Great Places Update 2007
October
Two years ago, Coon Rapids was chosen as one of Iowa's Great Places. Read our Two Year Summary Report to find out everything that has been happening.
September
There have been so many amazing accomplishments that we can't fit it all into just a couple of paragraphs. So to read all about the $1.7 Million CAT grant, project updates, historic preservation updates and so much more read the September 13 issue of Coon Rapids Enterprise.
July
It's been a busy summer for the Steering Committee, project teams, contractors and many others supporting our Great Place initiative. The city was advised that it received a $20,000 grant from the Warren H. Timmerman Trust. This grant will help fund the Hybrid Icon sculpture to be located at the 5th Ave Gateway.
Five osprey chicks have been delivered from Wisconsin and installed in the hack tower south of Coon Rapids. The chicks will be hand fed until they are ready to fly and fish on their own. For more information on our osprey reintroduction project click here. When the osprey are flying a public viewing event will be scheduled.
On July 12, Dan Brouse attended a ceremony hosted by Laura Bush, honorary Chair of Preserve America. She presented a certificate to Dan recognizing Coon Rapids as one of 20 new Preserve America Communities. This designation will make Coon Rapids eligible for preservation grants and and other incentives to preserve and restore our historic buildings.
Several Steering Committee members, lead by Rachel Garst, spent most of June producing a comprehensive Community Attractions and Tourism grant request for submission to Vision Iowa. The package was submitted on June 22. A briefing to the CAT and Vision Iowa Board was presented on July 11. The board positively responded to the presentation. Since they had not had sufficient time to fully evaluate the proposal they invited the committee to their August meeting to discuss it in detail.
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Community volunteers, including several professional electricians, installed wiring in the Coon Rapids Park Shelter House. Iowa Department of Corrections inmates and staff are installing drywall and completing external and internal details. Coon Rapids City employees have completed grading and reinstalled playground equipment. The shelter house will open in July. To reserve the facility call the city clerk’s office at 712-999-7749 |
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At the Riverside RV park, the Carroll County Conservation Board has poured the foundation for the restroom and shower building |
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Work on the Thomas Rest Haven’s Assisted Living Wing is underway. Trees have been cleared and the ground leveled |
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South of town, work on the 5th Ave bridge is on schedule. This bridge is being built wide enough to carry the Whiterock trail across the stream it crosses |
| The Streetscape Committee is meeting on a regular basis to review and approve design details. They are anxiously awaiting a mid-July presentation on the Hybrid Icon and the design of other streetscaping artistic elements | |
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And finally, Elisabeth Hill, Whiterock Ecologist reports the following: Just wanted to let you know that there are 16 active Great Blue Heron nests in two sites on both sides of the river here at Whiterock Conservancy. I observed 18 young this morning, although there were more being fed that were not visible. As well, a group of ~25 Great Egrets have been spending quite a bit of time at McCord’s Pond and the Highway 141 wetland northeast of the Home Farm. |
May
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Work is on-going on replacement of the 5th Ave Bridge south of Hwy 141. The new bridge which employs a “hungry canyon” design will reduce erosion of the river channel in the area of the bridge. The new roadway will provide sufficient space to carry the “Great Place” trail into the Whiterock Conservancy. The trail between the bridge and the pedestrian underpass under Hwy 414 will be graded and paved as part of the bridge project. The third week in May the city and the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs signed a contract that will allow the city to apply great place funding to construction of other portions of the trail. A second contract, covering streetscaping work was also approved and signed. |
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A major City Park shelter house milestone was met the week of May 14th when Department of Corrections staff members and inmates completed the exterior walls. They will return in the near future to begin installing the roof. The City of Coon Rapids has received outstanding support from the Iowa Department of Corrections as part of the state’s Great Place initiative. |
| On May 18th the Thomas Rest Haven broke ground for its new 12-unit assisted living facility. The facility will be funded by $800,000 in local donations, funds allocated by the Coon Rapids- Whiterock the Great Places Steering Committee, and $1.45 Million in grants and loans from the USDA Rural Development Program. | |
| Parkview Assisted Living Facility Ground Breaking got underway with the help of Director Mary Jane Venteicher, fundraising co-chairs Wilts Cretsinger and Dierk Halverson, Nursing Home Trustee Chair Harris Hess, and honoorary Campaign co-chairs, Pete Oliver and Bill Hess. |
April
In early April the Steering Committee submitted two mini-grant requests to the Guthrie County Foundation. The first requested support for a bird viewing platform at Roadside Park just south of Coon Rapids. The second requested support for the Osprey Reintroduction project. This project, sponsored by Save Our Avian Resources, will raise and release osprey hatchlings each year for the next five years. It is expected that the migrating birds will return to nest in the river valley.
Grant requests are being developed for submission to the Peter Kiewit Foundation in mid April. The grants will support public art installations associated with our streetscaping project and Whiterock trails and infrastructure development. Members of the Committee have begun discussions with the Vision Iowa staff in preparation for submitting a Community Attraction and Tourism Grant Request in July. This grant will supplement major funding provided by city, national and local resources and allow us to make substantial progress on our Streetscaping and Opening Whiterock Projects.
March
In March the University of Iowa graduate students held their second community forum in Coon Rapids. This form focused on an assessment of strengths and opportunities for our community. Over 100 surveys were sent to Coon Rapids, Bayard and Dedham area businesses and micro-enterprises. Surveys have been collected and sent to University of Iowa graduate students for analysis. The results of the survey will assist the CRDG in its mission of supporting local business.
An Earth Day mini-grant was submitted to the EPA for $1,800. If approved, this money will be used to help fund a Bird Viewing Platform at Roadside Park.
A team from Coon Rapids including, Chad Leighty, Tolif Hunt, Rachel Garst and Tyler Schwaller flew to Washington DC to meet with legislators regarding a federal earmark for trails.
February
Doug Carpenter was presenter at Cultural Advocacy Days, which is a symposium to raise awareness of and advocate for Iowa’s cultural assets. Doug spoke on the value of adding an artist to the Coon Rapids streetscape design team.
Bill Allen and Randy Hildreth from the USDA met with the Steering Committee to discuss the possibility of funding from the USDA for migrant housing. While here, Randy Hildreth also explained that the Coon Rapids Municipal Utilities application for the REDLG revolving loan program has been held up. This is due to expiration of the fiscal year ‘07 eligibility provision that allowed municipal utilities to participate. CRMU is exploring their options and is hopeful that this provision will be added to the ’08 fiscal year requirements. Bill Allen explained the Migrant Housing program. Based on the limited seasonal need in the Coon Rapids area the Steering Committee felt that the program has limited value for our area at this time.
The City of Coon Rapids was notified that they did not receive either of the State Transportation Enhancement grants. (One had requested $403,000 for the town loop trail and the other had requested $800,000 for the streetscape project) We were also turned down for the Federal Recreational Trail grant. (We had requested $200,000 toward the streetscape project) In addition we did not receive the Safe Routes to School grant. (We requested $94,989 towards sidewalks and trails to the school) All grants were through the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT). This is an area were we believe improved interaction and pre-award discussion with DOT personnel could have paid off in terms of increasing the probability of an award. A strategy meeting with DOT personnel has been scheduled for early March.
The Streetscape Committee and the Design Firm of Kirkham Michael, the landscape firm of Brian Clark and artist David Dahlquist held a public presentation on the results of the Design Charrettes they held the previous two days. The team presented a plan to divide the streetscape project into four projects, and they provided their initial ideas on public art, signage, landscaping and public spaces. The Charrettes and public review meeting resulted in a large number of suggestions and comments. The design team will use the inputs to develop a 20% design that will be presented at a March Streetscaping committee meeting.
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Coon Rapids Development Group |
