2020 BEST DEVELOPMENT AWARD RECIPIENTS

CONTACT: Julia McGuire, Best Development Award Coordinator, 515-988-1828awards@1000friendsofiowa.org

Dec. 31, 2020 (Des Moines, Iowa) – 1000 Friends of Iowa proudly announces ten recipients of its Best Development Awards for 2020 in eight categories. These recipients were chosen because they implemented the efficient use of resources to develop sustainable communities and provide a high quality of life.

“We have development heroes across the state who deserve recognition,” according to Julia McGuire, Program Coordinator. The 2020 Best Development Award winners are listed below (category, recipient and project, city):

  *   In the specially created Best of Show category, Steeple Square in Dubuque, for the historical restoration of a former church and school campus to serve its neighborhood through affordable housing, childcare, greenspace, and community rental space.

  *   In the Renovated Civic category, the Mason City Arena in Mason City, for converting a vacant shopping mall space into an ice skating arena to fit the recreational needs of the community with many positive trickle-down effects.

  *   In the Renovated Commercial category, the Highpoint Event Center in Clarence, for its green building practices and community involvement to restore a dilapidated building into a needed event center.

  *   In the Innovative Leadership – Large Community category, the Iowa Flood Center for its successful efforts to address flooding and water quality challenges with its Iowa Watershed Approach across the state.

  *   In the Innovative Leadership – Small Community category, Main Street Jewell for its Vendors’ Village in Jewell, which supplied new retail storefronts through creative problem solving.

  *   In the Renewable Energy category, Southeastern Community College in Burlington, for adding solar rooftop and carport canopies to reduce its carbon footprint.

  *   In the Renovated Residential category, Newbury Living’s The Brenton in Davenport for sustainably repurposing a bank building into apartments.

  *   In the Stormwater Management – Private category, the Sippy Family for its Farm Flood Mitigation project near Oxford, which showcases natural infrastructure as a way to reduce floods and lessen negative impacts downstream for the good of everyone.

  *   In the Stormwater Management – Public category, the City of Clive for its Walnut Creek Hills Stormwater Wetland in Clive with its flood storage, enhanced water quality and wildlife habitat, and positive downstream effects.

  *   In the Urban Placemaking and Greenspace category, the Des Moines Heritage Trust for its Des Moines Heritage Center in Des Moines which incorporated conservation, vision, and impact into the restoration of an aging train depot.

Additional details about each winning project and their respective categories are forthcoming at the 1000 Friends of Iowa website, 1000friendsofiowa.org.

“Iowa has many great development projects, and by celebrating them and their future-minded leaders working behind the scenes, we hope to advocate for and see an increase in the use of sustainable practices,” stated Kari Carney, Executive Director of 1000 Friends of Iowa. “All of the nominations bring hope and encouragement to their communities.”

This year, a new Best of Show category was created to recognize the outstanding results of Steeple Square’s comprehensive and thoughtful work in Dubuque’s oldest neighborhood. A virtual Awards Ceremony will be held Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, at noon. State legislative leaders have been invited to speak. The ceremony will be open to the public and followed by time for media questions.

The Best Development Award winners are selected from a pool of nominations each year by an independent group of jurors. This year’s jurors were Pat Boddy, retired Senior Partner and Sustainability Director at RDG Planning & Design; Megan Down, Project Manager for Impact 7G; Jeff Geerts, Special Projects Manager at the Iowa Economic Development Authority; Jeff Hanson, Community Development Operations Manager of the City of Sioux City, and Ulrike Passe, Associate Professor of Architecture and Director for the Center for Building Energy Research at Iowa State University.

The Best Development Award Program recognizes projects in up to 12 different categories as a way for 1000 Friends of Iowa to express the fact that smart land use and sustainable communities are more than constructed buildings. All of the award recipients help advance sustainability across our state by considering site design, outdoor and indoor environmental impact, community and public use, and long-term benefits.

Founded in 1998, 1000 Friends of Iowa is the only organization in the state focused solely on promoting responsible land use in community, state, and federal development decisions. Its mission is to unite Iowans in efforts to protect farmland and natural areas, revitalize neighborhoods, towns and cities, and improve quality of life for future generations.

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Climate Action at the local level

DES MOINES: The city of Des Moines is one step closer to moving forward with developing a climate action plan. On May 6, 2019, during a City Council work session, Eric Giddens of the University of Northern Iowa Center on Energy and Environmental Education discussed the results of a newly completed Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory for the city of Des Moines. Check it out here.

The city of Des Moines adopted the energy and water benchmarking ordinance at its June 3rd meeting. The much-watered down ordinance that was passed is not the end of it. The council will revisit the ordinance and a proposed change in August.

Later in the year, the city of Des Moines will be voting to approve an MOU with UNI’s Center for Energy and environmental Education to start the process of creating a citywide climate action plan! These efforts are being lead by the Des Moines Citizens Taskforce on Sustainability.

IOWA CITY: The city of Iowa City adopted a Climate Action plan in 2018. Check out their plan here. We appreciate the cities leadership in creating and adopting the plan. Now we must ensure the city implements to GHG reduction steps laid out in the plan. Stay tuned for how you can get involved.

AMES: The city has established key energy goals to reduce their green house gas emissions. In addition, the city is in the process of updating their greenhouse gas emissions inventory and creating a community solar garden. A community group – the Ames Climate Action Team – has formed to help push the city to do even more to address climate change.

2017 Best Development Award Winners

1000 Friends of Iowa proudly announces eleven recipients as its Best Development Award winners of 2017. Five independent jurors from across the state selected projects that implement the efficient use of our resources to develop sustainable communities that provide a high quality of life.

The 2017 Best Development Award winners are listed below (category, winner, project, city, link). For more information about each project, click the link.

  • In the Innovative Leadership category, the City of Clive for the Walnut Creek and Clive Greenbelt initiatives in Clive <link>
  • In the Mixed Use category, Blackbird Investments for the Wilkins Building in Des Moines <link>
  • In the New Residential category, KCL Engineering for the Parkside Residential Development in Charles City <link>
  • In the Placemaking/Greenspace category, the City of Glidden for the Albert Kruger, Sr. Shelter in Glidden <link>
  • In the Renewable Energy category, St. John the Apostle Catholic Church and Red Lion Renewables for the Solar Array in Norwalk <link>
  • In the Renovated Civic category, the City of Sioux City for the Sioux City Promenade in Sioux City <link>
  • In the Renovated Commercial category, SingleSpeed Brewing Co. for the Wonder Bread Building in Waterloo <link>
  • Renovated Residential category, Downtown Leases and Lofts for the Kibbey Building in Marshalltown <link>
  • In the Stormwater Management category, City of Denison for the 14th Street Parking Lot in Denison <link>
  • In the Transportation/Complete Streets category, the City of Muscatine for the Kent Stein Park to Deep Lakes Park Trail in Muscatine <link>
  • In a special Jurors’ Choice category, the City of Dubuque for its long-term, big-vision cross-cutting activities. <link>

The press and public are invited to celebrate these “development heroes” at an Award Ceremony, to be held at the Capitol Rotunda on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018, at 11:45 a.m.

Take Action to Proct Topsoil

Protecting topsoil is one of 1000 Friends of Iowa’s highest priorities. In 2015, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Environmental Protection Commission gutted the requirement to maintain at least 4 inches of topsoil on residential construction sites. Because topsoil is so crucial for flood mitigation, carbon sequestering, filtering out pollutants to keep our water clean and for growing the pants and food we depend on;  we are turning to local communities to take action to protect our topsoil.

To help communities and Iowa residents take action to adopt topsoil restoration and protection ordinances, 1000 Friends of Iowa has created a handy toolkit with how to’s, talking points and sample ordinances that we like. Get our toolkit here.

Take action! — Communities within the Greater Des Moines Metro Area have been talking about adopting a region-wide topsoil ordinance for a couple of years, but have been dragging their heels. The time to act is now!

Please do two things:

  1. Write a letter to the editor to the Des Moines Register calling on metro cities to adopt the topsoil ordinance. Submit your letters here.
  2. Contact your council members and mayor. Go to you cities home page and click on city council for contact information.

2017-2018 Topsoil ordinances

Congratulations to both the cities of Clive and Cedar Rapids for being the most recent communities to adopt topsoil restoration ordinances!

In 2017, we will reach out to additional communities around the state to adopt similar ordinances. Our soil is too precious not to.

Click here to download the toolkit

Click here to to see the Topsoil Restoration Guide from King County, WA

Click here to view the preliminary ordinance for the city of Clive

Let us know if you take this ordinance to your community by emailing us at kfoi@1000friendsofiowa.org 

Why it matters:

* Topsoil retention is very important to urban landscapes — growing plants need healthy soil. New homeowners with no topsoil left in place are often faced with very expensive soil remediation to even begin to establish healthy lawns, trees, and gardens. The savings to the building and construction industry (numbers that keep changing and are unsubstantiated) comes at a great cost to the homeowner and to the watershed.

* Rain events quickly wash fertilizers, also called nutrients, off lots that have been stripped of topsoil. This pollutes our rivers, lakes, and streams. Furthermore, it is costly for the landowner who must spend extra money for repeat fertilizer applications. Keeping soil in place contributes to natural storm water management solutions and helps build healthy, green, and more sustainable neighborhoods for future generations.

Stay updated on our topsoil protection actions at www.1000friendsofiowa.org.

1000 FRIENDS OF IOWA ANNOUNCES 2021 BEST DEVELOPMENT AWARD RECIPIENTS

Celebrating Iowa’s ‘development heroes’ and recognizing smart growth principles across the state

1000 Friends of Iowa proudly announces eight recipients of its Best Development Awards for 2021 in seven categories. These recipients were chosen because they implemented the efficient use of resources to develop sustainable communities and provide a high quality of life.

“Having a wide variety of spectacular work across the state is heartwarming,” according to Julia McGuire, Program Coordinator. The 2021 Best Development Award winners are listed below (category, recipient and project, city):

  • In the specially created Best of Show category, the Tom and Ruth Harkin Center at Drake University in Des Moines, for its comprehensive incorporation of smart building and development practices in one of  the city’s oldest neighborhoods.
  • In the Renovated Commercial category, the Bellevue Button Factory in Bellevue, for converting a vacant factory into a usable space that fills community needs with many positive trickle-down effects.
  • In the Innovative Leadership category, Dupaco for the Voices Building in Dubuque, for converting a vacant manufacturing building into an operations center that revitalizes the Historic Millwork District.
  • In the Renewable Energy – Private category, Kemin Industries for the multiple solar arrays at its Global Headquarters in Des Moines, which are replicable throughout the company’s other sites
  • In the Renewable Energy – Civic category, Clenera and CIPCO for the utility-sized Wapello Solar Field in Louisa County, which can power 45,000 homes
  • In the Renovated Residential category, Mitchell Maskrey Mill in Maquoketa for sustainably repurposing a blighted flour mill into needed housing which continues the momentum in a revitalized downtown area
  • In the Transportation / Complete Streets category, the City of Windsor Heights for its University Ave Reconstruction in Windsor Heights which incorporated multiple modes of transportation, stormwater management, and placemaking.

Additional details about each winning project and their respective categories are forthcoming at the 1000 Friends of Iowa website, 1000friendsofiowa.org.

“By celebrating Iowa’s many great development projects, and the future-minded leaders working behind the scenes, we hope to see an increase in the use of sustainable practices,” stated Kari Carney, Executive Director of 1000 Friends of Iowa. “All of the nominations have brought positive energy to their communities.”

An Awards Ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022, at noon. State legislative leaders will be invited to speak. The ceremony will be open to the public and followed by time for media questions.

The Best Development Award winners are selected from a pool of nominations each year by an independent group of jurors. This year’s jurors were Megan Down, Project Manager for Impact 7G; Jim Engle, Director of Iowa Downtown Resource Center; Jeff Hanson, Community Development Operations Manager of the City of Sioux City; Ulrike Passe, Associate Professor of Architecture and Director for the Center for Building Energy Research at Iowa State University and Bethany Wilcoxon, Senior Adviser for McClure Engineering.

The Best Development Award Program recognizes projects in up to 12 different categories as a way for 1000 Friends of Iowa to express the fact that smart land use and sustainable communities are more than constructed buildings. All of the award recipients help advance sustainability across our state by considering site design, outdoor and indoor environmental impact, community and public use, and long-term benefits.

Founded in 1998, 1000 Friends of Iowa is the only organization in the state focused solely on promoting responsible land use in community, state, and federal development decisions. Its mission is to unite Iowans in efforts to protect farmland and natural areas, revitalize neighborhoods, towns and cities, and improve quality of life for future generations.

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For more information about the Best Development Award Program, please contact Julia McGuire at 515-988-1828 or email awards@1000friendsofiowa.org.

MEDIA ADVISORY

Des Moines, Iowa – 1000 Friends of Iowa is pleased to present the 2020 Best Development Awards to ten Iowa ‘development heroes’ in eight categories. The Best Development Awards Program showcases work that thoughtfully considers the connections between building, land, natural resources, development, and quality of life. With a mission focused on responsible land use, 1000 Friends of Iowa promotes smart growth planning principles that help achieve socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable communities. 

The 2020 development heroes come from the following cities: Burlington, Clarence, Clive, Davenport, Des Moines, Dubuque, Jewell, Mason City, and Oxford. Additionally, the Iowa Flood Center will be recognized for its projects that occurred in Coralville, Dubuque, and Storm Lake.

Details and photos of the winning projects have been compiled at: http://1000friendsofiowa.org/2020-best-development-award-recipients/

What: 2020 Best Development Awards Ceremony

When: January 29, 2021 at 12 noon

Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__RDnhvATTAS-fs5AefKUrQ

Media opportunities: Screenshots are welcomed. Short question and answer session begins after the awards ceremony, approximately 12:50 p.m. with the Best Development Award winners, as well as 1000 Friends of Iowa Executive Director, Kari Carney, and expert jurors: Megan Downs, project manager at Impact7G; Jeff Geerts, Iowa Economic Development Authority; and Ulrike Passe at Iowa State University.

Contact: Julia McGuire, Awards Coordinator, (515) 988-1828 – text

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1000 Friends of Iowa, founded in 1998, is a statewide nonprofit organization focused on land use education. Its mission is to unite Iowans in efforts to protect farmland and natural areas, revitalize neighborhoods, towns and cities, and improve quality of life for future generations. Additional details about each winning project and 1000 Friends of Iowa’s smart growth priorities can be found at www.1000FriendsofIowa.org.

Community Conversations

While most of us have been staying at home during Covid-19, we have been working with sustainability teams across central Iowa to do webinars on critical topics and plan for how to move forward equitable climate and sustainability action on the local level. Check out these community conversations Below:

100% Clean Renewable Cities Panel Discussion

Sustainable City Code with Johnathan Rosenbloom

Transportation in the Metro

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventories and UNI’s CEEE

Stormwater and Flooding

Climate Action Planning

The Intersection of Urban Food Systems and Climate Change

DSM Urban Forest Master Plan and Climate Change

Climate Action – Leading with an Equity Lens

Getting to Zero Waste

Land use, transportation, sustainability, and climate change – webinars and trainings for Cities, Counties and Planners

1000 Friends of Iowa, along with our partners, have started a series of webinars on key topics of interest and importance to city and county staff and planners across the state.

Please check out our first two webinars and stay tuned for more to come! If you have topics for webinars that you would like to have, just email us at Kari@1000friendsofiowa.org

  1. Webinar 1: Zoning for Solar
  2. Webinar 2: EV Ready Communities
  3. Webinar 3: Comprehensive planning with a Climate and Sustainability lens (Coming in February 2022).
  4. Webinar 4: Transportation Planning to Reduce VMTs (Coming in April 2022)

Hiring for Temporary Sponsorship Fundraising Position.

1000 Friends of Iowa is seeking an independent contractor for at least a two to three month contract to coordinate our Best Development Awards Sponsorship Program.

Our Best Development Awards is a 19-year old awards program that recognizes smart growth and sustainable development in Iowa.

A successful candidate must have strong communication skills, be organized, detail oriented and able to work independently. Candidate should have experience with fundraising, prospecting, and direct donor asks; and should be proficient with social media, email, and familiar with Google drive.

Scoop of Work includes, but is not limited to:

Coordinate and implement all tasks related to the 1000 Friends of Iowa Sponsorship program. Tasks include, but are not limited to:

  • Updating and revising sponsorship materials and create other promotional materials
  • Updating and adding to prospect list
  • Coordinating the mailing of sponsorship ask letters and emails
  • Conduct follow up calls to make the ask for sponsorships
  • Coordinate fulfillment of “benefits” for sponsors
  • Create sponsorship acknowledgement materials
  • Communicate KFOI mission, values and Best Development Awards program goals.

This position could be extended for the right candidate to do ongoing and reoccuring sponsorship & fundraising work

Anyone interested in this position should submit a resume and cover letter to kari@1000friendsofiowa.org or call 515-288-5364 for more information. More information about the Best Development Awards can be found at www.1000friendsofiowa.org.

2019 Best Development Award Winners announced

1000 Friends of Iowa announces 13 winners, 9 categories, 5 jurors

1000 Friends of Iowa is pleased to announce the winners of the 2019 Best Development Awards. The awards program showcases projects that recognize connections between building and project development to quality of life. With a mission focused on responsible land use, 1000 Friends of Iowa promotes smart growth planning principles that help achieve socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable communities. Projects recognized this year are located in the following communities: Altoona, Belle Plaine, Coralville, Davenport, Dyersville, Fort Madison, Grinnell, Iowa City, Johnson County, Knoxville, Marshalltown, Readlyn, and Stanton.

Plaques will be presented to winning applicants at an awards ceremony on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020, at the Iowa State Capitol Building, First Floor Rotunda, from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m. The public is invited to attend. Register here.

The hard work of the 2019 Best Development Award winners is acknowledged today ahead of the presentation ceremony. The category, project name, and city are listed here, followed by a short description and local contact.

New Civic: Unitarian Universalist Society Church, Coralville Over 200 friends and members of the Society informed a zero energy, accessible building that shares parking spaces with neighboring lots; planned the entire site for preservation of natural woodland and stormwater management; solar and geothermal energy; sustainable construction materials and conservation-minded finishes and fixtures. Contact: publicity@uusic.org

Renovated Civic: Grinnell Central Park, Grinnell Gifted to the City in the last 1800’s, generations of citizens experienced Central Park. By modernizing and updating the park, the adjacent downtown has also seen new energy. With a healthy mix of funding sources, the history and culture of Grinnell are honored. Simultaneously, the site’s greenspace, stormwater management, and safety are also enhancing the park to be an asset that its citizens love to use. Contact: rbehrens@grinnelliowa.gov

Renovated Commercial: Textile Brewing Company, Dyersville Dyersville Industries took a vacant, blighted downtown “Sewing Factory” building, restored it, and converted it into a place for community. Using contents inside the building and preserving the original structure, history is acknowledged in the walls, decor, and furnishings. The business has caused a ripple effect in tourism, downtown traffic, and awareness of water quality. Contact: jrahe@dyersville.com

Innovative Leadership: Solarize Johnson County 2018 Many stakeholders executed an education and group-buy program for solar arrays in both urban and rural areas. Using mostly existing rooftops, the project adds 1.12 MW of solar energy to the County. Modeling after another city’s solar group buy, Solarize Johnson County’s is “paying it forward” by presenting their work to other audiences. Contact: greenteam@co.johnson.ia.us

Mixed Use (tie): Lee County Bank and Cattermole Library, Fort Madison Fort Madison’s Downtown Commercial Historic District included the Lee County Bank, built in 1893, and Cattermole Library, built in 1894. Both sat vacant for many years. Barker Companies rehabilitated and renovated the exterior and interior of both buildings, leading to a renewed downtown area. The two upper floors of the Bank were transformed into 14 apartments while the lower floor was left mostly unchanged. The Cattermole Library was also converted to apartments on its upper floor while the lower floor is offices, with the original library circulation desk as the reception desk. Now fully occupied, the buildings are inspiring other activity in the historic district. Contact: kylegalloway@barkercompanies.com

Mixed Use (tie): Mason Building Renovation, Stanton With significant community buy-in, the Mason Building (also called the Tarkio Masonic Lodge), fits 1000 Friends of Iowa’s smart growth principles very well for high quality of life. Using private and public funds, reusing an existing structure built in 1878, the space now houses an apartment and two commercial tenants. Owners of an additional 13 downtown buildings are now looking at uplifting their facades. Contact: mickeyanderson01@gmail.com

Renewable Energy: Knoxville Community School District, Knoxville With 11 of its 12 facilities installing solar systems, 92% of the District’s electricity is now supplied by solar energy. Financed with a power purchase agreement (with Red Lion Renewables, a previous Innovative Leadership winner), the district expects to save $8500 annually and reduce carbon emissions by 1,235 tons per year over the 30 year lifetime of the arrays. Additionally, live data sharing is available between arrays, and a tool is under development to use this data for student lessons. Contact: craig.mobley@kcsd.k12.ia.us

New Residential , Owner-Occupied: Prairie Hill Cohousing, Iowa City Built on an 8-acre infill, the Prairie Hill development supports alternative transportation with its location near downtown, the university, a bus stop, and businesses. Duplexes and 4-plexes were designed to shared walls and roofs to reduce the use of sustainable construction materials, solar panels, and labor costs. The site was planted for low-irrigation and no-mow space, with stormwater management practices installed. The development also supports many price points to make housing accessible and affordable. Contact: delholland@aol.com

New Residential, Multi-family Rental: Altoona Towers, Altoona The Altoona Towers were built for energy efficiency and include charging stations for electric cars, a bus stop, proximity to bicycle trails. Thoughtful consideration of building and site successfully show that landlords can make capital investments to keep tenant utility bills at a minimum, even if the tenant is not conservation-minded. By using energy efficient construction materials, appliances, window dressings, and lighting in rental housing, energy consumption can affordably be reduced to the benefit of the tenant and the landlord. Contact: keith@ppm-inc.com

Renovated Residential: Naval Station, Davenport Built in 1904, our Renovated Residential winner has seen many uses as a grade school, a naval training station, and storage facility. Today, it is an excellent example of an adaptive reuse of an historic building with an integrated stormwater management system. After sitting in disrepair as a blighted lot, the Naval Station was renovated and rehabilitated for mixed income senior homes. By addressing the entire site, neighborhood got an uplift from a number of funding sources to the infrastructure and the lot, as well as launching a domino effect in an historic area. The use of salvaged and sustainable construction materials, inclusion of alternative transportation, thoughtful landscaping, and interior work contributes to its positive environmental impact. Contact: chris@alespc.com

Stormwater Management, Private: Gallery Garden, Marshalltown The land for this project was vacant because of a building fire. It was privately developed into a unique, urban park space that addresses multiple stormwater issues for the area. The focal point is a gallery garden wall, which is irrigated by the stormwater. The resources on the site stay on the site, with the irrigation system, lighting, and cameras all powered by solar panels. With its shelter and seating, the Gallery Garden is a popular public location for viewing artwork and the garden features, events, photography, and more. Its signage educates users about the sustainable practices. Contact: bkh91753@gmail.com

Stormwater Management, Public: Readlyn Wetland, Readlyn Runoff from more than half of the City flows into this created wetland to reduce stormwater wetland, which benefits everyone downstream in the 95-acre watershed. The property for the wetland was purchased from a private landowner and future plans include a recreational walking trail. Moreover, a trailhead for the Rolling Prairie Trail is nearby and supports a high quality of life for residents. The Watershed Management Authority and the local school have been involved, including a grant awarded for students to install edgeland plants along the wetland in 2020. Contact: dcjblkw@yahoo.com

Urban Placemaking/Greenspace: Larry Schlue Memorial Sound Park, Belle Plaine After 5 years of collaboration across many sectors, the City of Belle Plaine converted an underused grassy lot with benches into a space that honors the railroad culture of the town, a man who was a champion for his community, and connects many users to downtown. The Sound Park builds off an earlier revitalization effort to support a thriving and walkable business district. Contact: director@bpcdc.net

Winners of the Best Development Awards are selected from a pool of applicants each year in up to twelve categories by a panel of jurors. This year’s jurors have a variety of backgrounds: Pat Boddy, Stewardship Director for RDG Planning and Design; Megan Down, Project Manager for Impact7G; Jeff Geerts, Special Projects Manager for Iowa Economic Development Authority; Jeff Hanson, Community Development Operations Manager for the City of Sioux City, and Ulrike Passe, Associate Professor of Architecture and Director of the Iowa State University Center for Building Energy Research.

1000 Friends of Iowa, founded in 1998, is a statewide nonprofit organization focused on land use education. Its mission is to unite Iowans in efforts to protect farmland and natural areas, revitalize neighborhoods, towns and cities, and improve the quality of life for future generations.

The Best Development Awards Program, founded in 2001, recognizes the organization’s mission in a tangible manner through awards in twelve categories.

MEDIA ADVISORY

Six businesses join solar tour for state legislators

WHAT: 1000 Friends of Iowa will lead legislators and influencers through Urbandale, Clive, Waukee, and West Des Moines on a fact-finding tour of commercial properties with solar rooftops

WHO: Confirmed tourists are Sen. Claire Celsi (D-West Des Moines), Rep. John Forbes (D-Urbandale), Jake Ketzner (Iowa Conservative Energy Forum), Rep. Jennifer Konfrst (D-Windsor Heights). Rob Taylor (Iowa Conservative Energy Forum) will join starting at the press stop. Confirmed tour guides are Kari Carney (1000 Friends of Iowa), Patrick Snell (The Nature Conservancy, Solarize Waukee) and Allison Van Pelt (Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization). Solar installers will be present at three sites.

WHEN: Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019 from 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

WHERE: Each stop along the tour will last approximately 15 minutes

9:30 – 940 a.m. Medicap, 8170 Douglas Ave, Urbandale.

9:45 Group boards the van at Medicap

9:55 – 10:10 Stanbrough Realty, 10888 Hickman Rd, Clive

10:25 – 10:50 The Palms Theater, 200 NE Westgate Dr, Waukee.

10:55-11:05 Peoples Bank, 1185 SE University Ave, Waukee

11:20 – 11:35 Sun Prairie Apartments, 5901 Vista Dr, West Des Moines

11:45 – 12 travel Ultimate Car Wash, 104 14th St, West Des Moines

12:15 Return to individual vehicles at Medicap, 8170 Douglas Ave, Urbandale

WHY: Solar tax credits, net metering, and grid use fees were topics of debate in the 2019 legislative session. This tour was organized to educate lawmakers for the 2020 legislative session.

HOW: Media are welcome to capture images and video at each stop along the tour; interaction with the “tourists” will occur during the media stop at The Palms Theatre and IMAX. For interviews or additional information please contact Julia McGuire, 515-988-1828, awards@1000friendsofiowa.org.

People United for Responsible Land Use