The city must maintain our focus on attracting new businesses but also make sure that our existing businesses are being adequately served. The past four years has seen Dubuque make tremendous strides in economic development. The current national economic conditions combined with the competitive nature of economic development are where our future challenges lie though. We need leaders on the City Council that are in tune with these issues and can respond to them in an appropriate manner. I have several years of experience dealing with these companies and the issues they face.
The mass exodus of our youth from Dubuque and much of the Midwest is of serious concern to me. We must reverse that trend by creating a quality of life that will retain our young people. The high quality of life, low cost of living, reduced crime rate and excellent education are too often passed up by our college graduates in favor of other cities and states. We haven't done a good job presenting our message in a convincing and timely manner to impact their future plans. Census statistics indicate our population has leveled out. Talented, intelligent young people are leaving for what they believe are better communities. Aggressive action must be taken to stop this loss and assure a bright future for these young, creative minds in our wonderful community.
Traffic, sewers and telecommunications. At one time the Southwest Arterial seemed like a goal set too high. Now through the hard work of many dedicated Dubuquers it appears that next year we could actually see the construction begin on this long awaited highway. It can't come too soon either. The citizens of Dubuque have been patient long enough with the increased traffic on city streets that were not built to handle it.
Storm and sanitary sewers. Another project coming to fruition is the Bee Branch Creek Restoration project and the improved North Fork Catfish Creek sewer. Property acquisition for the Bee Branch project is nearly complete. When this open air sewer is done, it will be landscaped and developed in such a way, that it will make it a source of pride for the citizens of the North End of Dubuque.
The city of Dubuque must see through to the end the completion of the upgrades to the Water Pollution Control Plant. This aging facility has served us well for several decades. However under the leadership of the current Council and city staff and in conjunction with our sustainability efforts plans are underway to upgrade the facility and begin dealing with waste in an ecologically friendly way using cutting edge technology.
