Quarterly Sustainable Dubuque Report Copyright 2014
City of Dubuque Consent Items # 19.
ITEM TITLE: Quarterly Sustainable Dubuque Report
SUMMARY: City Manager transmitting the July 2015 Sustainable Dubuque Report.
SUGGESTED DISPOSITION: Suggested Disposition: Receive and File
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
❑ Quarterly Sustainable Dubuque Report-MVM Memo City Manager Memo
❑ Staff Memo Staff Memo
❑ Quarterly Report Supporting Documentation
THE CITY OF Dubuque
UBE I
erica .i
Masterpiece on the Mississippi 2007-2012-2013
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: July Sustainable Dubuque Report
DATE: September 2, 2015
Sustainable Community Coordinator Cori Burbach is transmitting the July Sustainable
Dubuque Report.
Micliael C. Van Milligen
MCVM:jh
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager
Cori Burbach, Sustainable Community Coordinator
THE CITY OF Dubuque
DUB3i&'E All-America City
1
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
2007
TO: Michael Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Cori Burbach, Sustainability Coordinator
SUBJECT: July Sustainable Dubuque Report
DATE: September 1, 2015
Attached please find the July Sustainable Dubuque report. No action is needed; this
report is provided for your information.
Thank you.
City of Dubuque
Sustainable Dubuque
Project Status Report - July 2015
REGIONAL ECONOMY............................................................................................................................................24
SMART ENERGY USE...........................................................................................................................................81-5
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT...............................................................................................................................1014
COMMUNITY DESIGN..........................................................................................................................................2025
GREEN BUILDINGS.............................................................................................................................................2434
HEALTHY LOCAL FOOD.....................................................................................................................................2935
COMMUNITY KNOWLEDGE................................................................................................................................3444
REASONABLE MOBILITY...................................................................................................................................4354
CLEANWATER....................................................................................................................................................47&2
HEALTHYAIR.......................................................................................................................................................5358
NATIVE PLANTS& ANIMALS.............................................................................................................................5479
COMMUNITY HEALTH & SAFETY......................................................................................................................567-4
"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
Community Climate Action Plan: The 50% by 2030 GHG Reduction Plan was written
adopted in 2013 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. Green Dubuque, City of Dubuque, and Greater Dubuque Development
Corporation, along with Petal Project support staff, implemented a business outreach initiative
to collect input about existing programs, opportunities, and barriers to their implementation of
sustainable practices.
Comprehensive Plan: Planning staff completed the 2012 revised Comprehensive Plan, which
is aligned with Sustainable Dubuque. Planning staff initiated Phase One of the Community
Engagement Plan, Community Assessment, in February 2014 with City Council approval of the
process. Planning staff conducted research, analysis, and stakeholder meetings as part of the
Community Assessment.FY2016 budget request for the update was rescinded. Project is on
hold pending filling vacant position.
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
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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.
The Collaboration 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.
Smarter Sustainable Dubuque Performance Measures & Management/STAR Leadership
Community: The City has been selected as a STAR Leadership Community and submitted its
application for certification in December 2014. In addition to data collected for STAR, City staff
are utilizing existing and new data sets to transition to a more outcomes-oriented decision
making model. Coordination of the STAR process, Comprehensive Plan update, Equity Profile,
Community Health Needs Assessment, and other community initiatives will continue to move
our organization towards a more transparent process operating based on key performance
indicators (KPIs).
In May 2015, Dubuque was recognized as a 4-STAR Community. Structure around the
following topics is developing as partners address opportunities identified in STAR: Food
Access & Nutrition, Energy Efficiency/Renewable Energy. These two working groups/networks
have formed in addition to several existing community efforts focused on STAR Objectives (e.g.
Every Child Every Promise, 3rd Grade Reading Initiative, Opportunity Dubuque address
Educational Opportunity & Attainment, Inclusive Dubuque & Equity Profile are addressing
various areas, Air Quality Task Force is addressing Outdoor Air Quality). Additional work will
be done to address STAR weaknesses, and the STAR outcomes are one of the starting points
for the development of the City's Socrata performance measurement dashboard.
Sustainable Dubuque Community Grants: Sixty-three community grants were issued. Identified
benefits of the program include the following: 1 . Supporting the development of community
leadership in implementing the Sustainable Dubuque vision. This includes several new
organizations who have received community grants. 2. Building sustainability knowledge and
capacity in the community. For example, Circles received a grant to do a family night, and
worked with sustainability staff to make it a zero-waste event. Since then, they have hosted all
of their events as near zero-waste.
REGIONAL ECONOMY
Government:
Petal Project: The Petal Project is a regional green business certification program designed to
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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 30 businesses participating in the program. Fourteen 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
Services (2012), Unison Solutions (2013), Unified Therapy Services (2013), EIMCo (2013),
Carnegie-Stout Public Library (2014), Physical Therapy Solutions (2014), Straka Johnson
Architects (2014) and East Central Intergovernmental Association (2014).
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. The
Recruitment & Retention Steering Committee has reviewed data on retirement eligibility and
civil service lists that are expiring and has identified sanitation driver (July 2015 expiration) and
Truck driver (July 2016) for a targeted recruitment process; developed a civil service packet to
be provided with the application that includes helpful resources available through the library or
online, along with a practice exam; draft process for developing recruitment plans and tips for
recruitment have been created and are under review; steps being taken to increase the
awareness of employment opportunities with community partners such as NICC, the
Reengagement Center, the Circles Program, and Project Hope.
Application to Hire - Calendar Years 2013 and 2014:
Number of Hispani American
Applications Asian Black White Other c Indian Unknown Total
Calendar Year
2013 56 275 3144 36 108 12 273 3904
1.40% 7.04% 80.53% 0.92% 2.77% 0.31% 6.99%
Calendar Year
2014 39 152 1921 43 57 1 121 2334
1.67% 6.51% 82.31% 1.84% 2.44% -
Hires
Calendar Year
2013 4 13 213 0 9 0 239
1.67% 5.43% 89.12% 0 3.76% 0
Calendar Year
2014 5 8 194 0 8 0 215
2.32% 3.72% 90.23% 0 2.32% 0
Training & Career Development: Within City Organization: Based on training needs
assessment, an intranet is under development to provide easy access to opportunities, and
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employee orientation and associated workshops have been developed and implemented. There
were 62 new employees hired after January 1 , 2014 and invited to attend the orientation
sessions. We had just over a fifty (50%) attendance rate. This is primarily due to the high
number of employees who work less than twenty (20) hours per work week and are employed
with another employer. This is primarily true in the transit department where the majority of the
new hires occurred.
The sessions were:
1 . Foundations of City Employment facilitated by Assistant City Manager Cindy Steinhauser
2. Customer Services and Community Engagement facilitated by Public Information Officer
Randy Gehl, Assistant City Clerk Trisha Gleason, and Community Engagement
Coordinator Nikola Pavalic
3. City Technology facilitated by Communication Assistant Kelli Buchenau and Lead
Application/Network Analyst
4. Budget and Finance facilitated by Budget Director Jenny Larson and Assistant Finance
Director Jean Nachman
5. 10.5 hours of intercultural foundations training
Impact: The objectives of this work are having a workforce prepared for 21 sc 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 FY 2014-2015
• 25 AccessDubuqueJobs.com investors recruited for a total of 154 investors
• 1 ,036 average jobs posted per month by local employers
• 3,856 resumes posted FY 2014-2015
• Site averaged 80,334 visitors per month
• 1 ,700 facebook likes
• 155 Internship Opportunities
Newcomer Services FY 2014-2015
• 1 ,238 Relocation guides distributed worldwide
• 101 Community Tours
• 132 Distinctively Dubuque Participants
• 39 Employers assisted
Opportunity Dubuque
• Program started in July of 2012
• 12 Career Pathway certificates
• 235 Program graduates
• 96% of graduates employed or continuing education
Skilled Trades
• 42 students participating in Tech Works
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• 2,000 students engaged in high school career days
Dubuque Sustainable Innovations: Dubuque has aggressive programs for sustainability and
economic development and recently decided to add a new component — an initiative called
Sustainable Innovations. The mission of Sustainable Innovations is to create, foster and
prioritize the integration of the best opportunities to improve the sustainability and resiliency of
Dubuque with the best opportunities for continued economic growth. It will build on the work of
Greater Dubuque Development's private sector initiative (SI Consortium), collaborate with the
City's Sustainable Dubuque activities, expand the private and public sector expertise available
to analyze and recommend action on the community's best opportunities and engage all
sectors of the community to educate, advocate and innovate.
Based on analysis of needs and available options the recommendation was to create
Sustainable Innovations as an activity under an existing 501 C(3) supported by GDDC ... the
River Valley Initiative Foundation. The Foundation, incorporated in 2002, was developed
primarily to give local contributors to community/economic development the opportunity to do so
in a tax preferred way and under the oversight of a non-profit Board of Directors. The existing
Board is a mix of GDDC and community leaders. The existing Articles of Incorporation and By-
Laws are focused on the charitable endowment/gifting activity of a Foundation, and the general
purposes to improve the quality of life of citizens in the region. This structure will allow
Sustainable Innovations to access existing administrative support and tax-deductible
contributions without distraction to its focus on key economic and environmental outcomes. (A
second initiative focused on entrepreneurial development, StartUp Dubuque, has been similarly
structured). The Initiative will research and recommend action to be considered and acted upon
by the Foundation and other entities as appropriate.
Non-Profit:
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 2014-2015
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.
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• Program/activity goals are;
o Objective 1 : Improve information availability, sharing and use among providers -
ensure collective impact by coordinating system improvements through a common
agenda, mutually reinforcing activities, information sharing and better
understanding community needs. Action; convene a stakeholders group which
will 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, which is shared with
partners, providers and citizens, that highlights Project HOPE programs.
• See also, Network Map and Community Assessment under Objective 3.
o Objective 2: Support the Circles Initiative —ensure more families are able to
access childcare, education/training opportunities and employment by supporting
stronger connections to participants in programs like Family Self Sufficiency,
Circles and other similar coordinating efforts. Action: Devote Community
Foundation staff resources to building capacity and long-range sustainability
planning for the Circles Initiative.
• Capacity Building: The Project HOPE Coordinator will devote
approximately 20 hours per week co-coordinating the Circles Initiative with
City staff, at the Housing Department's request. Responsibilities have and
continue to be weekly meeting planning, leadership development among
Circle Leaders (low-income participants) and the Guiding Coalition
(volunteer board).
• Long Range Organizational Planning: Project HOPE coordinator is
examining different staffing patterns that support long-term sustainability
and deepened capacity for the program. The coordinator is also looking
outward, building community partnerships with churches, schools, and the
business sector to increase Circles' long-term organizational viability.
Goals for 2015-16 continuing to expand partnerships with higher-education
partners, establishing preferred employer relationships to increase Circle
Leader employment opportunities, and deepening relationships with
service providers, churches and any other organizations that serve as a
referral source for Getting Ahead class participants, as well as deepening
relationships with funding partners.
o Objective 3: Identify evaluation framework— to ensure the long-term impact of the
Project HOPE initiative, clear metrics that align with local and national
benchmarks need to be established. Action: development of a framework for
evaluating the collective impact of Project HOPE partner activities through
building a community network map that will provide the basis for a community
needs assessment that will highlight benchmark areas for improvement.
• Network Map: Project HOPE in partnership with United Way, built a map
of Dubuque service providers and other organizations engaged in serving
under-resourced or disengaged people. The map includes over 150
agencies, their areas of focus, and their partnerships with one another.
The map has served as the platform to convene partners around network
building learning opportunities as well as serving as a tool for local
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agencies and sector specific networks to explore new partnership
opportunities.
• Community Needs Assessment: The information gathered in the
Network Mapping project has served as a basis for conducting a targeted
needs assessment in partnership with United Way, in process fall 2015
with report to be published winter of 2016. The report will focus on five
areas identified by Network Map partners as high priority needs to assess:
Mental health services, housing and homelessness, employment training
and services, childcare and transportation. We will gather information to
assess these needs through sector specific focus groups as well as a
resident survey. Our findings will help indentify benchmark areas for
improvement.
o Objective 4: Re-connect unemployed people to education/skills training —
coordinate clear paths to education/skills training that connect to employment and
education achievement. Action: expansion of the re-engagement program to
reconnect people to education opportunities.
• Re-engage Dubuque: Aug 2012 Project HOPE announced the opening of
Dubuque's re-engagement program. Re-engage Dubuque is funded by a
partnership between the Dubuque Community Schools and NICC. Re-
engage Dubuque is a staffed program that connects high school dropouts
back into education and training opportunities, utilizing the skills and
expertise of two full-time coaches. To date Re-engage Dubuque has
worked with over 306 students and helped 89 individuals earn either a high
school diploma or their GED/ HISED
o Objective 5: 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.
• 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.
• To date 238 people have completed an Opportunity Dubuque
certificate program and 95% percent of them are employed.
o Objective 6: Help families build financial assets—connect families to Earned
Income Tax Credit (EITC), BankOn, Opportunity Passport and other financial
support/literacy programs.
• 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.
• 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. Classes are 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.
• Since its launch in 2008, the program has served over 50 youth and
matched nearly $23,000.00 in participants' savings for vehicles,
computers, apartment deposits, and tuition, all assets that help
youth successfully transition to adulthood.
SMART ENERGY USE
Government:
City Facilities & Lighting Retrofits: The City has successfully applied to the IEDA City Energy
Management Program with the intention of developing an Energy Management Plan for
municipal operations in 2015. This program will result in more efficient buildings, longterm. The
City is also working with the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Renewable Energy senior
design students to complete a feasibility study of City facilities to determine which would be the
most likely candidates for rooftop solar in the future. This information would inform a possible
RFP for solar installation.
The City has information on the energy and maintenance savings for a lighting retrofit of the
City Hall Annex. The Return on Investment (ROI) is approximately three years. The impact will
be a more energy-efficient building.
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. In the new
Intermodal Transportation Center, we are implementing LED lighting with the TWIST controls
for a highly efficient operation.
Public Works Department:
• CNG-Powered Vehicle: The DMASWA was the first local governmental entity to
purchase and use a hybrid-powered vehicle, and compressed natural gas vehicles. This
initiative reduces the Agency's vehicle-related carbon footprint, and is an indication of the
Agency's commitment to using domestically-produced/sourced fuels in all of its
equipment. A CNG-fueled vehicle was added to the Public Works Department fleet with
the 2014 retrofit of the pickup truck already being used by the Lead Sanitation Driver.
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The performance of that unit is being closely monitored and will be factored into
consideration for future pickup truck purchases.
• Landfill Methane Reuse: A DMASWA Smart Energy Use initiative is its commitment to
beneficially use the methane it collects and flares from its landfill. In 2014, the DMASWA
Board of Directors requested assistance from Greater Dubuque Development
Corporation and the City of Dubuque Economic Development Department to market the
direct use of its methane to new tenants in Dubuque's industrial park adjoining the
DMASWA facility with the goal of creating local jobs. GDDC subsequently determined
that there were no existing or near-term "direct users" and instead developed an
alternative opportunity that could meet the four existing objectives of the community (1)
improve environmental outcomes; (2) create local economic activity and jobs; (3)
generate revenue, reduce costs or a combination of the two for DMASWA and its
owners; and (4) not require any additional investment or risk from the community. It is
an opportunity focused on the production and utilization of BioCNG. DMASWA has
approved a preliminary planning grant for the project and local collaborators are
approaching the Iowa Energy Center for a matching grant. This planning grant will be
used for establishment of a Bio-CNG Collaboration to identify, evaluate, and encourage
the potential bio-CNG usage in Dubuque County.
Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency:
• Approved a $5,000 planning grant for a solicited methane conversion proposal. The
proposal will examine resources and uses of bio-CNG (methane conversion) in the
greater Dubuque economy. A formal proposal for developers and investors is expected
summer 2015. In partnership with DMSWA, the Community Foundation of Greater
Dubuque (CFGD) submitted a matching request to the Iowa Energy Center. The request
was created by a CFGD bio-CNG working group consisting of industry (i.e., Black Hills,
Unison, and other local businesses as well as local environmental groups).
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.
• 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
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• Received a rebate from Black Hills Energy of$450.00 for the installation of a new
furnace in the Flora park warming house
• Received a rebate from Alliant Energy of$75.00 from the installation of the new furnace
and programmable thermostat in the Flora park warming house.
Smarter Electricity (Smarter Sustainable Dubuque): Greater Dubuque Development
Corporation met with the Iowa Uitlity Board, Office of the Consumer Advocate and Alliant
Energy to seek new progress, with mixed results. Work continues to develop the appropriate
path to expansion of smart meter efforts in Dubuque.
Non-Profit:
Grants to Green: In partnership with Green Dubuque and Petal Project, the Community
Foundation of Greater Dubuque launched the Grants to Green program, a grant program that
pays up to $50,000 for energy improvements to help a nonprofit save money on utility bills and
strengthen its operations. The overall goal of G2G is to build the sustainability of nonprofits by
helping them to become more resource efficient, primarily by building, renovating and operating
their facilities to be as "green" as possible. G2G will provide the planning and education
components of this program and local contracting companies will do the construction work. The
Community Foundation was awarded a $1 .25 million grant by the Community Foundation for
Greater Atlanta in March 2014 and a $200,000 matching grant from the Iowa Energy Center.
The six organizations receiving grant funding in the first round of awards are as follows:
$50,000 to Ecumenical Tower
$43,100 to Hills & Dales-Community Center/Childcare
$31 ,000 to Four Mounds-Grey House
$27,100 to Stonehill Franciscan Services
$20,057 to Luther Manor
$21 ,298 to Dubuque Rescue Mission
Each recipient developed energy improvement plans that identified areas for improvement in
their operations such as lighting, HVAC system upgrades or insulation for energy saving. Local
contracting companies will do the construction work. Some grant recipients will also use
portions of the grant to fund further study to help determine additional opportunities for cost and
energy savings.
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Government:
Smarter Discards:
A Smarter Sustainable Dubuque - Smarter Discards Pilot Project was approved in FY13 in a
joint development agreement with IBM Research. Project goals were:
1 . 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,
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4. Support the attainment of the City's greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets.
The project was 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 volunteers living anywhere in the city (any
route).
Over the ensuing months, staff efforts focused on volunteer outreach and engagement to
encourage more users to log into the portal and view their data. Data showed that after
volunteer engagement began, the number of volunteers logging into the portal increased
substantially. In addition, the amount of trash being discarded steadily declined throughout the
lifetime of the pilot. Data collection for the Smarter Discards pilot concluded on May 2, 2014.
IBM, in partnership with City staff, prepared a final report that summarizes the findings of the
pilot. The report emphasizes how the data can possibly be utilized to improve or enhance solid
waste collection in the city.
Smarter Water/ DBQ IQ Water Management Tool:
DBQ IQ is a water management "dashboard" that provides volunteer users online access to
water usage data specific to their utility account. The dashboard displays the customer's daily
water consumption in gallons in context with weather data (temperature and precipitation).
DBQ IQ also allows users to compare a particular period of consumption to their average
consumption, compare their consumption to other averages, and setup automatic leak or
backflow alerts to be sent to them by email. The data can be displayed as a graph or in table
form. A "daily water budget" is also offered and is calculated based on the account's average
water use for that day of the week.
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 save energy and
money. More efficient water use will also reduce the use of both energy and chemicals in the
treating and delivering of 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 2368
Intermittent 1406
Total Potential Leaks 3,774
Approximately 16% 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 1 ,147 users
who have applied and 853 have been reimbursed. A total of$49,866.98 in refunds have
been paid to date.
• Water Loss:
FY'11 29.02%
FY'12 21 .83%
FY'13 17.32%
FY'14 23.86%
FY'15 20.25%
Water Loss Reduction: 8.77%
The reduction in water loss can be attributed to:
• the new meters being more accurate
• repairs done on the distribution system due to a leak survey being performed
• the new meters detecting minor leaks causing users to have repairs performed
• users becoming more aware of their water use and choosing to use less water
• 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
• FY'14 2.64 billion gallons
• FY'15 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 1 .89 billion gallons
FY/11 1 .98 billion gallons
FY'12 2.06 billion gallons
FY'13 2.10 billion gallons
FY'14 2.01 billion gallons
FY'15 2.02 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.
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
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demolition professionals are key partners of 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 initially approved a strategy to
reduce the use of plastic bags in retail stores 90% by 2017. Due to a lack of data regarding
plastic bag use, that target was moved back two years in late 2014, and City staff will spend the
first half of 2015 working with retailers over 40,000 square feet to develop a voluntary
community baseline. 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 are working with retailers and other partners to
implement the plan. Methods for community outreach currently include an employee education
video produced by the City, "BYOBag" window clings in multiple sizes for retailer and consumer
use, showing of the "Bag It" movie, various pieces on City Channel, and outreach of retailers
and community groups.
Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency Grants:
• $1 ,000 from the Waste Minimization Fund to Dubuquefest for their sustainability efforts.
• $123 from the Waste Minimization Fund to Hempstead high school for compost tumblers
for their food waste composting program.
• $172.50 from the Waste Minimization Fund to the City of Epworth for recycling bins for
their curbside recycling program.
• $1 ,200 from the Waste Minimization Fund to the Multicultural Family Center's Future
Talk Program for environmental education.
Airport:
• A new all electric people mover is in use by the Dubuque Jet Center.
• The Dubuque Jet Center and Airline Passenger Terminal is a drop-off for recycling used
cell phones, batteries, etc.
• The Dubuque Jet Center has installed LED lighting on the building exterior and replaced
all hangar lighting with LED.
• The Dubuque Jet Center has installed a waterless urinal in the men's lavatory.
• 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
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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 designed to minimize the increase in rate and quantity of
stormwater runoff through the use of detention and infiltration.
8. Pervious pavement is being planned for use in the parking lot.
9. Infiltration basins will be constructed in and around the parking areas.
10. Use of"flow through" ditch checks are being proposed in the outfall ditch for the
Apron.
11 . Inlet valves are installed to capture potential fuel spills on the Aircraft Parking
Apron.
12. Replacement of Portland cement with suitable supplementary materials has been
allowed by specification.
13. Specifications allow for use of by-product materials in the PCC paving such as
flyash and blast furnace slag.
14. Use of PCC pavement provides for a high solar reflectance and uses locally
procured materials.
15. Life cycle cost analysis was performed as part of the pavement design process.
16. Use of aggregate shoulders will reduce impervious pavement area.
17. Used aggregate with minimal processing to serve as the construction access and
base for the Entrance Road.
18. Landscaping is planned to be inclusive of native, low-maintenance and drought
tolerant plant materials.
19. Measures have been taken to control light pollution which is a significant issue on
airports.
20. LED fixtures have been installed for applicable taxiway edge lighting.
21 . Landscape waste from site clearing was chipped for re-use by the contractor.
22. Used borrow material from on-site to construct embankments.
23. Use of borrow materials had a secondary benefit for FAA safety grading
requirements.
24. Crushed and re-used waste concrete from a previous project as embankment.
25. Embedded Lytle Creek culverts to allow for redevelopment of a more natural
streambed.
26. 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
27. Specifications incorporate Buy American provisions and requirements.
28. Allowed for electronic bidding document distribution.
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29. Construction protected existing wetland and natural spring from damage.
30. The new facility is heated and cooled with geothermal.
31 . The new facility has LED lighting and light harvesting.
City Clerk's Office
• The City Clerk's Office continues to expand the use of available technology to reduce
paper usage and increase office efficiencies. This includes exploiting the benefits of
Novus Agenda, Laserfiche and Laserfiche Quick Fields for processing and storing more
City Council documents. The office has worked with the Information Services
Department and Public Information Office to customize WebQA for the processing and
archiving of Special Events Permits which now can be completed and submitted on line.
Certain required documents must still be submitted in hard copy form. On-line
submission now accounts for nearly half of all special event requests. On-line payment of
special events is being explored
• The City Clerk's Office is working with the Public Information Office on the City's web
page with potential for other online Tillable forms, submission and payments,
• The City Clerk's Office has a Zero Waste Event Planner and accessibility information 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. Information on
ADA accessibility is also provided to event organizers so they're events can be
accessible and inclusive.
• The annual boards and commissions picnic is nearly a zero-waste event as special
receptacles are used for recycling and composting. Catering bids include the
requirement that recyclable and compostable items are used. Bulk items for such things
as condiments and beverages are used to avoid portion-controlled plastic trash and
plastic bottles.
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
Library:
• The library has boxes for the recycling of batteries and cell phones. At the close of the
third quarter of 2014 the library had collected 37 pounds of batteries.
• The library's meeting room policy was updated to include a request that recyclable
and/or biodegradable plates and cups be used for events that include food.
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 banned the
burial of tires in its landfill while Federal and State regulations allow the burial of
shredded, chopped or halved tires. Tires brought to the DMASWA Facility are set aside
for a contracted tire processor. The cost of the this service is passed along to the
DMASWA's customers. The tires are processed into fuel pellets, playground equipment
fall protection pads, pads protecting concrete floors from heavy equipment tracks,
aggregate, 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. The Agency elected
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to conserve sand and financial resources by utilizing tire derived aggregate for the base
drainage layer for it Cell 9 Phase II Landfill Expansion Project instead of sand.
• Appliance and Metals Recycling Program Also initiated in the 1990's, the Agency's
Appliance and Metals Recycling Program exceeds Federal and State standards. While
regulations allow the landfill burial of metal household appliances that do not contain
Freon or mercury, the DMASWA bans the landfilling of any appliances. Appliances are
accepted for a fee to cover the cost of subsequent recycling. Metal items may be
dropped-off without charge for recycling at its facility. Any metal items encountered in
the landfill may be removed and placed in the metal collation area. This activity saves
landfill airspace and life, reduces the need to mine new metals, and reduces GHG
emissions.
• Recyclables Drop-off Stations Program Beginning with a sole recyclables drop-off
facility on Radford Road on Dubuque's west side in the 1990's, the DMASWA's Satellite
Recyclables Collection program has expanded to ten (10) such locations. In addition to
the original facility on Radford Road, locations can be found at Cascade Public Works
Building, Key West Drive in Dubuque, Heritage Trail parking lot in Durango, Farley,
Epworth Library, East 32nd Street and Peru Road in Dubuque (the Flexsteel Industries
parking lot), along U.S. Highway 52 just north of unincorporated St. Catherine, Theisens
in Dyersville, and at the DMASWA Facility. At these locations, residents are allowed to
drop off unlimited quantities curbside-collectable recyclables. 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 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. At the DMASWA Board of Directors' April 24, 2013,
meeting, it authorized the immediate implementation of a tipping fee discount for all
clean loads of asphalt roofing shingles. These changes were made to encourage more
source separation by roofing contractors in order to increase the Agency's diversion of
shingles for recycling.
• 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 twenty (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. City-owned wheeled collection carts have been supplied to many
alley-service collection customers to improve sanitation and aesthetics in areas of high
population density and few owner-occupied homes.
• 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.
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
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yard and food scrap grindings to a composting facility outside Farley. Full Circle
ORrganics (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.
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 processors 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.
The composting facility at Farley is no longer operated by Full Circle Organics. The
property owners, Midwest Organic Solutions, terminated the lease and have assumed
operations due to complaints from the neighbors and issues with the operations of the
facility. Public Works staff is working with the operators to continue the relationship.
• 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%. Additional materials have been
approved for curbside collection for recycling: empty aerosol cans, empty latex paint
cans, books; and crosscut-shredded paper.
• 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, R2 certified electronics recycling facility in
Davenport.
• Dubuque Area Task Force Addressing Illegal Dumping & Illegal Littering The
Public Works Department has provided staff support to the Dubuque Area Task Force
On Illegal Dumping and Illegal Littering (DATFOIDIL), which was established in 2010
through the support of the DMASWA. The Public Works Department has hosted an
Illegal Dumping Hotline (589-4345) since 2000, averaging approximately ten illegal
dumping report investigations per month, with site cleanup where needed and warning
letters sent 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
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county. Citations have been issued and monitoring continues, with some investigations
having led to arrests related to burglaries and illegal drug. The DMASWA granted the
DATFOIDIL $2000 to purchase enforcement cameras to place at popular dumping.
• Dubuque Area Event Recycling and Zero Waste Programs Recycling is required by
the City at festival events requiring a City permit. Recyclable cups numbered 1 through
5 are required to increase recycling. 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 State of Iowa's
Environmental Management System (EMS) program to expand the scope of their waste
management systems. The State's EMS program was established by the 2008 Iowa
Legislature and the participating planning areas have subsequently concentrated on the
services they provide to improve their overall performance in the areas of, yard waste
management, household hazardous material management, water quality improvement,
greenhouse gas reduction, expanded recycling services, and environmental education.
Under the EMS Program, the DMASWA is evaluated and judged for continuous
improvement of its services and offering expanded opportunities for environmental
resource management.
Green Iowa AmeriCorps (GIAC): The City and Operation New View are partnering to host the
2014-15 GIAC members. This partnership expands the service territory to Dubuque, Delaware
and Jackson Counties, and has included at least one "mini blitz" where a small municipality
worked with GIAC to execute approximately 12 weatherizations in one week. Additionally,
GIAC members can now serve ONV's 5,000+ member waiting list directly, without the need for
residents to visit both offices to request services. This streamlining, along with the extended
service area, is significantly increasing audit and weatherization numbers.
Engineering:
1 . Engineering is researching the use of electronic bidding to minimize paper plan sets.
Currently all plan set that are developed are saved as an adobe pdf file and placed on the
City's website for review during bidding. This in turn is shared with multiple plan rooms
across the state to solicit bids.
2. Plans are being downloaded to iPads to use in the field for those staff who have iPads or
tablet devices. This minimizes the paper hauled around and allows easy access to multiple
plan sets remotely.
3. All plan reviews and submittals with IDNR and IDOT are being handled electronically with
adobe pdf files. The state agencies prefer electronic submittals versus paper for doing
business.
Finance:
is
1 . The Utility Billing area serves as a collection for CFL light bulbs for employees and citizens.
This process began three 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 23%). Citizens save postage and post office saves
labor/energy.
4. Implemented electronic billing for utility bills in August 2012, with approximately 1 ,457
customers signed up to date.
5 Accounts payable direct deposit of employee expense reimbursement and all vendor
payments are available; usage continues to grow.
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 provides new opportunities for both
residential and commercial composting throughout Dubuque county. As a direct result, 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 curbside to the FCO facility.
Full Circle Organics is no longer the operator of the composting facility outside of Farley. The
property owners have taken over operations and are taking steps to bring the facility into
compliance and address odor complaints from area residents.
Green R U: Green R U registered as an organics hauler in the city of Dubuque. They service
commercial and industrial accounts including Hy-Vee's. They collect back of the house and
post-consumer food waste.
Non-Profit:
Keep Dubuque County Clean & Green — Sponsored by the Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid
Waste Agency, Keep Dubuque County Clean and Green serves as the local affiliate of 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 regarding the
detrimental effects of littering and illegal dumping upon the environment.
Four Mounds/HEART Program - HEART's summer program sustainably deconstructed
Angie's Bar (1401 Elm), reporting 80% of deconstructed material reused or recycled and
retained from the landfill. Four Mounds has been deconstructing obsolete properties for close to
a decade, making use of lumber and materials for other building projects.
Council approved a memorandum of understanding with Four Mounds/HEART Program to
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rehab or improve multiple homes -- including some in the city's new "Project 563"
purchase/rehab/re-sell program -- over a three-year period. Under the agreement, HEART
participants will complete total rehabilitations of three properties at $125,000 each, make
accessibility improvements on five residential units at $5,000 each, complete five critical home-
repair projects at $5,000 each and four deconstructions at $15,000 each. The agreement also
calls for $10,000 per year to help meet zoning, inspection and comprehensive planning
requirements, and to obtain building permits.
Project funding will come from Community Development Block Grants, which must be spent on
projects that benefit low-income residents. The total rehabilitation projects will be part of Project
563, with costs covered by capital improvement program funds and tax increment financing.
The city's Housing and Community Development Department will oversee all of the projects
specified in the agreement. Over 60 students have participated in the HEART program since
2003 and 26 properties have been rehabilitated through the HEART program.
Schools: Hempstead High School's Green Vision Education Team received the 2015 Iowa
Recycling Associations Award for the Best School Recycling Program. The basis of their award
was for their food composting program and outdoor learning area created out of used pallets,
garage door panels, and a repurposed building.
People & Neighborhoods: Bev Wagner, Education and Communication Coordinator for the
DMASWA and Loras College, received the 2015 Iowa Recycling Associations Award for
Recycler of the Year. She was recognized for her outstanding efforts to promote and
encourage recycling not only in the Dubuque area but all across Iowa.
COMMUNITY DESIGN
Government:
Complete Streets Policy: The City Council adopted a Complete Streets Policy in 2011 , and
amended the Unified Development Code (UDC) in 2012 to include this policy as part of the land
subdivision process. The Complete Streets Policy ensures that consideration is given such that
the entire right-of-way is designed and operated to enable safe access for all users, recognizing
fiscal and physical limitations. It also ensures that consideration is given such that all road
projects result in a Complete Street design that is affordable as well as appropriate to local
context and needs, again recognizing fiscal and physical limitations. The Policy also provides
for public input and documentation of project-specific exemptions.
Green Alley Project: This project involves the reconstruction of existing asphalt alleys in
Dubuque. To date 34 alleys have been completed. An additional 3 alleys are under
construction. There are 28 alleys under contract but not started yet. This brings the total
number alleys to date either completed, under construction or under contract but not started to
65 alleys. Engineering currently has 6 more alleys out for bid bringing the total to 71 alleys.
Engineering plans to design and bid an additional 4 alleys as a bid set later this fall. 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.
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Engineering is working with EPA and IDNR on the project to use SRF funds for reconstructing
approximately $9.4 million dollars in alleys over the three years. The project includes the
reconstruction of 73+ alleys into Green Alleys. Based on the current construction schedule, the
City anticipates having 73+ green alleys completed under the SRF program by July 2016.
Washington Neighborhood Initiative: Comprehensive effort designed to address many
housing and social challenges in this 55 square block neighborhood. An ambitious "visioning"
project for the Washington Neighborhood was concluded in 2008 and the Washington
Neighborhood Strategic Plan was presented to the City Council in April 2009. Homes have now
been purchased and rehabbed by 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$10.1 million has been reinvested in housing in the Washington Neighborhood.
Since 2003, the Four Mounds/HEART Program (Top Priority) has transformed 32 derelict rental
properties in the Washington Neighborhood into 23 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. HEART students finished working with Community
Housing Initiatives (CHI) to transform 3-19th Century row houses on the 1600 block of
Washington into homes that perform for the 21 sc Century. HEART is now working on a CHI —
owned property at 2059 Jackson.
The Washington Neighborhood and Historic Millwork district received the EPA Smart Growth
achievement award for Neighborhood Revitalization. The award recognized the historic mill
work district as a catalyst for reinvestment in the Washington Neighborhood.
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 We continue to collaborate and assist with the Small Business Works initiative to assist
new and existing business owners.
o Building relationships with Dubuque Board of Realtors to promote Washington
Neighborhood and educate realtors about the assets and resources within the
neighborhood.
o 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.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 Fagade Application and Program Guideline
document was created with collaboration from the City of Dubuque's Planning and
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Economic Development Departments, Dubuque Main Street and the WNDC Board of
Directors and Executive Director. Five 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 A second street mural was painted at the intersections of 16 h and Washington Streets
on May 31 st, 2014, the painting coincided with a neighborhood block party that drew over
4000 residents. The 2013 mural received a Dubuque365 impact award and the Dubuque
Main Street and Iowa Main Street awards for Best Public Improvement Project.
o Continued collaboration with Dubuque Downtown Christian Outreach, Multicultural
Family Center, Four Mounds, Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, Crescent
Community Health Center, Project Concern neighborhood.
Historic Millwork District:
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.
Caradco (Schmid Innovation Center) has completed nearly 100% of buildout. All 72 residential
units are occupied. Lower level Millwork Collective provides office and studio space for 11 non-
profits. First-floor commercial space is nearly 100% built out: Greater Dubuque Development
Corp, Start-Up Dubuque, Eagle Point Solar, Pilates Fundamentals, Gallery C, RF 2 Furniture
Warehouse, Brazen Open Kitchen + Bar, KCRG, Zazou's Bridal Boutique, Inspire Cafe,
Dubuque Food Co-op.
Novelty Iron Works has recently completed 76 residential units, plus approximately 41 ,000 SF
commercial space (at the "whitebox" stage). City incentives for those improvements were paid
in April 2015. Developer contemplating additional residential and commercial space, pending
project funding from other sources, as City incentives have been maximized per current
program guidelines.
Linseed Oil Paintworks Building has begun construction, with 16 residential units anticipated
to be complete by August 2015. The building already has a waiting list for the market rate
units.
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.
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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.
The Parks Department has partnered with Full Circle organics to supply all of the green waste
generated from city properties to be turned into compost at their Farley location. The waste in
collected and loaded into a roll off dumpster and delivered when full every couple of weeks.
EPA Brownfields Grant: On July 15, 2013 the City Council approved a Cooperative
Agreement Application and associated contract documents pertaining to a Brownfields
Petroleum and Hazardous Substances Assessment Grant that was awarded to the City by the
Environmental Protection Agency later in 2013. A total of$400,000 was awarded to fund
assessment, clean up planning and community engagement activities related to the
containment or mitigation of hazardous substances and petroleum in the South Port, Historic
Millwork District and Washington Neighborhood.
Initiated in 2010, the BF AWP Program provides grant funding and technical assistance to
brownfields communities selected via a national grant competition. These communities are
using EPA resources to research area-wide planning approaches that will help them achieve
brownfields cleanup and reuse in the future. The BF AWP grant recipients represent a cross
section of community leaders on brownfield issues, include public and non-profit organizations,
and are distributed across the country.
In June 2015 the City of Dubuque received U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
funding to revitalize the South PortThe 33-acre South Port, bordered by the Ice Harbor on the
north, the Mississippi River on the east and railroad tracks and freeways on the west, has yet to
be reclaimed.
Proposed activities for the $200,000 Brownfields Area-Wide Planning project include:
• A charrette to gather community input on the revitalization of the South Port;
• A market analysis to identify the prospects for mixed-use redevelopment in the South Port;
• An infrastructure needs assessment to identify upgrades required to support redevelopment;
• An area-wide land use plan that considers cleanup strategies for high priority brownfield
sites, adaptive reuse of historic buildings, incorporation of green infrastructure, and
Complete Streets;
• A detailed implementation strategy with business recruitment approaches, a schedule of
infrastructure upgrades, identification of public and private resources that can support South
Port revitalization, and a game plan for implementing the area-wide land use plan; and
• Community outreach to both residents and potential redevelopers/investors.
People & Neighborhoods:
HEART: Four Mounds is finishing its 4h property in partnership with Community Housing
Initiatives at 2059 Jackson St. The property is marks the 34th unit of housing that HEART has
converted or helped rehabilitate and will result in the 24th home made available for ownership
to a first-time homeowner.
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GREEN BUILDINGS
Government:
Environmental & Sustainability Management System (ESMS):
The City successfully submitted an application to participate in ICMA's ESMS institute held in
Roanoke, Virginia. 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. The team has successfully passed its first "gap audit" and will complete its
relationship with Virginia Tech in the spring of 2015. We will then continue focusing on
implementation of the system by addressing additional significant aspects. Consideration of
third-party certification has temporarily been put on hold, but may be addressed in a future
budget year. Dubuque received a 95% on its final trainer-led on-site audit. This score indicates
successful completion of the program, and general readiness should we move forward towards
a third-party certification. Implementation of a contractor management system is being piloted
with the companies who deliver fuel to the MSC. Safety storage cabinets have been installed in
the fleet storage island, small container safety posters have been posted, and all employees
have been trained on proper chemical handling to ensure safety of all employees.
Building Services Department:
• 2012 International Energy Conservation Code We have adopted the 2012 Int'I Energy
Conservation Code. The 2015 IECC will be adopted in July 2016. The impact of this
adoption will be increasingly more energy-efficient buildings constructed under this code.
Renewable Energy Systems on Municipal Buildings: The City of Dubuque signed a contract
with a Dubuque firm, Eagle Point Solar, to install solar panels on the roof of the Municipal
Services Center. The panels were installed over the ensuing months, connected to the local
grid in 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 (High Priority):
On February 3, 2015 the Iowa Economic Development Authority opened the application for the
Workforce Housing Tax Credit Program (WHTC), established by House File 2448 to replace the
Enterprise Zone Program. The program makes state tax incentives available to developers
building or rehabilitating housing in Iowa. To be eligible for the program, projects must meet one
of four criteria listed below:
Eligibility Requirements
• Projects must meet one of four criteria:
• Housing development located on a grayfield or brownfield site
• Repair or rehabilitation of dilapidated housing stock
• Upper story housing development
• New construction in a greenfield (community with demonstrated workforce
housing needs)
• The developer must build or rehabilitate at least four single-family homes or at least one
multi-family building containing three or more units or at least two upper story units.
• Total project costs may not exceed $200,000 per unit for new construction or $250,000
per unit for historic rehabilitation.
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Total program benefits are limited to a maximum of$1 million per recipient.
The housing project must be completed within three years of award.
IEDA must approve the developer's application for Workforce Housing Tax Credit prior to
project initiation.
Tax Incentives
• A refund of state sales, service or use taxes paid during construction.
• An investment tax credit of up to a maximum of 10% of the investment directly related to
the construction or rehabilitation of the housing.' The tax credit is based on the new
investment used for the first $150,000 of value for each home or unit. This tax credit is
earned when the home or unit is certified for occupancy and can be carried forward for
up to seven additional years or until depleted, whichever occurs first.
• Investment tax credits are fully transferable
Urban Revitalization Program: The purpose of the program is to attract development to
specific areas, which might otherwise continue to deteriorate, thereby stabilizing and eventually
increasing the tax base within those areas. The abatements are intended to stimulate private
investment by reducing the tax increases that would normally result from making improvements
to residential property.
The program focuses on revitalization of properties in the community's older neighborhoods
and offers a property tax exemption for new improvements made to qualified residential
properties and limited commercial properties. Owners who upgrade their residential properties
located within a designated urban revitalization area are eligible to apply for a ten-year property
tax exemption. Owners of commercial property in the Washington Neighborhood UR district are
eligible for a three-year exemption. To qualify, improvements must increase the assessed value
of the building by at least ten percent or greater depending on the specific district, and applies
to those neighborhoods which have been designated as urban revitalization areas by the City
Council. $727,170 is the current value of properties in tax abatement as of the 2012.
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 and
Sustainable Dubuque Program.
The City's Healthy Homes Program has completed 109 units. The Lead Hazard Control
Program has completed 185 units. 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 are being conducted 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.
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A new partnership, to link GHHI with Sustainable Dubuque, has been established. Low-
income families utilize recycling programs, energy efficiency programs and other sustainability
related services at a far lower rate than more affluent families. Through this unique new
partnership- Dubuque's Green and Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI) will connect families and
neighborhoods to services and practices, supported by Sustainable Dubuque, that save families
money and resources while helping them create green, safe and healthy homes. Through the
efforts of the GHHI Home Advocate, a trained social worker who makes valued connections
with families and links them to services, low-moderate income families will be able to access
the savings and health benefits that sustainable practices can provide. Funding for this effort is
provided through a TFN grant, recently awarded to CFGD.
Outcomes Achieved Through the Project:
Our project goal-develop a new coordinated approach led by GHHI and Sustainable Dubuque
to increase access and use of sustainable practices and services in Dubuque's most distressed
neighborhoods. This goal had four key elements-
a. Coordinate outreach efforts for sustainable practices through GHHI-
Outcome: As a result of the project, a resource team of more than a dozen agencies (list
to follow) and GHHI assessors understand these services and have the tools to continue
to engage families in these services.
Resource Team Agencies-now equipped to support outreach:
b. Building stronger relationship between GHHI partners and City of Dubuque b y
supporting a Coordinator to work in partnership with City Sustainability Coordinator
Outcome: A full time GHHI Coordinator has been established. In this role, the GHHI
Coordinator now participates in Sustainable Dubuque meetings and activities. This
resulted in including the GHHI Coordinator in the most recent application for a Healthy
Homes/ Lead Abatement Grant as a critical role.
c. Increase engagement in target neighborhoods in Sustainable Dubuque efforts equal to
engagement levels of more affluent neighborhoods.
Outcome: In the target neighborhood, we were able to provide information to
approximately 100 homes and worked to enroll approximately 70 homes. This was lower
than we had hoped. We found it more challenging than expected to enroll households
without a high level of"hands-on" support that included direct assistance with the
application.
d. Ensure the long-term sustainability of the GHHI model by ensuring it becomes a top
priority of the Mayor, City Council, City Manager and private/nonprofit partner leadership.
Outcome: GHHI funding was written into the City Council Budget (FY2015) and the recent
application to HUD for Healthy Homes/Lead Abatement grant.
Modifications and tactics:
GHHI Resource Team — a network of providers was engaged to help connect more families to
resources and to sustain the effort beyond the grant period. This network supports outreach to
access a greater number of households.
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Circles Initiative Outreach — More than 80 low-income families working to transition out of
poverty gather weekly thanks to an initiative called Circles. We connected with this group to
engage Circles families in the opportunity and to plug into a volunteer network that can continue
to the project in the future by referring families in need.
Community Health Center outreach proved to be a good place for building awareness but was
not effective for direct enrollment. Toolkits were handed out to families visiting the Health
Center and appointments for home visits were made for follow up. However, there was not an
opportunity to complete a needs assessment or engage in any in depth conversation due to
lack of privacy.
Outreach efforts outside of the home overall were not effective for enrolling families. Through
this project, we have affirmed that best practice is to layer enrollment for Sustainability Services
into a coordinated home visit for GHHI or other support services.
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 provided 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 March 2014, 375 applicants enrolled, 241
units received a lead hazard evaluation, and 185 units were completed. 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.
A new application for additional lead hazard control funding was submitted to the United States
Housing and Urban Development Department.
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 were 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 was 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 was 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 March 2014, 200 applicants enrolled, 132 units received a
comprehensive healthy home assessment, and 94 units have been completed. The Program
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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.
The grant for this program was completed June 30, 2014. New funding was applied for in the
HUD Lead Hazard Control Grant submitted in June 2015.
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. Nine properties have been
acquired by the Housing Department utilizing our Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP)
grant. To date eight properties have been sold to first time homebuyers. 1318 Jackson is
currently listed with a local realtor for sale.
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 eight (28)
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.
Fire Department: Currently undertaking a project for evaluation and re-design of HVAC and
lighting systems across all six fire stations. To date both Alliant Energy and Black Hills energy
have done audits of the fire stations. We are working on developing an RFP for a consultant to
establish priority among energy-efficiency projects across all fire department facilities as
outlined in the FY2016 budget.
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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
• Added 14 inches insulation to the Allison Henderson Building bringing the R-factor up to
an R-49 rating overall
• LED external lighting was added to the Park Maintenance Headquarter buildings and
Alliant Energy replaced two power pole lights to LED on the property
• LED lighting added to restrooms and pavilions at Murphy and Flora parks
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 Development LEED Status
Date
2007 Durrant Architects Platinum
2007 Medline Industries Silver
2008 Hormel Foods Gold
2009 IBM/Roshek 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 FinleyHospital Private Patient Room Addition Certified
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 34 derelict rental units and transformed them into 24
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
average of 267%.
HEALTHY LOCAL FOOD
Government:
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Urban Hens: The City of Dubuque Planning Department eased zoning restrictions regarding
the raising of urban chickens and ducks. The City partnered with ISU Extension and the
Dubuque Rescue Mission to host an educational workshop for interested residents in October
2014, with approximately 30 attendees.
Carnegie-Stout Public Library: The Library held a container gardening class that promoted
local and organic foods. A container garden allows people to grow plants where they otherwise
can't. The program emphasized growing edible plants (specifically herbs). The presenters
talked about how to select a container and potting medium that reduces the need to water
plants and even eliminate the use of fertilizers.
Non-Profit:
A Local Foods Coordinator was hired in August 2014 through The Dubuque County ISU
Extension, continuing the work of the Regional Food Coordinator hired in 2012. This
coordinator is working to build capacity within the Local Food Systems Working Group (Driftless
Food System Alliance), coordinating community efforts with various stakeholders, including the
Wellness Coalition, farmers and other local businesses, non-profits, & volunteers, and engaging
city staff from Sustainability and Economic Development in some goal setting processes and
events planning. (see Local Food System Assessment.)
FARM TO SCHOOL In 2014 five area schools participated in Extension's School Gardens 101
class. School garden implementation is now occurring at several Dubuque area schools
including Sageville Elementary. Additional funding & capacity building is needed for
implementation at others. Dubuque Community School District will be participating in Farm to
School Month (in October), incorporating regionally produced fruits and vegetables in school
meals for at least one week. Plans are underway to source product through Northeast Iowa's
Iowa Food Hub. Comments from DCSD director included positive remarks about how
competitive product pricing is with broadline distributors'!
LOCAL FOOD SYSTEM ASSESSMENT
In June 2014, diverse community stakeholders began engaging in the Agricultural Urbanism Toolkit, a
three year, three phase process facilitated by Iowa State University's Community Design Lab including
one year of community visioning and goal setting. Drawing from existing data including census
information, Community Health Needs Assessment, and key informant input, the process is now
identifying gaps in the local food system which include a lack of targeted and relevant services for those
entering into the local food sector, a lack of anchor based procurement strategies to secure demand for
local foods, and and opportunities which include expansion of regional distribution infrastructure. The
assessment, visioning, and goal setting process is set to be completed in Summer 2016. Currently
representatives from Economic Development, Sustainability, and Catfish Creek Watershed Restoration
initiative are engaged, among others, but the process would also benefit from anchor/institutional
partners, public health representatives, neighbourhood planning, or zoning partners (city or county)
engagement.
FOOD ACCESS Common barriers for healthy local food consumption include lack of
transportation, knowledge of healthy food preparation, and price. In 2014 though Dubuque did
not decrease the prevalence of food deserts, through the USDA-funded Farmer's Market
Promotion Program, the Market was made more accessible to low income audiences. Non
profit partners involved in the Driftless Food System Alliance Food Access Working Group
began implementing programming including cooking demos on and off site to educate various
audiences about healthy food preparation, focusing on low-cost, healthy food. Main Street
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Dubuque also partnered with the Jule to provide free transportation to and from the farmers'
market. The impact, measured in number of EBT dollars redeemed at market this year will be
known at the end of the season. An opportunity to expand the program through an "increase
your food bucks" program exists. Additional opportunities to ensure healthy sustainable growth
would be for economic development to be inclusive of local food stakeholders in strategic
planning efforts.
LOCAL FOODS PROMOTION With financial support from Sustainable Dubuque, The Driftless
Food System alliance partnered in February with DMSWA and Swiss Valley Nature Center to
host the first Food Chain Summit which showcased new food system developments including
Iowa Food Hub and Community Supported Agriculture Farms. This high profile event received
positive from attendees, and over 150 in attendance.
An additional opportunity to educate community members about local food systems would be to
showcase a local foods speaker at the Growing Sustainable Communities Conference.
The Dubuque Rescue Mission continues to host public workshops designed to introduce
community members to vegetable gardening, seed saving, and soil health through their
partnership with the Dubuque County Extension. This spring, through the support of a
Community Impact Grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque the Dubuque
Rescue Mission began piloting the Rooted Chef Program. Through experiencing the processes
of food production and cooking, underemployed participants will earn certification in food
handling and develop soft skills for employment in this 16 week course. Graduates from this
program will prepare the first course for the annual Driftless Farm to Table Dinner in
September.
Washington Neighborhood Gardens started a market garden program called Beans and Greens
which integrates gardens, civic engagement, and economic development specifically in the
Washington Neighborhood area. The program offers stipends to several teens for their work in
developing and marketing produce to the community and through consistent produce sales to
the Dubuque Food Coop. This program is made possible by several community partners
including Theisens, Community Development Block Grant, and Crescent Community Health
Center.
Dubuque Farmers' Market: The Dubuque Farmers' Market is administered by Dubuque Main
Street (DMS) on behalf of the City of Dubuque. Dubuque's City Hall was built and became the
home of the market in 1845.
Number of vendors in recent years:
Year No. of No. FMNP' No. of SNAP"
vendors Vendors Vendors
2009 95 20 5
2010 100 23 5
2011 103 25 6
2012 105 24 6
2013 110 23 6
2014 111 24 5
2015 (to date) 105 24 53
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'FMNP = Farmers' Market Nutrition Program for Seniors and WIC
"SNAP = Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as Food Stamps)
The mix of vendors is roughly 70% food vendors and 30% non-food vendors (arts/crafts),
however a handful of vendors sell both food and non-food items.
Expanding Access to Local Foods
In September 2014, Dubuque Main Street was awarded a USDA Farmers' Market Promotion
Program Grant to expand and enhance market. The grant covers the cost to provide the
infrastructure for a centralized market booth where any customer may purchase 'Market Money'
to spend with participating vendors. Market Money is available in $1 tokens for SNAP/EBT
debit-card purchases and $5 tokens for credit/debit card purchases. Dubuque Main Street
secured the license for the Dubuque Farmers' Market to be an authorized SNAP retailer, and in
turn, provided training for vendors to accept the Market Money. Participating vendors are then
reimbursed dollar-for-dollar for the tokens customers spend at their stall. As of July 1 , more
than 50 vendors are participating in the program. The minimum goal for the grant was to sign
up 12 vendors in the first year. The grant covers the transaction and banking fees so there are
no charges passed on the customers or the vendors.
The grant also covers the cost to hire a part-time employee to work at the Market Booth, and
the costs of the tent, supplies, and wireless point-of-purchase equipment. To promote the new
service, marketing dollars where used to install market signage on the former Prescott School
building, advertise on The Jule, install a variety of outdoor billboards in Dubuque, place ads in
the May through October issues of 365ink, and develop a new website for market.
Other infrastructure and market amenities covered by the grant include the purchase of John
Deere electric Gator (for market set-up and tear-down), additional waste (recycling and
composting) receptacles, barricades, tables, chairs, and pop up tent.
Since access to food may also be challenging, EBT customers are given two Jule passes
whenever they purchase $10 or more in Market Money. (One pass to get home and one pass to
come back to market to purchase more food.) The USDA grant is funding these bus passes.
Ongoing Nutrition Programs
Dubuque Farmers' Market has been involved with the Farmers' Market Nutrition Program for
Seniors and for Women, Infants, & Children (WIC) for numerous years. Vendors 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.
Prior to this year's market, vendors were encouraged to participate in the SNAP program, but
they had to apply individually with USDA's Food and Nutrition Services to be an authorized
retailer, as well as burden the costs of wireless equipment and transaction fees. With the
introduction of Market Money by Dubuque Main Street, vendor participation in SNAP has
increased by 45% while food accessibility for SNAP/EBT consumers has been greatly
expanded at market. Dubuque Main Street is actively seeking additional funding sources to
continue this service after the grant funds have expired, as well as funds to offer a 'Double
Dollar Day' program to double EBT benefits at market.
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(Note: Food assistance benefits (SNAP) are distributed through EBT [electronic benefits
transfer] debit-cards.)
Customer Counts
On May 5, 2012, there were 3,123 customers. (Opening day of market)
On July 2, 2011 , there were 3,682 customers (Week before first sweet corn day).
On October 1 , 2011 , there were 2,813 customers. (Pork & Produce Day)
On July 10, 2010, there were 3,809 customers were counted (First sweet corn day.)
DMS would love to conduct another accurate customer count at Market, as we are relatively
certain there has been significant customer growth since our last thorough count in 2012;
however, with our sprawling, 5-hour market with so many entry points it takes approximately 20
volunteers on any one Saturday to maintain the integrity of the count. The groups we used to
use are not available to us, so we will look to garner an official count in the future.
Schools:
Farm to School Initiatives: 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 to table principles. A highlight included a local apple tasting by the
students.
A small vegetable garden was planted by Loras students and staff in May 2014. This will be
maintained and promoted through a partnership between a Senior Honors group, the Biology
Department, and the DMASWA Education Office (located at Loras College). Future goals
include additional gardens located around campus. In May 2015, additional gardens were
planted outside of Wahlert Hall where the Education Department is housed. Selection of plants
was based on children's literature and the areas will be used as outdoor classrooms. Plants
include native species and herbs.
Clarke University has installed a community garden for student and faculty use, and has joined
the EPA Food Recovery Challenge.
Hempstead High School held a ribbon cutting for their community garden, greenhouse, and
outdoor classroom in May 2014.
Neighborhoods:
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, the Washington Neighborhood
garden at 18th & Central, and Convivium Urban Farmstead (Jackson Street). More information
about these gardens can be found at www.cityofdubuque.org/communitygardens.
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COMMUNITY KNOWLEDGE
Government:
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. Coordination for the 2015 conference, to be held October 6-7, is
currently underway. Building on strong themes from last year's conference, speakers in the
areas of social equity, transparency/performance measurement, and private sector engagement
will be highlighted in addition to topics on a variety of other sustainability topics.
Volunteer Development
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 during FY15:
• 2,334 volunteers served 6,411 .5 hours
• Total fiscal value $134,192.31
• Financial literacy services delivered to 495 residents with 310 improving financial
knowledge
• Bridges out of Poverty delivered to 143 people
• 8 Graduated from Getting Ahead
• Average attendance at weekly Circle meetings 48
• 14 Circles leaders supported in pursuing education/employment goals
• 211 System upgraded to allow for better data collection on community needs
• Homeless individuals served by Rescue Mission coordinated through 211 , allowing for
improved data accuracy around homelessness
• Circles has implemented a new system for tracking Circle leader goals
• Operation New View now uses 211 for scheduling Volunteer Income Tax Assistance —
again permitting improved data tracking
• 1 ,146 peopld scheduled for income tax assistance in 2015
• Project Concern now cross-refers clients receiving rapid-rehousing service to Operation
New View for financial literacy support
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The Dubuque National Service Partnership also continues to meet and build its capacity to
jointly report on the impact of the work national service members in our community. Here in
Dubuque, the partnership involves AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, VISTA, and Green Corps
working with numerous non-profits in the community. Work of DNSP volunteers included: 25
foster grandparents mentored youth for over 27,000 hours; AmeriCorps Partners in Learning
tutored over 1500 students and provided programming to over 4500 children and adults through
the MFC, Mines of Spain, Library, and St. Mark Youth Enrichment; 44 AmeriCorps Partners in
Learned served over 23000 hours; 335 volunteers age 55 and older served 52930 hours; meals
were delivered to over 430 homebound seniors; DuRide provided rides to 216 seniors.
Impact: Increasingly, the DNSP and the agencies served by DNSP are working collectively to
impact identified needs around education and economic opportunity. For example, most of the
partners are engaging their volunteers strategically in partnership with the Grade Level Reading
collaborative in order to impact reading scores through the various programs offered by the
non-profits DNSP serves.
City Life: Program redesigned in accord with input from residents and staff.
A. Fifth session completed and we received 25 registration forms.which is a record an
increase of 40% from last time CL was offered.
B. Four of those who registered did not attend, and five additional people stopped attending
after two weeks, for a total of 16 people who completed the program. A total of 80 people
have now completed the program, with 57 who have chosen to be a part of the alumni
listserv. The individuals on the listsery receive information on community engagement
opportunities we are working on with other departments and are asked to share that
invitation with others.
C. Demographics of attendees who completed demographic forms show we have reached
31 men, 36 women, 4 H.S. graduates, 18 college graduates, and 17 with a master
degree or above. Ages have spanned from 18 to over 61 , income levels from $0 to
$70,000, cultural and ethnic backgrounds identified include black, white, German, Irish,
Polish, Swiss, Native-American, Welsh, Czech, and Scottish, and longevity has included
people who've lived in Dubuque from 4 months to 69 years.
Fire Department: In partnership with an Americorps VISTA, the Fire Department installed five
Little Free Libraries on their properties to support the 3rd Grade Reading Initiative. Fire also
partnered with Americorps VISTA to provide readers for a several sessions at Kennedy Mall
where firefighters read books to children.
Library: During Money Smart Week, 2015, the library hosted a Money Smart Shred Event and
over 2,800 pounds of documents were shredded; a 55.6% increase over FY2014.
During Money Smart Week, April 20-26, 2014 the Library held a Money Smart Shred Event and
people shredded 1 ,800 pounds of documents for recycling.
The Library introduced a new service called "While You Wait" that is managed by a volunteer.
Used books that have been donated are placed in waiting rooms throughout the community for
people to read and pass on.
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
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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."
Library staff visited all public schools to encourage the children to sign up for the summer
reading program. They demonstrated how to make "elephant" bubbles by reusing a water
bottle to promote a science project that will be incorporated into the summer reading program.
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 June 1 , 2014, the FSS program is serving 122
households. In FYE 2013 153 households were involved in FSS. Four households completed
the FSS program and earned an average escrow check in the amount of$4,127.00.
Circles® Initiative: Family and Assisted Housing staff is also instrumental in "Getting Ahead in
a Just Gettin'- By World (Getting Ahead TM)", 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 June 2014,
203 individuals have graduated from Getting Ahead. Getting Ahead Round 12 will begin
August 2014.
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; have 6
Leaders waiting to be matched with Allies.
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.
The Circles® Initiative was awarded $1 ,110 from the Sustainable Dubuque Community Grant
program for "Circles® Initiative Family Fun Night". The event took place in October 2013. With
the remaining funds from the grant, Circles® partnered with Sustainable Dubuque and Green
Team to help make the Circles® community a zero waste community with the use of
compostable materials for the weekly meetings. 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
classes took place on two Tuesday nights in March 2014 at the weekly meetings. We estimate
that 40-50 individuals will be served by this project, including the certified babysitters, parents
and children who will receive care. 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 classes took
place on two Tuesday nights in March 2014 at the weekly meetings. We estimate that 40-50
individuals will be served by this project, including the certified babysitters, parents and children
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who will receive care. The Circles® community also partnered with FSS and Operation: New
View to host a Poverty Simulation on Tuesday, 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 8, 2014 and
was attended by about 65 people.
Road to Success, a job readiness fair designed to prepare low-income individuals for
employment was held on June 3, 2014. We have volunteers who will come together to provide
participants an opportunity to experience a variety of learning tracks including "Thirty five
community volunteers came together to provide participants an opportunity to experience a
variety of learning tracks including: "Mock Interviews"; "Dress to Impress"; "Creating a Resume
that Gets You Noticed"; and "Resume & Cover Letter Critiques". Each participant will receive a
folder 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. 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 June 1 , 2014, twenty-
five 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): Since 2009, the Commission has discussed the need for a
comprehensive City master plan, including a public art plan. Since then, the commission has
reviewed countless plans from other communities. Plans such as these require buy in and
support from many City departments, the arts community, the business sector and the
community at large. They usually create and identify funding streams for art programs, define
policies and protocols for the commission of public art, the acceptances of gifts of art to the
City, the purchase of public art, and the identification of public art sites.
The scope of services described in the RFP required the selected consultant to facilitate the
development of an Arts and Culture Master Plan. The Master Plan will guide the City on how to
direct resources and ensure arts and culture is an integral part of the Dubuque community in
the future. The Master Plan reflected the community's desire to utilize arts and culture to
enhance the sense of community; contribute to economic vitality; create and support an
environment where art and culture thrive; and enrich the community culturally, aesthetically,
educationally and economically.
The consultant selection committee for this project is drawn from Key City Staff as well as
advocates of arts and culture activities in Dubuque. . The Committee recommends selection of
Lord Cultural Resources for this project for the following reasons:
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• Lord's planning team has extensive experience in Arts and Culture planning and
strategizing, public art assessments, community and stakeholder engagement and
worked extensively in Iowa and the Midwest region.
• Lord Cultural Resources project approach and schedule reflects an understanding of the
time frame necessary to complete the plan.
• Lord will employ strategies to engage and consult with diverse stakeholder groups and
community members in the development of the plan.
The Arts and culture Master Plan will be developed in three phases:
• Phase 1 : State of Arts and Culture in Dubuque, resulting on a set of key issues and
priorities which will guide the work of subsequent phases;
• Phase 2: Public Engagement, which will involve a broad cross sectioned Dubuque
residents in the planning process and ask for their feedback regarding the issues and
priorities identified in Phase 1 , as well as any other issues and concerns;
• Phase 3: Draft and Final Arts and Cultural Plan, which sets out a strategy for the
cultivation of arts and culture in the city based upon the preceding research and public
engagement.
Intercultural Competency Initiative:
• Inside the City organization, this has transitioned into a standard part of new employee
orientation and is covered under our internal workforce initiative above.
• In the community, the Training and Workforce Development Coordinator works with
other City staff and community volunteers who have completed 32 hours of foundational
training to deliver annually.
• A 4-day Train-the-Trainer on ICC concepts through NICC and a 5 hour ICC training for
board/commission members and general public;
• In addition, the group has developed a leadership team and strategy with Senior High
School and is in the process of training and leadership development with Hempstead
High School and Washington Middle School.
Impact: The objectives of this work are to develop leaders who will be more effective in setting
expectations for intercultural competence within their institutions and spheres of influence
towards a a community where everyone is welcome and able to reach their potential.
Bee Branch Watershed Flood Mitigation Project:
This project is a multi-phased, fiscally responsible investment to mitigate flooding, improve
water quality, stimulate investment, and enhance quality of life within the Bee Branch
Watershed. This project consists of several infrastructure improvements that will reduce the
volume of stormwater, slow the rate of stormwater through the upper watershed, increase the
safe conveyance of stormwater through the flood-prone area, and provide floodwater protection
to the City's water treatment plant on Hawthorne Street.
A major component of the overall project is the Upper Bee Branch Creek Restoration Project,
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which involves "daylighting" a buried creek and features a 2,300-foot long landscaped creek
and green space that accommodates low intensity recreational use. A multiuse trail will be
provided on the northeast side for the full length of the creek. Sidewalks, walking paths, lighting,
and benches also line the creek corridor. A stepped amphitheater between East 22nd Street
and Lincoln Avenue will provide a venue for teaching and neighborhood gatherings. The design
also includes a play area with slides and a community orchard.
A groundbreaking ceremony and project kick-off event were held for the Upper Bee Branch
Creek Restoration Project on July 1 , 2015. The groundbreaking ceremony concluded with
remarks by the mayor on how the project supports the sustainability principles of Lean Water,
Community Design, Healthy Local Foods, Community Health and Safety, Native Plants and
Animals, Reasonable Mobility, Regional Economy, and Community Knowledge. The event was
recorded and broadcast on CityChannel Dubuque and shared on social media.
The project kick-off event was held the same day at Comiskey Park and focused on informing
residents and stakeholders of the project amenities, including the community orchard,
amphitheater, play area, and others.
Thus far in 2015, community outreach efforts related to the Bee Branch Watershed Project
have focused on green alleys, the Upper Bee Branch Creek Restoration, and construction zone
safety.
Non-Profit:
Inclusive Community (Top Priority):
Data Collection:
• (Community Level) Data collection for education was completed in April, data collection
for health was completed in May, and data collection for safe neighborhoods was
completed in June. The survey for transportation was developed.
• (Organization Level) Internal team continues to synthesize the information and identify
patterns for future action planning with departments; team also is creating an equity
toolkit for departments to use to assist in analysis and decision making, building on best
practices from the Government Alliance on Race & Equity.
Reach-In Community Engagement:
• (Community Level) Human Rights staff has been working with Inclusive Dubuque staff to
implement the reach-in community engagement plan for Inclusive Dubuque. In May and
June, we participated in Juneteenth, Marshall Islands Constitution Day, the Dubuque
Pride Picnic, an NAACP meeting, and a meeting with the African Diaspora group. The
latter group, having come together for the initial Inclusive Dubuque dialogue, has
decided to continue meeting on a regular basis. Efforts planned for July — October
include meetings with Tri-State Muslim Association, LULAC, and the LGBT+ group. We
coordinated with the Marshallese group to translate a combined survey (including all
topic areas) and are currently planning to work with the group to disseminate the
surveys. We are working with local LGBT+ leaders and supporters to organize a
dialogue session to discuss issues and needs of the LGBT+ community, as we did not
receive the information needed through our attendance at the Pride picnic.
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Communication (Community and Organization Levels):
• Snapshots for housing, education, and health have been shared with Leadership Team
and with network partners. They are available through the Inclusive Dubuque website
www.inclusivedbq.org. The draft snapshot for safe neighborhoods will be available for
subcommittee review in July and will be posted on the Inclusive Dubuque website when
finalized.
• Weekly Inclusive Dubuque e-mail updates and newsletters are shared regularly with
Inclusive Dubuque Champions who have been identified in each department and with
network partners.
• An article appears monthly in 3651nk and the Telegraph Herald continues its coverage
Action Plans (Organizational and Community Levels):
• Will be developed later in 2015 and through early 2016 after completion of the data
collection and release of the equity profile. There will be both internal actions plans for
the organization and its own service delivery, as well as actions plans for the
organization to work with community partners on identified actions.
Impact: Residents are engaged in dialogues with equally trained facilitators that are already
involved in the community in various capacities. Relationship that HRS has with many
community members is serving as an asset for the recruitment of participants. Increased
number of residents are being reached for the feedback through targeted group dialogue
sessions. This will create opportunities for residents who do not normally engage in community
dialogues.
The completion of these action plans will continue to move us toward being a community where
everyone is welcome and is able to live life without fear or threats; where people receive equal
treatment by City staff; where City services are available for all and delivered in an equitable
and fair manner; and where the City workforce reflects the diversity of the community. In
addition, it will mean continued work towards insuring access to jobs, housing, and services
necessary for a high quality of life in our community, across all demographic groups.
Every Child, Every Promise: Current priorities include:
• LEAP is funded through a collaboration of ECIEP, the Dubuque Community School
District and key OST providers. The community received an $850,000 grant in April 2011
to start a coordinated, collaborative OST program for Middle School Students at
Jefferson and Washington schools. The grant is a 21 st Century Community Learning
Center Grant and was awarded to the Dubuque Schools in collaboration with the key
OST providers.
• 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 2015-2016 school year. LEAP plans to provide over 20 programs to
students in the upcoming school year including several new programs at both schools.
• Grade-Level 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 continues to facilitate an initiative to
increase achievement by improving outcomes in school attendance, school readiness
and summer learning. Progress continues in each of three focus areas:
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o School Readiness- The School Readiness Committee continues to discuss quality
of early childhood providers/centers. Currently there are 64 centers/preschools
that are eligible for QRS. In the spring of 2015, DCSD submitted 11 applications
to obtain a QRS rating and to date, 58% of the eligible providers/centers have a
QRS rating.
o Attendance- In September 2014, the Dubuque Community School District (DCSD)
Board signed an Attendance Proclamation in which they committed to focusing on
reducing chronic absenteeism to give all children an equitable opportunity to
learn, grow and thrive academically, emotionally and socially. Additionally, for the
2015-2016 school year, DCSD is continuing attendance best practices, policies
and programs that were implemented in previous years and working on their
process for collecting chronic absence data. This year, the Attendance committee
is working on identifying barriers preventing students from attending school
regularly and working with community partners to broaden our reach with
attendance strategies and communication to families.
o Summer Learning - The Dubuque Community School District offered an Early
Literacy Summer School for students enrolled in the district in Kindergarten
through grade 2. Summer school enrollment is by invitation only and is offered to
students who are predicted by the DIBELS assessment as being substantially
deficient for reading success. This program was held at Prescott and Kennedy
Elementary schools. The Dubuque Community YMCA/YWCA facilitated an
afternoon Summer Academy at both school locations through a $23,080 grant
funded by the City of Dubuque and Every Child/Every Promise.
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
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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:
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 over
60 total community projects since 2004, including turning over 34 substandard rentals into 24
owner occupied homes. 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.
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 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. In addition to the skills training and degree completion,
students are prepared up front with Lead Safe Worker training & certification, First Aid & CPR
certification, and Tool & Safety training.
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, Trailhead Energy, Keep Dubuque County Clean & Green, the City of Dubuque, ISU
Extension, and Green Dubuque.
During the 2014-15 school year:
• Table Mound School has been recertified as a Sustainability Star Green Vision School.
• St. Anthony/Our Lady of Guadalupe School worked with Sustainability Coordinator and
received the Social Cultural Vibrancy patch.
• Hempstead High School worked with the Dubuque County Conservation Board
naturalists to achieve the Conservation patch and expand their onsite composting,
gardens and outdoor classroom area.
• Other GVE schools continue to work on maintaining and improving sustainability efforts
on their campuses.
REASONABLE MOBILITY
Government:
SW Arterial:
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.
Intermodal Center: 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. The City of Dubuque was awarded an $8,000,000 State of Good Repair
(SGR) grant to be used for a three-phase Intermodal Center adjacent to the Historic Millwork
District.
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Numerous sites were evaluated prior to the selection of the site in the Millwork District with
multiple stakeholder groups being consulted on the location and design of the facility during the
palnning phases. 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.
The Intermodal Center has three components: parking, terminal, and bus storage. The first two
phases of the project are nearing completion with expected opening in August 2015. The third
phase is the bus storage facility. After completion of the first two phases, approximately 25% of
the $8,000,000 SGR grant funding will be available and used for the BSF.
The Intermodal Center is designed as a campus with Terminal and parking as two separate
buildings connected by an overhead bridge. The terminal will be 100% used by Jule transit
whereas the parking ramp will be shared use. The parking ramp will accommodate 292 parking
spaces, of which 92 will be used by Jule transit users and 200 will be used by non-transit users.
The Jule:
• JFK Transfer Center: A state grant was awarded for the Phase I 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
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.
The JFK Circle Transfer is one of three main transfer locations in the city and phase two
of the project is planned for FY2018.
• 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. An improvement
package request was approved to continue the Shopping Circulator route after the end of
the grant period in FY15.
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
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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 a three year project as that is when the functionality of data gathered during the
first two years is demonstrated, and as of January 2015, had approved the third year ICAAP
grant for the project ending on/around December 31 , 2016.
Route changes have been 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. The Express Route and
hub and spoke model were implemented in January 2014. The pilot routes 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.
• 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 July 15, 2015, the
Nightrider route has had a total of 66,103 passengers: 43,129 college students (Clarke,
UD and Loras) and 22,974 members of the general public.
A third year grant was submitted to and approved by the Iowa Clean Air Attainment
Program (ICAAP) in October 2013. This grant will fund 80% of the cost of service until
September 2015 and match funds would again be provided by the colleges. An
improvement package request was submitted during the FY16 budget process for
continuation of the Nightrider service and college partnership following the grant period.
• 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. This
route was implemented as part of the route restructuring in January 2014 and serves as
the spine of the hub and spoke route. It has dramatically reduced travel times 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-
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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 was developed between IBM and the
FTA for the research component in April 2014.
• January 2014 Route Restructuring Results:
Address Points served increased by 59%
Old Routes (Pre January 2014): 47% (13,808/29,169)
New Routes (post January 2014): 75% (21 ,956/29,169)
Average monthly fixed-route ridership prior to the reconfiguration was 28,138 while fixed
route ridership after the reconfiguration has averaged 35,626, an increase of 14% per
month. The new Express route is currently the most popular route in the system with
others that were added during the reconfiguration also performing very well. This year's
increases built on previous years' success; transit ridership in Dubuque has increased
from 373,376 to 478,370, over 100,000 rides or 28 percent in the past five years. Fifty
thousand of these rides came between FY2011 and FY2012, during the first round of the
Smarter Travel pilot study, and over 30,000 rides came between FY2013 and FY2014,
after The Jule's routes were restructured. The Nightrider and college partnership have
also been integral to these increases with over 67,197 daytime and Nightrider rides to
college students between September 2012 and December 2014.
Bicycle/Pedestrian Network: Since the early 1990s, Dubuque has actively planned for a
comprehensive bike/hike network to provide multi-modal transportation for the Tri-State area. In
2009, Dubuque was the first city in the metro area to adopt the Tri-State Area Trail Plan
supporting a bike/hike network to encourage recreation and wellness, provide safe routes to
school, and promote alternative modes of transportation to help reduce air pollution and traffic
congestion. In 2011 , Dubuque was the first city in the metro area to adopt a Complete Streets
Policy. In 2012, Dubuque was the first to incorporate Complete Streets in the municipal code. In
2011 and 2014, Dubuque received honorable mention as a Bicycle Friendly Community from
the American League of Bicyclists.
Since 1995, the City has invested $5 Million in state, federal and private grant funding,
leveraging $11 Million in local trail investment to create a 53.3-mile bike/pedestrian network.
Dubuque has received $1 million in state REAP grants for the 5 phases of the Iowa 32
Bike/Hike Trail, which extends 5 miles from U.S. 52 south to Bergfeld Recreation Area off
Chavenelle Road. The City also received $1 .1 million in federal and state grants for the Bee
Branch Creek MRT Route.
The City's trail system consists of 27.8 miles of signed on-street routes and 25.5 miles of off-
road, paved, multi-use trails. This network connects to parks and the Mississippi River, historic
neighborhoods and the downtown, and to the west side. Today, 80% of homes are within a 5
minute bike ride to a trail.
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. Additionally, another REAP grant was
awarded to the City in FY 2015 to continue the trail all the way to Chavenelle Drive. The project
will also include a sidewalk connection at Bergfeld Pond to provide access to the east side of
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the bridge. Engineering is currently out for bid with Phase 4 & 5 of the IA 32 Hike/Bike trail with
bids expected August 6, 2015. Construction is slated to be complete by November 15, 2015.
In 2012, Dubuque expanded the trail system to include a water trail for canoes and kayaks.
Located in the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, the Dubuque Water
Trail is 11 miles of shoreline along the western edge of the Mississippi River and the Catfish
Creek.
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 100 abandoned
bikes to the Coop to assist in starting the project. When the Coop picks up the bikes, they
immediately determine which are repairable for their project, and the non-repairable bikes or
random bike parts are recycled with a local recycling company.
CLEAN WATER
Government:
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 a three
year period. 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 construction. To date 34 alleys have been completed. An additional 3 alleys are under
construction. There are 28 alleys under contract but not started yet. This brings the total
number alleys to date either completed, under construction or under contract but not started to
65 alleys. Engineering currently has 6 more alleys out for bid bringing the total to 71 alleys.
Engineering plans to design and bid an additional 4 alleys as a bid set later this fall.
Bee Branch: Project involves the day lighting of 4,500 feet of the buried Bee Branch storm
sewer. Episodic damage to public and private property due to flooding results in recurring
expenditures related to repairing damages. Moreover, it leads to a reluctance to improve
property or even maintain property.
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• Update on Property Acquisitions
o The City has acquired 107 of the 112 properties required for the project. The City
expects to acquire the necessary property/easements by the end of 2014.
• 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 September.
o The design of the Upper Bee Branch Creek Restoration Project, everything north
of Garfield Avenue, is 100% complete.
• 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 Upper Bee Branch Creek Part 1 (Railroad Culvert System)
Project is scheduled to start in 2015 and be complete by the spring of 2016.
o Construction of the Upper Bee Branch Creek Part 2 began in July of 2015 and
will be functional by the fall of 2016 and fully completed by the spring of 2017.
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
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
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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. It is now
projected that the digesters will be put online the first week of August and will be in full
production by October of this year. Once fully online the Sludge Processing portion of the plant
will be completely renovated to meet the needs of the new process. The sludge handling
section will be operational by February 2013. Work has begun on the renovation of the final
clarifiers, One clarifier at a time is taken done for construction leaving three online at all times.
The reconstruction of primary clarifier number 1 is complete 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 been completed 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 was February 2014. Some reprogramming of
the W&RRC electrical grid will be completed June 11 , 2014 at that point the W&RRC should be
able to generate about two thirds of the W&RCC electrical needs.
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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 is substantially complete with
the turbines started in February 2014.
Capacitor banks were added to the W&RRC electrical grid to increase efficient utilization of the
electricity produced by the microturbines by bringing the power factor to or very close to one.
Discussions continue with Alliant Energy to allow excess electricity produced at the W&RRC to
feed back into the grid.
Research continues in cooperation with the Dubuque Area Sanitary Landfill on the possible use
of excess methane generated by the W&RRC to be used to produce Compressed Bio-Gas for
vehicle fuel.
In December of 2014 work began with Alliant Energy to develop a Level 4 Interconnect
Agreement between Alliant and the W&RRC. Once the Level 4 agreement is reached the
W&RRC will be able to maximize the use of methane generated to produce up to 600kw of
electricity. Currently the W&RRC is required to purchasing at least 100 kw of electricity in order
to maintain a buffer between the W&RRC and the grid. In addition to the Level 4 agreement
work the W&RRC has signed an agreement with Alliant to become an interruptible client. This
means an approximate savings of$42,000 per year. The standby generators at the W&RRC
will operate as called upon during peak power usage. Talks continue with Alliant Energy to
allow full production of the 600 Kw.
Additional High Strength Waste (HSW) has been introduced into the digesters which is allowing
the W&RRC to produce more methane. Peak production would allow the generation of 600kw
of power and still have excess methane for other uses. The addition of HSW to the digesters
has resulted in increased production of methane for energy production by approximately 35-
45% while also providing increased revenue for the W&RRC of approximately $200,000 per
year. The introduction of HSW from local industries saves the cost and emissions of
transporting the HSW long distance for simple disposal rather than the production of energy.
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.
➢ 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
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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 October of 2014, the SRF sponsorship
project committee reviewed the City's application for the Catfish Creek Watershed project and
plans on recommending the projects for funding. The grant is not to exceed 1 .4 million dollars.
Preliminary plans at this time include Streambank and wetland restoration on the south fork of
Catfish Creek north of the landfill, and permeable pavements for parking lots at Swiss Valley
Nature Center and the E.B. Lyons Nature Center.
Catfish creek has also partnered with Trout Unlimited and many other partners in an effort to
secure 20 million dollars in funding for four key watersheds in the Driftless area through the
Regional Conservation Partnership Program. This would include the Apple Plum watershed, in
which Catfish Creek and the Bee Branch watershed are a part of.
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 generally-acknowledged toxicity
of some a-scrap components, the Agency adopted an a-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.
• Funding from an Iowa Department of Natural Resources Environmental Management
Systems grant enabled the DMASWA to install LED lighting in the Landfill Shop, saving
hundreds of dollars in electricity use. The same grant funded an Education Pavilion
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constructed on top of the closed landfill area. This pavilion is being used for landfill tours for
all ages. Displays in the pavilion provide information on landfill construction and monitoring
as well as a large photo display of the landfill property. Over 500 students have used the
pavilion since it's completion last year.
Sustainable Dubuque Watershed Network: The University of Iowa College of Engineering
and Environmental Science, in collaboration with the City, will provide funding and support for
the Sustainable Dubuque Watershed Network. The research would be intended to coordinate
with existing University watershed research, but take it a step further by incorporating advanced
measuring devices and analysis into an urban watershed, the North Fork — Catfish Creek. It is
intended that the outcome help inform and analyze future infrastructure design and renovation
and low-impact development options for the community and its stakeholders. Specific research
will be sought for analysis of infrastructure design and renovation and low-impact development
options for stakeholders such as rain gardens, bioswales, bioretention areas, green roofs and
other policy options within a watershed. Handling watershed issues before they become Water
and Resource Recovery Center issues will be an economic and environmental benefit to the
community.
Business:
Non-Profit:
Schools:
People & Neighborhoods:
HEALTHY AIR
Government:
Clean Air Attainment Strategy/Air Quality Task Force: In November 2009, the DMATS
Board facilitated a meeting with the Iowa DNR to discuss air quality data in Dubuque and the
surrounding area. From this meeting, city and ECIA staff recommended forming a public/private
partnership to study the data and work on improving air quality. Greater Dubuque Development
Corporation was approached and agreed to facilitate an Air Quality Task Force, which would
consist of local government and business representatives. 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.
In August 2013, the City Council approved the City enrolling in the EPA PM Advance Program.
PM Advance is designed to promote local actions to reduce PM 2.5 and its precursors and
attainment areas to continue to maintain the PM 2.5 National Ambient Air Quality Standards
(NAAQS). A draft "Path Forward" document was submitted to EPA in July 2015, and will be
updated annually. In partnership with the University of Iowa, the City received an EPA
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Environmental Education grant to implement air quality education using real-time sensors. This
project will take place over the next two years.
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. The system's third phase was
installed and completed in the autumn of 2013. Since the project's initial phase completion
in September of 2010, collected 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 partnering with Greater Dubuque Development Corporation and the Economic
Development Department to market the methane to potential new employers considering
locating in the City's newest industrial park along Seippel Road adjoining the DMASWA
property. Anticipated future measurable outcomes include new private-sector jobs, 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 January 1 , 2015, thirty-four (34) heavy trucks and twenty (20)
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.
NATIVE PLANTS &ANIMALS
Government:
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.
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. The
Friends also raised an additional $325,000 for enhanced exhibits and educational
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programming. Construction began in September 2009, and was completed a year later.
Engineering Department:
On May 19, 2014 the City Council approved a construction contract with Portzen Construction
of Dubuque, IA to construct the improvements for the EB Lyons Interpretive Area Addition. The
contract was for $981 ,243.62. The planned improvements include:
— Construction of a concrete trail and concrete pad to serve as an outdoor classroom
including associated grading and culvert installations
— Construction of concrete sidewalks to connect the current interpretative center to the
newly constructed trails and parking lots
— Construction of stormwater management components
— Construction of two parking lots and associated grading
— Expansion of one parking lot and associated grading
— Construction of a toilet facility and associated electric services
— Construction of an open air pavilion and associated electric services
— Construction of a kiosk
— Installation of a water service to a people and pet drinking fountain and a flush hydrant
— Site grading and utilities to accommodate a maintenance shop
— Provide and install limestone benches
Construction of the improvements began in June of 2014. Construction has recently been
completed in July of 2015. The ribbon cutting for the new expanded area is scheduled for
August 3, 2015 at 5:15 pm. The project was completed within budget and below the
construction contract.
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.
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 two stormwater retention
ponds at the DMASWA Landfill in calendar 2012 and 2014 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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COMMUNITY HEALTH & SAFETY
Government:
Smarter Health & Wellness: The Smarter Health and Wellness pilot with IBM was completed
in September, 2014. Ideation session with IBM Watson Think Lab staff, GDDC and City staff
along with community health organization representatives; After 2 day session, workforce was
the topic selected for proof of concept (POC). Staff will continue to prepare/seek health POC
opportunities.
Neighbor to Neighbor: Three of the six pilot neighborhoods have organized a meeting and/or
event in their block to get to know their neighbors better. Some Block Coordinators have
highlighted issues and challenges within their own neighborhood, and shared ideas to address
them. The pilot phase will end in Fall 2015. The project will be reviewed based on Block
Coordinator's feedback and then be fully executed. Five of the six participating neighborhood
blocks are continuing with the process. Internal group has met to begin preparing a year-end
report of the pilot. All participating block coordinators will be reconvened for a feedback session
to modify the existing Resource Guide. Residents are taking leadership and actions in
identifying and addressing neighborhood-based issues. This helps residents gain skills, be
empowered and provide opportunities for City staff to continue to build strong relationship with
them.
Cultural Voices: Cultural Voices group is currently looking for other funding sources to create
this video, and already has a list of community volunteers to share their personal stories about
their journey to Dubuque and life here. The video would aim to increase understanding among
City staff of the diverse cultural traits Dubuque residents hold, how they play a variety of roles in
communication (especially between staff and residents), and why miscommunication may be
interpreted by residents as lack of City support for community-led efforts, especially among the
non US-born residents. Cultural Voices has found local resources (Loras College) to create a
video where community volunteers would share their personal stories about their journey to
Dubuque and life here
Suicide Awareness Walk group — facilitated connection between local organizers on this critical
issue and the local transgender group, which is the group with the highest rate of suicide in the
country.
Needs Assessment committee (Project Hope) — connected with this group to assure cultural
group leaders are invited to identify needs and discuss options to address them (as it is being
conducted to specifically target residents in lower economic brackets).
Business:
Dubuque County Wellness Coalition: The Dubuque County Wellness Coalition completed a
strategic planning process to determine how they can be a community leader and facilitator
around this new principle. Public Health Specialist Mary Rose Corrigan facilitates the coalition;
which is a key component for accessing state and federal funds for community health and
wellness issues.
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