Public Input Meeting for Eagle Point Park Restoration

CITY OF DUBUQUE CONTACTS:
Stephen Fehsal, Park Division Manager
563.589.4260, sfehsal@cityofdubuque.org

Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager
563.589-4211, lcarsten@cityofdubuque.org 

Nov. 15, 2018 -- For Immediate Release

DUBUQUE, Iowa -- The City of Dubuque will host a public input meeting to discuss the environmental restoration planned at Eagle Point Park in 2019. The meeting will be held Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018, from 6 -7:30 p.m. in the Aigler Auditorium of Carnegie-Stout Public Library, 360 West. 11th St., Dubuque. 

Eagle Point Park is a 164-acre community park that opened in 1909 on Dubuque’s northeast side. The park is owned by the City of Dubuque and managed by the City’s leisure services department’s park division. The park overlooks the Mississippi River, providing a spectacular view of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin. 

The environmental restoration work planned for Eagle Point Park involves implementation of the park’s Environmental Restoration Management Plan. Adopted by the City Council in 2017, the plan addresses the park’s recreational and natural spaces that suffer the effects of severe erosion, invasive vegetation, and degraded natural habitats on the rolling, rugged terrain. Implementation of that plan will commence using state and federal funds under the guidance of the City’s consulting team led by Emmons and Olivier Resources, Inc. All of this environmental work must be done within the context of the park’s rich cultural history.

The environmental restoration work involves design, engineering, permitting, and construction of low-impact development and green infrastructure best management practices for managing stormwater to improve water quality. The restoration work is currently in the concept design phase and may include a variety of practices such as rain gardens, infiltration basins, permeable pavement, soil quality restoration, conversion of turf to native vegetation, and ravine stabilization measures. In combination, these green infrastructure best management practices provide an effective strategy for reducing overall runoff and erosion and improving water quality downstream in the watersheds of Bee Branch Creek and the Mississippi River. They also will provide new nature-based recreation opportunities for park visitors, create habitat for wildlife, and foster sustainability.

The public input meeting will be an open house style with City staff and consultants available to review poster boards describing the issues at the park and the best management practices that are proposed to fix these issues. City staff and consultants will collect input from attendees about the planned work.

# # #