Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
DUBUQUE INITIATIVES
DUBUQUE INITIATIVES. Facing an economic downturn and fleeing businesses, the city of Dubuque in the late 1970s was looking for funding for an industrial park. A new highway through downtown Dubuque displaced businesses and alternative locations were few. Grant money was available to non-profit organizations, but not to municipalities. To seize this opportunity, the Dubuque City Council voted in 1980 to form a non-profit entity and named it DUBUQUE IN-FUTURO. The grant money received for the initial Westside industrial park investment and the subsequent sale of the lots has seeded several other impactful projects throughout Dubuque. Dubuque In-Futuro became Dubuque Initiatives in 1920. It is an entirely self-sustaining entity, which serves as a catalyst to community development and job creation. In 2019 eleven board members served the organization. (1)
Since 2000, Dubuque Initiatives participated in significant projects which helped to encourage over $311 million in new investment causing an increased $365 million in assessed value and 1,500 new jobs. The following is a list of some of the projects Dubuque Initiatives participated in or facilitated in recent years: (2)
Dubuque Industrial Park South development
A. A. COOPER WAGON AND BUGGY COMPANY
Port of Dubuque Land Acquisition
Retail Expansion Efforts
Weber Paper Building reuse (Platinum Building)
Old German Bank (Silver Dollar Cantina)
Historic Millwork District
Roshek Building Purchase & Renovation
In 2022 a former site of Medline, a health care company, was purchased for $2.5 million. Plans called for the building to be renovated into a new child care center. Initial plans called for the site to have 120 openings with an eventual maximum of 225. The goal was to have the child care available by the end of 2023. The facility would be operated by the DUBUQUE COMMUNITY YMCA/YWCA. The child care facility would occupy an estimated one-third of the 67,000-square foot-building. There would also be a playground and additional greenspace for the children. (3)
---
Source:
1. Dubuque Initiatives, "History," Online: https://dubuqueinitiatives.com/history-dubuque-in-futuro/
2. Ibid. "Our Projects"
3. Reese, Kayli, "Nonprofit Plans Child Care Facility," Telegraph Herald, December 31, 2022, p. 1A