Sustainable Dubuque Monthly Project Status Report_December 2013Masterpiece on the Mississippi
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: December Sustainable Dubuque Report
DATE: January 16, 2014
Dubuque
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AI- America City
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2007 • 2012 • 2013
Sustainability Coordinator Cori Burbach is transmitting the December Sustainable
Dubuque Report.
Michael C. Van Milligen
MCVM:sv
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager
Cori Burbach, Sustainability Coordinator
THE CITY OF
Dui
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
TO: Michael Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Cori Burbach, Sustainable Community Coordinator
DATE: January 16, 2014
SUBJECT: December Sustainable Dubuque Report
Dubuque
trati
M- America City
'111'
2007 • 2012 • 2013
INTRODUCTION
Attached please find the December Sustainable Dubuque report. No action is needed; this report is provided for your
information.
Thank you.
City of Dubuque
Sustainable Dubuque
Project Status Report — December 2013
REGIONAL ECONOMY 10
SMART ENERGY USE 19
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT 22
COMMUNITY DESIGN 30
GREEN BUILDINGS 36
HEALTHY LOCAL FOOD 43
COMMUNITY KNOWLEDGE 46
REASONABLE MOBILITY 70
CLEAN WATER 78
HEALTHY AIR 83
NATIVE PLANTS & ANIMALS 85
COMMUNITY HEALTH & SAFETY 89
*Please note: in order to manage the length of this report, some historical, non - timely
information has been removed from the current report.
COMPREHENSIVE PROJECTS
University of Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities: City Council approved a
partnership with the University of Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities (IISC). During the
2011 -12 and 2012 -13 academic years, graduate students from the University's Masters in
Urban Planning program assisted Dubuque leaders in completing ten projects related to
sustainability planning and analysis for the community.
The University has received funding to expand the IISC to include colleges and programs
beyond the Masters in Urban Planning program. The 2013 students provided their end of year
reports, including recommendations, to the City Council, County Board of Supervisors, and
Dubuque Community School Board on May 6. While the two -year partnership with the UI staff
has concluded, we continue to look for opportunities to work with their IISC in the future.
Sustainable Dubuque Indicators Report: An application to join the Leadership STAR
Communities program was submitted. The City has been selected as a STAR Leadership
Community and will begin data collection in January with the intention of submitting a final
report to STAR in late 2014 /early 2015. Many of the existing Sustainable Dubuque indicators
developed through the UI IISC will be used for this process.
Municipal Climate Action Plan: In July 2010, the Municipal Greenhouse Gas Inventory was
presented to City Council. A baseline for all municipal operations was established for 2003 and
2007 as part of the ICLEI Five Milestone Process. The Milestone Process is as follows:
1. Conduct baseline emissions inventories and forecasts.
2. Adopt an emissions reduction target.
3. Develop a local climate action plan.
4. Implement policies and measures.
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5. Monitor and verify results.
A 2011 update to the 2003 and 2007 baseline will be completed at the same time the
Community Climate Action Planning process is completed, and will be completed by the fall of
2013. Staff is currently working with Green Dubuque and other partners in the data collection
phase of the Municipal Operations Inventory. Data from Black Hills Energy and Alliant Energy
has been received for municipal accounts. All data has been collected and will be coordinated
in the upcoming community GHG update.
Green Team: The Green Team comprised of close to 30 representatives from a cross section
of City departments met for the first time in August 2010 and meets regularly. The (draft)
Mission Statement developed by the team is:
"The mission of the City of Dubuque Green Team is to lead in educating, communicating and
implementing practices and technologies to achieve the Sustainable Dubuque vision, to work in
each of the 11 areas of sustainability identified in that vision, to promote these practices among
staff and departments; and to serve as an example for other organizations, groups, businesses
and the broader community."
The Sustainable Purchasing Policy, Employee Education, and Buildings & Energy Management
subcommittees met to identify priorities for 2012. The Education subcommittee has developed
a plan to provide all employees with regular sustainability information via Spirit Times and other
media.
The Green Team conducted a waste and recycling assessment for those buildings that had the
highest concentrations of City employees. Of the buildings assessed, 11% of the materials
considered "trash" could have been recycled in yellow bins. Cross - contamination of recyclables
with non - recyclables was extremely small and non - hazardous. The Library had the best
diversion rate of 78.5% of materials being recycled. The overall results exceeded expectations,
with a recycling rate of 48 %. Larger items which are often diverted by departments for
beneficial use (e.g. recycling carpet) were not included in this analysis. The Green Team will
now work on tips based on these results to improve smart Resource Management.
Staff in the Municipal Services Center and City Hall have begun working towards Petal Project
certification. Each building will have its own committee to work towards the criteria and track
progress. The two buildings going through the process together will allow for team learning and
be an example for other city facilities. Staff at the Carnegie -Stout Public Library have also
begun working towards Petal certification.
Employees are given the option to receive paperless checks and Spirit Times newsletters. It is
estimated that this reduction in paper and printing costs will save the City approximately $2,500
per year. Paperless check and Spirit Times newsletters have been implemented for those
employees choosing to opt in. Over 425 employees chose to participate.
Recycling boxes placed in City Hall, the Municipal Services Center, and at DMASWA now
ensure that ink cartridges and small electronics are properly disposed of. DMASWA receives
financial rebates for qualifying items.
Green Team members met and have identified the following areas for work in 2014: energy use
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in City facilities, purchasing, cleaning supplies, printing workflows, and Bike To Work Week.
DMASWA staff provided the following information about cartridges collected and recycled since
the start of the program:
Impact Summary
End -of -life Solution (Pounds)
Reused
6.00
• 1
2
�3
-4
5
Recycled
31 .1,3
Total Units Collected Total Pounds
1 Inkjets
21 Lasers
0 Phones
0 Small Electronics
0 Printer Components
0.12 Inkjets
31.36 Lasers
0.00 Printer Components
5.10 Plastic
0.78 Nylon
8.83 Metal
0.90 aluminum
D.13 Copper
Greenhouse Gasses Prevented (MTCO2E)*
Via Reuse
0.20
Via Recycling
46.65
Smarter Sustainable Dubuque Partnership w/ IBM:
Smarter Water:
The City of Dubuque completed its community -wide water meter replacement and unmeasured-
flow reducer (UFR) installation project at an estimated $1,352,415 or 15.6 percent below the
projected budgeted amount.
The Dubuque City Council accepted completion of the project at their June 4, 2012, meeting
and authorized payment of the final contract amount of $7,324,285 to the project contractor,
Northern Water Works Supply. The original total projected project cost estimate was
$8,676,700. Including the unanticipated $1 million forgivable loan the City received for the
project through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the project was $2,352,415 or
27.1 percent under expected City funded costs. Additional funding was provided by a State
Revolving Fund (SRF) loan.
In conjunction with the water meter replacement project, the City successfully completed a 12-
month Smarter Water Pilot Study through which more than 300 Dubuque households had
access to a portal /website developed by IBM Research which provided detailed, customer
specific information on their water usage. Among participants in the study, water utilization was
reduced by 6.6 percent and leak detection and response increased eight -fold. The Smarter
Water Portal is now available to Dubuque residents and many small businesses to help them
make more informed decisions about how they use water and track the associated costs. The
portal provides a customer - specific, integrated view of water usage with data displayed in
gallons, cost, or by carbon footprint. The portal also provides leak detection and notification,
historical usage data, and comparative data. The City's NepturelQ portal was made available
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in early September, and was demonstrated at the City Expo on September 10, 2013. This new
portal incorporates many of the principles contained in the current IBM portal. A discussion on
the future of the IBM - hosted portal was held between IBM and City staff on September 6, 2013
and continued through October 7, 2013, from which recommendations were made regarding
the portal's discontinuation. With the successful rollout of NeptunelQ and the conclusion of the
Smarter Water pilot, the IBM - hosted portal has been discontinued and stopped receiving data
from the City on October 15, 2013.
The Sustainable Community Coordinator met with staff from the Alternative Learning Center to
plan a cross - curriculum unit developed around the theme of water management. Teachers in
English, Social Studies, Science and Math will use the DBQIQ portal, field trips, and local water
experts including City staff to teach high school students about the impact of their use of water
on their local environment and the world.
This new system is an example of the City's ongoing sustainability initiative and allows water
customers to identify waste and consider corrective measures which will translate into "Smarter"
water use and increased energy savings. More efficient water use will also reduce the use of
both energy and chemicals in the treating and delivering water.
• Leak Detection Feature A leak detection feature was provided as part of Neptune's
software package. This feature provides information on individual account consumption
use. The following information provides the number of users with potential leaks.
Type Usage Number of Accounts
Continuous 2,010
Intermittent 2,533
Total Potential Leaks 4,766
Approximately 21.25% of our system users could potentially have leaks. According to
national research, an estimated 30% of households have water leaks. As you can see, we
are about half of the national average.
• Grant Leak Program As part of this project, a Grant Leak Program was created as an
incentive to our users who qualify, to repair their leaks. To date, there have been 877 users
who have applied and 643 have been reimbursed. A total of $36,334.79 in refunds have
been paid to date.
• Water Loss:
FY' 11
FY' 12
FY' 13
Water Loss Reduction:
29.02%
21.83%
17.61%
11.41%
The reduction in water loss can be attributed to:
• the new meters being more accurate
• repairs done on the distribution system due to a leak survey being performed
• the new meters detecting minor Teaks causing users to have repairs performed
• users becoming more aware of their water use and choosing to use less water
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• Water Plant Pumpage The city has experienced a downward trend in pumpage at the
water treatment plant. The annual pumpages are as follows:
• FY'10 2.80 billion gallons
• FY'11 2.79 billion gallons
• FY'12 2.64 billion gallons
• FY'13 2.54 billion gallons
In contrast, the Annual Metered Consumption has increased. This is the amount of water that
is metered in the distribution system.
FY' 10
FY /11
FY'12
FY'13
1.89 billion gallons
1.98 billion gallons
2.06 billion gallons
2.10 billion gallons
This is an indication that the new meters are more effective at capturing water usage and
citizens are more aware of their water usage and are conserving.
Smarter Electricity:
• The Smarter Electricity pilot was concluded in the first quarter 2012 and the final research
report has been provided. A discussion on the future of the portal was held between IBM
and City staff on September 6 and continued through October 7, 2013, from which
recommendations will be made regarding the portal's continuation or discontinuation.
Due to the completion of the Smarter Electricity pilot, the small number of regular users,
and the cost of providing data to populate the portal, access to the IBM - hosted portal
was discontinued on October 15, 2013. The few individuals still using the portal will be
notified by messaging at the portal URL.
• Results include an average monthly reduction in energy utilization from 4% to 11% IBM
and Alliant researchers are jointly analyzing these early results.
Smarter Travel (High Priority):
• Update on Pilot Households /Dashboard: Originally we had hoped that there would be, like
that available to participants in the Smarter Water and Electricity programs, a dashboard
for Smarter Travel participants so they could see how their choices impact their
environment and their lives. However, Smarter Travel has proven itself to be a "moving
target" in that there are many more challenges in bringing this information into the smart
phone application that was anticipated. Marketing of recruitment of volunteer participation
in the Smarter Travel was targeted towards the altruistic nature of the project volunteers,
reminding them that their participation will help improve transportation for all Dubuquers
(not just those riding public transit). The dashboard -like feature will become available to
participants with the deployment of the CAD /AVL (Automatic Vehicle Location) system
which will be installed on the fixed route buses and connected to Mentor Engineering's
MyRide software by November 2013. The passenger access portal will be live January
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2014. Once connected, passengers will have the ability to set up a dashboard
experience on their home computers and /or smartphones through a link with Mentor's My
Ride software. This connectivity will help make the fixed route system more "user -
friendly" by allowing waiting passengers to know when they can expect their bus to arrive
to a particular stop. Another benefit of the Smarter Travel project is Transit will be better
able to gather information that can be used to help guide significant changes in the transit
system. What we anticipate seeing, especially with passengers using the MyRide
dashboard, is increased awareness of how much they rely on the use of their personal
vehicle when an alternative form of transportation, e.g. bus, bicycle or walking, might be
used instead. The MyRide portion of The Jule's Intelligent Transportation System (ITS)
deployment should be up and fully functional by January 2014.
• In late 2011 the City received notice that an Iowa Clean Air Attainment Program (ICAAP)
grant was awarded to the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Vehicle Miles
Traveled project (aka Smarter Travel). The ICAAP grant is being used to help pay for the
operating costs of two new pilot routes, the Nightrider and the MidTown Loop /Feeder.
The year -2 grant application was submitted in March 2013 and awarded in June, 2013,
and will help fund another year of both pilot routes and the re- design of the fixed route
public transit system. The Nightrider route began providing service on Friday and
Saturday nights from 6pm until 2:40AM on September 28, 2012. May 31, 2013 on the
Nightrider provided an abbreviated schedule throughout the summer (returning to
"regular" service August 23rd). The DOT separated the research and route components
of the MidTown Loop & Feeder project. The MidTown Loop & Feeder route will start
January 2014 ECIA, city staff, DOT and FTA staff and IBM continue to work with IBM to
resolve the research component contract and deliverables. The first year ICAAP grant
has been extended and when the Midtown Loop and feeder are implemented in January
2014, they will impact the existing routes, reducing cross -town travel times. Data
generated with the two pilot routes added and adjustments made to the system, the
Smartphone application and the RFID data, will be gathered and processed by IBM and
then used in year -2 /year -3 of the grant to help to guide the changes made to the fixed
route system in order to improve its overall function and increase its route service,
efficiency and effectiveness. These additional changes will be implemented across the
structure of the fixed route system as IBM provides route restructuring information.
• State of Good Repair Grant: All of the new buses have been purchased and are in use. A
contract for the purchase, installation and deployment of Intelligent Transportation System
(ITS) technology /electronic equipment (e.g. Automatic Vehicle Location or "AVL ", a
Security Camera System, Electronic Fare Collection, etc.) was signed in mid -2012. The
first phase of the ITS project was completed in early December with the installation of
Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs or Mentor -brand "Rangers ") in the mini -bus fleet and the
training of the Bus Operators and Dispatchers on their proper use. The MDTs that are
connected to the scheduling software used for mini -bus services are all fully operational.
The purchase, installation and deployment of the ITS equipment for fixed route service
began in February 2013, and includes: CAD Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) system,
Automatic Voice Announcement (AVA) system, Automatic Passenger Counter (APC)
system, Electronic Fare Collection equipment, etc. The pilot roll out of the fixed route
system is scheduled to begin mid -May, and is anticipated to be fully operational by
November 2013.
• ECIA and IBM continue to discuss with IA DOT management the potential expansion of
the Iowa opportunity to include a major IA DOT "cloud" service for transportation data in
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Iowa.
• The Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) in collaboration with IBM and The Jule
submitted a report to the Transportation Research Board (TRB) about the Smarter Travel
project. The research paper highlights the use of smartphone applications, anonymous
cell tower (and RFID) data in the re- design of fixed route public transit system routes.
The paper has been accepted by the TRB and was presented by the MPO during the
Board's national meeting in January 2013.
Smarter Discards (High Priority):
A Smarter Sustainable Dubuque - Smarter Discards Pilot Project was approved in FY13 in a
joint development agreement with IBM Research. Project goals are:
1. Months measure and improve trend lines in landfill diversion and curbside recycling of
residential discards to help achieve Dubuque's sustainability commitments;
2. Establish the long term cost effectiveness of pilot diversion strategies due to city and
customer access to diversion data, using carts, radio frequency identification (RFID)
technology, customer communications, incentive campaigns, and changes in collection
frequencies;
3. Inform City government of citizens' needs related to current, as well as future, policy,
staffing and equipment issues related to discard management and curbside collection; and,
4. Support the attainment of the City's greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets.
The project is designed to focus research and foster sustainable behavior change related to
discard management in three target groups:
• The Washington Neighborhood (Monday routes) with its heavy concentration of City
wheeled collection carts and alley collection service;
• A census tract (Tuesday routes) with few City wheeled collection carts, some hills, few
alleys, some on- street parking, yards, average recycling rates, few apartments, and no
commercial areas.
• "Volunteer Subscribers ": A third group of 304 volunteer living anywhere in the city (any
route). A Chlapaty Fellowship was awarded to a University of Dubuque student to
assist with the project.
Data collection for the aggregate areas began in May of 2013 and has continued successfully
with only minor interruptions that have not compromised the integrity of the data. From January
to April of 2013, City staff worked closely with IBM to ensure that the proof of concept started on
time vendors selected to provide the necessary technology through a request for proposals
process. For the households in the two aggregate data collection areas, recycling bins and
refuse collection containers were fitted with RFID tags, which enables the weight of the
bin /container contents to be measured by City collection crews. The aggregate weights of
refuse and recycling materials collected in these areas are automatically measured at both the
DMASWA Landfill and Ditmer Recycling Center, and those data are updated in IBM's Intelligent
Waste Management Solution (IWS) portal.
During the first month of data collection, 92 users logged into the portal at least once. In the
coming weeks, staff efforts will focus on volunteer outreach and engagement to encourage
more users to log into the portal and view their data. One of the main challenges discovered
thus far is the frequency of data -entry error by collection workers using the current weighing
and reporting method. Collection crews are using hand -held digital scales to weight bins and
containers, and are manually entering the weights into a computer terminal located inside their
vehicles. These weights are then transmitted wirelessly to a server, and then used to populate
the IBM portal. Staff hired Camelot Business Management Software of Galena, Illinois to
recommend solutions that minimize the risk of data entry errors. The options were all deemed
too costly for the estimated increase in accuracy over for the remainder of the project.
In December, Anderson Sainci joined the Smarter Discards team. Anderson's efforts are
focusing on volunteer outreach and engagement; he also is tasked with contacting volunteers,
ensuring that they utilize the IBM portal to view discard data, and sharing information on
discarding and City programs with pilot participants. In addition, Anderson is assisting with help
desk calls and inquiries made to the Smarter Discards phone number and email.
Smarter Health & Wellness (High Priority):
Council approved a JDA with IBM to expand SSD to include a Smarter Health & Wellness silo,
in partnership with the University of Iowa College of Public Health. The objective of the project
is to design, enable and conduct a wellness pre- pilot, in which IBM will provide access to an
aggregate "CityView" Community Engagement Platform (CEP) and make available mobility and
individual engagement /data collection mobile applications for Android smartphones. The City
recruited 75 community volunteers to download the new app and engage in the pilot. Through
the platform, the volunteers will be able to track their activities and compare them with their
goals and with the results of the aggregate group of volunteers. Key Performance Indicators
have been developed and are being monitored. Two Community Cafe sessions were held on
June 26 for volunteers to receive assistance. Additional e-mails and phone calls have been
made for outreach to volunteers, in order to increase their use of the app. Other engagement
activities will be planned. Casey Muhm of GDDC is now the Project Manager. He replaces
David Lyons, who completed his contract in June 2013.
Since the Fourth of July holiday, three "engagement messages" have been sent to program
volunteers through the CEP application, encouraging their participation and physical activity.
Usage and activity have increased substantially as a result of this. Data collection for the
Smarter Health & Wellness pilot concluded on August 11, 2013. Seven volunteers completed a
final survey to measure how their health and wellness activities have changed since beginning
the pilot program. The survey results, along with the complete data set from the entire pilot
period, were analyzed by IBM and used to prepare a final report. This report was completed on
August 31, 2013, and a copy was provided to the City Manager.
On September 19, 2013, Rick Dickinson and Casey Muhm traveled to Iowa City to meet with
Dr. Martin Sepulveda, Vice President for Health Industries Research at IBM. Also participating
were Mary Rose Corrigan (who was a panelist with Dr. Sepulveda following the latter's receipt
of the Hansen Leadership Award), Sue Curry (dean of the University of Iowa's College of Public
Health), and Charles Connerly (director of the University of Iowa's School of Urban and
Regional Planning). The purpose of the meeting was to discuss results from the Health and
Wellness pilot and consider possible next steps for a larger pilot program. Dr. Sepulveda was a
critical resource in developing and facilitating the Health and Wellness pilot, and maintaining his
continued engagement will remain a top priority.
On October 21, Martin Sepulveda visited Dubuque en route to Iowa City and met City and
GDDC staff to discuss the IBM Smarter Cities Challenge grant program and next steps for the
Health and Wellness pilot. At his suggestion, a team will be assembled in the coming weeks to
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develop a pilot program that could be implemented if funding is identified.
On November 26, the City submitted an application for IBM's Smarter Cities Challenge on the
topic of Health and Wellness. The Smarter Cities Challenge is a global competition in which
cities submit topic ideas that could be addressed by a team of visiting IBM staff. If successful,
IBM staff would visit Dubuque for three weeks sometime during the summer of 2014 and work
with City personnel and other community partners to study community health data collection
from a variety of sources and determine technology needs to collecting and analyzing data that
impact health. Applicants will be notified whether their applications were successful in February
of 2014.
Community Climate Action Plan:
The GHG Reduction Plan was written to provide a realistic path to achieving 50% GHG
reduction by 2030 in Dubuque. The recommendations discussed in the plan are tailored to
Dubuque's specific needs and capabilities. The costs, benefits, and GHG reductions are then
calculated for each action, which allows us to prioritize recommendations based on GHG
reductions achieved, effort required, and the side benefits each action brings to Dubuque
(notably, those "side benefits" often far outweigh the GHG impact). Every recommendation in
this plan is designed to benefit Dubuque's health, transportation, and economic prosperity,
reaching well beyond GHG reduction. For more information visit: www.dubuqueGHGplan.org
Green Dubuque, City of Dubuque, and Greater Dubuque Development Corporation, along with
Petal Project support staff, have begun a business outreach initiative and intend to work
through September to collect input about existing programs, opportunities, and barriers to their
implementation of sustainable practices.
The completed 50% by 2030 plan was presented to and adopted by the City Council in
December 2013.
Sustainable Dubuque Collaboration: In fall 2011, Community Foundation of Greater
Dubuque staff informed the City and other Dubuque 2.0 steering committee members that they
would refocus their community engagement efforts around issues other than sustainability.
Since that time, we have met with Foundation staff, 2.0 steering committee members, and other
key stakeholders to determine a path forward to accomplish community engagement and
education around sustainability. The ultimate goals are that these activities continue, and that
the entire community feels that Sustainable Dubuque is an initiative that was created by, and
continues to be led by, the community.
The Sustainable Dubuque Collaboration (SDC) concept has evolved after discussion with
partners as a way to continue community awareness and education efforts, foster collaboration
from all sectors to meet the Sustainable Dubuque goals, and measure our progress towards our
goals. SDC, modeled after DubuqueWorks, is structured in a way that requires commitments to
action from its core members and invites all Dubuque residents, businesses and organizations
to participate.
All members of the Sustainable Dubuque Core and Investor Networks will be asked to actively
support the goals of community engagement and education. They will continue to operate their
own programs (e.g. Petal Project, Green Vision Schools) and will collaborate as necessary to
achieve these goals. The group will work to assist each other, identify gaps, avoid duplication,
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and attract additional funding and resources.
The Core Network has conducted two strategic planning sessions. Overall, the group is
focused on creating an independent, collaborative, community - supported organization with
broad demographic participation in order to gain acceptance of the Sustainable Dubuque vision,
increase community education and partnerships around sustainability, and engage citizens and
organizations so that they change individual, collective and institutional behaviors and culture
resulting in successful outcomes. The group continues to work on planning and is focused on
two areas in the near -term future: organizational development and engaging the community in
setting actionable priorities based on the Sustainable Dubuque indicators.
The Sustainable Dubuque Collaboration Investors met for the first time in October. This new
addition, illustrated below, builds on a Core group that will continue to meet and drive strategic
direction of the Collaboration. The Investors are asked to invest time, talent and /or treasure in
the Collaboration. Currently, eight organizations are represented on the Core Network, with an
additional 16 organizations in the Investors Network. We will continue to recruit additional
members. Three new members joined the Investors, who continue to meet on a bi- monthly
basis.
Core Network
Investors Network
Sustainable Dubuque Community Grants: Twenty -seven applications were received in the first
round of funding, requesting over $54,000 in funds. Twelve grants were awarded to various
community groups, with an additional couple of projects being implemented through other
avenues or connections made. Twenty -six applications were received during the second round,
totaling $54,743 in requests. Recommendations for funding ten projects was made to the City
Council at their August 19 meeting. Twelve applications were received in the third round; five
were funded for a total of $8,023.
REGIONAL ECONOMY
Government:
Petal Project: The Petal Project is a regional green business certification program designed to
encourage organizations in the Dubuque area to adopt more environmentally friendly business
practices. Businesses receive Petal Project staff assistance and a simple framework for saving
money and resources. The program also establishes a community -wide definition of a green
business for consumers wishing to shop based on their values.
The Petal Project is divided into five categories. Within each category a business must
complete all of the mandatory and a specified number of option criteria to earn that petal. Once
a business has earned all five petals, it is "Petal Certified ".
There are currently 25 businesses participating in the program. Ten businesses are now
certified including Finley Hospital (2010), Loras College (2011), DB &T (2012), Premier Bank
(2012), Premier Tooling & Manufacturing (2012), River Lights Bookstore (2012), Dubuque Data
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Services (2012), Unison Solutions (2013), Unified Therapy Services (2013), and EIMCo (2013).
Buyer Supplier Network: Buyer - Supplier is a web based program for businesses that
connects both buyers and sellers in Eastern Iowa to promote and facilitate regional purchasing.
Over $6.3 billion are being spent on goods and services from vendors located outside of
eastern Iowa that could be spent in the region. The goal of Buyer Supplier is to encourage
businesses to purchase from regional providers, shifting dollars back into the regional economy.
Businesses of all types and sizes are encouraged to take part in the program; from small
organic produce farmers, to large corporations. There are currently nearly 1,200 businesses
with profiles on the system.
Kelsey McElroy (ECIA) and Dan McDonald (GDDC) met with Cindy Steinhauser in April to
discuss expanding the partnership between Buyer Supplier and the City of Dubuque. In the
past, City staff has been encouraged to upload RFPs to Buyer Supplier. Recently the number of
postings by City staff has declined. Additionally, a new feature on Buyer Supplier called Quick
Quote offers an opportunity to utilize Buyer Supplier for small projects. As a result of this
meeting, Kelsey presented during the City of Dubuque leadership team meeting. A follow up
email was sent to all City staff explaining the program and how to utilize it. The long -term goal is
for Buyer Supplier to become an aggregate site for government bids in Eastern Iowa.
The import- substitution economic impact assessment that laid the foundation for the
development of Buyer Supplier was updated in July. Contact Kelsey McElroy at
kmcelrov(ecia.orq fora copy of the report.
Workforce Development:
Recruitment and retention: The Training and Workforce Development Coordinator works with
hiring managers to review job descriptions for open positions so the description reflects the
reality of the job expectations and assists in recruiting more broadly for open positions.
Interview processes with the PD and other positions involving high levels of public contact
include a diverse group of community members in the process. An internship program has
been implemented in the police department as a feeder program to full time positions. In terms
of police retention, two police officers trained in intercultural competence have created a
communications course for field training officers and new recruits that we anticipate will assist
with retention by building the necessary communication and intercultural skills. The Fire
Department is in the process of developing a Firefighter internship program.
Applicant Statistics
Race /Ethnicity
2010
Census
2010
Applicants
2011
Applicants
2012
Applicants
2013
Applicants
White
91 %
82.2%
88.2%
91.4%
85%
Black /African-
American
5%
6.8%
7%
5%
8.2%
Hispanic /Latino
2%
2.5%
2%
1.5%
3.5%
Asian
1%
1.4%
1.1%
.7%
1.8%
American
Indian
.7%
1.7%
.3%
.4%
.4%
New Hires (1 Year)
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Race /Ethnicity
2010 Census
2012 -2013 FT
Hires
2012 -2013 PT
Hires
2012 -2013
Seasonal
White
91 %
87%
(34 people)
94%
(32 people)
92%
(188 people)
Black /African-
American
5%
10.25%
(4 people)
6%
(2 people)
2%
(4 people)
Hispanic /Latino
2%
0%
0%
4%
(5 people)
Asian
1%
2.5% (1 person)
0%
2%
(4 people)
American Indian
.7%
0%
0%
0%
New Hires
Gender
2012 -2013 FT Hires
2012 -2013 PT Hires
2012 -2013 Seasonal
Male
61.6% (24 people)
44.1 % (15 people)
48.8% (98 people)
Female
38.4% (15 people)
55.9% (19 people)
51.2% (103 people)
New Hires (2 Years)
Race /Ethnicity
2010 Census
2011 -2013 FT Hires
2011 -2013 PT Hires
2011 -2013
Seasonal
White
91%
92% (68 people)
87% (53 people)
92% (277
people)
Black /African-
American
5%
5.4% (4 people)
6.5% (4 people)
3%
(9 people)
Hispanic /Latino
2%
1.4% (1 person)
6.5% (4 people)
3%
(9 people)
Asian
1%
1.4% (1 person)
0%
2%
(6 people)
American Indian
.7%
0%
0%
0%
Training & Career Development: This year we have reached over 1200 people with
foundational skills in intercultural communication - intercultural communication simply means
developing the ability to communicate more effectively across cultural differences so we can
understand each other's needs and adapt to one another. We offered 10.5 hours of
foundational training for city staff hired in the past year. In addition, we offered two sessions of
a 32 hour intercultural leadership workshop, and we worked with four organizations monthly for
a year to develop intercultural teams within their organizations. Leaders who attended the ILW
or year long team development are part of ICC Ambassador group that meets quarterly -
Institutions represented on the ambassador group in addition to the City are: UD, Loras, Senior
and Hempstead H.S., Goodwill, Hillcrest, Riverview, Hills and Dales, Body and Soul Wellness
Center, CFGD, GDDC, and Progressive Processing.
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Impact: The objectives of this work are having a workforce prepared for 21 st century jobs and
embracing a diverse population that supports a multicultural workforce. The outcomes will be a
city workforce reflecting the diversity of the community; city services that are available for all
and delivered in an equitable and fair manner; and a community where everyone is welcome.
Business:
Dubuque Works:
AccessDubuqueJobs.com
• 10 Additional AccessDubuqueJobs.com investors added in 2013 YTD.
• 255 average new resumes posted per month in 2013, currently exceeding goal of 100
per month.
• Site currently averaging 94,765 visitors per month
• 1,452 facebook likes
• A total of 126 internships were posted FY 2012 -2013
• 4, 002 additional visitors to the internship home page for a total of 10,274 FYTD
Newcomer Services
• 223 Individuals assisted from January 1 — June 30, 2013
o 461 Individuals assisted from July 1, 2012 — June 30, 2013
• 95 Community tours from January 1 — June 30, 2013
o 213 Community tours YTD from July 1, 2013 — June 30, 2013
• Continue to offer accompanying partner services by encouraging career search and
resume posting on AccessDubuqueJobs.com
Opportunity Dubuque
• 38 Trained and completed Intro to Modern Manufacturing. 3 were employed after the
class. 19 are currently enrolled in the CNC certificate and 16 are in Welding. This is the
4th Cohort.
• Group 1- Graduated 19 in CNC, currently employed 16, 2 continuing their education and
1 unable to contact
• Group 2- Graduated 20 in CNC currently employed 18, 2 are unable to contact
• Group 3- Graduated 18 in CNC currently employed 15, 2 looking for work and 1 unable
to contact
• Group 4 19 are currently in training, graduation is set for Sept 11, 2013
• 100% of these students have completed their NCRC test with a minimum of a Bronze
Certificate.
• Group 2 — Graduated 9 in welding. Currently 9 employed
• Group 3 - 15 started the welding program. 11 completed, 8 are currently employed, 2 are
looking for work and 1 is in the welding credit program
• Group 4 - 14 starting the welding program and are scheduled to graduate July 31, 2013.
• Employers participating in Opportunity Dubuque increased from 12 to 17.
• Currently 127 students on the contact list for the next Orientation.
Skilled Trades
• Worked with the Regional STEM Hub to coordinate an iExplore STEM Festival at the
Grand River Center. The festival featured over forty booths with hands -on activities for
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students (4th -7th grade was the target market) to explore science, technology,
engineering and mathematics. Approximately 4,000 people attended the fair which was
funded by the Governor's STEM initiative. Parent's attended with their children and it
was a great opportunity for the parents to learn more about STEM careers.
Dubuque Sustainability Innovation Consortium (support of GDDC: High Priority): Formed
in late 2009, the Dubuque Sustainability Innovation Consortium is an informal group comprised
of manufacturing, technology, service, wholesale and other industry sectors. The consortium is
staff - supported by Greater Dubuque Development in partnership with the City of Dubuque.
The Consortium has hosted quarterly meetings to engage the private sector about
sustainability- related opportunities, including the topics of energy efficiency /lighting, the Petal
Project, and solar.
Greater Dubuque Development assisted with the promotion of events that were held in
Dubuque (May 29/30) to promote CNG fleets /vehicles. The events were co- sponsored by Black
Hills Energy and Rainbo Oil Corp. Going forward, Greater Dubuque Development / Innovation
Consortium will host an additional event in mid /late 2013 to promote companies /fleets switching
to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).
During the month of June 2013, Greater Dubuque Development formally hired a new staff
person. Casey Muhm will serve as Greater Dubuque's Director of Sustainable Innovation. In his
role, Casey will pick -up the duties and assignments previously held by Dave Lyons (as they
pertain to IBM, Smarter City, pilot programs, etc.). Additionally, Casey will oversee all of Greater
Dubuque's collaboration, partnering, and programming related to sustainability, including
Greater Dubuque's Innovation Consortium. Casey will also be responsible for Greater
Dubuque's use of data and analytics.
On November 13, Greater Dubuque brought together over 75 key decision - makers to discuss
the benefits of using compressed natural gas (CNG) to power vehicles. Our region's natural gas
supplier, Black Hills Energy, spoke to the group about the expected return on investment for
different vehicle types, general trends impacting the price and availability of CNG, and how and
where to purchase or convert vehicles to run on CNG. Kwik Stop was also on hand to
announce that CNG is available at the new Kwik Stop BP station at 16th and Kerper, which held
its grand opening on November 15. Lastly, Eric Hoke, a Nebraska -based electrical contractor
who has been using three CNG vans for over two years, discussed how converting his fleet to
run on CNG has helped him save money, attract new customers, and expand his business.
Non - Profit:
University Extension Community Development Collaborative (f /k /a Dubuque Institute for
Sustainable Communities and Economic Development): The Dubuque Institute for
Sustainable Communities and Economic Development is a first of its kind collaboration between
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, University of Wisconsin- Extension and the City
of Dubuque. The institute will focus on issues important to the greater Dubuque regional
economy and successful strategies that can be replicated in other communities across both
states. The institute staff will work with regional universities, colleges and other academic
institutions in both states, as well as extension and colleges within the two universities. Faculty
and staff will look for other regional, national or international institutions to conduct research
within Dubuque and support collaboration with private sector businesses and organizations in
the community.
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The Institute's offices have been completed on the second floor of the Roshek Building and are
ready for operations. The Universities have hired the jointly tenured professor to lead the
Institute. She is Professor Deborah Tootle, who was most recently with the University of
Arkansas teaching and working in Community and Economic Development. Her doctorate was
from the University of Georgia and she has spent time working with the United States
Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service and Louisiana State University (as
Program Leader for Community Rural Development). She has specialized in several areas that
will be of interest in her work at the Institute, including Community Stakeholder Engagement
and Community Disaster Recovery.
The Universities have also narrowed the candidates down to three for final interviews for the
next position at the Institute (Economic Development Specialist). They hope to hold the final
interviews in Dubuque the second week of January.
Tim Borich (lead from ISU) reports that they feel the Institute will be fully operational by
February 1st, and would hope to hold the first Community Advisory Group meeting (local
leaders that will advise and help direct the efforts of the Institute) in early February.
The Collaborative hosted a community advisory meeting on April 5 to introduce local leaders to
new staff Deborah Tootle and Brian Perry.
Project HOPE:
• History
o In 2008, the City identified the need to address economic security of under - resourced
community members. To address this issue, the City of Dubuque partnered with the
Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque to activate Project HOPE (Help Our
People Excel).
o Project HOPE is an economic development initiative designed to convene community
organizations and stakeholders around issues that relate to disengaged people
(those in poverty, unemployed and disengaged youth), researching and developing
best practices to share among local providers and ensuring action steps are being
taken to address identified strategies for improvement and hosting meetings to
encourage communication, data sharing, and improved outcomes.
• Project HOPE Objectives for 2012 -13
o Project HOPE works to improve inter - agency collaboration and reduce
policy /program barriers to service- or simply, makes systems easier to access and
navigate- in order to connect disengaged youth and adults to education and
employment opportunities.
• Program /activity goals are;
o Objective 1: Improve coordination among providers — implement a collective
impact model- common agenda, shared measurement, mutually reinforcing
activities, continuous coordination, and a support organization to better
understand the needs of disengaged community members and coordinate system
improvements to serve them. Action: convene a stakeholders group which will
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meet regularly to share best practices, ideas for improvement and to coordinate
resources.
• The Community Foundation continues to convene a core committee on a
monthly basis to move the work of the Project HOPE programs forward.
• The CFGD produces a quarterly e- newsletter, that is shared with partners,
providers and citizens, that highlights Project HOPE programs. The
upcoming issue will be sent out in July.
o Objective 2: Connect unemployed people to education /skills training — coordinate
clear paths to education /skills training that connect to employment and education
achievement. Action: support the development of a re- engagement center to
reconnect people to education opportunities.
• Connecting People to Education /Training In Aug 2012 Project HOPE
announced the opening of Dubuque's Re- engagement Center. The Center
is funded by a partnership between the Dubuque Community Schools and
NICC. The re- engagement center is a physical, staffed location and
program that connects high school drop -outs back into education and
training opportunities.
• The Reengagement Center partners are also actively participating in
a Community of Practice to share and learn best practices from
programs across the country.
• HEART continues measurable impacts in the lives of young people
as they use service learning to rebuild the Washington
Neighborhood with affordable, quality housing, all the while earning
high school diplomas and working toward healthy adulthood. They
are collectively achieving a 92% graduation rate and certifications
such as Tool & Safety, and Safe Lead Worker Certifications.
o Objective 3: Improve the pipeline to employment —match available lobs to
education and skill levels of the workforce to improve success rate of placement.
Action: development of scholarships and certificate training opportunities for
underserved individuals including possible development of an employment
support specialist position to support people transitioning into working lifestyles.
• Improve pipeline to employment:
Opportunity Dubuque is an initiative that meets the needs of local
employers and unemployed /underemployed workers through an innovative
collaboration of local partners and employers who developed a clear
pathway to employment. Opportunity Dubuque has added a career
pathway to Information Technology.
• This pathway will give participants the skills to receive entry-level
jobs with the employer sponsors such as IBM,
Dubuque Data Services and Platinum Supplemental Insurance.
o Objective 4: Support needs of working families — improve access to child care
opportunities within the community to ensure this is not a road block to
employment. Action; develop a childcare service mapping project and website for
working families to connect to child care.
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• Childcare Resources- To improve access to childcare within the
community, Project HOPE partnered with Resources Unite to develop a
child care service mapping project and website that helps working families
and employers connect to child care. This information is now available
through the Resources Unite directory.
o Objective 5: Help families build financial assets—Help families Earn it, Keep it,
Grow it by connecting them to Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), BankOn, and
other financial supportAiteracy programs.
• Earned Income Tax Credit- Project HOPE supported the Earned Income
Tax Credit program facilitated by Operation New View. The project helped
low- income people in Dubuque receive $223,961 in federal income tax
refunds.
• The local task force has been meeting monthly, and is currently
preparing to start the annual outreach to the community about this
program and to recruit volunteers to staff the VITA sites this coming
tax season.
• Bank On- The program offers low- and moderate - income residents free or
low -cost checking accounts and access to financial education. Access to a
bank or credit union account can help residents avoid costly alternative
financial services (check cashers, payday lenders, pawn shops and rent -to-
own stores) and enable families to build and protect their assets. For
calendar year 2012, Bank On has:
• established new accounts for families bringing the total of active
accounts to 51
• 22 individuals completed financial literacy classes
• hosted 2 Lunch 'n' Learns about the program for local non - profits
serving the low- and moderate - income population
On February 13, 2013 the Bank On committee met with Kevin Shields from
FDIC. Many ideas surfaced for broadening our outreach to youth and other
segments of the community that the committee will take forward. Bank On
is currently pulling Quarter 2 reports for 2013.
• Opportunity Passport: provides matched Individual Development
Accounts and financial literacy training to youth aging out of foster care,
through a partnership with Dupaco Community Credit Union and Four
Oaks. Since the program began in 2008, it has served nearly 40 youth, with
classes usually held twice a year. The goals for OP participants are to:
become financially literate; gain experience with the banking system;
amass assets for education, housing and other approved assets; and gain
streamlined entry to educational, training and vocational opportunities.
• Nearly $3,000.00 in matches have been made for the following
approved assets:
o 2 vehicles
o 2 laptops
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o 2 tests needed for college entrance
o Deposit for an apartment
• Since its beginning On 2008) the program has served a total of 39
youth and has made 22 matches for a total of $13,022.89, meaning
the youth have saved that much in order to make the match.
o Objective 6: Support the Circles Initiative — support strong data collection and
connections to community resources for Getting Ahead /Circles program and
participants.
• We are building the capacity of the Guiding Coalition, strengthening its
committees, especially the Recruitment and Resources Committees.
• The Project HOPE Core Committee will be spending significant time in
2013 focusing on this program and will be instrumental in helping create
strategic connections with the Dubuque community.
• The Resource Committee is providing oversight in developing strong data
collection
• Overall connections to the broader community and its services and
providers are being made:
• The Recruitment Committee has increased its efforts to reach out to
the community in actively engaging volunteers in the Circles
programs and activities
• One Circle Leader was among the graduates of the latest
Opportunity Dubuque CNC class. Others are showing some interest,
and this may increase as Opportunity Dubuque expands to include
other business sectors, such as the health care field.
Schools:
NICC Green Jobs Program: The Northeast Iowa Community College Green Jobs program is
funded through an ARRA grant administered in partnership by ECIA and NICC. The program is
providing unemployed and incumbent workers with skills training in energy auditing,
deconstruction, wind turbine maintenance, and green residential and commercial construction.
New courses recently added are: Solar PV, Worm Composting and Biodiesel. The Wind
Turbine Repair Technician Program has purchased a Wind Turbine Climb Tower and students
will all be trained by December 2011.
Total students to train: 392
Training Programs /Industry Enrollment:
• Green Industry Sector: Energy Efficient Building , Construction
o Sustainable Deconstruction, COSC, HEARTYouthbuild, HVAC NCI
• Green Industry Sector: Energy Efficient Assessment, Professional, Scientific, and
Technical Services
o RESNET HERS, BPI Building Analyst, Envelope — Shell, Heating, AC, Heat Pump
• Green Industry Sector: Renewable Electric Power, Utilities
o Wind Turbine Repair Technician
o Solar, Wind, Hydro, Geothermal
o Intro to Wind Technology
o Solar Thermal Installation
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o Intro to Solar Thermal
Sustainability of Programs: NICC will continue to offer Green Industry training courses after the
grant period is up, specifically in the solar and wind alternative energy fields. A couple courses
are being submitted for credit approval so students have transferrable credits upon completion
of the course.
The ARRA- funded Green Jobs training program has been completed. NICC continues to
partner with businesses and other in Dubuque to identify upcoming workforce training needs
and develop programs to meet those needs.
People & Neighborhoods:
SMART ENERGY USE
Government:
EECBG: The City of Dubuque was the recipient of $574,700 in ARRA funding through the
Energy Efficiency Conservation & Block Grant program. The following funds have been spent
or obligated to date:
$75,000.00 Sustainability Coordinator Salary. Grant administration and community
engagement.
$100,000.00 First of a Kind (FOAK) agreement with IBM Watson Research Center to
fund part of the Smarter Travel pilot in the Smarter Sustainable Dubuque project.
$50,347.00 Residential certified energy audits and energy efficient retrofits. To date,
this program has funded 54 certified energy audits and assisted 123 Dubuque
residents in installing high - efficiency furnaces, insulation, new windows, and
completing basic retrofits including caulking around windows, weather - stripping, etc.
The program has been closed.
$100,214.00 Replacement of City Hall HVAC system. Tricon Construction has been
selected as the general contractor for the HVAC system upgrade. The project is
complete. Water savings of 90 +% have been documented.
$200,000.00 Commercial /Non - profit Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund
(Management Agenda) The first RLF was issued to Miracle Car Wash in November to
finance a lighting retrofit project. In an effort to comply with DOE regulations and
spend the funds by September 20, which is the end of grant period, the maximum loan
has been increased from $10,000 to $50,000 and the loan has been made 20%
forgivable. Targeted outreach is being completed in hopes of spending the funds in the
required time frame. Two additional loans were processed in August, one for Gronen
Restoration and one for the Dubuque Food Co -op, each for $50,000. Any funds
remaining in this category at the end of August will be transferred to pre- approved
projects in City Hall (HVAC system) and Five Flags Center (updated lighting). Because
of delay in anticipated opening date, the Dubuque Food Co -op has decided not to use
these funds. Two commercial loan applications were received in November. Pending
certification of energy savings, these loans will be issued in December. Two loans
were approved in December: a loan for approximately $6,000 to Courtside to replace
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lighting fixtures and a second for $50,000 to Cartegraph for the installation of a solar
array on their facility. Cartegraph's solar project is a qualifying project because they
meet DOE qualifications that say that all feasible energy efficiency improvements have
already been completed in the facility.
$5,600.00 Weatherization & outreach supplies purchased primarily for Green Iowa
Americorps members.
Additional funds remain in the categories of community education and commercial building
retrofits. In order to address to ongoing ARRA reporting requirements, the DOE has required
the City to file an additional six -month extension request, making the new closing date for this
grant September 2013. With this new opportunity, the City continues to work with ECIA to
attempt to disperse funds through the RLF and use any remaining dollars for City facility
updates with quick ROls. A $150,000 loan was issued to the Dubuque Food Co -op for the
purchase of refrigerator equipment. This loan depletes the EECBG grant. Additional
commercial energy efficiency loans will be available at a future, to be determined date, as the
existing loans are paid back.
City Facilities Lighting Retrofits: Building Services staff have conducted a lighting audit of
City Hall and are now in the process of removing lamps and retrofitting fixtures to more
appropriately meet the lighting demands of the employees and customers that use the building.
Approximately 300 of the 1100 lamps have been eliminated from use in City Hall. All of the
fixtures (except storage room and restrooms) have been reballasted with energy efficient and
longer lasting ballasts. 32 Watt lamps have been replaced with 28 Watt lamps. It is estimated
that energy use for lighting at City Hall has decreased 50 %. The project has been completed.
Additional energy for pumping water for the new HVAC does not allow for a simple review of the
utility bills to determine the savings created by the lighting retrofit.
Approximately 20 City facilities, including City Hall, City Hall Annex, the Municipal Services
Center, Historic Federal Building, fire stations, and several parks and recreation facilities will
have lighting audits completed by Crescent Electric. Crescent will make energy- saving
recommendations that will be included in existing operating budgets and future CIP requests.
Parking Ramp Lighting Project: The 5th Street, Iowa Street and Locust Street Parking
Ramps have recently been updated with new fluorescent lighting. In addition, the recently
constructed Central Avenue Ramp has the same lighting system. The system has been
provided by a firm from Holland, MI, TwistHDM. The system is fully programmable, providing
the maximum in daylight harvesting, occupancy sensing and provides a safety factor in that e-
mails are sent to maintenance staff any time a light is burned out or not functioning for any
reason. Each fixture has its own IP address allowing for state of the industry programming to
reduce energy usage. In the first months of operation, this system has led to a 68% reduction
in lighting costs, or 35% reduction in total electricity consumption in the ramp. The Division is in
the early stages of evaluating the lighting in the Port of Dubuque Parking Facility to determine if
alternate styles of lighting are more beneficial.
Public Works Department:
• Hybrid- Powered Vehicle: One of the very first DMASWA Smart Energy Use initiatives
was its purchase of a hybrid - powered vehicle in the summer of 2005. This purchase was
made not only to reduce the amount of fuel used by Agency - employed staff and reduce
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the DMASWA's vehicle - related carbon footprint, but also as an education tool by the
Agency's Education and Communication Coordinator. Now well over eight years old and
with over 95,000 miles on its odometer, the vehicle has performed faultlessly and has
averaged 28 miles per gallon in the city. The DMASWA intends to retain it until calendar
2015, when it should have well over 115,000 miles on its odometer.
• CNG- Powered Vehicle: Just as the DMASWA was the first local governmental entity to
purchase and use a hybrid - powered vehicle, it was also the first local governmental
entity to purchase (September of 2011) and use a vehicle using compressed natural gas
(CNG) as its primary fuel. This Smart Energy Use initiative not only further reduces the
Agency's vehicle - related carbon footprint, but is also an indicator of the Agency's
commitment to using domestically - produced /sourced fuels in all of its equipment in future
years.
• Landfill Methane Reuse: A third DMASWA Smart Energy Use initiative is its commitment
to beneficially reuse the methane it collects and flares from its closed landfill cells. To
that end, it retained the services of an expert and highly- regarded environmental
engineering firm in September of 2011 to evaluate proposals from local industries and
utilities. After intense negotiations with a local employer and electrical power provider
through the end of 2011, a final agreement could not be reached after the power provider
withdrew from the tentative partnership. The DMASWA's engineering firm was then
authorized by the DMASWA's Board of Directors to begin negotiations with the other
electrical power provider in Dubuque county. At this time those negotiations for a
Combined Heat and Power (CHP) facility at the DMASWA Landfill are nearing
completion. At the present time, plans call for an Agency owned and operated "green
electricity" generating facility that would sell electricity to the power provider and use the
heat emanating from the Agency's generators to heat its three buildings. The DMASWA
Board of Directors now anticipates making a decision regarding this tentative project in
FY14.
Biomass Energy Development: The Resource Management program has been an internal
partner in researching sustainable new energy sources from discarded materials processed or
which could be processed at the WWTP and the Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste
Agency landfill. The methane produced at both facilities could be developed as a renewable
energy source and net revenue producer with Combined Heat and Power (CHP) applications.
Recovered clean untreated wood is also a local energy fuel option.
Library Kill -A -Watt Meter Checkout Program: In partnership with ISU Extension and the
City's Office of Sustainability, Kill -A -Watt Meters are available for resident check out. These
meters allow residents to measure the energy demand of appliances in their homes, and is
particularly helpful in identifying "phantom energy loads" that occur when appliances and
chargers are plugged in but not in use.
Leisure Services Department:
• LED lights installed as a part of North End Neighborhood trail lighting project.
• Signed up with Crescent Electric for lighting study to review all facilities throughout
Leisure Services Department.
• Received an Alliant Energy sponsored energy audit for Grand River Center.
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• Ongoing participation in the Alliant Energy Interrupt Program during peak energy usage
times
• Received an Alliant Energy Level II Energy Audit for Five Flags and used it in the budget
request process.
• Working with the Building Services Department on Smart Metering project for Grand
River Center.
• Received a rebate from Alliant Energy of $252.00 from the lighting project at Sutton pool
Business:
Non - Profit:
Schools:
People & Neighborhoods:
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Government:
Public Works Department: The Green Vision Building Materials Management and Waste
Minimization Program is a high priority of the Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste
Agency. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) has designated construction and
demolition materials (C &D) as targeted materials for diverting from Iowa landfills, noting that
they accounted for 13.5% of all materials landfilled in Iowa, as determined by the Iowa
Department of Natural Resources' 2011 Landfilled Materials Analysis Study. Building and
demolition professionals can play an important role in assisting the Agency and IDNR in
meeting their goals of diverting reusable and recyclable materials from land filling. Rethinking,
reducing, reusing and recycling - the "Four R's" - focus on resource efficiency. Typically, these
practices can save money and control costs by decreasing the amount of new materials needed
for building and reducing waste disposal costs. Equally important, the program helps reduce
the amount of materials being buried at the Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency
(DMASWA) Landfill.
Retail Plastic Bag Reduction Strategy: The City Council approved a strategy to reduce the
use of plastic bags in retail stores 90% by 2017. The approved plan begins by targeting retailers
over 40,000 square feet and focuses on tracking reduction and recycling of checkout plastic
bags, incentives and education, not enforcement or a "ban." Staff will be working with retailers
and other partners to implement the plan, including creating reporting system and time table, an
implementation toolkit for local retailers as well as a City consumer education campaign. City
staff proposed an ordinance requiring reporting of plastic bag consumption at the March 19,
2012, meeting. The ordinance passed the first reading. After gathering additional public input,
an updated memo from City staff recommended a voluntary reporting of plastic bag use and
cross - sector task force led by private sector businesses to address barriers and opportunities to
reducing plastic bag use at the May 7, 2012, Council meeting.
The DMASWA Education Office continues to sponsor showings of the "Bag It" movie:
More showings are being scheduled. This film reviews the effects of plastics on human and
environmental health and supports the City of Dubuque's plastic bag reduction strategy.
"BYOBag" window clings in multiple sizes have been developed for personal and business use
as a reminder to bring your own bags and will be distributed through various events as part of
the community education campaign.
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A BYOB episode of the Sustainability Today cable tv series has been completed. City and
DMASWA staff continue to support private sector reduction efforts, most notably led by Hy -Vee,
Theisen's, and Dittmer Recycling staff who lead the plastic bag working group.
Landfill Scale House Ticket Printing Initiative: The DMASWA Landfill Scale House
implemented a project earlier this year to eliminate ticket printing for all city departments that
use the facility. Instead of printed tickets, the departments get their tickets emailed to them as a
PDF each day for the days they use the landfill. This will save at least 3900 sheets of special
stock paper. In addition, with printing costs, it will save over $120. The next phase of the
initiative was also recently implemented, with the Agency signing up its other major charge
customers for e- tickets, leading to additional savings in paper usage and printing costs.
Airport:
• The Dubuque Jet Center is a drop -off for recycling used cell phones, batteries, etc.
• Dubuque Jet has begun to use a 5% blend of Bio- Diesel fuel and we recently purchased
new aircraft wheel chocks made from recycled rubber.
• The new terminal facility currently under construction has the following sustainability
principles incorporated in its design and construction:
1. Developed and maintained a SWPPP during construction activities.
2. Temporary erosion control measures included:
A. Temporary Seeding
B. RECP
C. TRM
D. Ditch Checks
E. Inlet Protection
F. Rock Outlet Protection
G. Sediment Basins
H. Sediment Traps
I. Stabilized Construction Entrances
3. Temporary & permanent soil stabilization techniques include:
A. Temporary Seeding
B. Permanent Seeding
C. Mulching
D. RECP
E. TRM
F. Sodding along pavement edges
4. Allowed use of lime and flyash for embankment subgrade improvement.
5. Monitored & limited disturbed areas to the extent possible during earthwork
operations.
6. Stripped and re -used topsoil to support turf growth.
7. Stormwater systems are being designed to minimize the increase in rate and
quantity of stormwater runoff through the use of detention and infiltration.
8. Pervious pavement is being proposed for use in the parking lot.
9. Infiltration basins are being proposed in and around the parking areas.
10. Use of "flow through" ditch checks are being proposed in the outfall ditch for the
Apron.
11. Various methods are being considered to collect aircraft deicing fluid runoff from
the Apron for disposal to the City treatment plant.
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12. Inlet valves are proposed to capture potential fuel spills on the Aircraft Parking
Apron.
13. Replacement of Portland cement with suitable supplementary materials has been
allowed by specification.
14. Specifications allow for use of by- product materials in the PCC paving such as
flyash and blast furnace slag.
15. Use of PCC pavement provides for a high solar reflectance and uses locally
procured materials.
16. Life cycle cost analysis was performed as part of the pavement design process.
17. Use of aggregate shoulders will reduce impervious pavement area.
18. Used aggregate with minimal processing to serve as the construction access and
base for the Entrance Road.
19. Landscaping is planned to be inclusive of native, low- maintenance and drought
tolerant plant materials.
20. Measures will be taken to control light pollution which is a significant issue on
airports.
21. LED fixtures have been specified for applicable taxiway edge lighting.
22. LED fixtures are being considered for overhead landside safety and security
lighting.
23. Landscape waste from site clearing was chipped for re -use by the contractor.
24. Used borrow material from on -site to construct embankments.
25. Use of borrow materials had a secondary benefit for FAA safety grading
requirements.
26. Crushed and re -used waste concrete from a previous project as embankment.
27. Embedded Lytle Creek culverts to allow for redevelopment of a more natural
streambed.
28. Mitigation of relocated Ditch N included:
A. Natural channel meanders
B. Rock riffle structures
C. Native grass buffer
D. Annual monitoring for 5 years after completion
E. Protection by easement
29. Specifications incorporate Buy American provisions and requirements.
30. Allowed for electronic bidding document distribution.
31. Construction protected existing wetland and natural spring from damage.
City Clerk's Office
• The City Clerk's Office worked with Utility Billing during their office remodeling to reuse
and adapt custom -made cabinetry that matches the cabinetry in the City Clerk's Office
as part of the City Clerk's Office records retention plan. This was completed in
December 2013 and the cabinet now houses the entire collection of original resolutions
and ordinances since 1980 to present. This expedites documents retrieval and
preservation since the documents are no longer stored in the basement of City Hall.
• The City Clerk's Office has a Zero Waste Event Planner brochure on its special events
web page to aid organizers of special events in planning a safe and sustainable event at
the same time they complete the event application.
• The City Clerk is a volunteer for the Smarter Discards pilot program.
• Two years of using Novus Agenda Manager has resulted in the retention of one half of
the non - essential agenda documents that the office once retained. Two years' worth of
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non - essential agenda records can now be stored in one file drawer originally reserved for
a whole year of documents. This has resulted in an annual paper cost savings of $1200
for copying and printing. This also results in Tess maintenance on the Multifunction
device and less toner usage.
Leisure Services Department:
• Removed city trees are recycled into rough cut lumber that is processed by park
employees for the use in repairing and constructing new picnic tables for all city parks
Public Works Department:
• Tire Recycling Program Initiated by the DMASWA in the 1990's as a result of
regulations prohibiting the burial of whole tires in landfills, the DMASWA took the extra
step of banning the burial of tires in any shape or form in its landfill. Current federal and
State regulations still allow the burial of shredded, chopped or halved tires. Tires
brought to the DMASWA Landfill are set aside for subsequent collection and processing
by a tire recycling firm. The cost of the tire recycling service is passed along to the
DMASWA's customers. The tires are currently being processed into fuel pellets,
playground equipment fall protection pads, pads protecting concrete floors from heavy
equipment tracks, and sundry items such as park benches and parking lot tire stops.
Community impacts of the DMASWA's Tire Recycling Program have included saved
landfill space /life and reuse of a valuable fossil fuel- derived product.
• Appliance and Metals Recycling Program Similar to the DMASWA's Tire Recycling
Program, and also initiated in the 1990's, the Agency's Appliance and Metals Recycling
Program also exceeds federal and State standards. While the USEPA and Iowa
regulations allow the landfill burial of metal household appliances that do not contain
freon or mercury, the DMASWA bans the landfilling of any appliances at its facility.
Appliances are accepted, however, for a fee to cover the cost of subsequent recycling by
a local firm. Also, the DMASWA provides a free drop -off container just inside its gate
where clean metal items may be dropped off without charge for subsequent recycling.
Finally, DMASWA - employed workers recover any metal items encountered in the landfill
cells and take them to the metals drop -off container. A main community impact derived
from this program is saved landfill space /life. A secondary community impact is the
recovery and reuse of recyclable metal. A third community impact is the reduction of
"upstream" pollution and GHG emissions.
• Recycling Drop -off Stations Program Beginning with a sole recyclables drop -off facility
on Dubuque's west side in the 1990's, the program has expanded to nine (9) such
facilities at the current time. In addition to the noted original facility on Radford Road,
there now are facilities in Cascade, unincorporated Key West, at the Heritage Trail
parking lot in Durango, Farley, Epworth, in the Flexsteel Industries parking lot at East
32nd Street and Peru Road in Dubuque, along U.S. Highway 52 just north of
unincorporated St. Catherine, and at the DMASWA Landfill. At these facilities, residents
are allowed to drop off unlimited quantities of clean metal, aluminum beverage
containers, tin cans, paper, cardboard, and #1 - #5 plastics. Glass containers are
accepted only at the Radford Road and DMASWA Landfill drop -off facilities. The
materials are collected by Agency workers and transported to the Dittmer Recycling
facility in Dubuque for processing and subsequent shipment to regional manufacturers or
exporters. The glass is ground at the DMASWA Landfill and used on site as road
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material. The most relevant measurable outcomes for this program would be pounds of
materials received and recycled annually through the noted drop -off facilities.
• Asphalt Shingle Recycling Program Soon after a major hail storm struck the central
portion of the city of Dubuque in April of 2011, the DMASWA's Board of Directors
authorized the establishment of an asphalt shingle recycling program. Initially staffed by
temporary workers, the program was revamped in early 2012 and is now contracted to a
regional Iowa firm. Since the initiation of the program, over 1,000 tons of asphalt
shingles have been diverted from landfill burial and recycled /incorporated into asphalt
road pavement. At the DMASWA Board of Directors' April 24, 2013, meeting, it
authorized the immediate implementation of a $10 per ton posted tipping fee discount for
all clean loads of asphalt roofing shingles. This change was made to encourage more
source separation by roofing contractors in order to increase the Agency's diversion of
shingles for recycling. To date, over 3,465 tons of shingles have been diverted from the
DMASWA Landfill and recycled to pave area roadways.
• Pay As You Throw (PAYT) is the sustainable model for the City's refuse collection and
large item collection programs. It places an added cost on extra trash generation, which
encourages source reduction, reuse through donations, recycling, and composting. The
average Dubuque home only sends 20 pounds of trash per week to the DMASWA
landfill, which is among the lowest rates of trash generation of any of the ten largest
cities in Iowa. Appropriately -sized City -owned wheeled collection carts have been
supplied to many alley - collection customers to improve sanitation and aesthetics in areas
of high population density and few owner - occupied.
• Curbside Food Scrap Collection and Composting The City initiated a pilot program
for the curbside co- collection (with yard waste) of food scraps in April of 2006. The City
program quickly reached its maximum number of participants, as allowed by the Iowa
Department of Natural Resources due to its two ton per week cap placed upon the
DMASWA's composting facility. This project was in partnership with the DMASWA and
involved 230 residential subscribers, and fourteen schools, institutions and commercial
subscribers. Those participants for a very small fee, diverted approximately 100 tons of
food scraps per year from regular refuse collection. Those 100 tons were subsequently
processed into 50 tons of compost annually. This pilot program reduced potential
fugitive greenhouse gas emissions from the DMASWA Landfill by approximately 600,000
pounds per year.
In November of 2012, with the intent of facilitating the expansion of food scrap
composting in Dubuque county without further delay due to the State of Iowa's reticence,
the DMASWA's Board of Directors authorized the reduced -cost sale of half - processed
yard and food scrap grindings to Full Circle Organics (FCO). FCO built and operates a
large scale composting facility along U.S. Highway 20 between Farley and Epworth and
needed the grindings as a starter base material for its operations. FCO's facility is
designed to compost all of the food scraps generated in the DMASWA's service area.
Community impacts of the DMASWA's Composting Program to date include saving an
estimated half year of landfill life /capacity over the last twenty years, plus the generation
and reuse of a valued byproduct — high quality compost.
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The City of Dubuque subsequently signed a contract with FCO in April of 2013 to deliver
most of the comingled yard debris and food scraps it collects to FCO's facility. This
change in facilities from DMASWA to FCO has reduced net system costs for the City's
combined "organics" collection and allows all City collection customers to divert their
food scraps by adding them to their yard debris containers for City collection. The City's
GreenCart Program continues as a second option for food scrap diversion for
composting, supplying specialized collection containers funded through additional user
fees.
• Curbside Recycling The City's recycling collection service, has traditionally averaged
one of Iowa's highest per capita diverted tonnage to recycling rates (approximately 40 %).
However, recycling tonnages have declined in Dubuque in recent years due to the City
discontinuing the collection of glass and the national consumer shift away from print
media and advertising (newspapers, magazines, books, and advertising circulars) to
electronic media. Dubuque's participation rate of citizens setting out their recycling bins
at least once per month is estimated to still be over 90 %. The City's partnership with the
DMASWA in the Agency's current processing contract with Dittmer Recycling has
brought an increased share revenue to the City. Also, additional materials have been
approved for curbside collection for recycling: empty aerosol cans, empty latex paint
cans, books; and crosscut - shredded paper. Regarding glass no longer being collection
for recycling, the Resource Management Coordinator facilitated the Sustainable 2010
Glass Management Options Study and researched local costs and impacts. This
research showed that the curbside collection of glass in Dubuque for recycling was no
longer a sustainable activity and should be terminated thereby significantly reducing
program costs and generating additional revenue. On April 19, 2011, the Dubuque City
Council supported his recommendation to end the curbside collection of glass on July 2,
2011. The Resource Management Coordinator had noted at the April 18 City Council
meeting that more energy was being expended recycling glass collected curbside than
was conserved by using recycled cullet. He further noted that the small net
environmental benefits derived from recycling Dubuque's glass could not justify the
$325.00 per ton it cost to collect glass curbside for recycling,
• Electronics Recycling The DMASWA's Electronics Recycling Program provides an
environmentally -sound and economically - viable disposal option for old, unwanted
electronics. Electronics are defined as anything containing a circuit board and /or cathode
ray tube (CRT or "picture tube "). All recycled electronics are broken down into
salvageable components at a secure electronics recycling facility in Davenport, which is
the only R2- certified facility in the state of Iowa.
• Dubuque Area Task Force Addressing Illegal Dumping & Illegal Littering The
Resource Management program has provided staff support to the Dubuque Area Task
Force On Illegal Dumping and Illegal Littering (DATFOIDIL) which was initiated in 2010
by the DMASWA. The City Resource Management office has hosted an Illegal Dumping
Hotline (589 -4345) since 2000, averaging approximately ten illegal dumping report
investigations per month - cleaning up as appropriate and sending warning letters to
identified households. The DMASWA has worked closely with the Dubuque County
Conservation Board by helping fund ($12,000 per year) an Illegal Dumping Enforcement
Officer who monitors problem areas in urban and rural Dubuque County. Citations have
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been issued and monitoring continues, with some investigations having led to
information and arrests related to burglaries and drug arrests.
• Dubuque Area Event Recycling and Zero Waste Programs The Resource
Management program first initiated and since 2006 has provided staff and logistic
support to the Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency's (DMASWA) Event
Recycling and Zero Waste Programs. Since 2006, 257 civic and social events have
utilized the DMASWA's Clear Stream event recycling units with 4,363 unit usages.
Recycling is required by the City at stationary events requiring a City permit. Recyclable
cups numbered 1 through 5 are required to increase recycling. Events now typically
divert over 50% by volume to recycling and also significantly reduce litter. There have
been a growing number of zero waste events where event food discards and
compostable paper products get processed for beneficial use. This program provides
appropriate containers, signage and removes the captured materials to be composted.
Further information and instructional flyers are available on managing zero waste events.
There is normally no charge for specialized container usage, signage and collection of
the event recyclables and clean source - separated compostables when scheduled. As
part of the updated special events permit process, an informational meeting was held
with all special event organizers in which barriers to zero waste and correct resource
management were discussed.
• DMASWA Environmental Management System The DMASWA is one of the eleven
solid waste management planning areas in Iowa participating in the Environmental
Management System (EMS) program to expand the scope of their waste management
systems. The EMS was established by the 2008 Iowa Legislature and the participating
planning areas subsequently concentrate on services they provide to improve their
overall performance, including yard waste management, hazardous household waste
collection, water quality improvement, greenhouse gas reduction, recycling services, and
environmental education. Under the EMS Designation Program, the DMASWA is
evaluated by the continuous improvement of its services, and focuses expanded
opportunities for environmental resource management.
The foundation of the DMASWA's EMS is its Environmental Policy, which expresses the
Agency's commitment to improving environmental performance, and establishes goals
for pollution prevention, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement. Objectives
and targets guide continuous improvement toward Agency goals.
• The City will partner with DMASWA, Green Dubuque, the Iowa Waste Reduction Center
and Representative Chuck lsenhart to host a Wasted Food Reduction Workshop at
Loras College on January 9.
Green Iowa AmeriCorps (GIAC): The City is again hosting a team of GreenCorps members
who began their term in September 2013. Last year, the GIAC team provided more than
$13,000 dollars in labor to houses in Dubuque, performing Weatherizations and Energy audits
for those in need. In their 2012 -13 term, the team completed 78 BPI - certified audits and 40
weatherizations, resulting in an average 19% reduction in airflow in homes and at least
$200,000 in energy savings for the homeowners and renters served. Additionally, they
generated 2,900 hours of community services and completed 200 hours of public education
related to sustainability, primarily in the areas of energy efficiency and resource management.
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With three new members and two returning members, the GIAC team was proud to have lent a
hand in the Andrew Connolly Make A Difference Day process which was a rousing success!
They are now looking forward to the John Deere Heath Fair, education events with the
Multicultural Family Center and Girl Scouts, as well as helping folks keep warm in the
upcoming, colder winter months!
Library: Self -check machines in the library are now set to offer a printed receipt on request, or
provides the option to decline a receipt. Patrons are now asked if they want a receipt when
checking out at the Circulation desk; receipts are no longer printed automatically.
Ongoing efforts to reduce paper continue and have resulted in the revising of internal
instructions, which allows for two copies for each piece of paper. Incoming newspapers and
magazines, previously recorded on paper, are now managed through a database.
During Architecture Days, April 21 -27, 2013 children created cities using recycled boxes for the
city landscape.
The library hosted a program on June 4, 2013 using all leftover 2012 income tax booklets and
forms to make homemade paper embedded with seeds.
The Youth Services Department had a "Touch a Truck" event where children could see vehicles
from the Fire, Police, Parks, and Public Works departments. This was followed by the children
making a dashboard of their favorite vehicle. Dashboards were made from cardboard, recycled
for this purpose.
Finance:
1. The Utility Billing area serves as a collection for CFL light bulbs for employees and citizens.
This process began over two years ago. The City provides multiple collection sites. Public
Works employees pick up the recycled CFL light bulbs.
2. Laserfiche was implemented for storing supporting documentation for accounts payable and
accounts receivable activities such as purchase orders /direct pays, purchase order
adjustments, journal entries and receipts. This procedure eliminates the need for departments
to make a copy of documents for their files as documents are viewed through Laserfiche.
3. Accepting electronic payments for Utility Billing, parking tickets, (Leisure Services).
Customer initiates EFT via website and City ACH initiated. Utility Billing saves paper by not
including a return payment envelope for customers who have their payment automatically
deducted from their bank account (currently 22 + %). Citizens save postage and post office
saves labor /energy.
4. Implemented electronic billing for utility bills in August 2012, with approximately 1,011
customers signed up to date.
5. Accounts payable direct deposit of employee expense reimbursement and vendor payments.
Full implementation will be available. Saves City cost of printing and mailing checks. Saves
paper and energy.
Business:
Full Circle Organics: Full Circle Organics (FCO), a private- sector composting facility, received
state and county approvals in FY13 and subsequently opened its facility between Epworth and
Farley in Dubuque county in early 2013. This facility opened up new opportunities for both
residential and commercial composting within the city and Dubuque county. As a direct result,
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the City of Dubuque signed a contract with FCO in the Spring of 2013 and now ships the bulk of
the yard debris and food scraps that it collects to the FCO facility. With the subsequent loss of
the majority of the City's composting feedstock, the DMASWA is now exploring partnership
opportunities with Full Circle Organics, GreenRU, T &W Grinding Inc, and other interested
regional composting service providers — and also considering shutting down its composting
facility.
Non - Profit:
Keep Dubuque County Clean & Green — Serves as the local affiliate for Keep Iowa Beautiful.
Members include representatives from the Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency, the
Dubuque County Conservation Board, the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium, and
interested individuals. The group works with the Illegal Dumping and Littering Task Force and
other community groups to educate the public on the effects of littering and illegal dumping.
Four Mounds /HEART Program - Four Mounds has hurdled multiple challenges to start the
redevelopment of a threatened, historic property 400 E. 22nd Street (Weis Grocery) along the
Bee Branch, Heritage Trail and in the Washington Neighborhood and its historic district.
Working with the City, the partnership is looking at a possible police substation as a positive
community use for the future. (A police substation in the Washington Neighborhood is a Top
Priority of the City.) Without this concentrated effort, the property would have remained vacant
until it was declared hazardous and torn down, due to lack of strategy, vision or plan. Four
Mounds has removed the property from a 2 year ownership limbo and is in the last stage of a
foreclosure process. HEART students have stabilized the building and the partnership has
developed a programmatic plan Four Mounds with the City has removed debilitating federal
funding hurdles by getting the state to declare it exempt from flood plain funding restrictions.
Four Mounds is working with the City and multiple community partners to develop a plan that
includes a full exterior and interior first floor restoration /recreation, promoting positive traffic
through this iconic, historic storefront.
Schools:
People & Neighborhoods:
COMMUNITY DESIGN
Government:
Unified Development Code: In 2009, the City of Dubuque's new Unified Development Code
went into effect. The UDC updates and consolidates zoning, subdivision, site development,
historic preservation, and sign regulations into a single city code. The UDC incorporates text,
photographs, drawings, charts and diagrams for ease of use in an online illustrated version.
The UDC incorporates sustainable design while meeting smart growth objectives. Sustainable
design is the expectation. While traditional development is still allowed, it is now the exception.
The UDC received strong support from City officials and citizens alike. This acceptance of
sustainable design has continued through implementation.
Subdivision and site development regulations were extensively revised to promote sustainable
design, such as conservation design, solar access, and low- impact development measures.
Access for pedestrians, bicycles, and public transit as well as design guidelines for historic
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districts, the downtown, and older neighborhoods also are now part of the UDC.
Complete Streets Policy: Adopted in 2011, the City of Dubuque's Complete Streets Policy
was created with input from a variety of community stakeholders. The Complete Streets Policy
provides an integrated multimodal approach to roadway planning and design. The Policy
establishes that development of as many street projects as possible will be done in an
affordable, balanced, responsible, and equitable way that accommodates and encourages
travel by motorists, bicyclists, public transit vehicles and their passengers, and pedestrians of
all ages and abilities. The Complete Streets Policy also ensures that future demand and context
sensitivity is integrated into new facilities, recognizing that topography, cost, and right -of -way
constraints are among the limiting factors and that not every project is a candidate for this
desired outcome. The Policy also includes language regarding the review of street projects for
consistency with the Tri -State Trail Plan, posting annual street projects for public input, and
documentation of project - specific exemptions. The Complete Streets policy allows for project -
specific exemptions to be approved by the City Council, or the City Manager where a project
does not come before the City Council.
Green Alley Project: This project involves the reconstruction of existing asphalt alleys in
Dubuque. The city has reconstructed 8 alleys thus far into green alleys. The alleys contain
pavement surfaces that allow rainfall from low- intensity storms to pass through the pavement
structure. This, in turn, will recharge the water table and minimize storm water runoff.
Engineering is also working with EPA and IDNR on a project to use SRF funds for
reconstructing approximately $9.4 million dollars in alleys over the next three years. The
project includes the reconstruction of 73 alleys into Green Alleys. These alleys would be
reconstructed with permeable pavers, similar to other recently constructed alleys. Engineering
plans to put the first group of alleys of this project out for bid in January 2014.
Additionally, multiple city departments developed a flood mitigation grant proposal that would
include the funding for an additional 175 alleys and the utility costs for the 73 SRF alleys. The
City will receive notice if the grant proposal will be accepted and funded on December 4, 2013.
Washington Neighborhood Initiative (Top Priority): Comprehensive effort designed to
address many housing and social challenges in this 55 square block neighborhood. An
ambitious "visioning" project for the Washington Neighborhood was concluded in 2008 and the
Washington Neighborhood Strategic Plan was presented to the City Council in April 2009.
Homes have now been purchased and rehabbed by 53 first -time owner families throughout the
neighborhood. Previous rental dwellings and vacant structures have been historically restored
for owner occupancy. Since late 2005, the Housing Department has loaned approximately $7
million and a total of $10 million has been reinvested in housing in the Washington
Neighborhood.
The HEART Partnership (Top Priority) with the City is has acquired, stabilized and made a plan
for 400 E. 22nd Street, a historic, iconic 1869 storefront along the Bee Branch. The proposed
plan is for a police substation located in the Washington Neighborhood (also a Top Priority).
Four Mounds is acting as a bank and is at the end of the foreclosure process. HEART students
played a major role in removing debris and toxic material from this small structure that was last
occupied by over 5 dozen cats.
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With receipt of a $240,000 I -JOBS grant from IFA, the Historic Washington Row Houses project
commenced construction in November 2010. HEART Program students helped stabilize and
rehabilitate 6 out of 7 of the homes. New individual sanitary sewer and water services have
been installed, lead paint removed from the interior of the buildings, asbestos removed from the
roofing structure and all new membrane roofs installed, and installation of all new wooden
windows and doors completed. Finalization is being completed on all units to prepare for sale.
An Open House was held on Saturday, April 14, 2012. All units will be sold as owner- occupied
town homes to low- moderate income households. Four units have been sold to date. City
Council has approved sale of one of the remaining units and is scheduled to close mid - January
2014, leaving one unit available for purchase. The City reconstructed the alley behind the row
houses as a "Green Alley" in the summer of 2012.
Nine properties have been acquired by the Housing Department, using our Neighborhood
Stabilization Program (NSP) grant. These funds are to be used to buy foreclosed or vacated
properties. To date, eight properties have been sold to 1st Time Homebuyers. 1318 Jackson is
currently listed with a local realtor for sale.
Planning continues for a major rehab project in the 2200 -2400 block of Washington Street.
Houses acquired for the Bee Branch Project and no longer needed for the right -of -way will be
rehabbed and re -sold to owner occupant families. Two city - acquired homes were moved to this
block in June 2011 and have been sold to Habitat for Humanity. One of the Habitat homes
have been sold to a first -time homebuyer and rehab is being completed on the other. The
HEART crews have completed all rehab on 2234 Washington Street and is now sold. The City
acquired a tenth home in August 2010. All are currently rehabbed. Lead has been abated from
all the City -owned properties. 2302, 2312, 2320, 2234, 2268 and 2290 Washington have been
sold. 2318 Washington will be sold pending clear title. A local realtor has listed 2250
Washington. HEART students are now working with Community Housing Initiatives to
transform 3 19th Century row houses on the 1600 block of Washington into homes that perform
for the 21st Century.
Since 2003, the Four Mounds /HEART Program (Top Priority) has transformed 29 derelict rental
properties in the Washington Neighborhood into 20 owner occupied, single family homes. Of
the major rehabilitations (8 averaging $100,000) there is 100% original owner retention to date.
These properties have experienced an average of 267% increase in assessed value, all while
remaining affordable for working families.
Washington Neighborhood Development Corporation (WNDC): The corporation promotes
activities to improve the neighborhood in a variety of ways. Key objectives include increasing
homeowner occupancies, refurbishing older buildings, improving the appearance of the area
and greater resident involvement.
Additional activities of WNDC:
o The Washington Neighborhood Directory was updated as of July 30, 2012. There are
150 businesses. Since April, 2011, 27 businesses have left or closed and 22 new
businesses have started. New businesses include; Hot Diggity Dog on Elm Street (pet
care services), D's Pretty Things on Jackson Street (purses, jewelry and accessories)
and Momma Moya's Tortilla's on Central Avenue.
o We continue to collaborate and assist with the Small Business Works initiative to assist
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new and existing business owners.
o Building relationships with Dubuque Board of Realtors to promote Washington
Neighborhood and educate realtors about the assets and resources within the
neighborhood.
o WNDC is partnering with Community Housing Initiatives with a grant received by
NeighborWorks America to help market the Washington Neighborhood. That partnership
has led to the creation of a residential subcommittee and a business subcommittee that
have focused their attention on neighborhood issues. The business subcommittee has
focused on addressing litter, aesthetics, and vacancy in the commercial areas.
o A Washington Neighborhood Grant Facade Application and Program Guideline
document was created with collaboration from the City of Dubuque's Planning and
Economic Development Departments, Dubuque Main Street and the WNDC Board of
Directors and Executive Director. Four commercial property owners have agreed to
participate in the program, as $150,000 of the $225,000 available has been committed.
The City and the Washington Neighborhood continue to explore more leads for the
program, specifically in the Central corridor.
o Continued collaboration with Dubuque Downtown Christian Outreach, Multicultural
Family Center, Four Mounds, Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, Crescent
Community Health Center, Project Concern and Orange Park Residents (neighborhood
association).
o A City Council workshop presentation on the status of the Washington Neighborhood
took place on August 5, 2013. The Council was given an update on revised
demographic data, housing, economic development and neighborhood progress.
Historic Millwork District (High Priority):
The Historic Millwork District Complete Streets Project provided for the reconstruction and
streetscaping of streets into complete streets.
Engineering is currently working with Horsfield Construction of Epworth, IA, for the
reconstruction of Elm Street between 9th and 12th Streets. This project is partially funded with a
$600,000 TCSP Grant (Transportation, Community and System Preservation) grant. This
project is currently on winter suspend. Construction should begin in March 2014 with
completion by late July 2014.
A future Intermodal Transportation Center will be located in the Historic Millwork District along
Elm Street between 9th and 11th Streets. In October 2011 the city received a State of Good
Repairs (SOGR) grant award of $8 million dollars, to be used for the final design and
construction of the Intermodal Center. The Intermodal Transportation Center, which will consist
of a passenger terminal and a parking structure, will accommodate transit passengers (both
public transit and Intercity bus), bicyclists, pedestrians, Park -N -Ride, etc. A feasibility study
was approved by the Federal Transit Administration in June 2013, with the parking garage
component containing 200 general public parking spaces and 92 transit oriented parking
spaces. Final design is being performed by Neumann Monson Architects out of Iowa City, IA.
Construction cannot commence until all property has been acquired from the IDOT.
Groundbreaking is scheduled to begin early 2014 with completed construction by 2015.
On February 4, 2013, the City Council approved amendment number 3 to the CDBG contract
asking for increased funding of $1,299,000 to cover extra compliance issues related to the
Davis Bacon prevailing wage requirements. The Council approved a $4.5 million loan
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agreement with the Iowa Finance Authority to provide low- interest financing for Millwork District
projects. As of December 14, 2011, the City has drawn down the $4.5 million of the $4.5 million
loan.
On February 18, 2013 the City Council approved an application for State CDBG funds from the
New Production Round 5 allocation to assist in the adaptive reuse of Linseed Oil Paintworks
Building at 151 East 9th. On June 19, 2013, the mayor was notified that the project received
$2,248,890 in CDBG funds for the creation of 16 new residential units in the Millwork District. A
development agreement was executed on the project on March 7, 2013. The project is
currently in the design phase and will begin construction in Fall 2013.
In March, City Staff co- presented information on the Millwork District to Iowa Business Growth
Board of Directors in an effort to secure new market tax credits for the Novelty Iron Works
building located at 1079 Elm Street. Following the presentation the IBG Board authorized their
staff to negotiate a contract for $18 million of NMTC's to assist in this project. City Staff is
preparing a Development Agreement to provide local incentives for this project. Unlike the
Caradco project, it is anticipated that the local incentives will come into the project upon
completion. On June 17, 2013, the City Council approved a development agreement with Bob
Johnson and Warehouse Trust, LLC for the development of the Novelty Iron Works Building.
The Council approved an amendment to the Development Agreement and an assignment of the
agreement to Novelty Iron Landlord, LLC on August 5, 2013, in advance of their closing later in
the month. The first project on the property will contain 76 apartments as well as commercial
space on the lower level. The City Council has also sponsored a Brownfield Tax Credit
Application for the building.
The Dubuque Millwork Collective, located in the Schmid Innovation Center and Caradco
Building, is a group of non - profits co- locating to share talent, resources and space. The
collective consists of StudioWorks, Four Mounds Foundation & the HEART Partnership,
Proudly Access Dubuque, Dubuque Chorale, Habitat for Humanity, NAMI (National Alliance on
Mental Illness) of Dubuque, Presentation Lantern and the Gallery C. The HEART Program,
among others, helped to build out this premier space in the lower level of the building on the
Jackson Street side.
Recently, the IRS produced a memo regarding the structuring of Federal Historic Tax Credits.
Pending clarification of this memo, the purchase of tax credits throughout the country has come
to a standstill. This obviously impacts all local projects that are or anticipate using Federal
Historic Tax Credits.
Smart Planning Grant: In late 2010, Dubuque County and the cities of Dubuque, Asbury,
Cascade, Dyersville, Epworth, Farley, and Peosta came together to form the Dubuque Smart
Planning Consortium. The consortium's goals were to develop a regional sustainability plan
that included the State of Iowa's Smart Planning principles, the City of Dubuque's sustainability
principles, and watershed planning, and then incorporate the smart planning elements of the
regional plan into local comprehensive plans. This consortium conducted a two -year process,
meeting monthly.
The Dubuque County Board of Supervisors reviewed the final draft of the Dubuque County
Smart Plan at a work session on December 17, 2012 and then adopted the plan at a public
hearing on January 14, 2013. The Dubuque City Council reviewed the final draft of the
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Dubuque County Smart Plan at a work session on January 7, 2013, and then adopted the plan
at a public hearing on January 22, 2013. Other cities in the Smart Planning Consortium
reviewed and adopted the plan in January 2013 as well. The Dyersville City Council voted May
6, 2013 to not adopt the Dubuque County Regional Smart Plan as part of the city's
comprehensive plan. This vote concludes the Smart Planning Grant process. A public input
meeting was held at the Emergency Responder Training Center in July, 2013, with
approximately 70 attendees present. A second public input meeting was held at this location on
September 18, 2013 with 8 members of the public present. The County has reopened the
opportunity for written comments regarding the plan and further extended the deadline for all
comments to be submitted from the end of October 2013 to the end of January, 2014.
Public Works Department: The Public Works Department provides administrative and
operating staff support to the Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency (DMASWA or
"Agency "). Since 1995, the Agency has employed a Loras College employee as its Education
and Communication Coordinator. This person is charged with educating the general public in
Dubuque and Delaware counties regarding best solid waste management practices. The
Coordinator develops public education programs, publicizes Agency services, manages its
website, presents programs to school and community groups, hosts facility tours, provides
education curriculum resources and assistance, coordinates the efforts and initiatives of the
Dubuque chapter of Keep Iowa Beautiful - Keep Dubuque County Clean and Green, manages
the Agency's Green Vision Education Program, and provides staff support to the Dubuque
County Illegal Dumping Task Force. The Coordinator also prepares and updates the Agency's
biannual Recycling and Reuse Guide, which is inserted in all Dubuque and Delaware county
daily and weekly newspapers.
Leisure Services Department: In accepting two new parks, Westbrook and Creek Wood, the
proposed park layouts included native open spaces, wetlands and woodland areas. Highly
maintained areas were limited in size. This limits the acreage of mowed, manicured spaces
with allowing preservation of open space — a much more sustainable practice.
Planning is in process for Creek Wood, Westbrook and Eagle Valley Parks. Concept plans
were shared at meetings in each neighborhood. Neighbors have been very interested and
involved. Sustainable practices are being considered as a part of development of each mini
park area.
Implemented an edible landscape at the City hall Annex building for staff and neighborhood
residents to harvest and enjoy while promoting healthy eating. All plants were grown from seed
in the city greenhouse and seed will be harvested to continue the planting for following
seasons.
Business:
Non - Profit:
Architecture Days: Dubuque Main Street, in partnership with the City Planning Department
and others, hosted the annual Dubuque Architecture Days in April, consisting of walking and
building tours, children's activities, and other free public events.
Schools:
People & Neighborhoods:
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HEART: Four Mounds has substantially completed the redevelopment of 2234 Washington
Street in partnership with the City of Dubuque. The property is marks the 30th unit of housing
that HEART has converted or helped rehabilitate and will result in the 21st home made available
for ownership to a first -time homeowner.
GREEN BUILDINGS
Government:
Environmental & Sustainability Management System (ESMS):
The City successfully submitted an application for to participate in ICMA's ESMS institute to be
held in Roanoke, Virginia over the next two years. Sustainable Community Coordinator Cori
Burbach, Assistant Finance Director Jean Nachtmann, Purchasing Coordinator Tony Breitbach,
Street and Sewer Maintenance Supervisor John Klostermann, Assistant City Attorney Maureen
Quann, Assistant City Manager Cindy Steinhauser, and Secretary Stephanie Valentine will lead
City staff in a process to develop an Environmental Management System for the Municipal
Services Center with the intention of becoming ISO 14001 certified at the end of the process.
The 17- element process will create policies; identify practices, responsibilities and
implementation schedules; and create a self- auditing system to address the activities, products
and services housed in the MSC, and identify those items' impacts on the environment.
Building Services Department:
• Solar Thermal The Solar Thermal Licensing and Solar Thermal Permits and Inspections
ordinances were created in 2011 after a local solar thermal contractor met with City staff to
determine what licenses and permits they would need to install solar thermal systems
within the corporate limits of Dubuque. The current regulations would require multiple
licenses and permits.
The adoption of the ordinances will allow for streamlined licensing and permitting
processes and support the development of green jobs in Dubuque. Information Services
has updated the Permits Plus system to have solar thermal licensing and permits
capability. Two solar thermal licenses have been issued.
• City Building Efficiency Improvements The 18th St project will significantly upgrade the
energy efficiency of that building with new HVAC, lighting, etc. This project, now owned by
Dubuque Bank & Trust, is complete.
On March 21, 2010, the City Council approved an upgrade to the HVAC system at City
Hall. Water cooled units will have their piping adjusted so that they are no longer dumping
the water into the sanitary sewer system, but into a cooling tower /tank, Water savings of
90 +% have been documented.
• Grand River Center Smart Electric Meters: An RFP has been issued for design of a
smart electric metering of the Grand River Center. Responses were due June 4, 2011.
KJWW was hired and completed a design. Giese Electric has installed the equipment.
Training was completed in January, 2013. Plans and specs are being developed for
another phase of monitoring.
The DOE recently issued a challenge to manufacturer's to create a $100 smart meter.
Consideration is being given to waiting until a manufacturer meets the challenge.
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A meeting with staff of the Grand River Center, Leisure Services, Sustainability Office and
Building Services was held November 22, 2013, to discuss the pros and cons of installing
the exhibit hall meters now or later. Consideration is being given to focusing on retro-
commissioning before any more meters are installed.
• 2009 International Energy Conservation Code We have adopted the 2012 Int'I Energy
Conservation Code and will continue to adopt the most - recent version.
Renewable Energy Systems on Municipal Buildings: The City of Dubuque signed a contract
with a Dubuque firm, Eagle Point Solar, in August of 2011 providing for the installation of 425
solar panels on the roof of the Municipal Services Center. The panels were installed over the
ensuing months, connected to the local grid on November 22, 2011, and are now generating
200 kW of electrical power during optimum conditions — which equals approximately 1/3 of the
facility's electrical power needs. Examination of opportunities to install solar on other municipal
properties continues.
Workforce Housing /Housing Incentives: The City Council approved a Loan Agreement with
the Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) for $4,500,000 with 3% interest. The funding is available for
creation of workforce housing unit creation in the Historic Millwork District. Income guidelines
exist for the units totaling 120% of Area Median Income. At the same time, staff is pursuing
changes to various tax credit programs on the national level, to assist in rehabilitation of historic
structures.
The loan with Caradco Landlord, LLC was closed on August 26, and the total loan of $4.5
million has been drawn down. Caradco has also drawn down $8,900,000 of CDBG funds for
this project. On February 4, 2013 the City Council approved amendment number 3 to the
CDBG contract asking for increased funding of $1,299,000 to cover extra compliance issues
related to David Bacon prevailing wage requirements. On May 6, 2013, City Council approved
amendment number 4 to the CDBG contract asking for increased funding of $38,200 to cover
extra compliance issues related to Davis Bacon prevailing wage requirements. City staff has
been working diligently with local developers to find new revenue sources to fund the financial
gaps in the rehabilitation of older buildings in the downtown /millwork districts.
At the same time, staff is pursuing changes to various tax credit programs on the national level,
to assist in rehabilitation of historic structures. The Greater Downtown Urban Renewal District
was expanded by the City Council on June 3, 2013 which provides additional tools to
encourage reinvestment and redevelopment activities throughout the expanded District to
support the revitalization of the area.
The City Council created a $2.5 million pool of funds to encourage downtown market -rate
apartments. The City provides a CIP for the Downtown Rehabilitation Loan, Planning and
Design Grant, Facade Grant, and Financial Consultant Grant Programs which are designed to
further the goals and objectives of the Greater Downtown Urban Renewal Plan by creating the
financial incentives needed to eliminate conditions of blight, encourage revitalization efforts and
to retain or create employment opportunities and /or new housing units within the district.
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To date, the Council has approved 300 units for the Downtown Housing Program. Of those,
292 units will be developed. 187 units have been completed and 101 are currently under
construction. As of August 2013, the City has paid $1,803,000 in downtown housing incentives.
To meet the demand of this program, a recommendation was made to the City Council to
recapitalize this pool of funds. This program has done a tremendous job of helping promote
and redevelop the downtown housing options. In FY 2013, the City has approved an additional
$327,540 in grant funds for the Greater Downtown Urban Renewal District, an additional
$670,000 restricted to the Historic Millwork District and $1,500,000 restricted to the Washington
Neighborhood Subarea (includes Bluff/West Locust). Staff has updated the guidelines for the
Downtown Housing Incentive Program on May 6, 2013.
On February 4, 2013, the City Council approved a Development agreement with Weaver
Castle, the Stelpflug family, for the rehabilitation of the vacant duplex located at 407 -409 Loras
Blvd. This historic rehabilitation will create 4 new residential units. On April 1, 2013, the City
Council approved a Development Agreement with the Stelpflugs for an additional 5 units at 324-
326 W. Locust.
On February 18, 2013 the City Council approved an application for State CDBG funds from the
New Production Round 5 allocation to assist in the adaptive reuse of Linseed Oil Paintworks
Building at 151 East 9th. On June 19, 2013, the mayor was notified that the project received
$2,248,890 in CDBG funds for the creation of16 new residential units in the Millwork District.
The Council held a public hearing on a Development Agreement for this project on March 18,
2013.
The Council approved a 2nd application for the NP5 program located at 2811 Jackson (former
site of River Valley Nursery). The project would remove a dilapidated greenhouse and
construct 12 town house units. City staff learned in June that this project was denied funding.
Green & Healthy Homes Initiative: Working collaboratively across jurisdictions and silos of
funding to identify and remove barriers to holistic, household centric approaches to improving
health, safety, livability and affordability of housing in Dubuque. The Initiative will identify the
hazards in the participating client residences, identify funding sources to maximize services to
the clients to remediate these hazards, and follow up with the clients to assist them in
maintaining and sustaining the improvements." Key partners are the Housing and Community
Development Department, Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, Health Department,
Operation New View, Visiting Nurse Association, Northeast Iowa Community College, Lead
Hazard Control Grant, Healthy Homes Production Grant Smarter City Project Manager
The Dubuque GHH Collaborative continues forward positively. In June 2011 all partners
received LEAN - principled training. It was supported by two professional LEAN trainers
provided through NICC. Process mapping of the first phase of coordinated activity
(identification, qualification, intake, assessment, funding, planning) occurred and an approach
to testing the new process with volunteer Pilot GHH Homes will be developed. The Home
Advocate concept being pioneered in Dubuque was introduced and six Pilot Homes have now
been identified. Meetings are held weekly to consolidate activities and reduce duplication.
Dubuque has been contacted by several state and federal agencies /entities expressing interest
in the innovative effort, and seeking to discuss additional potential partnerships. City and
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Community Foundation staff represented Dubuque at the National Healthy Homes Conference
in Denver in June. They gave a presentation to Congressional staff during their visit to Dubuque
in August and presented at the local Sustainability Conference in October. City Staff also
represented Dubuque at the Department of Energy Regional Weatherization Plus Health
Initiative in October.
The City's Healthy Homes Program has completed 85 units with 15 currently in progress. The
Lead Hazard Control Program has completed 129 units with 28 in progress. GHHI, which
works with one or both of these programs and with Operation New View's Weatherization
Program, has completed 100 projects, which include some Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard
Control Projects. In addition the Home Advocate has helped the families of these homes access
GHHI Services and other resources such as counseling, mental health support, health care,
food stamps and a variety of other services- the Home Advocate is funded by the Community
Foundation and the City of Dubuque. A shared data platform called ETO has been
implemented among the partners in order to better understand the outcomes from the initiative.
Follow up visits to homes completed in 2012 are taking place in 2013 to ensure the
interventions are sustainable and to measure the impact of the initiative. In addition, families
will receive a cleaning kit, a $25 gift card and follow up support from the Home Advocate.
The Community Foundation received a grant from the Funders Network to help GHHI families
engage in sustainable practices. GHHI will partner with the Sustainability Coordinator for the
next year to implement the grant.
Multicultural Family Center: Completed in FY 2010 to empower diverse neighbors, families
and individuals through personal growth and participation in community activities in the $ 1.2
million rehabilitation of a City building to expand the Center. The Center's programs include
cross - cultural educational and family activities. The City hired a full -time director, half time
assistant director and twenty hours of site coordinators per week to staff the Center.
Washington Row Houses - City and DB &T Community Corp purchased 'row houses' on 1700
block of Washington Street from six private owners. These derelict structures had suffered
from little investment and even fire. The HEART Program (Top Priority) helped to rehabilitate
these structures in different stages throughout the project. The units are now completed and
four have been sold. City Council has approved sale of one of the remaining units and is
scheduled to close mid - January 2014, leaving one unit available for purchase. The remaining
property will continue to be marketed for sale to income qualifying homebuyers. Recycled city
street pavers were used to create a courtyard in the back.
Urban Revitalization Program: The purpose of the program is to attract development to
specific areas, which might otherwise continue to deteriorate, thereby stabilizing and eventually
increasing the tax base within those areas. The abatements are intended to stimulate private
investment by reducing the tax increases that would normally result from making improvements
to residential property.
The program focuses on revitalization of properties in the community's older neighborhoods
and offers a property tax exemption for new improvements made to qualified residential
properties and limited commercial properties. Owners who upgrade their residential properties
located within a designated urban revitalization area are eligible to apply for a ten -year property
tax exemption. Owners of commercial property in the Washington Neighborhood UR district are
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eligible for a three -year exemption. To qualify, improvements must increase the assessed value
of the building by at least ten percent or greater depending on the specific district, and applies
to those neighborhoods which have been designated as urban revitalization areas by the City
Council. $727,170 is the current value of properties in tax abatement as of the 2012.
Lead Hazard Control grant: To reduce lead poisoning in Dubuque's young children, begun in
1997 and refunded in 2011 with a $3.1 million grant awarded in January 2011. This is used to
fund several lead control initiatives including inspection and lead -based paint hazard reduction
in 185 Dubuque housing units. One hundred of those units will receive $740 in additional
funding for a more comprehensive Healthy Homes approach. It will provide a comprehensive
public education campaign aimed at teaching property owners, tenants, and maintenance and
remodeling contractors how to provide and maintain lead -safe dwellings. Additionally, area
contractors will be certified, trained and provided economic incentives to grow their businesses
and improve skills in lead hazard reduction. Through December 2013, 375 applicants enrolled,
241 units received a lead hazard evaluation, and 166 units were completed. Five projects are
currently signed and in progress for the quarter ending March 31, 2014. The Program achieved
a 96% rating from the quarterly report review from the Housing and Urban Development
Department (HUD). The HEART Program has partnered with the City for years to help
completed the rehabilitation of homes under the Lead Hazard Control grant and in return the
City has trained staff Four Mounds as a certified Lead Contractor and all the students and staff
as Lead Safe Workers.
Healthy Homes Production Program: To eliminate or reduce health and safety issues in the
homes of children under 18, elderly, and disabled, a $1 million grant was awarded in January
2011. These funds are utilized to identify and remediate housing - related health and safety
hazards in 100 housing units throughout Dubuque. The 7 Healthy Homes Principles focused
on are Keep It: Dry, Clean, Pest Free, Ventilated, Safe, Contaminant Free, and Maintained.
The Program is designed to develop low -cost methods for hazard assessment and intervention,
evaluating the effectiveness of interventions, building local capacity to educate residents and
mitigate hazards, developing and delivering public- education programs, and partnering with
other programs and agencies to maximize services.
This program is conducted in conjunction with the Green and Healthy Homes Initiative to
address the conditions in the physical environment in the home as well as issues in the lives of
the dwelling's occupants. Through December 2013, 200 applicants enrolled, 132 units received
a comprehensive healthy home assessment, and 108 units have been completed. One project
is signed and in progress for the quarter ending March 31, 2014. The Program achieved a
100% rating from the quarterly report review from HUD.
Previously members of the Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes Program staff attended
and became certified as Healthy Homes Specialists through a Healthy Homes Practitioner
Course held in the City Housing Department. Also included in the training were the City's
general housing supervisor and inspectors, Section 8 inspectors, and members of the City's
Health Department, and the local Operation: New View Community Action Agency
Weatherization inspectors. This is continuing the goal of having City departments and related
outside partner's cross - trained and sharing job duties whenever possible, as well as
contributing to the GHHI goal to streamline and reduce duplication in the assessment process.
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Neighborhood Stabilization Program: $444,328 from the Iowa Department of Economic
Development received in April 2009. The grant provides funding to purchase foreclosed or
abandoned homes and to rehabilitate, resell or redevelop these homes in order to stabilize
neighborhoods and deter decline in valuation of neighboring homes. To date, the City has
funded nine projects for acquisition and /or rehabilitation with NSP funds. Eight projects have
been sold to 1st time homebuyers. The remaining property is currently listed with a local realtor.
NSP funds were used to help rehabilitate the last completed HEART Partnership project at
2234 Washington Street, a former drug house that was vacant and a community threat for two
years. Funding help restore this 1906 Voelker home back into an affordable home for a
neighborhood working family.
Sustainable Living:
The Family and Assisted Housing Programs is designed to improve the lives of people living in
poverty to help make a sustainable community with opportunities for all by engaging people
across class barriers, utilizing approaches to improve family and housing stability and by
building community partnerships. Housing is critical to meeting basic human needs for shelter,
security and a sense of connection to the community. The assisted housing programs are
funded by HUD (US Department of Housing & Urban Development). Approximately $3.6 million
from HUD is paid to area landlords annually. The assisted housing payments are paid on behalf
of tenants participating in the Housing Choice Voucher Program. The family pays the difference
between the actual rent charged by the landlord and the amount subsidized by the program.
Eligibility for the program is determined by the total annual gross income and family size and
may not exceed 50% of the median income for the City of Dubuque as determined by HUD.
The Voucher program also includes the option of purchasing a home for first -time homeowners
rather than renting. The homeownership option is available to participants who have
participated in the rental assistance program for at least 12 months and meet the employment,
minimum income, and home counseling requirements. Since the City began offering
Homeownership options for participants of the assisted housing programs, twenty seven (27)
participants have purchased homes. In response to the need for affordable for seniors with very
low income, the City has entered into a ten -year contract with a local assisted housing facility to
offer 17 units as Project Based Vouchers known as the Rose of Dubuque.
Carnegie -Stout Public Library Renovation: We set a goal of diverting deconstruction
materials from the landfill; though final numbers are not available, we have reached 63 %. Our
carpeting was sent to be recycled and the carpet we installed was made from recycled
carpeting. Our insulation is blue jeans - reduced to the kind of fluff you see in a dryer basket.
We have several counter tops made of sunflowers. Our lights are designed so that they do not
contribute to "light pollution;" the fixtures inside the building are not directed so that they can
shine out. Materials used, including paint, varnish, and adhesives were LEED certified. The
plantings around the library will require very little maintenance. The greatest impact of LEED,
however, will come in the many policies we will be adopting that will regulate the percentage of
"Green" cleaning products we use, measure our trash to reduce it and increase recycling, etc.
Studies show improved air quality will result in increased work productivity, fewer sick days, and
fewer health bills as compared to prior to the renovation.
The Library was awarded LEED -EB certification at the Silver level in October, 2012. The library
is the first city -owned building to earn LEED certification and is the first public library in this
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category to earn certification while also maintaining a listing on the National Register of Historic
Places.
August, 2013 — the Library will apply for certification as a Petal Project building.
Fire Department:
Fire Department Headquarters original apparatus floor lighting was changed out from 19
fluorescent tube fixtures to 12 LED fixtures that increased the total lumens delivered with
reduction in energy usage.
Leisure Services Department:
• More insulation and insulated doors were added to mower repair building.
• LED lighting was added to five pole sheds.
• Lighting fixture upgrades were completed at Sutton pool saving an estimated cost of
$373.00 in electrical costs annually. Two LED canopy lights were also installed on the
exterior of the building
• A high efficiency toilet was installed at the Slattery center to replace the outdated fixture.
The fixture meets the EPA's watersense guidelines by using 20% less water.
• Lighting fixture upgrades to T8 two bulb fixtures in the Tree division garage building
• LED external security lighting was added to the Bee Branch Stormwater Maintenance
Building
Business:
The following are private and public LEED - certified buildings in Dubuque. Several additional
buildings have been built to LEED standards, but have chosen not to complete the certification
work.
Certification
Date
Development
LEED Status
2007
Durrant Architects
Platinum
2007
Medline Industries
Silver
2008
Hormel Foods
Gold
2009
IBMIRoshek Bldg
Platinum
2009
Kohl's
Certified
2009
McGraw Hill Regional HQ
Gold
2010
Kwik Star 495 (2685 Dodge St)
Silver
2011
EB Lyons Interpretive Center Expansion
Silver
2009
Carnegie Stout Public Library
Silver
2012
Finley Hospital Private Patient Room Addition
Certified
Non - Profit:
Schools:
People & Neighborhoods:
HEART: The greenest building is the one that is already built. The HEART program (Top
Priority) continues to restore and rehabilitate homes in the Washington Neighborhood (Top
Priority). Reinvestment in existing infrastructure takes pressure off of sprawl and helps existing
neighbors take back their neighborhood from blight and absentee landlords. Since 2003,
HEART's partnership has reclaimed 30 derelict rental units and transformed them into 23
owner - occupied single family homes. In 10 years since its start, among the major projects, the
program has 100% retention for original owners and the tax assessments have increased by an
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average of 267 %.
HEALTHY LOCAL FOOD
Government:
Dubuque Eats Well: Dubuque Eats Well (DEW) is a strategic partnership within the Dubuque
tri -state community that values sustainable Healthy Local Food (HLF) systems for the benefit of
all. DEW is a participant in our regional food system network as it relates to the comprehensive
social policy, economics and legislative issues. DEW values systematic resilience within the six
local food chain interlinks: production, distribution /marketing, processing,
purchasing /consumption, preparation and waste minimization. DEW works to influence the
Dubuque community's evolving food culture and food shed to support "well- being" related to:
healthy eaters, access to HLF, food safety and security, thriving local economies, rejuvenated
neighborhoods, local and ethnic cuisine, profitable producers, farmer laborers receiving a living
wage, "fair trade" support, vibrant biodiversity, lighter carbon and water footprints, eco- literate
food tourism and zero waste composting.
A Regional Foods Coordinator was hired in August 2012 to implement the UI recommendations
as well as the deliverables included a grant received through Limestone Bluffs RC &D. Brittany
Bethel began work in early September 2012. ISU Extension is the lead organization planning
the Driftless Farm Crawl, one of the Sustainable Dubuque Community Grant recipients, held on
September 21. The event included five farms which held tours throughout the day, educational
activities, public transportation for those without access to their own, and a meal highlighting
local chefs and foods. We had over 250 attendees for this event, with over 86 people in
attendance for the Farm to Table Dinner. The dinner highlighted local farmers and local chefs
that are utilizing locally - produced ingredients. We were able to raise over $1,500 for the
Dubuque Rescue Mission Greenhouse Project.
The Dubuque County ISU Extension held our first Level One GAP Training this October 3rd
helping to raise awareness about on -farm food safety practices for local growers. We will be
holding our Level Two workshop on Thursday, September 24th
The Dubuque County ISU Extension has submitted two applications to receive a Vista to work
on Anti - hunger issues and Farm to School efforts in the Dubuque area. These Vistas would
work in partnership with Project Hope, DHS, the Food Bank, and SWWRPC. We will be notified
in October if we receive the Anti - Hunger Vista.
Community Garden Collaboration: Community gardens include the Dubuque Jaycees
Community Gardens at Veterans Memorial Park, 2700 Northview Dr, St. Luke's United
Methodist Wading Pool gardens, Dubuque Rescue Mission garden, the Four Mounds
community garden located at 4392 Peru Road, the Dr. John Viner garden at 21 st Street
between Elm and Kniest Streets, the Garden Organic program which is filmed at Barrington
Lakes garden (private property) and Steve's Ace Hardware and the new Washington
Neighborhood garden at 18th & Central. More information about these gardens can be found at
www. cityofdubuque .org /communitygardens.
The City of Dubuque has partnered with the Dubuque Jaycees to create a community garden at
Veterans Memorial Park. These plots will be available to all area residents for a fee of $30 for
an in- ground bend and $40 for a raised bed, plus a $25 deposit which will be returned after
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harvest if the plot is cleared. Income -based fee waivers are also available to those who qualify.
Under this agreement, the City will provide the land for the garden plots and the Jaycees will
maintain responsibility for all aspects of managing the garden.
For the second year, the St. Luke's Wading Pool Garden project will provided gardens to
individuals who do not have the ability to plant a garden in their own yard or have access to a
larger community garden.
For the third year, Four Mounds is partnering with Hillcrest Family Services to provide free
gardens at the 4392 Peru Road for use by the youth of their residential facilities. Led by staff,
the gardens and beekeeping operations provide produce for use at the Hillcrest Residential
facilities. All 80 youth are engaged in the process throughout the spring, summer and fall.
Additional produce is made available to Hillcrest Staff through a CSA process. Discussion with
partners about more efficient use of the land, including water to gardens and possible
supporting buildings, continues.
A group of community garden leader meeting was held with the intention of finding ways to
collaborate on gardening efforts, identify gaps in community gardening need, and share
volunteers and resources. Additional meetings are planned for the non - growing season. A
community garden planning meeting was held in December, with approximately 25 community
garden organizers, gardeners, and volunteers attending or providing input via email. Their input
will be collected and used to plan for the upcoming growing season. The group was particularly
interested in forming a Community Garden Coalition, in which gardeners and garden organizers
could meet to collaborate, share resources, and identify gaps in community service and /or
opportunities for new gardens. The group would be supported by the ISU Extension Regional
Foods Coordinator and City Sustainable Community Coordinator for the short -term future.
The Washington Neighborhood planted a new community garden in the 1800 block of
Washington St as part of a larger community beautification effort. The groundbreaking
occurred on June 6.
A meeting was held at Loras College at the beginning of October 2013 to discuss the logistics
for starting a campus garden to provide education and fresh produce for the staff and students.
Further details yet to be determined.
Leisure Services Department:
• Edible garden installed at City Hall Annex
• Nature camp kids 2013
• Getting Domestic 2013
• Snack Attack 2013
• Superhero in Me 2013
Business:
Dubuque Food Co -op: The Dubuque Food Co -op has announced its Board of Directors and is
currently completing a nation -wide search for a store manager and a marketing campaign to
secure 1,000 members. The Co -op is slated to open in fall 2013 in the Historic Millwork District.
The Co -op received a $200,000 challenge grant commitment from Dubuque Initiatives and has
raised the required match. They have hired a General Manager, who comes with Iowa City
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New Pioneer Co -op management experience.
Non - Profit:
Dubuque Farmers' Market: The Dubuque Farmers' Market is administered by Dubuque Main
Street on behalf of the City of Dubuque. Dubuque Farmers' Market has been involved with the
Farmers' Market Nutrition Program for Seniors and for Women, Infants, & Children for
numerous years. Vendors (22) who meet the criteria for selling produce apply through the Iowa
Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship to be a certified vendor. Customers redeem
their benefits in the form of a check or voucher. Vendors deposit the checks and /or vouchers at
area financial institutions for reimbursement. There are no fees involved for vendors.
In addition, vendors are encouraged to participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP) (formerly known as food stamps), which is administered through USDA's
Food and Nutrition Services. Dubuque Farmers' Market vendors are challenged to participate in
SNAP due to limited access to electricity for land -line based technology. The vendors (7) who
do accept SNAP's electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards have to purchase or lease wireless
equipment to accept the cards, as well as pay transaction fees on each purchase.
On May 5, 2012, a customer count was conducted at market. On May 5, more than 3,100
stickers were distributed, which equals more than 3,100 customers. On July 2, 2011, there
were 3,682 customers (this date was selected because it fell before the availability of sweet
corn). On October 1, 2011, there were 2,813 customers. Dubuque Main Street conducted their
first customer count in July 2010, which was 3,800 customers and was the first day sweet corn
was available at the market.
Winter Farmers' Markets: From November to April, the market opens every Saturday morning
from 9 am — 12 noon at the downtown Colts building. This volunteer run market extends
Dubuque's focus on local healthy foods sold year- round. Approximately 40 regular vendors
participate. Over 400 customers per week visit the market, which is run under the umbrella of
Four Mounds Foundation. Many new vendors this year have provided value -added products for
sale including fruit, potted plants, eggs, fresh & cured meat, honey, vegetables, casseroles,
baked goods, Belgian Waffles, and many other items. Four Mounds' receipt of a grant resulted
in an awareness campaign for fresh and local food in Dubuque, especially in light of the Food
Co -op gearing up for business nearby. A new website (wintermarketdbq.com) and signage
outside clearly identifies the Winter Market. Collaboration with the Co -op has resulted in
reciprocal educational articles in both Market & Co -op e- newsletters.
Schools:
Farm to School Initiatives: The Sustainable Community Coordinator and ISU Extension
Regional Foods Coordinator met with the Food Services Directors for both the Dubuque
Community School District and Holy Family Schools. The group is exploring opportunities to
directly purchase local produce from tri -state area farms in the near future.
Meetings have also been held with Clarke University, University of Dubuque, Hillcrest School,
Sisters of Charity BVM, Sisters of the Presentation, and Mount St. Francis, all of whom are
interested in sourcing locally produced foods in their institution.
In October 2013 four classes have been taught to K -5th graders at Audubon and Marshall
through the St. Marks Youth Enrichment Program by ISU Extension around gardening and farm
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to table principles. A highlight included a local apple tasting by the students.
People & Neighborhoods:
Community garden organizers and participants continue to meet as spring approaches to share
resources and coordinate marketing and volunteer recruitment efforts. The St. Luke's Wading
Pool Garden is currently accepting applications for gardens as well as seeking garden guides.
Library:
The library hosted a program in July, 2013 on healthy- eating that promoted seasonal produce
and also presented tips on how to include protein in a vegetarian diet.
COMMUNITY KNOWLEDGE
Government:
• Mayor & Council Sustainability Pledge: The original Mayor's sustainability pledge was
launched in 2007, and thousands of copies have been distributed to schools, businesses,
and residents in Dubuque, giving them concrete ways they can implement each of the 11
Sustainable Dubuque principles. In October 2012, a new Mayor & City Council pledge was
created to challenge residents to consider new actions. For each principle three actions are
suggested -a "beginner, intermediate, and advanced" approach to implementing each
principle in daily life.
• CityChannel Dubuque programming
o EPA Programs that deal with stormwater infiltration and stormwater pollution
o City Journal & Sustainability Today interview programs: 30+ programs
o IBM /Dubuque Smarter Cities project
o EPA educational videos focusing on stormwater and infiltration
• Reduce Runoff: Slow it Down, Spread it Out, Soak it In!
• After the Storm
o Sustainable Communities Tour
o Catfish Creek Watershed Management Authority Board
o Keyline Rack & Ride promotional spot
o Plastic bags educational spot
o Winter Yard Waste /Food Scrap Pickup
o City Expo live telecasts
o City Council work sessions on Sustainable Dubuque
o Reinforcement of Sustainable Dubuque initiative by station identification spots,
placing appropriate Green Pledge icons on programming, CityChannel 8 graphics
Growing Sustainable Communities Conference: In early 2008, Dubuque hosted its first
Growing Sustainable Communities Conference entitled "Leading the Way to Global Climate
Solutions" at the Grand River Center in the Port of Dubuque. It was a regional event that was
attended by over 600 elected officials, business and community leaders, and college students
from the tri -state area. This inaugural event was designed to provide community leaders with
the knowledge of experts about the science of climate and how to incorporate sustainability into
their own communities.
The City has established a partnership with Sustainable City Network Inc. to host this year's
conference in an effort to market to a larger audience and establish the Growing Sustainable
Communities Conference as a premiere sustainability conference in the Midwest. The theme of
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this year's conference will be "Economy, Engagement, Eco- Efficiencies," and the workshop
tracks will focus on the Sustainable Dubuque principles of Resource Management, Smart
Energy Use, Reasonable Mobility and Community Knowledge. A sustainable foods luncheon is
planned with food items produced by local agriculturalists.
The 4th Annual Growing Sustainable Communities Conference hosted 350 attendees from
across the country. The event included a networking reception at the National Mississippi River
Museum and Aquarium, three pre- conference half -day workshops, 21 workshops, and three
nationally- recognized keynote speakers. The audience demographics expanded to reach a
larger geographic area and included a more diverse mix of municipal representatives, business
leaders, and local students.
The 5th Annual Growing Sustainable Communities Conference was held on October 2 -3, 2012.
Approximately 460 individuals attended, up 32% from last year's attendance numbers. Of that
number, 59% were from government, with 19% representing businesses, 10% non - profits, and
4% the education sector. Attendees came from 92 different cities across 21 states; the majority
were from Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois.
The record - breaking 6th Annual Growing Sustainable Communities Conference was held on
September 24 -25, 2013. Approximately 495 attendees, up 8% from last year. Of that number,
39% represented governments, 25% were from businesses, 29% represented educational
institutions (including approximately 100 local college students), and 7% were from non - profits.
91% of the post- conference respondents replied that they were "extremely or moderately
satisfied" with the event. The 7th annual conference will be held on Oct 7 -8, 2014.
Leisure Services: Volunteer Development
• AmeriCorps VISTA position hired as Volunteer Coordinator.
• Networking completed with city departments and non - profit organizations about volunteer
needs and issues.
• High Impact Service Plan developed.
• Engaged in Make A Difference Day, MLK Jr. Service Day, Multicultural Family Center Taste
of the World, Earth Week, Green Iowa AmeriCorps Individual Projects, Days of Caring, Big
Day of Service — all volunteer engagement efforts.
• Love Your Block Initiative was developed and implemented for projects in neighborhoods
across the City. $5,000 from an AARP
Human Rights: Volunteer Development
• $48,000 grant obtained for collaborative effort with community partners to create a
volunteer center
• 15 model centers researched
• Vision, mission, service categories created
• Three potential implementation plans being created and reviewed
• Next steps involve planning and engaging with stakeholders around funding, location,
staffing
• VISTA volunteer coordinator continues her efforts
• 11 agencies trained on Volunteer Solutions
• 9 agencies offered capacity building services and have implemented three or more
effective volunteer management practices
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• 9/11 Day of Service involved 300 letters written to troops
• $1500 grant obtained for Make a Difference Day with volunteers engaging in yard clean
up, painting, insulation, caulking, weatherization
• Since September 2012, 1089 volunteers recruited, 74 disadvantaged youth, 196 college
students, 75 baby boomers, 729 worked on Days of Service, 3,286 hours logged.
• City Life: the pilot version of our citizen academy was completed, with fourteen residents
volunteering to continue as ambassadors linking residents to residents and residents to
government on an ongoing basis; nine residents volunteered to lead community projects
including a free little library to encourage reading and connections between
neighborhood residents on the north end, a diversity cookbook to encourage the sharing
of culture and history amongst Dubuque residents, a project to serve meals for the
Circles Initiative, and a newcomer's speakers' project to better connect new residents to
government services.
Grant Pilot Program:
Three non - profit organizations in Dubuque focused on serving with citizens challenged by living
in poverty and working toward self - sufficiency:
• The Circles Initiative with the City of Dubuque
• Operation New View
• Project Concern
Partnered with:
• Iowa Campus Compact and compact institutions, Loras College & Clarke University
• The City of Dubuque — Human Rights Department
Utilizing a collected impact model focused on a three - pronged approach, (concentrating
volunteer efforts on immediate needs, economic development and empowerment of citizens in
poverty); to recruit volunteers to impact the CNCS focus area of Economic Opportunity.
Outcomes measured through this service included:
287 volunteers recruited and retained in two months
134 new volunteers recruited
121 volunteers retained /managed
30 philanthropists donated funds
2 board members recruited
12 trainings attended by five Iowa Campus Compact VISTA members and non - profit
organization staff in the following capacity - building areas:
6 volunteer management
5 best - practices in non - profit management
1 skill -based approach to volunteer management
Three non - profit organizations, Circles, Operation New View and Project Concern assessed or
implemented five of the following management practices from knowledge obtained in capacity -
building trainings:
1. Identified gaps in public relations practices.
2. Reflected upon how to improve record - keeping practices to solidify sustainability of
management practices implemented by VISTAs.
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3. Plan to increase utilization Memorandums of Agreements in future partnering and
business practices.
4. Plan to create orientation for volunteers.
5. Plan to create a recognition event for volunteers.
The three agencies involved in the VGF pilot hope to increase their level of collaboration with
Iowa Campus Compact VISTAs in 2014 -15 and are currently working together to propose to
collectively measure a minimum of one shared outcome focused on volunteer management
practices in the 2014 -15 IACC VISTA proposals they are currently writing.
In addition to carrying out grant requirements with community partners, HRD is looking to pilot
stronger volunteer engagement inside the organization, beginning with the Human Rights
Commission. CEC and HRD director are evaluating what currently exists and what is desired in
an engaging and informative HRC orientation program. Days of Caring: Human Relations
Specialist is participating in this effort with Cori Burbach in the Project Committee, with a goal of
being directly connected with area non - profits and community -led projects.
Impact: At a rate of $17.22 per hour based on Independent Sector, the dollar value of volunteer
hours over past six months totals $56,585. Using volunteering strategically to meet human
services needs and the needs of underserved; increasing resident interaction; continuing to
become inclusive community where all people contribute. The outcomes will be more
ownership in community solutions as people see selves as part of solution; a sense of inclusion
will increase as people are welcomed to contribute their skills and develop a sense of
belonging.
Multicultural Family Center:
Library: During Earth Week, 2013, the Library featured a special exhibit to raise awareness of
Earth Week and distributed handmade bookmarks created from used greeting cards.
During Money Smart Week, April 21 -27, the Library partnered with the Boy Scouts and banks to
sponsor a workshop for merit badges to be earned in understanding finances. 106 Boy Scouts
participated.
The library hosted a Volunteer recognition dinner and the theme was sustainability. Extra
coffee mugs that people donated from their cupboards were donated to the library. They were
filled with potting soil and either flowers or herbs as a gift for attendees with a stick sign in them
reading, "Volunteers: Our Greatest Natural Resource."
Safe Community Initiative (Top Priority):
The Task Force has achieved the following since its inception. First, this diverse group with
very different opinions and perspectives had open and difficult conversations so that they could
begin to reach some common understanding of the breadth of issues that needed to be
addressed and the difficulty of the task. Second, they agreed on two primary goals:
1. Identifying and acting upon things that most effectively reduce crime and that most effectively
reduce the perception of crime.
2. Recognizing that people want to feel safe and identifying ways to provide that feeling of
safety for people.
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Third, they gathered ideas from subcommittee members, brought those ideas to a series of
Task Force meetings, discussed them and ultimately forwarded 9 recommendations to Council
on 2/1/10 and 33 additional recommendations to Council on 7/19/10.
Impact: This type of resident engagement, while challenging and less than perfect, is a
fundamental necessity in order for a democratic community to be sustainable.
Impact: Having residents engaged in implementation oversight educates, empowers, and
engages residents by building resident awareness of the scope of the issues, by supporting
government accountability, and by building public trust.
Based on a Task Force recommendation, the City Council approved a contract with Northern
Illinois University Center for Governmental Studies to conduct a detailed study on crime and
poverty in Dubuque. NIU delivered the final study results to the Task Force in January 2011,
the Task Force met on February 5 and February 8 and formulated 18 recommendations in
response to the study, which were presented to the City Council at a worksession on February
28, 2011 and later accepted by the Council.
Impact: The study provides detailed factual information, as well as information on what
scientific studies indicate are more or less effective in the areas of reducing crime and the
perception of crime and creating safety. The study results will assist with educating and
empowering both City staff and the general public in making wise decisions.
The Task Force recommended that its members be allowed to act as a conduit for accurate
information to the public. Task Force members were provided a broad range of information as
a result of participating on the Task Force and they have since participated in a variety of
speaking engagements. Most recently, City staff and the past chair of the Safe Community
Advisory Committee participated in a panel discussion at a Chamber of Commerce luncheon.
Impact: Having community members hold discussions with the general public takes advantage
of their experiences as a member of the public reviewing information and participating on a
resident advisory group, and also allows for more effective distribution of information so staff
can focus on handling those aspects of daily governmental operations that require staff
expertise.
The Task Force recommended that property owners not be provided government funding
unless their properties are in compliance or they are working towards compliance. In August,
the Economic Development Department began using a certification form and cross - checking
compliance with code enforcement departments. The Housing Department also began
requiring code compliance for all rental property owners seeking Rehab funds. Inspections and
code compliance already are required for property owners seeking to rent to those receiving
Section 8 rental assistance.
Impact: These steps will result in safe buildings and will improve livability and equity for
residents in rental units.
The Task Force recommended encouraging people to improve lighting around their properties.
The City has expanded the Washington Neighborhood Yard Lighting initiative to include
neighborhoods east of the Bluffs and all low- moderate income neighborhoods. Property
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owners are eligible for a rebate of up to $250 for front yard lighting that meets certain
requirements, and up to $100 for back yard lighting. 10 households have utilized the incentive
programs. The City also installed new street lights at all 38 possible alley locations from 12th to
20th streets in the Washington Neighborhood.
Impact: Extra lighting will enhance neighborhood safety.
The Task Force recommended reducing the time allotted for correcting property violations from
the current two years. In April 2010, the City Council amended the Housing Code to reduce
inspections and the appeals board process to be completed in no more than 9 months.
Impact: This change will result in property violations being corrected more quickly.
The Task Force recommended that the Police Department enforce noise and traffic ordinances
more aggressively.
• This has been a police department priority since recommended
• 2010 saw a 50% increase in noise enforcement
• 2011's 638 noise enforcements were double 2010
• Through August 2012, noise enforcement was running 30% less than 2011's record year
but still far above 2010 and previous years
• Media release issued in March 2012 advising public of all noise ordinances
• 2012 ordinance on vehicle noise amended to include additional language to better alert
motorists of what constitutes a violation
• In CY 2012 officers have took enforcement on 12,416 traffic violations
• 22 special enforcement traffic programs in addition to regularly scheduled traffic projects
funded under Governor's Traffic Safety Bureau.
The Task Force also recommended that the City require landlords to conduct mandatory
background checks.
• Background checks mandated as of July 2, 2011
• FY 2012 6,360 checks run at cost to City of $50,370
• Auditing for compliance being investigated
• Attendance at Crime Free Multihousing Training Program mandated for landlords
• 2010 -2012 six sessions offered with 376 landlords attending.
• Training manual updated and available on City website
• Curriculum expanded to include DVD on rental code enforcement
• Resources for landlords added including Landlord Association, Four Mounds Energy
Center, Multicultural Family Center, Utility Billing, Solid Waste, Housing, yard light
initiatives, historic preservation, neighborhood associations, Dubuque Dispute Resolution
Center, Green and Healthy Homes, and Greater Dubuque Development Corporation
newcomers program
Impact: Landlords will be aware of the criminal histories of their tenants when making rental
decisions, and also will be aware of the legal standards surrounding the operation of rental
housing and human resources available in the community.
The Task Force recommended that the City establish a threshold number of police complaints
that will result in the property being designated for City assistance to resolve problems at the
property.
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• In January 2011, the Council adopted an ordinance change describing the types and
numbers of calls that will place the property in a priority category.
• As of September 8, 2013, 10,403 letters have been mailed notifying landlords of police
calls to their properties since the inception of the notification program in December 2009.
• Notifications are sent to registered landlords or property managers for police calls to
licensed rental properties that involve one or more of 72 different types of police call
natures.
• The Police Department averaged 53.08 notification letters per week in since beginning
the program.
• The Police Department also has hired two interns who are working to insure accuracy of
addresses in the database being used to send notification letters and to assist with
community policing efforts.
The Task Force recommended that the City intensify exterior code enforcement efforts.
• In August 2010, the Housing Department implemented a homeowner exterior inspection
process in the Washington Neighborhood, which involves a compliance checklist and
information on financial assistance available. By June 2011, all 200 owner - occupied
housing had been inspected.
• 800 rental properties inspected in Washington Neighborhood with 760 brought into
compliance.
• Rental inspection cycle reduced from 7 to 5 years
• 29 vacant and abandoned buildings addressed; 25 remain on the list
• Regular meetings continue to examine problem property enforcement
• Cab screen interface devices have been installed in all solid waste trucks to report code
violations
• The Department also performed exterior -only code enforcement inspections of all 2,130
rental buildings in all downtown neighborhoods.
Impact: These efforts should significantly affect appearance of downtown properties.
The Task Force recommended efforts to increase public understanding of the Section 8
program.
Crime Free Multi Housing Training - 150+ people
3/12/2011
10/13/2011
11/19/2011
3/24/2012
4/12/2012
02/23/2013
10/10/2013
10/12/2013
Assisted Housing
Assisted Housing
Assisted Housing
Assisted Housing
Assisted Housing
Assisted Housing
Assisted Housing
Assisted Housing
Iowa Senate Human Resource Committee — 30 + people in attendance, presentation was
broadcast by HR committee on You Tube
1/19/2012 Assisted Housing, Family Self- Sufficiency & Bridges Initiative
City Expo
4/11/2011 Assisted Housing Booth
4/10/2012 Assisted Housing Booth
9/10/2013 Assisted Housing, Family Self- Sufficiency & Circles Initiative Booth
Booth
Booth
Presentation & Booth
Presentation & Booth
Presentation & Booth
Presentation & Booth
Presentation & Booth
Presentation & Booth
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Dubuque Community School District Counselors — 15 people
1/18/2012 Assisted Housing & FSS
Dubuque Works Board — 15 people
5/17/2011 Circles® and FSS
Loras College Advanced Marketing Class — 18 people
9/9/2011 Assisted Housing
Dubuque City Council
11/21/2011 FSS and Circles® Presentation
Juneteenth — 20 + people to our booth
6/16/2012 Assisted Housing Booth
North End Neighborhood Resource Fair - 20+ people to our booth
9/20/2012 Assisted Housing Booth
United Methodists Women's Group — 17 people
10/4/2012 Assisted Housing and Poverty in Dubuque Presentation
Impact: The public will be educated about the facts surrounding Section 8 rental assistance.
The Task Force recommended that the City address community concerns about the real or
perceived impact of the Section 8 program on the community by decreasing the number of
Section 8 vouchers in the program to 900, and increasing the staff capacity of the Family Self -
Sufficiency (FSS) Program.
• Number of utilized vouchers decreased to 900 in January 2010
• Preference points for elderly, disabled, veterans, supported community living and
homeless population implemented
• Third FSS coordinators added in FYE 2013
• Circles Initiative expanded and Circles Coach hired
• Federal regulations do not allow limiting voucher eligibility to Dubuque residents and was
not implemented
• Housing Choice Voucher program must be administered in manner consistent with HUD
regulations
• In 2010, 28 households or 3% of the Housing Choice Voucher program were enrolled in
FSS program
• By July 2012, 100 households or 12% of program participants were enrolled
• As of October 2012, 92 households or 11% of households enrolled.
• In FYE 2012 143 Households were enrolled in FSS program.
• In FYE 2013 153 households participated in the FSS program.
Impact: There will be fewer families receiving Section 8 rental assistance, with those living in
Dubuque and /or elderly or disabled receiving highest priority. There will be a corresponding
reduction in federal funding received for the program.
The Task Force recommended increasing participation of Section 8 participants in self -
sufficiency programs. The Resident Advisory Board also has become more engaged with
regular meetings with Housing Department staff. The Task Force also recommended
encouraging community wide support for initiatives that support self - sufficiency. The City has
obtained an Urban Youth Corps grant that will provide three youth who face barriers to
employment with paid employment and job skills training for the summer.
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Impact: Participants in self- sufficiency programs and their allies will be empowered to make
responsible choices and to address systemic problems that interfere with success.
The Task Force recommended increased human relations efforts as a priority in the community,
as well as mandatory intercultural training for City staff and City Board and Commission
members. The Task Force also recommended that community members who attend training
serve as ambassadors for intercultural work in the community.
• In August 2010, the Human Rights Department reorganized to permit additional staff
time focused on conflict management, mediation, facilitated dialogue, training on cultural
differences and intercultural communication, and systemic change initiatives.
• The Department has established annual Board and Commission training on intercultural
competence skills that is offered in the Spring and the Fall of each year and is also made
available to the general public free of charge.
• The Department worked with four agencies to establish and develop intercultural teams
in each organization.
• The Department has offered two, 32 hour Intercultural Leadership Workshops
• Staff also established an Intercultural Ambassadors group that meets quarterly to
strategize about personal intercultural skill development, addressing intercultural issues
existing in member organizations, and addressing intercultural issues in the community.
• Cultural Voices: A new program created by community members and facilitated by
Human Relations Specialist aims to enhance the quality of communication between City
departments and culturally diverse community members as part of the next step of
intercultural efforts for the City organization. This is done through an interactive dialogue
session, facilitated by community members. A real -life story of a group or an individual
based on their experience with the respective City department is shared with a goal for
improved communication and collaboration in the future. A story is shared in a form of a
skit or an act. Session facilitators ask staff to brainstorm ideas for an alternative
approach to make matter convenient and interculturally competent for both parties. The
goal of this program is to promote respect and understanding among residents and their
experience with the City. The group had two successful sessions, after numerous
meetings to practice, in Housing and Police departments respectively. Housing
department since created a set of immediate changes for improved customer service
and communication. The department also has long -term plans to make the housing
assistance process more convenient for customers with English as their second
language. HRS will be assisting the department in possibly creating a special orientation
plan for this population to also help establish mutual cultural understanding.
Impact of education and skill building initiatives:
• Institutions represented on ambassador group in addition to the City are: UD, Loras,
Senior and Hempstead H.S., Goodwill, Hillcrest, Riverview, Hills and Dales, Body and
Soul Wellness Center, CFGD, GDDC, Hormel, John Deere.
• Senior has asked us to offer skill building with staff next year
• UD has implemented intercultural skill building as part of the curriculum in the Teacher
Education Department
• Hillcrest has trained trainers and an intercultural team operating in their organization
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• Police Department has created their own intercultural communication course for Field
Training Officers and new recruits
• Hempstead offers a respect retreat for all incoming ninth graders
The Task Force also recommended initiatives to promote mutual understanding, community
solidarity, and respect and understanding among residents.
• In addition to building individual skills, we also work on developing group /community
relationships so we can work together toward common goals and have a stronger
impact.
• One part of our work is related to a recognition that for some communities of people,
their views and values have not been made part of "the way we always do things" and
they may be left with a feeling they do not belong here in the community.
• One way to address this feeling is to sponsor cultural and educational events where
people can come together across their differences and learn about each other in
comfortable, social environments
• This year, the Human Rights Commission, MFC, HRC, f &v, Riverview Center, Chamber
of Commerce, NAACP, CFGD collaborated on Cinco de Mayo, Marshallese
Constitutional Day, Dr. King Tribute Days, Juneteenth, Taste of the World, the
Community Barbecue, Chamber Diversity Summit, Speak Your Peace, and the Better
Together Dubuque conference and social.
• The MFC has seen a steady increase in users from 1,671 in 2010 to 2,568 in 2011 to
3,241 in 2012; demographics are mixed:
o Adult users: 47 -49% white; 23 -26% black; 11 -13% Hispanic; 1 -2% Asian; 5 -7%
Pacific Islander; 7 -9% other
o Youth users: 40 -49% black; 26 -28% white; 11 -13% Hispanic; 1 -2% Asian; 5 -7%
Pacific Islander; 7 -9% other
o Programs bring people together of various backgrounds for family reading night,
family cooking class, family art class, moving in Comiskey park, music in Jackson
park, and variety of field trips.
o Mixed race /ethnicity group of youth ages 13 -18 participating in Future Talk each
summer — meaningful work for a stipend plus educational and service
components
• Reach -in approach: Several "reach -in" or strategically targeted outreach efforts have
been taken to build sustainable and strong relationship with community members at
different levels (i.e. age, education and socioeconomic background, ethnicity and
interests). Human Relations Specialist is currently working with the English Language
Learner program coordinator at Dubuque Community School District to better
understand the stories of newly arrived international immigrants to Dubuque, both
students and families. This is to further strategize and plan to develop a meaningful
intercultural competence program for students at all levels.
o Dubuque Transgender HRS is assisting to plan a session at DCSD for
counselors, nurses and school police to raise awareness about transgender
issues and share communication skills while dealing with students that have /not
identified as transgender.
o Youth in government: A framework for a focus group inviting youth to share their
thoughts and ideas on their interest on the local government has been
established. A group of two YMCA staff and three City staff are working to hold
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two focus group sessions in early January. This is a project to reach youth
interested in local gov't, community services and character development.
o Taste of the World: HRS is on the planning committee for this annual event, as an
approach to build connections and relationships with "un- reached" residents.
Faces & Voices: HRS and HRD are assisting this community group to plan Dr. King Breakfast
in 2014, with a goal of maintaining and strengthening relationship with the group and to reach
large number of attendees on the event day.
Impact of Cultural and educational events: Cultural events further the objective of embracing
diverse populations that support multicultural workforce and continuing to become more
inclusive. Outcome is opportunities to experience arts and culture; young professionals want to
live here and return to raise families.
The Task Force made several recommendations related to working with resident to build a
stronger sense of connection to each other and to the community across differences, increasing
resident participation in community activities, and raising awareness and support for programs
to foster self- sufficiency:
• The City Council approved the creation of the position of Community Engagement
Coordinator and the transfer of the volunteer coordinator VISTA member to the
Department in the 2013 budget.
• We have convened three community resources groups - these are cultural minority
groups in the community who come together to contribute to the community. This past
year, Hispanic group hosted Cinco de Mayo in Washington Park, the LGBTQ Youth
Network participated in Art Gumbo, and the BMC mentored high school youth.
• Volunteers in the Human Rights Speakers' Bureau and the Presentation Lantern
Center's International Speakers' Bureau offered 31 presentations reaching over 800
people on topics of race, national origin, and sexual orientation.
• The Hispanic community group met with various organizations to discuss ways in which
services could be improved to better meet community member needs.
• The Community Engagement Coordinator has worked with staff and Washington
Neighborhood residents to assist with design, process, barriers, objections, and needs in
order to build capacity for neighborhood leadership. Outcomes to date include a
neighborhood resident agreeing to serve as point of contact, volunteers who are creating
a neighborhood newsletter and passing out fliers door to door to engage with other
residents; residents who have volunteered space and have offered to prepare food for a
social as part of the next resident meeting.
• Two sessions of City Life, the citizen academy, have been completed. Fourteen
residents have volunteered to continue as ambassadors.
• Measures and tools for the program have been finalized.
• First debrief session has been held with staff. Second one is scheduled. Sessions are
designed for staff to provide input on program re- design possibilities; same process will
be following with the alumni group. Plan to use this information to see how the program
can evolve so it serves more residents and is even more meaningful and relevant to both
staff and community members.
• A strong marketing plan has been developed. Outreach working on: neighborhood
associations, colleges, community connection, distinctively dubuque, optimist club,
rotary, Kiwanis (scheduled for January). A City Life ad is being developed that will go
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into: TH, 365, Julien's Journal, radio, possibly downtown billboards. We'II also use the
traditional methods the city deploys such as social media, boards and commissions, etc.
The website is ready to go and now the application will be live first week of January.
• The alumni group has broken into two committees: communications and engagement.
We are scheduling a meeting in January to hear what each committee has come up with
as next steps and then act on those. CEC is meeting one -on -one with each alumni
member to ask questions to identify how things are going for them and what might be
done to keep them engaged.
• Safety -NET: Another new program, called Safety -NET, is in the process of planning,
which is aimed to bring neighborhoods together as one group. Unlike Neighborhood
Watch, this program emphasizes on neighborhood groups /associations coming together
with their self- created strategic plan /ideas to make their neighborhoods a safe place for
all, especially children. This increases resident participation and builds a strong
relationship among residents, who focus on promoting, educating and being educated for
a safe neighborhood, through strategies developed by residents. The idea is to protect
by promoting and not necessarily stop by punishing. Staff from Police Department (PD),
Neighborhood Specialist (NS), Economic Development Coordinator (EDC) and HRS
have teamed to create a program plan, process and pilot neighborhood blocks to
implement this project in Spring 2014. A few documents to design the project orientation
to pilot blocks are being collaboratively created. The next meeting to plan a focus group
with residents is set for January, 2014.
• Residents Lead: To assist leaders in the communities, Human Rights Department is also
planning to pilot a leadership training opportunity that focuses on revitalizing existing
skills in the community members, and sharing local and national resources. This training
will help leaders and contributors in the community to learn a few techniques and tricks
to use skills that they currently have to be more effective and resourceful. This program
hopes to encourage community -wide support and use of initiatives that support self-
sufficiency and currently existing. A group of seven staff participated in a brainstorming
session to discuss the need, process and benefits of resident - focused leadership
training. Staff have shared names of community members that they believe would be
helpful in planning the first pilot session. Community members have been invited to the
brainstorming session.
Impact; Community Resource Groups, speakers' bureau, neighborhood leadership
development, and the Citizen Academy all further the objectives of increasing resident
interaction and continuing to become inclusive community; and partnering to meet needs of
underserved; Long term outcomes will be a community where everyone welcome, people live
without fear or threat; there is better access and use of facilities; and services are available and
delivered in fair and equitable manner
To catalyze increased resident participation in volunteer and service activities, the Community
Engagement Coordinator and AmeriCorps VISTA member are working with partners to
establish a collaborative approach to volunteering and have accomplished the following:
• $48,000 grant obtained for collaborative effort with community partners to create a
volunteer center
• 15 model centers researched
• Vision, mission, service categories created
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• Three potential implementation plans being created and reviewed
• Next steps involve planning and engaging with stakeholders around funding, location,
staffing
• VISTA volunteer coordinator continues her efforts
• 11 agencies trained on Volunteer Solutions
• 9 agencies offered capacity building services and have implemented three or more
effective volunteer management practices
• 9/11 Day of Service involved 300 letters written to troops
• $1500 grant obtained for Make a Difference Day with volunteers engaging in yard clean
up, painting, insulation, caulking, weatherization
• Since September 2012, 1089 volunteers recruited, 74 disadvantaged youth, 196 college
students, 75 baby boomers, 729 worked on Days of Service, 3,286 hours logged.
Impact: At a rate of $17.22 per hour based on Independent Sector, the dollar value of volunteer
hours over past six months totals $56,585. Using volunteering strategically to meet human
services needs and the needs of underserved; increasing resident interaction; continuing to
become inclusive community where all people contribute. The outcomes will be more
ownership in community solutions as people see selves as part of solution; a sense of inclusion
will increase as people are welcomed to contribute their skills and develop a sense of
belonging.
The Task Force recommended a parental responsibility ordinance modeled after a successful
program that includes engaging parents and teens in prevention. On March 22, 2011, the City
Council passed an ordinance.
Impact: The ordinance will hold parents accountable for the criminal behavior of their children
and includes referrals for parenting classes.
The Task Force recommended engagement of volunteers across race and income levels as
part of a monthly Community Days of Caring and also recommended use of volunteers to
address exterior code violations. The annual city -wide Community Days of Caring occurred
April 29 and 30, 2011. The Human Rights Department, Neighborhood Development Specialist,
Housing Department, and Washington Neighborhood Development Corporation collaborated to
bring a mixed group of more than 50 volunteers together to work on improving the exterior
appearance of a few small businesses along the Central Avenue corridor and homes that were
identified as having exterior code violations through the City's inspection program. In addition,
the City's Department Managers and Management Team members are engaged in ongoing
discussions regarding how best to support and bring community resources to bear on projects
designed to build bridging social capital in the community. The AmeriCorps VISTA member has
been working over the past several months on the High Impact Service plan designed to
engage volunteers strategically in meeting pressing neighborhood and community needs. In
April and May 2012, more than 1,000 volunteers were engaged in two large community
volunteering events.
Impact: These initiatives will lead to an improved ability to create an inclusive environment, to
build bridging social capital, and to negotiate conflict across cultural differences as people work
toward common goals.
The Task Force recommended that parents and youth be encouraged and engaged in out -of-
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school -time programs and parenting classes designed to matter to the participants. In
response to a discussion with the Safe Community Advisory Committee at its first meeting, the
City submitted a letter to the Dubuque Community School District expressing support for the
District's Iowa 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant Application. On April 7, 2011,
the District was notified that the community will receive $850,000 in state funding to increase
out of school time activities for junior high school students.
Impact: This collaborative effort will provide funding expanded after school program options,
including components to assist parents with literacy and adolescent development. Research
has indicated that engagement in after school programming improves motivation and student
achievement.
The Task Force recommended additional neighborhood clean -ups and educating the
community on City waste disposal policies in an effort to clarify the purpose of the clean -up
programs. The following clean -ups occurred in 2011, and each of them included a social /get to
know your neighbor component:
Downtown Neighborhood Clean -up April 30
Orange ParklWashington Clean up May 7
Historic Bluffs Neighborhood May 7
Hilltop -Ivy League Neighborhood May 13
Langworthy Neighborhood May ?
Valley View Neighborhood May 21
North End Neighborhood fall -- date to be determined
The City has also funded a number of neighborhood beautification efforts initiated by
neighborhood groups including landscaping improvements in the Washington Street traffic
diverters, flower planting /landscaping at Grant Park, Jackson Park, Avon Park, 11th Street
gateway and the 2nd Street Island across from the Cathedral.
Impact: These clean -ups both improve neighborhood appearance and provide an opportunity
to engage neighbors in meeting one another and working together to care for their
neighborhood.
The Task Force encouraged community -wide support of initiatives that support self- sufficiency,
with a particular focus on existing programs: Circles, Project HOPE, Intercultural Competency
Training, Every Child /Every Promise. In May 2011, the City Council approved a grant
agreement with the Iowa Department of Transportation for the Urban Youth Corps Program
which allowed the City to create a three person work crew to use with maintenance projects
from May through September this year. The Iowa DOT Urban Youth Corps Program objective
is to provide transportation- related employment and training opportunities to youth between the
ages of 16 and 21 who face barriers to employment. The crew is assisting Leisure Services
Department in maintaining and improving the aesthetics of our community by working on two
major projects plus a number of high profile areas throughout the city. The Urban Youth Corps
Grant has been continued for the summer of 2012.
See information above on volunteer development related to support for the Circles Initiative
Impact: Although temporary in nature, these three summer positions are new hires that could
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lead to newly created opportunities for each of the three crew members who face barriers to
employment.
The Task Force recommended that all departments in the City be challenged to develop and
maintain a model Housing Choice Voucher program for a city of this size, meeting the needs of
the elderly and disabled and also developing self - sufficiency for families. In addition to tripling
the number of FSS Program enrollees, graduating more than 190 Getting Ahead Program
participants and implementing the Circles Program, the Housing Department has continued to
improve Housing Choice Voucher in other ways. The COP corporal assigned to the Program
has opened more than 1500 investigations, resulting in termination of benefits for 306
households. The National Association for Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO)
recognized the Bridges Initiative with an Award of Merit for the Bridges Initiative. The Bridges
out of Poverty Workshops have now been conducted for more than 2500 persons. Our most
recent Section Eight Management Assessment Program (SEMAP) score, a HUD assessment
conducted annually, was 104 %. A new tenant and financial management software system has
been approved and purchased from the national Emphasys firm. The Elite software has been
installed at Housing. This will allow enhanced communication between all activities at the
Department, including code enforcement and the Finance Department, as well as getting us
closer to the goal of a paperless Assisted Housing program. The Resident Advisory Board has
helped to revise and streamline the application process by developing new application materials
and continues to provide feedback on the administrative plan.
The Task Force recommended the creation of an ordinance prohibiting the boarding of windows
and doors facing streets. An ordinance is in place that applies to any windows or doors
boarded up after March 1, 2011.
The Task Force recommended implementation of an exception rent program to avoid
concentrated pockets of poverty. The exception rent program was implemented in October
2010. Currently, approximately 20% of voucher holders are residing in the west side census
tract exception areas.
Impact: Greater housing choice for voucher holders and deconcentration of poverty.
The Task Force recommended the installation of street lights in the middle of the block to
brighten up the streets at night and increase visibility for residents. New street lights at all
possible alley- street locations from 12th to 20th in the Washington Neighborhood have been
installed. Existing street lights in the Washington Neighborhood have been upgraded to use
brighter bulbs. The receptacles have been purchased and will be installed in April and May of
2013.
Impact: Improved nighttime visibility in the neighborhood.
The Task Force recommended an increase in the number of trash receptacles in the street. In
October 2010, the Public Works Department submitted a budget request for $30,000 for FY12
for the purchase and installation of litter and recyclables receptacles in the downtown area and
surrounding neighborhoods. The Council approved this budget request in March 2011. Forty -
eight (48) units were subsequently purchased and installed in FY13.
Impact: Residents can easily assist in keeping neighborhoods clean and clear of trash.
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The Task Force recommended that the City develop and enforce policies that are consistent
with the "preservation briefs" to maintain historic properties. City staff has indicated to the City
Council that the City has used the preservation briefs as a matter of City policy in local Historic
Districts and federally- funded rehabilitation projects for many years. Staff recommended that
the City should continue to utilize these technical publications as a reference and guide, with
the exception of preservation brief #31, which is contrary to another Task Force
recommendation regarding boarded doors and windows.
Family Self- Sufficiency (FSS) Program: The FSS Program prepares participants for financial
independence and possible home ownership. The FSS program provides access to child care,
transportation, education, job development, household skills training, affirmatively furthering
fair housing and financial literacy training. As of December 31, 2013, the FSS program is
serving 123 households. In FYE 2013 153 households were involved in FSS with four FSS
participants having successfully completed the FSS program.
Circles® Initiative: Family and Assisted Housing staff is also instrumental in "Getting Ahead in
a Just Gettin'- By World (Getting AheadTM) ", a program for people in poverty to help them
understand the hidden rules of the middle class as well as communication skills, value systems,
and expectations used in order to bridge the gap from poverty. Participants are exposed to the
Bridges out of Poverty concept based on Philip DeVol and Dr. Ruby Payne's research on
poverty, which offers a framework for understanding the culture of poverty. As of July 1, 2013,
190 individuals have graduated from Getting Ahead. Nine community members from Getting
Ahead Round 10 will graduate in January, 2014. Recruitment for Getting Ahead Round 11,
which will begin in February 2014, is currently underway.
Getting Ahead graduates are eligible to become leaders in the Circles® Initiative. The Circles®
Coach matches graduates with community volunteers who can provide support and friendship
on their journey toward self - sufficiency. Circles® has been active since September 2010 and
has matched 21 Getting Ahead graduates in 19 circles (some couples choose to be matched in
the same circle). Six of these circles have completed their commitments and obtained the
goals they set for themselves. We are currently working with 11 matched circles and have 3
Leaders waiting to be matched with Allies. Our goal is to have 20 active matched circles by the
end of FY 2014.
Circles® meets weekly on Tuesday nights at Prescott School and averages 65 community
members in attendance. The Circles® Initiative received the Faces and Voices, CommUNITY
Award for Diversity Initiatives of 2013 and was recognized at the Community Foundation of
Greater Dubuque's Block Party event as favorite non - profit initiative through a community vote.
In May, the Circles® Initiative was awarded $1,110 from the Sustainable Dubuque Community
Grant program for "Circles® Initiative Family Fun Night ". The event took place on October 29,
2013. Family Self- Sufficiency, Iowa State University Extension, Matter Creative Center, and
Life's a Feast partnered to provide pottery painting, nutrition education and information on local
food resources to Circles participants. Over 75 community members were in attendance,
including 20 children. Circles® also received a $415 grant from the Women's Giving Circle to
partner with Iowa State University Extension to provide babysitting classes and first -aid kits to
ten youth who attend Circles® meetings on Tuesday nights. The Circles® community also
partnered with FSS and Operation: New View to host a Poverty Simulation on Tuesday,
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November 5 during the Circles® weekly meeting. Over 85 people participated and 20 Circles®
community members volunteered for this event.
The Circles® Coach and Jim Ott offered a Bridges Out of Poverty training in May 2013 attended
by about 70 people. The Circles® Coach and a Circle Leader traveled to Denver, Colorado in
June, 2013 to represent the City of Dubuque in the All- America City Awards. The Circles
Coach traveled to Oklahoma City to attend and present at the aha! Conference for Bridges Out
of Poverty in October, 2013. She presented at the Sustainable Communities Conference in
September 2013 and the Chamber of Commerce Diversity Summit in October, 2013. Two
assisted housing staff traveled to Carson City, Nevada in October 2013 to attend Hands On
Training for Circles.
Road to Success, a job readiness fair designed to prepare low- income individuals for
employment was held on June 25, 2013. Thirty five community volunteers came together to
provide participants an opportunity to experience a variety of learning tracks including:
"Navigating networking "; "Prepare for a Successful Interview "; "Mock Interviews "; "The Interview
is Over- Now What "; "Dress to Impress "; "Creating a Resume that Gets You Noticed ";
"Resume & Cover Letter Critiques "; and "Plan for a Job that's Right for You." The event was
sponsored by American Trust & Savings Bank. Each participant received a flash drive fully
loaded with resources designed to support job seekers in their continued search for
employment plus one -on -one attention from professionals who volunteered during the event.
Participants included members of the Family Self- Sufficiency Program, Getting Ahead and
Circles, residents of community shelters and individuals referred by our many community
agency partners.
Shelter Plus Care Program: The $536 000 grant commenced in FY 2008 for the five -year
program to provide rental assistance to homeless persons with disabilities. The five year grant
ended as of June 10, 2012. We have since received two additional one year grants allowing us
to continue providing permanent housing along with supportive services for homeless
individuals /families. As of December 31, 2013, twenty -three individuals /families are being
assisted. The Housing and Community Development Department administers the funds and
provides them to Project Concern, who contracts with private landlords to provide needed
housing.
Arts and Culture (Top Priority): The City of Dubuque participated in national studies of arts,
culture, heritage and preservation. Two highly acclaimed studies were completed that pertain to
the art, cultural, heritage and historical preservation aspects of the Dubuque area. The Arts and
Economic Prosperity IV, an economic impact study conducted with the non - profit sector in the
city of Dubuque, evaluates the impact spending by nonprofit arts organizations and their
audiences have on their local economies. During 2011, the City of Dubuque collected surveys
from over 800 Dubuque arts and culture event attendees and organization expenditure surveys
from 44 arts nonprofits. The most comprehensive economic impact study of the nonprofit arts
and culture industry ever conducted in the United States, Arts & Economic Prosperity IV was
conducted by Americans for the Arts, the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing
the arts and arts education. The City of Dubuque was one of 182 study regions that participated
in the study.
National and local Arts and Economic Prosperity IV study results were released at an Arts
Mean Business launch event held on July 23, 2012. The nonprofit arts and culture industry in
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Dubuque generates $47.2 million in annual economic activity, supporting 1,530 full -time
equivalent jobs and generates $5 million in local and state government revenues and $36.7
million in household income to local residents.
According to the study, nonprofit arts and culture organizations in Dubuque spent $17.6 million
during fiscal year 2010. This spending is far - reaching: organizations pay employees, purchase
supplies, contract for services and acquire assets within their community. Those dollars, in turn,
supported 577 jobs, generated $15.6 million in household income for local residents and $1.3
million in local and state government revenues. In addition to spending by organizations, the
nonprofit arts and culture industry in Dubuque leverages $29.6 million in event - related spending
by its audiences. As a result of attending a cultural event, attendees often eat dinner in local
restaurants, pay for parking, buy gifts and souvenirs, and pay a babysitter. What's more,
attendees from out of town often stay overnight in a local hotel. In Dubuque, these dollars
support 953 full -time equivalent jobs, generated $21.1 million in household income for local
residents and $3.7 million in local and state government revenues.
A comprehensive marketing plan for the economic impact data was developed. Strategies have
already been implemented to raise awareness that the arts are an industry that has a large
impact on the local economy. In a 2013 report of the state of the arts in Dubuque, the
economic impact data were prominently featured. At every presentation on the arts done by
City staff, City Council and the Mayor, people are reminded of the additional economic
advantages to having vibrant arts and culture activities and organizations. In October 2012,
area non - profits were instructed on how, based on the Dubuque data, to figure their own
economic impact numbers to use in fundraising and grant making. In November 2012, a
publication was produced showing the results and the City's investment in the arts to be
distributed to members of the business, civic and governmental organizations to encourage
their investment in the arts. While a limited number of brochures were printed, the online
version will be widely promoted. Complete study results are available at
www. cityofdubuque .org /artsmeanbusiness.
Also in conjunction with Americans for the Arts, The Local Arts Index (LAI) was conducted with
both the non - profit and for - profit sectors throughout Dubuque County. The Local Arts Index is
the first county -level study ever designed to measure the health and vitality of the arts industries
throughout the United States. It will use a single methodology with information gathered from
research produced by the federal government and private research organizations and covering
multiple industries, including non - profit groups, for - profit arts businesses, employment figures,
and more. When these quantitative measures are taken together, the Local Arts Index will
provide a year -by -year and community -by- community comparison of the nation's arts sector.
The Index is being developed so that it can be replicated in communities across the country.
Through the Local Arts Index, the character of Dubuque County's art culture will be explored to
determine: what makes the county unique from other areas in the nation; the vitality of the arts
and how much exists, and; how we compare to other counties. The main areas of study are:
• Performing arts venues
• Local ownership of cultural resources
• The local literary scene
• Festivals
• K -12 arts education
• Performance and presentation opportunities for young artists
• Tourism draw of local arts and culture
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• Nightlife and the arts
• Tourism marketing of the arts
• Ethnic groups in the cultural life of the community
• Public Art
• Exhibition Spaces
In gathering information for these two studies, contact was made with new arts organizations,
artists and art advocates who had not previously been in the City's communication loop. Better
cooperation among groups and individuals was begun and grows each year. Awareness has
been built to establish a better network for art planning and advocacy.
In November 2010, this network was used to attract participation from the arts community in a
visit from National Endowment for the Arts chair Rocco Landesman for a site visit to Dubuque
for the Our Town grant received by the City of Dubuque and Dubuque Main Street. It was also
very successively used in master arts planning for the Historic Millwork District in February
2012. This network will be used to promote the Arts Means Business Campaign.
Arts Funding: The City of Dubuque has provided over $2.3 million dollars in funding for the
arts since the establishment of the City's Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory commission in 2004.
The City has invested $2,370,000 through three programs established by the Dubuque City
Council. In all, $1,820,000 has been awarded to area arts and cultural organizations through
the Operating Support Grant Program and $345,000 through the Special Projects Grant
Program, which has also leveraged another $814,192 in community support. An additional
$175,000 has funded Art on the River, a temporary sculpture exhibition along the Mississippi
RiverWalk in the Port of Dubuque.
The City has recognized the importance in sustaining long -term viability for existing arts and
culture organizations and identified increased arts funding as a high priority since 2005.
Operating support is provided to established 501(c)(3) arts and culture organizations located in
the City of Dubuque that primarily serve Dubuque residents with year -round arts and culture
events, programs and services, and that can demonstrate a record of programmatic and
administrative stability. Since the inception of the program in 2004, both the number of eligible
organizations and their cumulative operating budgets have increased from 7.3 million to 10.6
million. In FY 2014, a record 16 eligible arts and culture organizations, up from an original 12
organizations, received funding through this program. The Commission anticipates that at least
one additional new arts organization will apply for funding in the next fiscal year,Distribution of
funds is overseen by the Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission that has refined the process to
hold organizations more responsible for the expenditure of City funds and to influence greater
organizational capacity.
The demand for these operating support funds have far exceeded the available funding of
$210,000. The maximum funding levels initially established for the program are 6% of
organization's previous year's operating expenses or $50,000, whichever is less. Awarded
funds historically have been well under these guidelines. Fiscal year 2015 Operating Support
funding applications are available after February 2014.
The Special Projects grant program was first funded in FY 2005 with an annual budget of
$35,000, the same amount that is now currently budgeted. The original purpose was to
"encourage the development of new or expanded arts and cultural programs in the Dubuque
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community."
The Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission and staff worked through 2013 to better
align the Special Project grant program with the City Council's goals and priorities, best
practices in community art funding and the art needs of the Dubuque community, examining
how to use arts and culture to engage all community members, make our residents more
participatory, and ensure that arts, culture, preservation and heritage programs and events are
welcoming and inclusive to those outside of a traditional audience. One of the Safe Community
Task Force's recommendations stated that "the city should devote resources to a human
relations initiative that could include programs in the arts, cultural programs and other strategies
that promote respect and understanding among residents." The changes to this grant program
support this strategy.
The program has funded 57 separate arts projects in our community leveraging $814,192 in
community arts investment. It has successfully encouraged the expansion of arts and cultural
activities in our community as well as utilizing the arts to promote community engagement. The
demand for these funds have far exceeded the amount budgeted in the program.
The City Council approved the creation of the Art on the River outdoor sculpture project in
November 2005, and approved a budget of $300,000 over the next 10 years for this innovative
initiative. Working in conjunction with the Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission, the
Dubuque Museum of Art and a volunteer committee made up of artists, educators and city staff,
the City has identified highly visible locations at the Port of Dubuque to display selected
artwork. The Port of Dubuque is a 90 -acre riverfront campus which features the National
Mississippi River Museum and Aquariums, Grand River Center conference center, Grand
Harbor Resort and WaterPark, Diamond Jo Casino, historic Dubuque Star Brewery, and
Dubuque Shot Tower. Admired and replicated by many communities, Art on the River is
recognized as one of the premier temporary art exhibits in the country, drawing applications
from artists from across the country and foreign countries. It is distinctive for using a panel of
expert professionals to select the work. Now in its ninth year, the exhibit has brought over 80
works to the City that have been viewed by thousands of citizens and visitors. The application
period for the 2014 exhibit will open December 2013.
In 2013, conversations have started between the City Council, Arts and Cultural Advisory
Commission, staff and community partners to develop a master arts and cultural plan, including
a public art plan in order to sustain and grow arts and cultural elements in the City of Dubuque.
Intercultural Competency Initiative:
FY2012
• 10.5 hours of Foundations of Intercultural Competence and Intercultural Conflict Styles
training to new City staff
• Mini -tip sessions related to religious pluralism and prevention of harassment and bullying
were offered to staff
• 5 hours of foundational intercultural competence training offered semi - annually to City
Board and Commission members and general public.
• Staff collected data for a five year progress report, including administering the
Intercultural Development Inventory to leadership and reporting out the results,
facilitating community and employee focus groups, and gathering feedback from
management team.
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• IDI administrators provided one -on -one development feedback of IDI results to
employees.
• New members were recruited, oriented and trained
• Regular intercultural tips provided at management team and in the employee newsletter
• New trainers from the Police Department created a communications course for new
recruits integrating intercultural skills.
• Front line staff was trained on use of the Language Line and a community member was
sponsored to attend the Interpretation and Translation Certificate Program in Des Moines
in order to have a local resident on the State roster for Spanish interpreters.
• 1200 people provided foundational skills in intercultural communication
• Three sessions of a 32 hour intercultural leadership workshop offered; a fourth is
planned in collaboration with NICC in October. We also will be offering a two hour basic
course at NICC in September.
• Four organizations met monthly for a year to develop intercultural teams within their
organizations.
• Leaders who attended the intercultural leadership workshop or year -long team
development are part of ICC Ambassador group that meets quarterly - Institutions
represented on the ambassador group in addition to the City are: UD, Loras, Senior and
Hempstead H.S., Goodwill, Hillcrest, Riverview, Hills and Dales, Body and Soul Wellness
Center, CFGD, GDDC, and Progressive Processing.
• In November and December 2013, TWDC administered the Intercultural Development
Inventory (IDI) to fifty (50) teacher and administrator from Dubuque Senior High School.
TWDC and Intercultural Ambassadors Nancy Knipper (WR &RC), Jeremy Jensen
(Police), John Stewart (University of Dubuque), Sue Ann Marino (University of Dubuque)
and Richard Anderson (Loras College) began designed and delivered a series of two
and a half (2.5) hour training sessions Dubuque Senior High School based on the results
of the IDI.
• Ten 25- minute sessions were offered by TWDC, HRS, Maddy Cairney (Housing) and
Nancy Knipper (WRRC) at Senior High school to introduce students to difference in
communication styles and its relationship to individual /group conflicts. TWDC led a train -
the- trainer session for the ICC Training Team as part of the team's ongoing skill
development.
Impact: The objectives of this work are having a workforce prepared for 21 st century jobs and
embracing a diverse population that supports a multicultural workforce. The outcomes will be a
city workforce reflecting the diversity of the community; city services that are available for all
and delivered in an equitable and fair manner; and a community where everyone is welcome.
Sustainable Iowa Communities development: The Sustainability Coordinator is part of a
statewide working group, led by the Iowa League of Cities, Regents colleges, ISU Extension,
IEDA, and IDAS, developing a sustainable communities "certification and networking" program,
similar to the Petal Project but targeted at cities. The program would likely require community
member and municipality support to participate. Initial exploratory meetings have been held,
and focus groups are currently being developed to determine the tools that would be most
helpful for other communities.
Business:
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Non - Profit:
Every Child, Every Promise: Current priorities include:
• Evaluating LEAP at Washington and Jefferson Middle schools. The goal is to adjust the
program in year 3 to be sustainable and achieve more best practice benchmarks.
• LEAP is funded through a collaboration of ECIEP, the Dubuque Community School
District and key OST providers the community has received an $850,000 grant in April
2011 to start a coordinated, collaborative OST program for Middle School Students at
Jefferson and Washington schools.
There has been an overwhelming response of 300 students per school who have signed
up for activities, a huge increase in involvement in after school programs. The program
is gearing up for the 2013 -2014 school year. LEAP plans to provide over 20 programs to
students in the upcoming school year.
• 3rd Grade Reading- an effort to build a coordinated approach between City, Schools,
CBO's, parents, students and others, to improve 3rd Grade Reading Achievement has
been identified as an important strategy. ECEP will facilitate an initiative to increase
achievement by improving outcomes in school attendance, school readiness and
summer learning. A coalition has been formed made up of leaders from the City,
Schools (public /private), CBO's, parents, and the Community Foundation to write a
Community Solutions Action Plan which was submitted to the All- America City Awards
on March 12, 2012. In July of 2012, the City of Dubuque was recognized as an All -
America City for their collaboration on the 3rd grade reading initiative. Progress
continues in each of three focus areas:
o School Readiness- Dubuque Community Schools and Northeast Iowa Community
College are partnering to provide a pathway to Early Childhood careers for area
high school students.
o Attendance- The Early Bird Attendance program that was facilitated through
Fulton Elementary over the last school year is being evaluated for effectiveness
and scalability. Dubuque is celebrating Attendance Awareness Month with an
awareness campaign targeted at showing the importance of attending school
every day. An Americorps VISTA member is working in the school district to
facilitate the attendance objectives of the Third Grade Reading Initiative.
o Summer Learning- Summer Academy at Audubon Elementary wrapped up on
August 2nd. Summer Academy was a seven -week, full -day pilot summer learning
program developed using research -based best practice, and aimed at preventing
summer -slide and maintaining or increasing reading scores. Evaluation of the
effectiveness of Summer Academy is in process, and will be available in Fall of
2013.
• Data- A committee of business and provider leaders is developing a web -based Youth
Indicators Report to provide key indicator data to the community regarding our young
people age 0 -20. The Data committee has identified 36 key indicators with 5 years of
supporting data to identify our community's strengths and opportunities for providing the
five promises to our young people. The Youth Indicator report is updated on an ongoing
basis and available at www.everychild- everypromise.orq.
o The 3rd grade reading coalition is currently working on adding an additional page
to the youth indicator website to track matrix for the reading initiative.
• Every Child /Every Promise and the Children's Trust have partnered to create a childcare
map and directory through Resources Unite! The goal is to be able to assist working
families in finding quality childcare in Dubuque, and more easily identify gaps in both
quality and quantity.
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• The website is currently live, and provides listings for almost 40 providers.
This site is updated directly by the providers making accurate information
available to the community.
America's Promise Alliance uses the Five Promises framework to guide their efforts and
improve the odds for youth:
1) Caring Adults
2) Safe Places
3) Healthy Start
4) Effective Education
5) Opportunities to Help Others
Continuum of Care: A working network of homeless shelter and service providers created in
2001 to respond to the needs of the City's homeless population. The successful development
of the Maria House, the four Davis Place SROs and Hillcrest's transitional housing facility has
provided significant new shelter opportunities. The Teresa Shelter for homeless women and
children was opened during FY 2006. Manasseh House, a 19 room single room occupancy
(SRO) facility for 19 single women was completed in FY 2007. The Salvia House SRO opened
in 2010.
The City partners with Project Concern, Maria House, Hillcrest Family Services, and Manasseh
House for the annual allocation of Continuum of Care funds. This grant, under the "Supported
Housing Program" category, provides funding for support services for homeless persons and
families. These activities include outreach services, counseling, a "homeless hotline," and
staffing for transitional housing and the Manasseh House SRO for women.
Green Dubuque: Green Dubuque is a registered 501(c) 3 non - profit organization committed to
improving and beautifying Dubuque by reducing the city's greenhouse gas emissions,
promoting smart development and urban green space, and protecting the health and integrity of
local ecosystems.
Since 2006, Green Dubuque has led or been involved in numerous projects to support the
Sustainable Dubuque vision, including organizing grassroots events, research and reporting on
a variety of sustainability and climate change - related topics, lobbying for local and state
government activity, community education and supporting local foods initiatives in a variety of
ways. Specific projects of significance that they have been key partners in include CARE
Bombs, Green Drinks, Complete Streets, and the Dubuque Community GHG Reduction Task
Force. Green Dubuque members and other invested residents are working together to
reactivate the Dubuque Area Recycling Network (DARN) model and establish an energy district
in Dubuque.
HEART (Top Priority):
The Housing Education and Rehabilitation Training Program, or HEART, with its broad
partnership and deep community impact, is re- engaging disconnected youth and building strong
connections to community through education, service and job training. Transforming the
Washington and downtown neighborhoods, students in our program have participated in almost
40 community projects since 2004, including turning over 30 substandard rentals into 21 owner
occupied homes. Since 2003, the HEART program has met the needs of 63 individual young
people on a full -time basis, as they work to attain their high school diploma. Our students come
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Eco -Movie Nights: Initiated by GreenCorps members with
support from the Sustainability Office and other partners,
Eco- Movies is a new series which will host a free, educational movie each month in Dubuque
from April to August. Each movie concludes with a community discussion led by subject matter
experts. Initial movies have addressed healthy local foods (host: Mindframe Movie Theater),
biking and alternative transportation (host: outdoor movie at Comisky Park), and childrens'
relationship with the outdoors (hosts: Swiss Valley Nature Center and Carnegie -Stout Public
Library). "The Story of Stuff' will conclude this year's series, hosted in August at Full Circle
Organics.
Four Mounds mission of preservation, service and
education aligns with the three focus areas of the
Sustainable Dubuque model. We reclaim threatened,
historic structures and find new relevant uses for the
community, using the opportunity to train youth and prepare
them for healthy adulthood. The illustration below shows
how the HEART program is helping to meet the principles
set forth in the Sustainable Dubuque model.
to us at -risk of dropping out, but they make a commitment to hard work until they graduate,
splitting their days on the worksite and classroom. Since 2003, HEART students are achieving
a 92°/0 high school graduation rate, with 100% of this year's senior students graduating.
Reuse on a large scale
Removal of
slum &blight
Quality,
affordable
housing
Thwarting sprawl through
re- development
Environmental /Ecological
Integrity
Restored historic
neighborhood
Economic Equitable Social /Cultural
Prosperity Vibrancy
Connection to
green collar jobs
Arming young
people with skills
& education
Meeting
community
needs
Youth connected to
history & community
Schools:
Green Vision Education Program: This program is sponsored by the Dubuque Metropolitan
Area Solid Waste Agency and began in 2005. Since that date, eleven schools are currently
Green Vision Schools and several more are working towards achieving the status during this
calendar year.
Current Green Vision Education schools are:
• Resurrection Catholic Elementary School
• Table Mound Elementary School
• Abraham Lincoln Elementary School
• St. Columbkille's Catholic Elementary School
• Dubuque Montessori School
• Mazzuchelli Catholic Middle School
• Holy Ghost Catholic Elementary School
• St. Anthony's /Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Elementary School
• Sageville Elementary School
• Wahlert Catholic High School
• Hempstead High School
Through these schools, over 600 staff members, 3800 students, and 2600 families are
participating in the Green Vision Education Program. The program recognizes student and staff
efforts to reduce waste in their schools, as well as the schools' recently implemented energy-
saving practices. Green Vision schools receive flags to hang outside their buildings and
banners to display in their hallways or gyms. Some of the practices that have been
implemented by the schools include food scrap composting, worm bin composting, increased
paper and container recycling, and reduction in the use of disposable products.
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Green Vision evaluation and support partners include the Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid
Waste Agency, the Dubuque Community School District, the Holy Family Catholic Schools,
FEH Inc., the Dubuque County Conservation Board, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources
- Mines of Spain, the Catfish Creek Watershed Project - Dubuque County Soil and Water
District, the Maquoketa Valley Electric Cooperative, Keep Dubuque County Clean & Green, the
City of Dubuque, ISU Extension, and Green Dubuque.
Five schools earned additional patches during 2012 -2013 school year.
City staff has developed a Sustainable Dubuque program /patch that focuses on social /cultural
vibrancy and community knowledge concepts. The Sustainability Coordinator is working with
Table Mound staff to complete this patch during the 2013 -14 school year.
People & Neighborhoods:
Andrew Connolly Make A Difference Day: The community's successful Make a Difference
Day has expanded this year to honor the "Pay It Forward" legacy of Iraqi war veteran Andrew
Connolly. The event was held on October 26, 2013, serving over 50 homes and eight
community projects and engaging approximately 500 volunteers.
Dubuque Community Days of Caring: The 5th annual Days of Caring was held April 27 -28,
2012, growing in partnership with the Dubuque Area Chamber's Young Professionals group this
year. A record approximately 780 volunteered in Dubuque over the weekend. The 6th annual
Days of Caring occurred on April 26 -27, 2013, engaging a new record of over 800 volunteers in
the two -day event.
REASONABLE MOBILITY
Government:
SW Arterial (High Priority):
The Southwest Arterial project is the No. 1 surface transportation priority in the Dubuque area
and will provide for a 6.1 -mile four -lane divided freeway with priority 1- access control between
Highway 61/151 and Highway 20.
Mobility Benefits: The Southwest Arterial project will connect two growing sections of the
community together and will support future anticipated expansion growth to the southwest of
the City toward the Dubuque Regional Airport. The Southwest Arterial will also provide an
efficient bypass around the City thereby reducing travel times and minimizing delay by reducing
traffic volumes and congestion on the local street system.
Environmental Benefits: The Southwest Arterial project will provide an alternate, direct and
efficient route for traffic through southwestern Dubuque, which will provide significant travel time
savings by avoiding the numerous signalized intersections on Highway 61/151, Highway 20 and
Central Avenue (Hwy 52/3) through Dubuque, thereby providing fuel energy savings, reducing
vehicle emissions and improving air quality. The Southwest Arterial project will be designed and
constructed with forward thinking sustainability initiative incorporated, which will include an
environmentally and resource sensitive highway corridor, an integrated bike / pedestrian trail
with amenities, and Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) technology.
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Passenger Rail: The proposed project, which was identified as an Envision 2010 goal, will
reestablish passenger rail transportation to the Chicago — Dubuque Corridor and improve
freight rail transportation by upgrading the railroad infrastructure. The overall project area lies
along the 300 - kilometer (180 -mile) Chicago — Dubuque rail corridor, which extends in a
northwest direction across the state of Illinois between Chicago, Illinois, and Dubuque, Iowa.
The improvements proposed lie primarily within existing railroad rights -of -way with minimal work
adjacent to the track. The Chicago- Rockford - Dubuque corridor project will rehabilitate existing
rail infrastructure to current maximum operating speeds of up to 60 mph to restore previous
intercity passenger rail service. This project is the first step in achieving a more balanced modal
use of the transportation network by leveraging the existing railroad infrastructure to restore
intercity passenger train service that was discontinued in 1981. The need for the project stems
from the lack of modal options in the corridor. Highway -based modes, including automobiles
and bus service, face growing traffic congestion that cause travel delays and unreliable
schedules, inherent safety risks, and air quality impacts. This project is the first step in
achieving modal balance in the transportation system between these two cities with an
environmentally friendly, reliable and convenient travel option.
Highway -based modes, including automobiles and bus service, face growing traffic congestion
that cause travel delays and unreliable schedules, inherent safety risks, and air quality impacts.
This project is the first step in achieving modal balance in the transportation system between
these two cities with an environmentally friendly, reliable and convenient travel option.
The State of Illinois has budgeted $60 million to rebuild the railroad tracks. To move ahead with
this project, the State of Iowa must commit to providing $550,000, a share of the annual
operating subsidy, beginning in Fiscal Year 2014. The State of Iowa has challenged local
governments to provide 50% of the annual subsidy. On March 9, 2011, the City Council
approved to commit 25% of the subsidy ($137,500) beginning in Fiscal Year 2014. Dubuque
County and other area cities are considering the other portion of the local match that is
required.
On August 23 and 24, 2011, T.Y. Lin was in Dubuque to meet with CN, CP, and Amtrak and
IDOT officials about passenger rail options.
On September 20, 2011, T.Y. Lin met with Amtrak representatives to discuss the platform
needs in Dubuque.
City staff along with ECIA staff are searching for funding opportunities. The IDOT is not willing
to pursue Federal funding for rail improvements along this corridor based on recent decisions
made by the State Legislature.
On May 17, 2012, ECIA and City staff met with representatives of the ILDOT, IADOT, Amtrak,
CN, CP and TY Lin to discuss the opportunity for a temporary platform site for passenger rail
service, which is expected to arrive in Dubuque late in 2014 or early 2015.
Based on the walking tour and input from the various groups, TY Lin will prepare cost estimates
for review and continued discussion with other City staff. A meeting has been scheduled with
City staff for June 18 to review the information.
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The City will pursue a temporary platform site to accommodate future passenger rail service.
This site will be on the existing spur track area adjacent to the 3rd Street overpass in the Port of
Dubuque. Staff has been in contact with the Iowa DOT to discuss the use of state
enhancement funds to assist with this project.
Staff has also met with representatives of the National Mississippi River Museum, the Diamond
Jo, the major property owners in the Millwork District and Passenger Rail Committee to make
them aware of these recent developments.
City Staff is working with staff at ECIA to make applications for funding to assist with the capital
costs associated with the passenger rail platform. The IA DOT has encouraged the City to
submit an ICAAP application for the platform improvements. This application requires a 20%
local match and is due by March 1, 2013. ECIA has begun the application.
The ICAAP application was submitted on February 26, 2013 requesting $2,618,071 of State
funding and provided assurance of $654,518 of local match for the passenger rail platform at 3rd
Street in the Port of Dubuque. Letters of support were provided by the Diamond Jo Casino and
the National Mississippi River Museum. Unfortunately, the application was denied in the
summer of 2013.
Intermodal Center: The City of Dubuque has been planning for the construction of an
Intermodal Transportation Center in Dubuque for several years. Components of the project will
include: construction of an elevated parking structure with a capacity for approximately 182
vehicles On Phase 1), a IP addressable video camera system, ticket booths at vehicle access
points supporting the operation of a paid parking structure with the potential inclusion an
automated traffic counter system, a terminal facility that will serve as a hub for local public
transit (The Jule and RTA), intercity bus and taxi services and that would provide indoor
passenger waiting area. The Intermodal Transportation Center would contain pedestrian and
bicycle - friendly elements, and public restrooms. The Intermodal Center will also contain
architectural aspects that enhance the overall esthetics of the site and further contribute to the
overall vitality of the area. A key measurement for the success of the project will be the
resulting smooth traffic flow in and out of the facility including convenient driveway connections
to roadways that access other adjacent areas.
The consultants identified 11 potential sites for consideration. The review committee narrowed
these options down to 2 sites through a ranking system established in conjunction with the
Federal Transportation Authority (FTA). One site is in the Port of Dubuque and one in the
Historic Millwork District. After weighing the pros and cons of each site, the review committee
unanimously recommended the Historic Millwork District for the Intermodal Transportation
Center. On March 7, 2011, the City Council concurred with the recommendation to pursue the
Historic Millwork District for a future Intermodal Transportation Center.
The Phase I feasibility study and site selection process of the Intermodal Center is complete.
The recommendation to pursue the Historic Millwork District site was approved by City Council
on March 7, 2011. A contract for the Phase I schematic design work was awarded to Neumann
Monson in mid -2011 and the work was completed December 31, 2011.
City staff worked with ECIA to submit applications for grants to fund construction of an
Intermodal facility. On October 12, 2011, an $8 million State of Good Repair (SOGR) grant was
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awarded to the City which will be used to fund the final design and construction of the
intermodal Center.
On August 31, 2011, City staff along with Neumann Monson Architects held multiple input
sessions with special interest groups and a public session to get input on what the specific
needs of the facility should be for the City of Dubuque. A work session with the City Council
was held on November 21. The Council provided input which the consultants incorporated into
the design of the Center. Neumann Monson Architects has completed the schematic design
phase of the Intermodal Center. An RFQ was prepared to hire a consultant to do the Final
Design Development, Construction Documents, and Construction oversight for the first phase of
the Intermodal Center. On March 19, 2012, the City Council approved the release of the RFQ
for Design Development, Construction Documents and Construction oversight. Proposals were
due April 17, 2012. Staff received four Intermodal RFQ proposals. The Intermodal Interview
Committee is currently interviewing three of the four firms. On June 4, 2012, City Council
authorized City staff to negotiate an agreement with Neumann Monson for Design
Development, Construction Documents and Construction oversight of the Intermodal Center,
and on September 4th, a contract for the work was awarded. City staff is currently working
through issues such as property acquisition from IDOT, and making sure that all documents
required by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) are in place.
On June 4, 2012, City Council authorized the release of another Request For Qualifications
(RFQ), this one for a Bus Storage and Maintenance Facility (BSMF) Site Selection Study and
Environmental Analysis. The proposals were due July 6, 2012. Staff received six Bus Storage
and Maintenance Facility Site Selection RFQ proposals. The selection committee met on
August 15, 2012 to review the proposals. Interviews with three of the companies that
responded to the RFQ are scheduled for mid - September. The City Council approved the
selection committee recommendation to enter contract negotiations with IIW for the Site
Selection study and Environmental Analysis. A recommendation for contract award to IIW was
approved by City Council at the November 5, 2012, meeting and a contract was signed early
December 2012. IIW has begun the work for the project with the goal of having it completed by
early spring. A draft of the Site Selection Study has been submitted to the Federal Transit
Administration (FTA) Region VII for comment. These will be incorporated into the final Site
Selection Study which, with the completed Environmental Analysis, will be submitted to the FTA
for review and approval as part of the application for the TIGER V grant (application is due June
3, 2013). Having those documents submitted and approved by the FTA will help ensure that
Dubuque is well- situated in its pursuit of federal funding for a new bus storage and maintenance
facility.
Staff continues to work with the FTA to finalize the grant contract and release of funds for the
State of Good Repair (SOGR) grant for the Intermodal Center. In early April 2012 we received
FTA approval on the NEPA, SHPO and documented Categorical Exclusion for the amended
Phase !site in the Historic Millwork District. The FTA has given the City the pre -award authority
to incur costs on the project, and preliminary work has begun.
The final design of the Intermodal Center will contain architectural aspects that enhance the
overall esthetics of the site and further contribute to the overall vitality of the area. A key
measurement for the success of the project will be the resulting smooth traffic flow in and out of
the facility including convenient driveway connections to roadways that access other adjacent
areas.
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The vision for the Intermodal Transportation Center is that it will support transit connections,
vehicular parking, electric vehicle charging, bicycle parking, intercity bus, a passenger waiting
area, taxicab stands, public restrooms and ticketing offices for public transit and intercity bus.
In late October 2011 public meetings were held with Millwork property owners, City staff and
other stake holders for review of alternative site layout proposals and a work session with City
Council was held December 5th, during which the site plan and building proposals for the
center were presented for review and approval.
The City continues to work with ECIA in preparing grant applications for funding sources; it is
anticipated that new grants will be released before the end of this federal fiscal year (or by
February 2013), at which point the determination will be made whether or not to apply for Phase
II funding of the Intermodal Transportation Center.
We anticipate that after this year's election cycle in November that a new round of competitive
grants will be released in late winter /early spring 2013 that could fund a new bus maintenance
and storage facility. This new facility would replace the 130 year -old transit facility currently in
use by The Jule. Funding will also be pursued for a passenger rail platform and the rail
improvements that will be needed in order to bring passenger rail service into Dubuque.
The contract for final design of the facility has been awarded to Neumann Monson Architects.
The City is currently working on access points for the facility and property acquisition with the
Iowa Department of Transportation. Following ongoing discussions with the railroads and the
City's consultants, the rail transfer will no longer be a part of the intermodal center and will be
located at an alternate location. It is the City's intent to have the project bid for construction in
early 2014 pending respond from IDOT on land acquisition issues. The City is expecting design
to be completed by late 2013 early 2014 and a potential opening date of early 2015. We are
experiencing some delays in property acquisition as the City is currently performing a survey to
provide to IDOT for review. In addition, the Federal Transit Administration has requested
additional information on the project and this submission and subsequent review and approval
is adding several months to the project before design can proceed.
The Jule:
• Medical Loop: The new Medical Loop, which was funded by a state grant and began in
December 2010, replaced the old Orange Line. The Medical Loop provides increased
service to the medical centers and clinics in Dubuque (e.g. Mercy and Finley Hospitals,
Dubuque Internal Medicine, Medical Associates East, etc.), the colleges and universities,
and regular service to S. Locust Hy -Vee and the S. Grandview area, this fixed route also
provides deviated route ( "upon demand ") service to the Key West area (e.g. Dept. of
Motor Vehicles and businesses in the immediate area), Mount Carmel, the YMCA,
Mystique Casino, etc. The Iowa Clean Air Attainment Program (ICAAP) grant, which
was a two -year grant; this grant ended October 2012.
• JFK Transfer Center: A state grant was awarded for the Phase !building of a Transfer
Center (transit point) at Area Residential Care's (ARC) new facility on JFK Circle. Phase
I will be a canopy large enough for four fixed route buses (stacked two by two) to pull
underneath. Phase II if funded (application will be filed in May 2014) will allow for the
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building of an enclosed waiting area with public bathroom facilities at the JFK Circle (the
old Econo Foods store). An Easement Agreement between ARC and the City was
approved by City Council at the May 7, 2012, meeting. A Request for Bid (RFB) was
released for public bid in July 2012, but because the responses came in over budget a
new RFB was released in mid - October. A second bid was released and contract
awarded by City Council to Murphy Construction Group at the December 3, 2012
meeting. The canopy is in place and final construction is scheduled to be completed on
or /before June 30, 2013. A "grand opening" celebration was held early September 2013.
• Shopping Circulator: The Shopping Circulator, which began November 21, 2011 is
funded with a (two -year) ICAAP grant that ends on /around September 30, 2013. The
Shopping Circulator route links the major shopping centers located on the west end of
Dubuque and operates on an hourly basis, with transfers between the Shopping
Circulator and the Red, Green and /or Grey Lines occurring at the JFK Circle. This grant
is scheduled to end on /around October 2013. Because this route has turned out to be a
viable and vital piece of the VMT project a third year ICAAP grant application has been
submitted to IA DOT. The grant was approved in June 2013 to carry the route through
September 2014 and into the re- design of the fixed route system.
In mid -year 2011, members of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Iowa Department
of Transportation (IA DOT) met with City of Dubuque staff and other partners who have been
involved in the Smarter, Sustainable Dubuque initiative. The FTA and IA DOT staff recognized
the collaborative work that has occurred between the City of Dubuque and IBM on the
Sustainability projects which include the Smarter Travel VMT Study. The IA DOT and FTA are
particularly interested in the smartphone application developed by IBM for use on the Smarter
Travel (aka Vehicle Miles Traveled or "VMT") project that allows for the tracking of travel
patterns that include but are not limited to: public transit, personal vehicles, trucks, pedestrian
travel, and bicycles. Stu Anderson, the Assistant Director of the IA DOT, recognizing the
potential for broader use of the smartphone application outside of public transit and other State
planning organizations, and suggested that an ICAAP application be submitted.
The IBM Smarter Travel project development is designed for implementation over 2 -3 years. A
key element and critical factor in this project and the overall success of the ICAAP grant is a
working smartphone application, which will enable a successful recruitment of 1,000 volunteers
who will be using the smartphone application to track their travel patterns within the city. The
first year is the data - gathering period, the second is when the data is processed and changes to
the transit system are implemented, and the third year is when the "fine tuning" of the route
changes occurs. In late October 2011 an ICAAP grant application was submitted to the State by
the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). An ICAAP grant requires a 20% local match
and is normally awarded for a two -year period (e.g. October 1, 2012 through September 30,
2014). The grant requested $2,164,000 over a two -year period, $1,050,000 of which will be
used in the first year by IBM for implementation the VMT Study using the pilot routes. Because
of the large amount of funding requested, IA DOT staff has informed us that if the grant
application is approved it will only be for one (1) year of funding, and that the MPO (DMATS)
would need to apply for a second ICAAP grant for year -2 funding. IA DOT is aware of the
importance of the second year of the project as that is when the functionality of data gathered
during the first year is demonstrated, and as of June 20 -13, had approved a year -2 ICAAP grant
for the project ending on /around September 2014.
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Route changes would be made while keeping three goals in mind: 1) the changes must make
the transit system more efficient and effective, 2) transit services would need to cover as much
area as is practical and affordable and should include areas not currently served, 3) increases
in operational costs would need to be kept as minimal as is feasible. During the first year of this
project the pilot routes will overlay and operate in conjunction with existing route, allowing for
minimal disruption of service to the transit - dependent passengers. The pilot routes will offer
alternative methods for passengers and help encourage new users of the transit system as it
will reduce travel time between the downtown and west end areas. It is in the second year when
the transition and re- structuring of the entire transit system begins.
• Nightrider: The Nightrider is the result of a partnership with Loras College, Clarke
University and University of Dubuque to develop a weekend evening service focused on
the needs of college students. The Nightrider was combined with the MidTown loop and
Feeder (below) and is part of the ICAAP SmarterTravel project. Grant match for the
Nightrider portion of the grant application was paid by the three colleges and allows
college students to utilize the Nightrider and daytime routes free of charge.
The Nightrider route began providing service on September 28, 2012, operating on
Friday and Saturday nights from 6 pm until @ 2:40 am. As of October 31, 2013, the
Nightrider route has had a total of 16,113 passengers: 7,193 college students (Clarke,
UD and Loras) and 8,920 members of the general public.
A third year grant was submitted to the Iowa Clean Air Attainment Program (ICAAP) in
October 2013. If funded, this grant would fund the majority of the cost of service until
September 2015 and match funds would again be provided by the colleges.
• MidTown loop & Feeder: The MidTown Loop & Feeder, which was a route identified in
the 2009 LSC Study as having the potential of reducing travel time between downtown
and midtown location, was originally scheduled to begin service in February 2013. Once
it begins operation it will help improve connectivity between downtown and west end
locations. The MidTown Loop & Feeder will operate Monday through Saturday during
regular hours of operation. The MidTown Loop will operate in areas between JFK Drive,
Grandview and downtown with transfers to /from other routes at 6th & Iowa, Delhi and the
JFK Circle. Passengers would use the Feeder to travel non -stop between downtown and
JFK Circle. The start of the MidTown Loop & Feeder has been moved to January 2014
as the DOT has separated the route component of the project from the research
component. A contract has not yet been developed between IBM and the FTA for the
research component.
Annual Asphalt Overlay Paving Program: The Public Works Department's annual Asphalt
Overlay Program, which began in 1993, has paved 190.55 centerline miles of city streets
through calendar 2013. While asphalt is an oil -based paving material, since 2007 the program
has been reclaiming and reusing old asphalt milled from the streets to be paved. With up to
20% of the "new" asphalt actually containing old, reclaimed asphalt from the city's streets, this
program now has a significantly smaller resource, fossil fuel, and carbon footprint. Community
impacts include reduced program cost, along with the noted reduced resource, fossil fuel, and
carbon footprints.
Bicycle /Pedestrian Network:
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Most recently, the City partnered with the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs to create bilingual
trail signs, map kiosks, and a bilingual trail map brochure that identifies trailheads, which
include map kiosks, parking and other amenities, and trail map kiosk locations. The major
ongoing new trail project in Dubuque is the continued extension of the Iowa 32 Bike /Hike Trail
along the Northwest Arterial. This trail provides an important and safe connection for bike and
pedestrian traffic between the Heritage Trail and the City's trail system, and the west side of
Dubuque -- the city's fastest growing shopping, employment and residential area.
Approximately 2 miles are built with another 2 -mile segment now complete to Holiday.
The City of Dubuque has recently been notified that it has been awarded a $200,000 REAP
(Resource Enhancement and Protection) grant for the extension of the NW Arterial Hike /Bike
trail from Holliday Drive to Pennsylvania Avenue. The Engineering Department will work on the
trail design over the winter of 2013/2014. The project is planned to be bid in the spring of 2014.
In May the city partnered with the Tri -State Trail vision committee to submit a Bicycle Friendly
Community application to the League of American Bicyclists. The City of Dubuque received an
Honorable Mention ranking.
Engineering has completed a Safe Routes to School project that provides for enhanced cross-
walks at four school locations. These locations include Marshall School, Eisenhower School,
Resurrection School and Roosevelt Middle School. The enhancements include new painted
cross -walks and flashing beacons to warn drivers of the crossings. The project was awarded to
McDermott Excavating. The project was completed in July 2013.
The Engineering Department has current FY 2014 funding to provide for other enhanced cross-
walks. One location being studied is near Senior High School on Clarke Drive.
City staff, in partnership with Dubuque County, VNA, Dubuque Coop, and others, has
developed a list of needed bike rack locations throughout the downtown area. Phase I
installations, funded in part through a Community Transformation Grant, will occur in fall 2013.
Business:
Non - Profit:
Schools:
People & Neighborhoods:
Dubuque Bike Coop /Library: A group of interested citizens, including bike enthusiasts, bike
shop owners, City staff, and representatives from the Dubuque Rescue Mission began meeting
to develop a community bike library which would offer bikes for long -term rental to residents as
well as a variety of community education opportunities including classes on bike maintenance
and safety. The group has already received several bike, tool and part donations and is
seeking additional storage space. Additionally, mechanics' nights have started in order to
prepare the bikes for community rental. The Bike Coop is now renting out bikes at various
community events. The Dubuque Police Department donated approximately 30 abandoned
bikes to the Coop to assist in starting the project. The Bike Coop hosted an open house in
their new home at 2206 Central in October.
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CLEAN WATER
Government:
Low Impact Development Conference: The 7th annual LID conference will be held this
winter, 2014. Conference themes this year may focus around the drift less region and it's
unique connection to water.
Construction Workshop: This year the City of Dubuque will hold its 7th annual Construction
site workshop. This year's theme may be centered around swppp design and contractor /
designer relationships.
Permeable Pavement /Green Alley: The City of Dubuque began in fiscal year 2011 an annual
program for reconstructing Dubuque alleys using permeable pavement. The City currently has
eight green alleys that utilize either porous asphalt pavement or interlocking concrete pavers
which allow storm water to pass through the pavement. These alleys help reduce storm water
runoff by infiltrating and cleaning the water before it reaches the City's aquifers.
The City is also working with the Iowa DNR on a project to reconstruct 73 alleys over the next
three years. This $9.4 million project will be funded using SRF monies. The project is the first in
the state of Iowa to use SRF funds for water quality enhancements. The City is able to use the
SRF proceeds from the Water Resource and Recovery Center project. This project is currently
under design and is scheduled to start spring of 2014.
Bee Branch (High Priority): Project involves the day lighting of 4,500 feet of the buried Bee
Branch storm sewer. Episodic damage to public and private property due to flooding results in
recurring expenditures related to repairing damages. Moreover, it leads to a reluctance to
improve property or even maintain property.
• Update on Property Acquisitions
o The City has acquired 105 of the 109 properties required for the project. Of the
four remaining, the City has a signed purchase agreement with one and is in
negotiations with the other four. The City expects to acquire the necessary
property /easements in the next few months.
• Update on Design:
o Design of the first phase, the Lower Bee Branch Creek Restoration is complete.
o The final design of the second phase, the culvert system through the railroad
property was sent to Canadian Pacific for review in November.
o The design of the Upper Bee Branch Creek Restoration Project, everything north
of Garfield Avenue, is 90% complete. Final design is on schedule to be complete
and ready for bidding in 2014.
• Update on Construction:
o Construction of the Lower Bee Branch Creek Restoration started in the fall of
2010 and was substantially complete in November of 2011.
o Construction of the Bee Branch Creek Railroad Culvert System Project is
scheduled to start in early 2014 and be complete by the fall of 2015.
o Construction of the final phase(s) of the project will begin in the 2014 and be
completed by the fall of 2016.
Water & Resource Recovery Center Upgrade: At the very outset of the project sustainability
has been in the forefront of the process, from the selection of the design professionals to the
selection of the anaerobic digestion process for bio- solids management. In addition to these the
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following items have a significant sustainability component:
1. The use of low mow and native grasses for landscaping
2. Incorporation of rain gardens for storm -water management
3. Using plant effluent as a heating /cooling source for the Admin /Lab building
4. Pursue Energy Star Rating for the entire plant
5. Combined Heat and Power utilizing digester gas
6. Elimination of the use of Chlorine gas for disinfection
7. Reuse of existing structures for new purposes
8. Researching utilizing available digester space for high strength organics and food residuals
for addition energy production.
9. 99.8% Construction materials diversion rate from the landfill
The W &RRC construction project has caught up with the damage caused by the July 11, 2011
wind storm and the July 27/28, 2011 major rain event. Digesters #1 and #3 tall walls are
completed and work progresses on the short walls for all digesters and concrete work on all
aspects of the digester complex. Clarifier #1 (an existing clarifier) is 80% complete and should
be able to be returned to service within two months. The start up of clarifier #1 will allow the
contractor to move on to the reconstruction of #2. The base work for the additional primary
clarifier is ongoing with a pour scheduled for the week of September 26, 2011. After the base is
completed the walls of the clarifier will be constructed at which point the mechanisms will be
installed.
The City of Dubuque Builders Risk provider has agreed that the complete replacement of all of
the flooded modules in the UV Disinfection System is warranted. These modules have been
ordered and will be installed upon arrival in approximately six to eight weeks. The UV system is
however functioning as required to provide disinfection for the plant effluent.
Work continues on all aspects of the project and plant staff and contractor personnel are
beginning the preparation for operations and construction to continue as the winter approaches.
Negotiations took place with the W &RRC neighbor Inland Protein for the use of part of their
property to facilitate construction of the digester covers. The availability of this land provide for
much needed storage space and an area any from construction traffic for the assembly of the
covers. The City had estimated a project delay of approximately three to four months beyond
the final completion date given of October 1, 2013. The City has since granted a 120 working
day extension to the two major milestones of digester startup and sludge processing startup.
The City and its general contractor are working out details of a revised project completion
schedule required by the weather related delays. Factoring in the delays, the City will still meet
the startup deadline (April 26, 2014) as prescribed in the Consent Decree barring any further
major uncontrollable delays.
Through July 2, 2013, the project is in its 26th month of construction and work has been started
on all aspects of the project. At this point, City staff estimates the project is close to 95%
complete with an expenditure of approximately $50,000,000 to date. The ultraviolet disinfection
system was started in March 2011 and continues to be operational. Work continues on the
digesters and sludge processing complex. The construction of the fourth primary clarifier
concrete work is completed with the mechanisms installed and the clarifier online. The
digesters were put online the third week of August and were in full production by the end of
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October 2012. Digester #1 is up to the full Thermophilic temperature of 131 degrees F and #2
digester went thermophilic the week of December 17th. The Sludge Processing portion of the
plant is being completely renovated to meet the needs of the new process. The sludge handling
section was operational by February 2013. Work has begun on the renovation of the final
clarifiers, one clarifier at a time is taken down for construction leaving three online at all times.
The reconstruction of primary clarifier number 1 is complete and started up with #2 ready for
drive installation. When #2 is started we will move #3 and then #4. When this clarifier is on -line,
work will begin on the reconstruction of the remaining clarifiers. A minimum of three clarifiers
will remain in service during construction. In addition to the digester structures, work has been
completed on pumps and piping associated with the digester operation along with the
installation of the many pumps and motors required for the process. A bio- solids handling
contract was negotiated and signed with Nutri -Ject Systems of Hudson, Iowa on the March 19,
2012 council agenda. The anaerobic digesters are producing a Class I product which is the
best classification. Bio- Solids were successfully applied to land this spring. The project was
substantially complete as of September 3, 2013. The Ribbon Cutting for the W &RRC was held
October 3, 2013.
The laboratory addition of the Administration /Laboratory Building is now complete and has been
put into service as of June 13th, 2012. The former lab and the remaining portion of the
Administration building was gutted and remodeled to provide for a conference /training area,
men's and women's lockers, parts storage, SCADA room and Administration offices. The
Administration /Laboratory Building will be a highly energy efficient building using plant effluent
to meet heating and cooling needs. The entire structure is highly insulated and will use a
minimum of energy for lighting, heating and cooling.
Construction has begun to install the microturbines and associated equipment to more fully
utilize the biogas being generated by the anaerobic digestion process. The completion date for
the microturbine installation is February 2014. At that point the W &RRC should be able to
generate about two thirds of the W &RCC electrical needs.
The W &RRC was substantially completed on September 3, 2013 and the ribbon cutting event
was held on October 3, 2013. Work on the micro - turbine project continues and the contractor
estimates he will be able to start the turbines before the end of the 2013. We are still looking at
February 2014 as final completion of the project.
Please refer to the Water & Resource Recovery Center for detailed information on the
Sustainable ROI of this project.
Inflow and Infiltration Reduction Program:
The City of Dubuque is conducting an Inflow and Infiltration (I &I) Reduction Program to
significantly reduce storm water inflow and groundwater infiltration into Dubuque's sanitary
sewer collector system. Excessive I &I can cause sanitary sewer back -ups into basements,
overflows into creeks and wetlands, and increased operating costs to process the water at the
Dubuque Water Pollution Control Plant.
Five neighborhoods have been identified as sources of high sanitary sewer flows during rainfall
events, which indicates excessive I &I. To address this issue, the City will conduct private
property inspections, smoke testing, and dye testing, and televise sanitary sewer pipes to
determine the major defects in the five areas with excessive I &I between 2011 and 2016.
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➢ The City has notified 4,489 property owners that their neighborhood has been identified
as a source of high sanitary sewer flows during rainfall events, which indicates excessive
I &I. The property owners were asked to schedule an appointment for City inspectors to
enter the yard and basement of each home to observe and record the property's
drainage facilities.
➢ Of the 3,420 properties, City staff has inspected 3,577. This is a response rate of
approximately 80 %. Approximately 5% of the inspected properties have improper
connections to the sanitary sewer system (failed inspection).
➢ Engineering staff continues to work with property owners to correct improper connections
to the sanitary sewer identified by smoke testing or private property inspections.
➢ The Engineering Department found approximately 500 improper connections during I &I
inspections during the mid- to late- 1990's. Current Engineering staff is revisiting these
properties to conduct "historic inspections." Staff has found that approximately 17% of
the historic inspections continue to have improper connections (compared to 5% as
stated above).
➢ The Engineering Department conducted smoke testing of Sewershed 7 and 5 during July
and August 2012. Smoke testing has been conducted within nearly 70 miles of the City's
sanitary sewer collection system since the beginning of 2011. This has identified over 450
defects beyond those identified in the private property inspections.
➢ Engineering staff has inspected all brick manholes in Sewersheds 5, 7 and 12 during
2012. These inspections will provide information to determine which manholes are in
need of repair or replacement in the coming years.
Catfish Creek Watershed Management Authority
In December 2012, the City accepted phase II grant dollars to complete a watershed
management plan for Catfish Creek. Catfish Creek Watershed was one of 3 watersheds in the
state of Iowa to receive phase II grant dollars. The City and the Board of directors accepted
submit ions from several different consultants, and chose Applied Ecological Services to help
us create a functional watershed plan. Focusing around ecological practices, including invasive
species removal, the addition of native plants and trees, and retroffiting existing practices; the
plan will tie in with the City's MS4 permit and other sustainable programs. The watershed
management plan is scheduled for completion in December of 2014.
Rain Garden Program: The City of Dubuque continually offers a cost share program for the
construction of rain gardens for citizens. The City will pay for up to $1000 -1200 of materials
provided that an equal or greater amount be spent on equipment rental / labor by the citizen.
Streambank Stabilization Program: The City of Dubuque continually offers a cost share
program for the stabilization of ditches and creek on private property (residential only). The City
will pay for up to $1000 -1200 of materials provided that an equal or greater amount be spent on
equipment rental / labor by the citizen.
Public Works Department:
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• Household Hazardous Materials Regional Collection Center (HHMRCC) The Public
Works Department provides administrative and operating staff support to the Dubuque
Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency (DMASWA or "Agency "). An Agency program dating
back to the mid- 1990's is its Household Hazardous Materials Regional Collection Center
(HHMRCC). Initially a once -per -year special event staged at the Dubuque County
fairgrounds, the program is focused on keeping hazardous materials out of the DMASWA
Landfill. Based on the premise that landfills are not perfect and that they all eventually leak,
the intent of the program is to reduce hazardous chemicals in that leachate. By 1998, the
Agency funded and established a permanent collection and storage facility at its Landfill.
Citizens are encouraged to take their paint, solvents, automotive chemicals, cleaning fluids,
etc. to the Agency's RCC for reuse or incineration at no cost to them. A small fee is charged
small businesses and governmental entities to cover the cost of the service provider. The
HHMRCC Program also provides staff and equipment support for special, one day collection
events at locations throughout the Agency's two - county service area. The measureable
outcomes include pounds /tons of hazardous materials collected and managed annually.
• E -Scrap Recycling Program. Established in 2006, the Agency's E -Scrap Recycling
Program initially educated and encouraged its customers to recycle, versus landfill, their old
television sets, VCRs, cell phones, computers, and other electronic entertainment and
communication devices. While such household items are allowed to be landfilled by federal
and Iowa regulations, the Agency provided a recycling alternative for a fee. The fee, while
more than what was charged for landfilling, is needed to cover the cost charged by the
Agency's R2- certified recycling service provider. Given the declining quantity and weight of
the e-scrap brought to the Agency for recycling in recent years, and the generally -
acknowledged toxicity of some e-scrap components, the Agency adopted an e-scrap landfill
ban, which went into effect on July 1, 2011. As a result, the DMASWA no longer buries
electronics in its landfill. The most significant measurable outcomes for this program are the
number and/or weight of e-scrap items recycled.
• Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) Bulb Recycling Program - Begun in 2009 due to the
national concern regarding the mercury contained in CFLs and the increasing number of old
CFLs being sent to landfills for disposal, the DMASWA established a free drop -off program
for Dubuque and Delaware county residents. Through the Agency's website, its biannual
Recycling and Reuse Guide, its advertisements, and presentations by its Education and
Communication Coordinator, the Agency makes its customers aware of the twenty -one (21)
locations throughout Dubuque and Delaware counties where the CFLs can be dropped off
for recycling. The most significant measurable outcome is the number of pounds of CFLs
diverted and recycled by this program annually. The primary community impact in future
years is cleaner leachate and groundwater at the DMASWA Landfill.
• The DMASWA is partnering with the University of Dubuque Environmental Science
Department to monitor surface water quality within the Agency's Landfill facility. Through an
Iowa Department of Natural Resources Environmental Management System grant, funding
was received to purchase water monitoring equipment that provides ongoing information to
monitor surface waters. U.D. students are gaining valuable real life experience while
assisting the DMASWA with monitoring efforts.
Leisure Services Department:
• Rain gardens have been constructed in Flora park and Eagle Point park to reduce and clean
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water runoff to the city storm water system
• New city hanging baskets in the Historic Millwork District and on the Bee Branch trail contain
a water reservoir for rain collection and better management of water use
Information Services:
• The Information Services computer room air conditioning unit at the City Hall annex was out
of capacity. A new air conditioning unit was installed at the beginning of February 2013.
After the new unit was installed, the water usage went from over 4,000 gallons per day to
110 gallons per day.
Daily Usage for 110377572 (Gallons)
6.000-..... u•... •■.0 ................11i......._
5,000 -
4,000 -
3.000 -
2,000 -
1.000 -
0
!!!!"!!!!!!!!!!!!!L
2013
Sustainable Dubuque Watershed Network: The University of Iowa College of Engineering
and Environmental Science, in collaboration with the City, will provide funding and support for
the Sustainable Dubuque Watershed Network. The research would be intended to coordinate
with existing University watershed research, but take it a step further by incorporating advanced
measuring devices and analysis into an urban watershed, the North Fork — Catfish Creek. It is
intended that the outcome help inform and analyze future infrastructure design and renovation
and low- impact development options for the community and its stakeholders. Specific research
will be sought for analysis of infrastructure design and renovation and low- impact development
options for stakeholders such as rain gardens, bioswales, bioretention areas, green roofs and
other policy options within a watershed. Handling watershed issues before they become Water
and Resource Recovery Center issues will be an economic and environmental benefit to the
community.
Business:
Non - Profit:
Schools:
People & Neighborhoods:
HEALTHY AIR
Government:
Clean Air Attainment Strategy /Air Quality Task Force (High Priority): In November 2009,
the DMATS Board facilitated a meeting with the Iowa DNR to discuss air quality data in
Dubuque and the surrounding area. From this meeting, city and ECIA staff recommended
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forming a public /private partnership to study the data and work on improving air quality. Greater
Dubuque Development Corporation was approached and agreed to facilitate an Air Quality
Task Force, which would consist of local government and business representatives. Greater
Dubuque Development engaged businesses who had a stake in local air quality. After several
meetings, the Task Force agreed that further analysis of the current data showed prevailing
winds from south and peaks and valleys of particulates throughout the year, it is still not
conclusive as to the cause(s) of non - attainment.
Greater Dubuque Development commissioned and financed a study through the University of
Northern Iowa. The detailed information, although proprietary and confidential, was shared and
discussed with key officials from both the public and private sectors. Greater Dubuque
Development, along with staff support from ECIA, also initiated a series of proactive
meetings /discussions with the Iowa DNR. During the past 2 years, through ECIA and City of
Dubuque staff, possible policy /rule changes have been actively monitored.
Most recently (March 18, 2013) the teams from ECIA, City of Dubuque, and Greater Dubuque
Development initiated a conference call with industry regulators to begin formulating a forward -
thinking, proactive plan to position Dubuque with superior livability, quality of life, and air quality.
The discussion centered on the EPA's newly announced PM Advance program. The program
is designed to encourage areas that are in attainment to be proactive with implementing
voluntary emission reduction and air quality improvement strategies. Greater Dubuque
Development Corporation is meeting with local business and industry to assess interest in
EPA's PM Advance Program.
Transit Fleet Replacement: In 2010 two large federal grants were awarded to The Jule
(formerly known as Keyline Transit): State of Good Repairs at $2.3 million dollars and Clean
Fuels at $1.5 million dollars. These two grants, coupled with vehicle replacement money from
the State, allowed for the replacement of the entire transit fleet (both fixed route and mini bus).
All new buses are equipped with Clean Diesel engines, a proven technology that allows for
increased fuel efficiency and lower engine emissions, and were placed into service by August
31, 2011. The State of Good Repairs grant is also allowing for the purchase of ITS equipment
for both fixed route and mini bus service. The ITS equipment purchased with the grant will help
increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the transit service and includes, but is not limited to:
a CAD /Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) system along with web -based software will allow
passengers to see when the next bus will arrive to a particular bus stop; LED display boards
that will be placed a key transfer points to display pending arrival time(s) of the next bus, as well
as (e.g.) public service announcements; an Automatic Voice Announcement (AVA) system that
will announce the approach of (e.g.) major intersections and points of interest for passengers
that have a visual impairment (or who are otherwise not familiar with the area); an electronic
fare collection system that will broaden the choice and type of bus passes, as well as allow for
better ridership data collection; Mobile Data Terminals (MDT) that will allow for real -time
dispatching in mini bus service; new scheduling software for mini bus service to work in
conjunction with the MDTs; camera (security) systems on both fixed route and mini bus; etc. A
contract for the purchase, installation and deployment of the ITS equipment and systems went
City Council for approval at the June 18, 2012, meeting, with an amended contract start date of
August 6, 2012. The start of the ITS project began mid November 2012, with the installation of
the Mobile Data Terminals (MDT) into the Light Duty buses used for Mini -bus service, and
connection of the MDTs to the RouteMatch scheduling software, which is the software system
used to schedule passengers and generate reports of the provision of mini -bus services. Work
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on the fixed route service began December 17, 2012, installation of equipment on the buses
began late March 2013, and a project completion date is set for on /around November 2013.
Public Works Department:
• Landfill Methane Collection System Project - The Public Works Department provides
administrative and operating staff support to the Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste
Agency (DMASWA or "Agency "). One of the Agency's recent initiatives relevant to the
Healthy Air principle is its Landfill Methane Collection System Project. Initiated in FY10 and
completed in FY11, the first phase of the methane collection system was installed in the
Agency's oldest "closed" landfill cells ( #1 and #2). The methane collection system's second
phase was installed in the summer of 2013 in Cells #3 - #6. Since the project's initial phase
completion in September of 2010, the methane has been measured for quality and quantity
as it is flared off. By flaring the methane, the Agency is significantly reducing a very potent
greenhouse gas previously emitted by its landfill facility. The Agency's Board of Directors is
currently considering a proposal from a regional electrical power producer for its methane
and is negotiating with the utility through an industry expert to evaluate the proposed project.
The Directors have indicated that they anticipate making a decision regarding the proposal
in FY14. Anticipated future measurable outcomes include amount of usable methane
produced annually and revenue garnered and/or costs avoided.
• Clean Diesel & Biofuels Technology - The Public Works Department is spearheading the
City's conversion of its diesel- engine truck and heavy equipment fleet to the use of "clean
diesel" technology. As of December 30, 2013, thirty -three (33) heavy trucks and eighteen
(18) heavy equipment machines have been replaced with units equipped with clean diesel
engines. Clean diesel engines produce fewer airborne particulates and harmful emissions.
The most measurable outcome for this conversion program is the number of "dirty diesel"
versus "clean diesel" units in the department's fleet at any given time.
The Public Works Department has also spearheaded the City's use of biofuels in its many
trucks and heavy equipment. Its diesel- engine trucks and heavy equipment use 20%
biodiesel during warm weather months and 5% biodiesel during the coldest months. The
department's light vehicles use 85% ethanol in their gasoline engines year- round. The most
likely measurable outcome is total departmental fuel usage by type annually.
• Climate Disruption, Mitigation and Adaptation - The Resource Management program
has provided staff support and intern supervision as part of the city's commitment to the
ICLEI Climate Change 5 Milestone Process related to assessment, draft targets and
potential action steps in government operations community practices for GHG reduction.
The RMC has also acted as the liaison with the community group drafting the "Dubuque
Community GHG "50 by 2030" Initiative ".
Business:
Non - Profit:
Schools:
People & Neighborhoods:
NATIVE PLANTS & ANIMALS
Government:
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Planning Services Department:
• Sustainable Development Tools: The City's 2009 Unified Development Code (UDC)
requires that new major subdivisions achieve a minimum score of 40 points by utilizing
approved sustainable subdivision development tools. Subdivision and site development
regulations were extensively revised to promote sustainable design and low- impact
development (LID) measures. These tools include Conservation Subdivision design, in
which development is clustered to optimize open space, preserve natural features, protect
environmentally sensitive areas, and minimize infrastructure demands. The UDC has a
residential density bonus for conservation subdivisions. These tools also include the
provision that native and regionally appropriate trees and vegetation are preserved or
planted, which limits turf grass, limits water demand, improves infiltration or filtration, and
enhances the natural environment. Such vegetation is to be phased so denuded areas are
quickly vegetated. Turf grass should not exceed 30% of the landscaped area.
As noted above, new major residential subdivisions currently must score a minimum of 40
points by utilizing sustainable subdivision tools approved by the City Council. A major
subdivision involves public improvements (street, water, sanitary sewer, etc.) In March 2011,
the City Council adopted a standard for sustainable development incentives for residential
subdivisions. The City Council established an 80 -point standard be used for a new
residential subdivision to qualify for sustainable development incentives from the City of
Dubuque.
• Mines of Spain /E.B. Lyons: The 1,387 -acre Mines of Spain State Recreation Area near
Dubuque has served as a focal point for environmental and cultural educational programs
and interpretive activities for the tri -state area of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin for many
years. Burgeoning interest in the rich history of the tri -state area and growing awareness of
the significance of the Mississippi River and its watershed created greater demands for
exhibits and educational programming. Demand for more programs and services increased
over time. Continued success and growth in visitation, interpretation and education were
inhibited by space limitations.
More space was needed at the E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center at the State Recreation Area.
In response, the Friends of the Mines of Spain (FOMOS) planned and coordinated an
expansion that updated and more than doubled the original space for educational purposes.
The FOMOS raised private, local, state and federal funds for the expansion and education
project. They raised $1,575,569 -- $98,575 over the cost estimate of $1,476,994 for the
expansion. Construction began in September 2009, and was completed a year later.
The Friends also raised an additional $325,000 for enhanced exhibits and educational
programming. Thanks to excellence in interpretive support by the FOMOS, the Interpretive
Center now welcomes visitors to one of the region's best - conserved natural and cultural
resources, where people can explore the history and natural riches of the park. The updated
exhibits at the Interpretive Center invite visitors to discover the history, geology, and ecology
of the park and region, and prepare the visitor for forays onto the many trails and interpretive
sites throughout the Mines of Spain. The Interpretive Center has displays on the park's
historic farm site, archeology, prairies, woodlands, wetlands, lead mining, Native Americans,
and wildlife of the park on both the upper and lower levels.
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• Land Acquisition for Mines of Spain: The City of Dubuque, in conjunction with the Friends
of the Mines of Spain, has been working with the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF)
on the acquisition of the Bottoms Farm, 9097 Bellevue Heights Road, Dubuque, Iowa to
expand the land area of the Mines of Spain State Recreation Area and the E.B. Lyons
Interpretive Center. The 52.19 acre property abuts the Mines of Spain on the north, and the
30 -acre Interpretive Center site on the east. The INHF acquired the land at auction in
August 2011. The City of Dubuque has a purchase agreement with the INHF for the
property. Cost estimates are being finalized for removal of the farmstead, barns and other
structures, and capping the well on site. There will be a future amendment to the original
agreement to add these costs and some carrying costs.
The Iowa DNR's Natural Resources Commission approved the City of Dubuque's 2011
Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) Grant of $200,000 toward the acquisition of
the Bottoms Farm in October 2011. The City Council approved the REAP grant agreement
with the IDNR in November 2011. The City will apply for additional grants to cover the
acquisition costs, plus whatever the FOMOS and IDNR would contribute. A $500,000
National Scenic Byways grant application submitted in December, 2011 for additional land
acquisition was not funded. A $175,000 Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grant
application for acquisition and development submitted in March 2012 was awarded. A
$200,000 REAP grant application for development was approved in October 2012. A
$170,500 State Recreational Trails grant was approved in October 2012.
The acquisition of this land is extremely important to the Mines of Spain and the Interpretive
Center. The land acquisition would allow: the creation of a buffer for the State Park and the
Interpretive Center from encroaching development; protection of the historical,
archeological, cultural, and natural resources we anticipate are on the property; restoration
of native landscape to improve and expand wildlife habitat and storm water management;
and opportunities to expand parking, interpretive signage, and other park amenities that will
improve the visitor experience.
The plan for future management of the project area is to leave the archeological sites
undisturbed, unless the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) authorizes development
for the additional parking. The objectives of reestablishing vegetation on the farm's cropland
are to reduce erosion, create wildlife habitat and reconstruct examples of original native
vegetation. The current management plan for the Mines of Spain has been to replace most
of the current croplands and restore them to native prairie to create a landscape that dates
back to the 1700's.
The IDNR undertook the Mines of Spain master plan process for the 52 -acre Bottoms
property in February and March, 2012 with a multi - disciplinary planning task force of IDNR,
City, INHF, and FOMOS representatives and a public survey. The goal is to develop a plan
for the future management and appropriate development of this additional land, to preserve
its natural and cultural resources, as well as expand and enhance the programs and
recreational offerings of the E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center and the Mines of Spain. The
draft master plan and public survey results were provided to the City Council in March 2012.
The SHPO recommended an archaeological survey of the Bottoms property and an
intensive level survey /evaluation of the farmstead buildings in November 2012 prior to
development activities. The IDNR contracted for a Phase 1 archaeological survey in
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December, 2012. The Office of the State Archeologist (OSA) survey identified one new site,
but it was not eligible for listing in the NRHP. The OSA recommended no additional
archaeological investigation were necessary prior to the proposed construction.
The City contracted with the OSA to conduct a historic evaluation of the farmstead buildings
in March 2013 as requested by the SHPO and NPS. Survey work began in April 2013.
SHPO clearance was received in October 2013. Bids to deconstruct the farmstead
structures were received in November 2013; work is to be completed by April 2014.
On May 6, 2013, the Park and Recreation Commission and the City Council voted in support
of disbursement of $471,000 from the Edwin B. Lyons Trust to match state and federal grant
funding for the acquisition and development of the EB Lyons Interpretive Area Addition. This
disbursement will allow the community driven master plan for the E.B. Lyons Interpretive
Area Addition to become reality. The FOMOS has been successful in raising private funds
as well.
Documentation for purchase of the E.B. Lyons Interpretive Area Addition (Bottoms Property)
was begun in October 2013. Closing completed in December 2013.
Leisure Services Department:
• An expansion project for native plantings in Dubuque Industrial Center West is in the
works for an 18 to 20 acre addition.
• Organic Gardening 101 class 2011
• Fall Landscaping Workshop
• Dirt, Worms and Food 2012
• Frontier Living 2012
Multicultural Family Center: Future Talk program cleared invasive plant species and dead
trees from several acres of land at Mines of Spain, Swiss Valley, and Kaufmann Prairie in order
to sustain native species. Crew members also learn about the environment during the program.
GIS: Assisted Parks Division in GPSing and identifying locations of native plantings near
Bergfeld Recreation Area and new recreational trail, as well as Eagle Point Park.
Library: Hosted seven Nature Days and one Flower Power public event from 2006- present.
Hosted a "Garden" story time in April, 2011 with 20 attendees.
Bee Branch: The City, in partnership with Black Hills Energy and other community partners,
has obtained a Trees Forever grant to plant 1,000 trees in Phase I of the Bee Branch project,
valued at over $6,000. Volunteers from the neighborhood will be engaged in the planting of the
trees.
Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency:
• Worked with Iowa Department of Natural Resources to stock a stormwater retention
pond at the landfill in calendar 2012 with native fish species.
• Partnered with the Dubuque County Conservation Board to establish seven bluebird
houses at the DMASWA Landfill in calendar 2012.
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Business:
Non - Profit:
See Land Acquisition for Mines of Spain above.
Stewards of the Beautiful In partnership with City staff, Dubuque County Soil & Water
Conservation District, Swiss Valley Nature Center, and others, Trees Forever hosted a series of
free classes focused on native plantings in urban and rural environments in summer 2012.
Classes focused on rain gardens and bioswales, plant identification prairies, etc.
Schools:
People & Neighborhoods:
COMMUNITY HEALTH & SAFETY
Community Health & Safety was added as the 12th Sustainable Dubuque principle in August
2013, with a vision statement as follows: "Sustainable Dubuque is a community that values
systems, policies, and engagement to ensure that all residents have access to healthy and safe
lifestyle choices." Look for future updates as the Collaboration and others define partnerships
and priorities to incorporate current work and future opportunities in this area into the holistic
Sustainable Dubuque framework.
The Dubuque County Wellness Coalition has begun a strategic planning process to determine
how they can be a community leader and facilitator around this new principle. Sustainable
Community Coordinator Cori Burbach and Public Health Specialist Mary Rose Corrigan are
facilitating this process and researching potential health and safety indicators.
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Masterpiece on the Mississippi
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: ICMA International Fellowship Exchange Application
DATE: January 15, 2014
Dubuque
band
AI- America City
1
2007 • 2012 • 2013
Assistant City Manager Cindy Steinhauser is recommending that the City of Dubuque
apply for the International City /County Management Association (ICMA) to serve as a
site for the ICMA International Fellowship exchange.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
Mic ael C. Van Milligen
MCVM:sv
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager
THE CITY OF
Dui
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
TO: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
SUBJECT: ICMA International Fellowship Exchange Application
DATE: January 10, 2014
Dubuque
band
AI- America City
11111r
2007 • 2012 • 2013
Introduction
The purpose of this memo is to request approval to submit a proposal to the
International City /County Management Association (ICMA) to participate in the 2014
International Fellowship Exchange.
Discussion
ICMA is seeking proposals from member cities to serve as host communities for 2014
International Legislative Process and Governance Professional Fellows Exchange. The
Fellowship focuses on the themes of legislative processes and governance practices,
accountability, and transparency. The goal of the program, funded by the U.S. State
Department, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is to create a global network of
emerging local government leaders to positively impact legislative processes and
governance practices in their organizations and in their communities, by enriching their
leadership skills and cultural understanding and by providing opportunities for
knowledge exchange and ongoing collaboration. Fellows will learn practical skills
focusing on local governments' role and responsibility in civic engagement, promoting
transparency while also fostering interaction with leaders from the federal, state, and
local organizations.
Dubuque has been fortunate to be selected as a host community and the experience
has resulted in significant international exposure for Dubuque as a result of this
participation. Attached is the proposal to serve as a host city in 2014. Included in the
proposal is information on the in -kind match that cities are required to submit as part of
their proposal.
Recommendation
I recommend approval of the attached proposal to serve as a host community for the ICMA
Fellowship exchange.
ICMA
APPLICATION FOR U.S. HOST COMMUNITIES
PLEASE - 'URN COlvi. " —tD APPLICATION TO:
LAUREN CRAWFORD LCRAWFORD@ ICMA.ORG) AND SHRADDHA KHAREL-PANDEY
(SKHARELPANDEY@ICMA.ORG'
BY JANUARY 10, .2014*
*APPLICANTS WILL BE NOTIFIED OF THEIR SELECTION STATUS NO LATER THAN
JANUARY 31, 2014.
INTRODUCTION TO THE PROGRAM
ICMA, with funding from the U.S. State Department, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is offering a
Legislative Process and Governance Professional Fellows Program (PFP) for 15 fellows each from Timor -Leste and
Indonesia, and 10 fellows from the United States. The Fellowship focuses on the themes of legislative processes
and governance practices, accountability, and transparency. Fellows will learn practical skills focusing on local
governments' role and responsibility in civic engagement, promoting transparency while also fostering interaction
with leaders from the federal, state, and local organizations.
Over the course of the next 18 months, thirty (30) international fellows from Indonesia and Timor- Leste, in two
cohorts will spend three weeks working with a local government in the United States in addition to a week and a
half enrichment and debriefing program in Washington, DC. In return, ten (10) U.S. Fellows will travel for two
weeks to deliver technical assistance and consultation in meaningful fellowships with local governments to help
them engage citizens and civil society organizations in addressing community challenges to adapt quickly to
transition and create more resilient communities.
The program will promote local government partnerships, establish networks and international relationships, and
lead to creativity in identifying locally appropriate solutions for creating more resilient, engaged communities. This
program will also offer an opportunity to connect international local government leaders with city and county
managers and other local government practitioners, nonprofit organizations and state and federal agencies in the
United States.
The questions below are designed to help us better understand your community's level of commitment to the
program and the kind of experience you and your community can provide for an international fellow. As part of
this program your community will be expected to provide a professional fellowship experience for two
international fellows. Additionally, your local government has an opportunity to identify a fellow from your
jurisdiction to engage in a reciprocal experience in one of the two countries.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR FILLING OUT APPLICATION
You can use this Word file to send us your answers or you can use a separate file if you would like, but please make
sure you answer all of the questions as fully as you can. For those questions that may cause some confusion or
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"writers block" we have provided some sample information to help guide your response. Please return the
application by January 10, 2014 to Lauren Crawford at Icrawford@icma.org and Shraddha Kharel- Pandey at
skharelpandey@ICMA.org. For more information about the program, please contact Lauren Crawford at 202 -962-
3532 or Shraddha Kharel- Pandey, 202 - 962 -3516.
LETTERS OF SUPPORT
We encourage you to submit a letter of support from your elected body that shows the commitment of your
organization to hosting two international fellows. Additionally, if you are partnering with nearby counties,
municipalities or other organizations, we encourage you to also provide a letter of support from them when you
submit your application.
TIMING OF THE INTERNATIONAL FELLOWS VISITS
The international fellows will travel to the U.S. on the following dates:
• Cohort 1 International Fellows: May 7, 2014 to June 7, 2014
o Fellows will be in your community from May 10, 2014 -June 1, 2014
• Cohort 2 International Fellows: October 8, 2014 — November 8, 2014
o Fellows will be in your community from October 11, 2014 - November 2, 2014
Additionally, U.S. Fellows (nominated by your community within this application) will travel abroad on the
following dates:
• Cohort 1 U.S. Fellows: August 23, 2014 — September 6, 2014
• Cohort 2 U.S. Fellows: February 28, 2015 —March 14, 2015
Please indicate below which dates are preferable to you. Please keep in mind that the international fellows will
need to visit your community first before a U.S. fellow can travel abroad.
Preference:
*Place an X by your communities
preference; you can select multiple)
Dates:
*Cohort 1 International Fellows will participate with Cohort 1 US Fellows
1't preference
Cohort 1lnternational Fellows: May 10, 2014 -June 1, 2014 and
Cohort 1 U.S. Fellows: August 23, 2014 - September 6, 2014
2"d Preference
Cohort 2lnternational Fellows: October 11, 2014 - November 2, 2014 and
Cohort 2 U.S. Fellows: February 28, 2015 -March 14, 2015
DESCRIBE YOUR CITY /COUNTY
In this section, please provide basic information about your community. This information will help us match the
international fellows with local governments in the United States. Briefly describe the structure of your local
government and community, including form of government, numbers and types of elected officials, number of
local government employees, and local and regional population (200 words or less).
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Dubuque Iowa is located along the Mississippi River in northeastern Iowa. Dubuque's population is
approximately 60,000 and is the County seat which has a County population of approximately 92,724.
Dubuque is Iowa's oldest city, and has a City Council /City Manager form of government. Dubuque leadership
consists of a Mayor and six elected City Council members. The City Manager provides leadership for the 691.52
full -time equivalent employees and is supported by two Assistant City Managers. One works primarily on
assisting citizens with issues and implementing the City Council's top priorities. The other works primarily on
Legislative Affairs and Strategic Partnerships.
In 2007 the city created an Assistant City Manager for Legislative Affairs and Strategic Partnerships and in
2008 Dubuque created the first office of Sustainability in Iowa. Since that time, Dubuque has received over
$100 million in funding for projects. In 2012 we also became the first city in Iowa to hire a Community
Engagement Coordinator and also has a Volunteer Coordinator position to facilitate citizen involvement.
Dubuque has over 128 citizens voluntarily serve on our boards and commissions. The City of Dubuque has an
annual budget of $227,874,197. Dubuque is home to seven institutions of higher learning and 18,000 students
within a 30 -mile radius of our community. Dubuque success has warranted national and international
recognition including:
• 2007, 2012 and 2013 All- America City
• International Awards for Livable Communities: Gold Community and Third Place Honors 2010
• Named one of the "Top 25 Innovations in Government" by Harvard Kennedy School
• Ranked #60 out of 741 metropolitan commuting areas for upward mobility for children born in
poverty
DESCRIBE YOUR VISION FOR AN INTERNATIONAL FELLOWS FELLOWSHIP
It is expected that the international fellows assigned to your community will work with you and others on your
staff on a project or initiative related to your work to make your community a more engaged and resilient place to
live, work and play. Additionally, we would like the international fellows to be provided with cultural enrichment
experiences including activities such as spending time with a host family at least a portion of the experience,
participating in field trips to local museums or community wide events, and interacting and meeting with
prominent private sector and non - governmental organizations and institutions in your community that are
supporting your citizen engagement efforts. We encourage creativity in your vision for swell- rounded professional
and cultural experience. As mentioned above, we expect that the international fellows will be in your community
for three weeks.
In this section, please describe for us your vision and plan for (1) a fellowship working on citizen engagement
issues and projects with your community and (2) cultural experiences that you propose for the international
fellow. We recommend you also propose efforts to include the media and your elected bodies when possible. (500
words or less)
The city of Dubuque has a strong history of engaging citizens in public policy as well as public and private
initiatives such as our America's River Riverfront plan, Comprehensive Plan, Sustainable Dubuque Initiative to
everyday decision making through one of our over 28 boards or commissions. While in Dubuque our Fellow(s)
will have an opportunity to experience the following:
The Dubuque Citizen Academy—This academy is designed to build social capital and engage residents in
democracy.
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Board &Commission meetings of choice — Dubuque has over 28 Boards and Commissions including Arts &
Culture, Housing, Parks, Zoning, Human Rights, Community Development and others. The Fellows experience
will include participating in one or more of these Commission meetings as well as time spent with city staff who
facilitate these meetings to gain a better understanding of policies and projects that are reviewed by the
Commission prior to going to City Council for consideration. Included in this will be an opportunity to spend
some time with our Sister City Commissioners.
The Fellows will also have an opportunity to sit in on the City Leadership Team, Department Manager Team
and attend a City Council meeting. They will also have time to meet with ECIA (a Local Council of
Governments) as well as Dubuque County to learn about other local forms of governance.
Specific projects that we will have the Fellows participate in include learning about our Inclusive Dubuque
Initiative which is focused on creating a more welcoming, inclusive community as our population demographics
change. The Smarter Sustainable Dubuque partnership with IBM. This partnership brings together the use of
real -time data and community outreach to help citizens save money and resources; and learn about our
community engagement efforts involving various city departments and projects. Other enrichment experiences
that we would propose include attending a Distinctly Dubuque class and learning about our Dubuque
Concierge program.
In addition to working on this or related engagement projects with the city, we propose to have the Fellow(s)
shadow local governance and engagement programs with several of our partners. These include a meeting
with the first female President of the Iowa Senate, Pam Jochum, who resides in Dubuque, have the opportunity
to travel to our State Capital (Des Moines, Iowa) and meet with State Representatives, Senators and the
Governor of Iowa to learn about governance in Iowa and its impact on local municipalities. The Fellow(s) will
meet with key state staff such as the Director of the Economic Development Department, Department of
Cultural Affairs, Department of Transportation as well as a visit to the Governor's office.
As part of the Fellow(s) experience in our community we will provide opportunities for them to stay at a host
family for a portion of their time in Dubuque. During this time the Fellow(s) will learn about family life in our
community. They will also enjoy a community tour, a site visit to Eagle Point Park, EB Lyons Nature Preserve,
the Port of Dubuque and a boat ride on the Mississippi River (weather prevailing.) Additionally, tours can be
set up based upon preference to any of our leading manufacturers such as John Deere or AY McDonald.
Depending on the time of year, the Fellow(s) will also be able to enjoy one of our many music festivals or art
events.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
We need to know a few things about how you will manage this project. Please identify the Staff member who will
be the project manager for this effort. Briefly describe their qualifications. Additionally, please tell us about the
availability of other staff to support this effort, including the City /County Manager. (150 words or less)
The international fellows that will work with our community will be directly supervised by Assistant City Manager
Cindy Steinhauser with support from Teri Goodmann our Assistant City Manager for Legislative Affairs and
Strategic Partnerships. During their fellowship, they will have access to the full range of support services as other
employees, including human resources and information technology. We are proposing daily meetings and briefings
with the City Manager or key city staff as well as elected officials and our key partner organizations so that the
Fellow(s) gains as full an understanding as possible about the city's operations and staffing.
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Please describe the availability of office space and IT for fellows. You should expect two fellows for at least two
weeks. (100 words or less)
The international fellows will each be provided a desk in a shared office with one of our local government executive
leaders. Each fellow will be provided with a lap top computer with the normal array of desk top applications. Each
computer will have Internet access and wireless capabilities. A cell phone for local use will also be provided.
LONG TERM ENGAGEMENT
One of the purposes of ICMA's new fellowship program is to create opportunities for long term engagement on the
topic of creating more engaged communities between local governments in the United States and overseas. With
this fellowship program, ICMA is committed to creating engagement opportunities through our International
programming, the Knowledge Network and more. How do you propose staying engaged with the international
fellows that come to your community as well as with the international community that someone from your staff
will work with? (200 words)
The City has hosted Fellows from China, Australia and New Zealand and looks forward to expand our partnership to
other countries. This program offers Dubuque the opportunity to expand our current efforts to share best practices
around resiliency and community engagement throughout the United States to an international platform. The city
of Dubuque has a long history of collaboration beginning with site visits from other U.S. cities to look at our models
around community revitalization, community engagement, sustainability and economic development; to our
annual Growing Sustainable Communities Regional conference, to our Sister City Program as well as through
active membership in national and international organizations such as ICMA, ICLEI, International Livable
Communities and other national organizations including the U.S. Conference of Mayors and Climate Communities.
Our commitment is to continue to stay engaged with the fellows that came to our community as well as those
colleagues that our U.S. fellows worked with abroad. We continue to maintain an active relationship with our
sustainability Fellows from Australia, New Zealand and China. We continue to exchange ideas with our most recent
Fellow from New Zealand around ideas shared while in Dubuque and are coordinating afollow -up meeting with
various parties via skype. City staff correspond with Fellows from China around renewal energy concepts including
solar and in 2014 our Chamber of Commerce is including site visits to our sister city in China as part of their travel
offering to China. Our Fellow from Australia, Greg Bruce, has returned on two separate occasions first, to present
at our Sustainability Conference and second to bring Townsville Mayor Hill for two days to meet Dubuque Mayor
Buol to discuss how to sustain our partnership. Dubuque City Manager also met with the Townsville City Manager
and ICMA Fellow Greg Bruce at the 2012 ICMA conference for dinner and conversation. Lastly, our Australian
Sustainability Fellows have maintained their relationship with our local partners and are helping to facilitate dialog
between Dubuque partners and local non - profits in Australia.
COST SHARE
As part of this project, each U.S. host community is being asked to provide in -kind and other types of cost share in
support of this program. Cost share can include in -kind labor hours by your local government staff to plan,
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manage, and implement this program. It is anticipated that a range of administrative, human resources, IT and
public relations staff, department heads and staff, as well as appointed and elected leaders will be engaged in this
project. In addition to labor hours, you can also capture cost share expenses through direct expenses such as office
space and computer usage; transportation expenses, and other costs associated with this project. Other
possibilities include the donation of housing and meals provided for a fellow over a number of days by a family in
your community. ICMA will need you and your community to identify at least $6,000 in eligible cost share in order
to participate in this program.
In this section, please briefly describe your plan for capturing cost share. ICMA will provide you with all the
necessary templates to track hours and any expenditure that your local government may commit in support of this
project.
In support of this program we will contribute the following in kind labor
• City Manager will contribute 20 hours in planning, implementing, managing and participating in long term
planning for a total value of $1,960
• An assistant city manager will contribute 80 hours in planning, implementing, managing and participating
in long term planning for a total value of $5,711
• An assistant city manager will contribute 20 hours in planning, implementing, managing and participating
in long term planning for a total value of $1,428
• The community engagement coordinator will contribute 10 hours in planning, implementing, managing
and participating in long term planning for a total value of $242
• The Public Information Officer will contribute 10 hours to help plan and implement the following program
including supporting the program's communication and PR needs as well as support interactions with the
local community for a total value of $392
• An information technology specialist will contribute 10 hours in support of this program by providing IT
services in advance of the program and during the interns experience in our community for a total value of
$300.
• An executive assistant will provide a variety of services in direct support of this program including
overseeing the intern's schedules, troubleshooting needs, coordinating planning with local stakeholders,
setting up meetings with city council members and more. The assistant will contribute 40 hours for a total
value of $1054.
• Various department heads, key partners and staff will support this program. We estimate 100 hours for a
total value of $3,600 will be directly contributed to this program
Total In -Kind Labor Contribution: $14,687
In support of this project, our community will directly support the program by with the following donated items:
• Provide housing and meals for three days to offset per diem expenses for the international fellow. Per
diem rates in our community at $132 /day for total value of $396
• Two lap top computers and Internet for a total value of $200
• Public transportation voucher provided to each intern to enable them to get to and from work for a total
value of $70
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• Admission to National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium $50
• Admission to fitness center $50
• Local Cell phone $25
Total Donated Contributions: $791
Total Estimated Cost Share: $15,478
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Goodmann, Therese Marie
Female
USA
San Antonio
USA
ICMA
This section is to be filled out by the individual your community is nominating to go abroad for the exchange.
This is to be turned in with the host community application.
ABOUT THE PERSON FROM YOUR STAFF YOU ARE NOMINATING TO TRAVEL ABROAD
As part of this exchange program, at least one person from your local government will be given the opportunity to
participate in a reciprocal fellowship experience in one of the two countries (Timor -Leste and Indonesia). Our goal
is to provide mid -level to senior ICMA members in active service an opportunity to provide technical assistance to
an international community who may be responding to the challenges of creating more engaged, resilient
communities. We also want to provide an opportunity for a fellow to live and work in an international community
and to learn more about local government practice and management abroad. The U.S. fellow will bean
ambassador not only for your community but also for the United States of America. Please note that the U.S.
fellow will be sharing a room abroad with another U.S. Fellow. This means that the person you nominate will need
to be flexible and will be comfortable with sharing a room with someone of the same gender or if different
genders, ICMA will provide two separate rooms. Special Note: Not all nominated staff will be able to travel
abroad. There will be 4 U.S. Fellows (out of 7 host communities) selected in the first Cohort exchange. There will
be 6 U.S. Fellows (out of 8 host communities) selected in the 2nd Cohort exchange. A host community being
selected does not guarantee that a U.S. Fellow will also be selected.
Please have your nominated fellow fill out the below information.
I. Personal Data
Name:
Gender:
Citizenship:
City of Birth:
Passport Number:
Current Employer:
Job Title:
Business Address:
Business Phone:
City of Dubuque, Iowa
Country of Birth:
Expiration Date:
Must be valid 6
months past the last
day of travel on the
program
Assistant City Manager
50 West 13th Street
563- 589 -4110
Business Fax: 563- 589 -4149
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563- 564 -9126
Business Email:
Home Address:
Home Phone:
Personal E -mail:
At which address would
you prefer we contact
you?
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tgoodman @cityofdubuque.org
XXXX Tomahawk Drive, Dubuque Iowa 52001
[Type phone #here]
Teri53 @aol.com
Mobile:
[Type personal or business]
II. Employment Experience
Date To:
present
Date From:
2/2007
Organization: City of Dubuque
Assistant City Manager for Intergovernmental Relations. Her focus is on Legislative Issues and
Position and Duties: Strategic Partnerships.
Date To:
Organization:
Position and Duties:
Date To:
Organization:
Position and Duties:
Date From: 4/1994
National Mississippi River Museum &Aquarium
Marketing &Development Director
[Type MM /YYYY]
[Type organization name here]
Date From: [Type MM /YYYY ]
[Type position and duties here]
III. Higher Education
Date To: 5/1976
Date From:
Institution &Location: Clarke University, Dubuque, Iowa 52001
5/1972
Degree Earned: BA in History, French &Spanish Minor
Date To:
Institution &Location:
Degree Earned:
5/1975
Date From: 8/1974
Institute for America Universities @University of Aix - Marseilles
Study abroad
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SPATES
[Type MM /YYYY ]
Date From: [Type MM /YYYY ]
Date To:
Institution &Location:
Degree Earned:
Date To:
Institution:
Degree Earned:
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[Type MM /YYYY]
[Type institution name here]
[Type degree earned here]
[Type MM /YYYY]
[Type institution name here]
Date From:
[Type degree earned here]
IV. International Experience
Have you been to Indonesia or Timor -Leste before?
111 Yes X No
If yes, please indicated how many times and
where:
Briefly describe any overseas work or travel:
n/a
have traveled internationally for leisure. I have been to over 12 countries on
three continents including Europe, South America &Asia (New Zealand)
V. Lan!ua!e Skills
What languages do you
speak other than English:
French and some Spanish
VI. Brief Bio!ra h
Please write a short
biographic paragraph that
would be used on the
program website to tell
others about you if you
should be chosen for the
program Please keep your
response to 250 words or
less. This paragraph should
include a short summary of
your professional work,
educational background,
and personal interests. It
should tell people about
who you are and what is
important to know about
you:
Teri Goodmann was appointed Assistant City Manager for Intergovernmental Relations in
February 2007. Her focus in this position is intergovernmental relations, nurturing partnerships,
and governmental and foundation grant funding. She is the City's legislative liaison and works with
city, county, state and federal elected and appointed government officials in order to maintain
effective working relationships and alliances. In addition to working at the City of Dubuque, Teri
leads the National Mississippi River Museum &Aquarium's national development efforts,
including the management of government relations and strategic partnerships, as the Director of
National Advancement for the NMRMA and National Rivers Hall of Fame. Prior to her work for the
City and the museum and aquarium, Teri served as Development Director for the Dubuque County
Historical Society /National Mississippi River Museum &Aquarium (NMRMA) and the National
Rivers Hall of Fame for 11 years. In this capacity, she was the lead campaign coordinator for the
nationally recognized and highly successful America's River project, the $188 million phase one
riverfront redevelopment initiative in Dubuque, Iowa. Prior to her employment with the Historical
Society and Hall of Fame, she worked for sixteen years as a political campaign manager and
consultant. In addition, she taught elementary French and Spanish to elementary students at area
schools. Teri is past chair of the Dubuque Regional Airport Commission. She is a member of the
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Hillcrest Family Services Board of Directors, the Mines of Spain Board of Directors, the Clarke
College Board of Trustees, and the Dubuque Arboretum and Botanical Gardens Board of Directors.
Teri is also a Trustee for the Nature Conservancy of Iowa and serves on their five states Upper
Mississippi River Board. She is a past board member and now serves on the national advisory
committee of Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana. She is a trustee of the National Waterways
Foundation Board. She is a past member of the Iowa State Historical Society Board of Trustees and
Iowa Infrastructure Advisory Board. She is also a member of the Dubuque County Magistrate
Appointing Commission.
VII. Personal Motivation Statement
A unique feature of the Professional Fellows Program is to provide outstanding professional people opportunities for studying
legislative process and governance in another country.
Please tell us what you hope to gain
professionally by participation in the
program. Please keep your response to 250
words or less:
Please tell us how you will use this
experience to benefit your improve your
community and enhance your long term
career path. Please keep your essay to 500
words or less:
In my capacity as Assistant City Manager for Intergovernmental Relations, I often look for
opportunities to partner with other organizations or business to address challenges or
opportunities for our city. This work requires that we first come together with a shared
understanding of the issues and the outcomes we hope to achieve and requires us to
engage many individuals in the process. It also requires the identification of legislative
issues that may be barriers to achieving our goals. The process to develop shared goals
and remove barriers is one that requires that we engage all the impacted parties. As our
work locally extends globally I am interested in understanding how these issues are
handled in other countries. As part of this fellowship I hope to broaden my experience
and understanding of engagement processes of other cultures that I can use locally as
our community continues to change demographically.
have served as Asst City Manager during a time when Dubuque, our State and our
Country has seen significant change. I have seen how governments successfully (or
unsuccessfully) adapt to change. During this time I have continued to lead with a value of
maintaining a forward looking, leading edge, sustainable and secure approach to
community vitality. My work on special projects, including Watershed Management,
Sustainable and issues that impact local commerce such as taxation, transportation and
workforce I have been gaining insight and understanding into the importance of
developing a more resilient community. Community engagement, legislation and
partnerships are critical to this process. I would like to gain an international perspective
of how high performing communities balance these issues. I am looking forward to the
opportunity of sharing my perspectives and learning how other successful communities
adapt.
VIII. Validatin! A lication
I understand that by applying to the Professional Fellowship Program, I will be expected to be a diplomatic
representative of my country. I commit to fulfilling all requirements of the program.
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Therese Marie Hawks Goodmann 12 -23 -2013
Print Name Date
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