#551, Club Bulletin, March 30, 2015
Posted by Mary Wildermuth
on Mar 30, 2015
Program for March 30 2015: Muscatine's Entrepreneur Center with Jim Elias
Invocation: Judi Holdorf
Rotary News: Nick Cusick's name was read for the second time for membership. Josh Beelman was a guest of Shelley Sides. Happy News: Scott Ingstad was pleased to see the Iowa State Girls Basketball Game yesterday!! Greg Jenkins invited participation at the Chamber Annual Dinner on March 26th!! Dick Stanley was happy too about the Iowa State Women' s Basketball game!! Marilyn Smith told us today is her birthday!! Happy Birthday!! Tony reminded us of the District Rotary Meeting and encouraged our participation since it is in Coralville!! Next evening Rotary meeting is April 23 sponsored by Kundel and Hintermeister at WineNutz!!
Program: Pam Collins introduced Randy Hill Muscatine City Public Works Director. Randy gave a brief update of current public works projects and provided a future vision. He also told us that Muscatine had adopted a Street Design model that is called a complete street model which addresses safety and beauty for all ages of consumers!! Cedar Street Project will be completed in June. Colorado Street Project is close also and is hoped to be completed in May. The West Hill Project has 3 phases to it which should be completed by 2017. The combination of taxes and 1 cent local option tax is garnering about $500,000 annually and is used to maintain our streets. The newly added state gas tax will provide us with about $400,000 annually to help with road and street maintanence and improvements. A $50,000 Wellmark Grant has enabled sidewalks to be built for Walking School Bus Routes near several of our elementary and middle schools. The grant was matched by the City.
In 2016 the West Hill Phase 111 and Mulberry Reconstruction Projects will started with $1.2 million in federal funding. Other projects include the Wiggins Road and Deep Lakes Park Project, and the Muscatine Art Center Environmental Upgrade project. In 2017 and beyond the Mississippi Drive Corridor Project will begin with hopeful impact on the Central Business District including the building of the Stanley Hotel and various riverfront projects. Randy is cheerleading to make our Riverfront the best in Iowa in the next few years!! A lofty vision with a doable goal for our place along the great Father of all Waters...the Mississippi River!!