18
Oct
2001
Pass or fail, the struggle over the county's $5 million contribution to Davenport's River Renaissance project has had one positive byproduct: DavenportOne has been forced to stretch, reaching out to many different populations in the community with which it has frequently disagreed. That kind of broad community support is essential to DavenportOne's efforts to finance the $113.5 million project as a key piece of funding goes before voters next week, but it will also be important to the continued support of the project and DavenportOne itself.
On October 23, Scott County voters will have the opportunity to vote for or against a $5 million county contribution to River Renaissance that in turn will help guarantee $20 million from the state's Vision Iowa fund. The referendum needs to garner at least 60 percent approval, and if it doesn't, the rebuke will have a domino effect: The state's $20 million award will be jeopardized, and key components of the multifaceted downtown-revitalization project will be delayed or possibly scrapped.
The River Renaissance plan is an amalgam of projects, some of which have been in development for years and others that are new. The key components are the Figge Arts Center (to replace the current Davenport Museum of Art), the River Music History Center (in the Redstone building), expansion of the Adler Theatre stage, and the AgTech Venture Capital Center. The plan also includes two new parking structures, a skybridge from the River Music History Center across River Drive, and an "arts walk" near the arts center.
The city submitted its Vision Iowa application in March, and the Vision Iowa board announced its $20 million award in August, after the county agreed to the board's request to issue bonds to contribute to the project. A group of citizens collected more than 10,000 petition signatures to force a vote on the bond issue, and since then, proponents and opponents of the project have been trying to win voters over. (Paying off the bonds to fund the $5 million county contribution will cost the owner of a $100,000 house $5.12 a year for 15 years.)
DavenportOne smartly has branched out, enlisting a wide variety of community organizations to make the case for River Renaissance to voters. While city and DavenportOne officials led the charge on River Renaissance from its inception through the date of its $20 million state grant, since then the business-oriented organization has stepped behind a group known as Scott County Taxpayers for River Renaissance.
Certainly, DavenportOne played a major role in the development of the taxpayers group. But the formation of Scott County Taxpayers for River Renaissance still represented an unprecedented effort to build a broad-based coalition behind a DavenportOne initiative.
Its composition is neatly diverse - its seven co-chairs include members of the African-American and Latino communities, a labor leader, a retired educator, a senior citizen, a farmer, and an eye surgeon - but it succeeded in putting new faces on River Renaissance, ones that don't belong to city or DavenportOne officials.
The question after October 23 will be what role DavenportOne's partners for the River Renaissance campaign will play in the implementation of the projects if they happen, and whether the committee marks the beginning of a more open dialogue between DavenportOne and the rest of the community.
Open Dialogue?
If the Scott County Taxpayers for River Renaissance is a model of a community-wide coalition, it doesn't exactly stand for open dialogue with everybody.
The River Cities' Reader invited representatives of Scott County Taxpayers for River Renaissance and its organized opposition, Citizens to Inform Scott County Voters (CISCV), to participate in a moderated forum for publication. Both sides declined, with Huber claiming it wasn't part of his group's strategy and opponents claiming they didn't have time.
Tom White, owner of Chuck's Tap in Davenport, and activist Niky Bowles have led the charge against the River Renaissance referendum. (White also led the petition drive that put the issue on the ballot.) White refused to discuss his campaign with the River Cities' Reader. When given the opportunity to discuss his opposition to River Renaissance, he said that news coverage "has all been one-sided, and we'll leave it at that."
CISCV has raised its criticisms of and questions about River Renaissance through a series of flyers. Some - such as the issue of funding River Renaissance projects versus streets and sewers - are based on fallacies. (Nearly all the private, city, county, and state funds in River Renaissance wouldn't be available for infrastructure improvements under any circumstances.)
Several CISCV questions deserve attention. Criticisms of the project include that a foundation created by the DavenportOne Foundation would own the River Music History Center "instead of a governmental body when tax dollars are included;" the group would seem to prefer that the city own all facilities that receive Vision Iowa money. (Conversely, another criticism asserts that taxpayers would be on the hook for operations and maintenance of city-owned components of River Renaissance, such as the Figge Arts Center.)
CISCV also criticizes projections of River Renaissance job creation - in both quantity and wages. While the project application claims that more than 500 jobs will be created, CISCV argues that a more accurate number would be closer to 100, asserting that it's impossible to know how many jobs will be created at what wages in planned office space when "the condo offices have not been leased or sold." CISCV's flyer further characterizes the River Renaissance job figures as "an extreme presumption."
On this issue, CISCV has a point. Among the jobs that the application claims would be created are 120 at office condos in the upper floors of the Redstone building. But this assumes that the tenants would be new businesses to the Quad Cities; if a company moves from another office building to the Redstone, no jobs have been created.
Dan Huber, president and CEO of DavenportOne, did not disagree that job-creation estimates can be disputed. "I like the argument over how many hundreds of jobs are being created," he said. He stressed that direct job-creation has never been part of the Vision Iowa mission; the program was meant to attract visitors, companies, and employees to the state. "The jobs we should be taking about are the jobs we're going to retain in our community and the jobs we're going to attract," he said.
CISCV has also raised questions about the financing of various components of the River Renaissance project, wondering from where some of the money will come. The group asks whether taxpayers might be forced to subsidize the new Figge Arts Center if it doesn't meet its visitor projections. CISCV has also pointed out that there's only a commitment to raise $100 million in venture capital for the AgTech center, which is envisioned as home and incubator for new companies with innovative ideas for agriculture.
Here's where voters are being asked to take a leap of faith that the projections in the River Renaissance plan are sound, and that its goals can be accomplished. "The community has to assume a calculated risk and move forward," Huber said.
It's also important to keep in mind that all components of the project will be overseen by the city and monitored by the state.
According to Davenport City Administrator Craig Malin, the public will also have every opportunity to ensure that the different parties involved in River Renaissance are living up to their promises. Although the contract is not yet written between the state and project developers, Malin said his expectation will be that "any document related to a public expenditure is a public document." For example, even though Kaizen Company of America wouldn't directly receive any state money for the River Music History Center or the AgTech Venture Capital Center, the company's expenditures on the buildings would be public record because it will receive Vision Iowa money indirectly through the DavenportOne Foundation.
Malin added that wanting to ensure accountability is natural. Opponents' "concern seems to be consistent with the public trust that the city and state should be looking out for," he said.
Huber is more dismissive of River Renaissance opponents. "I don't see the rhyme or reason behind their opposition," he said, characterizing the tactics of River Renaissance critics as "opposition that is disguised as questions and concerns when it's really just opposition."
Huber also said he and the Scott County Taxpayers for River Renaissance have addressed all legitimate questions. "We've made ourselves available to answer every last question," he said.
At the same time, Huber made clear that the support organization doesn't see much value in trying to convert people such as White and Bowles. The Scott County Taxpayers for River Renaissance's only job is to "educate, inform, and persuade people and get them to vote yes," Huber said. "You go to the people who are supportive and you get them to vote."
Targeting undecided voters is also important. "There are answers to the questions," said Tom Sunderbruch, one of the co-chairs of Scott County Taxpayers for River Renaissance and the retired principal of Assumption High School. "We just have to find the people and get them the answers."
Richard Moroney, who worked on the petition drive but is not associated with Citizens to Inform Scott County Voters, said he'll probably vote against River Renaissance. His problem with the project is its "top-down" approach - that it was crafted by the powers that be without much attempt at building community consensus. Moroney also said that he was disappointed that neither side would sit down for a conversation. "I find it very disappointing that the others won't participate," he wrote in an e-mail. "I think that's disgustingly typical of Niky, and it says equally bad things about DavenportOne. Davenport's problems aren't so much that there's a negative attitude toward progress and new things as it is that there's a genuine lack of civility sometimes."
What's at Stake?
If the referendum gets its 60-percent supermajority, the City of Davenport and Vision Iowa will draw up a contract specifying when River Renaissance will get money, what conditions it will need to meet to receive it, and what the funds can be used for.
The situation is more complicated if the referendum fails. Susan Judkins, Vision Iowa's program coordinator, said the board has not made any decision on what to do with the Davenport award if the referendum fails. The board could withdraw its $20 million, it could give Davenport time for a second referendum, or it could give the city the opportunity to find the $5 million elsewhere. "They'll wait and see what happens," Judkins said. The board will next meet November 14.
River Renaissance proponents have unequivocally stated that Davenport will lose the money if the referendum fails. While certainly a strong possibility, it's not a guaranteed outcome. Judkins said the board has options.
Two factors need to be kept in mind, however. First, the Vision Iowa board set a November 7 deadline for the city to secure all its financing. While a second vote might be a possibility, it would require a deadline extension.
Second, Vision Iowa board members expressed an interest in a significant contribution from county government, and it's unlikely that $5 million from another source would placate the board.
Even if the city loses the $25 million from the county and state, it's not clear what the impact would be.
Several components of the River Renaissance plan will happen no matter what. The two parking ramps are fully funded without the county or state contribution. Similarly, the loss of state and county money probably won't affect the Figge Arts Center significantly. Huber said expansion of the Adler Theatre stage will most likely happen one way or another, although it might be delayed if the referendum fails.
The other elements of River Renaissance, however, would probably be "delayed indefinitely and possibly jeopardized," Huber said.
The AgTech Venture Capital Center - at least in its downtown form - and the River Music History Center will probably die without Vision Iowa money. In the city's application, the DavenportOne Foundation would buy - using $6.3 million in Vision Iowa money - the bottom floor of the AgTech Venture Capital Center and the bottom three floors of the Redstone building (the River Music History Center) from Kaizen Company of America, which will be putting $12.7 million into the buildings under the plan.
The partners in Kaizen - local developers Chuck Ruhl and Kent Pilcher - typically require a significant amount of "pre-leasing" before moving forward with a project, and in this case that means the DavenportOne Foundation's commitment. Ruhl and Pilcher have said they will walk away if the Vision Iowa money doesn't come through, and Kaizen's option to purchase the Redstone building is contingent on Vision Iowa funds.
In the absence of the River Music History Center and new financing, the skybridge project would probably also collapse.
In several ways, then, the October 23 vote is not really about the entire River Renaissance project, but about those components that would have used the state and county financing. It's unfortunate that voters cannot get an accurate sense of the impact of a no vote on the project. What most would agree on, however, is that during this time of economic uncertainty, the $20 million Vision Iowa money will ensure economic stimulus in the form of an overall $113 million investment in downtown Davenport. If voters approve the $5 million county contribution necessary to receive the VIP $20 million, then construction could begin as early as Spring 2002. Otherwise the $20 million could be awarded to another city(s) wating in line for VIP funding.
And trying to predict the project's impact on the community - beyond the $113.5 million in direct project expenditures - can be nebulous as well.
"These offer greater opportunities for us to bring not only larger audiences but new audiences" to the Quad Cities, said Joe Taylor, president and CEO of the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau and also one of more than 100 members of the Scott County Taxpayers for River Renaissance steering committee.
Taylor said that new amenities will help the Quad Cities compete more effectively with other communities, especially in the convention market. "We are moving to an 'experience economy,'" he said. "People are looking for an experience when they travel."
He added that three factors typically play into a group's decision where to go: affordability, accessibility, and attractions.
Yet it's difficult to provide anything other than anecdotal evidence that these things are true, and sometimes even that type of proof is hard to find. That makes selling River Renaissance to skeptics even more difficult. "Can I say we lost a convention because we didn't have an art museum downtown?" Taylor said. "No, I cannot." He stressed, though, that he believes River Renaissance will help the Quad Cities land more conventions
Places at the Table
The number and diversity of groups and people who've lined up behind River Renaissance is impressive, but the question remains whether the coalition will hold if and when the funding is finalized, and beyond. Huber and many of the co-chairs of Scott County Taxpayers for River Renaissance said it would.
Part of the message of River Renaissance has been that there's something for everybody, and that should be true as the project is implemented as well. Huber said that many organizations and people will have a role in implementing River Renaissance's different components. For example, Glen Keppy - a farmer who's one of the co-chairs of Scott County Taxpayers for River Renaissance - might be a good steering-committee member for the AgTech center, Huber said.
Huber also said that the steering committees for both the AgTech and River Music History centers will offer plenty of opportunities for community involvement.
Furthermore, DavenportOne has talked with Gloria Fisher, a senior citizen and also a co-chair of the Scott County Taxpayers for River Renaissance, about "how to retain a reservoir of senior-citizen input" into the organization. The local farm bureau and DavenportOne have "established a greater level of empathy" through the River Renaissance process, he added.
These types of links are important, said Henry Hawkins, chairperson of the Davenport Civil Rights Commission and a co-chair of the pro-River Renaissance effort. African Americans "want to have a say in the community," he said, and a dialogue between the minority community and DavenportOne can accomplish a lot. "That's definitely a relationship that needs to be maintained and nurtured," Hawkins said.
Huber said that the city created a list of minority contractors, and "now that we're aware of it, we can help promote it to some degree." He added that minority input will also be important in the development of the River Music History Center.
Yet some important groups haven't been asked to participate yet. Huber said that festival organizers and members of the arts and music communities would be an integral part of the River Music History Center, but that they haven't been contacted yet because of the pressure of the River Renaissance vote.
This alliance for River Renaissance was first and foremost built on convenience and need, and it's easy to be skeptical that DavenportOne is giving more than lip service to its partners as the River Renaissance vote approaches. Huber hinted that if the referendum passes, it will be important to keep in mind that input does not necessarily translate into influence.
"There's a sensitivity about involving people," Huber said, "but there's also a recognition there has to be an entity" to implement the projects.
But the door to communication has been opened between DavenportOne and many community groups, and Huber said he understands that's only a beginning. "It requires vigilance on our part and their part to keep it open," he said.
On October 23, Scott County voters will have the opportunity to vote for or against a $5 million county contribution to River Renaissance that in turn will help guarantee $20 million from the state's Vision Iowa fund. The referendum needs to garner at least 60 percent approval, and if it doesn't, the rebuke will have a domino effect: The state's $20 million award will be jeopardized, and key components of the multifaceted downtown-revitalization project will be delayed or possibly scrapped.
The River Renaissance plan is an amalgam of projects, some of which have been in development for years and others that are new. The key components are the Figge Arts Center (to replace the current Davenport Museum of Art), the River Music History Center (in the Redstone building), expansion of the Adler Theatre stage, and the AgTech Venture Capital Center. The plan also includes two new parking structures, a skybridge from the River Music History Center across River Drive, and an "arts walk" near the arts center.
The city submitted its Vision Iowa application in March, and the Vision Iowa board announced its $20 million award in August, after the county agreed to the board's request to issue bonds to contribute to the project. A group of citizens collected more than 10,000 petition signatures to force a vote on the bond issue, and since then, proponents and opponents of the project have been trying to win voters over. (Paying off the bonds to fund the $5 million county contribution will cost the owner of a $100,000 house $5.12 a year for 15 years.)
DavenportOne smartly has branched out, enlisting a wide variety of community organizations to make the case for River Renaissance to voters. While city and DavenportOne officials led the charge on River Renaissance from its inception through the date of its $20 million state grant, since then the business-oriented organization has stepped behind a group known as Scott County Taxpayers for River Renaissance.
Certainly, DavenportOne played a major role in the development of the taxpayers group. But the formation of Scott County Taxpayers for River Renaissance still represented an unprecedented effort to build a broad-based coalition behind a DavenportOne initiative.
Its composition is neatly diverse - its seven co-chairs include members of the African-American and Latino communities, a labor leader, a retired educator, a senior citizen, a farmer, and an eye surgeon - but it succeeded in putting new faces on River Renaissance, ones that don't belong to city or DavenportOne officials.
The question after October 23 will be what role DavenportOne's partners for the River Renaissance campaign will play in the implementation of the projects if they happen, and whether the committee marks the beginning of a more open dialogue between DavenportOne and the rest of the community.
Open Dialogue?
If the Scott County Taxpayers for River Renaissance is a model of a community-wide coalition, it doesn't exactly stand for open dialogue with everybody.
The River Cities' Reader invited representatives of Scott County Taxpayers for River Renaissance and its organized opposition, Citizens to Inform Scott County Voters (CISCV), to participate in a moderated forum for publication. Both sides declined, with Huber claiming it wasn't part of his group's strategy and opponents claiming they didn't have time.
Tom White, owner of Chuck's Tap in Davenport, and activist Niky Bowles have led the charge against the River Renaissance referendum. (White also led the petition drive that put the issue on the ballot.) White refused to discuss his campaign with the River Cities' Reader. When given the opportunity to discuss his opposition to River Renaissance, he said that news coverage "has all been one-sided, and we'll leave it at that."
CISCV has raised its criticisms of and questions about River Renaissance through a series of flyers. Some - such as the issue of funding River Renaissance projects versus streets and sewers - are based on fallacies. (Nearly all the private, city, county, and state funds in River Renaissance wouldn't be available for infrastructure improvements under any circumstances.)
Several CISCV questions deserve attention. Criticisms of the project include that a foundation created by the DavenportOne Foundation would own the River Music History Center "instead of a governmental body when tax dollars are included;" the group would seem to prefer that the city own all facilities that receive Vision Iowa money. (Conversely, another criticism asserts that taxpayers would be on the hook for operations and maintenance of city-owned components of River Renaissance, such as the Figge Arts Center.)
CISCV also criticizes projections of River Renaissance job creation - in both quantity and wages. While the project application claims that more than 500 jobs will be created, CISCV argues that a more accurate number would be closer to 100, asserting that it's impossible to know how many jobs will be created at what wages in planned office space when "the condo offices have not been leased or sold." CISCV's flyer further characterizes the River Renaissance job figures as "an extreme presumption."
On this issue, CISCV has a point. Among the jobs that the application claims would be created are 120 at office condos in the upper floors of the Redstone building. But this assumes that the tenants would be new businesses to the Quad Cities; if a company moves from another office building to the Redstone, no jobs have been created.
Dan Huber, president and CEO of DavenportOne, did not disagree that job-creation estimates can be disputed. "I like the argument over how many hundreds of jobs are being created," he said. He stressed that direct job-creation has never been part of the Vision Iowa mission; the program was meant to attract visitors, companies, and employees to the state. "The jobs we should be taking about are the jobs we're going to retain in our community and the jobs we're going to attract," he said.
CISCV has also raised questions about the financing of various components of the River Renaissance project, wondering from where some of the money will come. The group asks whether taxpayers might be forced to subsidize the new Figge Arts Center if it doesn't meet its visitor projections. CISCV has also pointed out that there's only a commitment to raise $100 million in venture capital for the AgTech center, which is envisioned as home and incubator for new companies with innovative ideas for agriculture.
Here's where voters are being asked to take a leap of faith that the projections in the River Renaissance plan are sound, and that its goals can be accomplished. "The community has to assume a calculated risk and move forward," Huber said.
It's also important to keep in mind that all components of the project will be overseen by the city and monitored by the state.
According to Davenport City Administrator Craig Malin, the public will also have every opportunity to ensure that the different parties involved in River Renaissance are living up to their promises. Although the contract is not yet written between the state and project developers, Malin said his expectation will be that "any document related to a public expenditure is a public document." For example, even though Kaizen Company of America wouldn't directly receive any state money for the River Music History Center or the AgTech Venture Capital Center, the company's expenditures on the buildings would be public record because it will receive Vision Iowa money indirectly through the DavenportOne Foundation.
Malin added that wanting to ensure accountability is natural. Opponents' "concern seems to be consistent with the public trust that the city and state should be looking out for," he said.
Huber is more dismissive of River Renaissance opponents. "I don't see the rhyme or reason behind their opposition," he said, characterizing the tactics of River Renaissance critics as "opposition that is disguised as questions and concerns when it's really just opposition."
Huber also said he and the Scott County Taxpayers for River Renaissance have addressed all legitimate questions. "We've made ourselves available to answer every last question," he said.
At the same time, Huber made clear that the support organization doesn't see much value in trying to convert people such as White and Bowles. The Scott County Taxpayers for River Renaissance's only job is to "educate, inform, and persuade people and get them to vote yes," Huber said. "You go to the people who are supportive and you get them to vote."
Targeting undecided voters is also important. "There are answers to the questions," said Tom Sunderbruch, one of the co-chairs of Scott County Taxpayers for River Renaissance and the retired principal of Assumption High School. "We just have to find the people and get them the answers."
Richard Moroney, who worked on the petition drive but is not associated with Citizens to Inform Scott County Voters, said he'll probably vote against River Renaissance. His problem with the project is its "top-down" approach - that it was crafted by the powers that be without much attempt at building community consensus. Moroney also said that he was disappointed that neither side would sit down for a conversation. "I find it very disappointing that the others won't participate," he wrote in an e-mail. "I think that's disgustingly typical of Niky, and it says equally bad things about DavenportOne. Davenport's problems aren't so much that there's a negative attitude toward progress and new things as it is that there's a genuine lack of civility sometimes."
What's at Stake?
If the referendum gets its 60-percent supermajority, the City of Davenport and Vision Iowa will draw up a contract specifying when River Renaissance will get money, what conditions it will need to meet to receive it, and what the funds can be used for.
The situation is more complicated if the referendum fails. Susan Judkins, Vision Iowa's program coordinator, said the board has not made any decision on what to do with the Davenport award if the referendum fails. The board could withdraw its $20 million, it could give Davenport time for a second referendum, or it could give the city the opportunity to find the $5 million elsewhere. "They'll wait and see what happens," Judkins said. The board will next meet November 14.
River Renaissance proponents have unequivocally stated that Davenport will lose the money if the referendum fails. While certainly a strong possibility, it's not a guaranteed outcome. Judkins said the board has options.
Two factors need to be kept in mind, however. First, the Vision Iowa board set a November 7 deadline for the city to secure all its financing. While a second vote might be a possibility, it would require a deadline extension.
Second, Vision Iowa board members expressed an interest in a significant contribution from county government, and it's unlikely that $5 million from another source would placate the board.
Even if the city loses the $25 million from the county and state, it's not clear what the impact would be.
Several components of the River Renaissance plan will happen no matter what. The two parking ramps are fully funded without the county or state contribution. Similarly, the loss of state and county money probably won't affect the Figge Arts Center significantly. Huber said expansion of the Adler Theatre stage will most likely happen one way or another, although it might be delayed if the referendum fails.
The other elements of River Renaissance, however, would probably be "delayed indefinitely and possibly jeopardized," Huber said.
The AgTech Venture Capital Center - at least in its downtown form - and the River Music History Center will probably die without Vision Iowa money. In the city's application, the DavenportOne Foundation would buy - using $6.3 million in Vision Iowa money - the bottom floor of the AgTech Venture Capital Center and the bottom three floors of the Redstone building (the River Music History Center) from Kaizen Company of America, which will be putting $12.7 million into the buildings under the plan.
The partners in Kaizen - local developers Chuck Ruhl and Kent Pilcher - typically require a significant amount of "pre-leasing" before moving forward with a project, and in this case that means the DavenportOne Foundation's commitment. Ruhl and Pilcher have said they will walk away if the Vision Iowa money doesn't come through, and Kaizen's option to purchase the Redstone building is contingent on Vision Iowa funds.
In the absence of the River Music History Center and new financing, the skybridge project would probably also collapse.
In several ways, then, the October 23 vote is not really about the entire River Renaissance project, but about those components that would have used the state and county financing. It's unfortunate that voters cannot get an accurate sense of the impact of a no vote on the project. What most would agree on, however, is that during this time of economic uncertainty, the $20 million Vision Iowa money will ensure economic stimulus in the form of an overall $113 million investment in downtown Davenport. If voters approve the $5 million county contribution necessary to receive the VIP $20 million, then construction could begin as early as Spring 2002. Otherwise the $20 million could be awarded to another city(s) wating in line for VIP funding.
And trying to predict the project's impact on the community - beyond the $113.5 million in direct project expenditures - can be nebulous as well.
"These offer greater opportunities for us to bring not only larger audiences but new audiences" to the Quad Cities, said Joe Taylor, president and CEO of the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau and also one of more than 100 members of the Scott County Taxpayers for River Renaissance steering committee.
Taylor said that new amenities will help the Quad Cities compete more effectively with other communities, especially in the convention market. "We are moving to an 'experience economy,'" he said. "People are looking for an experience when they travel."
He added that three factors typically play into a group's decision where to go: affordability, accessibility, and attractions.
Yet it's difficult to provide anything other than anecdotal evidence that these things are true, and sometimes even that type of proof is hard to find. That makes selling River Renaissance to skeptics even more difficult. "Can I say we lost a convention because we didn't have an art museum downtown?" Taylor said. "No, I cannot." He stressed, though, that he believes River Renaissance will help the Quad Cities land more conventions
Places at the Table
The number and diversity of groups and people who've lined up behind River Renaissance is impressive, but the question remains whether the coalition will hold if and when the funding is finalized, and beyond. Huber and many of the co-chairs of Scott County Taxpayers for River Renaissance said it would.
Part of the message of River Renaissance has been that there's something for everybody, and that should be true as the project is implemented as well. Huber said that many organizations and people will have a role in implementing River Renaissance's different components. For example, Glen Keppy - a farmer who's one of the co-chairs of Scott County Taxpayers for River Renaissance - might be a good steering-committee member for the AgTech center, Huber said.
Huber also said that the steering committees for both the AgTech and River Music History centers will offer plenty of opportunities for community involvement.
Furthermore, DavenportOne has talked with Gloria Fisher, a senior citizen and also a co-chair of the Scott County Taxpayers for River Renaissance, about "how to retain a reservoir of senior-citizen input" into the organization. The local farm bureau and DavenportOne have "established a greater level of empathy" through the River Renaissance process, he added.
These types of links are important, said Henry Hawkins, chairperson of the Davenport Civil Rights Commission and a co-chair of the pro-River Renaissance effort. African Americans "want to have a say in the community," he said, and a dialogue between the minority community and DavenportOne can accomplish a lot. "That's definitely a relationship that needs to be maintained and nurtured," Hawkins said.
Huber said that the city created a list of minority contractors, and "now that we're aware of it, we can help promote it to some degree." He added that minority input will also be important in the development of the River Music History Center.
Yet some important groups haven't been asked to participate yet. Huber said that festival organizers and members of the arts and music communities would be an integral part of the River Music History Center, but that they haven't been contacted yet because of the pressure of the River Renaissance vote.
This alliance for River Renaissance was first and foremost built on convenience and need, and it's easy to be skeptical that DavenportOne is giving more than lip service to its partners as the River Renaissance vote approaches. Huber hinted that if the referendum passes, it will be important to keep in mind that input does not necessarily translate into influence.
"There's a sensitivity about involving people," Huber said, "but there's also a recognition there has to be an entity" to implement the projects.
But the door to communication has been opened between DavenportOne and many community groups, and Huber said he understands that's only a beginning. "It requires vigilance on our part and their part to keep it open," he said.
