Charles City named ‘Great Place’

Wed October 17 2007
Posted Oct 17, 2007
3,010

DES MOINES — The Department of Cultural Affairs announced on Friday that Charles City, along with Appanoose County, Davenport, Decorah, Council Bluffs, Perry and Valley Junction of West Des Moines, have been named as Iowa’s next “Great Places.” The announcement came after the Iowa Great Places Citizen Advisory Board concluded a four-day tour of seven finalist locations and made its recommendations to DCA Director Cyndi Pederson. Pederson approved the advisory board’s recommendations, bringing the total number of Iowa Great Places to 16. “After four wonderful days visiting seven communities that were listed as finalists for Great Places, the amount of community support, creative ideas and the level of readiness we saw demonstrated that all seven are truly Great Places,” said Robin Anderson, vice chair of the advisory board. Governor Chet Culver will formally recognize Iowa’s new Great Places at 11 a.m. Wednesday near the West Steps of the Capitol Building. The newly identified Great Places are expected to develop work plans and sign Memorandums of Understanding with the state later this year. “This has been a terrific week for Iowa,” Pederson said. “This year’s finalists shared their hopes and dreams for the future of their communities. Every place that participated showed remarkable commitment to their place and to the program. The interest, enthusiasm and energy shows there are people all over this state with the passion to achieve their vision.” Iowa Great Places is a program that calls on state agencies to partner with Iowans by combining state resources with local assets to make Iowa’s communities, neighborhoods, districts and regions great places where people want to live, work and raise a family. The program asks to develop proposals that address seven unique and authentic dimensions that make places special: engaging experiences; rich, diverse populations and cultures; a vital, creative economy; clean and accessible natural and built environments; well-designed infrastructure; a shared attitude of optimism that welcomes new ideas; and based on a diverse and inclusive cultural mosaic. Charles City’s presentation, which was made last Monday to the Advisory Board, showcased Charles City as a great place to live, work and play. The Great Places application was built around two visionary projects — improvements and expansion of the only remaining structure in the Midwest dedicated to one of the premier advocates of women’s suffrage in the United States that resulted in passage of the 19th Amendment, along with a unique kayak rodeo for outdoor usage and other recreational riverfront developments. The National 19th Amendment Society is looking to enhance and expand the Carrie Chapman Catt Girlhood Home, creating more of a museum aimed at increased education, enlightenment and awareness of suffrage rights and their relationship to rights of women. The Charles City Park Board’s downtown riverfront development project, meanwhile, consists of a kayak rodeo course, ravine area, park entrance enhancement, storm water fountain and recreational trail augmentation. Advisory Board chairman Bill Menner of Grinnell remarked after Monday’s tour of Charles City that he was “really impressed by the concepts for things like the kayak rodeo and the storm water fountain. Visually, they are very appealing. Just outside the box, especially the kayak rodeo. Who’d have thunk it in Charles City, or anywhere else in Iowa? For someone to be trying to reach out to a group like that and trying to attract them, that’s what Great Places is all about — taking those special components of your place and extending them outward.” State agencies continue to work with Iowa’s first nine Great Places — Adams County, Clinton, Coon Rapids, Dubuque, Fairfield, Guttenberg, Jackson County, Mason City and Sioux City — to achieve their visions by identifying technical assistance and existing programs such as grant and financial aid programs, and the State Historic Preservation Tax Credit program. The following is a list of this year’s other newly identified Great Places, their visioning statements and summaries of their project proposals: Appanoose County — A Unique Sense of Place: A multitude of 52 cultures and nationalities settled, prospered and raised their children with an ability of overcoming challenges and the resilience to meet and change with the times. Restoration of Ritz theatre. Development of 545 acres Lelah Bradley Active Campus that includes trails, natural habitat, reservoirs, sport fields and community gardens. Rathbun multi-use trail connecting Rathbun Snow trails and the new trails in Honey Creek Resort State Park. Council Bluffs — The River’s Edge at Iowa’s Leading Edge: Enhance the Council Bluffs image within the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area by diversifying tourism opportunities, increasing commercial and housing activities and improving the quality of life for western Iowans. Development of former Playland Park site into mix use neighborhood offering unique living and working environment. Development of riverfront park to encourage access to Missouri River and public art. Complete enhancements of pedestrian bridge linking Council Bluffs and Omaha riverfront developments. ?Sustainable expertise and programming forum for activities in riverfront park. Davenport — Iowa’s Front Porch: At the crossroads of America, this city has intrigued entrepreneurs, adventurers and explorers for centuries. It is planning its future on education, arts and neighborhoods that are steeped in the rich history of the state and country. Centennial Park is a 58-acre former industrial area and will turn into a gathering place for the community with a state-of-the-art skate park, basketball courts, and informal play and concert area with active recreation, family play and picnic area. Centennial Park spray ground, a 10,000-square-foot area featuring programmable and interactive play for young families without hazards for young children, based on a Mississippi River theme and a migratory flyway of the river. Front Porch parkway that envisions water transportation on River Drive, farmer’s market and beautification that promotes Union Station as a visitor’s center and expands the River Drive skyway. LeClaire Park enhancement of Main Street pier, sculpture garden, family activity center, nature area, fountain area and Brady Street Bowl. Decorah — A Healthy Community: A healthy community is reflected in its physical attributes, successful business environment and active citizen participation that brings tourists to a beautiful spot that is set apart from much of Iowa with its limestone bluffs and scenic river ravine. Development of Health Center and development and rehabilitation of visitor’s center and community recreation/education center. Continuation of 12-mile trail. Local food and fitness center along with $500,000 grant from the Kellogg Foundation to increase consumption of healthy food in rural communities. Perry — Living the Small Town Dream: A hometown that enriches its residents, fosters a sense of community, provides the basics and celebrates their significance with a shared experience and appreciation of diverse cultures. Downtown revitalization focused on beautification, improved infrastructure and creation of pedestrian friendly walkways. Town Craft Center to help small communities envision a sustainable future through creative approaches to development with Iowa State University College of Design and Iowa State Extension. Recreation/Brownfield/Interpretative Center - includes connection of trails of Raccoon River Valley, Hiawatha Trail and Galloping Goose Trail. ?Reintroducing bays of original roundhouse and certain buildings of railroad center and creation of educational center for railroad history and immigrant center to fully explore the immigrant experience from yesterday to today. Valley Junction — Historic Valley Junction: Under Construction: Broad-based group of supporters that want to show how a small neglected part of the metro Des Moines area can rise from a derelict and neglected part of the larger suburban city and forge its own unique identity as a small village in suburbia. Development of pattern book to promote walk ability and consistent small town feel for the village. Public art. ?Railroad Avenue and Valley Junction streetscape. Small business incubator in restored railroad depot. Trail connection from city to Raccoon River and to metro Des Moines. The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs is responsible for developing the state’s interest in the areas of the arts, history and other cultural matters with the advice and assistance from its two divisions: the State Historical Society of Iowa and the Iowa Arts Council. DCA preserves, researches, interprets and promotes an awareness and understanding of local, state and regional history and stimulates and encourages the study and presentation of the performing and fine arts and public interest and participation in them. It implements tourism-related art and history projects as directed by the General Assembly and designs a comprehensive, statewide, long-range plan with the assistance of the Iowa Arts Council to develop the arts in Iowa. More information about DCA is available at www.culturalaffairs.org.