Mount Vernon, Iowa | Meet Scott Rose, Part Two

Welcome to Mount Vernon, Iowa. With a population of approximately 4,506 (via a 2010 census – thanks Jake), Mount Vernon can be described as “small-town.” That certainly isn’t an insult, though, as this town is packed with fun and friendly people, great businesses and tons of activities.

See yesterday’s post Meet Scott Rose, Chair of Parks and Recreation for an introduction to Scott.

I asked Scott why he is involved in so many of the different working pieces and parts of Mount Vernon. He advised with a chuckle that he “just can’t say no.” More seriously, though, he stated he’s a civic-minded person and he likes to be involved and help things get accomplished. I can relate. I, of course, followed this up by asking him what he and the Parks and Recreation Board are working on getting accomplished now. After waxing enthusiastically about the efforts of Matt Siders (Activity Director) and Katey Forest Sanders (of Mount Vernon Pool) as well as the board in general, Scott started discussing some ongoing projects.

Nature Park
At Nature Park (aka “The Quarry” to most natives) there is a lot of work ongoing. I noticed this when I was going for a jog on my usual marathon-training-path and stepped ankle-deep into some mud where there used to be a path. Oops. Apparently, a sanitary sewer line has been under construction from Highway 30 up to Main St. A portion of that line is in Nature Park and a portion of that line is in a new piece of city-owned land. A bicycle/running trail is going to be put in that will lead from Main St. down to Highway 30 (I’ve been running on a portion of this for a long time now), but the most interesting thing is the discovery of a possible access point to get UNDER Highway 30 to the south side of town without ever having to physically cross the driven-portion of the roadway. How cool is that? It’s long off into the future, if this path could be put into place, as it would require a lot of work with other agencies, but even the possibility is exciting.

Disc Golf Course
Another project in place at Nature Park is that of a disc golf course. The goal, according to May’s meeting minutes, is to have this project finished by early fall. Volunteers may be needed to help with the labor of putting in this course.

Adopt-A-Park
Scott would also like to organize the parks a little by instituting a reinstatement of Adopt-A-Park which would allow individuals or organizations to assist with projects and seasonal maintenance at the parks. According to years of information I’ve gotten in passing from my husband, the Boy Scouts are well known for putting together projects at the various parks and then following through on them. Adopt-A-Park could help to organize what projects need to be done now, what should be done in the future, and when large groups are needed to help with projects.

Signage
Signage has been a consistent problem with the parks and right now the board is working on getting a five year plan in place to make cohesive, consistent, and informative signage up for the parks.

Adult Sports Programming
This summer, Parks and Recreation reinstituted adult sports programming. The six team softball league filled up fast and I’m thinking next year I’m going to have to get involved. I asked if there were any basketball leagues, which prompted the next interesting project.

Community Center
A long-term project, Parks and Recreation is involved in the planning of a future community center that would have a gym with cardio and weights, a basketball court, and an indoor pool. Apparently in 2005 there was a very comprehensive survey with a high response rate that asked citizens about this topic and the planning is going forth based on the results. The Parks and Recreation Board has been cognizant of and in contact with current businesses in order to ensure that negative competition does not result.

Dog Park
There’s also another grassroots effort going on right now, like Underhill Skate Park, to provide Mount Vernon with a dog park. I would love for this to happen.

After discussing these projects with Scott, I asked him a few other questions that were milling around in my mind after our conversation.

Q1. Why did you choose Mount Vernon?

“I really like this place; there is world-class talent that has chosen to come back or chosen to come here and stay.” He mentioned an individual who has done the lighting for the Rolling Stones, The Who, and the Colbert Report; a session guitarist that has worked with The Pretenders; and the legions of volunteers who make so many things possible. He also stated that there is a ton of potential in Mount Vernon and that with even just one to two determined people, a lot can get accomplished. I asked if we had at least one to two determined people and he replied that we have “a ton.” I agree with him.

Q2. What question do you wish people would really stop asking you?

Scott had to think hard about this question. It’s obvious that he doesn’t mind questions (he put up with mine for nearly two hours). Finally, he settled on the following. Scott wishes that when people asked the question, “Hey, do you guys do x?” that when the answer is, “Not yet,” those people would not only have the idea but would also help follow through with it. Want a skate park? Come up with the idea. Formalize funds. Formalize a plan. Submit it. Tweak it. Work on it. Follow through. It could very well happen. Scott stated with a sheepish grin, “I know this is cheesy… But many hands make light work.” He knows that sometimes there are time constraints or other issues that prevent people from following through on their ideas, but sometimes if you really want something to happen, you can’t just throw an idea out there. It will probably languish.

Want to help?

Are you interested in helping Mount Vernon? Do you have an idea that you think you can help to make happen? Do you just want to volunteer a few hours?

• You can visit the www.visitmvl.com website and on the left there is a column where you can sign up for volunteer opportunities.
• Contact the Community Development Mainstreet & Marketing Director, Mount Vernon City Hall, or Scott (scottbrose@gmail.com). Someone will be able to point you in the right direction.

Do you live within 10 miles of Mount Vernon, Iowa, or do you operate a business within 10 miles of Mount Vernon, Iowa? I would love to get to know you, explore the area with you, or even interview you! Leave me a note and I’ll get back to you. Maybe next time, you could be standing here. Right next to me. I’d love the company.

Want more information on Mount Vernon’s Parks and Recreation

• Emerald Sunshine page on Mount Vernon Parks and Recreation
• Mount Vernon Parks & Recreation on Facebook
• Mount Vernon Parks and Recreation Board
• Mount Vernon Parks/Recreational Programs
• Mount Vernon Parks

Want more information on Mount Vernon?

• Visit MVL/ Mount Vernon Lisbon Community Development Group
• City of Mount Vernon, Iowa
• Mount Vernon and Lisbon Sun
• Cornell College’s About Mount Vernon