New partnership improves Iowa state parks

The Grant Wood Mississippi River Region will be the location of the first strategic Iowa parks pilot project. Three counties; Dubuque, Jackson and Jones are home to four state parks in northeast Iowa and will be the first pilot area for a public-private partnership expected to receive at least $6 million in funding. The Grant Wood Mississippi River Region plans to better connect Iowans with outdoor recreational opportunities by expanding infrastructure; creating connections; and improving the structural, economic and community connections for the region’s four state parks and scenic byways.

David Heiar Director of the Jackson County Economic Alliance, and a point person for the region, is ready for the project to begin. “Our partners in the Grant Wood Mississippi River Region are very excited about this opportunity to serve as a pilot region. We are anxious to begin the planning process, and of course even more enthusiastic about implementing the vision that is created. As a pilot project, we know other regions will be looking to us to set the standards and benchmarks for future projects throughout the state.”

Monday’s announcement at a news conference on the west steps of the state Capitol coincided with the arrival of a long-term and sustainable strategy developed by a special panel charged with formulating a 100-year vision for Iowa’s state parks system, said Robert Riley, a member of the Green Ribbon Commission, a private board of the Iowa Parks Foundation.