SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
June 8, 2017
Sullivan’s
Salvos 6/13/17
In this edition:
*Father’s Day
*Iowa City Pride
*Quality of Life
*Urban Wildlife
*Kmart Closing
*Dad’s Phone Number
*Did You Know?
*Father’s Day
Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads out there! Being a dad is the
best thing I have ever done. It is also the most difficult. I imagine that is
the case for most fathers.
It has been several years since I have had the pleasure of
enjoying a living father or grandfather. If you are lucky enough to have a
father or grandfather around, please take a moment to reach out to him this
weekend.
*Iowa City Pride
Come celebrate community,
individuality, and PRIDE at Iowa City's Pride 2017! The Parade is Saturday, June 17 and starts at noon at College Green Park.
The Festival is also June 17, from 12 PM - 5:30 PM in the Pedestrian Mall. The Festival features vendors
and information booths from all over the area.
Festivities continue this year along
Linn Street with food vendors, a dunk tank, and the party space of Studio 13!
And new this year: be sure to check out
our dedicated community spaces for queer people of color, transgender &
nonbinary folks, and LGBTQ Elders. More information will be coming about these,
too!
*Quality of Life
On Wednesday, June 7, the Johnson County
Board of Supervisors hosted the event “Enhancing Quality of Life in Johnson
County: A Celebration of Community Partners,” at the Johnson County Health and Human
Services Building. The event was an opportunity for the Johnson County Board of
Supervisors to recognize and thank community organizations that receive county
funds.
For fiscal year 2018, the Johnson
County Board of Supervisors allocated more than $2.25 million through various
grant and fund allocation processes to more than three dozen community
partners, including social services organizations, libraries, and economic
development groups. The Board directed additional funds to address food
insecurity and, for the second year, the Board also committed $600,000 to
address critical affordable housing needs.
Unlike many grant
programs, county funding can be used by organizations for critical operating
expenses, helping build financial stability. In addition, county funds can be
used to leverage additional money from federal, state or private resources.
*Urban Wildlife
It
has become a bit of a joke between myself and Brad Freidhof of Johnson County
Conservation, but I have a lot of wildlife at my house! (Brad suggests a
Conservation Easement!) You might think that is no big deal, but I live right
in the middle of Iowa City!
Of course we have the ubiquitous urban wildlife: squirrels,
rabbits, chipmunks, raccoons, sparrows, and mourning doves. We also have had
several visits from animals that are a bit more rare in the urban areas: deer,
opossums, moles, cardinals, blue jays, hawks, barred owls, and honey bees.
But what have really struck me are our visits from mink. I grew up
in the country, and spent many, many hours in the woods and in the creek.
Despite that experience, other than those caught by trappers, I had never seen
a mink in the wild. Until they began showing up in my yard!
A couple things about all this urban wildlife: First, these are
wild animals. Leave them alone and keep your distance. Secondly, while it is
cool to see them in town, it could well mean that their previous habitat has
been disturbed. We must protect it! Finally, this serves as a great reminder
that nature is all around us!
*Kmart Closing
I
was extremely disappointed to hear that the Iowa City Kmart is closing. I
sincerely hope the Iowa City Council can find a similar business to take its’
place.
That
area of town desperately needs a department store. It is critically important
to the economy and quality of life for the SE side of Iowa City. Yes, we are
moving to an Amazon economy. But I still believe that if people have to drive 5
miles or more to buy the type of basics Kmart offered, they may simply choose
to live somewhere else.
Selfishly, I will miss this Kmart for several reasons. It is the
closest place to my house to buy many items. What’s more, I have been going to
that Kmart since I was a young child. It is just one of those things I take for
granted. Or it was.
*Dad’s Phone Number
I
had a really interesting thing happen the other day, and it has been on my mind
ever since. I want to see if others have had similar experiences.
I
was at a Building Trades meeting, and the gentleman from the Laborer’s Union
handed me his business card. I glanced at the card, saw his phone number, and
was overcome by a flood of emotions.
You see, my father had worked for Laborer’s Local 43 in Cedar
Rapids for over 30 years. As it turns out, they still have the same phone
number. The number I called when I was 4 and just wanted to talk to my Dad. The
number I called when I was 16 and wanted to borrow the car. The number I called
when I was 23 and wanted to talk about the Hawkeyes. The number I called until
almost the day he died when I was 31.
I
was shocked, frankly, by the emotions that came back from simply seeing that
phone number. Obviously, it is still on my mind. Anyone else out there ever
experience anything similar?
*DID YOU KNOW?
Laborer’s Local 43 has just under 500 dues paying members in Eastern
Iowa.
Anyone
interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the
County website-
"Sullivan’s
Salvos" is sent once per week to any interested party. It will give a
brief update on issues of interest to Johnson County residents.
These messages
come solely from Rod Sullivan, and neither represents the viewpoints of the
whole Board of Supervisors nor those of groups or individuals otherwise
mentioned.
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As always,
feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. I look forward to
serving you!
---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 11:20 AM
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