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Iowa Mississippi River Parkway CommissionJane Regan Allamakee County Lori Wallace Clayton County John Goodmann Dubuque County Lori Roling Jackson County Edith Pfeffer Clinton County Glenn Pelecky Scott County Daniel Petersen Muscatine County Jay Schweitzer Louisa County Debra Jochims Des Moines County Larry Kruse Lee County Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission Explore Iowa's Great River Road September 26, 2013 Mayor Roy Buol City Hall 51 West 13th Dubuque, IA 52001 Dear Mayor Buol and City Council Members - On behalf of the Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission please find enclosed our annual report for your review. 2013 is the 75th anniversary of the Parkway Commission and we have been very busy with many activities which promote Iowa's Great River Road. We have also been working diligently on our ongoing project to update and modernize the Great River Road corridor management plan. Each of our volunteer commissioners wishes to express their gratitude for your continued support of our work and of the ongoing success of Iowa's Great River Road. Iowa now boasts 15 separate interpretive centers which attract thousands of visitors and provide an enormous boost to the tourism economy of Iowa. These interpretive centers can be found on the map which is a part of the enclosed report. One which is not mentioned was just authorized by the National MRPC, the Sawmill Museum located in Clinton, Iowa. Our commission is dedicated to preserving and promoting Iowa and the Great River Road, its communities and attractions within the corridor. We encourage you to visit our scenic byway and enjoy the beauty of Eastern Iowa and the welcoming communities and folks along the byway. Please feel free to contact me with comments or inquiries at my email address, jgoodmann @real- good.com. Sincprelyf { John Goodmann, Chair Fri 0 Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission 2012/2013 Annual Report August 2013 AMERICA S BYWAYS IOWA MISSISSIPPI RIVER PA': AY COMMISSION 2012/2013 ANNUAL REPORT AUGUST 2013 John Goodmann Chair IOWA MISSISIPPI RIVER PARKWAY COMMISSION Table of Contents SECTION 1: Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission 2012/2013 Annual Report SECTION 2: Iowa MRPC Commission & Technical Members SECTION 3: Minutes of Meetings SECTION 4: Iowa MRPC Newsletters "Along The Byway" MISSION STATEMENT The Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission (IAMRPC) was organized to: ® Preserve, promote and enhance the scenic, historic, natural, archaeological, cultural and recreation resources of the National Scenic Byway (NSB) /Iowa Great River Road (GRR) and the Iowa Mississippi River Valley. ® Foster economic growth of the Mississippi River corridor. ® Develop the National Scenic Byway /Great River Road. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ® Assist in coordinating the increase of investment and awareness of the National Scenic Byway /Iowa Great River Road and its amenities with roadside parks, scenic overlooks, educational experiences and opportunities and historic information. ® Increase the awareness for stakeholders of funding through transportation enhancement funds. ® Develop communication opportunities to tell the stories of the National Scenic Byway /Great River Road. a Arrange community involvement meetings and workshops. ® Advocate for the Great River Road development studies. ® Advocate for transportation related projects that incorporate the principles of context sensitive design. • Advocate for the use of sustainable design principles such as L.E.E.D. (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.) A major factor in achieving these goals and objectives is partnering with area and national groups and associations that have similar goals and interests. By networking with other organizations, we can best utilize all our assets, including financial, contacts, and personnel. IOWA MRPC COMMISSION MEETINGS The Iowa MRPC met on 7 separate occasions in the past year. July 26, 2012 at the Mississippi River Eco Tourism Center in Camanche, September 28, 2012 at the national MRPC meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, November 28, 2012 at the Button Factory Museume in Muscatine, IA, February 7, 2013 at the Bettendorf, IA public library, March 21, 2013 at the Lodge in Bettendorf, IA, April 27, 2013 at the Isle of Capri Hotel in Bettendorf, IA as a part of our national semi - annual meeting of the MRPC, and June 6, 2013 at the home of M.J. Smith in Guttenberg, IA. The minutes of each of those meetings are included in this report. IOWA MRPC STRUCTURE The Iowa Commission consists of ten commissioners appointed by the Governor of Iowa representing the ten counties that border the Mississippi River. The commission by Iowa statue is gender and politically balanced. In addition, there are five technical members representing: Iowa Department of Transportation, Department of Economic Development, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa Office of Tourism, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The commission has received verbal commitments from the Iowa Department of Economic Development and Tourism to appoint new commissioners but as of the date of this report no formal appointment has been completed. An updated Iowa MRPC commission list is attached. IOWA MRPC BUDGET The FY2013 budget for the Iowa MRPC was approved by the Iowa DOT for $40,000. (see highlights). The budget includes 2012 National MRPC dues, National Scenic Byway Grants matching funds, MRPC conferences and Iowa Commission meetings and travel expenses, office expenses, mailings, and telephone long distance expenses. IOWA ACTIVITIES AND WORK PLAN Iowa MRPC Website Development The Iowa MRP website continues to evolve. www.iowagreatriverroad.com The host, Dubuque365.com continues to add content to the site. Features of the website include: For the Traveler: • A history of the MRPC, biographies of members and mission statement. • A history of the river, towns, and counties with appropriate photography. • Fantastic photography and panoramic photos of the Mississippi River. • Schedule of events that can be sorted by date, location, type, etc. • Mapping ability and ability to zoom in on maps and select location links. • An itinerary or trip planner that prints an agenda — by city, type of event, etc. • Ability to feature links with maps and icons and print a route with mileage. For the Iowa Stakeholder: • Easy to use and update with 100% immunity to viruses. • Unlimited addition and editing of pictures and text. • Fully managed, Tier -1, secure fiber -optic website and email hosting facilities. • Ability to support advertising or sponsors for maintaining the site. NSB Grants submitted by Iowa Stakeholders The Iowa MRPC reviewed several NSB grants submitted for the Iowa Great River Road funding and sent recommendations for funding to the Iowa DOT. Iowa MRPC Corridor Management Plan As reported in our 2010 -2011 report, the Iowa MRPC received a $260,000 National Scenic Byway Grant for the purpose rewriting and modernizing the CMP for the Iowa Great River Road. The Iowa MRPC hired David Dahlquist and Associates as consult to construct this new CMP. Much work has commenced in this effort. A new reference library of materials related to the Iowa Great River Road has been developed by Dahlquist and Associates which can be accessed via the internet. Work continues in 2012/2013 by Dahlquist and Associates in structuring the new CMP. This year our consultant is performing visitor surveys at a number of locations along the Great River Road including many of the Interpretive Centers in an effort to better identify the travelers along our byway, both local residents and those that have traveled a great distance. Dahlquist and Associates has also been working to organize and expand the Iowa MRPC stakeholder list Our stakeholder list now has over 1100 contacts, most of which can be contacted via electronic communication. Great River Road Interpretive Centers The Eco Tourism Center in Camanche, Iowa located in Clinton County has applied successfully to the National MRPC to be recognized as an MRPC Interpretive Center. This site has been added to the National MRPC Interpretive Center list as an attraction in 2012 and has been included in our Great River Road Map as a certified visitor center. The Center received official recognition in a ceremony at the Mississippi River Museum in Dubuque during the National MRPC semi - annual meeting in April. Explore our Great River Map The Iowa MRPC approved and developed a new byway map which is included in this report. The 8 ' /2" by 14" map has been distributed to our welcome centers, interpretive centers and others along the byway. The map was developed in a tear -off format for the convenience of travelers and users. The new format was inexpensive and allows for easy updating in the years ahead. This was also included in our prior report. We want to be sure a map of the Iowa Corridor is included in every annual report. In 2013 the Iowa MRPC updated these tear -off maps to include the updated Interpretive Centers. Iowa Participation in Meetings and Events The Iowa Chair and or his proxy participated in all National MRPC Board meetings and Executive Board meetings, as well as the Semi - Annual and Annual Meetings. The majority of Iowa Commissioners also participated in the National MRPC meetings. MRPC Annual meeting The National MRPC 1 meeting was held in Louisville, KY with significant participation from the Iowa membership. Iowa MRPC "Along the Byway" Newsletter The Iowa commission published two newsletters for our stakeholders this year. The publication, which is still mailed to recipients, highlights grant opportunities for river communities, tells the success stories of river projects, and communicates the advocacy role of the Iowa volunteers and technical advisors of the MRPC. Copies of those newsletters are included in this report. Our newsletter was also distributed electronically via Constant Contact to a significant numbers of our stakeholders. This is a very convenient and money saving method to distribute our newsletter. Iowa MRPC Stakeholder Meetings The Iowa MRPC did not schedule stakeholder meetings in 2012 but will schedule several meetings in 2013. The meetings will again focus on the update of the Corridor Management Plan and our progress in finalizing that document. Iowa Activities — The National MRPC signed on as a sponsor of the Great Race which took place this year, 2013, along the entirety of the Great River Road. Iowa Commissioners participated in the 2 events held in our state including a luncheon hosted in Dubuque and a ceremony which took place on the riverfront in Davenport. Commissioners welcomed participants and provided maps and material about Iowa's Great River Road and its attractions. National Scenic Byways Grants for 2012 -2013 — On August 2, 2012 the following grants were awarded to projects along Iowa's Great River Road - Great River Road Driftless Area Byway Visitor Center in Allamakee County - $1,361,400 Iowa DOT Great River Road Signage Project - $346,160 Great River Road Port Louisa Rest Area — Louisa County - $200,000 Great River Road Marquette Overlook — Clayton County - $332,800 Louisa County Great River Road Bicycle Lane - $1,350,000 Great River Road Mississippi River Trail in Riverdale — Scott County - $494,956 Other Commission information — The Governor's Office announced the appointment of the following new commissioners — Lori Wallace — Clayton County Lori Roling — Jackson County Daniel Petersen — Muscatine County Glenn Pelecky — Scott County Retiring Commissioners include Patsy Ramacitti of Scott County. Patsy was the Pilot, (chairperson), of the National MRPC during her tenure. The other 2 members of the commission who are retiring include M J Smith of Clayton County and John Oberhaus of Muscatine County. The Commission congratulates our new appointees and expresses its deepest gratitude to those who are retiring for their many years of dedicated service to Iowa's Great River Road and the Iowa MRPC. All 3 of the retiring commissioners have been elected by the National MRPC as honorary members of the National Mississippi River Parkway Commission. IOWA MRPC FY 2013 FY BUDGET Item Description Iowa DOT Amount Amount Annual Budget Paid to Date Remaining 1 MRPC Annual Dues $15,000.00 $15,000.00 $0.00 2 Annual Meeting Louisville, KY $4,000.00 $4,511.03 - $511.03 3 Semi - Annual Meeting,lowa $3,865.00 $2,513.84 $1,351.16 4 Newsletters $1,500.00 $950.00 $550.00 5 Travel /meals in state $2,000.00 $1,074.58 $925.42 Administration $1,000.00 $403.29 $596.71 7 Eastern Iowa Tourism Dues $135.00 $135.00 $0.00 8 CMP Preparation $12,000.00 $11,990.55 $9.45 9 Iowa GRR Maps $500,00 $529.00 - $29,00 TOTAL $40,000.00 $37,107.29 $2,892.71 IOWA MISSISSIPPI RIVER PA COMMISSIONERS NATIONAL COMMITTEE Allamakee Jane Regan Treasurer jregan @leschenskyins.com P.O. Box 34 563 -586 -2022 Harpers Ferry, IA 52146 -0034 563- 380 -3635 AY COMMISSION CONTACT TERM EXPIRES Clayton Lori Wallace 308 South River Park Drive PO Box 826 Guttenberg, IA 52052 huknorth @yahoo.com 6/30/2017 319 -551 -6171 6/30/2017 Clinton Edith Pfeffer edithrpfeffer @yahoo.com 524 Mill Ridge Road 563- 243 -7751 Clinton, IA 52732 563- 357 -3681 Des Moines Debra Jochims Secretary debjochims @aol.com 10976 Wildlife Lakes Dr. 319 - 752 -4455 West Burlington, IA 52655 -8565 319 - 759 -3039 Dubuque John Goodmann A 2744 University Ave Dubuque, IA 52004 -1088 Chair jgoodmann@real-good.com 563 - 556- 3232(w) 563 -556 -1142 fax Jackson Lori Roling tlroling @yahoo.com 40320 150th Street 563 -542 -1243 Bellevue, IA 52031 563- 872 -3299 Lee Larry Kruse 1243 170th Ave. Donnellson, IA 52625 -9306 Vice Chair Louisa Jay Schweitzer P.O. Box 112 Columbus Junction, IA 52738 kruselw @hotmail.com 319 - 469 -2018 319 - 728 -8449 fax jayts @yahoo.com 319 - 728 -2219 (w) 319 - 728 -8449 fax 6/30/2015 6/30/2015 6/30/2015 6/30/2015 6/30/2015 6/30/2017 Muscatine Daniel Petersen srpeters @hotmail.com (Shirley) 3289 150th St. 563- 263 -3527 (h) 6/30/2017 Muscatine, IA 52761 563 -571 -8009 Scott Glenn Pelecky gpelecky @gmail.com 25461 Valley Drive 563 -505 -6347 6/30/2017 Bettendorf, IA 52722 TECHNICAL MEMBERS Department of Transportation Mary Stahlhut Board Administrator mary.stahlhut @dot.iowa.gov 800 Lincolnway 515.239.1369 Ames, IA 50010 Transportation 515- 233 -7857 fax Department of Natural Resources Margo Underwood Advisory Wallace Building Des Moines, IA 50319 Margo.Underwood @dnr.iowa.gov (515) 281 -8650 Economic Development Authority Shawna Lode (Tourism) advisory Shawna.Lode @iowa.gov East Grand Office Park (515) 725 -3090 Des Moines, IA US Army Corps of Engineers Ron Deiss advisory Ronald.w.deiss @usace.army.mil Clock Tower Bldg. Box 2004 309 - 794 -5185 Rock Island, IL 60204 309 - 794 -5157 fax Department of Cultural Affairs Vacant advisory DOT Policy and Agency Support Grant Team Leader Deb Arp 800 Lincolnway Ames, IA 50010 Systems Planning Office Director Craig Markley 800 Lincolnway Ames, IA 50010 Secretary / claims Peggy Reicken 800 Lincolnway Ames, IA 50010 HONORARY MEMBERS: Al Bohling (IA MRPC) 201 Third Ave., SE, Suite 500 Cedar Rapids, 52406 -1803 National Mississippi River Museum Jerry Enzler (IA MRPC) P.O. Box 266 Dubuque, 52004 -0266 National Pilot Emeritus Patsy L. Ramacitti 4674 Kynnelworth Dr Bettendorf, IA 52722 M.J. Smith John Oberhaus Gene Enke 1002 Denmark Hilltop Fort Madison, IA 52627 ( IA MRPC) ( IA MRPC) ( IA MRPC) ( IA MRPC) debra.arp@dotiowa.gov 515.239.1681 515- 233 -7857 fax craig.markley @dot. Iowa. gov 515.239.1027 515- 233 -7857 fax peggy.riecken @dot.iowa.gov 515.239.1664 515- 233 -7857 fax abohling@shive-hattery.com j en zler @rivermus eum. c o m bettplr @aol.com 563- 332 -5446 fax mjsmith@alpinecom.net (563) 880-9992 jloberhaus@machlink.com genke @outlook.com. 319 - 372 -7935 (h) 319 - 372 -3366 fax NATIONAL MRPC Consultant Leadership Susanne Thiede-Bamet 222 State St., Suite 400 Madison, WI 53703 Lyn Pilch 222 State St., Suite 400 Madison, WI 53703 susanne@pilchbarnet.com 608 - 242 -8895 608 - 242 -8896 fax lyn @pilchbamet.com 608 - 242 -8895 608 - 242 -8896 fax IOWA MRPC July 26, 2012 Mississippi River Eco Tourism Center Camanche, Iowa Welcome /Roll Call: John Goodmann ® John G. called the meeting to order at 10:10 ® Commissioners Present: John Goodmann, Deb Jochims, Larry Kruse, MJ Smith, Patsy Ramacitti, Jay Schweitzer, Jane Regan, and Edith Pfeffer Commissioners Absent: John Oberhaus Technical Members Present: Troy Seifert Technical Members Absent: Ron Deiss Also present were Breann Bye and David Dahlquist Minutes: Deb Jochims ® Ron not John Thielen ® Moved by Patsy. Approved ® Troy mentioned that on page 3 the motion to accept the budget was made at the previous meeting. Financial: Troy Seifert ® See Attachment 1 ® No expenses were processed in the last quarter so the balance remains at $40,000 ® Regarding the last request for Dahlquist & Associates, we ran to the limit last fiscal year so MRPC owes them approximately $912. ® Patsy asked Troy if his department has deferred expenses. Troy answered "no ". ® MJ moved and Jay seconded to except the preliminary budget. Carried. ® In regards to those going to the National Meeting in Louisville, MJ and Patsy are not an expense to us as their expenses are paid by National. John G will be staying with his brother so we will not incur any expenses. Jay, Edith, Jane, Deb, and John O. plan to attend. Patsy and/or MJ offered their rooms to share as their rooms are paid by National. Strategies for Fundraising for the CMP Plan: John Goodmann and David Dahlquist ® See Attachment 2 - IGRR Corridor Management Plan Update /Local Match Considerations/2- 9-12 from David ® We need a plan to solicit funds from the ten counties to accelerate the planning process /drawdown of the federal amount. The in -kind amount ($5,000) has been fulfilled. ® David & Bre made a draft sales pitch (Attachment 2). It was suggested to change order — 1 is the same, 2 is 8, 3 is 6, 4 is 7, 5 is 5, 6 is 2, 7 is 3, and 8 is 4. Bre will change the order. ® It was suggested to get a boilerplate for certain groups. See Attachment 3 ® Troy has the document stating how much money each county has received and he will send this pdf to Bre for inclusion in the sales pitch. ® We need a cover letter that should go on our stationary. Bre will prepare this. We can adjust it depending on the recipient. MJ has a cover letter that she will send to Bre. ® The deadline for getting letters out will be September 27th. Bring to the National meeting an inventory of who has been solicited, any responses and checks. ® Jane sees our stakeholders as businesses, i.e. hotels, banks, restaurants, Historical Societies, Chamber of Commerce groups, Convention and Tourism offices. Cities, County Conservation Boards, campgrounds, previous recipients, hospitals, and industries (we may have to write grants for industries). ® We should ask our Board of Supervisors for their support, a letter, rather than money if they are unable to contribute financially. ® MJ had July numbers: International tourists spent $153B in 2011 and that is 14% over 2010. MJ distributed Attachment 4. The Mississippi River is the third most requested destination. This information could go into the cover letter. ® Part of what we send out could be asking for suggestions on who would be potential contacts for solicitations. Planning for the National Meeting in 2013: Patsy Ramacitti and John Goodmann ® John wants to use the Quad Cities as our base because of financial, travel, and accommodation reasons. ® Patsy met with April Boyer and Nancy Donovan of Isle of Capri. (Attachment 5) ® A third option for dates would be to start at noon on the 25th (Thursday) and end Saturday the 27th at 1:00 ® Edith moved and Jay seconded to shoot for Option #3, Thursday - Saturday. ® For the Hospitality Suite, each commissioner should bring some food/beverages produced in their county. Jay will chair the Hospitality Suite Committee. Edith will help. MJ will bring two cases of home brew. John G. to get Templeton Rye. ® Thursday will be lunch in a bag at reservation. ® It was suggested to have a band on Thursday night. We could get the River 6 Band. Another suggestion was to have a costume night where you dressed as your favorite river person. We could have a taste of Iowa meal. ® For Friday lunch we need to have a speaker. It was suggested to have the man who portrays Mark Twain. ® MJ suggested having a bus run people to Dubuque for a Friday night meal. Patsy will look into this. Other suggestions were to look into The Figge Museum or the Putnum Museum or use the new convention center in Bettendorf (The Waterfront). Our first choice is to go to Dubuque. ® Saturday lunch plans would be to have it more casual as people will be wanting to get home. ® Invite someone from the State DOT to speak. ® Responsibilities of Individual Commissioners: This depends on the final program. We can suggest what we want to see in the general session. ® Patsy will get these ideas together and get them out to us. President's Report: John Goodmann ® He is preparing his report and will send us a pdf file. We should send this to our County representatives and include this with a letter asking for donation National Meeting in Louisville ® Assignments for National Committees (Suzanne needs an updated list with committee assignments): a. John O. and Larry— Ag b. Jane, Deb and MJ— Marketing c. Edith and Patsy — Culture & Heritage d. Jay and John G — Transportation ® Meet Friday morning the 28th at 7:30 for our State meeting. Foundation Solicitations ▪ Iowa should have raised $5,000 last year, but the Foundation understands that we are raising money for our CMP Website ▪ Larry said it was blank. He is starting to get information for the two cities he's responsible for. Clinton is not totally loaded. The most important thing is the calendar of events, but 365 hasn't finished it yet. Each community would be in charge of keeping the calendar up -to- date. MJ will call Bryce and see when the calendar will be up. John will also call him ® It was suggested to contact our Chamber of Commerce Office, give them our password and they can load it because they know how to do it. ▪ At the end of May Bryce sent the password information to us. Jane will resend his June 1st e -mail. ® Everyone should navigate in and enter information for their county. Other ® Edith called the IDOT and is on the agenda (5 -20 min or whatever you request) for their meeting in Clinton on August 14th. We were gong to talk about CMP, but we aren't far enough along. John would rather do it when CMP is finished. Dave could prepare a public awareness 5- minute speech for John to give outlining our recent stakeholder meetings. John could send them a copy of his report to the commissioners instead of attending meeting. • Edith requested more maps, but we have been given our free allotment. The cost for 2,500 maps is $135. People requesting more could buy them and sell them. This was the purpose of the marketing committee. Jay moved and MJ seconded that we buy a box. Jane will pick them up and distribute them to Effigy Mounds and Edith. They will then be told if they want more, they have to buy them. Motion passed. ® Edith thought we were supposed to go to the National meeting with ideas how Iowa is planning to celebrate the MRPC's 75th anniversary. MJ suggested we work through the Eastern Iowa Tourism Office. Could they put out a news release to highlight our anniversary? John was asked to call the National Office and see if there is any specific plan to do anything. Are they planning to use any of their excess money to pay for this, i.e. banners? Edith suggested a sticker to put on the back of trucks. ▪ John will also ask national about the new MRPC bylaws because there should be something in there about staff evaluations. These were approved at the Little Rock meeting, but the only thing we voted on regarding bylaws was about the foundation. ▪ Edith suggested putting out a press release about our meetings and asking for money for our CMP. Jane will write a draft. Then we'll run it by everyone. We should contact our county papers. ® Troy needs the lunch menu for Edith for the State wide training meeting. She's the only one attending. Next Meeting ® September Louisville meeting at 7 :30 a.m. on the 28th. The meeting was adjourned at 2:20 pm. Respectfully submitted, Debra J. Jochims Recording Secretary IOWA MRPC September 28, 2012 Cafe Magnolia at The Galt House Louisville, Kentucky Welcome /Roll Call: John Goodmann ® John called the meeting to order at 8:03 am. ® Commissioners Present: John Goodmann, Deb Jochims, John Oberhaus, MJ Smith, Patsy Ramacitti, Jay Schweitzer, Jane Regan, and Edith Pfeffer ® Commissioners Absent: Larry Kruse ® Technical Members Absent: Ron Deiss , Troy Seifert ® Also present was David Dahlquist Minutes: Deb Jochims ® Moved by Patsy, seconded by Jane. Approved Financial: ® See Attachment 1 ® We only spent about $700. We will wait one quarter before adjusting the budget to see how the fundraising is going. Fundraising for the C Plan: Jane Regan ® See Attachment 2. There are a few more in her mailbox. ® In the next quarter we are to concentrate on making contacts. Jane will keep us posted. ® Patsy moved and Jay seconded that funds be moved from the MRPC account to Troy to pay the Dahlquist bill. Carried. Planning for the National Meeting in 2013: Patsy Ramacitti and John Goodmann • Patsy reiterated the need to coordinate everything through Suzanne ® It was suggested to hold it from noon April 25 through noon on the 27th ® She noted that hotel rooms in the new tower are $89 per night. She sent a proposal to Suzanne. ® A subcommittee was appointed to organize the meeting. Serving on this committee will be Patsy, John G, Edith and MJ. They will meet November 12th at 1:00 at the Dubuque Museum. John will make arrangements. ® We need to present a theme. Send ideas to the subcommittee. ® Suggested speakers: • Head of DOT regarding clarification of the new rules regarding money distribution. Edith will contact him. • Invite the Governor and Lt. Governor. Edith and John will contact them right away. Use our stationary with John's signature. We must fill out a request form. • Invite someone from Iowa Tourism. Edith and John will contact them. ® A suggested trip to Dubuque would include a Friday evening meal. We would need one bus plus our cars. Act Three out of the QC rents buses. Leave at 4:00 and return at 9:00 Fulfillment of Vacant Seat: ® Edith understands it has been filled. ® Hopefully there is headway on filling the technical appointments. Maps/Website ■ The price for new maps is more than what was approved. The 10 -state map cost is .60 per card. ■ Regarding the website, Dubuque and Clinton County are on. Patsy has all the information and just needs to input it. Jay and Deb haven't done anything. MJ needs to follow -up with someone. The C of C and Tourism offices have this information. Jane suggested the need to partner with the R C & D's because they have already done this. Technical Committees: ■ MARKETING — Jane relayed: ✓ The committee discussed the $2,000 cost per state for the proposed app we heard about in the general session. She recommends that National pay 1/2 of this application cost and each state would pay the balance. ✓ Today the committee worked on ideas of what we wanted to see in the app. New Business: ■ It was suggested to invite Laura Friest, head of the NE Iowa R C & D, to our next meeting and also to meet in Dubuque. Old Business: ■ Meeting Rules ✓ Did everyone receive the e -mail from Troy? Troy put the notice on the website for this meeting. We should be careful when preparing the agenda to be certain to include everything on it before the meeting. For the next meeting, John will discuss with Troy the procedure. • Corridor Management Plan ✓ A meeting will be called. The meeting was postponed at 9:00 to reconvene during the lunch break. The meeting was reconvened at 1:35 pm. Roll Call: same as above Technical Committees: Continued ■ MARKETING — Jane reported: ✓ The committee is sponsoring two contests: 1) on Facebook if you hit "like" you are entered to win one of ten baskets filled with $100 worth of food or related items. Each state is compiling a basket. This contest ends tomorrow. 2) send in a picture of food. A $250 Visa card will be given to one winner. ✓ They are continuing to work on the app situation. ✓ The website will be redone pending approval of money. ✓ They are also working on a Japanese tourism grant that has a time frame. They plan to convert all sites into Japanese. ▪ CULTURE AND HERITAGE — Edith reported: ✓ Each commissioner should visit the interpretive center within their county and check to be sure they are open and verify the hours. David suggested taking a picture. Also, get the name of the staff and ask if they know they are an interpretive center. Take along the requirements for interpretive centers to see if they are complying. Please send this information to Edith. ✓ They will try to remove LeClaire, WI. ✓ She suggested we look at 5, 8 and 9 of the strategic plan. Who is going to put us on You Tube? ✓ Iowa has to come up with three stories. She was directed to check with Dubuque because they probably have oral stories. ▪ AGRICULTURE — John 0 reported: ✓ The liability of people going on your property for farm tours is tremendous. ▪ TRANSPORTATION — ✓ They are talking about structuring a document or effort for each state to use to create an advocacy situation to use with legislators, stakeholders, etc. This is so each state has a matrix for advocating on behalf of MRPC. ✓ Invite legislators to an update on what we do, how MAP 21 will work, etc. It was suggested that David and John G could put together a power point. This would probably work best if we went to our individual legislators. We probably need answers from IDOT first. Patsy suggested we contact Craig Markley to find out who is the most important to address. Planning for the National Meeting in 2013: Continued ® Patsy put together a rough sketch of the April meeting. She'll put this in an e -mail to us. New Business: Continued • MJ offered to go to Guttenberg in the spring. Next meeting: November 29, 2012 from 10 -2 at the River Center is Muscatine. John G. will make the arrangements. Adjourned: 2:10 pm Respectfully submitted, Debra J. Jochims Recording Secretary IOWA MRPC November 28, 2012 Button Factory Museum Muscatine, Iowa Welcome /Roll Call: John Goodman • John G. called the meeting to order at 10:07. • Commissioners Present: John Goodman, Deb Jochims, Larry Kruse, Mark Lawson, John Oberhaus, Edith Pfeffer, Patsy Ramacitti, Jane Regan and Jay Schweitzer. • Commissioners Absent: M J Smith • Technical Members Present: Troy Seifert • Also present were David Dahlquist, Breann Bye plus Joe Jaroz from the local newspaper. • John introduced Mark Lawson who lives in Bellevue and has an attorney's office in Maquoketa. He is the new Jackson County Commissioner. Minutes: Deb Jochims • Motion to accept the minutes of 9/28/12 was made by Patsy and seconded by Jane. Approved. Treasurer's Report: Troy Seifert • See Attachment 1. We have a remaining balance of $35,466.96. • The right column is remaining money. The middle column is what has been spent to date. Item #2 was budgeted at $1,000, but we spent $3,814.43. • Troy wants direction on how to revise. o All of the money solicited should be funneled to CMP prep. John G. will send Troy an e -mail to that effect. o Jane moved and Jay seconded that Troy take the CMP money line to "as needed ". Passed. o We are in transition to be electronic rather than paper so the Newsletter Line Item would be less. o Troy sent information regarding commissions that the State has and there are lots of guidelines to follow. He can resend. He really needs our meeting dates two weeks prior to the meeting. o John O. moved and Larry seconded the approval of this report (Attachment 1). Passed • Bre has a template of the interpretive centers, but it must be tweaked. Once National approves the eco tourism center, we should tweak the template. The template is an adobe file. The map is a background file and can be made in color. $500 would get lots of tear -off maps. Since National has lots of money, Patsy feels they should pick up the cost of the maps. There are also larger maps. National feels the most desirable map is the tear -off map. Some states do it in color. Patsy moved and Jay seconded that we retroactively approve going ahead with the tear -offs. Passed. CMP Fundraising Report & Update: Jane Regan • Fundraising effort to date — See Attachment #2. o She paid the Dahlquist bill and we have a balance of $5,723.05. • We need to raise $12,000 so we are half way there. • Bre will tweak the template letter and send to everyone. • John asked Troy if it's correct that all money raised should be disbursed to the consultant. Troy said we can spend it on any timeline. It is most appropriate to disburse at the end of the fiscal year. The more money we raise outside, the faster we get the CMP done. Troy suggested we always ask for more than we think they can give. CMP: David & Bre • Patsy said the CMP committee was impressed with the Dalquist Plan. He prepared a supplement #2 (Attachment 3). This is a compilation of various jobs we are instructed to do per the by -laws, etc. • At our next committee meeting in January we will have a work session to focus on things in the short and long term. • Page 20 gives the framework on making decisions. This is a template for a yearly review and deals with changing members' priorities. • Attachment 4 deals with Assigning Actions to Activities: o How might we define an action? o Each county is different so each county could do this at their level. • Troy will send Mark a copy of the old CMP. National 2013 Spring Meting: John G • Attachment 5 is an e -mail from Susanne. The least expensive route is to go to the Isle. It is $1,000 less. • We would like to take a field trip to the Dubuque museum for supper. It is a one hour and ten minute drive. We need to get the costs to Susanne. We've already sent her the cost of a bus. John G. will do work on the cost of the meal. We would have a cash bar. Mark will help John. The director, Jerry Enzler, will give a brief overview of the museum. A suggestion would be to have a buffet so people can eat and view the exhibits. MJ could possibly help. Patsy moved and Jay seconded that the spring meeting be held on 4/26 & 27 at the Isle of Capri and on Friday we offer a trip to the Dubuque Museum (River Discovery Center) and have a hospitality room only on Thursday night. Passed. John G. will write Susanne with our decisions. • Hospitality with Jay in charge will offer local products. We are to let Jay know what and how much we can bring. Everyone bring information to our January meeting. We will have table tents with product names and addresses. • Possible speakers: o Have a speaker on Map 21 on how it's progressed. Troy said someone from IDOT will speak. Luben Quinones from the Federal Highway Commission in Ames might be a possible speaker. Edith will meet him tomorrow and ask him if he could speak. Luben is our first choice, but if he can't do it, then IDOT will. o Have a speaker from Iowa Tourism. Possibly Deb Durham as she's the head of the whole thing. o John G to ask Shauna Loden. o Update on the National website. The National office would provide a speaker. o Send a letter of invitation to Governor Branstad. John G and Edith will sign it. o Dr. Ruth Hawkins from Arkansas. o Have a Show Choir during lunch. o The subject of fracking, but we need to find an objective speaker. Maybe someone from TX or OK. Jane will try to find a speaker. She will check in Plattsville. o Peter Ellis from Peoria gives great river speeches. National should contact him o Laura Freist from Scenic Byways could highlight what IA is doing. Troy will contact her. o John G. will put together another a rough draft and send it to Susanne and all the commissioners. o Troy needs an e -mail stating that we are not pursuing money from the commission. John G. will send this. Other Business: • Patsy reports that John David from WQAD asked to speak with her. He wanted to talk about the lowering of water in the Mississippi River south of the Missouri River. She told him that this is not our focus and we do not have a seat at the table. ® Patsy suggested we should put on the agenda that we go before the commission and ask for an unknown amount of increase in our appropriation. We need to go through the DOT staff first. They do the State budget early in the year and there is about a one year lag. We must send Troy a letter of request. Patsy will write this letter. It's been since about 2002 that it's been $40,000. She'll ask for $15,000 more. Patsy moved and Edith seconded that we notify IDOT that we will request an increase of $15,000 in appropriation beginning in fiscal year 2014. This will be submitted to Troy with John G's signature. Passed. This should be submitted ASAP. Jay and Mark will vet it. ® We should encourage National to dip into their reserves for maps. Next Meeting: ® The meeting is set for January 31st and Patsy could get the Bettendorf City Library. Patsy will make arrangements. The snow date is February 7th. Adjourned: Noon Respectfully submitted Debra J Jochims Secretary IOWA MPRC February 7, 2013 Bettendorf Public Library Bettendorf, Iowa Welcome/Roll Calla John Goodman • John G. called the meeting to order at 10:03. • John introduced visitors Craig Markey. IDOT Director of Systems Planning and Deb Arp who is filling in for Troy temporarily. • Commissioners Present: John Goodman, Deb Jochims, John Oberhaus, Edith Pfeffer, Patsy Ramacitti and Jay Schweitzer • Commissioners Absent: Larry Kruse, Jane Regan, and MJ Smith. • Technical Advisors Present: • Visitors: David Dahlquist, Breann Bye, Becca Drewsup, Deb Arp, Craig Markley, Al Bohling. • It was announced that Mary Stahlhut will be Troy's replacement for Byways Planning Minutes: Deb Jochims • John 0. moved and Jay 2nd to approve the minutes. Approved. Treasurer's Report: John G in lieu of Troy • See Handout 1 • This is the same as last month except we received a bill for National dues, but it's not processed yet. Patsy moved and Deb 2nd to accept the report. Passed. Dahlquist and Associate Presentation: David, Bre, Becca • David introduced Becca as an assistant. She will help with the Visitor's Survey. Her home is Des Moines. She is a graduate of ISU and is enrolled now at WIU in Museum Studies. She's fully available this summer. She is now taking classes thru the Figge Museum. The surveys will be done at the interpretive centers. She wants to spend time in each county. The three of them will put together a work plan soon. • See Handout 2 "CMP Work Session" • The CMP has 14 points we are to address, but that may not be the only things to be done. He has developed a more comprehensive and simplistic plan. Many CMPs don't prioritize activities. He suggests a list of core activities, which could be condensed. 1. Framework Approach Orientation i. Way showing Components - providing signs, maps, electronic apps, etc. ii. Interpretive Communication Services & Media - tell the stories iii. Planning & Management Services -We are a place for people to learn about GRR iv. Right -of -Ways & View shed Management- vegetation management. v. Visitor Services - provide everything visitors expect i.e. restrooms, gas, information, accessible vi. Livability Development -How do byways add to the qualities of local communities & economic impact ® Performance Levels: Then has list of level of performance in these areas. ® Actions: i. Informed non - action - decide at this time not to do anything, but we are aware of it ii. Monitoring -Just watch for awhile iii. Proactive Communication -Stay on top of the item and inform stakeholders of what is happening with it. Events & Festivals using website or constant contact. Just delivering info to people iv. Cooperative Services Agreement -have partner who will fulfill this need. i.e. - don't have formal agreement with DOT, but they provide and install new signs, State Parks may offer management for IC, but there are some things we want them to do, contract with Dahlquist, website. v. Management of Funded Projects -These have time limits. It's a way to get activities or actions done vi. Development of Financial Resource -Takes more effort vii. Continued Program Operation -Takes more effort. Year after Year, we are continually funding this activity. 2. Individual Action Suggestions: ® We all submitted our ideas and David put them on the matrix. 3. Refinement ® We indicated with green and red stickers if we liked where the activity was placed in a certain performance level. 4. Overall Observations ® David said we should work with Regional Planning Associations and Metropolitan Planning Organizations because IDOT has delegated the responsibility of choosing who get grants to these groups instead of the DOT. They have $3.4M (mainly for infrastructure) so you could get 50% from RPO, 30% could come from IDOTs discretionary fund ($1M), with the remainder being matched. This is for 2013 and 2014 funding, but since the RPAs and MPOs have a 1 -year delay, this money will be available for 2014 and 2015. Now there is $250,000 in State funding for by -ways specifically and it's suggested they add another $250,000. Matching is required. We would be able to apply. We could apply for implementation of our CMP out of the $250,000. • There is a meeting Feb 19th 9:00 at Holiday Inn in Ames. They are bringing in some by -way people. We need several commissioners to attend. Craig will send an e -mail to us. David and Bre would be able to attend. Patsy suggested getting the two MPOs and four RPAs within the GRR together with us after this meeting. Set up a special meeting for them. Make them part of our mailing list. • David needs to know before July 1 regarding a request increasing in our funds. We go to the IDOT with this request. This is for 2015. • We need to increase awareness in our communities about the road • David -will reach out to MJ, Jane and Larry about today. He wants us to turn in our action sheets. 5. Next Steps • Bre and David will compile our changes. They'll be ready to give us a report at our next meeting (Spring). We may have to meet again in March and they would be ready with their report. They do have some travel dates in March so the end of March would be better. Meet March 21st at Bettendorf Library. 10am Update on the Planning of the Spring Meeting: John G. • THURSDAY EVENING: o The Dubuque visit allows us to have a buffet in the aquarium. People traveling can make arrangements. Make it an option and RSVP. We could also invite others so they get to know us. Pasty moved, Deb 2nd that we have the Dubuque visit on Thursday. Motion Passed. Susanne will let people know they have to RSVP. It's a perfect opportunity to invite our local planning people and elected community officials. It will cost about $21 with a cash bar. The commission will cover the cost of the bus. • Programming ideas o Fri 9-Noon General Session (about 2 hours of programming) ® John G. hasn't received a response from the Governor's office. He could extend the invitation to Kim Reynolds. Patsy will contact the Mayor of Bettendorf. • Bill Gluba, vice chair of Mayors' Initiative. Patsy will contact him. If he's not available, John has other suggestions. • Iowa DOT can speak on Map 21. Deb Arp will speak for 20 minutes then 40 minutes for David and a panel to discuss how CMP planning is affected by Map 21. Include states in different levels of revising CMPs. • Carol Zoft of MN could coordinate a panel discussion on Map 21. John G. to call her. o Friday 12:15 -1:45 Lunch and Speaker (maybe 20 -30 minute speaker) • We need a luncheon speaker or show choir. Davenport North HS is the number one show choir in the state. Patsy will contact them. o Saturday 12:00 -1:00 Lunch • Mr. Ellis is an actor from Peoria who preforms on the riverboat and talks about the river. Edith will see if he has the date free (Sat. lunch). Follow this with Laura and byway information. • Marion Johnson could speak during Sat. lunch. She canoes the MS. o Saturday 1:15 -3:00 General Session (about 90 minutes of programming) • Jane was going to speak to Laura Friest, about presenting. She could share the story about the state scenic byway association here in Iowa. She also has info on fracking. She will talk on Sat for 60 minutes about one of these topics. • Could we have someone from the MS River Country speak on tourism? Susanne should contact. They could speak Sat afternoon. Talk to the head of the MO Department of Tourism. o Other Ideas • Something about the 75th /The Great Race. Who would be the speaker on this? • Possibility - someone speak about RAGBRI if we can get a N - S route. o Assignments: • John to contact Carol - putting together panel, Jane about Laura, Susanne, Kim Reynolds • Edith - Mr. Ellis • Patsy - Bob Gluba, Bettendorf Mayor, Show Choir ® Hospitality Room Friday 7:00 -11:00 o Jay is in charge of the hospitality committee. ® Jay to send us an e -mail and we will get back to him with what we can bring from our county. ® Friday Evening Dinner - on your own o Patsy will put together a list of local restaurants for Fri. night. Edith could take people to Le Claire. E. Davenport has some restaurants that are close by. We should divide up and take people to these restaurants. Have a sign -up sheet. o Patsy will check to see if the Figge is open Fri. night. ® Other Ideas o A lot of time will be spent in Technical Committees. Honorary members could be advisors at these meetings. o Edith thinks 6 hours for technical meetings is too much. John will contact Susanne. Some committees don't function well i.e. they don't have an agenda, don't have chairs present, don't have a plan of action. o Include a pamphlet regarding Dubuque in with the invitation so we get attendees on Thursday night. o Send a separate packet of IA information to those sign up for the meeting. o Shawna Blotey from Des Moines could possibly help us regarding tourism. o Do we need to put together a goody bag with information from each community? Should we bring this to our next meeting and put together 50 bags? We could put advertising items from banks, hospitals, small bags of pearl buttons, etc. o Susanne contacts local CVBs about our spring meeting. Other Business: ® Who do we contact to get appointments from the department heads of Economic Development, Tourism and Natural Resources? ® Patsy read an e -mail from Troy containing a letter from Stewart Anderson dated 12/20/12. John G will forward this to all commissioners Adjourned: 3:12 Respectfully submitted, Debra J Jochims Secretary Mtnutes of the Iowa IVi?: .PC Me Location: Bettendorf — The Lodge Meeting opened at 10:15 a.m. g Commission Board Members Present: Chairman John Goodman; Patsy Ramacitti (Scott County); John Oberhaus (Muscatine County); Edith Pfeffer (Clinton County); M.J. Smith (Clayton County); Jane M. Regan (Allamakee County); Liasons: Mary Stahlhut, Scenic Byways Program Manager Iowa DOT; Deb Arp, Iowa Dot; Absent: Larry Kruse (Lee County); Debbie Jochims (Des Moines County); Jay Schweitzer (Louisa County). Unrepresented: Jackson County due to no active appointee Chairman John Goodman opened the meeting with discussion and planning for the Semi - Annual Meeting of the 10 State MRPC Commission which our Commission is hosting in Bettendorf, IA on April 26 -28`h at the Isle of Capri Hotel and Convention Center. Opening Reception and Dinner: Discussion regarding attendees of our Dubuque Museum reception and what fee to charge for Non - member Guests that are not members. John suggested this is an appropriate time to invite transportation or local DOT commissioners that may want to attend the opening dinner. John will advise Suzanne to add $5.00 to each meal at the Museum for Non Members. Individual Names suggested by Board Members to send invitations to are: Debbie Duram, IDOT Commissioners, DNR, County Conservation Officers, County Engineers, City Council Members, Board of Supervisors, Local State Senators and Representatives, Regional Planning Commissions /Organization Executive Directors and Transportation Planners within the RPOs ( By -State Regional in Rock Island, East Central Intergovernmental Association , Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission, Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission) Lora Friest of Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission, recently formed Mississippi River Mayors group, Chamber Directors, Economic Development and Tourism Directors. John will do it electronically unless someone specifically asks him to send a mailed invitation to specified individuals. Board Member Action: By next Friday at the latest each Board Member must provide John Goodman with a list of individuals from your County or Region the you wish to have an invitation or feel it appropriate to invite to the Opening Reception and Dinner in Duque at the River Museum on April 25. Speakers for the Event: Mayor of Dubuque: Roy Buol will give a welcome, Jerry Enzler, Director of the Museum will speak and welcome everyone. M.J. Smith, being the longest serving commissioner of the Iowa MRPC will present facts on the dollars that have been received by MRPC recipients of grants and for the funding of the MRPC projects for the entire 10 States including its economic impact to the Great River Road. MJ will check to see if there is a place at the Museum we could do a Laptop Powerpoint display of the sites along the 10 River States funded through MRPC. This should be available from the National Office. John mentioned the Dubuque Campus "if the snow has melted by end of April" has a separate building, the IMAX Center, where people can visit as well. Information sheets should be available to our guests of the hours of operation so that if they wish to visit them while on the campus they may. Mary Stahlhut will provide the banner from the DOT that has all the Scenic Byways on it including our new Iowa Great River Road Sign so that everyone can see what we have done with signage throughout Iowa. Margo McInnis from the Quad Cities CVB, present at 10:30. Margo came to ask what assistance we needed of them for the conference. She offered to put together our Welcome "bags" with Quad Cities information, maps, itinerary for spouses for a Friday day trip with options to LeClaire or Muscatine, including highlights of must see sights in the area. Patsy requested that Margo be sure her information designates the Putnam Museum as a National MRPC Interpretive Center. Great River Road Maps should be included as well as the tear offs of our Iowa Interpretive Centers. Action: John will get the updates from each of us for the tear off GRR map (remove LeClaire add Camanche new center etc) and have it reprinted as soon as possible so we have plenty available to stuff the "Welcome Bags" that Quad Cities CVB is providing. Bettendorf Mayor will do a Welcome at the General Session on Friday, April 26 at 9:00 a.m. Patsy will introduce the Mayor of Bettendorf. First presentation on Friday will be Lora Friest from RC &D of Northeast Iowa . Jane will introduce Lora. Action: Jane confirm if Lora was contacted by National Office staff and if she is available yet on Friday a.m. and will she talk on fracking as well as the Scenic By -Ways. The 75th Anniversary Celebrations of each State will be announced on Friday, April 26 as well. National Office staff will update the 10 States on the Great Race event which the National Board has approved $5,000 of funds for marketing and promotion. This funding level makes us an official sponsor of The Great Race and will be paid to the event organizers of the Great Race. The entire Great River Road is NOT being travelled on for this event. Stops in Iowa are Dubuque and overnight in Davenport LeClaire Park. Iowa Commissioners Note: As many of our commissioners that can attend the Great Race event on June 23 in the Quad Cities to man the booth must be there and in attendance. More details to follow after the April National Meeting and further direction is given from Suzanne and Lyn at the Natioinal Office. Edith commented that in Clinton for the 75th Anniversary of the GRR the Art Gallery will be doing pictures through the summer of photography and paintings of the Mississippi River on display and asking the community to participate. The Historical Society will do a joint display honoring the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln Highway and 75th anniversary of GRR. Mississippi River Cities & Towns Initiative (Bill Gluba, Mayor from Davenport) will speak at the Friday Noon luncheon. Someone that attended the meeting in DC in March should be there and present. Patsy will introduce Bill. Next discussion was how the Iowa Commissioners will act as hosts for the "Dinner on Your Own" Friday evening. Edith suggested LeClaire being a destination that night with restaurants available such as the Faithful Pilot, The Crane and The Pelican, Sneeky Pete, The Blue Iguana, Stephansens. The Brew Pubs in LeClaire, Steeplegate Fish Fry in Davenport. Friday morning all members will receive a list of eating places we choose to offer as choices, and this will include a tear off at the bottom so that each registrant can advise which restaurant they want to eat at that evening how many reservations they need. Commissioners will split up and act as hosts to the various eating places chosen. Action: John will send Margo an email today and ask for the suggestions on dining places. Hospitality Room: Jay Schweitzer is in charge of the Hospitality room. MJ's husband brewed a case of beer. Each member will bring something from their county locally made to share as an appetizer or drink in the hospitality room.. Wines, salsa, olive salsa from Camanche, BoJees horseradish, Sterzings chips from Burlington, new bourbon from LeClaire, ACTION: all commissioners let Jay know what you might be able to have donated from your County as food for the hospitality room. I.E. Wine, beer, chips, specialty dips made from specific products grown in your community, cheese curds and cheese made at a local dairy in your County, salsa, horseradish, bourbon from LeClaire. Our state meeting on Saturday, April 27 at 8:00 a.m. will be held at the Calipso Cafe in the Isle of Capri from 8:00 to 9:00. John will have all new tear off maps at that meeting ready to hand out to each commissioner to take back to our counties. Deb Arp will make a presentation Friday during the General Session on Map 21 on behalf of Iowa DOT. Jay will introduce Deb on behalf of the Transportation Committee. Carol Zoff of MN DOT and MN MRPC commission will lead a discussion panel at this time also. Lyn Pylch /National Office will lead discussion on the MRC update and the 10 State Partnership Program regarding Japanese Tourism. Update on the Commerce Department grant to the MRC for $250,000 will be made at this time also. John Goodman will give the State Report for Iowa as the final presentations from the States are made on Saturday morning during the General Session. Action: All Iowa MRPC commissioners will meet on April 25 at Noon in the Calipso Room in the South Tower at the Isle of Capri for a work session prior to the Opening of the Semi Annual 10 State MRPC that afternoon. (Patsy will make arrangements for a table to accommodate our group lunch) Discussion was held regarding the expense of the Iowa Facebook Contest winner that the 10 States Marketing Committee had given approval to the National Office staff to run on Facebook this past fall. It was a contest requesting entrants from Friends on Facebook of their favorite food they have eaten at restaurants along the GRR. Each State agreed to provide a gift basket for one of the 10 winners and the basket was to have a $100 value. Patsy stated this was never approved by the National Board. Several of us advised Patsy that each State agreed to provide a $100 gift basket whether that be by "free dontations" or purchasing items to include in the basket. Edith Pfeffer had a bill to present for her items contributed to the basket. Jane and MJ reminded the board we are in the business to promote the GRR and this was a promotion of the GRR. Patsy moved /MJ seconded for authorization of up to $150 for expenses of items and shipping costs for our participation in the marketing committees Facebook Contest and to have IDOT move that appropriation of dollars to the marketing line item in the budget. Motion Passed with all ayes. John Goodman reported that the funding for the Iowa MRPC which was in great jeopardy in the transportation bill of the Iowa Senate will remain in the transportation budget. Brian Moore from Jackson County advised Edith that the Iowa MRPC needs to continue to educate legislators and provide face to face updates to the State Senators and Representatives. The President of the Senate Pam Jochum assured Goodman they understand the purpose of the MRPC and we will remain funded. Edith restated we need to work both sides of House and Senate and discuss what we are about. Our own representatives on the GRR must be kept in the loop. Patsy and Deb Arp led discussion on the Federal DOT dollars that will be funneled from IDOT to the Regional Planning Organizations. Deadline for application is April 15th for the small $1,000,000 Statewide Program grant the Iowa DOT funds. The MPO's (municipal planning organizations) and RPO's (regional planning organizations) all handle their own deadlines for theft money. This small Statewide Program would have been a perfect program for our signage. Is there something we need all along the GRR that is an eligible activity under transportation alternatives definitions? It will be too late for this year's deadline but keep this in mind for future funding from the Iowa DOT from this small Statewide Grant program. Deb Arp stated it is primarily for construction of such items as a pedestrian and bicycle facilities, conversion of abandoned RR to trails, outdoor advertising mgmt., rehab of historic transportation facilities, storm water mitigation or wildlife management related to highways, scenic turnouts and overlooks. ACTION STEP: MRPC Commissioners in each of the Regional Planning Organizations territories are to meet and discuss talking points with the Executive Directors and Transportation Directors of the RPOs, engaging in discussion of what the RPO's have in mind to use their money on and what their procedures will be for applying for the dollars. This is our opportunity to discuss with the RPOs our role on the MRPC Pkwy and ask how we can work together to promote the GRR. May we serve as aadvisors to their technical committee for their transportation funds? Jane and MJ will go to UERPC. Edith and John Goodman will meet and talk to Chandra the Transportation Sr. Planner at Eastern Iowa RPO. John Oberhous and Patsy will go to Muscatine and Scott Co and The Bi -State Commission. Jay, Debbie and Larry will go to SE Iowa Regional Planning Commission. We need to ask who the decision makers are on each RPO Board and continue discussions with them. ACTION : Make report of our meetings with the RPO's and send our findings to John Goodman by April 19`h. These must be done by this date. Make your contacts now. Deb Arp will send our members the summary of the changes from Safety Lu to Map 21 for each member to read and understand before attending the RPO. All contacts must be made with the RPOs before the April meeting. Personally invite these people to the SA mtg or at least to Dubuque Opening Dinner Reception. Advise them we will be talking about MAP21 on Saturday April 27 during the General Session. Carol Zoff could have someone from a RPO in Iowa to be on the panel on Saturday if any of our RPO Executive Directors would like to volunteer. If you get a volunteer contact John so that he can contact Carol Zoff. RPA are Regional Planning Affiliations and MPOs are metropolitan Planning Organizations within the RPA. John asked for a budget update from the Iowa DOT but they did not have it available for our meeting. Jane gave the following update on the fundraising to date by our Iowa MRPC for the match on the CMP grant. To date our checking account balance with all donations and a little interest earned is $5,750.42. Total contributions to date has been $6,652. One disbursement to Dahlquist and Associates. John commented that our State Budget of $40,000 is appropriating dollars each year to our match as well. Reminder to Commissioners: continue to ask from your County's that we have not heard from yet. Those contributing to date are Dubuque, Clayton, Clinton, Louisa. Adjournment: Motion MJ, Second Oberhous. Carried. Submitted by: Jane M. Regan Acting Secretary for Debbie Jochims IOWA MRPC Saturday, April 27, 2013 The Isle Hotel, Calypso Restaurant, Bettendorf, Iowa Roll Call: Commissioners Present: John Goodman, Debbie Jochims, Larry Kruse, John Oberhaus, Edith Pfeffer, Jane Regan, Patsy Ramacitti, Jay Schweitzer, M.J. Smith. Technical Committee Present: Mary Stahlhut, DOT. Guests Present: David Dahlquist, Breann Bye, & Becca Drewsup of David L. Dahlquist & Associates. Absent: Jackson County Commissioner due to non - appointment Welcome: Chairman John G called the meeting to order at 8:00 am. Minutes: Patsy moved and Larry seconded the approval of the March 21, 2013 minutes. Approved. Treasurer's Report: No action was taken on the Expense Report (Attachment 1). Fundraising Status Report: Jane reported our CMP checking account had a balance of $6,054.05 as of April 18, 2013. Fulfillment of Open Jackson County Seat: Edith understands the seat will be filled at the same time the newly vacant seats are filled. No action taken. Website: Jane reported that the National website will be up by September with a link to our state website. Edith moved and M.J. seconded that we asked for a proposal from the NE Iowa RC &D for management of our website. Action: A subcommittee consisting of Edith, Jane and Mary will explore our website alternatives. Maps Distribution: Tear -off maps of the IGRR were made available as well as Agri Tourism rack cards and The Official Travel Guide to Iowa Byways. Technical Committee Reports: ® Marketing: Jane, Debbie & Patsy. 75th Anniversary ACTION: John G. will sign a proclamation request and Edith will deliver it to the governor. Edith moved and Jay seconded that we apply for the $500 grant from National for multi- media marketing materials. Passed. ACTION: John G will make the application and Jane will order t- shirts for the Great Race. Patsy moved and John G seconded that we order 30 collared shirts if possible. Passed. ACTION: John G referenced the sample proclamation and asked that we get as many mayors as possible to sign one then send them to John G. John G wants to take these to our September National Meeting. The National Website needs to include on our State page five evergreen events. John G moved and M.J. seconded that we notify National that our five events are 1) The Bix 7 held the fourth weekend in Davenport, 2) Guttenberg German Fest held the third weekend in September, 3) 4th of July Events in Bellevue and Clinton, 4) Steamboat Days held the week before Father's Day in June in Burlington and 5) The Tri -State Rodeo held the first week in September in Ft. Madison. Passed. Action: Debbie will forward this information to National. ® Cultural & Heritage: Edith stated that each state is to ask the following questions: o Does your IC have an existing banner? o Does your IC have Treasures of The GRR banner? And is your banner in good, standing position? o Does your IC have a metal pole to hold the sign up? And is your pole in good, standing condition? Action: Before May lOt'' we each need to visit the ICs in our county and report our findings to Edith. Later Edith will send us a request to evaluate the ICs. Action: If your cities have a daily itinerary, please send this to Edith. Visitor Satisfaction Survey Project Management Approach: David said the target is to get 400 completed surveys, but the results will not be broken down according to counties. Patsy moved and Jane seconded that we approve this approach. Passed. Action: David asked us to review the sites in our county and let him know of any changes. Next Meeting: Shawna Lode from Tourism will come to our meetings. Our next meeting will be Thursday, June 6 at 11:00 at M.J.'s home in Guttenberg. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 8:55 am. Respectfully submitted, Debbie Jochims, Secretary Iowa Great River Road CORRIDOR. MANAGEMENT PLAN UPDATE ViSiotAing our F ttAre (dry chG ri,cjivg times An Initiative of the lows Mississippi River Parkway Commission The Corridor Jvcan.agement Plan. Update for the Iowa Great River Road is producing a variety of beneficial outcomes. Your support and contributions have been greatly appreciated. an() Pk-0011C A significant it ?Crease in the public awareness of the i PterconI' ?±'i rtvity of the roJi.°a Great River Road across the 10 Cotut?tie's !n Iowa through h L11i?1 Cil It travels. An 0),:j),(-411(414 i),: ?f ?aa'a;j' list of over 800 stakeholders who receive comn?unications re4jarding the owa i4ississippi River Parkway Commission OA MRP(,i and the Iowa Great River Road. The (level or rnent of a'''nivelFk'A;ryl.r i.s'1` 4' ?= ::tatpf'r :. 6419 r Olin ants r'e'lated to the Iowa Great 1'! f Oa' anti' its pal er c:wr_'r:ICii'S r tiU _i11c3r4'n!ZaL`ir.: ?n ?;.. The facilitation ofd teialteY1ioit'' -'.J' Jfp . "' `' tPJJi0 iind'"h irt'r7i iLr,'; of tc su.niniary .jocLity)eietoutlining tr.lis input he dove' roprJei?totci i'isf r= .:`,:'_�f' i r �1 = y th �.1 °r!RP" 06 u't - /o' rtcrAeanLa _ � r)'r y 9,,I �'1'Ll.a�'3'4yl a�d'- __ _l � ri`D� Ail "�':1 "I �tl �_ t- � } l5 their appropriate response l =v pis li ti rr_i to and ;, 8 f etr fo er 100 Iowa GtrPe. River i;� ;-tt, t° i_ttC:ft. �i, f, a r.. ,� "r' iV; of 't i 7t t1 .ti i .it�i �'erRC�a�� i' _ r" ,_�i _ �- - ,ia!tPti' Me ,illarr4in Of thi'ir ocati On s in a [BPS database. A. ad l' €'•I base of reesorz' Ceglees'w hiCbwillbeusefulfortheIA lri''1RPCaswel CIS partner sites d o r't i Lai ?!?r'r' tt ot?s I'iri p i'C +'` e? s ) The current if8`?iykn tJi Opinion iion xurvey aimed atacquiring feedback from visitors to and residents of the Iowa Cjreat. River Road region: Finally data tiles Cif all types developed e]r'_.rr'ing this project are available for sharing with 0 tE-'r p La bi tC to cj 4en Lies. In the t'pa_orn nq months, pleases look for a summary report of the ;owa Great River Road Visitor+ kesid rir surveys. Please WS plan to attend the next round of stae,:eholciermeetr'nas in the fall of 20. 3: Ahoni Ile 'rr7 ?atiot? Will be .provided oo soon. For i .fiobrnation on the Corridor Management Plan Update please contact David L. Dahlquist at 51,- 32 -1F,93 or John Goodmann at 563- 599- 4U500. explore To twa s great river road INTERPRETIVE CENTERS O Effigy Mounds National Monument 151 Highway 76. Harper's Ferry r-1-: (563) 873.3491 The Monument is located in northeast Iowa, along the 'Great River Road". It is along HWY 76,4 miles north of Marquette and McGregor ..... ........ ,,,,,,,,,, .. - .. O Iowa DNR Guttenberg Fish Hatchery & Aquarium 37 North River Park Drive, Guttenberg /Ti. (563) 252-1156 Near Lock and Dam 10. visitors YI.V a wide varicry of fish and aquatic wildlife. The aquarium is on the National Register of Historic Places O National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium 350 East Third Street, Dubuque rirt (563) 557-9545 Large freshwater aquariums. live animal exhibits, hands-on historical mbilw,awarking boatyard, wetland, National Rivers Hall of Fame, and the Milt( Black Boat 8 Breakfast delights toddlers to grandparents. . . .. — .. .. O Mines of Spain / E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center 8991 Bellevue Heights. Dubuque / Ti (563) 556-0620 The kirtkwaki Indians were some of the earliest inhabitants of this 1387 acre parks French-Canadien fur trader Julien Dubuque mined and traded lead here from 1780 to 1810. O HurstvIlle 18670 63rd St, Maquoketa rif: (563) 652-3783 The Thirsty& Interpretive Cenmr is located on an 10 acre wetland nr,e1 designed for multiple uses,velth an emphasis on environmental education and natural resource protection ...... .. O Mississippi Valley Welcome Center 900 Eagle Ridge Road, LeClaire (800) 747-7800 x120 The Gunter Sit, high on a bluff overlooking the scenic Mississippi RIM' Valley, featuring historical displays, picnic shelters and information on sights and activities throughout the state of foe, . .. O Buffalo Bill Museum 199 N. Front 5t, LeClaire Ti (563) 289.5560 The Buffalo Bill Museum collects, preset-res. Interprets and exhibits artifacts depicting the heritage of the region, particularly He along the Mississippi Ricca- and its early pioneers lite Buffalo Bill (VVilliain 3 Cody). . • O Putnam Museum of History and Natural Science 1717 W. 12th 5t, Davenport (Ti (563) 324-1933 Enjoy the Black ardvnig River rutere expenence, the mvard-winnircy River, Prairie and People History HAL treasures of the Asian/Egyptian Gallery, unique shopping, arid sn IM/IX theater. „ . .. O Nahant Marsh Education Center 4220 Wapello Ave, Davenport /I: (563) 323-5(96 This 513-acre urban wedand.formerly a Superfund Cleanup site, is now [1.110 co wildlife and a restored airie. Hiking trails and boardwalks with interpretive signage are open to the public year-round. O Muscatine History and Industry Center 117 West 2nd Street Musmtine /T: (563) 263-1052 Once ',mown as the"Pearl Butt. Capital of tlxiVVorld," Muscatine now produced buttons from freshwater mussel shells. &Fiore the intr-ramice exhibition of artifacts from the pearl button industry, purchase unique Luxon giro, and view the innovations of modern 'Made in Muscatine" industries. O Pine Creek Grist Mill 1884 Wildcac Den Road, Muscatine rib (563) 263-4337 Pine Creek Grist fildi vxss built in 1040 by Muscatine Countyr, first settler and was dosed in the 1920a.lt los been restored to demonstration condition and seems to be the oldest working gnst mill between the Mississippi River md the Rocky Mountains. 0 Toolesboro Indian Mounds & Museum 6568 Toolesboro Rd.Wapello / T: (319) 523 -6381 The Hopewellian mounds atToolcsboro arc among the best preserved and accessible remnants of an ancient culture that flourished from 200 B.C. to 400 AD. • . O Old Fort Madison 7(6 Riverview Drive, Fors Madison / 7: (319) 372-6318 The Fort is an accurate reconstruction of the first military garrison on the Upper Mississippi and became home to the 1st U.5. Infantry from 1808.1813. . , 0 George M.Verity Riverboat Museum 415 Blondeau, Keokuk (319) 524.5599 The Verity was the first of four wear/whips built inI927 for the reyival of cargo transportation on the Mississippi. Originally named the 5.5.Thorpe, tour the engine room, steeping quarters and galley. LN 1 „ I Base nap provided by the Iowa DOT VISITOR. e _ `V :R t m 16 18 19 m Osborne Nature Center, Iowa Weicomo Center Hwy 13,5 miles south of Elkeder T: (563) 245 -1516 Guttenberg Development B. Tourism Welcome Center 323 S. River Park Drive, Guttenberg 7:(563) 252 -2323 Iowa Welcome Center 300 Main St., Suite 100, Dubuque 7:0300) 798.8844 Jackson County Welcome Center 60488 Highway 64, Sabula T:(563) 687 -2237 Mississippi Valley Welcome Center Hwy 67 & Interstate 00, 900 Eagle Ridge Road, LeCkre 7 (000) 747 -7800 ext 120 Mississippi River Visitors Center Arsenal Island, Davenport T: (308) 794 -5338 Port of Burlington Welcome Center 400 Front Street, Burlington 7 (319) 752 -8731 CO6' VENTION EAUS Dubuque CVB 300 Main Sr.., Suite 2001 Dulwque, IA 52001 7(800)790 -4748 Clinton Area CVB 721 5 2nd St, Clinton, IA 52732 7:(563)242.5702 Quad Cities CVB 102 S Harrison 5t./ Davenport, IA 52801 T: (800)747 -7800 Muscatine CVB 102 Walnut 51/ Muscatine, IA 52761 7(800)257 -3275 Burlington CVB RlverPark Place 610 N.4th St. Suite 200 Burlington, IA 52601 /T (319)752 -6365 Fort Madison CVB 614 9th St, l Fort Madison, IA 52627 Tr(319)372 -5471 Keokuk Area CVB 404 Main St., Suite 1 / Keokuk IA 52632 T:(800)363.1219 ENFORMi3 I.N SOURCES; National Mississippi River Parkway Commission P.O. Box 59459, Minneapolis, MN 55459 -8207 763 - 212.25601 mississlpplriverinfo.com e -math info @rnississlppiriveccom Iowa Tourism Office Iowa Department of Economic Development 200 fast Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50309 7(800)345 -10WA 1 travellowacom Eastern Iowa Tourism Association Pa Box 189, Dyersville, IA 52040 T:(000)094 -34021 easternlowatourlsm.org e -mail• eita @easterniowatourism.org Iowa Department of Transportation Office of Systems Planning PO Box 1088, Dubuque, IA 520041080 Iowa MRPC exp erl encemissis s ipptriver,co m /sowacfm America's Byways byways.org Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission PO WA t R)1&T RIVER 1.10 ..4.0 COUNTIES ALLAMAKEE COUNTY Begin near New Albin and drive south through forests and farmland to Lansing. This old river town gives access to Mt Hosmer Park,a panoramic view of the Mississippi Valley and the tri -state area- Next, explore Yellow River State Forest -9,000 acres of public hunting, hiking and fishing. Visitors also have access to 3,000 acres of Mississippi River backwater areas. This area is truly a sports enthus'iast's paradise. CLAYTON COUNTY Drive south vaiting Iowa's only National Monument — Effigy Mounds. Try your luck at the casino in Marquette. McGregor has charming historic hones and businesses, with several antique stops. Enjoy Pike's Peak State Park overlooking the Mississippi where explorers Marquette and Joliet landed. The road, with bike path, now winds through magnificent bluffs and valleys to Guttenberg, the home of German stone buildings restored as restaurants and a riverfront inn. Visit the Lnckmaster's House Heritage Museum along the mile -long river front park and walkway. En -route is the historic fishing village, Clayton. DUBUQUE COUNTY Home of America's River.® Be sure to not miss the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium, Dubuque River RIden,Atboietum, Dubuque Museum of Art, Five Flags and Grand Theaters, Sundown ski area,trolley and carriage rides, Reid of Dmonts, and National Farm Tay Museum. Ride the Fendon Place Cable or and tour the Mathias Ham House. Enjoy the Victorian House tour and Progressive Dinner, Mystique Casino, Diamond fa Casino and Crystal Lake Cave. JACKSON COUNTY South of Dubuque visit St.. Donatus founded by skilled stone masons from Luxembourg. Then discover Bellevue with a beautiful riverfront park extending the full length of the town. Watch towboats "locking through" or eagles feeding below the dam. Other sites Include a historial museum, the Bellevue State Park with its limestone cliffs and renowned butterfly garden. Or experience nature hands on at the 18 acre HursM8e Lime Kilns interpretive Canter right off Highway 61, This 18 acre complex includes a wetland, reconstructed prairie, roadside observation deck trails and bird blind. CLINTON COUNTY Where the By -way meets the Lincoln Highway (U.S. 30), you will find Clinton. Our Riverview Pork with the Lillian Russell Showboat Theatre, aquatic center, marina, band shell, and Alliant Energy Stadium, home to the Clinton Lumber Kings (class A baseball team) sits on the majestic Mississippi River ready to entertain a diverse range of guests. Just north on Highway 67 you can view the widest point on the upper Mississippi River from a viewpoint in Eagle Point Park, The Bickel/leapt Arboretum, the Felix Adler Children's Discovery Center, The Linton County Historical Society Museum and the RiverArt Center are open for tourism activity. The new Candle light Restaurant on the riverfront has a perfect view of Old Man River and offers eagle watching in the Wmter, The Wild Rose Casino and Resort is located at the junction of Highway 30 and the Mificreek Expressway. SCOTT COUNTY Visit the new IMAX®Theatre & Putnam Museum, Bettendorf Family Museum for children, Buffalo Bi11 Museum, and Fefer ary Children's Zoo. Try your luck on the Isle of Capri Casino - Bettendorf or Rhythm City Casino-Davenport or take a cruise on the Channel Cot Water Taxi, Celebration Belle or Tv /Right. View agricultural exhibits at John Deere Commons. Enjoy festivals — Bix Beidelteecke weekend with Bix 7 and Junior Dix 7 road race, jazz festival and street fair, and Mississippi Volley Blues Fest, Quad City Festiva( ofTrees, Beaux Arts Fair. Shop at historic Village of East Davenport, quaint antique boutiques and two major shopping malls. MUSCATINE COUNTY Active and diverse, Muscatine 0 a community tucked between two river bluffs and is filled with many surprises. Come and experience our first -rate recreational facilities such as Wildcat Den State Pork, Shady Creek, Fairport Fish Hatchery and Weed Park with the new Aquatic Center. Our renowned Muscatine Art Center and the History and Industry Center offer a glimpse of Musatine's rich history. While you're here, don't forget to stroll along the streets of the historic downtown business district and visit the many unique retail shops. LOUISA COUNTY Louisa County Is located at the confluence of the Iowa and Cedar Rivers. The Iowa River flows mostly southeast to near Oakville where it joins the Mississippi River. Naturally, the area is characterized by broad floodplains containing many wetlands and marsh areas including the Mork Twain Wildlife Refuge. The adjacent wooded bluffs were favorite sites for Native Americans because of the abundance of nearby forage, fish, wildlife and waterfowl. Toolesboro has a series of Indian mounds and a fine visitor center. DES MOINES COUNTY Start your tour of historic Burlington at the Port of Burlington Iowa Visitors Center on the Mississippi by the imposing Great River Bridge. Visit the Catfish Bend Riverboat Casino and wall[ past the site of the First lows Territorial Capitol to the charming downtown West Jefferson Street Historic District. Tour the nearby Heritage Hill Historic District with its grand homes including the Phelps House, just one of three Des Moines County Historical Society Museun o. Walk down famous curry Snake Alley. Don't miss Burlington's beautiful parks with their stunning views of the Mississippi River. LEE COUNTY History lives on, by way of authentically- dressed historic interpreters at Old Fort Madison, our accurate reconstruction of the first military fort on the upper Mississippi, Sharing the beautiful Riverview Pork with the Fort, you'll also find Santa Fe Engine 2913 and the OH Santa Fe Depot Historic Center.You can also view the world's largest double- decker swing Span bridge, watching it open and dose to allow barge traffic through, and counting the nearly 100 trains that cross the bridge daily! Iowa Department of Transportation 1 Office of 5ysteals Planning 170 Box 10813 1 Dubuque, Iowa 52004 -1058 You're invited! Great River Road Stakeholder Meetings Launching a new planning initiative to fuel the economic engine that is the Iowa Great River Road — stakeholder meetings are announced Since its designation by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation as one of only 150 National Scenic Byways in the United States, Iowa Great River Road projects have been awarded nearly 8 million dollars in grants throughout the 10 Iowa counties which border the Mississippi River. Projects supported by these grants include the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium in Dubuque, the Clinton County Eco Tourism Center, the Louisa Interpretive Center in Louisa County, the restoration of the Fort Madison Depot, the expansion of the E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center in Dubuque, the marina in downtown Guttenberg, and a variety of trails and bike paths. The Iowa Great River Road is managed by the Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission, an organization created by the State of Iowa to steward and promote the route. The Commission's members each reside in one of the 10 Iowa Mississippi River counties and are appointed by the Governor. The Iowa Great River Road is an important segment of the 10- state, 3,000 -mile long national Great River Road meandering on both sides of the Mississippi River from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. The National Mississippi River Parkway Commission and the Great River Road were established in 1938 under President Franklin Roosevelt. The meeting schedule follows at right. For more information about the stakeholder meetings, you are invited to contact Breann Bye (breannashlie@hotmail.com or 641 521 -9340) or David L. Dahlquist (ddahlquist@mchsi.com or 515 326- 1 593). Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission Newsletter VOLUME 20 MARCH 2012 John Goodmann, Chair of the Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission, emphasizes, "The Iowa Great River Road is a world -class destination for travelers with its abundant natural and cultural resources, and we encourage everyone who values this national treasure to make time to attend our stakeholder meetings." Meeting Schedule Monday, March 26, 2012: Burlington Meeting Location: Des Moines County Heritage Center, 501 North 4`h Street Meeting Times: 3 PM CDT and 7 PM CDT Wednesday, March 28, 2012: Bettendorf Meeting Location: Bettendorf Library, 2950 Learning Campus Drive Meeting Times: 3 PM CDT and 7 PM CDT Tuesday, April 10, 2012: McGregor Meeting Location: McGregor Marquette Center for the Arts, 158 Main Street Meeting Time: 3 PM CDT Wednesday, April 11, 2012: Dubuque Meeting Location: Historic Federal Bldg; 2' Floor Meeting Times: 3 PM CDT and 7 PM CDT Thursday, April 12, 2012: Camanche Location: Clinton County Eco Tourism Center, Rock Cr. Marina & Campground, 3942 Shafton Rd. Meeting Times: 3 PM CDT and 7 PM CDT Tuesday, April 24, 2012: Muscatine Meeting Location: Riverview Ctr., 110 Harbor Dr. Meeting Times: 3 PM CDT and 7 PM CDT Stakeholder Meetings, continued: Iowa MRPC Chair Goodmann continues, "For over a decade the Iowa Great River Road has attracted millions of dollars in federal, state, and local funding. Now the Commission needs its stakeholders to help plan the Great River Road's next chapter of growth and effectiveness." The business and development plan for a byway is technically called a "corridor management plan ", a document which guides resource protection, marketing, partnership organizing, and strategies for sharing the unique culture and history of the byway. The original Corridor Management Plan was written in 2000 and has supported many communities and organizations in their efforts to secure federal funding and local dollars to develop projects throughout the 10 counties. The Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission was awarded a National Scenic Byway Program grant in 2011 to update the aging plan and has hired the firm of David L. Dahlquist Associates of Des Moines, a national leader in byway planning, to develop a new corridor management plan for the Iowa Great River Road. The planning process will take approximately 2 -3 years and will focus on building and strengthening partnerships throughout the region and identifying innovative strategies for attracting visitors and enhancing the livability of communities along the Iowa Great River Road. "Every Mississippi River community, county, economic development group, public agency and non - profit organization has a stake in the future of the Iowa Great River Road. Their representatives need to voice their ideas for how the Great River Road can best serve stakeholders and visa versa," urged Patsy Ramacitti, Pilot Emeritus of the National Mississippi River Parkway Commission. Informative stakeholder meetings will be 90 minutes long and interested citizens are encouraged to attend whichever session is most convenient, regardless of where they live. I am volunteering as an MRPC Commissioner because I have enjoyed kayaking on the Mississippi River since 1996 when Iowa celebrated its Sesquicentennial. I was involved with the planning of the border -to- border canoe /kayak trip which Iowa's 10 river counties hosted. That was an experience of education and history I'll never forget. It also deepened my love of the Mississippi River and the Great River Road; and now find it is my preferred and most travelled route. I live in one of the most unique areas of Iowa. First time visitors are awe struck and I am volunteering to share the beauty, history, culture and recreational opportunities of this area and all of the attractions along the 10 -State Great River Road. My favorite and most breathtaking drive is the decent into Guttenberg on Highway 52. My favorite scenic overlooks are Mount Hosmer at Lansing and Pikes Peak State Park near McGregor. With the 75"' anniversary of the Great River Road fast approaching in 2013, I hope we can showcase events of national and international flare that will enhance the traveler's experience of the Mississippi River and the Great River Road. 2 I serve as a commissioner because the MRPC is a good way to promote the Mississippi River and its tourism value. I have always enjoyed driving the section between Keokuk and Montrose. Although it is not the quickest way to travel between these cities, the drive is relaxing. My interest includes working to complete the hike trail in Lee County, addressing safety issues along the route. Completion of the bike trail may help prevent future accidents, and provide more scenic area for bikers. m NEIL tif ... _._..._ ............................................................................................................................................ ............................... As a lifelong Eastern Iowan, I have dedicated my life to the improvement of Iowa. Serving on a state hoard such as the MRPC affords me a unique opportunity to give back to all Iowans by promoting our great State and its treasures. Over the last 41 years, my life in Clinton has been enriched by the Great River Road and the wonderful benefits it affords citizens and tourists. My fondest memories include Sunday afternoon visits to locks and dams, bald eagles watching, admiring fall colors, summer evening walks along the bike trails, and lunchtime picnics on the banks of the Mississippi River. Each memory shares a common thread —the Mississippi River and the Great River Road. To me it is more than just a route, it is a destination. My immediate vision is to promote two new attractions in Clinton County: the Sawmill Museum, and the Eco Center, currently under construction, which will feature displays of Mississippi River aquatic life. My broader vision is to collaborate with other communities to mark the 75'h anniversary of the Great River Road. 3 AMERICA'S BYWAYS Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission PO Box 1088 Dubuque, IA 52004 -1008 Along the Byway is published for stakeholders of the Great River Road. Chair John Goodmann, Dubuque County Email: jgoodmann @real- good.com Vice Chair Ron Thielen, Jackson County Email: rthielen @westphalec.com Secretary Deb Jochims, Des Moines County Email: debjochims @aoLcom Patsy Ramacitti, Nat. Pilot Emeritus, Scott County Email: BettPLR @aoLcom Jane Regan, Allamakee County Email: jregan @leschenskyins.com M.J. Smith, Clayton County Email: mjsmith @alpinecom.net Edith Pfeffer, Clinton County Email: edithrpfeffer @yahoo.com John Oberhaus, Muscatine County Email: jloberhaus@lisco.com Jay Schweitzer, Louisa County Email jayts@yahoo.com Larry Kruse, Lee County Email: kruselw @hotmail.com Inside this issue: Make plans now to attend the 2012 Stakeholder Meetings — and help shape the future of Iowa's Great River Road Meet New MRPC Commissioners 4 Along the Byway... Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission Newletter Greetings! Welcome to the first electronic issue of Along the Byway. The Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission creates this newsletter for stakeholders along's Iowa's Great River Road. If you prefer to continue to receive the hard copy version of our news, please reply to this email using PREFER PAPER in the subject line. We will add you to our U.S. Postal Service mailing list. T , tfonal Sce lc Byways Program Gr.l nts Recently Celebr.ted The Iowa Mississippi Rivo.r ., somrmission alorrq with the Iowa Department :- ° IrLro.sii.Tortation are proud to a =. iii' -` r .-1- 'i.hat the Federal High Ay f'.dministration and the 1.J: of Transporfati'n ha\ :. awac:-.° c the foII.,.winr Progrr.m li�ri:iE iElGr . Great Rivw:E ,•:E::z ;z ?. Er frii2. last ri_JEJuid ts' a:xEotronary futldinc offered exclusiv' .y t , _ _, the E_:P:Ermulated value of the grants award to the is uva F .' \'.i was the largest amount awarded to ani I._. .:ay in the E:.lni ed States. Iowa Great River Road National Scenic Byway Signage- $346,160 to support new byway signage throughout the ten river counties in Iowa. Grea' Ri ..i.' . ,ad and Driftless Area Byway Visitor Center - $1,36I,4 to develop a new visitor center with traveler amenities on the Great River Road National Scenic Byway, overlooking the Mississippi River Valley at Lansing. Great River Road Marquette Overlook - $332,300 to improve the Marquette - Joliet Bridge scenic overlook observation deck. Great River Ro ;.Ad Puri Louisa Rest Area = $200,000 provides a rest stop for byway travelers with interpretation of Mississippi River Volume 21 tl ;rtc ..- 11.til !l< .- !2,i- iUirli.,f hl ;f;� ,�;�; /�:,,./ 1 L,cn:�ll 114.10 c.,t-a0.0;';i r��.•11I natural resources. Louisa County Great River Road Bicycle Lane ® $1,350,000 to pave a roadway shoulder to provide a smooth travel space for bicycling. Great River Road Mississippi River Trail in Riverdale $494,956 to construct a critical 1.3 mile section of the Mississippi River Trail along Iowa's Great River Road. Corrido Management (CMP) Plan Update David Dahlquist and Breann Bye of David L. Dahlquist Associates are leading the Iowa MRPC and you, our stakeholders, through the Corridor Management Plan Update. Following stakeholder meetings held in the spring of 2012, the commission has identified core activities along this beloved byway, which include functions such as promoting attractions and wayfinding. The MRPC is also now considering a blueprint for accountable decision - making. The Commission serves as the parent organization for the Iowa Great River Road National Scenic Byway and an important result of the CMP will be to consider mandates, directives, and goals to help serve you, our stakeholders, and effectively serve the visitors to the Iowa Great River Road. !!� /It(1c�t.�! Icf� f��caLluAi'�i All LE;ce us on Faceboo; l ! Results are in! Iowans love a beautiful drive© Findings from the IOWA 2012 SURVEY FOR THE STATE COMPREHENSIVE OUTDOOR RECREATION PLAN (SCORP), which was conducted for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, has been released. The study entailed a telephone survey of randomly selected Iowa residents. ow do Iowans participate in outdoor recreation? The highest rates of participation are in walking (89 %), picnicking, barbecuing, or cooking out (83 %), driving for pleasure (56 %), family oriented activities other than picnicking, barbecuing, or cooking out (52 %), swimming (49 %), fishing (46 %), and observing, feeding, or photographing wildlife around or within 1 mile of home (44 %). The Iowa MRPC, together with you our stakeholders, advocates for the Great River Road, a byway recognized nationally for its driving pleasure. National Scenic B ays Program ChangrAs The federal program, which has supported multiple national scenic byway projects in communities along the Great River Road (like those announced at the top of this newsletter) has been discontinued. Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) staff have been studying the way forward through implementation of the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP). Recommendations will likely be considered at the January 2013 of the Iowa DOT Commission. Photograph Caption: From left, Guttenberg' City Manager Barry Dykhuizen and Guttenberg Development and Tourism Director Mary Beth Theis recently toured the Great River Road route through their Clayton County community and recommended signage updates. News and Notes Mark R. Lawson of Maquoketa has recently been named by Governor Branstad to represent Jackson County on the Iowa MRPC. On April 25 -27, 2013 members of the national Mississippi River Parkway Commission will meet in the Quad Cities. Iowa is proud to welcome visitors from the ten river states. Along the Byway... Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission New letter Greetings! Welcome to the second electronic issue of Along the Byway. The Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission creates this newsletter for stakeholders along's Iowa's Great River Road. If you prefer to continue to receive the hard copy version of our news, please reply to this email using PREFER PAPER in the subject line. We will add you to our U.S. Postal Service mailing list. The Gre t R c comes to Iowa June 23-24 The Iowa MRPC is proud to welcome The Great Race to Mississippi River Communities June 23-24. The 2013 Great Race route traces the Mississippi River down across the Central United States and the winner will collect $50K. What is tL, r,)at Race? The Great Race is an antique, vintage, and collector car competitive controlled-speed endurance road rally on public highways. It is not a test of top speed. It is a test of a driver/navigator team's ability to follow precise course instructions and the car's (and team's) ability to endure on a Volume 22 • LPA: 4.•\A kt OH/ (..;UL :c11-11[: j-',r6c>■Hj_.;.r.r.) jc)tlfliy ;F:0-c:III• Hr cross - country trip. The course instructions require the competing teams to drive at or below the posted speed limits at all times. _ the Great Race work? Each day the driver and navigator team receives a set of course instructions that indicate every turn, speed change, stop, and start that the team must make throughout the day (usually 220 to 250 such instructions per day). Along the course route there will be from 4 to 7 checkpoints recording the exact time that the team passes that point. The objective is to arrive at each checkpoint at the correct time, not the fastest. The score for each team is the result of the team's ability to follow the designated course instructions precisely. s _ [A - -� r- ague a_. Great Race leaves LaCrosse, WI Sun. June 23 at 8:30 am Arrives for Lunch, Grand River Center in Dubuque at 12:10 pm Continuing to LeClaire Park, Davenport, arriving for overnight slop at5:10pm Dep -.i iriq Davenport June 24 at 8 am. http jwwy reatrace.co Great River Road National Scenic Byway Celebrates 75th niversary �rril��lll lriy rr'�lai qe L r tY a�s•;rll• cl� [ft<7O Oj r I( }ittiH Like us on V ,_i ; _I ,, c,.'• Q v The Iowa Mississippi ' ver Parkway Commission is excited to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Great River Road National Scenic Byway. In 1938, the governors of the 10 river states developed the concept of a transcontinental Great River Parkway along the Mississippi River. Choosing to conserve precious resources, among them and, tirne and dollars, they decided rather than building a new continuous road, the existing network of rural roads and then4ledgling highways that meandered and crisscrossed the river would become the Great River Road. The green Piots Wheel road sign that rnarked the route of the new byway more than seven decades ago still heralds the road today. As one of the oldest, longest and most unique scenic byways in North America, the Great River Road offers respite to millions of travelers seeking a getaway - from a leisurely day's drive to an extended vacation. Nearly 3,000 miles long and running through 10 states along the Mississippi F<ivor, the Great River Road has offered a gateway to the river valley's great his\ory, the blending of cultures and a host of recreational options to aIP who journey it for three-quarters of a century and counting. PIan a days drive or a montHong excursion along the Great River Road National Scenic Byway with the help ofwww.ex erioncenniaaiaoippiriv*r.00nn. Here you'll find information on all the states' interpretive centers, upcoming events and must -see attractions, along with suggested itineraries and maps to help plan a trip that's just right for you. Keep following Along the Byway for 75th Anniversary events in Iowa Rep. Ron Kind ( S) proel . i fi s Great River RfsPad 75th i nivs•°rsary in US House of Representatives, text follows I rise before you today to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Great River Road; one of our Nation's most historic and extensive scenic byways. Spanning nearly 3,000 miles from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, the Great River Road traces its origins back to a time when Franklin Roosevelt was President and the automatic transmission was the cutting edge of automotive technology. In 1938, governors from 10 States came together to form the planning commission for what was initially envisioned as a continuous national parkway extending along the entire length of the Mississippi River. Over the next two years the U.S House of RepresentativeE Committee on Public Lands held hearings to authorize a feasibility study of the parkway concept. While popular, the idea was soon overshadowed in the wake of the Second World War. More than a decade passed before a feasibility study was finally completed by the Bureau of Public Roads in 1951. Finding the construction of an entirely new parkway to be too expensive, the study offered an alternative proposition; the development of a scenic route built from the existing network of rural roads and highways that meandered and crisscrossed the Mississippi River. This route, now known as the Great River Road, is a testament to the cooperative effort of States and the Federal Government working together with local communities to preserve the many historic features and natural beauties of the Mississippi River Valley. Today the Great River Road offers travelers not just a leisurely scenic drive but a unique and lasting journey through diverse communities and landscapes; from charming river towns to lush forests, from bluffs to the delta, from big city to sprawling rural vistas. The Great River Road is truly a national treasure. It is with great pride that I rise today to commemorate the 75 years of hard work and dedication that have gone into developing and preserving the Greater River Road so that it will continue to serve as a gateway to the rich heritage of the Mississippi River for future generations. ors C convenes Cassville Ferry meeting Commissioners Jane Regan and M.J. Smith, of the Iowa MRPC, met with a group of stakeholders at the Cassville Ferry Landing on June 6. The Turkey River Landing was flooded due to recent heavy rains, but that did not stop (in photo, from left) US Fish and Wildlife Staffer Richard King, together with Cassville Harbor Commissioner Joseph Ploessl and Cassville Village President Keevan Williams from wading through a quarter mile of river to get to the meeting on the gravel road approaching the landing.. The field site group also included Clayton County Supervisor Ron McCartney, Iowa Byways Coordinator Mary Stahlhut, Guttenberg Development and Tourism representatives Dwight Hughes and Mary Beth Theis, Upper Explorerland Director Shelly Howe, River Park Place Owner Lori Wallace, PromiseLand Winery Owner Pat Wachendon`, and Cassville Harbor Commissioner Steve Staebler who discussed incremental improvements to the byway visitor's experience. The ideas exchanged included continued effective dust control on the gravel road from the landing to the Great River Road, improved signage to direct and welcome visitors to Iowa, benches, updated information on the existing kiosk, and a marketing campaign to "Welcome ferry travelers to the wild side of Iowa." The Iowa MRPC will continue to communicate with Cassville Harbor Commissioners about working together to move the ideas forward. Planning a bike trip along the Mississippi River? Visit the new website: www.iowadot.gov /iowabikes /bikemap /home.html explore H\J ER=R,1 E CENr 0 Effigy Mounds National Monument 151 Highway 76, Harpers Ferry /T: (563) 873 -3491 The Monument is located in northeast Iowa, along the "Great River Road ". It is along HWY 76, 4 miles north of Marquette and McGregor great river road Iowa DNR Guttenberg Fish Hatchery & Aquarium 317 North River Park Drive, Guttenberg /T: (563) 252 -1156 Near Lock and Dam 10, visitors view a wide variety of fish and aquatic wildlife. The aquarium is on the National Register of Historic Places. National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium 350 East Third Street, Dubuque /T: (563) 557 -9545 Large freshwater aquariums, live animal exhibits, hands -on historical exhibits, working boatyard, wetland, National Rivers Hall of Fame, and the Wm. M. Black Boat & Breakfast delights toddlers to grandparents. Mines of Spain / E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center 8991 Bellevue Heights, Dubuque /T: (563) 556 -0620 The Meskwaki Indians were some of the earliest inhabitants of this 1387 acre park. French - Canadien fur trader Julien Dubuque mined and traded lead here from 1788 to 1810. CDHurstville 18670 63rd St, Maquoketa /T: (563) 652 -3783 The Hurstville Interpretive Center is located on an 18 acre wetland and is designed for multiple uses, with an emphasis on environmental education and natural resource protection. • Mississippi River EcoTourism Center 3942 291st Street, Camanche /T: (563) 259 -1876 Located in Rock Creek Marina & Campground on the backwaters of the Mississippi River. Educational displays include replicas of Iowa state record fish and feature an 8,000 gallon aquarium with Mississippi River fish. 100 acre park provides river access, boat ramps, campsites, cabins, picnicking, fishing, a marina, and naturalist guided Blue Heron eco cruises. O Buffalo Bill Museum 199 N. Front St., LeClaire /T: (563) 289 -5580 The Buffalo Bill Museum collects, preserves, interprets and exhibits artifacts depicting the heritage of the region, particularly life along the Mississippi River and its early pioneers like Buffalo Bill (William F. Cody). O Putnam Museum of History and Natural Science 1717 W. 12th St, Davenport /T: (563) 324 -1933 Enjoy the Black Earth /Big River nature experience, the award - winning River, Prairie and People History Hall, treasures of the Asian /Egyptian Gallery, unique shopping, and an IMAX theater. 0 Nahant Marsh Education Center 4220 Wapello Ave, Davenport /T: (563) 323 -5196 This 513 -acre urban wetland, formerly a Superfund Cleanup site, is now home to wildlife and a restored prairie. Hiking trails and boardwalks with interpretive signage are open to the public year- round. 0 Muscatine History and Industry Center 117 West 2nd Street, Muscatine /T: (563) 263 -1052 Once known as the"Pearl Button Capital of the World "Muscatine mass produced buttons from freshwater mussel shells. Explore the interactive exhibition of artifacts from the pearl button industry, purchase unique button gifts, and view the innovations of modern "Made in Muscatine" industries. 13 12 13 14 Pine Creek Grist Mill 1884 Wildcat Den Road, Muscatine /T: (563) 263 -4337 Pine Creek Grist Mill was built in 1848 by Muscatine County's first settler and was closed in the 1920's. It has been restored to demonstration condition and seems to be the oldest working grist mill between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains. Toolesboro Indian Mounds & Museum 6568 Toolesboro Rd, Wapello / T: (319) 523 -8381 The Hopewellian mounds at Toolesboro are among the best preserved and accessible remnants of an ancient culture that flourished from 200 B.C. to 400 A.D. Old Fort Madison 716 Riverview Drive, Fort Madison / T: (319) 372 -6318 The Fort is an accurate reconstruction of the first military garrison on the Upper Mississippi and became home to thel st U.S. Infantry from 1808 -1813. tJ k��sall, ij POcri A facility dedicatedon p "n natural an or cultural resources present car in close proximity to the facility's location. A facility dedicated to procuring and disseminating travel and tourism r`nformation relating to natural and or cultural resources and events within a local, regiona or statewide area dependant on the focus of the facility. George M.Verity Riverboat Museum 415 Blondeau, Keokuk /T: (319) 524 -5599 The Verity was the first of four steamships built in 1927 for the revival of cargo transportation on the Mississippi. Originally named the S.S.Thorpe, tour the engine room, sleeping quarters and galley. The two types of facilities can and ometimes do serve both functions. Base map provided by the Iowa DOT 16 m 18 19 20 Osborne Nature Center, Iowa Welcome Center Hwy 13, 5 miles south of Elkader T: (563) 245 -1516 Guttenberg Development & Tourism Welcome Center 323 S. River Park Drive, Guttenberg T: (563) 252 -2323 Iowa Welcome Center 300 Main St., Suite 100, Dubuque T: (800) 798 -8844 Jackson County Welcome Center 60488 Highway 64, Sabula T: (563) 687 -2237 Mississippi River Visitors Center Arsenal Island, Davenport T: (308) 794 -5338 Port of Burlington Welcome Center 400 Front Street, Burlington T: (319) 752 -8731 Dubuque CVB 300 Main St., Suite 200 / Dubuque, IA 52001 T: (800)798 -4748 Clinton Area CVB 721 S 2nd St., Clinton, IA 52732 T: (563) 242 -5702 Quad Cities CVB 102 S. Harrison St. / Davenport, IA 52801 T: (800) 747 -7800 Muscatine CVB 102 Walnut St. / Muscatine, IA 52761 T: (800) 257 -3275 Burlington CVB RiverPark Place, 610 N. 4th St., Suite 200 Burlington, IA 52601 /T: (319)752 -6365 Fort Madison CVB 614 9th St. / Fort Madison, IA 52627 T: (319) 372 -5471 Keokuk Area CVB 401 Main St., Suite 1 / Keokuk, IA 52632 T: (800) 383 -1219 National Mississippi River Parkway Commission 701 E. Washington Ave., #202, Madison, WI 53703 (866) 763 -8310 experiencemississippiriver.com e -mail: MRPC @pilchbarnet.com Iowa Tourism Office Iowa Department of Economic Development 200 East Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50309 T: (800)345 -I0WA traveliowa.com Eastern Iowa Tourism Association P.O. Box 189, Dyersville, IA 52040 T: (800)891 -3482 1easterniowatourism.org e -mail: eita @easterniowatourism.org Iowa Department of Transportation Office of Systems Planning PO Box 1088, Dubuque, IA 52004 -1088 Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission iowagreatriverroad.com America's Byways byways.org ALLAMAKEE COUNTY Begin near New Albin and drive south through forests and farmland to Lansing. This old river town gives access to Mt. Hosmer Park, a panoramic view of the Mississippi Valley and the tri -state area. Next, explore Yellow River State Forest — 9,000 acres of public hunting, hiking and fishing. Visitors also have access to 3,000 acres of Mississippi River backwater areas. This area is truly a sports enthusiast's paradise. CLAYTON COUNTY Drive south visiting Iowa's only National Monument — Effigy Mounds. Try your luck at the casino in Marquette. McGregor has charming historic homes and businesses, with several antique stops. Enjoy Pike's Peak State Park overlooking the Mississippi where explorers Marquette and Joliet landed. The road, with bike path, now winds through magnificent bluffs and valleys to Guttenberg, the home of German stone buildings restored as restaurants and a riverfront inn. Visit the Lockmaster's House Heritage Museum along the mile - long river front park and walkway. En- route is the historic fishing village, Clayton. DUBUQUE COUNTY Home of America's River.' Be sure to not miss the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium, Dubuque River Rides, Arboretum, Dubuque Museum of Art, Five Hags and Grand Theaters, Sundown ski area, trolley and carriage rides, Field of Dreams, and National Farm Toy Museum. Ride the Fenelon Place cable car and tour the Mathias Ham House. Enjoy the Victorian House tour and Progressive Dinner, Mystique Casino, Diamond Jo Casino and Crystal Lake Cave. JACKSON COUNTY South of Dubuque visit St. Donatus founded by skilled stone masons from Luxembourg. Then discover Bellevue with a beautiful riverfront park extending the full length of the town. Watch towboats "locking through" or eagles feeding below the dam. Other sites include a historical museum, the Bellevue State Park with its limestone cliffs and renowned butterfly garden. Or experience nature hands on at the 18 acre Hurstville Lime Kilns Interpretive Center right off Highway 61. This 18 acre complex includes a wetland, reconstructed prairie, roadside observation deck, trails and bird blind. CLINTON COUNTY Where the Byway meets the Lincoln Highway (U.S. 30), you will find Clinton. Our Riverview Park with the Lillian Russell Showboat Theatre, aquatic center, marina, band shell, and Ashford University Field, home to the Clinton Lumber Kings (class A baseball team) sits on the majestic Mississippi River ready to entertain a diverse range of guests. Just north on Highway 67 you can view the widest point on the upper Mississippi River from a viewpoint in Eagle Point Park. The Bickelhaupt Arboretum, the Felix Adler Children's Discovery Center, The Clinton County Historical Society Museum, The Sawmill Museum and the River Art Center are open for tourism activity. The new Candle Light Restaurant on the riverfront has a perfect view of Old Man River and offers eagle watching in the winter. The Wild Rose Casino and Resort is located at the junction of Highway 30 and the Millcreek Expressway. The Mississippi River Eco Tourism Center is located south of Camanche in Rock Creek Park along the Great River Road (HWY 67). SCOTT COUNTY Visit the new IMAX° Theatre & Putnam Museum, Bettendorf Family Museum for children, Buffalo Bill Museum, and Fejervary Children's Zoo. Try your luck on the Isle of Capri Casino - Bettendorf or Rhythm City Casino - Davenport or take a cruise on the Channel Cat Water Taxi, Celebration Belle or Twilight. View agricultural exhibits at John Deere Commons. Enjoy festivals — Bix Beiderbecke weekend with Bix 7 and Junior Bix 7 road race, Jazz festival and street fair, and Mississippi Valley Blues k, Quad City Festival of Trees, Beaux Arts Fair. Shop at historic Village of East Davenport, quaint antique boutiques and two major shopping malls. MUSCATINE COUNTY Active and diverse, Muscatine is a community tucked between two river bluffs and is filled with many surprises. Come and experience our first -rate recreational facilities such as Wildcat Den State Park, Shady Creek, Fairport Fish Hatchery and Weed Park with the new Aquatic Center. Our renowned Muscatine Art Center and the History and Industry Center offer a glimpse of Muscatine's rich history. While you're here, don't forget to stroll along the streets of the historic downtown business district and visit the many unique retail shops. LOUISA COUNTY Louisa County is located at the confluence of the Iowa and Cedar Rivers. The Iowa River flows mostly southeast to near Oakville where it joins the Mississippi River. Naturally, the area is characterized by broad floodplains containing many wetlands and marsh areas including the MarkTwain Wildlife Refuge. The adjacent wooded bluffs were favorite sites for Native Americans because of the abundance of nearby forage, fish, wildlife and waterfowl. Toolesboro has a series of Indian mounds and a fine visitor center. DES MOINES COUNTY Start your tour of historic Burlington at the Port of Burlington Iowa Visitors Center on the Mississippi by the imposing Great River Bridge. Visit the Catfish Bend Riverboat Casino and walk past the site of the First Iowa Territorial Capitol to the charming downtown West Jefferson Street Historic District. Tour the nearby Heritage Hill Historic District with its grand homes including the Phelps House, just one of three Des Moines County Historical Society Museums. Walk down famous curvy Snake Alley. Don't miss Burlington's beautiful parks with their stunning views of the Mississippi River. LEE COUNTY History lives on, by way of authentically - dressed historic interpreters at Old Fort Madison, our accurate reconstruction of the first military fort on the upper Mississippi. Sharing the beautiful Riverview Park with the Fort, you'll also find Santa Fe Engine 2913 and the Old Santa Fe Depot Historic Center. You can also view the world's largest double - decker swing Span bridge, watching it open and close to allow barge traffic through and counting the nearly 100 trains that cross the bridge daily! Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission l Iowa Department of Transportation 1 Office of Systems Planning 1P0 Box 1088 1 Dubuque, Iowa 52004 -1088