Public invited to be a part of navigating the future by attending Iowa Great River Road meeting; Nearest session is April 3 in Marquette

The Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission invites stakeholders along the Iowa Great River Road National Scenic Byway to attend one of six meetings in April. The Commission is appointed to steward and promote the 328-mile route, and its ten members each reside in one of the ten Iowa Mississippi River counties.
These meetings will feature panel discussions and public input about important local resources and priorities for updating the overall management plan guiding the Byway. The most local meeting will be held Thursday, April 3 at the Driftless Area Wetlands Centre, located at 509 HWY 18 near Marquette. The meeting will take place from 3-5 p.m.
Results of the 2013 Iowa Great River Road Visitor and Resident Surveys conducted last summer and fall will be shared, providing both expected and surprising observations about local attractions, communities and characteristics of the Iowa Great River Road. The results of these surveys are intended to help shape how the Byway Plan can help communities develop better visitor services and sustain the quality of life and economic benefits along the Great River Road.
Each meeting will include a panel of different local, state and federal organization and agency representatives. Panelists will provide the Commission input to help develop short-, mid-, and long-term priorities for this nationally important tourist destination and travel corridor. Attendees will be invited to make suggestions and ask questions.
Local interested groups and citizens are encouraged to attend any session, regardless of where they live and may attend more than one session. Each session will last approximately two hours. Additional meeting dates, times and locations are as follows:
Wednesday, April 2 at the Mississippi River Eco Tourism Center, Rock Creek Marina & Campground, 3942 Shafton Road, Camanche from 3-5 p.m.;
Tuesday, April 8 at the Des Moines County Heritage Center, 501 North 4th Street, Burlington from 3-5 p.m.;
Wednesday, April 9 at the Muscatine County Environmental Learning Center, 3300 Cedar Street, Muscatine from 3-5 p.m.;
Thursday, April 10 at the Putnam Museum, 1717 W 12th St., Davenport from 3-5 p.m.;
Tuesday, April 15 at the Historic Federal Building, City Council Chambers, 350 W 6th Street, Dubuque from 3-5 p.m.
Since its designation by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation as one of only 150 National Scenic Byways in the United States, Iowa Great River Road projects have been awarded nearly 12 million dollars in grants throughout the 10 Iowa counties which border the Mississippi River.  Projects supported by these grants include the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium in Dubuque, the Clinton County Eco Tourism Center, the Louisa Interpretive Center in Louisa County, the restoration of the Fort Madison Depot, the expansion of the E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center in Dubuque, the marina in downtown Guttenberg, a planned Driftless Area Visitor Center in Lansing, a planned overlook in Marquette, a rest area at Port Louisa, and a variety of trails and bike paths.
The Iowa Great River Road is managed by the Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission, an organization created by the State of Iowa to steward and promote the route. The Commission’s members each reside in one of the 10 Iowa Mississippi River counties and are appointed by the Governor.  The Iowa Great River Road is an important segment of the 10-state, 3,000 mile long national Great River Road meandering on both sides of the Mississippi River from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. The National Mississippi River Parkway Commission and the Great River Road were established in 1938 under President Franklin Roosevelt.

The Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission was awarded a National Scenic Byways Program grant in 2011 to update the aging plan and has hired the firm of David L. Dahlquist Associates of Des Moines, a national leader in byway planning, to develop a new “corridor management plan” for the Iowa Great River Road. A corridor management plan is essentially the business and development plan for a byway - guiding a wide range of activities including resource protection, marketing, partnership organizing, and strategies for the sharing the unique culture and history of the byway. The original Iowa Great River Road Corridor Management Plan was written in 2000 and has supported many communities and organizations in its efforts to secure federal funding and local dollars to develop projects throughout the 10 counties.
Questions about the Iowa Great River Road Corridor Management Plan update can be directed to John Goodmann at 563-556-3232 or David L. Dahlquist Associates at 515-326-1593 or ddahlquist@outlook.com.   Also, refer to http://www.iowadot.gov/iowasbyways/mississippi_river.htm for information about the Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission. Readers are also encouraged to contact their county’s Commissioner, who are as follows: Allamakee County: Jane Regan, 563-380-3635; Clayton County: Lori Wallace, 319-551-6171; Dubuque County: John Goodmann, 563-599-4350; Jackson County: Lori Roling, 563-542-1243; Clinton County: Edith Pfeffer, 563-243-7751, Scott County: Glenn Pelecky, 563-505-6347; Muscatine County: Daniel Petersen, 563-263-3527; Louisa County: Jay Schweitzer, 319-728-2219; Des Moines County: Debra Jochims, 319-752-4455; Lee County: Larry Kruse, 319-469-2018.