EAST CENTRAL INTERGOVERNMENTAL ASSOCIATION

EAST CENTRAL INTERGOVERNMENTAL ASSOCIATION (ECIA). As the federal government showed an increased interest in sharing the results from federal income taxes, regional planning agencies were established. Based in Dubuque, ECIA is a planning agency which served as a clearinghouse to make sure federal grants do not undercut each other or dilute a region-wide objective. (1) In 1974 city and county elected officials from Cedar, Clinton, Delaware, Dubuque, and Jackson formed the ECIA to "provide cooperative planning and programming" on public facilities and community services. Allan THOMS served as the group's first chairman.

In July, 1974 the ECIA accepted the staff, responsibilities and assets of the Dubuque County Metropolitan Area Planning Commission effective September 1. (2) In November, discussion sessions to meet with citizens were held in Dubuque, Bellevue, and Maquoketa. (3)

In 1976 ECIA officials announced the agency was seeking nominations for citizen representatives on its council. Two representatives from each county would be appointed at a council meeting held in Maquoketa. Appointees were to be chosen from agriculture, labor, business, industry, low-income, under-employed and other interests. (4)

Work of the agency in 1976 had included such work as preparing a survey of how many Dubuque residents employed by the JOHN DEERE DUBUQUE WORKS would be willing to take a bus or share in a car pool instead of driving. Transportation Planner Frank Sherkow of the ECIA informed the Dubuque Transit Board that KEYLINE could apply for a state grant by the end of the year to help pay for the bus service. (5) Applications for funding work on master plan for the AIRPORT were sent to the ECIA, Iowa's Office of Planning and Programming and the Federal Aviation Administration in April, 1976. In 1977 the Cascade City Council authorized the ECIA to draft a zoning ordinance and subdivision regulations at a cost to the city of not more than one thousand dollars. ECIA officials the same year attended a meeting in Des Moines concerning minority participation in construction projects and found Dyersville would have to accept high-priced bids because of the government regulations.

Faced with economic recession in 2009, the federal government responded with stimulus money. A delegation of Dubuque officials including the director of the ECIA lobbied the staffs of senators Harkin and Grassley for monies to construct the SOUTHWEST ARTERIAL, an expansion of the NATIONAL MISSISSIPPI RIVER MUSEUM AND AQUARIUM and other area projects. (6) Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) created its One Stop Center in downtown Dubuque. The Center was a partnership of NICC, the City of Dubuque, Iowa Workforce Development and the ECIA. (7)

In May, 2018 Jackson County officials were asked to sell 2.5 acres of county-owned land to the ECIA-affiliated East Central Development Corporation for ten dollars--one dollar per parcel. The City of Maquoketa was asked for $400,000 worth of infrastructure. This would be used to create a "pocket community" with shared amenities like playground equipment. (8) The largest local grants from the federal government came from the community development program offered by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This focused on eliminating slums. In Dubuque this meant money for street repairs, rehabilitated private homes, enforced housing codes, constructed wheelchair ramps, and the construction of a firehouse. In smaller communities, regional agencies like ECIA acted as consultants which advised local governmental officials on how to handle the complexities of government and bring aid to their communities.

The "pocket community" concept was begun with a book by Ross Chapin, an architect in Washington State. Instead of backyards becoming the focus of homes, the homes are constructed so that the front of the homes face each other and the shared amenities like parks, community gardens, or playground areas. This is considered a way to build rapport among neighbors and a safer environment for children to be outside. Construction was hoped to begin in late summer or early fall. (9)

The 1987 through 1993 Dubuque City Directory listed 799 Main.

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Source:

1. Freund, Bob. "Local Governments Stretch the Dollar," Telegraph Herald, June 30, 1980, p. 70

2. "New Planning Group Takes Over Metro," Telegraph-Herald, July 14, 1974, p. 7

3. "Announcement," Telegraph-Herald, November 10, 1974, p. 8

4. "ECIA Seeking Nominations for Council Representatives," Telegraph Herald, December 5, 1976, p. 12

5. "Keyline Considering Deere Route," Telegraph Herald, November 5, 1976, p. 9

6. Bragg, Mary Rae. "Dubuque Group Makes 'Shovel-Ready' Pitch," Telegraph Herald, February 6, 2009, p. 1

7. Becker, Stacey. "NICC Polishes Tech Plan," Telegraph Herald, March 2, 2009, p. 2

8. Jacobson, Ben. "Dubuque-Based Agency Proposes 10-Home Community in Maquoketa," Telegraph Herald, April 21, 2018, p. 1

9. Ibid.