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Dubuque group gets close look at Keokuk riverfront as committee eyes conceptual master plan
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| Riverfront Improvement Committee member Mark Smidt, right, answers a question during a tour along the riverfront Tuesday that included three employees of Durrant, a Dubuque consulting firm, Kirk Brandenberger (second from left), head of the Keokuk Area Convention and Tourism Bureau, and Kathy Farris of the Southside Boat Club. The Durrant staffers include, from left, Pat Norton and Chris Wand. Durrant’s Laura Hawks is not shown. |
By Steve Dunn/Gate City Managing Editor
Three employees of a Dubuque consulting firm got a close look at the Keokuk riverfront Tuesday after meeting with members of the new Riverfront Improvement Committee.
With the help of Durrant, the committee plans to have a conceptual master plan for the riverfront ready by March 2009.
“We're very excited to be working on this project,” said Laura Hawks of Durrant, who cited Keokuk's rich history. “Our effort will be to move those goals (in the Keokuk Area Vision With Action Plan) forward and get more information and input from the community.”
Until Tuesday, Durrant had conducted one kickoff meeting by phone with the riverfront task force. After the meeting Tuesday, Hawks and two other Durrant employees, Chris Wand and Pat Norton, boarded the Keokuk Area Convention and Tourism Bureau bus for a tour of the riverfront led by task force member Mark Smidt.
As they stopped at the flood-damaged shell of the Southside Boat Club, Lock and Dam 19 and other locations, they gathered information and took digital photos.
To collect public input, the committee is developing an online survey and scheduling public meetings for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 17, at Keokuk Middle School; Jan. 27, 2009; and Feb. 24, 2009.
Durrant also plans to talk to specific groups such as the Southside Boat Club and the Keokuk Rotary Club on the same days as the public meetings.
“After site reconnaisance, we'll gather the information and input and then start to incorporate that into the conceptual master plan,” Hawks said. “After the final plan is complete, we'll look into funding opportunities.”
Local officials often compare Keokuk's riverfront to Dubuque's before the latter city completed a $188 million project aided by Vision Iowa funds that made its riverfront more attractive.
In fact, the Riverfront Improvement Committee hopes to visit Dubuque and a couple of other communities along the way in January 2009.
Wand described Keokuk's existing riverfront as “very disjointed with a lot going on.”
Hawks said the Keokuk riverfront offers spectacular views in certain places where the river is wide compared to Dubuque and Davenport.
Committee member Bob Schieffer suggested building a large lookout along the river by Rand Park to take advantage of the impressive view.
Obtaining the old railroad depot across from Victory Park and converting it to a visitor's center or some other similar use also has been discussed by local officials. However, the existing railroad tracks that are used to store rail cars used mostly by Roquette America, Inc. often block the old depot. Some have suggested moving the old depot to another location, although no costs have been given.
Kirk Brandenberger, head of the Keokuk Convention and Tourism Bureau, raised the issue of larger pleasure boats that often don't stop in Keokuk. Having bicycle trails that could take the boats' passengers to restaurants and other spots in town would help, Wand said.
Until the Flood of 2008, the Southside Boat Club had played an integral part along the riverfront. Club member Kathy Farris said club members are looking at rebuilding options, having about $100,000 to work with.
“The funds required to do it right are staggering,” Farris said.
Whatever is proposed in the conceptual master plan, development will occur in phases, Wand indicated.
With the help of Durrant, the committee plans to have a conceptual master plan for the riverfront ready by March 2009.
“We're very excited to be working on this project,” said Laura Hawks of Durrant, who cited Keokuk's rich history. “Our effort will be to move those goals (in the Keokuk Area Vision With Action Plan) forward and get more information and input from the community.”
Until Tuesday, Durrant had conducted one kickoff meeting by phone with the riverfront task force. After the meeting Tuesday, Hawks and two other Durrant employees, Chris Wand and Pat Norton, boarded the Keokuk Area Convention and Tourism Bureau bus for a tour of the riverfront led by task force member Mark Smidt.
As they stopped at the flood-damaged shell of the Southside Boat Club, Lock and Dam 19 and other locations, they gathered information and took digital photos.
To collect public input, the committee is developing an online survey and scheduling public meetings for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 17, at Keokuk Middle School; Jan. 27, 2009; and Feb. 24, 2009.
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“After site reconnaisance, we'll gather the information and input and then start to incorporate that into the conceptual master plan,” Hawks said. “After the final plan is complete, we'll look into funding opportunities.”
Local officials often compare Keokuk's riverfront to Dubuque's before the latter city completed a $188 million project aided by Vision Iowa funds that made its riverfront more attractive.
In fact, the Riverfront Improvement Committee hopes to visit Dubuque and a couple of other communities along the way in January 2009.
Wand described Keokuk's existing riverfront as “very disjointed with a lot going on.”
Hawks said the Keokuk riverfront offers spectacular views in certain places where the river is wide compared to Dubuque and Davenport.
Committee member Bob Schieffer suggested building a large lookout along the river by Rand Park to take advantage of the impressive view.
Obtaining the old railroad depot across from Victory Park and converting it to a visitor's center or some other similar use also has been discussed by local officials. However, the existing railroad tracks that are used to store rail cars used mostly by Roquette America, Inc. often block the old depot. Some have suggested moving the old depot to another location, although no costs have been given.
Kirk Brandenberger, head of the Keokuk Convention and Tourism Bureau, raised the issue of larger pleasure boats that often don't stop in Keokuk. Having bicycle trails that could take the boats' passengers to restaurants and other spots in town would help, Wand said.
Until the Flood of 2008, the Southside Boat Club had played an integral part along the riverfront. Club member Kathy Farris said club members are looking at rebuilding options, having about $100,000 to work with.
“The funds required to do it right are staggering,” Farris said.
Whatever is proposed in the conceptual master plan, development will occur in phases, Wand indicated.
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Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of dailygate.com.
i agree wrote on Dec 7, 2008 12:06 PM:
" keokuk does have a great potential for its residents and visitors by making the riverfront more user friendly,but we're in a flood plain and everything built or considered needs to keep this in the forefront.docks are great,but below the dam they need constant upkeep with the water flucuating like it does.i've lived here all my life and have never toured the geo verity paddlewheeler,am i missing out or could we use it as a visitor center/restaurant?good luck to the southside boat club,i hope you rebuild soon. "
Keosippi wrote on Dec 6, 2008 4:05 PM:
" I think this is an awesome first step for much needed improvements to the river in the Keokuk area. 1.) I agree that boat access above the dam definitely needs to be improved. The current access near the Yacht Club is in pretty bad shape, and there is only one access point for hundreds of boaters on a busy summer weekend. I have personally waited in line for 45 minutes.. Its not fun. 2.) As far as the depot goes I do believe that is not city owned but privately owned, so I don't see why it would be the city's problem to demolish it. 3.) There is nothing commercial on the riverfront. There are no parking docks for any sized boat. Anyone on a boat just knows to pass by Keokuk because you just cant stop. You can go down to the Purple Cow to get a bite to eat or gas up, you can go up to Montrose or Fort Madison, park at the parking docks, and get a bite to eat or gas, but nothing of the sort can be found in Keokuk.
I would love to see some improvements made to the Keokuk riverfront. If the Southside Boat Club opened up again and became a destination, that would be great! Maybe even some sort of marina on the lower river in Keokuk would be possible! I'm all for enhancing our riverfront. "
I would love to see some improvements made to the Keokuk riverfront. If the Southside Boat Club opened up again and became a destination, that would be great! Maybe even some sort of marina on the lower river in Keokuk would be possible! I'm all for enhancing our riverfront. "
sjb wrote on Dec 6, 2008 9:54 AM:
" wasted space...you didn't know this was now a camping area? Has been ever since they thought we would get a lot of
campers from the Mormon temple openingl. There have been 8 or 10 campers a year in there. I don't think they are very
efficient about collecting the rent for the spaces. I don't know whose pipe dream that was or who made the decision to fund it..all I know is it was my tax dollar they spent. Now the Evel Knevel group of Keokuk use it as big playground. I wonder who pays if one of those idiots get paralzed?
It really ticks me off that our mayor & city council do not think anyone in town is smart enough to do anything without spending a bunch of money on an out-of-town group...shop at home. I think they should assume someone in this town is intelligent....of course they only have themselves to judge anyone by... "
campers from the Mormon temple openingl. There have been 8 or 10 campers a year in there. I don't think they are very
efficient about collecting the rent for the spaces. I don't know whose pipe dream that was or who made the decision to fund it..all I know is it was my tax dollar they spent. Now the Evel Knevel group of Keokuk use it as big playground. I wonder who pays if one of those idiots get paralzed?
It really ticks me off that our mayor & city council do not think anyone in town is smart enough to do anything without spending a bunch of money on an out-of-town group...shop at home. I think they should assume someone in this town is intelligent....of course they only have themselves to judge anyone by... "
Dont Copy K-TOWN wrote on Dec 5, 2008 9:39 PM:
" HEY DUBUQUE, Don't Copy K-TOWN! Dubuque has actual potential for meaningful development because it is well-governed!. Keokuk city gov't has about one one-hundredth of the competence found up there in Dubuque. Furthermore, why would anyone want to waste their money investing in the Tri-state toilet named Keokuk? The citizenry are not used to hard work, the available housing is substandard, and cultural environment is poor. If Keokuk ever expects to compete regionally then BIG changes need to be made NOW. First, clean house at city hall, 2) issue a bond and build some houses that "normal" people would want to live in. 3) Cajole the population to eat better, quit smoking, lose LOTS of wieght, and crack a book every now and then. BTW KEOKUK.... METH KILLS! Until the city makes itself presentable, no REAL industry will come here and no tourism will materialize. START with the arrogant heads of the city government and CLEAN HOUSE! "
wasted space wrote on Dec 5, 2008 11:31 AM:
" What about all of the wasted space where the gambling boat used to dock! "
sas wrote on Dec 5, 2008 11:02 AM:
" Again, people...where is all this mponey coming from? The old depot needs demolished. I sort of remember them trying to restore it back in the 90's. They stopped for some reason. Movong the Coast Guard doesn't really sound likje a swift idea...what about the bridge department? Our town is notorious for doing smart stuff...put in electric hook ups for campers in the old gambling boat place...whoopie...10 campers a year stay there. That is a generous count. I also know of a couple occasions at least that no fees were collected. Who wants to camp in a parking lot? What we need is some one with a little bit of saavy in charge of the town. "
Re Street Repair wrote on Dec 5, 2008 10:18 AM:
" This comment is always made. There is an ongoing project to repair several sections of the worst streets each year. I also noticed that the Public Works Dept. stepped up pot hole filling activities this Spring and Fall. All cities have some bad roads. Especially older cities where the road beds were not built with modern techniques and settleing results in wavy roads and potholes. I think the current system of identifying the roads that are in the worst condition and tackle those most heavily traveled first, or those with drainage problems. In the 5 years I've lived here, I've noticed a big improvement already. Years of neglect by city councils unwilling to spend the money, take on debt or find the grant money cannot be fixed overnight.
Putting off projects that will attract tourism and help build the community to make expensive repairs to infrastructure in low traffic residential areas is not good planning. If one plans their routes carefully, they can fidn alternate route swhere there are better roads. I can't believe how many people I watch take side streets with a stop sign at every intersection instead of driving 1 extra block to a main throughfare. It's the same people that drive 30mph down main slamming on the brakes at every stoplight never realizing that most of the intersectionas are timed for just under 25mph. "
Putting off projects that will attract tourism and help build the community to make expensive repairs to infrastructure in low traffic residential areas is not good planning. If one plans their routes carefully, they can fidn alternate route swhere there are better roads. I can't believe how many people I watch take side streets with a stop sign at every intersection instead of driving 1 extra block to a main throughfare. It's the same people that drive 30mph down main slamming on the brakes at every stoplight never realizing that most of the intersectionas are timed for just under 25mph. "
Street Program wrote on Dec 5, 2008 8:12 AM:
" Red Man -
Last I noticed the streets are being fixed. I believe the City does have a comprehensive street project currently underway.
I don't believe there is a city is this Country that doesn't have some bad streets. Keokuk's street project is long overdue so there is some catchup to be had, but let's give credit where credit is due. "
Last I noticed the streets are being fixed. I believe the City does have a comprehensive street project currently underway.
I don't believe there is a city is this Country that doesn't have some bad streets. Keokuk's street project is long overdue so there is some catchup to be had, but let's give credit where credit is due. "
Public Input wrote on Dec 4, 2008 4:54 PM:
" Make sure you folks attend the public input meeting!!!!!! Wednesday, 12/17. 6:30pm at the Middle School. I personally would like emphasis put on boat access improvement above the dam. "
Red Man wrote on Dec 4, 2008 3:45 PM:
" Don't it make sense to fix our city streets first? A policeman stopped me the other night for swerving. He thought I had a few too many. I told him I was dodging the bad spots the street. "
River Walk wrote on Dec 4, 2008 11:22 AM:
" I agree with moving the Coast Guard. I would like to see walkways or sidewalk along the lenght of the riverfront wiht parking available at both ends, starting at Victory Park (existing parking adequate) and add parking at the boat launch at the opposite end. a marina could be added next to the boat launch in cooperation with the southside boat club. Somewhat similar to Fort Madison. "
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Jay wrote on Dec 8, 2008 10:32 AM:
For you to make an all encompassing statement about the intelligence of the population of Keokuk or not being used to hard work shows your ignorance. So next time before you label an entire population step back and think for a minute. I personally don't appreciate your comment and I am sure there are others who take exception to it as well. "