Recap : Fountain Square Park Public Input Meeting

Approximately 50 to 60 downtown property owners, interested citizens of Red Oak, and community leaders attended the second of five public input meetings at 7:00 pm on Monday, October 17th at the US Bank Community Room in Downtown Red Oak.  Daric O'Neal with Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture presented concepts and ideas related to Fountain Square Park, it's current and potential uses, the bandstand, war memorials, playground, site furnishings and landscape.  Those in attendance had an opportunity to ask a lot of questions and engage in dialogue related to the subjects.  There were some great ideas that came from this meeting.

If you were unable to attend, the presentation can be viewed by clicking here, or it can be found in the "Downloads" section of this web site.

October 20, 2011 Steering Committee Agenda

You can find the agenda for the next Steering Committee Meeting to be held at 6:00 pm, October 20th, 2011 at the Montgomery County History Center by clicking here.

Workshops : Downtown's Vital Role in a Thriving Community & Hazard Mitigation

The Iowa Economic Development Authority is pleased to present this multi-faceted training opportunity targeted to local elected officials, planning staff, planning consultants and local planning team members and stakeholders. All that are interested in attending are invited.

Space is limited, so please RSVP to Jean Johnson at Jean.M.Johnson@iowa.gov or 515-725-3070 by October 28, 2011 to guarantee space.  Please indicate which workshop you plan to attend and if you will be at lunch.

Thomas D. Guzman has been with the Iowa Department of Economic Development since January 1988.  As Director of the Iowa Downtown Resource Center, Guzman oversees all downtown development programs of the department, including its premier program, Main Street Iowa.  He has been a real estate broker, retail sales manager, non-profit association manager, Main Street program director, and state coordinator prior to becoming the downtown resource center director.  His current responsibilities include managing a million dollar annual budget, overseeing the planning and delivery of technical assistance services, training, and assessments for Iowa’s 46 Main Street communities and for developing technical assistance and training opportunities for all Iowa communities.

Jim Thompson, Business Development Specialist with Main Street Iowa was previously the Charles City Community Development Director.  He is a Nationally Certified Main Street Manager.  Jim oversees market analysis, branding and business technical assistance for Iowa’s Main Street communities.  Jim holds an associate’s degree in Business Administration from Iowa Western Community College.  Jim has been a part of the Main Street Iowa team for four years.  He has over 25 years experience in community development, retail management as well as having served on the city council for 10 years.

See the flyer here.

State Historical Society of Iowa : Historical Preservation

Below is a link to the Historic Preservation Section of the State Historical Society of Iowa's web site.  On the left side of their page are additional links to the National Register of Historic Places, Tax Incentives for Rehabilitation, and Local Preservation Programs and Certified Local Governments.

Check it out here.

Main Street Iowa

For those who are interested in learning more about Main Street Iowa, they hosted a webinar a while back that shared how the Main Street program works, the Four Points and Eight Principals of the copyrighted program and numerous examples of Main Street at work all across our state. We want to share the following Main Street Approach® WebEx recording with you.    Whether you come from a small town, from the state’s largest city, or from the hundreds of communities with struggling historic commercial districts, Main Street could be the right tool for your district. Feel free to forward this learning opportunity to anyone in your communities interested in learning more about the Main Street Four Point Approach®. To watch the webinar, click here.

Fountain Square Park Public Input Meeting

When:  Monday October 17, 7:00 pm at the US Bank Community Room.

Plan on attending this community meeting where you can provide your thoughts on the future of downtown Red Oak.  Have and opinion?  Please share it.  Got an idea?  Express it graphically.  Just curious.  Come and listen.  These meetings will be "town hall" style with a little presentation and a lot of interaction, discussion, and sketching of thoughts and ideas.  Everyone will have an opportunity to be heard.

Specific topics for the Fountain Square Park Public Input Meeting includes discussion of items specific to the park itself, including but not limited to the bandstand, park furnishings, war memorials, Red Oak "wall of fame", landscaping and park activities.

Recap : Historic District Public Input Meeting

Approximately 65 to 70 downtown property owners, interested citizens of Red Oak, and community leaders attended the first of five public input meetings at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, October 11th at the Red Oak Grand Theatre.  Daric O'Neal with Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture presented information to the public on the National Register of Historic Places and Main Street Iowa programs.  The information was well received, and people in attendance had an opportunity to ask a lot of questions and engage in dialogue related to the subjects.

If you were unable to attend, the presentation can be viewed by clicking here, or it can be found in the "Downloads" section of this web site.

October 13th, 2011 Steering Committee Agenda

You can find the agenda for the next Steering Committee Meeting to be held at 6:00 pm, October 13th, 2011 at the Montgomery County History Center by clicking here.

KCSI Radio Interview

Jan Norris and Daric O'Neal had a chance to speak with Jerry Dietz about the project and the upcoming public input meetings.  The audio from that interview can be found by clicking here.  (Please be patient, the file is large.)

Historic District Public Input Meeting

When:  Tuesday October 11, 7:00 pm at the Red Oak Grand Theatre.

Plan on attending this community meeting where you can provide your thoughts on the future of downtown Red Oak.  Have and opinion?  Please share it.  Got an idea?  Express it graphically.  Just curious.  Come and listen.  These meetings will be "town hall" style with a little presentation and a lot of interaction, discussion, and sketching of thoughts and ideas.  Everyone will have an opportunity to be heard.

Specific topics for the Historic District Public Input Meeting includes discussion of the National Register of Historic Places and Main Street Iowa Programs.