad
partnership and deep community impact, is re- engaging disconnected youth and building strong
connections to community through education, service and job training. Transforming the
Washington and downtown neighborhoods, students in our program have participated in almost
40 community projects since 2004, including turning over 20 substandard rentals into 12 owner
occupied homes. Since 2003, the HEART program has met the needs of 55 individual young
people on a full -time basis, as they work to attain their high school diploma. Our students come
to us at -risk of dropping out, but they make a commitment to hard work until they graduate,
splitting their days on the worksite and classroom. Since 2003, HEART students are achieving
a 92% high school graduation rate, with 100% of this year's senior students graduating. This
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year, we integrated a 9 -week green construction training course into the HEART Program,
taken by program staff and students alike, with a 93% pass and completion rate.
Four Mounds mission of preservation, service and education aligns with the three focus areas
of the Sustainable Dubuque model. We reclaim threatened, historic structures and find new
relevant uses for the community, using the opportunity to train youth and prepare them for
healthy adulthood. The illustration below shows how the HEART program is helping to meet the
principles set forth in the Sustainable Dubuque model.
Reuse on a large scale
Nif
Removal of
slum &blight
Quality,
affordable
housing
Thwarting sprawl through
re- development
Environmental /Ecological
Integrity
Restored historic
neighborhood
Economic Equitable Social /Cultural
Prosperity Vibrancy
Connection to
green collar jobs
Arming young
people with skills
& education
Meeting
community
needs
Youth connected to
history & community
Schools:
Green Vision Education Program (Management Agenda): This program is sponsored by the
Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency and began in 2005. Since that date, eleven
schools have earned the award and several more are working towards achieving it during this
calendar year.
Current Green Vision Education schools are:
• Resurrection Catholic Elementary School
• Table Mound Elementary School
• Abraham Lincoln Elementary School
• St. Columbkille's Catholic Elementary School
• Dubuque Montessori School
• Mazzuchelli Catholic Middle School
• Prescott Elementary School
• Holy Ghost Catholic Elementary School
• St. Anthony's /Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Elementary School
• Sageville Elementary School
• Wahlert Catholic High School
Through these schools, over 600 staff members, 3800 students, and 2600 families are
participating in the Green Vision Education Program. The program recognizes student and staff
efforts to reduce waste in their schools, as well as the schools' recently implemented energy-
saving practices. Green Vision schools receive flags to hang outside their buildings and
banners to display in their hallways or gyms. Some of the practices that have been
implemented by the schools include food scrap composting, worm bin composting, increased
paper and container recycling, and reduction in the use of disposable products.
Green Vision evaluation and support partners include the Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid
Waste Agency, the Dubuque Community School District, the Holy Family Catholic Schools,
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Durrant Inc., the Dubuque County Conservation Board, the Iowa Department of Natural
Resources - Mines of Spain, the Catfish Creek Watershed Project - Dubuque County Soil and
Water District, the Maquoketa Valley Electric Cooperative, Keep Dubuque County Clean &
Green, the City of Dubuque, and Green Dubuque.
Six schools earned additional patches during 2011 -2012 school year.
A Green Vision Schools City Council work session was held in September 2011. City staff has
developed a Sustainable Dubuque program /patch that focuses on social /cultural vibrancy and
community knowledge concepts. Two schools (St. Columbkille's and Holy Ghost) have met
with staff to begin working on this Community Knowledge patch during the 2012 -13 school year.
Sustainable Loras: Many organizations and individuals are working hard to be green.
Loras is taking an active approach to sharply reduce and eventually eliminate all of the
College's global warming emissions. A Sustainability Committee was formed to evaluate ways
in which the College can conserve, preserve and protect Earth's resources. Many initiatives
have already been implemented, demonstrating Loras' commitment:
• Loras participates year -round in the food scrap recycling program with the City of
Dubuque.
• A print - release system requires students to enter an ID number at printers on campus
before their documents are actually printed. This has reduced unnecessary printing and
the number of printed documents not retrieved.
• The student senate has purchased recycling bins for each individual residence hall
room, classroom and outdoor space across campus.
• The cafeteria at Loras has eliminated trays, thus conserving water and energy from the
cleaning of the trays. It has also increased social awareness of food waste.
• Alliant Energy presented Loras College with $327,000 in energy efficiency rebates for
the green building practices used in the construction of the Athletic and Wellness
Center.
• Faculty and students use eLearn as a way to electronically share documents and take
tests, cutting back on the amount of paper handouts in the classroom.
• Loras participates in RecycleMania which last year collected 13 pounds of recyclables
per person in a 8 week period.
"These efforts build on Loras' ongoing commitment to sustainability, which as a natural
outgrowth of its Catholic identity will bear witness to careful, thorough, lasting and sustainable
stewardship of all creation for the sake of present and future generations and for the common
good," notes Collins.
Loras College has taken great strides toward becoming a sustainable campus. Loras is also
proud to have signed on as a partner with the City of Dubuque in support of the economic,
environmental and social aspects of sustainability, which are the cornerstones of the City's 11-
point plan to address sustainability issues long term. Loras is a sponsor for the 2012 Growing
Sustainable Communities Conference.
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Loras College hosted a presentation on campus sustainability efforts at Luther College. About
50 people were in attendance including students, staff, and faculty from Loras, Clarke, and the
University of Dubuque, as well as community members.
As part of the Loras College commitment to sustainability, the College received a grant from the
State of Iowa Office of Energy Independence to place water, electricity, and steam meters on
the four residence halls previously without them. This semester all seven residence halls will
compete in the "Use Less — Win More" sustainability challenge with each other to reduce
energy consumption on campus. In addition, the College is also participating in
Recyclemania, a national competition that pits colleges across the nation against each other to
see who can recycle the most. Residents of halls that most lower their consumption of water,
steam, and electricity, and that recycle the largest amount can win prizes.
To stimulate campus interest in the "Use Less — Win More" challenge and sustainability in
general, Loras hosted a Sustainability Expo on March 23, 2011. Local businesses and
organizations that focus on sustainability and environmental efforts participated in this
interactive educational event. In addition, Eric Schmechel spoke about the impacts of improper
storm water runoff practices and the effects they have on flooding.
On December 7, 2011, Loras College became Petal Certified with the ECIA Petal Project,
achieving all five categories. Loras is also participating in the upcoming Petal Project
promotional series.
Clarke College: A percentage of one staff person's time has formally been devoted to
sustainability initiatives. This staff support coordinates the many volunteer projects and hours
devoted to sustainability on Clarke's campus.
People & Neighborhoods:
Make A Difference Day: Make a Difference Day was held Oct 27, 2012 led by co- chairs Laura
Roussell (Black Hills), Tom Stovall (Operation New View), and Cori Burbach (City of Dubuque)
and a steering committee comprised of many new members, including the Dubuque National
Service Partnership. This year's event partnered with the organizers of the Andrew Connelly
Day of Service. Approximately 60 homes were served, and volunteers completed additional
work for several non - profit agencies. The group has already started planning for next year's
event, which will take place Oct 26.
Dubuque Community Days of Caring: The 4th annual Community Days of Caring was held
on April 29 -30. Over 540 volunteers provided assistance to 28 non - profits throughout the
community. Significantly, the Washington Neighborhood Development Corporation coordinated
over 50 volunteers painting and providing property maintenance to eight properties in the
Washington Neighborhood.
The 5th annual Days of Caring was held April 27 and 28, growing in partnership with the
Dubuque Area Chamber's Young Professionals group this year. A record approximately 780
volunteered in Dubuque over the weekend.
REASONABLE MOBILITY
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Government:
SW Arterial (Top Priority):
The Southwest Arterial project is the No. 1 surface transportation priority in the Dubuque area
and will provide for a 6.1 -mile four -lane divided freeway with priority 1- access control between
Highway 61/151 and Highway 20.
Mobility Benefits: The Southwest Arterial project will connect two growing sections of the
community together and will support future anticipated expansion growth to the southwest of
the City toward the Dubuque Regional Airport. The Southwest Arterial will also provide an
efficient bypass around the City thereby reducing travel times and minimizing delay by reducing
traffic volumes and congestion on the local street system.
Environmental Benefits: The Southwest Arterial project will provide an alternate, direct and
efficient route for traffic through southwestern Dubuque, which will provide significant travel time
savings by avoiding the numerous signalized intersections on Highway 61/151, Highway 20 and
Central Avenue (Hwy 52/3) through Dubuque, thereby providing fuel energy savings, reducing
vehicle emissions and improving air quality. The Southwest Arterial project will be designed and
constructed with forward thinking sustainability initiative incorporated, which will include an
environmentally and resource sensitive highway corridor, an integrated bike / pedestrian trail
with amenities, and Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) technology.
Passenger Rail: The proposed project, which was identified as an Envision 2010 goal, will
reestablish passenger rail transportation to the Chicago — Dubuque Corridor and improve
freight rail transportation by upgrading the railroad infrastructure. The overall project area lies
along the 300 - kilometer (180 -mile) Chicago — Dubuque rail corridor, which extends in a
northwest direction across the state of Illinois between Chicago, Illinois, and Dubuque, Iowa.
The improvements proposed lie primarily within existing railroad rights -of -way with minimal work
adjacent to the track. The Chicago- Rockford - Dubuque corridor project will rehabilitate existing
rail infrastructure to current maximum operating speeds of up to 60 mph to restore previous
intercity passenger rail service. This project is the first step in achieving a more balanced modal
use of the transportation network by leveraging the existing railroad infrastructure to restore
intercity passenger train service that was discontinued in 1981. The need for the project stems
from the lack of modal options in the corridor. Highway -based modes, including automobiles
and bus service, face growing traffic congestion that cause travel delays and unreliable
schedules, inherent safety risks, and air quality impacts. This project is the first step in
achieving modal balance in the transportation system between these two cities with an
environmentally friendly, reliable and convenient travel option.
Highway -based modes, including automobiles and bus service, face growing traffic congestion
that cause travel delays and unreliable schedules, inherent safety risks, and air quality impacts.
This project is the first step in achieving modal balance in the transportation system between
these two cities with an environmentally friendly, reliable and convenient travel option.
The State of Illinois has budgeted $60 million to rebuild the railroad tracks. To move ahead with
this project, the State of Iowa must commit to providing $550,000, a share of the annual
operating subsidy, beginning in Fiscal Year 2014. The State of Iowa has challenged local
governments to provide 50% of the annual subsidy. On March 9, 2011, the City Council
approved to commit 25% of the subsidy ($137,500) beginning in Fiscal Year 2014. Dubuque
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County and other area cities are considering the other portion of the local match that is
required.
On August 23 and 24, 2011, T.Y. Lin was in Dubuque to meet with CN, CP, and Amtrak and
IDOT officials about passenger rail options.
On September 20, 2011, T.Y. Lin met with Amtrak representatives to discuss the platform
needs in Dubuque.
City staff along with ECIA staff are searching for funding opportunities. The IDOT is not willing
to pursue Federal funding for rail improvements along this corridor based on recent decisions
made by the State Legislature.
On May 17, 2012, ECIA and City staff met with representatives of the ILDOT, IADOT, Amtrak,
CN, CP and TY Lin to discuss the opportunity for a temporary platform site for passenger rail
service, which is expected to arrive in Dubuque late in 2014 or early 2015.
Based on the walking tour and input from the various groups, TY Lin will prepare cost estimates
for review and continued discussion with other City staff. A meeting has been scheduled with
City staff for June 18 to review the information.
The City will pursue a temporary platform site to accommodate the 2014 anticipated arrival date
of passenger rail service. This site will be on the existing spur track area adjacent to the 3rd
Street overpass in the Port of Dubuque. Staff has been in contact with the Iowa DOT to discuss
the use of state enhancement funds to assist with this project.
Staff has also met with representatives of the National Mississippi River Museum, the Diamond
Jo, the major property owners in the Millwork District and Passenger Rail Committee to make
them aware of these recent developments.
Intermodal Center: The City of Dubuque has been planning for the construction of an
Intermodal Transportation Center in Dubuque for several years. The center is envisioned to
provide passenger train access from an elevated platform for passenger rail service running
between Dubuque and Chicago. Other components of the project will include: construction of
an elevated parking structure with a capacity for approximately 292 vehicles (in Phase 1), a IP
addressable video camera system, ticket booths at vehicle access points supporting the
operation of a paid parking structure with the potential inclusion an automated traffic counter
system, a hub for local public transit (The Jule and RTA) as well as intercity bus service,
aspects that are pedestrian friendly and accessible which includes access to the center via bike
lanes, and public restrooms. The center will contain architectural aspects that enhance the
overall esthetics of the site and further contribute to the overall vitality of the area. A key
measurement for the success of the project will be the resulting smooth traffic flow in and out of
the facility including convenient driveway connections to roadways that access other adjacent
areas.
The consultants identified 11 potential sites for consideration. The review committee narrowed
these options down to 2 sites through a ranking system established in conjunction with the
Federal Transportation Authority (FTA). One site is in the Port of Dubuque and one in the
Historic Millwork District. After weighing the pros and cons of each site, the review committee
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unanimously recommended the Historic Millwork District for the Intermodal Transportation
Facility. On March 7, 2011, the City Council concurred with the recommendation to pursue the
Historic Millwork District for a future Intermodal Transit Facility.
The Phase I feasibility study and site selection process of the Intermodal Center is complete.
The recommendation to pursue the Historic Millwork District site was approved by City Council
on March 7, 2011. A contract for the Phase II design work was awarded to Neumann Monson
in mid -2011 and the work was completed December 31, 2011.
City staff worked with ECIA to submit applications for grants to fund construction of an
Intermodal facility. On October 12, 2011, an $8 million State of Good Repair grant was awarded
to the City which will be used to fund the final design and construction of the intermodal Center.
On August 31, 2011, City staff along with Neumann Monson Architects held multiple input
sessions with special interest groups and a public session to get input on what the specific
needs of the facility should be for the City of Dubuque. A work session with the City Council
was held on November 21. The Council provided input which the consultants incorporated into
the design of the Center. Neumann Monson Architects has completed the schematic design
phase of the Intermodal Center. An RFQ was prepared to hire a consultant to do the Final
Design Development, Construction Documents, and Construction oversight for the first phase of
the Intermodal Center. On March 19, 2012, the City Council approved the release of the RFQ
for Design Development, Construction Documents and Construction oversight. Proposals were
due April 17, 2012. Staff received four Intermodal RFQ proposals. The Intermodal Interview
Committee is currently interviewing three of the four firms. On June 4, 2012, City Council
authorized City staff to negotiate an agreement with Neumann Monson for Design
Development, Construction Documents and Construction oversight of the Intermodal Center,
and on September 4th, a contract for the work was awarded. On June 4, 2012, City Council
authorized a second RFQ for Bus Storage and Maintenance Facility Site Selection Study and
Environmental Analysis. The proposals were due July 6, 2012. Staff received six Bus Storage
and Maintenance Facility Site Selection RFQ proposals. The selection committee met on
August 15, 2012 to review the proposals. Interviews with three of the companies that
responded to the RFQ are scheduled for mid - September. The City Council approved the
selection committee recommendation to enter contract negotiations with IIW for the Site
Selection study and Environmental Analysis. A recommendation for contract award will be
presented to City Council at one of the Council meetings in November 2012. Once the Site
Selection and Environmental Analysis has been completed and approved by the Federal
Transit Administration (FTA), Dubuque will be well- situated to pursue funding for a new bus
storage and maintenance facility as soon as new funding opportunities arise.
Staff continues to work with the FTA to finalize the grant contract and release of funds for the
State of Good Repair grant. In early April 2012 we received FTA approval on the NEPA, SHPO
and documented Categorical Exclusion for the amended Phase I site in the Historic Millwork
District. The FTA has given the City the right to incur costs.
The final design of the Intermodal Center will contain architectural aspects that enhance the
overall esthetics of the site and further contribute to the overall vitality of the area. A key
measurement for the success of the project will be the resulting smooth traffic flow in and out of
the facility including convenient driveway connections to roadways that access other adjacent
areas.
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The vision for the Intermodal Transit Center is that it will support transit connections, rail
connections, vehicular parking, electric vehicle charging, bicycle parking, intercity bus, a
passenger waiting area, taxicab stands, public restrooms (including lockers and
showers /changing areas), a ticketing office along with the potential for retail space, a daycare
facility, and possibly commercial office space. In late October 2011 public meetings were held
with Millwork property owners, City staff and other stake holders for review of alternative site
layout proposals and a work session with City Council was held December 5th, during which
the site plan and building proposals for the center were presented for review and approval.
The City continues to work with ECIA in preparing grant applications for funding sources; it is
anticipated that new grants will be released before the end of this federal fiscal year (or by
February 2013), at which point we will apply for Phase II funding of the Intermodal Transit
Center.
We anticipate that after this year's election cycle in November that a new round of competitive
grants will be released in late winter /early spring that could fund a new bus maintenance and
storage facility. This new facility would replace the 130 year -old transit facility currently in use
by The Jule. Funding will also be pursued for a passenger rail platform and the rail
improvements that will be needed in order to bring passenger rail service into Dubuque.
The Jule:
• Medical Loop: The new Medical Loop, which was funded by a state grant and began in
December 2010, replaced the old Orange Line. The Medical Loop proves increased
service to the medical centers and clinics in Dubuque (e.g. Mercy and Finley Hospitals,
Dubuque Internal Medicine, Medical Associates East, etc.), the colleges and universities,
and regular service to S. Locust Hy -Vee and the S. Grandview area, this fixed route also
proves deviated route ( "upon demand ") service to the KeyWest area (e.g. Dept. of Motor
Vehicles and businesses in the immediate area), Mount Carmel, the YMCA, Mystique
Casino, etc. The Iowa Clean Air Attainment Program (ICAAP) grant, which was a two -
year grant, is scheduled to end by /before October 2012.
• ARC Transfer Center: A state grant was awarded for the Phase I building of a Transfer
Center at Area Residential Care's (ARC) new facility. Phase I will be a canopy large
enough for three fixed route buses to pull underneath. If funded (application will be filed
in May 2011) Phase II will allow for the building of an enclosed waiting area with public
bathroom facilities at the JFK Circle (the old Econo Foods store). An Easement
Agreement between ARC and the City was approved by City Council at the May 7th
meeting. A Request for Bid (RFB) was released for public bid in July 2012, but because
the responses came in over budget a new RFB was released in mid October. We hope
to have a recommendation for contract award to Council in early December with
construction starting shortly thereafter and a close date by /before early May 2013.
• Shopping Circulator: The Shopping Circulator, which began November 21, 2011 is also
funded with an two -year ICAAP grant. The Shopping Circulator route will link the major
shopping centers located on the west end of Dubuque and will operate on an hourly
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basis. Transfers between the Shopping Circulator and the Red, Green and/or Grey Lines
will occur at the JFK Circle. This grant is scheduled to end by /around October 2013.
Nightrider: In mid -year 2011 members of the Federal Transportation Administration (FTA)
and Iowa Department of Transportation (IA DOT) met with City of Dubuque staff and other
partners that have been involved in the Smarter, Sustainable Dubuque initiative. The FTA and
IA DOT staff recognize he collaborative work that has occurred between the City of Dubuque
and IBM on the Sustainability projects, which include the Smarter Travel VMT Study. The IA
DOT and FTA are particularly interested in the smartphone application developed by IBM for
use on the VMT project that allows for the tracking of travel patterns that include but are not
limited to: public transit, personal vehicles, trucks, pedestrian travel, and bicycles. Stu
Anderson, the Assistant Director of the IA DOT, recognizing the potential for broader use of the
smartphone application outside of public transit and other State planning organizations, and
suggested that an ICAAP application be submitted.
In late October 2011 the ICAAP grant application was submitted to the State by the DMATS. An
ICAAP grant requires a 20% local match and is normally awarded for a two -year period (e.g.
October 1, 2012 through September 30, 2014). The grant requested $2,164,000 over a two -
year period , $1,050,000 of which will be used in the first year by IBM for implementation the
VMT Study using the pilot routes. Because of the large amount of funding requested, IA DOT
staff has informed us that if the grant application is approved it will only be for one (1) year of
funding, and that the MPO ( DMATS) would need to apply for a second ICAAP grant for year -2
funding. IA DOT is aware of the importance of the second year of the project as that is when the
functionality of data gathered during the first year is demonstrated, and as such, they have
given some assurances that the second year of funding would not necessarily be a problem.
The IBM Smarter Travel project development is designed for implementation over 2 -3 years. A
key element and critical factor in this project and the overall success of the ICAAP grant is a
working smartphone application, which will enable a successful recruitment of 1,000 volunteers
who will be using the smartphone application to track their travel patterns within the city. The
first year is the data - gathering period, the second is when the data is processed and changes to
the transit system are implemented, and the third year is when the "fine tuning" of the changes
occurs. The ICAAP grant application has the majority of the requested funds being expended in
the first year with $557,000 going towards the implementation of the pilot routes: the Night
Rider, and the MidTown Loop and Feeder. The ICAAP grant will allow for the demonstration the
IBM smartphone application's effectiveness in gathering transportation data from smartphone
users and specifically those using the pilot routes. Data from the pilot routes, which during the
first year would overlay and operate in addition to the existing routes, would be gathered and
processed over a 6 -month period by IBM, who would in turn produce a template that would be
used to determine how the pilot routes would operate. It is in the second year of the project that
it all comes together, as IBM would use the transit and transportation information to make real -
time data - driven recommendations as to what changes could be made to the transit system that
would increase its overall efficiency and effectiveness. These changes would be made while
keeping two goals in mind: 1) the changes must make the transit system more efficient and
effective, 2) transit services would need to cover as much area and should include areas not
currently served, 3) increases in operational costs would need to be kept as minimal as is
feasible. During the first year of this project the pilot routes will overlay and operate in
conjunction with existing route, allowing for minimal disruption of service to the transit -
dependent passengers. The pilot routes will offer alternative methods for passengers and help
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encourage new users of the transit system as it will reduce travel time between the downtown
and west end areas. It is in the second year when the transition and re- structuring of the entire
transit system begins.
The Night Rider provides service on Friday and Saturday nights between 6pm until @ 2:15am,
hours that The Jule currently does not operate. The Night Rider, a route that initially was
developed through on -going conversations and surveys held with students attending the
colleges and universities, will provide new night time service on Friday and Saturdays between
downtown entertainment venues, areas around the colleges and universities, and shopping
centers and entertainment venues located on the west end of Dubuque. The MidTown
Loop /Feeder, which was identified in the 2009 LSC Study as having the potential of reducing
travel time between downtown and midtown location, will help improve connectivity between
downtown and west end location. The MidTown Loop and Feeder would provide service
Monday through Saturday during regular hours of operation. The MidTown Loop will operate in
areas between JFK Drive and Grandview with transfers to /from other routes at Delhi and the
JFK Circle. Passengers would use the MidTown Feeder to travel to /from downtown to connect
with the MidTown Loop at the Delhi transfer station.
The ICAAP application was submitted with a two -year timeline because IBM and The Jule need
to collaborate, identify and implement the routes in year 1 and modify and transition riders in
year 2. Without being able to make the route adjustments driven by the data gathered and
processed in year -1, the first year of the project is not beneficial. Therefore, there is much
uncertainty regarding the future funding on state and federal levels and there is not absolute
guarantee of year -2 ICAAP funding for this project, however IA DOT has assured us that they
understand the importance of the second year of the project and that they too want the project
to succeed.
Annual Asphalt Overlay Paving Program: The Public Works Department's annual Asphalt
Overlay Program, which began in 1993, has paved 169.69 centerline miles of city streets over
the subsequent years. While asphalt is an oil -based paving material, since 2007 the program
has been reclaiming and reusing old asphalt milled from the streets to be paved. With up to
20% of the "new" asphalt actually containing old, reclaimed asphalt from the city's streets, this
program now has a significantly smaller resource, fossil fuel, and carbon footprint. Community
impacts include reduced program cost, along with the noted reduced resource, fossil fuel, and
carbon footprints.
Bicycle /Pedestrian Network:
Most recently, the City partnered with the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs to create bilingual
trail signs, map kiosks, and a bilingual trail map brochure that identifies trailheads, which
include map kiosks, parking and other amenities, and trail map kiosk locations. The major
ongoing new trail project in Dubuque is the continued extension of the Iowa 32 Bike /Hike Trail
along the Northwest Arterial. This trail provides an important and safe connection for bike and
pedestrian traffic between the Heritage Trail and the City's trail system, and the west side of
Dubuque -- the city's fastest growing shopping, employment and residential area.
Approximately 2 miles are built with another 2 -mile segment expected to be completed in 2011.
In May the city partnered with the Tri -State Trail vision committee to submit a Bicycle Friendly
Community application to the League of American Bicyclists. The City of Dubuque received an
Honorable Mention ranking.
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A community group has begun meeting to plan and implement a community bike library
program in Dubuque. Early planning team members including biking enthusiasts, bike shop
owners, the Dubuque Rescue Mission, and local educators.
Business:
Non - Profit:
Schools:
People & Neighborhoods:
Dubuque Bike Coop /Library: A group of interested citizens, including bike enthusiasts, bike
shop owners, City staff, and representatives from the Dubuque Rescue Mission began meeting
to develop a community bike library which would offer bikes for long -term rental to residents as
well as a variety of community education opportunities including classes on bike maintenance
and safety. The group has already received several bike, tool and part donations and is
seeking additional storage space. Additional, mechanics' nights have started in order to
prepare the bikes for community rental.
CLEAN WATER
Government:
Low Impact Development Conference: This year the City of Dubuque held its 5th annual "Put
a LID on it" storm water conference in partnership with the Dubuque Soil and Water
Conservation District, The Iowa DNR, and the National Mississippi River Museum. The 2 day
conference focused not only on low impact development topics such as rain gardens and native
plantings, but also on the IOWATER program created by the Iowa DNR, which focus on
volunteer water quality monitoring. Nearly 90 people were in attendance both days, which
included students from the local colleges, professors, engineers, private consultants,
construction companies, and other regulatory agencies.
The 6th annual LID conference will be held tentatively on February 12 and 13, 2013.
Construction Workshop: This year the City of Dubuque held its 5th annual Construction site
workshop. Normally held in conjunction with the Low Impact Development conference, this year
the workshop was separated in order to focus more upon construction site regulations and to
focus upon local construction contractors. Over 100 were in attendance at this one day
workshop. The event was co- sponsored by Stetson Building Products. Speakers included
representatives from Stetson who spoke about erosion and sediment control products, Wayne
Petersen from IDALS, Clark Ott from the Manchester office of the DNR, Eric Schmechel from
the DSWCD, and Dean Mattoon from the City of Dubuque Engineering Department who
conducted an inspector certification training program.
Permeable Pavement /Green Alley: The City of Dubuque began in fiscal year 2011 an annual
program for reconstructing Dubuque alleys using permeable pavement. The City currently has
four green alleys that utilize either porous asphalt pavement or interlocking concrete pavers
which allow storm water to pass through the pavement. These alleys help reduce storm water
runoff by infiltrating and cleaning the water before it reaches the City's aquifers. In the spring of
2012 another alley will be reconstructed using interlocking concrete pavers. This alley is located
between Jackson and Washington Streets from 17th to 18th street. This alley will be complete
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by June 30, 2012.
In the summer of 2012 three additional alleys will be reconstructed . These alleys are being
reconstructed as part of the EPA consent decree. This supplemental engineering project (SEP)
alleys will be reconstructed using interlocking concrete pavers. This is similar to what was used
on recent green alleys and used in the Historic Millwork District Complete Streets Project.
Bee Branch: Project involves the day lighting of 4,500 feet of the buried Bee Branch storm
sewer. Episodic damage to public and private property due to flooding results in recurring
expenditures related to repairing damages. Moreover, it leads to a reluctance to improve
property or even maintain property.
• Update on Property Acquisitions
o All sixty -five of the original residential properties identified for purchase have
been acquired. Three additional properties near Audubon School were identified
for additional usable green space on Kniest Street have been acquired.
o Eighteen (18) non - residential properties have been acquired. Only one of the
original properties identified for acquisition remains, the property owned by
Canadian Pacific railroad. It is scheduled to be acquired by February 1, 2013.
• Update on Design:
o Design of the first phase of the project, the Lower Bee Branch Creek Restoration
Project is complete.
o The 30% design of the second phase of the project, the Bee Branch Creek
Railroad Bridge project, has been submitted to Canadian Pacific for review. Final
design is on schedule to be complete and ready for bidding in early 2013.
o Design of the remaining phases of the project are 90% complete.
• Update on Construction:
o Construction of the Lower Bee Branch Creek Restoration Project started in the
fall of 2010 and was completed in November of 2011.
o Construction of the Bee Branch Creek Railroad Bridge Project is scheduled to
start in early 2013 and be complete by the spring of 2014.
o Construction of the final phase(s) of the project will begin in 2013 and be
completed in 2014.
Water & Resource Recovery Center Upgrade (Major Project): At the very outset of the
project sustainability has been in the forefront of the process, from the selection of the design
professionals to the selection of the anaerobic digestion process for bio- solids management. In
addition to these the following items have a significant sustainability component;
1. The use of low mow and native grasses for landscaping
2. Incorporation of rain gardens for storm -water management
3. Using plant effluent as a heating /cooling source for the Admin /Lab building
4. Pursue Energy Star Rating for the entire plant
5. Combined Heat and Power utilizing digester gas
6. Elimination of the use of Chlorine gas for disinfection
7. Reuse of existing structures for new purposes
8. Researching utilizing available digester space for high strength organics and food residuals
for addition energy production.
9. 99.8% Construction materials diversion rate from the landfill
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The W &RRC construction project has caught up with the damage caused by the July 11, 2011
wind storm and the July 27/28, 2011 major rain event. Digesters #1 and #3 tall walls are
completed and work progresses on the short walls for all digesters and concrete work on all
aspects of the digester complex. Clarifier #1 (an existing clarifier) is 80% complete and should
be able to be returned to service within two months. The start up of clarifier #1 will allow the
contractor to move on to the reconstruction of #2. The base work for the additional primary
clarifier is ongoing with a pour scheduled for the week of September 26, 2011. After the base is
completed the walls of the clarifier will be constructed at which point the mechanisms will be
installed.
The City of Dubuque Builders Risk provider has agreed that the complete replacement of all of
the flooded modules in the UV Disinfection System is warranted. These modules have been
ordered and will be installed upon arrival in approximately six to eight weeks. The UV system is
however functioning as required to provide disinfection for the plant effluent.
Work continues on all aspects of the project and plant staff and contractor personnel are
beginning the preparation for operations and construction to continue as the winter approaches.
Negotiations took place with the W &RRC neighbor Inland Protein for the use of part of their
property to facilitate construction of the digester covers. The availability of this land provide for
much needed storage space and an area any from construction traffic for the assembly of the
covers. The City had estimated a project delay of approximately three to four months beyond
the final completion date given of October 1, 2013. The City has since granted a 120 working
day extension to the two major milestones of digester startup and sludge processing startup.
The City and its general contractor are working out details of a revised project completion
schedule required by the weather related delays. Factoring in the delays, the City will still meet
the startup deadline (April 26, 2014) as prescribed in the Consent Decree barring any further
major uncontrollable delays.
Through February 29, 2012, the project is in its 18th month of construction and work has been
started on all aspects of the project. At this point, City staff estimates the project is close to
50% complete with an expenditure of approximately $31,000,000 to date. The ultraviolet
disinfection system was started in March 2011 and continues to be operational. Work
continues on the digesters and sludge processing complex. The construction of the fourth
primary clarifier concrete work is completed with the mechanisms beginning to be installed. It is
now projected that the digesters will be put online the first week of August and will be in full
production by October of this year. Once fully online the Sludge Processing portion of the plant
will be completely renovated to meet the needs of the new process. The sludge handling
section will be operational by February 2013. Work has begun on the renovation of the final
clarifiers, One clarifier at a time is taken done for construction leaving three online at all times.
The reconstruction of primary clarifier number 1 is complete with a few minor mechanical details
to finish prior to starting the clarifier. When this clarifier is on -line, work will begin on the
reconstruction of the remaining clarifiers. A minimum of two clarifiers will remain in service
during construction. In addition to the digester structures, work is progressing on the piping
associated with the digester operation along with the installation of the many pumps and motors
required for the process. A bio- solids handling contract has been negotiated and signed with
Nutri -Ject Systems of Hudson, Iowa on the March 19, 2012 council agenda.
The laboratory addition of the Administration /Laboratory Building is now complete and has been
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put into service as of June 13th, 2012. The former lab and the remaining portion of the
Administration building will gutted and remodeled to provide for a conference /training area,
men's and women's lockers, parts storage, SCADA room and Administration offices. The
Administration /Laboratory Building will be a highly energy efficient building using plant effluent
to meet heating and cooling needs. The entire structure is highly insulated and will use a
minimum of energy for lighting, heating and cooling.
Please refer to the Water & Resource Recovery Center for detailed information on the
Sustainable ROI of this project.
Inflow and Infiltration Reduction Program (Management Agenda):
The City of Dubuque is conducting an Inflow and Infiltration (I &I) Reduction Program to
eliminate storm water inflow and groundwater infiltration into Dubuque's sanitary sewer collector
system. Excessive I &I can cause sanitary sewer back -ups into basements, overflows into
creeks and wetlands, and increased operating costs to process the water at the Dubuque Water
Pollution Control Plant.
Five neighborhoods have been identified as sources of high sanitary sewer flows during rainfall
events, which indicates excessive I &I. To address this issue, the City will conduct private
property inspections, smoke testing, and dye testing, and televise sanitary sewer pipes to
determine the major defects in the five areas with excessive I &I between 2011 and 2016.
➢ The City has notified 4,489 property owners that their neighborhood has been identified
as a source of high sanitary sewer flows during rainfall events, which indicates excessive
I &I. The property owners were asked to schedule an appointment for City inspectors to
enter the yard and basement of each home to observe and record the property's
drainage facilities.
➢ Of the 3,420 properties, City staff has inspected 3,577. This is a response rate of
approximately 80 %. Approximately 5% of the inspected properties have improper
connections to the sanitary sewer system (failed inspection).
➢ Engineering staff continues to work with property owners to correct improper connections
to the sanitary sewer identified by smoke testing or private property inspections.
➢ The Engineering Department found approximately 500 improper connections during I &I
inspections during the mid- to late- 1990's. Current Engineering staff is revisiting these
properties to conduct "historic inspections." Staff has found that approximately 17% of
the historic inspections continue to have improper connections (compared to 5% as
stated above).
➢ The Engineering Department conducted smoke testing of Sewershed 7 and 5 during July
and August 2012. Smoke testing has been conducted within nearly 70 miles of the City's
sanitary sewer collection system since the beginning of 2011. This has identified over 450
defects beyond those identified in the private property inspections.
➢ Engineering staff has inspected all brick manholes in Sewersheds 5, 7 and 12 during
2012. These inspections will provide information to determine which manholes are in
need of repair or replacement in the coming years.
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Catfish Creek Watershed Management Authority
In December 2011, the City of Dubuque submitted a grant application for the creation of a
Watershed Management Authority Board (WMAB). The City was subsequently awarded a
grant in the amount of $24,500 to develop a 28E agreement among
stakeholders within the watershed (Dubuque County, City of Asbury, City of Peosta, Dubuque
County Conservation Board, and City of Centralia) to establish a Watershed Management
Authority Board. Upon establishment of the Board, the City will be able to compete for an
additional $200,000 in grant funding for watershed improvements.
➢ The 28E agreement for the Catfish Creek Watershed Management Authority (CCWMA)
was executed by the City during late June 2012.
➢ The website www.catfishcreekwatershed.orq was developed to promote the Catfish
Creek WMA and inform watershed residents.
➢ The City of Dubuque and other CCWMA members are working on a grant application to
the Iowa DNR. The grant will provide funds to submit develop a watershed management
plan for the Catfish Creek Watershed.
Rain Garden Program: The City of Dubuque continually offers a cost share program for the
construction of rain gardens for citizens. The City will pay for up to $500 of materials provided
that an equal or greater amount be spent on equipment rental / labor by the citizen.
Streambank Stabilization Program: The City of Dubuque continually offers a cost share
program for the stabilization of ditches and creek on private property (residential only). The City
will pay for up to $500 of materials provided that an equal or greater amount be spent on
equipment rental / labor by the citizen.
Public Works Department:
• Household Hazardous Materials Regional Collection Center (HHMRCC) The Public
Works Department provides administrative and operating staff support to the Dubuque
Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency (DMASWA or "Agency "). An Agency program dating
back to the mid- 1990's is its Household Hazardous Materials Regional Collection Center
(HHMRCC). Initially a once - per -year special event staged at the Dubuque County
fairgrounds, the program is focused on keeping hazardous materials out of the DMASWA
Landfill. Based on the premise that landfills are not perfect and that they all eventually leak,
the intent of the program is to reduce hazardous chemicals in that leachate. By 1998, the
Agency funded and established a permanent collection and storage facility at its Landfill.
Citizens are encouraged to take their paint, solvents, automotive chemicals, cleaning fluids,
etc. to the Agency's RCC for reuse or incineration at no cost to them. A small fee is charged
small businesses and governmental entities to cover the cost of the service provider. The
HHMRCC Program also provides staff and equipment support for special, one day collection
events at locations throughout the Agency's two - county service area. The measureable
outcomes include pounds /tons of hazardous materials collected and managed annually.
• E -Scrap Recycling Program. Established in 2006, the Agency's E -Scrap Recycling
Program initially educated and encouraged its customers to recycle, versus landfill, their old
television sets, VCRs, cell phones, computers, and other electronic entertainment and
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communication devices. While such household items are allowed to be landfilled by federal
and Iowa regulations, the Agency provided a recycling alternative for a fee. The fee, while
more than what was charged for landfilling, is needed to cover the cost charged by the
Agency's recycling service provider. Given the declining quantity and weight of the e-scrap
brought to the Agency for recycling in recent years, and the generally - acknowledged toxicity
of some e-scrap components, the Agency adopted an e-scrap landfill ban, which went into
effect July 1, 2011. As a result, the DMASWA no longer buries electronics in its landfill. The
most significant measurable outcomes for this program are the number and /or weight of e-
scrap items recycled.
• Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) Bulb Recycling Program - Begun in 2009 due to the
national perception regarding the mercury contained in CFLs and the increasing number of
old CFLs being sent to landfills for disposal, the DMASWA established a free drop -off
program for Dubuque and Delaware county residents. Through the Agency's website, its
biannual Recycling and Reuse Guide, its advertisements, and presentations by its
Education and Communication Coordinator, the Agency makes its customers aware of the
twenty -one (21) locations throughout Dubuque and Delaware counties where the CFLs can
be dropped off for recycling. The most significant measurable outcome is the number of
pounds of CFLs diverted and recycled by this program annually. The primary community
impact in future years is cleaner leachate and groundwater at the DMASWA Landfill.
Sustainable Dubuque Watershed Network The University of Iowa College of Engineering
and Environmental Science, in collaboration with the City, will provide funding and support for
the Sustainable Dubuque Watershed Network. The research would be intended to coordinate
with existing University watershed research, but take it a step further by incorporating advanced
measuring devices and analysis into an urban watershed, the North Fork — Catfish Creek. It is
intended that the outcome help inform and analyze future infrastructure design and renovation
and low- impact development options for the community and its stakeholders. Specific research
will be sought for analysis of infrastructure design and renovation and low- impact development
options for stakeholders such as rain gardens, bioswales, bioretention areas, green roofs and
other policy options within a watershed. Handling watershed issues before they become Water
and Resource Recovery Center issues will be an economic and environmental benefit to the
community.
Business:
Non - Profit:
Schools:
People & Neighborhoods:
HEALTHY AIR
Government:
Clean Air Attainment Strategy /Air Quality Task Force: In November 2009, the DMATS
Board facilitated a meeting with the Iowa DNR to discuss air quality data in Dubuque and the
surrounding area. From this meeting, city and ECIA staff recommended forming a
public /private partnership to study the data and work on improving air quality. Greater Dubuque
Development Corporation was approached and agreed to facilitate an Air Quality Task Force,
which would consist of local government and business representatives. GDDC engaged
businesses who had a stake in local air quality. After several meetings, the Task Force agreed
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that further study of our air quality was needed to: 1) determine if there are local factors
contributing to poor air quality outcomes; and 2) how can we improve air quality regardless of
local factors. The results of UNI's analysis may show a need for a more detailed study to
determine an action plan. GDDC continues to facilitate local business and government working
together on air quality.
Transit Fleet Replacement: In 2010 two large federal grants were awarded to The Jule
(formally known as Keyline Transit): State of Good Repairs at $2.3 million dollars and Clean
Fuels at $1.5 million dollars. These two grants, coupled with vehicle replacement money from
the State, allowed for the replacement of the entire transit fleet (both fixed route and mini bus).
All new buses are equipped with Clean Diesel engines, a proven technology that allows for
increased fuel efficiency and lower engine emissions, and were placed into service by August
31, 2011. The State of Good Repairs grant also allowed for the purchase of ITS equipment for
both fixed route and mini bus service. This equipment will help increase the efficiency and
effectiveness of the transit service. This equipment includes, but is not limited to: an Automatic
Vehicle Location (AVL) system along with web -based software will allow passengers to see
when the next bus will arrive to a particular bus stop; LED display boards that will be placed a
key transfer points to display pending arrival time(s) of the next bus, as well as (e.g.) public
service announcements; an Automatic Voice Announcement (AVA) system that will announce
the approach of (e.g.) major intersections and points of interest for passengers that have a
visual impairment (or who are otherwise not familiar with the area); an electronic fare collection
system that will broaden the choice and type of bus passes, as well as allow for better ridership
data collection; Mobile Data Terminals (MDT) that will allow for real -time dispatching in mini
bus service; new scheduling software for mini bus service to work in conjunction with the MDTs;
camera (security) systems on both fixed route and mini bus; etc. A contract for the purchase,
installation and deployment of the ITS equipment and systems went City Council for approval at
the June 18, 2012, meeting, with a contract start date of July 1, 2012 (amended to August 6,
2012). The start of the ITS project will begin in November 2012, with the installation of the
Mobile Data Terminals (MDT) into the Light Duty buses used for Mini -bus service, which will
then be connected to the scheduling software also used in the provision of Mini -bus service.
Once the mini -bus portion of the project has been completed, work will begin on the fixed route
buses and services. Full installation is expected to be completed by October 2013.
Public Works Department:
• Landfill Methane Collection System Project - The Public Works Department provides
administrative and operating staff support to the Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste
Agency (DMASWA or "Agency "). One of the Agency's recent initiatives relevant to the
Healthy Air principle is its Landfill Methane Collection System Project. Initiated in FY10 and
completed in FY11, the first phase of the methane collection system was installed in the
Agency's oldest "closed" landfill cells ( #1 and #2). Since project completion in September of
2010, the methane is being measured as it is flared off. By flaring the methane, the Agency
is significantly reducing a very potent greenhouse gas previously emitted by its landfill
facility. The Agency's Board of Directors is currently considering a proposal from a regional
electrical power producer for its methane and has retained an industry expert to evaluate the
proposed project. The Directors have indicated that they anticipate making a decision
regarding the proposal before the end of calendar 2012. Anticipated future measurable
outcomes include amount of usable methane produced annually and revenue garnered
and /or costs avoided.
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• Clean Diesel & Biofuels Technology - The Public Works Department is spearheading the
City's conversion of its diesel- engine truck and heavy equipment fleet to the use of "clean
diesel" technology. To date, nineteen (19) heavy trucks and six (6) heavy equipment
machines have been replaced with units equipped with clean diesel engines. Clean diesel
engines produce fewer airborne particulates and harmful emissions. The most measurable
outcome for this conversion program is the number of "dirty diesel" versus "clean diesel"
units in the department's fleet at any given time.
The Public Works Department has also spearheaded the City's use of biofuels in its many
trucks and heavy equipment. Its diesel- engine trucks and heavy equipment use 20%
biodiesel during warm weather months and 5% biodiesel during the coldest months. The
department's light vehicles use 85% ethanol in their gasoline engines year- round. The most
likely measurable outcome is total departmental fuel usage by type annually.
• Climate Disruption, Mitigation and Adaptation - The Resource Management program
has provided staff support and intern supervision as part of the city's commitment to the
ICLEI Climate Change 5 Milestone Process related to assessment, draft targets and
potential action steps in government operations community practices for GHG reduction.
The RMC has also acted as the liaison with the community group drafting the "Dubuque
Community GHG "50 by 2030" Initiative ".
Business:
Non - Profit:
Schools:
People & Neighborhoods:
NATIVE PLANTS & ANIMALS
Government:
Planning Services Department:
• Sustainable Development Tools: The City's 2009 Unified Development Code (UDC)
requires that new major subdivisions achieve a minimum score of 40 points by utilizing
approved sustainable subdivision development tools. Subdivision and site development
regulations were extensively revised to promote sustainable design and low- impact
development (LID) measures. These tools include Conservation Subdivision design, in
which development is clustered to optimize open space, preserve natural features, protect
environmentally sensitive areas, and minimize infrastructure demands. The UDC has a
residential density bonus for conservation subdivisions. These tools also include the
provision that native and regionally appropriate trees and vegetation are preserved or
planted, which limits turf grass, limits water demand, improves infiltration or filtration, and
enhances the natural environment. Such vegetation is to be phased so denuded areas are
quickly vegetated. Turf grass should not exceed 30% of the landscaped area.
As noted above, new major residential subdivisions currently must score a minimum of 40
points by utilizing sustainable subdivision tools approved by the City Council. A major
subdivision involves public improvements (street, water, sanitary sewer, etc.) In March 2011,
the City Council adopted a standard for sustainable development incentives for residential
subdivisions. The City Council established an 80 -point standard be used for a new
residential subdivision to qualify for sustainable development incentives from the City of
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Dubuque.
• Mines of Spain /E.B. Lyons: The 1,387 -acre Mines of Spain State Recreation Area near
Dubuque has served as a focal point for environmental and cultural educational programs
and interpretive activities for the tri -state area of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin for many
years. Burgeoning interest in the rich history of the tri -state area and growing awareness of
the significance of the Mississippi River and its watershed created greater demands for
exhibits and educational programming. Demand for more programs and services increased
over time. Continued success and growth in visitation, interpretation and education were
inhibited by space limitations.
More space was needed at the E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center at the State Recreation Area.
In response, the Friends of the Mines of Spain (FOMOS) planned and coordinated an
expansion that updated and more than doubled the original space for educational purposes.
The FOMOS raised private, local, state and federal funds for the expansion and education
project. They raised $1,575,569 -- $98,575 over the cost estimate of $1,476,994 for the
expansion. Construction began in September 2009, and was completed a year later.
The Friends also raised an additional $325,000 for enhanced exhibits and educational
programming. Thanks to excellence in interpretive support by the FOMOS, the Interpretive
Center now welcomes visitors to one of the region's best - conserved natural and cultural
resources, where people can explore the history and natural riches of the park. The updated
exhibits at the Interpretive Center invite visitors to discover the history, geology, and ecology
of the park and region, and prepare the visitor for forays onto the many trails and interpretive
sites throughout the Mines of Spain. The Interpretive Center has displays on the park's
historic farm site, archeology, prairies, woodlands, wetlands, lead mining, Native Americans,
and wildlife of the park on both the upper and lower levels.
• Land Acquisition for Mines of Spain: The City of Dubuque, in conjunction with the Friends
of the Mines of Spain, has been working with the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF)
on the acquisition of the Bottoms Farm, 9097 Bellevue Heights Road, Dubuque, Iowa to
expand the land area of the Mines of Spain State Recreation Area and the E.B. Lyons
Interpretive Center. The 52.19 acre property abuts the Mines of Spain on the north, and the
30 -acre Interpretive Center site on the east. The INHF acquired the land at auction in
August 2011. The City of Dubuque has a purchase agreement with the INHF for the
property. Cost estimates are being finalized for removal of the farmstead, barns and other
structures, and capping the well on site. There will be a future amendment to the original
agreement to add these costs and some carrying costs.
The Iowa DNR's Natural Resources Commission approved the City of Dubuque's 2011
Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) Grant of $200,000 toward the acquisition of
the Bottoms Farm in October 2011. The City Council approved the REAP grant agreement
with the IDNR in November 2011. The City will apply for additional grants to cover the
acquisition costs, plus whatever the FOMOS and IDNR would contribute. A $500,000
National Scenic Byways grant application submitted in December, 2011 for additional land
acquisition was not funded. A $175,000 Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grant
application for acquisition and development submitted in March 2012 was awarded. A
$200,000 REAP grant application for development was approved in October 2012. A
$170,500 State Recreational Trails grant was approved in October 2012.
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The acquisition of this land is extremely important to the Mines of Spain and the Interpretive
Center. The land acquisition would allow: the creation of a buffer for the State Park and the
Interpretive Center from encroaching development; protection of the historical,
archeological, cultural, and natural resources we anticipate are on the property; restoration
of native landscape to improve and expand wildlife habitat and storm water management;
and opportunities to expand parking, interpretive signage, and other park amenities that will
improve the visitor experience.
The plan for future management of the project area is to leave the archeological sites
undisturbed, unless the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) authorizes development
for the additional parking. The objectives of reestablishing vegetation on the farm's cropland
are to reduce erosion, create wildlife habitat and reconstruct examples of original native
vegetation. The current management plan for the Mines of Spain has been to replace most
of the current croplands and restore them to native prairie to create a landscape that dates
back to the 1700's.
The IDNR undertook the Mines of Spain master plan process for the 52 -acre Bottoms
property in February and March, 2012 with a multi - disciplinary planning task force IDNR,
City, INHF, and FOMOS representatives and a public survey. The goal is to develop a plan
for the future management and appropriate development of this additional land, to preserve
its natural and cultural resources, as well as expand and enhance the programs and
recreational offerings of the E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center and the Mines of Spain. The
draft master plan and public survey results were provided to the City Council in March 2012.
Leisure Services Department:
• Organic Gardening 101 class 2011
• Fall Landscaping Workshop
• Dirt, Worms and Food 2012
• Frontier Living 2012
Multicultural Family Center: Future Talk program cleared invasive plant species and dead
trees from several acres of land at Mines of Spain, Swiss Valley, and Kaufmann Prairie in order
to sustain native species.
GIS: Assisted Parks Division in GPSing and identifying locations of native plantings near
Bergfeld Recreation Area and new recreational trail, as well as Eagle Point Park.
Library: Hosted seven Nature Days and one Flower Power public event from 2006- present.
Hosted a "Garden" story time in April, 2011 with 20 attendees.
Bee Branch: The City, in partnership with Black Hills Energy and other community partners,
has obtained a Trees Forever grant to plant 1,000 trees in Phase I of the Bee Branch project,
valued at over $6,000. Volunteers from the neighborhood will be engaged in the planting of the
trees.
Business:
Non - Profit:
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See Land Acquisition for Mines of Spain above.
Stewards of the Beautiful In partnership with City staff, Dubuque County Soil & Water
Conservation District, Swiss Valley Nature Center, and others, Trees Forever is hosting a series
of free classes over the summer focused on native plantings in urban and rural environments.
Classes will focus on rain gardens and bioswales, plant identification prairies, etc. Currently,
there are approximately 25 individuals from the tri -state area enrolled in the class.
Schools:
People & Neighborhoods:
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