MILLER RIVERVIEW PARK

MILLER RIVERVIEW PARK. Established in 1986, the twenty-acre park on CHAPLAIN SCHMITT ISLAND haD 98 sites with electricity and primitive camping for approximately forty tents. For many years, the Dubuque County Conservation Society had managed the park, known locally at CAMP 17, with the help of Jack and Mary Miller, caretakers who cleared undergrowth and helped enforce park rules. The City of Dubuque let the lease to the conservation society lapse in 1986, but kept the Millers as caretakers. Bathrooms, upgraded electrical facilities, paving, a playground and other improvements were made. (1)

In 1994 Riverview Park was officially renamed Miller Riverview Park in honor of the Millers. A monument, sidewalk leading to it, and flower and tree plants were established through private donations of $1,600 in volunteer help from local contractors. Money for the project was first collected by the North End Neighborhood Council in 1993. (2)

Use of the park in 2010 was approximately ten times what it had been thirty years before. In 2010 there were approximately five thousand overnight stays annually. (3)

Despite its popularity, the future of the park by 2019 was in doubt. In August the park had not yet opened due to the flooding of the MISSISSIPPI RIVER. For the entire year, the park was only open twelve days. (4) The ground could not be elevated because it was a federally protected wetland. In 2018 the park had to be closed five times after its usual opening on April 15th. In 2017 it was reported that Riverview Park generated $63,000 to the city annually. In fiscal year 2019 which stretched from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019 the revenue was only $33,000.

Consideration of replacing the park with one located on CHAPLAIN SCHMITT ISLAND was heavily criticized despite its negative financial history. When the park generated $63,000, Miller Riverview required clean-up costs of approximately $73,000. This included clean-up of debris, putting down additional base stone and mulch for playgrounds, and reinstalling electrical pedestals. A campground manager is hired annually at a base rate of $5,800 regardless of whether the park is open or not. Once the camp achieved its goal of the number of days used, the manager received another one dollar per campsite filled. (4)

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Source:

1. Elier, Donnelle, "Park Monument Honors Caretaker Couple," Telegraph Herald, May 19, 1994, p. 4

2. Ibid.

3. Ibid.

4. "2019: By the Numbers," Telegraph Herald, December 29, 2019, p. 1A

5. Fisher, Benjamin, "Miller Riverview Park Remains Closed, Its Future Questioned," Telegraph Herald, July 30, 2019, p. 1A