Month: July 2015

What’s Goes On in Public Works?

Posted on by Gregg Mandsager

City of Muscatine

Hello there!

It’s Emily Lofgren here with the City of Muscatine. I’m glad you’re taking the time to read more about the Public Works Department.

As I’ve toured the various departments within the City, I have enjoyed learning how each department plays a significant role in making things run smoothly in the community. The Public Works Department is the largest department with 70 employees split into 10 divisions and a $12 Million operational budget. It was one of the first departments I began to learn more about.

Muscatine Public Works Sam Ravenscraft is a Vehicle Mechanic in the Vehicle Maintenance Division of Public Works. He spends his time making sure the vehicles in the department run smoothly.

Some of the Public Works divisions and functions include:

  • Building and Grounds – Maintaining the many public buildings and grounds visited daily by Muscatine residents and the business community
  • Engineering – Managing and designing projects and participating in…

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Mississippi Drive Corridor Vision and Project Kick-off Event

Posted on by Gregg Mandsager

As we prepare for the September 1, 2015,  Kick-off of the Mississippi Drive Corridor Project, I wanted to pass on an educational piece that highlight’s the vision for transforming Mississippi Drive. This piece was put together after 30 city staff, business and property owners, health practitioners, regional planners and resident leaders came together under the direction of Dan Burden, national walkability expert, to begin to re-envision Mississippi Drive.

We identified what Muscatine currently lacks in the Mississippi Drive Corridor and found ways to potentially address those needs with changes to the built environment. Right now, we have an incredible opportunity to connect our downtown to the riverfront with this project. We can transform this corridor into a key focal piece for our community. Transforming Mississippi Drive will serve as a catalyst for economic development, community health, well-being and overall livability.

Please take a look at the Mississippi Drive vision piece and plan to attend the kick-off on Sept. 1. More details about the kick-off event will be released soon.

Click here for more info on the Kick-off Event!

Mississippi Drive Today

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Mississippi Drive Tomorrow?

BZ_MuscatineIA_After

Check out the following links!

Re-envisioning Mississippi Drive

Mississippi Drive Corridor Project Resource Page

Save the Date: September 1 to be Mississippi Drive Corridor Project Kick-off

Posted on by Gregg Mandsager

City of Muscatine

Save September 1 and plan to attend a kick-off event for the Mississippi Drive Corridor Project. The event will be held at the Muscatine Riverfront, with specific location and time information to be released soon.

What is the Mississippi Drive Corridor Project?

It is a proposal for reconstructing the 1.6 miles of U.S. 61-Business (pavement and curb/gutter). It also includes street lighting, landscaping, gateway features, pedestrian crossings, sidewalk improvements, traffic signals, geometric improvements, storm drainage improvements, and road embankment work intended to improve flood protection. The work will focus on four distinct areas adjoining Muscatine’s Central Business District.  The improvement segments include the HNI Campus Area, Downtown Area, High Sidewalk (Bluff) Area and the Carver Corner Area.

The City of Muscatine plans for this project to meet the objectives of Muscatine’s complete street policy by improving both Muscatine’s quality of life and image. This project will provide a safe and attractive environment for street users of…

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Update on Opening of the Muscatine Center

Posted on by Gregg Mandsager

City of Muscatine

Last week, I wrote about Mayor Hopkins and his trip to China to take part in the opening ceremony of the Muscatine Center in the city of Jinan. In addition to Mayor and Jill Hopkins, five Muscatine area high school students and one teacher chaperone had the opportunity to attend the opening ceremony on July 17.

Students Katy Axel, Marci Clark, Grant Nollette, Zoey Petersen, and Alexa Santaniello and chaperone Angie Curtis are in China to attend Shanghai Camp, which is sponsored by the Shanghai People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. The purpose of the summer camp is to bring international students to China to learn about China’s culture and to build relationships with students from other cultures. The five students from Muscatine will be the only students representing the United States at this year’s Shanghai Camp.

The photos of the Muscatine Center’s opening were provided by Marci Clark, who has…

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The Imagining Livability Design Collection by Walkable and Livable Communities Institute

Posted on by Gregg Mandsager

As the City of Muscatine begins the process of reconstructing and reimagining what the Mississippi Drive Corridor could be, here is a new tool provided by the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute and AARP:

Screen Shot 2015-07-16 at 3.04.18 PM

Here is a brief explanation of this new resource provided by the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute:

“What can livability look like in a rural context? How about a suburban one? And what can be done to make existing urban conditions more walkable and bikeable?

If you believe a picture can speak a thousand words, or you know people who are visual learners, then you will enjoy and want to share the latest free, educational resource created by the WALC Institute and AARP: The Imagining Livability Design Collection, a visual portfolio of tools and transformations.”

More information can be found at the following website:  http://www.walklive.org

So, click on the above photo and check out this great new resource!

Muscatine Fire Department Spends Summer Focusing on Training

Posted on by Gregg Mandsager

Check out the latest City of Muscatine blog post!

City of Muscatine

Fire Department 1 Fire Fighters Cory Schaeckenbach and Colin Suiter demonstrate control of fire hose

Last Friday morning, after starting off by touring the Police Department, I moved on to learning about the Muscatine Fire Department. Fire Chief Jerry Ewers welcomed me by first providing a brief overview of the Department’s role in our community. We discussed some of the ways the Fire Department both informs and educates residents of Muscatine. He explained that not only do they share news about an event or holiday, but they try to turn everything into a teachable moment.

From fighting fires, to educating citizens on fire safety, to providing EMS services to Muscatine and some surrounding areas, the Muscatine Fire Department keeps a full schedule. Something people in Muscatine might not know is that the fire fighters work 24 hour shifts, 365 days a year. They work holidays. They have three shift groups with a scheduled rotation, so there…

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Muscatine Police Department Seeks to Build Relationships With Community

Posted on by Gregg Mandsager

City of Muscatine

Muscatine Police Department Officer Donyell Raisbeck has seen the benefit of relationship building as it pertains to her work on the police force

Hello, Muscatine!

As I said in the introduction post, I am spending time touring departments of the City to get a better feel for how business is done. My goal is to relay that information back to you. I want you to hear about the positive things happening in our great city and be informed about initiatives that affect you. I suppose you could say that my role serves as a bridge to connect the City to the people of the City, ensuring mutual understanding and discourse.

Last Friday morning started off with a trip to the Muscatine Public Safety Building to tour the Police Department. Police Chief Brett Talkington showed me the facility and explained more about the role of police officers in our community.

Right now, the Muscatine Police Department…

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Mayor Hopkins to Visit China for Opening of Muscatine Center

Posted on by Gregg Mandsager

City of Muscatine

Muscatine Center 3 Glad Cheng and Daniel Wang of China Window Group LLC plan for the Muscatine Center

On Saturday, Mayor DeWayne Hopkins and his wife, Jill, will travel to China for 10 days to attend the opening of a Muscatine Center. Their trip will serve to strengthen the relationship between Muscatine and China. Glad Cheng and Daniel Wang of China Window Group LLC are opening a Muscatine Center in Jinan, China to encourage Chinese tourism to Muscatine.

When then Vice President (now President) Xi Jin Ping visited Muscatine for his second time in 2012, people in China had Muscatine fresh on their minds. Awareness increased as stories of Xi Jin Ping’s visit sparked interest among the Chinese. Since then, awareness has decreased and Glad and Daniel want to change that.

Glad and Daniel hope to build two or three more Muscatine Centers within China to further their endeavor.

Mayor Hopkins said the Muscatine Center will feature displays…

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