Exit this survey Top 100 Ideas Survey ImagineCreating a legacy of an energized community with a vision and plan for a vibrant future Throughout the summer, area residents submitted ideas for making Des Moines County and the greater Burlington area a better place to live, work and play. We received more than 1,800 ideas. A selection committee of area residents has narrowed this list to the top 100 ideas. PLEASE SELECT WHAT YOU THINK ARE THE TOP FIVE IDEAS based on the following criteria:• Broad community appeal and involvement• Encourage private investment• Financially feasible• Grow or retain young workforce and new jobs• Long-lasting impact• Sustainable economic impact• Visionary Question Title * 1. Top 100 Ideas 1. Add a high-speed rail system. 2. Add daycare centers that are available 24 hours per day, seven days per week. 3. Apply for new-market tax credits to stimulate economic development. 4. Attract a pharmaceutical or manufacturing facility. 5. Attract an outdoor retail outlet for hunting, fishing and outdoor sports. 6. Become a "cloud city," hosting software applications for other government agencies or businesses for a fee. 7. Build a “RecPlex East” with fields for the National Little League and other activities. 8. Build a children's museum with a daycare center and a center for learning. 9. Build a convention center and hotel in downtown Burlington. 10. Build a medical-technology center. 11. Build a parking ramp at the old J.C. Penny building site or elsewhere in downtown Burlington. 12. Build a public beach on the Mississippi. 13. Build a Theme Park. 14. Build a zoo. 15. Build an indoor shooting range. 16. Build an outdoor shopping mall. 17. Build an RV park or upgrade the RV park at Southeastern Community College. 18. Build apartments in the downtown area. 19. Build executive suites above Bracewell Stadium. 20. Build indoor and outdoor climbing walls. 21. Build rentable condominiums. 22. Build walkways over Roosevelt Avenue by US Bank and McDonald's. 23. Buy and display public art. 24. Clean the ravines in the Greater Burlington area. 25. Clean up Lake Geode. 26. Combine Burlington and West Burlington into one city (“New Burlington”). 27. Connect Mount Pleasant Street and Sunnyside Avenue by extending Curran Street through the ravine. 28. Construct an outlet mall in the old warehouse. 29. Convert the Tama Building and the Typewriter Shop into parking. 30. Create a foundation to support the arts by providing a match to local school district for music, art, drama and speech. 31. Create a fully funded and well-staffed after-school program to accommodate all children who need it. 32. Create a limited liability corporation under Downtown Partners to foster building renovation. 33. Create a trades-training program for specialists in historic building rehabilitation. 34. Create an indoor-sports facility offering year-round sports activities, possibly including hockey, by expanding the RecPlex or building a new facility. 35. Create an industry-research or job-training center. 36. Create and promote a historic-architecture tour of the community. 37. Create bike and pedestrian paths and trails to connect towns and cities to shopping, schools and parks. 38. Create facades and streetscapes in downtown Burlington that are consistent with the city’s historic nature. 39. Create incentives, challenges and promotions that urge people to work on their fitness. 40. Create technology jobs through business grants. 41. Develop a boys’ and girls’ club or a similar organization with a study center, computers, counseling, gyms, leagues, tournaments, financial manager and business start-up service. 42. Develop a community festival that would occur every weekend or more often all summer in downtown Burlington or throughout the area. 43. Develop a farm-to-school program in which schools buy local foods for lunch. 44. Develop a festival park or museum in the old rail-yard area. 45. Develop a public-transport system that connects area attractions. 46. Develop a viable reuse plan for the Apollo building. 47. Develop an educational amusement park to teach kids while they are having fun. 48. Develop Burlington’s riverfront with public a beach, boat docks, harbor, campsites, playgrounds, rides, entertainment and a museum. 49. Develop green space, restaurants, a brewery and healthy living opportunities in downtown Burlington. 50. Develop the Manor property into a pedestrian-friendly commercial center. 51. Establish a four-year college either by recruiting a new college or by expanding Southeastern Community College. 52. Establish a medical residency physician-training program at Great River Health Systems for family practice and psychiatry. 53. Establish a wind-turbine farm. 54. Expand Snake Alley Criterium. 55. Expand Southeastern Community College’s offerings in technology. 56. Expand Steamboat Days to include all-day concerts, offer additional pricing structures and have it run through two weekends. 57. Fix or rebuild Cascade Bridge. 58. Host a tourism expo to promote everything to do in southeast Iowa. 59. Implement a beautification plan to include landscaping, green-space development and property cleanup. 60. Improve Burlington’s streets and alleys. 61. Improve ice-skating and other winter-activity amenities at Crapo Park. 62. Install a public recreation system on South Hill. 63. Install an artificial surface at Bracewell Stadium, and use it for community leagues when not used by Burlington schools. 64. Install better signs from the highways for Crapo Park, Snake Alley and other attractions. 65. Install bio-swales and rain gardens to better control storm-water runoff. 66. Landscape Roosevelt Avenue. 67. Move the Burlington Police Department to the depot, the Dial Soap building or the Montgomery Wards building. 68. Offer a greater variety of restaurants. 69. Offer business incentives to new or existing businesses to create jobs. 70. Offer free Saturday-night musical performances by local bands at the Crapo Park Band Shell. 71. Open a community daycare center that is open 7 seven days per week, 24 hours per day, with access to a gymnasium and soccer field. 72. Paint murals throughout the town and on riverfront ADM Grain elevators. 73. Paint the auditorium pink with neon-green lighting, paint murals under the Great River Bridge and paint the water tank as a fish bowl. 74. Place bicycle rental stations (automated with credit card) throughout the city. 75. Plant botanical gardens in the city's parks. 76. Print coupons in visitors' guides to spur economic activity by visitors at area businesses. 77. Promote college alumni events. 78. Provide business incentives to new or existing businesses to produce jobs. 79. Provide duck boats, boat tours or river cruises during tourism season. 80. Provide free high-speed Internet throughout area. 81. Provide swim lessons for all third-graders in Des Moines County. 82. Provide wrap-around services to the elderly. 83. Pursue an anchor store for downtown Burlington. 84. Raise the floodwall to protect downtown businesses. 85. Redevelop Fairway Center. 86. Redevelop the Basket Factory into a museum. 87. Redevelop the depot into a museum. 88. Regionalize government services. 89. Reinvest gambling revenue in the local communities. 90. Renovate the Dankwardt Park pool and add a nearby playground in Dankwardt Park. 91. Renovate the depot with restaurants, shops or ballroom dancing. 92. Reopen an incubator for small businesses, farmers, home businesses and entrepreneurs. 93. Restore BlackHawk Rock as a historic site. 94. Revise city codes to encourage development while preserving public safety and historic structures. 95. Revitalize the economic strength of Westland Mall. 96. Reward teachers based on student performance and post the results online. 97. Sign an agreement with a concert promoter for Memorial Auditorium. 98. Update Burlington’s image with a new logo, Web site and other appearances. 99. Upgrade airport and air service to include a restaurant, Federal Express and UPS. 100. Use the Mississippi River as an energy source. Done