Preserve Iowa Summit eyes Newton for 2019 conference

An effort to host an event which could bring more than 200 people to Newton is underway. City council gave approval for Newton to serve as the 2019 Preserve Iowa Summit host and to the Newton Historic Preservation Commission to apply for a Certified Local Government grant to help fund the event.

“The Preserve Iowa Summit is the annual conference for historic preservation professionals in the state of Iowa,” director of planning and zoning Erin Chambers said. “Every year, many professional entities have an annual conference for learning opportunities, so the Preserve Iowa Summit is that opportunity.”

Newton’s Historic Preservation Commission has gained the reputation as a preservation leader within the state and in June was named the 2017 Preservationist of the Year. After receiving the recognition, the Iowa State Historic Preservation Office asked if Newton would consider hosting the summit in 2019.

“During the past 10 years, the Newton Historic Preservation Commission has made quite a name for themselves in terms of all of the efforts they have done for historical preservation,” Chambers said. “It is the foundation work that they did, beginning in 2008, that made projects like Hotel Maytag possible and that made it possible for Newton to become a Main Street community.”

The commission expressed excitement about the opportunity to host the summit, Chambers said. Bringing a weekend long event to Newton also aligns with the goals created by the Newton Community Marketing Board, who at its August meeting gave support to the event. The summit would take place June 6, 7 and 8, 2019.

“It is a great time to showcase our community,” Chambers said. “We get to show off our historic context here, which Newton is the first and only community in the state of Iowa that showcases mid-century modern as the primary historic context, so we are able to really show that off.”

Local businesses should also feel a positive impact from the summit stopping in Newton. Chambers said it is a great opportunity for the businesses to have a captive audience to patron their establishments, particularly the hotels and restaurants.

“Typically the conference likes to utilize local businesses for catering and typically one of the meals the conference goers and given a ticket and they can go to a local restaurant of their choosing. Conference goers can get a year taste of our community and it is something the commission is really excited about,” Chambers said.

The NHPC is requesting $12,500 in grant funds along with an approximately $5,900 match from the city. Chambers said the match is typically recouped through sponsorships and conference registrations.

Previous communities to host the conference include Winterset, Davenport and Fort Dodge.

Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com