Harpers Ferry Vision for Our Future group works toward community sustainability

by Kelli Boylen
freelance writer

Small communities face a number of challenges, but some Harpers Ferry residents are working together to help make sure their community has what it needs to be sustainable.
After a series of smaller community meetings throughout the past several months, a larger session was held Thursday, June 11 to discuss and brainstorm Harpers Ferry’s “Vision for the Future.”
Harpers Ferry is one of five communities, four in Iowa and one in Illinois, chosen to share a total of $152,492 in funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Community Development Initiative Program (RCDI) Program. RCDI helps community-based development organizations and other groups promote economic growth in low-income, rural communities. The grant is being administered by the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque (CFGD).
More than 60 community members shared their thoughts over the past few months, working with The Harpers Ferry Boosters Inc. (formerly known as the Harpers Ferry Booster Club), and CFGD.
In the recent sessions and discussions, four main areas were identified as strengths of the community. Those areas include the people, community support, fire/ EMS services and the Mississippi River. Challenges to the community include attracting younger residents, retaining permanent residents and creating more jobs.
Kari McCann, director of Nonprofit Partnerships & Grantmaking for the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, explained that all of these strengths and challenges are connected. “We can work together as a community to create a place where young families thrive and small businesses grow,” she said.
Four goals for the future of the community were identified by the groups throughout the recent meeting series:
• Harpers Ferry is a place where young families thrive.
• Harpers Ferry is growing small businesses and jobs.
• Harpers Ferry is enhancing services to tourists and seasonal residents.
• Harpers Ferry is a year-round home for an increasing number of residents.
At the June 11 meeting, attendees chose a group to work with to talk over what would be needed to make each of these goals a reality, and then the groups shared the ideas and challenges they discussed.
The “young families” group reported that housing is expensive in Harpers. Often when a family puts their house up for sale it is purchased by someone who only uses it on the weekends in the summer months. They discussed the fact that most families would need to commute to another location for employment, shopping and activities.
Ideas to remedy this challenge include researching grant availability to help with down payments when families purchase homes, possibly partnering with the high school vo-ag class to build housing in the city limits, or perhaps seeing if attracting immigrant families or low-income housing to the community may be a possibility. Having year-round recreational activities was also brought up as a way to encourage young families to move to town.
The “growing business” group talked about promoting the quality internet available in Harpers Ferry to encourage “tele-commuting” as a way to have small businesses, and this may possibly increase the number of year-round residents as well. They discussed including current local businesses in future discussions or perhaps creating a survey asking why those businesses choose to be located in Harpers, what support they need to thrive and what they think would be needed to encourage more business to local there. The community is currently “land locked” and unless private landowners in the city and abutting the city limits were willing to sell there are not many places to build.
The “enhancing services” group discussed the need for more boat slips, the possibility of a RV park to increase summer business and the idea of dredging the river for easier access.
The “year-round residents” group brought up some of the same issues as the “young families” group, and also discussed the possibility of assisted living and senior citizen housing.
Several groups brought up the need for public transportation so those having issues with driving due to age or other reasons could still live in the rural community and be able to shop, go to medical appointments, etc. Two groups also brought up the fact that there is not currently a city water system and it should be investigated if having one may possibly increase the chances of community growth. The idea of a beach was also brought up, but there are not many possible locations for one to be created.
M.J. Smith, Director of Affiliate Foundations for the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, said that each of the discussion groups is now tasked with researching their ideas and deciding how to move forward. Anyone who is interested in becoming involved is encouraged to contact Betty Steege at steebo@acegroup.cc or 563-586-2046.
The Harpers Ferry Boosters Inc. is a volunteer group working together almost 20 years for the betterment of the community. They have about 180 members today, with about 30 members regularly active.
It is hoped that the USDA funds will help to build greater prosperity and sustainability in Harpers Ferry, which qualified for the program due to population and income level. For more information go to http://harpersferryboosterclub.weebly.com/vision-for-our-future.html.