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Clinton, Coon Rapids, Sioux City Named Great Places Pilots
Clinton,
Coon Rapids and Sioux City were named pilot places by the Great Places Citizen
Advisory Board October 3 at the State Historical Building. Guttenberg and Central
City were designated as alternates.
The state will negotiate partnership agreements with the three places to help them achieve their Great Places visions by targeting existing state resources and programs for maximum impact and results. Governor Tom Vilsack formally presented the three pilot places during the Iowa Great Places Conference October 11 at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.
Clinton
The vision for Clinton is to expand and improve the public spaces of the 12-mile
Clinton riverfront by “connecting the dots” of existing public spaces
to produce a Grand Promenade extending along the entire riverfront from the South
Bridge Area to Eagle Point Park.
Coon Rapids
The already rich recreational opportunities of the town of Coon Rapids will be
greatly enriched by the myriad recreational opportunities of the Whiterock preserve:
hiking, canoeing, trail riding, astronomy, etc. Add this to the growing number
of creative ecotourism enterprises offering local tours, products of local artisans,
and locally grown foods, and the Coon Rapids-Whiterock area will become a unique
destination and experience unparalleled in Iowa.
Sioux City
Sioux City is embarking on a plan that will redefine historic boundaries connecting
independently evolving parts. The transforming process will connect the very heart
of Sioux City, making it a seamless urban experience where downtown, the riverfront,
and the historic Stockyards area meet uninterrupted by the physical and psychological
boundaries that now separate each unique part. It will connect to tri-state recreational
trails that invite community participation and encourage healthy lifestyles.
To read more details about the Clinton, Coon Rapids and Sioux City offers, visit www.iowagreatplaces.gov.
The Great Places initiative was launched by Governor Vilsack earlier this year as a challenge to Iowans to be bold and creative as they transform what is unique, genuine and authentic about Iowa into great places for people to live and visit.
The Iowa Great Places Conference in Iowa City celebrated all places that participated in the Great Places process and will feature workshops related to place development, marketing and other topics. The event was in conjunction with “Visions in Focus,” which featured Richard Florida, author of Rise of the Creative Class and Flight of the Creative Class, as the keynote speaker.
