Lansing City Council approves two grant applications and continues conversation about application for Iowa Great Places Program designation

by Julie Berg-Raymond

During its regular meeting Monday, February 6, the Lansing City Council approved a City of Lansing Parks Board request to apply for a Wellmark Grant related to “environments to be physically active in” for 2023, with matching funds up to $10,000 to be provided by the City of Lansing. The funding would be used to resurface and update the City’s sports courts.

“The budget is about $40,000 and it’s a 50/50 match,” Parks and Recreation Board Chairperson Maryann Baldwin noted. “We’ll request half that from Wellmark. Ten thousand dollars of the match funds will come from the City and we’ll be looking for additional contributions from private donors and fundraising for the other $10,000.”

The council also approved a request by the Water and Sewer Department to submit a grant application for water/wastewater generators through the Allamakee County Community Foundation Grant Program, with that grant application due February 24.

IOWA GREAT PLACES DESIGNATION
Andrew Boddicker addressed the council on progress made towards completion of the application for the Iowa Great Places designation through the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, and construction of a Vision Plan. Both are due March 10. He also asked the council to consider forming a partnership with Main Street Lansing (MSL) to oversee the designation on behalf of the City, potentially naming Main Street Lansing’s executive director to act as a local “point person” should Lansing be granted Iowa Great Place status.

Iowa Great Places is a 10-year designation created to showcase the unique and authentic qualities of communities, regions, neighborhoods and districts in Iowa. Designation as an Iowa Great Place gives the designated community access to one large funding opportunity within the 10-year period from the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. In its history, grants generally have  run between $100,000-$400,000; an Iowa Great Places Designation also gives any designated city extra points with other agencies, for other grant opportunities.

Mallory Hanson, regional tourism & economic development coordinator with Northeast Iowa Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D), joined Boddicker as a guest speaker and addressed the council via Zoom web conferencing, to answer any questions council members might have about the program. Hanson has worked with other cities and locations that have been granted Iowa Great Places status - including the Turkey River Recreational Corridor, made up of the communities of Clermont, Elgin and Elkader, and the historic Motor Mill in Fayette and Clayton Counties.

“One of the great benefits of the designation is access to a dedicated funding source,” Hanson said. “And it’s really very do-able once you receive the designation. We’ve leveraged a lot of other grant funds, too.”

Regarding the Vision Plan currently under construction for the City of Lansing, Hanson said, “it changes pretty frequently. We like to think of it as a living, breathing document. Some projects may not come to fruition,” she added.

As a program of the Department of Cultural Affairs, the Iowa Great Places Program “does give some weight to projects that include culture and the arts,” she added.

Regarding having a single “point person” overseeing the designation and acting as a liaison for the City, Boddicker said his research suggests that “most successful communities have that person.” Hanson agreed, saying, “success depends on having a consistent, sustainable - and paid - position. Volunteer organizations are wonderful, but the turnover is constant.”

Boddicker said he will present the completed Vision Plan objectives at the next regular meeting of the city council February 20; the final vote on the Vision Plan is scheduled to take place March 6.

POLICE REPORT
Lansing Chief of Police Conrad Rosendahl updated the council on the city’s DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program, noting that the first-year program had recently been completed; the fifth grade students participating in the program this year were asked to write essays about what they’d learned from the program. The top three essayists were given awards, and they read their winning essays during a DARE graduation event, which was attended by the fourth grade class, members of which will take part in the program next school year as fifth graders.

Chief Rosendahl also spoke briefly about the possible implementation of speed cameras within the community. “It would be a way for the City to generate pure revenue while improving public safety at the same time,” he said in an email following the meeting.

“When I initially presented the idea to the council, they had questions I could not answer,” Chief Rosendahl added. “I contacted the representative and he advised that they would want to come and perform a speed and site study prior to attending any meeting so that way they could properly address any questions and be able to give their best recommendations. This program comes at a zero cost to the City.”

OTHER BUSINESS
In other business, the council approved Denise Mauss’ appointment to the Parks Board, and also approved background checks and drug tests for all Parks and Recreation Department seasonal employees who are 18 years of age and older. A liquor license renewal for TJ Hunter’s also was approved by the council. The next regular meeting of the Lansing City Council is scheduled for Monday, February 20 at 7 p.m. in Lansing City Hall.