Hubbell Realty pledges $1M for water trails project
KENT DARR Oct 16, 2018 | 3:56 pm
2 min read time
436 wordsArts and Culture, Business Record Insider, Economic DevelopmentHubbell Realty Co. will donate $1 million over five years to the Great Outdoors Foundation as the first major private contribution to a $117 million water trails project that is ballyhooed as a way to enhance economic development, employee attraction, water quality, wildlife habitat and tourism in Greater Des Moines.
Hubbell President and CEO Rick Tollakson is a major proponent of the project. “This is a crucial first step for Central Iowa to compete with other popular cities in the nation,” Tollakson said in a statement.
Hubbell’s donation marks one of the first large investments in the project, in which a range of improvements are planned for more than 80 sites spanning 150 miles of rivers. The project includes the mitigation and reconstruction of three downtown Des Moines dams into whitewater, surfing and kayaking adventure spots.
The project also includes sites across 19 jurisdictions for bird-watching, fishing and improved wildlife habitat and channels for beginners to expert-level paddling and tubing.
The Great Outdoors Foundation, the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, Catch Des Moines, the Greater Des Moines Partnership and the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines are spearheading the project.
“This gift shows the momentum and importance of this project for Central Iowa. This is an important first step for the future of our community. Hubbell’s leadership in this project cannot be overstated,” Hannah Inman, executive director of the Great Outdoors Foundation, said in a statement.
Most funding for the project has come from nonprofit groups and local governments, primarily to pay for an engineering study. The Greater Des Moines Committee, made up of local business leaders, made a $10,000 contribution earlier this year.
As work on engineering studies progressed, local governments have provided $196,000; the Leadership Circle of the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, $205,000; the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau, $30,000; the Greater Des Moines Partnership, $30,000; Polk County Conservation, $30,000; and the Des Moines Area Association of Realtors, $16,500.
Tollakson has been an energetic advocate, rarely making a public appearance in which he fails to encourage the business community to get on board with funding.
Proponents hope to raise two-thirds of total funds from public sources, with one-third from the private sector.
Tollakson told the Business Record earlier this year that the project will ramp up the momentum that recreation trails, the microbrew scene, music and arts offerings, and the planned skatepark have established.
“Businesses care all about workforce attraction,” Tollakson said. “We have to do something. We don’t have any workers.”
Tollakson is confident the money will be raised. Read more about the project at BusinessRecord.com.
Hubbell President and CEO Rick Tollakson is a major proponent of the project. “This is a crucial first step for Central Iowa to compete with other popular cities in the nation,” Tollakson said in a statement.
Hubbell’s donation marks one of the first large investments in the project, in which a range of improvements are planned for more than 80 sites spanning 150 miles of rivers. The project includes the mitigation and reconstruction of three downtown Des Moines dams into whitewater, surfing and kayaking adventure spots.
The project also includes sites across 19 jurisdictions for bird-watching, fishing and improved wildlife habitat and channels for beginners to expert-level paddling and tubing.
The Great Outdoors Foundation, the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, Catch Des Moines, the Greater Des Moines Partnership and the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines are spearheading the project.
“This gift shows the momentum and importance of this project for Central Iowa. This is an important first step for the future of our community. Hubbell’s leadership in this project cannot be overstated,” Hannah Inman, executive director of the Great Outdoors Foundation, said in a statement.
Most funding for the project has come from nonprofit groups and local governments, primarily to pay for an engineering study. The Greater Des Moines Committee, made up of local business leaders, made a $10,000 contribution earlier this year.
As work on engineering studies progressed, local governments have provided $196,000; the Leadership Circle of the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, $205,000; the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau, $30,000; the Greater Des Moines Partnership, $30,000; Polk County Conservation, $30,000; and the Des Moines Area Association of Realtors, $16,500.
Tollakson has been an energetic advocate, rarely making a public appearance in which he fails to encourage the business community to get on board with funding.
Proponents hope to raise two-thirds of total funds from public sources, with one-third from the private sector.
Tollakson told the Business Record earlier this year that the project will ramp up the momentum that recreation trails, the microbrew scene, music and arts offerings, and the planned skatepark have established.
“Businesses care all about workforce attraction,” Tollakson said. “We have to do something. We don’t have any workers.”
Tollakson is confident the money will be raised. Read more about the project at BusinessRecord.com.
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