PARKING RAMP

Being researched

PARKING RAMP. In the spring of 1961 Harold Marks of Victor Gruen Associates conducted a parking survey with the goal of solving the immediate problems of parking in the downtown area. Marks and a committee of citizens considered ten sites, but recommended the block bounded by Locust, Bluff, Eighth and Ninth for at least one two-level parking facility for its superior accessibility. Marks further estimated that a 250-car two-level garage could be built for about $770,000. (1)

The site had three tenants--the Telegraph Herald, Chamber of Commerce, and Franklin Roshek, a cousin of the owners of ROSHEK'S DEPARTMENT STORE. Roshek owned a parcel of land along the west side of Locust that was used for parking mainly by professional people who had offices in the area. (2)

In September 1962, the Chamber of Commerce announced its willingness to sell its property at 9th and Locust for the appraised value of $80,000, or a mutually agreed upon price, provided the land was used for the development of a parking ramp. The Telegraph Herald agreed to a trade of property with the same stipulation. Officials of the Telegraph Herald agreed to trade its 100 x 102 foot lot at Eighth and Bluff for three parcels of land along Ninth Street which were then being used as metered municipal parking. (3)

Encouragement for the construction was quickly shown. The Chamber of Commerce agreed to sell its land for $75,000, less than the appraisal. The Chamber also announced that $31,000 in private funds had been committed to the project. (4)

The Dubuque Planning Commission approved the parking ramp construction on a vote of 4-3 on September 14, 1962. At the meeting, it was explained that parking facilities were financed by revenue from parking and not tax money. The motoring public paid for the convenience of parking lots. (5) On September 17, 1962 the council authorized negotiations to acquire the Roshek property. (6)

City Manager Gilbert D. CHAVENELLE and a delegation of city officials visited Madison, Wisconsin to observe parking ramps in operation and talk with officials. In addition to seeing that the first ramp they entered was full, they were surprised by the financial results. They were informed that the 732-car Dane County ramp was making money on the rate of five cents per car per hour. That information led some of the Dubuque delegation to suggest a three-level ramp and charging five cents per hour instead of the recommended ten cent rate. (7)

The Dubuque City Council on October 22, 1962 voted 3-2 to go ahead with the design of the structure and site acquisition. Since negotiations with Franklin Roshek had not been successful, condemnation proceedings were considered. (8)

The Detroit, Michigan firm of National Garages was chosen for preparing preliminary designs and cost estimates for the ramp construction. When the Council approved the designs and estimates, National Garage obtained final plans before bidding began. National Garage was paid thirty cents per square foot in the completed ramp and was expected to incorporate its use of special structural materials to minimize the number of support pillars and increase space for more cars. It was considered a possibility that the ramp would not be metered but instead charge for the length of time in the ramp with an "automatically dispersed charge ticket." (9)

In 1968 a construction plan allowing the city to construct one tier at a time was shown to city officials for a second parking ramp on the west side of Iowa Street between 6th and 8th STREETS. The first stage of construction included the paving of the entire two block long and half-block wide site and the driving of piling throughout the site and construction of one tier of parking on half the site. Later a tier at a time would be added until there were two tiers on each half of the site in addition to the surface parking area. (10) When completed, the three tier ramp would cost $1,200,000, but the bottom deck, a flat surface, could be completed for $100,000. The ramp would hold six hundred cars and leave the eastern side of Iowa Street open for development. (11)

The construction of the Fourth Street parking ramp led to the closing of several Main Street companies. The city ordered a halt to construction on the ramp and the owners of the MONTE CARLO, 378 Main; Ellen's Floral Gallery, 372 Main; SILVER DOLLAR CANTINA, 342 Main; and Corporate Express to vacate the rear 30 feet of each building on January 17, 2001. Cracks had been discovered forming in the structures. Construction did not resume until March 26, 2001. An engineering consultant for the city concluded that the cracks were the result of the installation of augercast piles, the columns of concrete that formed part of the foundation. (12)

A number of Main Street businesses sued the City and a list of contractors, architects, and consultants. In February, 2003 Dubuque County District Court Judge Robert CURNAN ruled the market value of each building would be the maximum damages the property owners could be awarded by a jury. The trial began in May, 2003. During the proceedings, the City settled with the original five property owners for $300,000. After a five-week trial, jurors found the City and four businesses involved in the construction responsible for damages and awarded the plaintiffs $1.28 million. (13) The City of Dubuque was sued by Maxim Technologies, Inc. for $500,000 in damages to the company in connection with the damages caused by the construction. The Iowa Supreme Court upheld the decision of Dubuque County District Court Judge Lawrence Fautsch in dismissing the case. (14)

When heavy snow hit Dubuque in January, 2005 Dubuque's three city parking ramps were opened to downtown residents. Parking was free in ramps on Iowa, Locust, and Fourth [[STREETS] from Sunday until 9:00 a.M. Monday to allow street crews to remove snow from roadways. (15)

The need to replace aging equipment at Dubuque parking ramps with the city council to approve an expenditure of $570,000 in 2007. As a result of the upgrade, patrons would be able to use credit or prepaid cards, coins or cash in the new machines. The same procedure for entering the ramp would be for the driver to take a ticket. The new features would be present when exiting the lot. The ticket could be inserted into a slot in the machine or handed to a cashier. The machine calculated the time involved in parking based on a rate of fifty cents per hour to a maximum of seven dollars. After hours or when there was no cashier led to a flat rate of two dollars. The new equipment would be first installed in the McGraw-Hill lot in the PORT OF DUBUQUE where there was some public parking. The money for the new equipment came from parking feeds. The Parking Division was self-supporting. (16)

In 2019 a divided Dubuque City Council approved a development agreement between HEARTLAND FINANCIAL USA, INC. and COTTINGHAM AND BUTLER, INC.. Voting 4-2, the council approve the $12 million purchase of the Roshek Building tied to the construction by the city of a $20 million parking ramp on a site to be determined by December 31, 2022. The new ramp would be capable of providing 500 parking spaces for the anticipated growth in the number of employees working downtown. The city was also obligated to install lighting and call boxes between the new ramp and the Roshek Building. (17)

Lighting used in the ramps, even during daylight hours in some locations was considered an element of safety. In older parking ramps lighting levels were low because of their design. Full walls, for example, did not allow natural lighting to be used. In other parking ramps lighting levels were controlled with times and photo cells. In 2010 the city budget included funds to replace the lighting systems in the Fifth Street and Locust Street ramps. The new computerized system was to be radio controlled and be activated by motion sensors and daylight monitoring equipment. There was an anticipated cost reduction in electric usage of 40%. (18)

See: RAMP DANCES

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Source:

1. Shively, Neil. "Chamber, T-H Offer Properties," Telegraph Herald, September 9, 1962, p. 4

2. Ibid., p. 1

3. Ibid, p. 4

4. "Parking Ramp Project Favored by Officials," Telegraph Herald, September 12, 1962, p. 1

5. Shively, Neil. "Approval Indicated by Council," Telegraph Herald, September 16, 1962, p. 1

6. "Authorizes Manager to Negotiate," Telegraph Herald, September 18, 1962, p. 1

7. Shively, Neil. "Ramps Pay," Telegraph Herald, September 23, 1962, p. 1

8. Shively, Neil. "Parking Ramp Design, Land Options Asked," Telegraph Herald, October 23, 1962, p. 1

9. Shively, Neil. "Detroit Firm Will Do Parking Ramp Design," Telegraph Herald, December 14, 1961, p. 1

10. "Ramp Work to Begin," Telegraph-Herald, January 1, 1969, p. 5

11. "One-Tier-At-A-Time Parking Ramp Proposed," Telegraph-Herald, February 13, 1968, p. 11

12. Kittle, M. D., "Not Earthshaking," Telegraph Herald, March 27, 2001, p. 1A

13. "Crack Case Background," Telegraph Herald, January 8, 2005, p. 1A

14. Szeszycki, Emily, "Court Sides With City," Telegraph Herald, January 8, 2005, p. 1A

15. Bragg, Mary Rae, "Latest Snowfall Totals 4.5 Inches," Telegraph Herald, January 23, 2005, p. 1A

16. Kundert, Rob, "City Eyes New Parking-Control Equipment," Telegraph Herald, April 5, 2007, p. 3A

17. Barton, Thomas J. "Divided Council OKs Roshek Deal," Telegraph Herald, December 17, 2019, p. 1A

18. Ask the TH, "What's Purpose of Round-the-Clock Lighting?" Telegraph Herald, September 19, 2010, p. 13