Newsletter from the Iowa Governor's Office: Iowa Great Places
Newsletter from the Iowa Governor's Office: Iowa Great Places
Dear Fellow Iowans,
By now, we hope you've heard about Iowa Great Places. It's an initiative designed to promote bold thought, innovation and entrepreneurship to cultivate the unique and authentic qualities that make places in Iowa so special. The initiative turns the state into a new kind of partner with Iowans - demystifying government, leveraging resources for impact and delivering results.
A "Great Place" can be a neighborhood, a community or group of communities, a county, a district, a region or some other place. Places that invite the state to be their partner will be assigned a coaching team to help them develop an offer to be presented to the Great Places Citizen Advisory Board in September. The Board will select three pilot Great Places in October, considering offers in the context of seven dimensions: A Unique Sense of Place, Engaging Experiences, A Rich Social Fabric, A Vital Economy, A Pleasing Environment, A Strong Foundation and A Creative Culture.
In order to make Great Places a successful initiative, we need your input. The Great Places Initiative is being kicked off this week with a series of forums across the state, and we hope you have the opportunity to attend one of them:
* May 17 - Surf Ballroom, 460 North Shore Drive, Clear Lake, 4-6 p.m.
* May 18 - Spencer Community Theater Playhouse, 518 First Avenue East, Spencer, 4-6 p.m.
* May 19 - Western Historic Trails Center, 3434 Richard Downing Avenue, Council Bluffs, 4:15-6:15 p.m.
* May 23 - National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium, 350 East 3rd Street, Dubuque, 4-6 p.m.
* May 24 - Pella Opera House, 611 Franklin, Pella, 4-6 p.m.
* May 25 - Oster Regent Theater, 103 Main Street, Cedar Falls, 4-6 p.m.
* May 26 - Stanley Auditorium, 225 Iowa Avenue, Muscatine, 3:30-5:30 p.m.
* June 1 - CSPS, 1103 Third Street SE, Cedar Rapids, 4-6 p.m.
* June 2 - State Historical Building Auditorium, 600 East Locust Street, Des Moines, 4-6 p.m.
* June 9 - Martin Ballroom, 410 Pierce Street, Sioux City, 4-6 p.m.
I hope you will be able to attend a Great Places forum. The forums are free and open to the public, and refreshments will be served. For more information, visit www.iowagreatplaces.gov or call 515-281-8824. Persons with a disability who need a reasonable accommodation to participate in a forum in a forum should contact Jill Fulitano-Avery at (515) 242-6334 or jill.avery@iowa.gov.
Sincerely,
Thomas J. Vilsack Sally J. Pederson
Governor Lt. Governor
http://www.governor.state.ia.us/newsletter/050516_01.html