Sister of St. Francis_Request to Donate Peace PoleTHE CITY OF
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TO: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Marie L. Ware, Leisure Services Manager
DATE: May12,2014
SUBJECT: Request from Sisters of St. Francis to Donate Peace Pole to Citizens and Place in Washington Park
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this memorandum is to bring forward a request from the Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Family to the City
Council.
BACKGROUND
The Leisure Services Department received a request from the Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Family to gift the people of
Dubuque with a Peace Pole in commemoration of their 150th anniversary. A Peace Pole is an internationally recognized
symbol of the hopes and dreams of the entire human family, standing in silent vigil for peace on earth. Each Peace Pole
bears the message May Peace Prevail on Earth in different languages on each of its sides. There are tens of thousands of
Peace Poles in nearly every country in the world dedicated as monuments to peace.
The pole would be inscribed with the message "May Peace Prevail on Earth" in eight languages significant to Dubuque's
history. The gift recognizes the peace efforts of both the Sisters of St. Francis and the City of Dubuque and would be
presented to the City at the Sisters' October 5th public celebration.
DISCUSSION
The Sisters propose that the Peace Pole be placed in Washington Park, the oldest platted park in Dubuque. The Sisters feel
this park has a vibrant history of community participation in events of all kinds, plus their order had a presence across the
street for many years with Mary of the Angels Home. This venue would provide a visual reminder of peace and the
importance of diversity to the many people who gather, utilize or pass through this park on a daily basis. The Sisters are
willing to work with the City to find the most suitable site if Washington Park is not acceptable.
RECOMMENDATION
The request was on the May 13,2014 Park and Recreation Commission meeting agenda. Commissioners found
Washington Park acceptable and voted unanimously to recommend acceptance of the Peace Pole to the City Council.
Prepared by:
MLW et
cc:
Steve Fehsal, Park Division Manager
Sisters of St. Francis
Dubuque, Iowa
--
1864-2014
Marie Ware
Leisure Services Manager
2200 Bunker Hill Rd.
Dubuque, IA 52001
Dear Ms. Ware,
March 28, 2014
This year the Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Family will mark the 150th anniversary of
our founding with 150 days of commemoration, celebration and service. While our
congregation started in Hereford, Germany our history with the Dubuque community
dates back to 1878.
As part of our commemoration and gratitude for this important relationship with the
community, we would like to gift the people of Dubuque with a Peace Pole* inscribed
with the simple but profound message: "May Peace Prevail On Earth" in eight languages
significant to our histories. This gift recognizes the peace efforts of both the Sisters of
St. Francis and the City of Dubuque and would be presented to the City at our public
celebration event on October 5, 2014.
Our call is to be instruments of peace wherever we are. Our Franciscan Rule states: "As
they announce peace with their lips, let them be careful to have it even more within
their own hearts." As such, throughout our 150 year history we have initiated or
supported and continue to support various peace efforts, including many of Dubuque's
own projects.
Dubuque has reason to celebrate the work it is doing with several peacemaking
initiatives including:
• Sister Cities in China, Russia, Austria
• Proclamation for the International Day of Peace, annually since 2009
• Safe Community Task Force
• January 2013 - Mayors for Peace designation
• Mayors Against Illegal Guns
• Ongoing efforts to promote diversity and peaceful relations through Intercultural
Competence trainings, partnering with organizations such as faces&voices and
the Multicultural Family Center, as well as participating in Diversity Summits and
the annual Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast, to name a few
We know that peace is essential to the social and cultural vibrancy of a sustainable,
livable and equitable community. A Peace Pole contributes to the sustainability principle
of Community Knowledge as well as the newly named Community Health and Safety
principle, by its simple but profound message of peace and its visual representation of
the diversity of a community through the various languages chosen. After consultation
with the Human Rights office and the Dubuque Community School District, we would
propose the following eight (8) languages be included:
• Meskwaki, French, German, Gaelic, English - representing the first inhabitants
and settlers in our area, including the Sisters of St. Francis
• Spanish and Marshallese - representing more recent immigrants and our
congregation's work with Hispanics here and abroad
• Chinese - representing Dubuque's Sister Cities (German included above) and our
Franciscan congregation's connection to China
We would further propose that this Peace Pole be planted, when weather permits, in
Washington Park, the oldest platted park in Dubuque. There is a vibrant history of
community participation in events of all kinds in Washington Park, from concerts and
Wild West shows to a speech by President McKinley, peace vigils and assemblies and
the annual Nativity scene. In addition, the Sisters of St. Francis had a presence across
the street for many years with Mary of the Angels Home for Working Girls (now The
Angels apartments). This venue would provide a visual reminder of peace and the
importance of diversity to the many people who gather, utilize or pass through this park
on a daily basis.
While we have strong reasons for proposing this placement site, we are more than
willing to work with you to find the most suitable site. A dedication plaque will be
included at the time of planting.
We hope you will accept this gift and join us in celebrating 150 years of blessings.
Peace and All Good,
Sr. Nancy Schreck, OSF
President, Sisters of St. Francis
osf -&-e05-, dsF-
Sr. Michelle Balek, OSF
Co -Chair 150th Ritual Committee
* A Peace Pole is an internationally -recognized symbol of the hopes and dreams of the entire
human family, standing in silent vigil for peace on earth. Each Peace Pole bears the message
May Peace Prevail on Earth in different languages on each of its sides. There are tens of
thousands of Peace Poles in nearly every country in the world dedicated as monuments to
peace. The Peace Pole Project was founded in 1975 in Japan by Masahisa Goi author of this
universal message.
May 12, 2014
Dear Mayor Buol & City Council Members:
In support of the city's goals of sustainability, the Environmental Stewardship Advisory Commission
(ESAC) recommends that in the City's public documentation promoting Tax Increment Financing (TIF)
the city include some mention of sustainability or environmental stewardship options that are included
as potential factors for using this financing tool. The Commission believes that this would be in
keeping with the City's eleven Sustainability principles and would also more actively help promote
them.
An example of a potential change would be to change the second sentence in the Overview section of
the Tax -Increment Financing page from "The downtown core and all industrial parks have been
designated as urban renewal districts." to "The downtown core and all industrial parks have been
designated as urban renewal districts, with particular interest in job increases and sustainable
development." Another example of a change could be to change the last sentence in the TIF program
listing on the Economic Development page from "Businesses must commit to job creation in the
community or must have an extraordinary positive impact for the community to offer this incentive." to
"Businesses must commit to job creation in the community or must have an extraordinary positive
impact, such as an improvement in sustainability and/or housing conditions, for the community to offer
this incentive."
While the City of Dubuque has made excellent use of the TIF in its recent development, ESAC would
also more generally recommend that the TIF guidelines be made more publicly available so that the
City of Dubuque can more effectively advertise to the business public how they can be part of the long-
term growth and sustainability of the City. Many leading local communities do just this, for example,
the City of Chicago has listed on a page on its website
(http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dcd/provdrs/tif.html: last checked 2014-04-08) a list of
different active TIF projects and through this page links to details on the factors that are considered for
TIF financing.
Sincerely,
M ikei 3 ado -vu
Mike Buelow, Chair
Environmental Stewardship Advisory Commission