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Parks present "Branching Out" tree grant, Kamiski phase two and Eagle Point preservation plans
Summary
Parks Division Manager Steve Fasil reported that Dubuque won a USDA Urban & Community Forestry grant of roughly $1.5 million to plant more than 5,000 trees and will use NPS and local funds to complete Kamiski Park phase two; staff also described an Eagle Point historic-structure assessment and a challenge grant effort for Caldwell buildings.
Parks Division Manager Steve Fasil briefed the Dubuque City Council April 13 on FY2027 priorities that city staff said would expand tree canopy, complete neighborhood park work and protect historic structures at Eagle Point.
Fasil said the city received a USDA Urban & Community Forestry grant (Branching Out) of about $1.5 million that will fund planting an estimated 5,280 trees through 2029 and will include a Teen Resiliency Corps to train local youth in planting and stewardship work. The project includes a staff position funded by the grant to coordinate outreach and planting in lower-income neighborhoods.
Kamiski Park Phase Two is under construction, Fasil said, and includes a 53-stall parking lot, two additional basketball courts, more picnic shelters and a large open lawn for practices and community use. Phase Two is a roughly $3 million project; staff secured a National Park Service Outdoor Recreation Legacy Program grant of about $1.9 million covering a large portion of the work targeted to equity-focused parks improvements.
Eagle Point Park work will include repairs to the Caldwell buildings and a structural assessment that identified preservation needs. City staff said they plan to pursue a Jeffris Family Foundation challenge grant that would match community fundraising (the foundation's program provides a funded match after a successful local fundraising campaign) and that the grant requires a fundraising plan and consultant support to execute.
Fasil also described planned playground replacements, tennis-court renovations and smaller maintenance projects (restroom replacement, roof repairs for park buildings) included in the FY2027 capital-improvement program. He emphasized the balance between expanding services and the department's limited staff capacity: parks has added miles of trail and new mini-parks in recent years while permanent staffing levels have remained constrained.
Next steps: staff will continue planting and community outreach for Branching Out this spring, complete Kamiski Phase Two later this year, pursue fundraising for Eagle Point building repairs and present detailed cost estimates and designs to the council as projects advance.
