Community Matters, v. 8, #3ISU Extension and Outreach Community and Economic Development 1

Community MattersVolume 8, Issue 3

2015

a Quarterly Publication for Iowa Leaders from Extension and Outreach Community and Economic Development

Page 3 Meet the ISU Extension and Outreach CED Advisory Board

Page 4 Municipal Professionals Institute celebrates 40th anniversary

Page 6 ISU professor helps Iowa towns build community, identity and economy through art

Page 8 Gary Taylor named Extension CED interim director

Page 10 ISU Extension CED helps Lee County take the lead

In This Issue

continued on page 3

Extension CED, Dallas Co. Promote Healthy Corner Stores in PerryBy Sandra Oberbroeckling, Community Relations Specialist

Latino store owners in Perry are learning how to make healthy, affordable, and culturally appropriate foods more accessible thanks to the Dallas County Healthy Corner Store Initiative.

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach partnered with Dallas County Public Health (DCPH) and the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) to both increase access to healthy foods and to educate Latino residents on preparing healthy meals. Three Latino-owned businesses in Perry are participating in the project—El Rey Meat Market, Oasis Grocery Store, and Panaderia Mexico (bakery).

The project team includes Jon Wolseth, ISU community development specialist; Rosa Gonzalez, ISU human sciences specialist; Jennifer Walters, DCPH community health coordinator; and Carol Voss, IDPH nutrition coordinator.

The project team conducted baseline inventory assessments and facilitated customer surveys and focus groups to learn more about the shopping behaviors and preferences of local residents. This information was used to help store owners develop personalized goals for their participation in the project.

Depending on their goals, store owners receive assistance with optimizing store layout, overcoming distribution challenges, and becoming certified to accept SNAP and WIC benefits. Managers also receive training and education on business management, energy efficiency, produce storage, and marketing.

“The Perry tiendas are truly family-owned businesses, often run by one or two individuals. The stores need to balance beneficial store changes with owner capacity,” said Wolseth. “We’ve succeeded in increasing avenues for sales through SNAP certification and generating interest in a gift certificate program.

“We’ve explored cost savings for stores through participating in an energy audit and teaching store owners about proper produce storage and inventory rotation.

“Finally, we’ve made available produce within each store more visible through small changes in store layout and signage. The project generated enthusiasm among store owners who have been implementing their own changes to highlight their fresh produce throughout the project,” he said.

The three participating stores featured in-store nutrition education in Spanish, as well as free samples of healthy dishes, all made from ingredients that can be purchased in the store. On Saturday, August 8, Gonzalez served up fish tacos with mango salsa at Oasis. On Sunday, August 16 she served cucumber salad and cucumber water at El Rey, and on Thursday, August 27, she provided samples of fried bananas with cream sauce at Panderia Mexico.

“The cooking demonstrations are a great way to remind folks to make healthier choices,” said Gonzalez. “People say the hardest

Perry residents sample cucumber salad and cucumber water while learning about healthy food choices.

Community Matters, v. 8, #32 ISU Extension and Outreach Community and Economic Development

From the Director

Contact InformationIowa State University Extension and OutreachCommunity and Economic Development2321 North Loop Drive, Suite 121Ames, IA 50010-8218515-294-8397Fax 515-294-1354www.extension.iastate.edu/communities

To download additional copies of this newsletter in PDF file format, go to:www.extension.iastate.edu/communities/newsletter/vol8issue3.pdf

To change your mailing information, contact Sandra Oberbroeckling at soberbr@iastate.edu.

Find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ISU.Extension.CED and Twitter @ISUExtensionCED

Program Builder at your fingertips:

Editorial Board: Steve Adams, Abbie Gaffey, Himar Hernández, Brian Perry, and Sandra Oberbroeckling

Community Matters is published quarterly for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Community and Economic Development staff and their clients. Comments, questions, and suggestions regarding the content of this newsletter should be directed to:

Sandra Oberbroeckling, editorISU Extension and Outreach Community and Economic Development2321 North Loop Drive, Suite 121Ames, IA 50010515–294–3721Fax 515–294–1354soberbr@iastate.edu

. . . and justice for allThe US Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities based on race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice or TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 800-795-3272 (voice) or 202-720-6382 (TDD).

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the US Department of Agriculture. Cathann Kress, director, Cooperative Extension Service, Iowa State University of Science and Technology, Ames, Iowa.

Dear Friends,

If you have been following Community Matters or the ISU Extension and Outreach website, you may know that this will be my final newsletter. I am retiring from my administrative and Extension positions and will continue to teach part time as an associate professor in the Department of Community and Regional Planning. The picture to the right was taken on my first day on the job with the ISU Cooperative Extension System back in 1979 in Sioux City. Thank goodness it was taken in black and white, as colored film from that era has not fared well.

At this point, I could wax nostalgic and talk about the “good old days.” Except they were not. My first years in Extension involved the 1980s farm crisis and the concurring decline of many small-town main streets in northwest Iowa. There was an incredible amount of human suffering and anger, but my appreciation of those for whom I work grew. ISU and its Extension system did not shy from the crisis, but tried their best to help Iowans adapt and persevere. By the time the farm crisis had passed, the somewhat confident look of the Extension “newbie” pictured in the black and white photo had predictably given way to an older and wiser person. And I think to those who know me today, it also shaped a

much more passionate person as an advocate for ISU Extension and its community programming.

I won’t bore you with the details, but my professional and academic career ultimately led me to the ISU College of Design administration, Extension administration, and the Department of Community Regional Planning faculty. Cleaning out my offices has been a hoot. Buried within my files, I found the first ISU College of Design annual report (1978–1979), a 1949 Extension bulletin from University of Illinois Extension on how to save small towns, and a critiqued draft copy of my successor’s thesis (Gary Taylor, see page 8)—I was a member of his graduate committee. (He obviously passed his defense.)

Over the years, I have had the opportunity to represent the College of Design at the ISU graduation ceremony. I’ve also had the good fortune of personally participating in one myself and watching our three children graduate from ISU. Graduation ceremonies are such wonderful celebrations of transition and hope. Well, after 36 years, it’s time for me to graduate again. I am looking forward to being able to focus on my teaching and research, and to continuing to bring my experiences from Extension and Outreach into the classroom. I’ve had the opportunity to work with and for outstanding Extension

professionals, and I have the greatest confidence in Extension to serve the state by extending Iowa State University to Iowa communities.

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not comment on how much fun it’s been the past 36 years. Every job has its bumps in the road. Budget cuts. Reorganizations. Recessions. Yet, my job in both the College of Design and Extension has always been to utilize ISU’s education and research as a means of engaging Iowa’s communities in their self-betterment. What a fun job. Even after all this time, I would highly recommend a job in Extension to anyone who loves intellectual challenges and working with the public.

As I leave you with a black and white picture, allow me to express the wish from the theme song of an old black and white TV show…

Happy Trails,

Tim

Community Matters, v. 8, #3ISU Extension and Outreach Community and Economic Development 3

Gary Lozano

Rick Hunsaker

Meet the ISU Extension and Outreach CED Advisory Board ...Throughout 2015, members of the Iowa State University Extension Community and Economic Development Advisory Board will be profiled in the pages of Community Matters.

Association of Regional Councils, National Association of Development Organizations, Carroll Area Development Corporation, and the 10-state Midwest Assistance Program, Inc. Hunsaker is the current vice chair of Depot Center, Ltd., a local nonprofit historic preservation organization, and is finishing his 10th and final year on the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Commission, having been appointed by both Governors Vilsack and Branstad. He is involved with the Community Foundation of Carroll County and can be found volunteering to judge high school forensics competitions.

Healthy Corner Stores from page 1

Rick Hunsaker is the executive director of Region XII Council of Governments and its three affiliate nonprofit subsidiaries in Carroll, serving six counties and 62 cities in west central Iowa. He has been with the COG since 1990, being appointed to his current position in 1995.

Aside from traditional local government, grant writing, and administrative services, the COG is a federally-recognized economic development district (EDD), the regional planning affiliation (RPA) for the Iowa DOT, owner and operator of the public transit system Western Iowa Transit, operator of the Local Housing Trust Fund, administrator of the Workforce Investment Opportunity Act for the region, and managing partner of the statewide Iowa Waste Exchange, directly providing service to 40 Iowa counties. Region XII also manages the eight-county Western Iowa Advantage cooperative marketing region and a $3.3 million revolving loan fund for business that creates jobs in the region.

Hunsaker is a graduate of Drake University, earning a BA in 1988 and a master’s of public administration in 1990. He serves on the boards of directors for the Iowa

Gary Lozano brings more than 35 years of professional planning experience to the CED Advisory Board. After two years in Davenport developing a neighborhood revitalization strategy for inner city neighborhoods, Lozano began what would be 23 years as a planner for the City of Des Moines, culminating in his role as assistant community development director. During that time, he participated in two comprehensive plan updates, staffed the Plan and Zoning Commission and Zoning Board of Adjustment, and co-led a re-

organization of the city’s development review procedures. He also represented the city in discussions with local businesses, leading to the development of Des Moines’ successful Neighborhood Revitalization Program. He helped to create the Neighborhood Finance Corporation and served on its board of directors during its formative first 10 years. He also served in leadership of the Iowa APA, including a term as chapter president.

In 2001 Lozano left government service to become a partner at RDG Planning & Design, with offices in Omaha and Des Moines. As a private consultant, he led comprehensive planning and/or zoning ordinance rewrite projects in many Iowa communities, including Denison, Cedar Falls, Manchester, Washington, Burlington, Fort Madison, Ottumwa, Mason City, and Clear Lake. He also participated in many planning projects throughout the Midwest. He is currently transitioning to retirement with RDG.

Lozano earned a bachelor of architecture degree with honors in 1972 from Iowa State University and a master’s degree with honors in urban and regional planning from the University of Iowa in 1977. He is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank Des Moines Advisory Council, which advises the bank on affordable housing programs throughout its 13-state region.

part about eating healthy is not having the time, while others say it’s not having healthy options available. The cooking demonstrations show that cooking healthy is quick and that everything you need can be found at your local tienda.”

Residents who sampled the food and took materials noted that simple recipes make preparing healthy meals easier.

Barbara Baquero, assistant of community and behavioral health in the University of Iowa’s College of Public Health, is conducting a similar project in Muscatine County. The ISU and U of I teams collaborated on developing

signage and toolkit materials for use in other Latino communities in Iowa.

The Healthy Corner Store Initiative is the result of a Dallas County Public Health (DCPH) food system assessment in 2014. DCPH convened community stakeholders to prioritize issues and identify strategies for improving the food environment. Three priorities emerged, including: increasing access to healthy, fresh foods; increasing utilization of food assistance benefits (SNAP and WIC); and creating opportunities for local growers and small-scale food processors. A future goal of the project is to facilitate connections between the store owners and local growers.

Right: Spanish-language materials were provided to Latino residents and store owners.

Community Matters, v. 8, #34 ISU Extension and Outreach Community and Economic Development

By Cindy Kendall Program Specialist ISU Extension and Iowa League of Cities

Nearly 300 municipal professionals converged in Ames during the last two weeks of July for the Iowa Municipal Professionals Institute and Academy presented by the Office of State and Local Government Programs (OSLGP), part of the Community and Economic Development Program in Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

The Iowa Municipal Professionals Institute (MPI) was introduced in 1975 as “Clerk’s School” by ISU Extension and Outreach to provide municipal staff with specialized training to improve governance and professionalism in Iowa’s local governments.

Since MPI began 40 years ago, laws and regulations have changed, technology has evolved, personnel have moved on,

Municipal Professionals Institute Celebrates 40th Anniversaryand many cities have added a city manager or city administrator. However, the city’s reliance on the city clerk, the finance officer, and their staff remains strong. And city clerks, finance officers, and their staff continue to rely on the training provided by MPI, as well as the Municipal Professionals Academy (MPA), which provides additional continuing education for city staff.

The brainchild of Jack Whitmer and Paul Coates, ISU professors emeriti, MPI and MPA give municipal professionals from cities in all population categories from throughout the state the opportunity to network with other city professionals while meeting attorneys, successful practitioners, and university-level instructors specializing in municipal practices in Iowa.

MPI and MPA are recognized by the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC) and the IMFOA (Iowa Municipal Finance Officers Association) as the basic education provider for their professional certification programs.

The training offered at MPI and MPA has also been valuable to city staff people from departments such as parks and recreation and utility departments, employees from councils of government, and even people from DART (Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority).

To celebrate the MPI’s 40th anniversary, the OSLGP added scholarships, national speakers, and an alumni banquet to the traditional educational venue. Participants as well as visiting alumni and guests tried to identify “40 Places on the 40th”—a display of 40 places throughout Iowa, and found pictures of their original classmates on the “Anniversary Wall.”

Special guests included Monica Martinez Simmons, Seattle city clerk and president of IIMC; Buster Brown, Omaha city clerk and 2016 IIMC Conference chairman; and long-time instructors Robert Josten, Dorsey and Whitney Law Firm; and Robert Jester, Jester Insurance Services.

Cathann Kress, vice president for ISU Extension and Outreach gave the

opening presentation of the Academy and represented ISU at the alumni banquet, during which she recognized Institute and Academy founders Whitmer and Coates.

The sponsors of the 2015 MPI and MPA included:

• Ahler’s & Cooney, P.C.

• Ames Convention and Visitors Bureau

• Bilbrey Insurance Services

• Callahan Municipal Consultants, LLC

• Dorsey and Whitney, LLP

• Gateway Hotel and Convention Center

• Iowa Municipal Finance Officers Association, President

• Municipal Clerk Educational Foundation

• Iowa League of Cities

• Iowa Municipalities Worker's Compensation Association

• Iowa Public Agency Investment Trust

• International Institute of Municipal Clerks

• Jester Insurance Services

• MSA Professional Services

• Piper Jaffray, Inc

• Public Financial Management, Inc.

• Speer Financial, Inc.

Vice president for ISU Extension and Outreach welcomes attendees of the alumni banquet.

Top: Participants look for former classmates on the anniversary wall. Bottom: “40 Places on the 40th” tested attendees' knowledge of Iowa.

Community Matters, v. 8, #3ISU Extension and Outreach Community and Economic Development 5

To register, click on the On-The-Road image on the OSLGP website.

Municipal Professionals Institute Takes Training On the RoadOn-The-Road Training Locations

Date Community Location

Oct 1 Spencer Spencer City Hall

Oct 3 Sioux City ISU Design West

Oct 8 Carroll Carrollton Inn

Oct 10 Clear Lake Best Western Holiday Lodge

Oct 14 Hiawatha Hiawatha City Hall

Oct 17 Fairfield ISU County Extension Office

Oct 24 Calmar NICC Dairy Center

Oct 29 Creston Adult & Continuing Ed, SWCC

CED Extension Flooding in Iowa Project Earns National RecognitionBy Sandra Oberbroeckling Community Relations Specialist

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach’s “Flooding in Iowa Outreach Project” earned national recognition at the annual conference of the National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals (NACDEP) held May 17–20, 2015, in Little Rock, AR.

The project was developed by Gary Taylor, interim director of the ISU Extension Community and Economic Development Program, in consultation with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, to

educate community officials and the general public about floodplains, flood risks, and basic floodplain management.

The “Flooding in Iowa” project consists of 21 short, web-based videos with supporting participant materials, a 60-page Desk Reference, an FAQ section, and links to other important resources, all designed for an audience with no prior experience in law, hydrology, or the National Flood Insurance Program.

The project earned top honors in the Educational Materials category, placing first at the national level, as well as in

the North Central Region. The award recognizes a NACDEP member who develops outstanding materials that are research-based, well written, and user friendly.

The mission of NACDEP is to improve the visibility, coordination, professional status and resource base of community and economic development extension programs and professionals.

To view the “Flooding in Iowa” videos and download materials, visit www.extension.iastate.edu/floodinginiowa.

By Sandra Oberbroeckling Community Relations Specialist

Many smaller cities find it difficult to accurately complete the required financial documents and perform proper procedures required to create their budgets and file their Annual Financial Reports, in part because they rely on part-time clerks or treasurers who are unable to attend training sessions because of time and budget constraints.

The Iowa Municipal Oversight Law passed by the Iowa Legislature in 2012 has added

an additional layer of complexity, particularly for cities with populations under 2,000.

To meet the needs of these communities, the Iowa Municipal Professionals Institute (MPI) is now offering a new four-hour training session on administration and accounting. MPI is part of the Office of State and Local Government Programs in the Community and Economic Development Program at Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

Cindy Kendall, ISU Extension and Outreach specialist, developed the curriculum for the program, which is called “On-The-Road Budgeting, Examinations, and Accounting for Municipalities.” To ensure accuracy, Kendall reviewed the materials with staff from both the Office of the State Auditor of Iowa and the Iowa Department of Management.

To minimize participants’ travel time and expense, the training sessions will be held in eight locations throughout the state during the month of October (see table for dates and locations).

Kendall has engaged five experts on city finance procedures and regulations to teach

the sessions: Teresa Rotschafer, finance director, City of Johnston; Susan Battani, retired CPA at the Office of Auditor of State; Darryl Ten Pas, finance director, City of Sioux Center; Jennifer Larson, budget director, City of Dubuque; and Jennifer Rodenbeck, director of finance and business operations, City of Cedar Falls.

“We are bringing in outside trainers to provide depth to the curriculum building and in the resources available,” Kendall said.

The cost of the sessions is $65, which includes a meal and training materials. Online registration is now available at http://www.extension.iastate.edu/communities/OSLGP.

Those with questions may contact Kendall at ckendall@iastate.edu or 515-290-1811.

Community Matters, v. 8, #36 ISU Extension and Outreach Community and Economic Development

continued on page 9

Jennifer Drinkwater, assistant professor of art and visual culture.

ISU Professor Helps Iowa Towns Build Community, Identity and Economy Through Art By Teddi Barron Communications Specialist University News Service

From colorful quilts in Main Street shops to gilded oil paintings in big city museums, Jennifer Drinkwater sees it all as art. There are no hierarchies, she says, because all art is a creative expression of culture. And as Drinkwater assumes a newly created position at Iowa State University, her expansive definition of art is serving the people of Iowa well.

This summer, Drinkwater was named assistant professor of art and visual culture and community art extension specialist. The outreach-oriented position was created under the ISU president’s high-impact hire initiative and is one of only a handful nationwide. It places Drinkwater on a mission to help Iowa communities apply art in ways that “improve the fabric” of their towns.

Already she is coordinating art camps for small-town teens, nudging community arts projects off starting blocks, spearheading knit-bombing in Ames, establishing a local artist residency at Design West in Sioux City, and assisting ISU Extension and Outreach with a Latino migration cultural project in Perry.

“Art and the act of making can be powerful tools in building a community’s brand identity and local economy,” Drinkwater said.

“But art can’t thrive and be a potential problem solver if people aren't comfortable talking about it, or if they think it’s something that people ‘up there’ do,” she said. “Art should be accessible. It's about objects being made.”

Making connectionsDrinkwater has taught painting and illustration in ISU’s College of Design for the past eight years, and was appointed director of the university’s Design on Main Gallery in Ames in 2014. She will continue to teach one or two visual design courses each semester and direct Design on Main, where she mentors undergraduate interns on the ins and outs

of running a local gallery.

Despite Drinkwater’s lingering Southern drawl (born and bred in Mississippi), she has become a fan of her adopted state (even completing RAGBRAI this year). Drinkwater studied studio art, art history and anthropology at Tulane, graduating summa cum laude. After teaching environmental education and leading trail crews on the Appalachian Trail in western Massachusetts, she earned her Master of Fine Arts in painting at East Carolina University.

“At Tulane, I always compartmentalized art and anthropology. Anthro was the study of culture and art was a really fun thing I got to do in the studio,” Drinkwater said. “I loved making, but it always felt so self indulgent. With all the problems in the world, it didn’t seem right to go into art. It didn’t seem helpful at all.”

An art history professor at East Carolina “literally changed my life by exposing me to artists whose practice was dealing with the nitty gritty of how art can help,” she said. “Rather than just being objects of beauty, art basically exposes our value system as a culture.”

Her personal art became political and interactive—getting people to touch her paintings. Eventually, her work grew more community focused.

“How can I enable people to build community in the act of making? How does someone who is not the artist interact with the object? How can we help someone who doesn’t consider him or herself to be an artist to make art? How does art make you act in your larger community?

“The easy answer is that if you have art in a community, you’ll have people who want to live there. Galleries, theater and music venues attract young people to a town because there’s stuff to do,” she said. “Art provides a foray into creative living and gives people a more freeing environment which opens up opportunities and conversations. The act of collaboration is an art in itself.”

The perfect exampleWhen it comes to applying art to community building, branding and economic vitality, the town of Perry is Drinkwater’s model.

“Two amazing women who are art enthusiasts and makers started an arts festival in Perry a few years ago,” she said. She’s referring to Jenny Eklund and Mary Rose Nichols.

“After the first Art on the Prairie drew a couple of thousand people, city administrators took notice. They started to invest in art in various ways because they saw the festival as an economic pull,” Drinkwater said.

Since the first festival (now an annual event), the community has invested in public art downtown, including a gateway sculpture by Albert Paley and a streetscape sculpture by Ogden artists Pam Dennis and Ryk Weiss. The old post office building has been brought back to life as La Poste, a gathering place for art, music

Community Matters, v. 8, #3ISU Extension and Outreach Community and Economic Development 7

By Sandra Oberbroeckling Community Relations Specialist

There is a beginning groundswell of interest surrounding the role of art in community and economic development across the country. As one of only a handful of institutions nationwide with an extension artist, Iowa State University is a pioneer in that regard.

The link between art and extension is a natural one for Iowa State, with its legacy as a land-grant institution and a commitment to visual art. In the midst of the Depression, then-President Raymond Hughes began what has now become one of the largest public art collections in any university nationwide as well as an artist-in-residence program.

“Hughes recognized the arts as an integral piece to Iowa State’s curriculum and mission,” said Jennifer Drinkwater, community art extension specialist and assistant professor of visual arts and culture. “It’s exciting to be a part of that continuing legacy.”

One of the ways in which Drinkwater plans to perpetuate ISU’s arts heritage is a project she calls “Intertwine.” The purpose of Intertwine is to link community engagement with art making through a physical project and a series of programming.

“In May 2016, we will yarn-bomb of the façade of Design on Main in the Main Street Cultural District in downtown Ames,” Drinkwater said.

Design on Main is a more than 130-year-old, two-story building located within the Main Street Cultural District in downtown Ames. It serves as a satellite facility that connects Iowa State University’s College of Design with the greater Ames community and contains a community gallery and several graduate studios.

In May, the façade of this building will be covered with thousands of multicolored one-by-one-foot knitted or crocheted squares, stitched together to sheath the building. An exhibition dedicated to the project and all its participants will be featured in the Design on Main Gallery.

Extension Artist ‘Intertwines’ Ames residents, ISU students, and Art

This sketch shows how the ISU Design on Main studio will look after it has been ”yarn bombed.“

“The panels will be designed and created by anyone who would like to participate, stemming from individual knitters across the state to collaborations of existing knitting circles and groups located in Ames,” explained Drinkwater.

To make the project more inclusive, Design on Main hosted an introductory workshop on knitting on September 3. An introductory workshop on crocheting will be held in January. In addition, Kristin Roach, a local fiber artist, prepared written instructions that will be available as a handout in the Design on Main gallery and online.

Design on Main is also hosting educational programs and biweekly knitting sessions with the goal of bringing diverse populations together, from ISU students and secondary school students to Ames residents and retirement communities.

After the installation is removed, the individual one-by-one-foot panels will be made into larger four-by-eight-foot blankets. These blankets will be

professionally dry-cleaned at the end of June, and then donated to local shelters in and around Ames. Intertwine is supported in part by grants from Burning Man, the Iowa Arts Council, and the National Endowment of the Arts, as well as funding from the College of Design. Materials are available for any individual or group wanting to participate.

“At its core, Intertwine relies on the material and physical contributions of all of us,” said Drinkwater. “As such, we intend to weave each part of the process into a larger tapestry that will help to build community through the act of making art together, as well as benefit the Ames community through outreach and donation of the finished products.”

When possible, the project will obtain materials donated from the community or purchase them from locally owned businesses.

“Historically, sewing circles served to bring together women with other women through a ‘socially acceptable’ activity,” Drinkwater said. “Many of these groups created work that was bought and sold for charity, which empowered these artists and profoundly affected positive change in their communities. In an increasingly socially isolated age, the power of bringing together people to be together and to make together can be powerful and healing.”

For more information on how to participate in the Intertwine project, visit http://artistsnextdoor.tumblr.com/Intertwine or contact Jennifer Drinkwater at jd1@iastate.edu.

The “yarn bomb” will consist of one-by-one-foot squares, either knitted or crocheted.

Community Matters, v. 8, #38 ISU Extension and Outreach Community and Economic Development

his programming and service to Iowa communities.

Taylor joined Iowa State in 2004. Previously he was the extension state and local government specialist in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Michigan State University. Before joining academia, he was an associate planner for the East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, a planning consultant in Seattle, and an attorney in Portland, OR.

Taylor is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and serves as the professional development officer for the Iowa Chapter of the American Planning Association. He holds a law degree from the University of Nebraska and a masters in community and regional planning from Iowa State University.

Exiting CED Director Timothy O. Borich will remain at Iowa State part time as an associate professor in the Department of Community and Regional Planning.

By Sandra Oberbroeckling Community Relations Specialist

Gary Taylor has been named interim director for the Community and Economic Development program of Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. He began the position September 3 when Timothy O. Borich retires as CED director and associate dean for extension and outreach within the ISU College of Design.

Taylor is an associate professor and extension specialist in the Department of Community and Regional Planning at Iowa State University. He publishes, conducts workshops, pursues projects and provides assistance to citizens and government officials related to land use planning and land use law.

“I look forward to continuing to work with the dedicated group of educators in the CED unit, cultivating existing partnerships and building new relationships with the many groups and individuals that dedicate their time and efforts to the communities where they live and work,” Taylor said.

ISU Vice President for Extension and Outreach Cathann Kress said Taylor brings

valuable experience to this interim position. ISU Extension and Outreach Community and Economic Development works with all levels of government, ranging from townships and local governments to regional and state government agencies. The program also is well aligned with numerous state and local organizations and has been proactively engaging Iowa’s growing Latino population.

Taylor’s “Planning and Zoning for Local Officials” workshops reach more than 350 local decision makers annually and his publication, “The Iowa Land Use Planning Notebook,” has become an essential resource for elected and appointed officials involved in the planning and zoning process. Through his blog The Midwest Planning BLUZ (“blues”), presentations to professional organizations, and assistance to Iowa community leaders, he keeps the planning community of Iowa and surrounding states current on legal and practice issues in land use.

He has received awards from the American Planning Association and the National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals for

Gary Taylor Named Extension CED Interim Director

Extension CED Partnering with USDA in National SET ProgramBy Deborah Tootle Community Leadership Specialist University Extension Community Development Collaborative

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and USDA Rural Development are partnering in a national initiative to help rural communities explore regional economic advantages and formulate an economic blueprint for multicounty regions. These efforts will help rural regions build strategically on the current and emerging economic strengths in their regions.

This is Iowa’s first year to participate in the national Stronger Economies Together (SET) program. ISU Extension and Outreach Community and Economic Development (CED) specialists Deborah Tootle, Marybeth Foster, Shannon McNaul, Shelley Oltmans, and Brian Perry are collaborating with the

USDA Rural Development state office to provide program delivery and technical assistance for recently identified SET regions in Iowa and adjacent states.

USDA Rural Development announced this summer that two clusters of counties in southeast Iowa and adjoining states were selected as SET regions: the Henry, Jefferson and Washington Counties Region in Iowa and the Mississippi and Des Moines River Confluence Counties (Lee County in Iowa, Clark County in Missouri, and Hancock County in Illinois). These two regions will be joining 21 other regions across 13 states participating in SET during 2015.

SET is a national initiative launched in 2010 by USDA Rural Development, the nation’s four Regional Rural Development Centers and their land-grant university partners. SET is now in place in more than 70 regions in 31 states and has

helped participating rural communities leverage more than $112 million dollars. SET is intended to help strengthen the capacity of communities/counties in rural America to work together in developing and implementing economic development strategies for multicounty regions.

The program includes: step-by-step coaching to guide the design and implementation of a practical and viable regional economic development plan; in-depth demographic and socioeconomic data analyses tailored to the region; and identification of current and emerging clusters as well as comparative economic advantages.

For more information on the SET initiative in Iowa, contact Deborah Tootle at dmtootle@iastate.edu or Heather Honkomp at heather.honkomp@ia.usda.gov. To view information about SET nationwide, visit http://srdc.msstate.edu/set/.

Community Matters, v. 8, #3ISU Extension and Outreach Community and Economic Development 9

Community development specialist Jane Goeken explains putting a community's best foot forward.

Did You Know?

By Abbie Gaffey Community Development Specialist

Nobody vacations in Iowa. It’s just flyover country. Even people who live there go somewhere else on vacation. Right?

Nope. Wrong. Tourism in Iowa is big business! It accounts for 65,400 jobs throughout the state. People coming to Iowa and Iowans vacationing in Iowa spent $7.8 billion in 2013, according to the US Travel Association’s report statistics from the most recently completed travel year, The Economic Impact of Travel on Iowa Counties–2013. Of that $7.8 billion, $1.2 billion consisted of salaries and wages to individuals working in the tourism industry. The $7.8 billion also generated $857.5 million in taxes that went to federal, state, and local governments.

Those statistics were compelling to the Central Iowa Tourism Region. So much so that it partnered with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach’s Community Economic Development (CED) unit to provide training throughout central Iowa on the importance of tourism and ways tourism-related industries can improve the customer experience for tourists.

Tourism Training Focuses on Creating Customer ExperienceISU Extension and Outreach CED specialists Diane Van Wyngarden, Jane Goeken, Steve Adams and Abbie Gaffey developed the training materials and delivered the workshops in nine central Iowa communities—Iowa Falls, Ames, Centerville, Marshalltown, Pella, Newton, Ottumwa, Bloomfield/Davis County, and Clear Lake.

The training sessions attracted 515 participants from a variety of tourism-related businesses, including hotels, restaurants, tourist-attraction staff, transportation companies, chamber of commerce and local-tourism staff, and sponsors of festivals and events.

Using statistical information and presession surveys from each participating community, the CED specialists focused the trainings on how to create Ambassador programs at the community level to help frontline workers improve their customer service skills.

Participants learned about providing directions to local attractions, restaurants, shopping areas, major highways, lodging, and activities tourists can do during their

visit. The training also included how to handle customer complaints in a gracious manner, how to customize services to meet travelers’ expectations, and how to add value to their services to increase their company’s bottom line.

In addition, attendees were given a self-assessment for employers to use with their employees to provide customer-service training at their workplaces.

The training sessions were provided as part of a grant to the Central Iowa Tourism Region from the Iowa Tourism Office of the Iowa Economic Development Authority.

and community, featuring Handlebar Happy Hour, which attracts 80 to 90 people Thursday nights. Drinkwater and ISU design students led a class there on steamroll printmaking last spring, and a one-day Poste Print Festival will be held there in October. An additional Perry project on the horizon will add art to the popular bike trails in the area.

“This little railroad town has reinvigorated itself into an art and bicycling community. It’s amazing,” Drinkwater said.

Drinkwater is working with Jon Wolseth, a community extension specialist based

in Perry, to help build cultural projects around a PBS video series about Latino migration into the United States. They're working with the community to develop a mural on the Carnegie Library that will illustrate migration into Perry.

More ideas than timeDrinkwater is bursting with enthusiasm and ideas for ways art can add value to Iowa towns.

“One of the goals I have for the next year is to design a community arts toolkit that can be turned into a workshop or taken into a community. It would help them assess what they have in their culture. Each town is different. I want to get

people to look at where they live in a different way and identify assets rather than just challenges,” Drinkwater said.

And eventually, she would like to start an artist-in-residence program for ISU students. She envisions placing students in storefronts in small towns for a summer. They would be armed with the skills to listen and engage the public in building community through art.

“There is a place for teas at museums, but I’m more interested in engaging people who don’t think of themselves as artists, makers or creators,” she said. “There are tons of possibilities, probably because I'm thinking so broadly.”

Drinkwater from page 6

Community Matters, v. 8, #310 ISU Extension and Outreach Community and Economic Development

Research Spotlight

Sense of Community Slipping in Small-town IowaBy Angie Hunt, Communications Specialist; University New Service

A new survey of residents in 99 Iowa towns offers a snapshot of how these communities have changed over the past 20 years. While a majority of residents describe their community as safe and friendly, Iowa State University researchers found attitudes about certain amenities and the level of community involvement have declined.

Since 1994, the ISU research team has conducted a survey every 10 years to examine quality of life and social capital in the 99 towns, one in each county. Team researchers and specialists in Community and Economic Development will be sharing this information and what it means for Iowa communities over the next year. Specialists can use the findings of this research to enhance extension and outreach efforts in civic engagement and building local capacity for community development.

The research and extension team for this study period is encouraged by the positive ratings for governmental services, including fire protection and emergency response service as well as parks and public schools.

Residents were less satisfied with non-governmental services, such as housing, child care and medical services. However, ratings for child care and medical services improved from 2004. Less than 30% of residents rated jobs and shopping as good or very good, but that was up from 15 to 16% in the previous survey.

“There is some optimism, some things have improved, some things have stayed the same, and those are very positive,” professor of sociology and team lead Terry Besser said. “I want communities to see these positives, because if they don’t think their efforts result in any change that improves the community, then it’s pretty hard to sustain effort.”

The smaller the town, the bigger the challengeIn 1994, the towns selected for the survey ranged in size from 500 to 10,000 residents, but about half of those towns have lost population since then. It is important to note the assessment of the town services and attitudes toward community life are highly correlated with the size of the town’s population, Besser said. In general, residents in towns with fewer than 750 people rated government and non-government services as well as the social environment lower than residents in bigger towns.

“Being small makes it so difficult to pull things together. The same people are often called upon for community projects and there aren’t enough of them to carry the weight and accomplish what they want to get done – they just get exhausted,” Besser said.

Since the previous surveys in 1994 and 2004, Besser noted that several communities launched projects to improve child-care services, programs for youth and small business development. Those efforts appear to have paid off and are reflected in the improved ratings for those services in individual communities, she said.

Community leaders now need to take a similar approach and focus their attention on residents’ involvement in the community and the sense of community, both of which have continued to decline since 1994, Besser added. Sense of community is the willingness of residents to put aside individual differences and work together to solve common problems.

In this latest survey, residents who had not participated in community projects in the past year said they didn’t know how to get involved, did not have sufficient time to get involved or simply were not asked to be a part of community projects. That’s changed from 2004 when lack of time to participate was the primary explanation.

Family roots are a strong pullThe main reasons people live in a particular small town have not changed since researchers conducted the first survey in 1994. The top two reasons are family ties and they grew up in town. Proximity to work is also important. Besser says those strong family and social ties are a strength and a challenge for many small towns in Iowa.

“It’s a strength because people have ties to the community, they know who they can trust and they can call on each other for help,” Besser said. “But it’s also a challenge because it makes new people feel like outsiders.”

This may explain why some residents said they were not invited to participate in community projects, Besser said.

Researchers also point to a decline in church attendance as another possible

continued on page 11

Community Matters, v. 8, #3ISU Extension and Outreach Community and Economic Development 11

By Deborah Tootle Community Leadership Specialist University Extension Community Development Collaborative

“You know what’s wrong with our community? We don’t have any leadership!”

How many times have you heard this in your community? If you’ve heard it, you are not alone. The other complaint you’ve probably heard is that “the same ten people have to do everything.”

Before you too quickly discount these comments as products of community malcontents, think about the following.

Iowa State University Department of Sociology faculty conducted a study of the quality of life in small towns in Iowa between 1994 and 2014 (see page article on 10). Their findings suggest that a shortage of dedicated and engaged citizen leaders is chronic problem. Furthermore, over the past 20 years, Iowa residents living in small towns have become less involved in their communities. Say what?

For decades, ISU Extension and Outreach Community and Economic Development (CED) specialists have been working with Iowa communities to overcome both of these significant barriers to quality of life.

One way in which they are helping Iowa communities address barriers to community development is by promoting and teaching community leadership. Community leadership is a process for bringing people together to create change for the good of the community; it is a process that focuses on community building and shared leadership.

Beginning in September 2015, the CED program will be offering a new leadership program developed by Iowa State to Iowa communities. “Leading Communities: A Place-Based Leadership Program” is a modular and interactive community leadership program based on cutting-edge research on community leadership.

“Leading Communities” is unique in that it promotes shared leadership, because the complexity of issues in Iowa communities is growing and it may indeed take a village

to address these problems. Participants will also learn real-life, community-based skills and how to meet the specific needs of the places in which they live and work.

Lee County will begin piloting the program in September. According to Shelley Oltmans, executive director of the Keokuk Area Chamber of Commerce and ISU CED specialist, “The most important mission of the Chamber is to develop leaders. We need leaders who have the skills and know how to follow through on a vision to completed projects that improve the quality of life of community members.”

The objectives of “Leading Communities” are to help community members:

1. Understand the importance of community (as opposed to individual, business, or organizational) leadership.

2. Learn four core competencies or skill sets associated with community leadership for moving their communities forward (understanding community leadership and your community; correctly identifying community issues and framing ideas; building social relationships and social capital; mobilizing resources for community action).

3. Learn how to use tools relating to those core competencies to address community issues and opportunities.

Lee County is partnering with ISU CED to provide Leading Communities countywide.

“We are holding the program in communities throughout Lee County so participants can create a sense of broader community outside of their own town. It is important in rural communities to work with regional partners to build capacity,” said Oltmans.

Although Leading Communities is based on a set of place-based community development competencies, it is designed to encourage participants to tailor the program to their particular needs. For instance, in Lee County, participants will also be engaging in a countywide networking process in which they will meet diverse community leaders and partners from throughout the county. In the process, people from diverse backgrounds and experiences will work together to learn about community building in a wide array of social, economic, and cultural conditions.

For more information about “Leading Communities,” contact Deborah Tootle dmtootle@iastate.edu.

ISU Extension CED Helps Lee County Take the Lead

explanation for the changes in sense of community. Churches have generally ranked high as community gathering places and a source of community volunteers. The consolidation of some denominations of churches due to population decline has removed those institutions from small towns. Interestingly, convenience stores or gas stations rated high as popular place for people to meet up with others in the community.

Besser and colleagues Stephen Sapp, professor of sociology; Deborah Tootle, associate professor of sociology and extension specialist; and Georgeanne Artz, assistant professor of economics plan to build up on the survey results this summer and conduct an in-depth analysis of six communities. The researchers will look at development strategies, leadership structure and processes, and assess local amenities to evaluate the effectiveness of various kinds of strategies over the last 20 years.

The survey and the case studies were funded by a grant from the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture. The full report of the survey findings is available at: www.soc.iastate.edu/rdi/99communitystudy. The link also includes individual reports for all 99 communities.

Small-town Iowa from page 10

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