Credit Island task force has big job in front of it

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By Tory Brecht | Friday, July 18, 2008 |

UPDATE: Giant beached driftwood logs litter every acre of Credit Island, and weeds and dirt have replaced bluegrass on ball diamonds and the golf course.

Standing in front of the park’s entrance Friday — with brown, wilted landscaping as a backdrop — Davenport Mayor Bill Gluba, several aldermen and the city’s outgoing parks director vowed to remake the historic park into a gem.

Gluba said recent public forums on the future of the park made it clear people value it, but what its exact future holds will be examined by a newly created task force.

“There was a clear consensus that Credit Island should be cleaned up and again restored to a status as one of Davenport’s premier parks,” Gluba said. “It truly is a diamond in the rough, but needs to be polished up.”

The mayor said the task force will start with a “blank slate.” Ideas including eliminating golf, seeking designation as a national historic site due to the history as a War of 1812 battlefield, opening the causeway leading to the island to allow water to flow back into the silted-in slough, creating an RV campground and a host of other ideas will be on the table, he said.

“There are no preconceived outcomes,” Gluba said.

Parks Director Dan Sherman said cleanup work is already under way, and the city is coordinating with federal and state emergency management agencies, seeking financial assistance.

Simply restoring the park to its pre-flood condition is expected to cost between $300,000 and $400,000, he said.

The goal is to open the park — with resurfaced roads, new grass and debris removed — by September or October. The golf course will be restored, at least in the short term, with a projected June 2009 opening.

Sherman said any future uses of the park must take flooding into consideration. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has said even raising the roadway to a 26-foot flood level would not prevent groundwater flooding from significantly damaging the park. Flood stage in the Quad-Cities is 15 feet.

“We know it’s going to continue to flood, and what we need to know is what we feel comfortable continuing to repair,” he said. “We must have uses where flooding is an acceptable pattern.”

Sherman said for the first time, FEMA is considering the park’s historical significance — from the clubhouse built in 1922, several Works Progress Administration projects from the Great Depression, and the aforementioned War of 1812 battle — when contemplating funding improvements.

“It may increase the amount of money available to the city,” he said.

Gluba said there is no firm timeline for the task force to reach its conclusion, but he’d like to see some ideas later in the year, before the city sets its budget.

First Ward Alderman Nathan Brown, whose ward includes the park, said he’s hoping to garner more public input before decisions are made.

“I think we’ve got a great group of people working toward making Credit Island the jewel it is, and restoring it,” he said.

Tory Brecht can be contacted at (563) 383-2329 or tbrecht@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.

Credit Island Task Force

Bill Ashton –– professional engineer and member of Davenport Riverfront Task Force

Gina Bettini — background in horticulture and landscaping; member of the Davenport Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee and Friends of VanderVeer

Julienne Hardy — a member of the Sierra Club and Izaak Walton League

Tom Helms — former longtime member of the Davenport Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee

Roger Kean — director of the Scott County Conservation Board; experience in camping, picnicking, environmental education, natural resources preservation and law enforcement

Alan Kump — owner of the Credit Island Bait Shop

Maureen Lemek — member of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee

Brian Nagle — vice president of sales for Builders Sand and Cement Co., DavenportOne member and River Center/Adler Advisory Board member

Mark Nelson — real estate professional with Roy B. Fisher Inc. and certified Real Property Appraiser; chair of the Davenport Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee

Molly Arp Newell — principal of EnviroNET, professional geologist and certified Hazardous Materials Manager; member of the Riverfront Task Force and River Vision

Paul Olsen — track coach at Augustana College

Robert Peppers — west-ender with longtime interest in Credit Island

Barbara Stanger — business owner and member of the Davenport Barber College board of directors; founder of the Louisa County Crazy Ladies and active with Kaaba Shriners

Janelle Swanberg — member of Quad-Cities Audubon Society and Master Gardener who enjoys birding, running, hiking, biking and kayaking

Richard Swearinger — semi-retired general building contractor; INEX Tech Official at Davenport Speedway and ATV owner; member of VIPS and Quad-City Photography Club Board

Richard Thomas — retired from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and presently a substitute teacher; volunteers regularly for Quad-City Times Bix 7 and has coached Dad’s Club Soccer

Peter Wood — student at Oklahoma State University; avid cross country and track runner

Walt Zurdeeg — self-employed researcher for survey of wintering bald eagles in Milan Bottoms, formerly with Beling Consultants/Raymond Professional Group; member of Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, The Nature Conservancy and Quad-City Audubon Society

Staff to the Task Force

Charles Heston — Community Planning and Economic Development Department

Troy Evans — Parks and Recreation Department Senior Golf Manager