1. 1 Danish Great Places Presentation to Iowa Great Places Board September 20, 2010 Danish Villages of Elk Horn & Kimballton Janell Hansen Robert Mortensen Co-chairs Velkommen to the Danish Villages!

2. 2 Come and be Energized! The Danes are known for their “can-do” attitude. Danish Windmill brought to Iowa Little Mermaid Replica Danish Immigrant Museum = over 60,000 tourists annually! What’s in our future? Sustainable energy Electric car charging stations Solar Energy Renewable Energy Lab Showcase our Danish Heritage with new, sustainable practices so prevalent in Denmark today.

3. 3 Come and Collaborate! Danish Villages We can work together to make Iowa a Great State by improving the quality of life in rural, Southwest Iowa and the Danish Villages!

4. 4 Come and be Young! Several young professionals joined our committee and donated their time. They were welcomed, appreciated, listened to and overworked! We asked the youth, (along with all ages) for their input via meetings, a survey, Facebook, and face-to-face conversations.

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8. 8 7 Dimensions of a Great Place

9. 9 Come and Share Our Vision What have we done since 2005? –Built Viking Hjem (Home) near Danish Windmill –Built and sold 10 condominium units –Added approx.100 jobs

10. 10 Come and be..Creative! Visioning Process

11. 11 Subcommittees D anish Heritage I nfrastructure S ustainability C ircle of Life The framework of our 4 committees

12. 12 Come and be Visionary! “The Danish Villages of Elk Horn and Kimballton will become known as a model green community, based on the practices currently working in Denmark. The Danish Villages, like Denmark, are committed to using renewable energy and other clean technologies to advance our economies and strengthen our education for generations to come. We are working closely with our schools, residents, and businesses to build our rural community into a flourishing model for others to follow. We are building our “bridge” from the past—showcasing our Danish Windmill, Danish Immigrant Museum, Little Mermaid and other attractions—to the future, with new technologies including solar power, green roofs, storm water management and more! We are building a model green community to showcase what we learn as we move into the future.”

13. 13 Come and be….Great!

14. 14 Come and be Progressive! Jens Jensen Prairie Landscape Park Danish Villages Conference Center, Energy Academy & Fire Station The Little Mermaid Recreational Trail and Park Improvements

15. 15 Come and be Supportive! Support is committed, locally, for $752,800 –“On behalf of the Danish Consulate of Des Moines, I would like to offer you full support for your proposal for the Great Places designation.” Lynette Rasmussen, Honorary Consulate, Des Moines, Iowa

16. 16 Jens Jensen Prairie Landscape Park

17. 17 Jens Jensen Prairie Landscape Park Life is about making choices, and living on and from the land involves making numerous choices with far-reaching results. Will we exhaust and destroy the land? Will we make choices that sustain the land? Will we preserve the natural beauty of the land?

18. 18 Jens Jensen 1860 – 1951 Danish immigrant to Chicago in 1884 Designed four large parks in Chicago and many more throughout the Midwest Colleague of Frank Lloyd Wright Father of the Prairie School of Landscape Architecture Inspired early conservation efforts leading to the Cook County Forest Preserve, the Illinois state park system, the Indiana Dunes State Park and National Lakeshore

19. 19 Jens Jensen Prairie Landscape Park

20. 20 Jens Jensen Prairie Landscape Park “Nature never fails in scale. Its work is always in harmony with its environment.” - Jens Jensen “It seems to me that the rural mind is destined to create beautiful landscapes and gardens…” - Jens Jensen The prairie landscape is a living expression of openness and freedom and a great influence in shaping the spirit of a people.

21. 21 Jens Jensen Prairie Landscape Park

22. 22 Jens Jensen Prairie Landscape Park  Will attract new audiences interested in horticulture and gardening  Will inform visitors about the use of native prairie plants in creating pleasing garden environments  Will inspire reflection on the role nature plays in renewing and shaping our lives  Will celebrate the beauty of prairie landscapes in Western Iowa

23. 23 Jens Jensen Prairie Landscape Park We want visitors to leave the Jens Jensen Prairie Landscape Park, thinking about the choices they make in their gardens, local parks, and the surrounding countryside they inhabit. “Nature and man’s hand must go together.” - Jens Jensen

24. 24 Danish Villages Conference Center, Energy Academy & Fire Station

25. 25 Danish Villages Conference Center, Energy Academy & Fire Station

26. 26 Danish Villages Conference Center, Energy Academy & Fire Station

27. 27 Danish Villages Conference Center, Energy Academy & Fire Station Local Funding Pledges Received to date –City of Elk Horn$326,000 (includes $20,000 for initial architectural fees) –Elk Horn Rescue$ 30,000 –Better Elk Horn Club$ 10,000 –Marne Elk Horn Telephone$100,000 –Danish Mutual Insurance$ 10,500 –Liberty Labs, & related co.$ 10,500 –Liberty Labs in kind (solar)$ 20,000 (committed $20,000 - $40,000) –Other commitments$ 13,600 Total$520,600

28. 28 Little Mermaid Trail N Elk Horn Kimballton

29. 29 Little Mermaid Trail

30. 30 Little Mermaid Trail

31. 31 Little Mermaid Trail

32. 32 Come and Work Together! Elk Horn City Council Kimballton City Council Danish Villages Economic Development Association Better Elk Horn Club Progressive Danes, Kimballton Come and be Mayor! Mayor Stan Jens has fun with the RAGBRAI Team in Elk Horn

33. 33 The Danish Great Place “We will not only prepare our children for the path ahead of them…we will also prepare the path for our children.” --Robert Mortensen